BACnMercedes

Here is an update so I can talk about it before I sign any paperwork with the buy back company saying I cannot talk about it. Who knows if I will have too but this process has a been a nightmare.
Read above to know all that has happened so far.
Orginally I was promised a buy back would start at 24 days of the problem and within 10 days I would have a check. Day 24 was about FEBRUARY 28, 2021 but here I still am dealing with this. The SUV actually stayed in the service department about 44 days. So the dealership that I have purchased 7 previous cars from lied about that.
Since getting the car back it has been vibrating about 80% of the time at stops but never having a CEL. Last week it vibrated so bad that it caused another CEL unfortunately. Here is a video from the last time looking at the engine compartment since its the easiest to see the shaking. (And its had a few other problems but I did resolve the key fob problem. It cannot be in my pocket with my iPhone and still work.).
So MB and the dealership threw up their hands, quit helping me and sent it to a buy back company. After going back and forth with the third party buy back company, Stericycle/Sedgwick (one is buying out the other) and Melissa there, it is apparent that no one MBUSA gives a crap about loyal customers. I even pleaded my case about how many cars I had purchased, events I had attended, products I bought, enrolled in upcoming AMG events, and no one cares. They just want to drag it out, beat you up, and make you settle for as little as possible and could give a crap about you having to find another car. If you go through this one day, remember the buy back company, no matter how nice they are, they are NOT on your side and only want to get you to settle.
So since there has been a severe shortage of vehicles lately I am having a hard time finding a replacement. Yes I’m picky. I have been looking and found a GLS580 in state that I would settle with but at 106k they only would give a $750 discount and then had a $700 doc fee. My current dealer has no GLE 450, 580 and I think only one GLS450 that looks like Fido’s butt. Not sure if many of you have been on lots recently but they are a desert for cars. All makes. My local GM told me back in April he was at 35% for new cars and expected it to get worse before it got better. There is no good inventory to pick from.
So I was trying to get MBUSA to allow me to drive the current crappy car, it does go from point A to point B, until the new one arrived in supposed June. They said it would not be a problem but anything over 3500 miles I would be charged a “usage deduction.” Finally after asking for weeks to get this calculation I did. Melissa with Stericycle refused to put this in writing but here is what she said on the phone this morning. The ‘21 GLE580 has a useful life of only 120,000 miles. They then take the original MSRP, or purchase price, and divide the two. So I was going to get charged .76 a mile for anything over 3500 miles. I’m at 3019 miles now and I know even if the new car is on time in June I will probably be somewhere around 5500 miles then (I have two long family vacations coming up but I really don’t trust the car to drive that long anyway and I didn’t want to drive our AMG if I could help it). You do the math but I’m not paying for a car and then paying a “usage fee” too. That is how they calculate the buy back price on cars over about 3500 miles. They divide the useful life and purchase price.
So for the new 580 I had worked a deal with discounts and credits for about a $4500 if I could hold out to the replacement 580 I have my name on comes in. So if I could have made it until then, it would have been a great deal since I do get the car I exactly want. But apparently that is not going to work because I’m not paying MB a usage fee for using my car that they sold me that had a problem so I can find a replacement.
So, what to buy now................


So in the future if anyone comes across this car anywhere, buyer beware.
2021 GLE580 VIN: 4JGFB8GB3MA398911

cupecoy

Sorry that has happened to you and thank you for keeping us updated. This is one somber example of catastrophic failure, where multiple things just don't work as intended, and the whole thing crashes.
I am sure this is not how MB has designed the Customer experience process but they have surely made a lot of assumptions and relied on a slew of 3rd party vendors which is what you do to save costs.
Hopefully thing end up working out in your favor and you can put all of this behind you.

makris0000

I couldn't imagine going through everything you are going through with my GLE 350! I am not sure if anyone mentioned it before, but I would recommend contacting a lemon law attorney to see if they can help you through the process and to see if they can get you anything else on top of whatever MB is willing to do. People seem to "jump" when an attorney joins the fight.

Ron.s

I agree...normally when an Attorney gets involved they escalate to a higher level in the organization. It might be worth spending a few $’s for peace of mind. Put together what you want and make a Demand Letter through an Attorney. They can throw in a few extras for negotiation purposes.
Your car was defective from the start so full reimbursement plus a free loaner would seem to be a reasonable request. Good luck, I think you are right about the stall tactics...it’s a way of unreasonable negotiating since they know you need to settle.

makris0000

When I used to do first party property claims I would see the insurance companies play these kinds of games with my clients ALL THE TIME! It is crappy when big companies play these games to make the customer/client just go away and unfortunately it is not only in the insurance industry. And who knows maybe there may be other things @BACnMercedes may be able to recover pursuant to the laws and statutes in his state.

BACnMercedes

I agree about the attorney. I have consulted with one through his “helpers” at his office. I have been hesitant to get one actively involved because I didn’t see much that they could bring to the table at the time. Now I think it’s a no brainer just for the sake of it.
With all the emails, phone calls, over 30 pages of written notes, texts, meetings, time spent waiting on this car (11 months), and time searching, driving and negotiating for a replacement.......I’m tired of it. MB just might not be worth it though.

rayzam

During my buy back process (in CA) I spoke with a lemon law attorney and he told me that I would be better off leaving it to the buy back company (Stericycle - and the name of my agent was also Melissa!!) and not getting an attorney involved as the outcome won't be any better. The lemon laws are very clear and there is usually no additional coverage/protection over the price paid for the vehicle (plus registration and certain expenses). In normal times, it works fine as the customer gets their money back and they are free to go and buy another car but with the current shortages, getting the car replaced is a major pain.

Btw if I understood the OP problem correctly, I don't think it's reasonable to expect them to allow the OP keep driving the defective car without paying anything while waiting for the new car to arrive. The usage fee calculated for the OP seems to be consistent with the CA lemon law (Civil Code section 1793.2.(d)(2)(C), which states: "When the manufacturer replaces the new motor vehicle pursuant to subparagraph (A), the buyer shall only be liable to pay the manufacturer an amount directly attributable to use by the buyer of the replaced vehicle prior to the time the buyer first delivered the vehicle to the manufacturer or distributor, or its authorized service and repair facility for correction of the problem that gave rise to the nonconformity. When restitution is made pursuant to subparagraph (B), the amount to be paid by the manufacturer to the buyer may be reduced by the manufacturer by that amount directly attributable to use by the buyer prior to the time the buyer first delivered the vehicle to the manufacturer or distributor, or its authorized service and repair facility for correction of the problem that gave rise to the nonconformity. The amount directly attributable to use by the buyer shall be determined by multiplying the actual price of the new motor vehicle paid or payable by the buyer, including any charges for transportation and manufacturer-installed options, by a fraction having as its denominator 120,000 and having as its numerator the number of miles traveled by the new motor vehicle prior to the time the buyer first delivered the vehicle to the manufacturer or distributor, or its authorized service and repair facility for correction of the problem that gave rise to the nonconformity.”

As I said before and as I experienced it first-hand, being stuck in this situation is very unfortunate and can be extremely frustrating but there is no real solution that will make the customer whole. Early on during the process when I was on phone with a higher up MBUSA manager, I told her that if it were my name and my brand, I would have immediately located a similar or better replacement car and delivered it along with an apology letter to my customer. She agreed that it would have been a nice gesture but unfortunately that's not how it works. Any cars (even new ones - mine had 69 miles on it) can break down. It's unfortunate and no one - including the dealer or manufacturer - is happy about it but eventually the customer is the one who will suffer. If I ever have to go through the horrible experience again, I will try to take it easier and give myself less stress and hard time over it. If that means switching to another brand by all means do it. Life is too short and too precious to let it be ruined over such things. Good luck!

maalox

This part seems to contradict what BACnMercedes thinks (or was told by Melissa)?

If the amount of usage is determined by the miles driven PRIOR to when you FIRST brought in the car for service for the issue that led to the buyback, does it matter if you drive it more (even above 3,500 miles) afterwards?

Ron.s

Don’t confuse California Lemon Laws with the rest of the States. Ca LL’s are far more generous than most others. There are two legal methods to pursue relief in some states, maybe most states. The Lemon Law is one method and Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, passed by Congress in 1975, is another unless your State law requires the LL settlement.
Edit-For what it’s worth....I also did a GM LL claim and it stretched out for over 5 months. Another Co., another process but like OP there was a definite stall tactic that worked to my advantage in that I got a year newer replacement. It wasn’t worth the hassle.

chassis

@BACnMercedes Sorry to read about the continued inconvenience.

Have a look at BMW and Porsche. We are having a good experience with BMW now and from reading Rennlist the Porsche corporate comments are generally favorable. Dealer comments are variable as can unfortunately be expected in the broken go-to-market strategy the auto industry uses. I am looking to BMW and Porsche for my next vehicle and MB is a far distant third.

Philamg

Before you rush to BMW I would check out the X5 forum.

chassis

Thanks @Philamg I have done that, and will continue to do just that. Much obliged.

BACnMercedes

Thanks everyone.
I have another question please. I don’t do leases, specifically MB leases but what is the per mile rate at the end of a lease if you go over. I’m specifically looking for GLE580 rate or does it make a difference on model or purchase price?

js_cls

I would do a BMW lease, they are typically much cheaper and heavily incentivized, not to mention free maintenance.

mikapen

I didn't know BMW leased Mercedes cars

BACnMercedes

I’m not looking at leasing either car. I just need the mileage rate for negotiating my problem. I’ll update more soon.
Thanks.

rayzam

The current overage charge is $0.25/mile and as far as I know (at least in various MBs I have leased), it doesn't matter which model/price the car is.

makris0000

So far for Mercedes it is $.25 per mile. Although it is not relevant here, other automakers charge more (or less). I believe Maserati was at $.65 per mile and Rolls Royce and Bentley are around $1.25 per mile. I believe anything under $30-35K is $.20 per mile.

Camarieoz

See my Youtube on my GLE V167 POS

MarkerVB

Are you really going to post this **** on every thread here?

mikapen

He thinks he will get even with all of us, as if we somehow hurt his pride.

To @Camarieoz I apologize for whatever wrongs I have done to you. (makes grovelling sounds)
Feel better?

petee1997

So he had a few problems. Nothing there that can"t be fixed to make him happy. I know it's annoying to return to the dealer but none of those items are
a big deal.

BACnMercedes

Quick update on (serious) problems. I have somewhat worked a deal with the buy back. I get to drive the SUV while I wait on the replacement or find something else quickly. The mileage fee over 3500 is now negotiable at drop off time and that is all I am going to have to pay from here on out. No more comment on that. The SUV does get from point A to point B still but it does have some serious shaking and hesitation problems that seem to be getting worse. It really feels like a misfire hesitation and power loss. So I’m trying to baby it along so I have a car till something arrives.

Although I think MB should be more involved and actually talk to a person in my shoes and not pass it off to a third party that they will then have to pay even more to for them too handle it, I somewhat see the point in that they are trying to shield themselves from the problem.

Now on to why I am really mad. Has anyone been to a dealership lately? There is nothing out there. I have drove several weekends looking, searching the internet, asking for build sheets and so forth only to come up empty handed. Bad color combos, bad engine size, no distronic, third row with run flats, or the car is already sold. Or here is a good one, I went with the hopes to see and probably buy a GLE53 recently because it checked off so many things (except the V8), and the GM is out driving it on a Saturday!!. It was a nice sunny Saturday and the GM is out playing around in probably their only really loaded up GLE. My wife politely told them what she thought of that and we left. Funny how they never called me and told me the car was back at the dealership. Oh well.

So here is another problem. I have gotten serious about switching brands to another SUV and started pulling build sheets and comparing them only to find out that any dealer with this brand will not sell to someone outside of their area “sales area.” OK, that’s fine, but then they will not swap with my local dealer either. How the heck can I buy one then!!!!!!

One more thing that some of you might be able to tell me if this is true or not. I had a quick consultation with an attorney and they helped me put together a game plan. I am thankful for that but they told me to be aware of this. It usually doesn’t happen but it could. If I sign a confidentiality agreement with the buy back then the IRS considers that “hush money” and it has to be considered income. No matter the amount unless you are getting your cash back that you put down or any trade in money. Well what don’t I just say the hush money was $1. Well the IRS does not consider that normal or acceptable and they can and have gone after the whole amount.

Why should buying or replacing a car be so dang hard! Oh, that’s right, no one wants to work and build semiconductors or parts anymore.

makris0000

I'm glad you are making headway with the situation and finally starting to near the light at the end of the tunnel. As far as inventory maybe try dealerships in Florida if that is not too far from you? If it is, then arrange shipping or when it comes time to pick it up, fly down and then drive it back. There are a lot of dealerships in this state and I feel like there should be some inventory down here. With the computer ship shortage it may be very hard to find something regardless of the brand.

As far as the "hush money" goes, that would be a good question for your accountant.

Ron.s

Hush money theory sounds like an Attorney overthinking a fairly normal transaction. If it bothers you insist on adding language that there is no value to the NDA.