Scott Little

Well I took it back in last week. Got another C300 loaner. After 4 days they called and said they were ordering the DPF and it would be in Friday. Monday the 19 I get a call saying that all the work is done, vehicle is put back together. They are waiting for Mercedes Corporate to double check and approve the progressions...whatever that means. I should have it in my hands by the 20th and I am leaving on a 2000 mile round trip on Friday to Indiana for the weekend. I will stay with this post until completion....but other than that, how was the play Mr Lincoln?

I bought another used SLK. A 1999 with 93k and an automatic. My 2002 is a MT6.

Scott Little

I stopped by the dealer yesterday the 21st....they said all that was left was to run it for a Regeneration..I asked why does a new filter need to be regenerated? He said it was like programming it. I hate feeling like I am being treated like an idiot.

formerjeepguy

Programming a filter - that is funny.

It must be a part of the factory test procedure to make sure it works properly and wasn't damaged in shipping. I wouldn't be bothered by it.

Service advisors generally seem clueless when it comes to how things really work.

Scott Little

Well here we are another week later, they still have my GLK and I still have the C300...I put a road trip to Indiana on it when they said mine wouldn't be ready.

They keep calling. That is good.

They keep saying all the parts are installed. Also good.

They say my car won't recognize the new parts and until it does MB won't authorize the release back to me. Not good, but good?

I want it done properly and not have to keep coming back for the same issues. If you buy a car used, are the lemon laws the same? Maybe I should start looking for a new car on the lot to start a deal with.

AzCamel

i would look at the lemon law, after 3 attempt to fix and the same issue you could push for it and full reimbursement on what you paid.

Scott Little

I perused some sites.

What I saw was that the Federal Lemon Law only applies to the original purchase of a new vehicle for the first 12 mos 24k mi. (lemon law period)

Beyond that each state has their own idiosyncrasies...I purchased the vehicle used, in ATL GA but it was registered to me at home in Asheville, NC...Almost certainly would have to get legal representation.

A couple mitigating circumstances could be present. One is that the original owner took the vehicle in within the Lemon Law Period, and the vehicle wasn't repaired properly it 'could' still be used for the Lemon Law. The other issue, or mitigating fact is that the parts or 'work' are still under federally mandated warranty period 8yr 80k mi.

The reality for me is that my wife LOVES this vehicle. In fact is willing to delay retirement to pay it off before retiring. To get rid of this car would be a real battle on two very different fronts.

As long as the dealer is being responsive, and we have the loaner program in effect, the preference would be to keep the vehicle. Other than this emissions problem it is a great car for her, clicked all the boxes.

My temperment is such that I can go along to get along, to a point. (I am already retired) Where I might have a problem in the future is when people try to say things or explain them to me in a way that doesn't compute logically in my brain..I rarely smile and nod...(I was a pipe smoker)

Hopefully MB has had enough of this issue to learn what to do to get it done properly, that it is just a matter of getting things communicated properly to the right folks, who I am sure are busy with things other than just my vehicle. I will be patient.

AzCamel

Best wished if that is the course of action you wish to take, my one concern is that you stated the issue has been present right from the start with the original owner and within the first 12 months and has continued after multiple attempts to fix the issue across multiple owners. This alone leads me to believe that this issue is chronic and you will be out time and money after the warranty has expired if you decide to keep the vehicle.

Scott Little

No I didn't say that the issue was experienced by multiple owners. Also the fact that it is used when purchased counts it out of the lemon law.

So after 2 weeks plus, I get a call to come in and get the car. I go in the next morning to return the loaner, they bring mine around freshly washed. I ask about the 'paperwork' and the advisor said they are having some issues with the sign off, getting the right guy. They will send them in the mail..???? OK

I take my car, everything is everything, (except they burned a half tank of fuel) Couple days later I get the paperwork in the mail. It shows all the parts that they replaced, a wiring harness, a couple pressure switches, some odds and ends gaskets bolts and washers, gaskets, and lo and behold, there it was. A remanufactured DPF! So they brought it in, took off the failed one, sent it in to be remanufactured and put it back on.

So now a week of driving and no problems, but it is chafing me that when I asked if it would be a new part, I was told it would be. When I asked if I could have the old one they told me it had to go back to MB.

I suppose my next step is going to the service manager with a complaint...

Hugo L.

Lawyer up.

107123210

Maybe I don't have full picture, but it is quite normal to have to return the old part to MB when dealer installs a new or rebuilt one under warranty.

Even if not under warranty, the cost of the rebuilt part loikely assumes that a core has been returned that can be used for rebuilding.

formerjeepguy

I'm glad to hear that you have your car back.

Is the re-manufactured DPF as good as new? Probably not, but it should last as long as you own the car. That is IF they fixed the problem that caused the excessive soot that caused the problem in the first place.

That was my issues. They never addressed or looked for the reason it became blocked so early in it's service life.

Good luck and I hope the issue is finally resolved.

Scott Little

Well, it has been a bit over a week of normal use, the longest it has gone without CEL since I purchased it. I know a week doesn't call for a parade or anything, but other than the reman DPF issue, I am satisfied with what the dealer did. I don't think they just fixed the DPF. I feel like they did go the extra mile to find out what caused the premature failure evidenced by the pressure switches, wiring harness and other parts that were replaced.

As to the reman part, it is only an issue because I felt misled in the beginning about getting a new one. Could be the Service Advisor truly thought I would, then was put in a position by his manager...who knows?

I wrote in a pre survey exactly what I thought about the way it went down, but I will continue the relationship with this dealer, as in every other way they performed.

I will now consider this thread closed, as the issue seems resolved. Anything that may come up later will get a new thread, I just wanted to finish the thread to it's completion.

The fact remains, I did alot of searching before deciding on this vehicle. I still love it and plan on keeping it in the stable. I have to say that MB stood up. Good on them.

JALLEN4

It is very common for manufacturers to supply re-manufactured parts for warranty repairs. Generally, the dealer has nothing to do with this process other than ordering the part and subsequently sending back the failed part. Many major assemblies are re-manufactured by either the manufacturer or one of their suppliers. Engines, transmissions, a/c compressors, etc are all often remans.

Dealers are responsible for removed failed parts under warranty and this is why they cannot be given to the customer. Even items that are not used as cores for re-manufacturing are required to be retained by the dealer for a period of time. Often the manufacturer wants these to be shipped back where they are tested to determine reason for failure and or returned to the supplier who actually manufactured it and are standing behind it.