To say that I am pissed is an understatement. I have 370 miles on my car. I took possession on Dec 28. Today, when starting the car, my wife and I heard a clanking/rattling sound coming from the engine. After driving for about a mile and coming to a stop, my car did not go automatically into Eco mode. I had to press the 'A" button and then press it again and finally the car engine stopped. After that, I didn't have to engage the Eco mode manually again and it worked like normal.

Then, after driving an additional 2 miles, a high pitched squealing sound came from the engine every time I used the accelerator. It was so bad that I wasn't sure if I was going to make it home. But, I did make it home.

I set up a service appointment with Simonson in Santa Monica for first thing tomorrow morning....and, to add insult to injury, my sales person called me just now to tell me that there is a possibility that I won't be able to get a loaner car because usually a loaner car has to be reserved 5 days in advance. He told me that I could take an Uber and the dealership will reimburse me.

To say that I am not happy is an understatement.....has anyone on this forum experienced this with their car? I don't expect anyone to know exactly what is going on, but if this sounds familiar, would appreciate some information as to what it could be.

Thanks

Bob

 

I can't really comment on the noises, but when you first start the car the ECO stop/start won't kick in, in order to let the battery recover. I wouldn't expect it to work until a few kilometres and/or 5 minutes or so of runtime, so the fact that it did not come on after 1 mile of driving is completely expected.

 

Correct - "ECO" start/stop will activate only after sensors show all parameters in "ready" state to assure smooth restart - not uncommon to need to drive in CA a bit longer than 1 mile for it to activate - yes. you over rode that manually - but not recommended let the system do its thing.

Your dealer will diagnose that "squeal" - no that is not common and Simonson will get to the bottom of it.... minor "start up rattle like sound can be from engine/exhaust system setting itself to come up to temp and generally disappears in about a minute or so..

 

I have a 2018 but same engine and most other systems and have never experienced anything like the startup noises you’ve described and, after three MB vehicles, have never heard anything like what you describe. You should consider waiting at the dealer for your engine to fully cool down before they test for the sounds. My GLC has never rattled during startup.

 

Well, the good news is that I don't have a "ghost" in my car. However, the bad news is worse than I would have expected. Turns out that a rod broke in my engine. As I drove to the service department Monday morning, I was hoping and praying that I would make it to the dealer without a tow. The noise coming from the engine was so loud that I am sure people walking on the street could hear the car as I was driving.

Pulled into the service center. I will have to say, the service people could not have been nicer. As I started to explain the sounds to them, they stopped me and told me there was no need to explain the sound as they could hear the car as I drove into the building.

Later on in the afternoon, service called to tell me the bad news....something about a rod/bearing that broke. Now, this is not like a bad sensor or a broken windshield wiper or sunroof...this was the FRICKEN ENGINE we are talking about here.

My wife went out of her mind when she heard what happened and immediately called Mercedes corporate....she had a very nice conversation with a woman who is in their consumer advocacy department. They have elevated this and contacted the dealership and service department to get more information. She asked my wife what she wanted as a result of all of this and she responded "I don't know...I've never experienced anything like this before." Then the woman from Mercedes said something that I had not heard from a car manufacturer before....she said....."well, you may very well have a lemon." She said that over the next couple of days she is going to gather all of the information (because this is a 2020 model, the dealership had to order parts from Germany). She said that if this car turns out to be a lemon that Mercedes will cancel the lease.

I am so beyond disappointed I cannot even tell you. I love this car and I will be pissed if the car turns out to be a lemon. If, in fact, this is what happens...….I will NEVER purchase/lease a Mercedes again....ever.

I will follow up with everyone on this forum at the end of the week as the service center told me there was a 90% chance I will get the car by the end of the week....we will see.

 

**** happens, sorry to hear that. after 20 years of being a customer, my 2017 e300 was in service for 17 diff times. a big lemon that I should have gotten rid of earlier. not all cars are made perfect. Bmw, Jaguar, and audi all have lemons. just sucks that you got the lotto ticket with this one. Request a replacement car

 

I totally understand your disappointment, but occasionally a product has a one-off failure. It sounds like Mercedes are being awesome so I'm not sure why you'd rule them out because of this bad luck?

 

I agree with Mbracer26 and tGs Wraith...I have been "attached" to my cars before, but it sounds like you're taking this personally. Every now and then a malfunction happens with a part - this one unfortunately is within the engine. The "lemon laws" are there to protect us, the consumers. Ask MB to replace your car with an identical or better one on the same lease terms. MB didn't do this on purpose.

 

My wife contacted Mercedes Benz corporate about all of this. Out of all due respect to those that have responded to my plight, I know that "stuff" happens....but, this is a MB and when one pays the price for a MB, you expect a certain level of quality control. What happened to me is NOT acceptable and we expressed our feelings to MB corporate. MB corporate could not have been nicer and more responsive. They have been in contact with the Simonson service department and have taken what appears to be a keen interest in what happens.

I spoke with my service advisor yesterday and they expect I will have the car on Monday after being with them for a week. When the service advisor called me last Monday to tell me what the problem was with the car he told me that the dealership was going to give my wife and I a gift card of some sort as partial apology for the inconvenience that MB has caused. Also, the woman at Mercedes corporate said something similar to my wife. She was told that after we take possession of the car on Monday, Mercedes is going to compensate us for our inconvenience. I don't know what form that is going to take, but I will be back here on the forum to let everyone know what they did.

On Friday when I talked to my service advisor, he told me that he found out that there were at least 3 other similar instances, two of which were the 2020 models and one was a 2019 model in the last 6 months.

We will see where all of this ends up, but I am encouraged

Bob

 

Thanks for the update. It's interesting that it's happened to 2020s with the new M264 engine but also to a 2019 with a different engine. Hopefully it's not a common occurrence.

 

Good luck Bob, hopefully it all gets sorted quickly and easily. I've got a 2020 GLC 300 and it is a fantastic car.

 

I picked up my repaired GLC this morning. I asked my service advisor to take me in the back where the cars are worked on so that I could meet with the mechanic who worked on my car because I wanted to find out exactly what it was that caused the malfunction. As it turns out, he had just removed an engine from a 2016 GLC and he showed me the part that became loose. It was a small bearing that was one of two bearings on the underside of the crankshaft that held a rod connected to a piston in place. They had to literally take the entire engine apart to get to the location of the failed part.

The mechanic told me that there was no way to tell why this happened; however, he did say that this could have happened to anyone and the fact that a lot of the manufacturing of the car is done by robotics and machines. But, he said that my engine was now probably better than it was from the factory because the engine was literally re/built by human hands and not a machine. He said I should not have any problems like this moving forward.

As I was going through the paperwork with the service advisor, he asked me what my favorite restaurant was because the service department is going to mail my wife and I a gift card. I have to say that I have never been treated like this before and, as a result, I could very well be a Mercedes customer for life.

Oh, and he also told me that anytime I wanted a wash/detail, just to bring the car in anytime and as many times as I like and they will wash the car for me. Now that is service!

Finally, my wife told me that Mercedes corporate is going to compensate us for all of this inconvenience. I don't know what form that will take, but I will come back on this forum to report.

All in all, it could have been a lot worse. I am again a happy camper. Hopefully my posts this week on this forum will help others if they ever run into problems with their cars.

Bob

 

First time poster here, as I do not yet have a GLC, or any MB for that matter. But I am considering a 2020 GLC.

It sounds like your dealer treated you very well and took care of you.

 

Another update....looks like the dealership will be giving my wife and I a $600 Visa card so that we can spend the money as we see fit. I think this is sufficient compensation for our inconvenience. As soon as we receive the card, I am going to give the dealership a really positive review on Yelp because they deserve it

 

This is the most amazing dealership out there, I'd be a lifetime Customer

 

Haven't been to this forum in a couple of weeks and I wanted to update everyone on the disposition of all of this. First of all, the dealership fixed this car and it is running flawlessly so I am thankful for that.

After several emails/phone calls with Mercedes corporate....the dealership, per our request, purchased a $750 Marriott gift card that is now connected to my Marriott online account. The dealership came through on their commitment to make things right, and even though it wasn't the dealership's fault, they did come through with the make-good. I imagine that Mercedes corporate will reimburse the dealership. Anyways, as a reminder, this was the Simonson dealership in Santa Monica, Ca. Jason is head of the service department and he was the one that offered me the gift card. And, a shout out to Mohamed the service advisor who made sure everything was working as it should.

 

what a Karen

 

As bad as it is to have an issue with a brand new car, it sounds like you received superb service and both the dealer and corporate went out of their way to make you happy. That is great news - enjoy the car.

 

It is great to hear that Mercedes tried to keep you a happy customer. The things the mechanic said are a bunch of BS, but he was trying to set you at ease I suppose.