Roni07

I receive this in the mail. I don’t know if there is HVAC section on this forum.
we’ve had this issues in the SLK, GLE
- mould, mildew odour coming from the AC
brought it up to the dealer several times and of course they dismissed it and said it was normal, because it was very hot etc. Not true all BS. There is a MB AC defect , causing this mould , mildew odour to permeate in the cabin. Finally someone did something about it.

Mercedes HVAC Settlement, has been updated.

Thank you for your email. Any Class Member who wishes to make a reimbursement claim for a past repair must submit a completed and signed Claim Form, along with certain items of proof. Claims forms can be downloaded or submitted online at www.MercedesHVACSettlement.com, or you can request one be mailed to you.

Along with your claims form, you must submit the following proof:

Documentation showing that the vehicle received a past repair, the reason for the repair, and the cost of the repair. Examples include, but are not limited to, repair orders, repair invoices, or other similar service center records. A repair shall not qualify for reimbursement if the invoice or other documentation either omits the reason for the repair or describes an odor source other than moldy or mildew odors originating from the HVAC system; Reasonable documentation that you paid for the repair, such as a credit card statement, an invoice showing a zero balance, a receipt showing payment, or other such proof; and Proof that you owned or leased the vehicle at the time of the repair, such as a copy of the vehicle title, vehicle registration, bill of sale, vehicle lease agreement, insurance documentation, or financing documentation.

The amount of reimbursement you may receive for past repairs varies depending on the time period during which the past repair occurred and you cannot be reimbursed for an expense if you were already reimbursed for it by Mercedes or Daimler.

If the repair was performed by an Independent Service Provider, the following conditions and requirements also apply:

You must provide proof that within a six-month period prior to the first past repair performed by the Independent Service Provider, the vehicle was diagnosed by an Authorized Service Center as having moldy or mildew-y odors originating from the HVAC system. The maximum reimbursement for a single past repair performed by an Independent Service Provider shall not exceed $300. If there were multiple past repairs performed by an Independent Service Provider, the total reimbursement shall not exceed $900. No reimbursement will be paid for replacement of the evaporator if it was replaced by an Independent Service Provider.

You must submit a Claim Form to qualify for reimbursement for past repairs.

For repairs that occurred before May 11, 2020, you must submit your Claim Form (online or postmarked) by July 25, 2020. For repairs that occur between May 11, 2020 and December 7, 2020, you must submit a Claim Form within 75 days of the date of the repair.

You may submit a claim online at www.MercedesHVACSettlement.com, or, if you are unable to complete the claim online, you may download a Claim Form from the website or request that a Claim Form be mailed to you. You may be asked for additional information. Follow all instructions on the Claim Form and make sure to inform the Settlement Administrator of any changes in your address after you have submitted your Claim Form.

Regards,

Mercedes HVAC Settlement Administrator
c/o JND Legal Administration
Toll-free: 844-924-0851

whitewagon

there is supposed to also be an extended warranty to 10 years from in service date for this issue...

does anyone know what the fix is for this? have another 10 months or so on factory warranty...

Roni07

A past repair is a repair that occurs before December 7, 2020 related to a customer complaint of moldy, mildew-y, or similar odor emanating from the Subject Vehicle’s HVAC system, including cleaning the evaporator (flushing, Wynn, Contra-Sept, and any other cleaning methods or services) and replacing the filter. Evaporator replacement is included as a past repair only if the replacement was done at an Authorized Service Center.

A future repair is any repair to clean the vehicle’s evaporator and/or replace the filter that is performed at an Authorized Service Center on or after the December 7, 2020. You do not need to bring your vehicle in for a future repair until and unless you experience moldy, mildew-y odors emanating from the HVAC system. Only current owners and lessees are eligible for future repairs.

whitewagon

So this seems to be a "step in the right direction..." what is the actual repair remedy? While MBUSA seems to acknowledge some type of responsibility, it seems the remedy is left up to MBUSA... What is to keep them from simply saying the repair to to replace filter and "flush the system...? Are there actual repairs or replacement of components? changes to the design, etc. to keep this from happening?

We have a 2017 GLE here is hot humid Florida, and the vehicle only gets used sparingly, mainly for short trips to store or road trips... Certainly not a daily driver, so concerns about festering mold for weeks at time is a strong likelihood...

Rather disappointing since we just purchased this vehicle

Roni07

Are you experiencing “ “mould, mildew smell”” in your vehicle !?
We had this smell in our SLK. It lived with it, because the dealer told us it’s normal hot weather etc, which was a load of crap. We did it repair and gave it back, once lease expired. The other 2016 GLE vehicle had the same problem with smell and the same dealer told us the same BS. To be honest, I don’t know if the dealer did something under a Recall, we never know what they are recalling the vehicle for BUT we totally forgot about it and haven’t had bad smell in the vehicle for years. Could be possible that we drive our vehicle more.
Maybe its not a good idea to have the car sit parked for a prolonged time. It’s good to drive it for 1hr at 3 times a week.

zeroroadkill

I received the letter as well and inquired more details from my local dealer (Boise) and they said that if the "HVAC" filters are not changed per the service schedule they will not cover the cost. When I questioned if they were talking about the cabin dust filter(1) and the cabin air filters(2) [GL550] they told me "NO" there is another set of HVAC filters and it would cost me $270 to replace them. Is there another A/C filters on the car other than the 3 cabin filters? Sounds like BS to me!!! Is this a dealer scam???

I know I can reduce the smell by turning off A/C 5 minutes before parking the car and take off the "recycle" mode to dry out the air ducts with warm outside air. If I forget it will smell when I turn it on again...

Bob

Roni07

i have never heard of HVAC filters, it’s not listed in any MB service maintenance schedule. Sounds like total BS from the dealer. Unless someone can confirm otherwise.

GLE43_Sube

There is no actual repair. They just flush the HVAC system to clean it out. No parts have been modified. There have been no design changes whatsoever. They're still selling brand new vehicles with the same defective design. MB only acknowledged the problem because THEY WERE FORCED TO AS A RESULT OF THIS SETTLEMENT. They have fought this tooth and nail since the beginning. MB has denied the existence of the problem. Dealers have outright lied and said it was normal, knowing it wasn't. They've blamed customers. Do some research online. You'll read the horror stories.

Fortunately, I live in a very dry climate and have never experienced this issue. But I still feel for those who have. MB's attitude regarding this issue has seriously affected my decision to buy another MB. When you realize you f#*%ked up, you don't lie to your customers and deny the problem exists. You spend the time and money to redesign the HVAC system to correct it. What makes it even worse is this. Even if they didn't want to be accountable for "past" vehicles, they were too lazy/greedy to bother redesigning the HVAC system in newer vehicles. They've known about this problem for about 8 years. That's inexcusable!

Roni07

Absolutely Correct. We've experienced this in two of our MB vehicles. Always trust your own intuition. It really bugs me when we had the issue and brought it up to the dealer, we were told “it’s normal and it’s nothing , hot weather etc”. Our kids would say “whew it smells rotten in the car”. Apparently that’s perfectly normal for $80,000 Mercedes suv. As we are the crazy ones.

chassis

This is typical lack of support from Daimler-Benz and its Mercedes-Benz dealers. Unfortunately.

jworth85

So unless I'm missing something, there is no fix being offered by Mercedes for this issue? They are only reimbursing you if you have previously spent money trying to fix the issue? So this is something we just have to live with?

I've also seen some people mention leaving the AC and fan ON when you turn off the car. Also someone mentioned turning off the A/C a few minutes before you are done driving I'm guessing to let the air flow through the vents without the cool air. Can anyone summarize??? Thanks!

chassis

You have the option of receiving the cleaning treatment at no cost to you, under the settlement. This is not a fix, or a repair. It is merely a treatment with unknown duration of effectiveness. Typical Mercedes lack of customer support for a widespread and well documented defect.

jworth85

That's disheartening. I guess it's not a health risk then?