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I am supposed to be picking up a 2018 Polar White E Class tomorrow, but one of the pics from the inspector has got me questioning my decision. Check out all the wood chips around the vents in the dash? Any experts car to take a guess as to what caused it, if it is covered under warranty, and if not how much it would be to replace? Thanks in advance for your help.
This is interesting to see. Humidity from the air vents. Its important to wipe down any AC moisture if it builds on long drives so it doesn't soak into the wood and cause this.
Last edited by 6speeddave; Sep 7, 2021 at 09:42 AM.
1986 Light Ivory R107 560SL & 2024 W206 Starling Blue C300 4MATIC AMG-Line, Exclusive Trim
My guess would be that the car was parked outside instead of garaged, and the sun and the heat got to it and caused it to split. I've seen it happen on the W205 forum every now and then with the open pore woods.
I’ve seen the same issue in a few used W213s on a MB dealer lot in Sarasota, FL. That put a swift end to my dithereing on getting open pore for my S213 custom order.
You can option the high gloss wood in which they seal it. Although I too prefer the open-pore wood as it is. On a side note, I never heard of wood chipping on a MB ever, so I am surprised this is a thing. In Canada, we have brutal winters and can be considered brutal summers (although short) so it should be the perfect condition for these issues to arise.
Further proves MB uses real wood veneers and not plastic as some ppl have tried to claim
I replaced the front passenger door wood trim on my GLE this spring, and snapped the old panel in half, intentionally, to see how it was made. Yes, wood. A very thin layer of wood, sandwiched between plastic or topcoat, and a thin metal backing plate. This sandwich was adhered to a plastic carrier into which the switches, buttons, wires and fasteners were attached.
I replaced the front passenger door wood trim on my GLE this spring, and snapped the old panel in half, intentionally, to see how it was made. Yes, wood. A very thin layer of wood, sandwiched between plastic or topcoat, and a thin metal backing plate. This sandwich was adhered to a plastic carrier into which the switches, buttons, wires and fasteners were attached.
Thanks for sharing your findings, it is always interesting to see things from the inside.
Thanks for the replies gents. I am going to take it to the dealer and see what they say. IMHO if wasn't damaged by the previous owner, it is a warranty issue.
Following... Does anyone know if there are wood products or oils that might increase longevity? FYI, I often wipe the black ash down with the same cloth I used to treat the leather. I am guessing a little Lexol can't hurt the wood...
Last edited by Pioneer222; Sep 5, 2021 at 03:48 PM.
Another data point here. Have grey ash wood on my 2021 E450 wagon that was starting to split on drivers door, center console, and right dash piece. Dealer replaced under warranty (actually took it to another dealer first who said it was caused by chemicals although that's not true since I use a dry microfiber), but did not replace pieces that weren't affected. Overall, still matches pretty well.
To be honest I have been pretty surprised what my local dealer has covered under warranty. Basically when I took it in the service advisor said that the car needed XYZ, I told him no problem if he could get a couple of issues covered under warranty I would bring the car back and get services XYZ. Suddenly all the BS I wanted to be covered under warranty had no issues. I won't enumerate them on here, but the $200 service he charged me for netted about $2K in warranty replacements.
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