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Today my 8 yr old saw a plastic bag in my GLC 63 "engine". Long story short, it was a lunch paper bag in the radiator compartment as I discovered, the GLC 63 bottom center and passenger side radiators do not have protection screens and are exposed to debris and rocks that could damaged the radiators. (in addition to the paper bag, my radiators have some leaves, small rocks, etc) Upon further research, there is currently a class action law suit (link below) that covered radiator protection screen for E and GLC class. In addition, it mentioned "By May 2019 Mercedes announced a Service Campaign. SC 2019040010 was initiated for E-Class and GLC-Class cars to receive grilles to protect the radiators."
So my question is, any of you gotten the grill to protect the radiators thru the Service Campaign SC 2019040010? or aftermarket screen? Any insight is greatly appreciated.
I'm glad I saw your post. I had the bad luck to have the A/C condenser punctured which had to be replaced in order to get the A/C working again. The repair cost me ~$1,700 and the dealer did not mention anything about Service Campaign 2019040010 you referenced above, nor did they install the part referenced.
I'm going to contact MBUSA and/or the local dealer (which is not the same one that performed the diagnostic and repair) to see if I can have the protective grille installed and perhaps attempt to get my money back for the repair.
I called MBUSA and they said I would have to go through the service manager and that he doesn't see it for my vehicle. I guess I will have to start at the local dealer.
I have a 43 2019 MY , car was built in October 2018.
I never go to Mercedes for service but also never got a recall letter about it .
Look like it's 3104 vehicles
I will check the car this morning if I have the protection on the radiator .
I have to check when mine was built, but I do have a picture the service advisor sent me before the repair showing the damage and no protective grill, nor do I have one after the repair.
Ordered some screen from amazon, cut carefully to fit opening, used black tie wraps on pillars to attach. Can see them if you look at top and bottom of pillars. Without the DIY grill guard With the DIY grill guard
They are aluminum, so they won't stop everything, but they will slow and maybe redirect. What I have seen so far is stopping bugs and sticks and nothing getting thru to the radiator
(if the amazon link doesn't work)
AUTOT 40 x 13 inch Car Grill Mesh Sheet, Black Painted Aluminum Alloy Grille Mesh Roll, 8 x 16 mm Rhombic-Shape Grids
Ordered some screen from amazon, cut carefully to fit opening, used black tie wraps on pillars to attach. Can see them if you look at top and bottom of pillars. Without the DIY grill guard With the DIY grill guard
They are aluminum, so they won't stop everything, but they will slow and maybe redirect. What I have seen so far is stopping bugs and sticks and nothing getting thru to the radiator
(if the amazon link doesn't work)
AUTOT 40 x 13 inch Car Grill Mesh Sheet, Black Painted Aluminum Alloy Grille Mesh Roll, 8 x 16 mm Rhombic-Shape Grids
I spoke to my local dealer's service manager and he said that because VMI doesn't show that service campaign number on my VIN he can't do anything about it. I told him that the wording on page 3 "As a result, this may allow stones to contact the radiator." is literally what happened to me, but again, without the VIN matching the service campaign he can't help me. I also told him that I didn't have the protective grill before or after the repair, same answer.
I guess I will call MBUSA again and see what else I can do.
Today my 8 yr old saw a plastic bag in my GLC 63 "engine". Long story short, it was a lunch paper bag in the radiator compartment as I discovered, the GLC 63 bottom center and passenger side radiators do not have protection screens and are exposed to debris and rocks that could damaged the radiators. (in addition to the paper bag, my radiators have some leaves, small rocks, etc) Upon further research, there is currently a class action law suit (link below) that covered radiator protection screen for E and GLC class. In addition, it mentioned "By May 2019 Mercedes announced a Service Campaign. SC 2019040010 was initiated for E-Class and GLC-Class cars to receive grilles to protect the radiators."
So my question is, any of you gotten the grill to protect the radiators thru the Service Campaign SC 2019040010? or aftermarket screen? Any insight is greatly appreciated.
I have a 2020 GLC63 and at first glance I thought I was not protected, but after looking more closely I see I have a black plastic grill directly on top of my lower center radiator. However, the passenger side 'mini' unit does not have any protection and I will look to see how I might mesh it.
Mine is a 43 so I don’t have those side radiators, but I did ask both Mercedes-Benz of Tampa and Mercedes-Benz of St. Louis and they both said based on VIN that is not applicable to me, even though the SC says it does.
I noticed that too but don't think the black plastic grill will help much. I diy a mesh for the center and mini for now but it wasnt looking that great as my diy skill is limited. I did contact zunsport and they will make grills for the glc 63 once the lockdown is lifted since they are in the UK. I ordered zunsport grills for my 911 and they look really great...
I think the MB black plastic grill is effective because it protects the portion of the radiator that contains the liquid; the fins are still exposed. The fins will not leak if hit.
saw Phil0's post and others about the damage to radiators so I went to check my '21 GLC43. It is exactly the same 'cept for the extra coolers the 63's have on the sides.
I just happen to have a piece of aluminum mesh, some black paint, and some black plastic ties so I made a cover. Thank you Phil0! The aluminum mesh is used for stucco work and can be found at home depot or lowes.
They both seem about the same. Mercedes-Benz of St. Louis is a little bigger, but the waiting area is very small. Plaza Motors' service area is smaller, but the waiting area is much larger. I went in for basic things so can't really say when it comes to problems which one would be more helpful.
I'm coming up on Service B so I will see what they each charge and make a decision based on that and the service experience.
I think the MB black plastic grill is effective because it protects the portion of the radiator that contains the liquid; the fins are still exposed. The fins will not leak if hit.
So mine leaked the A/C refrigerant out of the condenser, which supposedly sits in front of the radiator on my '19 43. Looking at the installation instructions for the Mercedes-Benz installed guard it seems to only cover the radiator itself, so it sits between the condenser and the radiator. This would've not helped my situation. It doesn't seem to cover those side openings on the 63 models either.
There seems to be a problem with the design on these vehicles that Mercedes-Benz should fix in my opinion. I have never had this happen before to anyone that I know, but it seems to be a concern...
Do all new vehicles now come with this protective screen installed at the factory?
Good question... mine is a February 2019 build I think and it doesn't have it, and if I remember correctly the SC came out in May 2019. So I don't know why the system they use to look up campaigns against VINs doesn't show mine to be eligible.
Maybe others with newer models, perhaps MY20 (facelift year I think) and up can chime in and tell us if they have it or not.
Do all new vehicles now come with this protective screen installed at the factory?
I can only speak to a 2021 GLC43, the radiator is the dominant item in the front, no side coolers and no I did not see any factory installed screening. When I checked my car the bottom was opened and the lower half of the radiator had some nicks and a bunch of bugs. so I installed the screen Mileage = 2,056 includes several 350 mile trips.
Last edited by bsaz; 06-01-2021 at 12:15 PM.
Reason: spelling
The teal colored X represents what I understand to be the installation location based off the SC instructions. It seems to sit between the A/C Condenser (red) and the Radiator (blue), so it doesn't look like it protects the frontmost part (A/C Condenser) anyways.
To avoid any confusion, keep in mind that the installation pictures on the SC show a 63 model, my picture is of my 43 after the repair...
@smoke20
I like Plaza better. I see Curtis and I appreciate the fact that I went in for one thing, he looked over the records and said I needed something else instead which was cheaper (M-B of St. Louis reset the service schedule when I went for an oil change and screwed up the sequence)...
03-01-2021, 05:15 PM
