You have documentation and it’s easily verifiable that the repair has been done for others in Canada. I don’t think your claim would sound stupid to a lawyer.

 

You know....all car manufacturers have "issues" with their product......but does it seem to you that the venerable Mercedes Benz company has had more than most ?
I need a new car....it won't be a Mercedes....nor will anyone in my family be getting one...new or used !
The quality is soooo bad.

 

Check the latest Consumer Reports ranking. MB near the bottom.

 

Seems like the 4 cylinder engines are more of an issue than most. We’ve got a fleet of 10 vehicles which we maintain to at least some extent and 4 of those are Mercedes. We have had 2 failures on the three 4 cylinder engines and another 4 cylinder that failed on a recently retired car. That’s not good, but I do have to say that Mercedes repaired the engines, provided loaners for the full time, none of them failed after they were repaired and a long extended warranty was provided. That’s good enough for me, but that turned one of our decision maker/drivers into a Mercedes hater. That led to us putting a Hyundai into the fleet to replace a Cadillac. We had previously decided to replace all the Cadillacs with Mercedes, but so much was said, we had to find something different. I have to navigate around 2 strong Toyota haters, and a BMW hater. So we settled on a Hyundai which comes with a 100,000 mile 10 year warranty and included maintenance. It’s got under 2000 miles on it, but it seems like a comfortable, well appointed vehicle. We run most of our vehicles very hard, so time will tell.

At 1.8% of the U.S. market, Mercedes doesn’t have much impact. But their shift to 100% electrified is going full ahead. There’s nothing in the line up that’s not at least mild hybrid now, including performance cars. And most of the rest already have fully electric clones sitting next to them in the showrooms. Maybe MB electrics will change perception? Who knows? New electric vehicle makers are dropping like flies and some mainstream makers are revising their conversion plans. Maybe Mercedes will disappear completely to the delight of Scotty Kilmer and Consumer Reports.

 

....and yes, Genesis (Hyundai) is a serious contender for our new car.
Not that they tried to win us over more like Mercedes pushed us away !
Owning a Mercedes, with or without their concierge service, is a game of Russian roulette and I'm not a gambler.

 

FYI-
My brother is rotating equipment specialist. He only buys very specific models that he has researched from various manufacturers. He specifically endorses the Mercedes M112 2.4L-3.7L and M276 3.5L NA engines. But those are no longer in production. His opinion is that without that kind of research, Honda and Toyota are the two auto companies with the highest quality power trains made today because their design philosophy concentrates on details to make their engines trouble free and not on innovation.

 

M112 was a good engine but long since discontinued. The M276 started out with a lot of very expensive balancing shaft issues. Defective part that Mercedes refused to recall.

 

M276 didn’t have a balance shaft. But my point here is that maybe you should also consider Toyota/Lexus and Honda/Acura.

 

Yeah...it was the M272 with the balancing shaft issue. M276 has a check valve issue.
Lexus or Genesis are good options. Don't care for the Acura.

 

I am new here and my 2020 GLB 250 got this infamous CEL last week.
I took it to Fletcher Jones here in SoCal last Friday.
Today, I got a call saying it is indeed cylinder head, but they are asking for super detailed service records from the time I bought the car until now.
I contacted MBUSA and they said sometimes dealers ask for service records just to make sure if the work was done right.
I have been getting my car serviced at a local independent shop so I got the service records from them.
I sent it in and the dealership said they need part numbers, oil brand and type used, oil filter (part number or SKU), how much oil was used per change.
Is this normal? (I did ask the shop to provide me this and luckily, they were able to)
Since I just hit 40K mark, my original warranty ran out, but thanks to this thread, I knew that there is an addendum for this issue.
I just feel like FJ is not trying to cover my issue under this extended warranty.
Any thoughts or inputs are much appreciated.
Thanks.

 

The next dollar you spend should be on a lawyers letter. Then settle and sell that car and buy a Lexus.

 

This is disappointing on a number of points. I have never have been asked for anything like this on any warranty or extended warranty repairs on a Mercedes. There is no mention of maintenance records being required in the News Channel Update, which is a communication from MB to the dealers. MBUSA customer service now backing up the dealer and not you, the customer, means you have no advocate..

If you can easily provide the information, go ahead and do it. But if they deny your claim, I think the remedy recommended by @BrianMcLean is in order.

BTW - The original warranty is 4 years, 50,000 miles, not 40,000. If it was purchased as a CPO, the warranty is extended to 5 years, unlimited miles.

 

This is my course of action. I've been an MB owner for 20 years. Finally reached breaking point with the BS from this brand. Higher prices, lower quality, and poor customer service. Last time I went to the dealer for a recall they quoted me $1500 for service B on a GLB 250...

I guess part of the problem is that there are owners out there dumb enough to pay these prices.

The warranty stuff is a whole different can of worms. Of the 3 dealers in my area... 2 of them offer loaner cars. Of those two, if you "want" a loaner car you're looking at 3-4 weeks out. Of you can bring your car next day. It will sit there there for at least a few days and then I hope you have another car to drive. Meanwhile, the Lexus dealer around the corner will give you a loaner if you have your car detailed. AND IT DOESN"T EVEN HAVE TO BE A LEXUS!!!

 

At least the MB dealers are all going to the same seminar on who to "gaslight your customers and save money for your franchise."

I have a close family friend, German fellow, who purchased a 2023 C43 (new) that after only 3500 Kilometers (Canada) A/C stopped working.
Dealer said it "must" be a stone through the condenser so no warranty. However, since he had purchased 3 NEW cars in the last 6 years they will "comp" the repair.
He wanted a loner....had to wait 3 weeks to get one...which he did.
Dropped off the car and waited...and waited...and waited. Finally he called and asked WTF is going on..."why isn't my car fixed?"
They gave him a lot of BS and gobbleeguck meant to confuse him.
So we drove to the dealer only find the car in the yard with the front disassembled.
I looked at the now exposed radiator assembly and couldn't see any holes in said condenser.
Maybe another defective Mercedes part they won't admit to.....and there have been a few in the last several years starting with biodegradable wiring harnesses, balancing shafts, SBC, diesel oil coolers, seat seams pulling apart....etc
Anyway, the sales rep. was no help.
I called a friend of mine who worked in the dealers part dept. and got the truth....NO PARTS AVAILABLE !!!
As we were retrieving some personal items from the car I happened to look at the B pillar data plate and noticed the car was built in....wait for it....South Africa !
When I pointed that out to the owner (as I said, an older German fellow) he was shocked.
Went back into the dealership, grabbed the sales rep. and said I don't want that car...bad karma....make me an offer.
Which they did....he took the cash and bought a Lexus.
Don't know what the moral of the story is but this is not an isolated story of how Mercedes customer service has fallen behind almost every other maker.
Personally, I will never buy another Mercedes and I have driven them since I was 20. I'm now 74 and looking for a new car !
Having said that, and to keep "she who must be obeyed" happy, we did look at a 2024 E450. Not a nice car !
The electronics are extensive and confusing and we won't even mention the GPS. That was what convinced my wife this is not a car we want.
It couldn't find or recognize the difference between a street named St. Claire or Saint Claire. It never could find it...either way. Fortunately her phone did.
Seems they have incorporated technology for technology sack.
Who cares if you can select various color patterns to sweep through the car at stop lights. WHO CARES ?
Could you fit any more buttons on the steering wheel?
I suppose if you're a 30 something techno wizard, with credit, it matters....but not to us boomers. You know, the ones with the money !
Probably getting a Lexus. ES or maybe an LS.
Decisions, decisions......
Phew,,,,that was a long reply...LOL

 

Thanks for sharing that! The GLB is made in Mexico. I can definitely tell a difference in craftsmanship between it and the German-made AMG I still have from 2014. I think we've finally reached a turning point where MB has said, we'll do what we want and the consumers will deal with it because they want the brand. This means higher prices for lower quality vehicles and service. Make them overly complicated to limit the amount of DIYers and independent shops working on them. People will get used to it and the cycles continues. For people like us that realize this and dump the brand, there are 2-3x more young buyers who want a Mercedes and buy a GLB or CLA. Not sure who is still buying the S class these days. Especially the EQS... talk about overly complicated?!?! It's also the ugliest car they've ever made.

 

As a boomer who maintains MB and multiple brands, I think it’s pretty unrealistic to want something with the complexity of a ‘39 Chevy. Those cars weren’t as reliable as our selective memories make them. But it is realistic to want something that doesn’t spend its life in the shop. MB doesn’t seem to have learned anything good from its partnerships with Chrysler and Nissan.

Buttons on the steering wheel? Have you been in a Cadillac? Or any of its down market siblings? We had one in our little fleet until recently. Nice SUV but reliability was nonexistent.

Out of the 8 dealers in my area, I will only deal with 2. 3-4 of the others belong to a multi brand conglomerate that thrives on sales volume and will be happy to sell you any brand you want - promises, promises.

To address the shock of finding that a C Class wasn’t built in Germany, that’s a learning experience that applies to almost all makes. The C Class is built in Sindelfingen, DE; East London, SA; and Vance, AL. East London has been building MBs since 1962, so it’s not like that’s anything new. Vance opened in 1997.

Check the door jamb of a new Lexus. They’re not all made in Japan. Where the car is made isn’t what’s important, it’s how it’s made. Underpinned by the most reliable, highest volume brand in the world.

 

Oddly enough I use to live in Johannesburg and sold cars for Ford and VW/Audi while I was there.
Mercedes was made in the East Cape then, as were the 2 brands I sold.
The Mercedes that was made there.......stayed there. It was for a domestic market.
During that time apartheid was the law of the land and as a result SA had many trade embargoes which made local manufacture necessary.
Production was overseen by expat Germans which is not the case to-day.
I'm not suggesting that MB "assembled" in SA are any less inferior than those assembled in the US.
I understand the economics of globalization and the use of shared production, like engines made for Mercedes by Nissan, to keep costs down.....or profits high ?
But if I spend One Hundred PLUS thousand dollars on a Mercedes I sure would like it to be made in Germany with parts sourced and overseen by Mercedes engineers. You know, the way it use to be.

 

Interesting first hand information on East London, SA production. Searching the web it looks like there are many places that build (assemble) MBs for local sales only. We have an East London C Class. The previous C Class was Sindelfingen.

None of the Mercedes in our mix are $100k. But, yes, you think Mercedes, you think German. The assembly plant is actually available on the dealer spec sheet if you want to know before you buy. We did check on the ‘23 GLA and I believe it was Rastatt.

 

hey guys,
i got the check engine light on our way home on xmas eve, the car drove fine that night
next day, it was a really cold day, took it out for a grocery run and the car ran fairly rough, but nothing crazy
took it in to the dealer a couple of days later, and got the cylinder head replaced under warranty (car is still warranty - 2021 GLB ~ 50K)
the car seemed to run a bit better than before after getting it back from the dealer

fast forward to last night, i was trying to overtake a car on the highway, and as soon i gave it the car started to shake and the engine light came on
since then, driving home, the car ran even more rough than on that cold morning
the RMPs wouldn't be consistent and kept on jumping up and down
the car shook the whole way home (thank god we were close to our destination)

this leads me to believe the tech might have screwed up the first cylinder head repair??!

i have setup a service app for Jan 20, but will be speaking with an advisor this morning as i need a loaner and the first available date for that is Feb 6

 

I was able to drop the car off today and pick up a loaner.
just got a call back from the dealership and they said it’s a bad ignition coil. How could that even be possible on a 3 year old car.
Maybe the last mechanic working on the cylinder mess something up?

I’m just glad it’ll be fixed soon. They have the part on order and it’ll be there tomorrow.

 

Never an ignition coil fail on our Benzes that early. But our Ford V8 trucks from the 2000s and 2010s were notorious for that. Our 2GLAs and our GLB have a combined ~200k miles and no ignition problems.

 

Brief post to follow up on my experience with this issue. I took the car in for the fix in August of 2024. They removed and replaced the head as expected. It took quite a while as I believe they got a different code regarding the cam sensor after reassembly, so the car stayed in the shop an extra week.

The car was still under the CPO warranty, so to break it in we took it on a 1200 mile road trip. No problems, and we spent time in NYC, which is tough driving. Three weeks after that, we drive from Buffalo NY to Austin, TX. The car again performed well without any codes on the US interstates. Lots of wide open acceleration and lots of time over 75 mph.

So far, the repair seems to be holding. I am glad there is a 150,000 mi warranty extension though. We'll see how it goes.

Rob

 

Hi everyone,
Just thought I'd add my recent experience.
This is the first time I'm posting on a car forum.
I purchased a GLB35 around the end of January. The car had done 31k miles and a full MB service history.
I really enjoy the car, it's the perfect blend of family practicality and sportiness, for me anyway.
Two weeks ago the car was shaking violently, and the engine warning light came on.
I managed to get the car to the dealers and they told me it was the cylinder head issue that is common in the AMG35 engines.
I come from a Toyota/Lexus background so I've never experienced engine issues before. Whilst I really liked the GLB35, the incident did leave me quite anxious.
It hadn't been 30 days since purchasing the car so I was considering getting my money back and get something else, but I really struggled to find a car that ticks all the boxes the way the GLB does.
Luckily the repair was under warranty so it's not a problem and I've been told once it's done there's nothing to worry about.

Anyway I've had the car back for a week and everything is fine. I'm now looking at improving the exhaust note so if anyone knows of a good exhaust place around Leicester, please let me know.

 

I’m duplicating this post here because of the low activity on the GLA forum:

2021 GLA 250 FWD, 50,000 miles.

P030085 (misfiring) & P030485 (misfiring cylinder 4) DTCs appeared suddenly. About 10,000 miles ago the cylinder head was replaced because of the exhaust valve problem seen on the M260/264 engines through 2022 model year.

The problem does not appear when the GLA is first started. After about 2 minutes of either driving or idling, the very rough running starts. Although these 2 codes are associated with an exhaust valve failure, the 2 mixture codes are not present. Since the cylinder head was replaced fairly recently, a repeat of that wasn’t expected. Also, when the exhaust valve failed, the engine did not run this rough and did it immediately on start up.

Has anyone seen this misfiring without the cylinder head/exhaust valve failure? If so where was the problem? Spark plugs? Ignition coils? Injectors?

 

So the dealer told me to 'not give it full power' for the next 4k miles as the new cylinder head needs to be worked in. I only do about 2k miles a year! 😅
Has anyone else with a new cyclinder head been told the same?