G55 Rust Repair and Dealer Issue *ADVICE PLEASE*
05-18-2017, 12:35 PM
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G55
G55 Rust Repair and Dealer Issue *ADVICE PLEASE*
Sorry if this is the wrong forum, please move it to the correct one if so.
So, I have a real problem. As usual, a good part of it is my stupidity, but I think some may not be
.
In February I found the perfect late model G55 located at a MB dealer in the NE USA (hesitant to give too many details at this point). I am on the west coast. So, I ended up talking to the general manager, getting pics etc.
My main concerns were rust, motor and interior/exterior shape. But really rust since this car is in the NE. So, I spoke to the GM on the phone and email quite a bit and they assured me there were no rust issues. I very specifically asked about around the front window as I am aware there can be issues there. I was assured there was no rust around the window (or anywhere else). So, of course I made a huge mistake here and said, i'll take it and wired them the money. This was not some insane deal that should have made me suspicious.. it was a decent deal for the color scheme I wanted. So, no one on this planet feels worse about this than I do (maybe my wife) so if you can spare telling me what an idiot I am in the reply it would be great.
So, anyway, I had a shipping company pickup the car and deliver it. two weeks later I got the car.. it was raining really hard that week so i put it in my garage and looked it over... so, there was TERRIBLE rust around the windshield. Several large bubbling paint rust spots (not all the way through the paint, but the paint was bubbled out). There was also a small rust spot coming through the paint by the sunroof.
So, after being sick, I called the GM. The GM was shocked that there was rust and asked for pictures. Over the next several weeks we went back and forth with them saying they were trying to get approval from MB USA to repair the rust. I took it to a body shop I have used before for an opinion and the guy lost his mind and told me I had a "rust bucket" and to return it asap. The dealer did not want me to return it, they wanted to get it fixed. I told them that I was not interested in a sand/fill/paint fix as the rust would be back in no time. I explained if we were going to fix it, we would need to replace the entire window frame and something with the roof.
Long story short, I got them a quote to replace the windshield frame and roof skin from the local MB certified repair shop. About a month later they said that MB USA approved the repair and I would be hearing from them. I did hear from one of the MB dealers where I live and they did not seem to pleased. I explained that I wanted all the rust fixed on the car, since I was told there was no rust, and they wanted me to now go meet with the owner of the MB authorized shop here in town.
When I met with the owner and we looked at the car, he immediately told me that the quote that I had been given was WAY off and that they would not ever replace the skin on the roof of the car. He said that the window frame is a massive job and not a great thing to do to the car. He suggested that they could fix the roof rust because it was small (it is) and he would try to repair the window frame.. saying that if the rust wasn't bad he could fix it, or if it was bad he would just cut out the parts that were bad and weld in new pieces. I wanted some guarantees that rust would not come back.. we basically agreed that he would get into it and once we could see it he could show me and we could agree on what was best.
So, then he talked to the local dealer and they talked to me. Basically the dealer did not want to fix ANY rusting parts beyond the windshield frame and roof (badly rusted bolts on light guards, some rusted clips that hold trim, etc) and basically implied that they were doing me a favor to fix any of it.
I had to wait over a month for the repair place to get me in. Last week I asked them how it was going and he invited me to stop by. Basically the windshield frame had a large part totally rusted through and they have to replace the frame. He now needed to order one. He kept talking about how big of a job this is. So, yesterday I emailed him for an ETA (the entire repair was suppose to take 1 month). He replied today and told me that the frame comes from Germany and will be here in August.. but he is trying to expedite it. The GM at the dealer I bought it from no longer returns my emails..
SOOO.... My questions for you are.
1) Diminished value.. some day when the car is fixed.. is my value going to be shot because of all of this work?
2) The dealer.. do I have any case against them for the diminished value or anything since they claimed (in email and phone calls that there was no rust around the window) and now I don't have a car until September and a car that now will have had major structural work done.
Besides the fact that I am an idiot & to go look at cars in person before i buy them, any other thoughts?
Thanks for making it this far reading...
So, I have a real problem. As usual, a good part of it is my stupidity, but I think some may not be
.In February I found the perfect late model G55 located at a MB dealer in the NE USA (hesitant to give too many details at this point). I am on the west coast. So, I ended up talking to the general manager, getting pics etc.
My main concerns were rust, motor and interior/exterior shape. But really rust since this car is in the NE. So, I spoke to the GM on the phone and email quite a bit and they assured me there were no rust issues. I very specifically asked about around the front window as I am aware there can be issues there. I was assured there was no rust around the window (or anywhere else). So, of course I made a huge mistake here and said, i'll take it and wired them the money. This was not some insane deal that should have made me suspicious.. it was a decent deal for the color scheme I wanted. So, no one on this planet feels worse about this than I do (maybe my wife) so if you can spare telling me what an idiot I am in the reply it would be great.
So, anyway, I had a shipping company pickup the car and deliver it. two weeks later I got the car.. it was raining really hard that week so i put it in my garage and looked it over... so, there was TERRIBLE rust around the windshield. Several large bubbling paint rust spots (not all the way through the paint, but the paint was bubbled out). There was also a small rust spot coming through the paint by the sunroof.
So, after being sick, I called the GM. The GM was shocked that there was rust and asked for pictures. Over the next several weeks we went back and forth with them saying they were trying to get approval from MB USA to repair the rust. I took it to a body shop I have used before for an opinion and the guy lost his mind and told me I had a "rust bucket" and to return it asap. The dealer did not want me to return it, they wanted to get it fixed. I told them that I was not interested in a sand/fill/paint fix as the rust would be back in no time. I explained if we were going to fix it, we would need to replace the entire window frame and something with the roof.
Long story short, I got them a quote to replace the windshield frame and roof skin from the local MB certified repair shop. About a month later they said that MB USA approved the repair and I would be hearing from them. I did hear from one of the MB dealers where I live and they did not seem to pleased. I explained that I wanted all the rust fixed on the car, since I was told there was no rust, and they wanted me to now go meet with the owner of the MB authorized shop here in town.
When I met with the owner and we looked at the car, he immediately told me that the quote that I had been given was WAY off and that they would not ever replace the skin on the roof of the car. He said that the window frame is a massive job and not a great thing to do to the car. He suggested that they could fix the roof rust because it was small (it is) and he would try to repair the window frame.. saying that if the rust wasn't bad he could fix it, or if it was bad he would just cut out the parts that were bad and weld in new pieces. I wanted some guarantees that rust would not come back.. we basically agreed that he would get into it and once we could see it he could show me and we could agree on what was best.
So, then he talked to the local dealer and they talked to me. Basically the dealer did not want to fix ANY rusting parts beyond the windshield frame and roof (badly rusted bolts on light guards, some rusted clips that hold trim, etc) and basically implied that they were doing me a favor to fix any of it.
I had to wait over a month for the repair place to get me in. Last week I asked them how it was going and he invited me to stop by. Basically the windshield frame had a large part totally rusted through and they have to replace the frame. He now needed to order one. He kept talking about how big of a job this is. So, yesterday I emailed him for an ETA (the entire repair was suppose to take 1 month). He replied today and told me that the frame comes from Germany and will be here in August.. but he is trying to expedite it. The GM at the dealer I bought it from no longer returns my emails..
SOOO.... My questions for you are.
1) Diminished value.. some day when the car is fixed.. is my value going to be shot because of all of this work?
2) The dealer.. do I have any case against them for the diminished value or anything since they claimed (in email and phone calls that there was no rust around the window) and now I don't have a car until September and a car that now will have had major structural work done.
Besides the fact that I am an idiot & to go look at cars in person before i buy them, any other thoughts?
Thanks for making it this far reading...
07-02-2017, 09:35 PM
#2
Junior Member
Was it a CPO vehicle? If not, how much does it cost to fix if you don't mind me asking? Either way, a G Wagon is a G Wagon, there will still be a demand for it when it comes time to sell and the depreciation is pretty slow. If you're selling as a private seller you won't even have to disclose that it had framework done.
08-08-2017, 04:23 PM
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1956 Ford F100, 1973 Volvo 1800ES, 2008 MBZ C300, MBZ 2010 G55
Had the same issue. They found the rust when replacing a broken windshield. The Mercedes body shop stated there was significant rust, which I did not verify. Ill cut my story short because it involved working on a wind sound issue after replacing the windshield. Mercedes of North America picked up the cost of repairing the rust, after a battle. The point I wanted to make is that I was told by the shop foreman the windshield frame is the best remedy and actually simple to remove and replace. But maybe not the cheapest. Again the bottom line gets in the way. Thanks for your post.
