Have a 2016 GL550 with 18k miles. Was driving in the rain a week ago and got a message to check headlamp and when I got to work the headlight was out and condensation was in the headlight housing. Brought to the dealership and they told me that a rock hit the headlight, causing a break in the seal and it was approx $3k to replace it and all the components due to "headlight and control unit have corrosion and standing water". I put a claim in through my insurance company and the insurance adjuster just called and told that the water intrusion is from the engine bay/rear part of the headlight assembly, not from the front of the headlight and its not an insurable event.

Has anyone had to deal with a dealership when there were two differing opinions from "experts"?

 

Nope, not me. I didn't realize water penetrates the engine compartment thru the hood, fenders and bottom panels so much, an interesting assessment from your insurance company. If that were the case all of our lights would be out by now. Maybe they can draw you an illustration.

 

Both are likely full of it.
Can the dealership show you the spot where the rock hit the headlight and exactly what part of the seal is broken?
If the answer is no, they are full of crap.
Same for the insurance guy if he can't specifically show a failure of the bulb seal.

Condensation/water can enter the headlight housing from any unsealed section of the headlight, front or back.

 

Update - I spoke to my dealer and they are now saying that a seal at the back of the housing was removed and not replaced OR it was dislodged, but its impossible to determine the how/why. The dealer is having to go through MB USA to see what, if anything, can be done. They are hoping for the best case scenario but did prepare me for the worst, being since no one can prove anything one way or another, I may ultimately be responsible (and they would charge me at cost). Hopefully, the dealer can get some goodwill on my behalf with MB USA...

 

Just curious, did you buy the car new, used from another non MB dealer or CPO?

 

Bought it used from a non-MB dealer with a little over 10k miles. Ironically, my dealer serviced the vehicle from the original owner as my service advisor was their service advisor, so he knows the vehicle. When I brought it in for its 10k mile service, he told me the dealer wanted to buy it back from the original owner badly but they couldn't make a deal and was surprised to see the GL again.

 

So the insurance adjuster was correct?

 

Appears to be so.

 

Update: Heard back from my dealer. They tried to get MBUSA to cover the replacement but no dice, so I'm stuck holding the bill. They suggested I talk to MBUSA Customer Assistance as it may have more meaning coming from the consumer. Anyone have any luck pleading their case with MBUSA? Love the GL but this process has left a pretty bitter taste in my mouth all around.

 

No experience with MB Customer Assistance, but I suspect the key problem is this:

 

It shouldn't matter whether or not you bought the car from a MB dealer or non MB dealer. I could understand if this was a 2014 with 60,000 miles and an accident on the vehicle history report showing front end damage. However, this is a 2016 with only 18,000 miles with service history from a MB dealer and is still way under the FACTORY NEW CAR warranty. Assuming it shows no accident damage, this is a warranty issue. Can the dealer prove without a doubt that the "seal at the back of the housing was removed and not replaced OR it was dislodged" by someone other than a Mercedes technician? No they can't as they told you that it was impossible to determine how and why. It could have even been faulty leaving the assembly line. Know one knows. It's not your job or theirs to play Sherlock Holmes and find out. The dealer or MBUSA just needs to take care of this and fix the issue under the FACTORY NEW CAR warranty that basically covers every item non maintenance. They should have without a doubt not hesitated to take care of this considering this is their flagship $100,000 SUV. Before you cough up $3,000, contact a lawyer specialized in dealing with manufacturers trying to weasel their way out of abiding by the terms of the factory warranty.

 

I agree with the above post. I think your next step should be a call to MBUSA and if they don't ask where the car was purchased, don't even bring it up. I don't think it should matter with less than 10K miles and proven history of service through MB dealer. I would ask what is the process to determine the seal came this way from the assembly line

 

CWhitfield84 - you're too nice. It is time to put your game face on and kick some butt. Normally I would always recommend the passive route but you're dealing with a multi-million dollar company, not an individual. As others suggested, please call MBUSA and tell them that you dropped some serous clams on what you thought was a great vehicle with an impeccable reputation, blah, blah, blah and you can't believe that something as simple as a headlight is broken "by itself or from the assembly line." Also bring up their dumb commercial "the best or nothing!" I guess it is not the best after all.

I complained to MBUSA about my CPO and the dealer fixed the items and credited me for their fake "detailing." You need to kick and scream! And then you will feel real good - trust me.

On a side note, I bought a used iphone off craigslist. The seller never mentioned this in the ad but when I went to buy it, he said that it was upgraded to the new iOS beta and can be downgraded. So i bought it anyway. The downgrade did not work. I took it to the apple store near me and they were also not able to downgrade it. So i called up the seller and told him I want my money back, or see if he can downgrade it. I gave him a little bit of hell but kept my calm. He called up Apple the next day and told how he joined their developer program and all this crap happened. A few hours later I get a call from the apple store telling me to come in and they will give me an Apple refurbished phone. How cool is that? I (my wife actually) practically got a new phone. It was a little frustrating, but it is your hard-earned money.

So you need raise your voice a bit and tell them that you want to grow this relationship, etc. and have them do the right thing. Good luck!

 

Thanks for the support everyone! Called MBUSA and opened a case and should hear back within 24 hours, if not sooner, as they are expediting since my GL is in the shop.

I've tried to stay somewhat neutral in my detailing of the situation so anyone opining would not be influenced by my bias. Quite frankly, I just don't trust the dealer. When I originally brought the car in, they saw a superficial scratch in the headlight and immediately said "it's a crack. This is where the water is coming from" and even continued with their original assessment but changed their tune very quickly once my insurance adjuster came out and determined it was a failed seal. Additionally, it has been excruciatingly painful to get any details/communication, other than the occasional text message or the final "Sorry, we tried. MBUSA not covering. You might have a better luck". Maybe my cynicism is unjustified, and if that's the case I'll admit to being wrong (and eat my words), but my gut is telling me the dealer is just trying to get $$$ and is NOT concerned about customer service, regardless if I bought the vehicle from them or not.

 

Years ago I bought a Lexus from a small time foreign car dealer. Car was about to expire out of factory warranty. The wood steering wheel was slightly discolored (due to previous owners use of hand lotion). I took it to a Lexus dealer and the service advisor pointed it out to me, however stated that he couldn't get it covered by Lexus due to it being cosmetic and this crap about how I might have had better luck if I had purchased the car from Lexus CPO and full service history bla bla bla. I took it to another Lexus dealer 20 minutes away and the service advisor took one look at it, said "that shouldn't look like that", set me up with a loaner and in a few days I had a brand new steering wheel covered by Lexus. Needless to say, that dealer earned my business from that day on. You might have to try your hand at a different dealer as some are more keen on earning business than others.

For warranty work, dealers doesn't lose any money. The manufacturer pays out. The service advisor can easily write a warranty claim in a way that it is either covered or denied by MBUSA. The good service writers go to bat for their customers.

 

MBUSA got back to me fairly quickly with a decision. My dealer is offering 10% off the invoice b/c they felt "bad" about the situation and wanted to establish a relationship with me and MBUSA is offering to match. They are sticking with "since it was purchased non-MB and the non-MB dealer could have done something, we can't guarantee that the seal wasn't damaged and can't warranty the part". They will not offer anything more, even after "kicking and screaming" in addition to pointing out the flawed logic and potential loss of future car purchases. I guess my "customer lifetime value" is only worth $500 to MBUSA...

Trying to find a silver lining here but I did get 18k miles off the OEM Conti's. Upgrading to DSW06's, which is included in the invoice, so I've got that going for me.

 

Your vehicle is still under the New Vehicle Limited warranty (4 years, 50,000 miles). Tell the dealer or MBUSA to highlight where it explicitly states that this warranty is voided if you purchase your vehicle from somewhere other than a Mercedes dealer? https://www.mbusa.com/vcm/MB/Digital...on_booklet.pdf
They can't. Look up the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act https://www.mlmlaw.com/library/guide...s/undermag.htm https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/chapter-50

From the MB warranty booklet page 18: Our intention is to repair under warranty, without charge to you, anything that goes wrong with your vehicle during the warranty period which is our fault. All we ask is that you properly maintain and care for the vehicle and that you have warranty repairs performed by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center. Please note the difference between “defects” and “damage” as used in the warranty. Defects are covered since we, the distributor, are responsible. Conversely, we have no control over damage caused by things including, but not limited to, collision, misuse, and lack of or improper maintenance. Therefore, damage for whatever reason is not covered by the warranty.

The dealer or MBUSA can not prove that there was a collision, improper maintenance, misuse or damage that caused that seal to fail. By their words (get it in writing) they don't know how it could have failed or become dislodged. They are only using the excuse of "well since you didn't purchase it from a MB dealer, it could have happened from the dealer that sold it to you".

I would fight since you have $2,000+ to lose. They are hoping you take their 20% and go away. Never take the first offer. It's a game. Go up higher in the chain at MBUSA and try another dealer. Consult with a lawyer who specializes in this and may be able to persuade them they will lose if this goes to court. Contact your states Attorneys Generals office for mediation. And if you do go to court and they lose, they would be liable for all fees including your attorney's fees.