Dear MB world community, my first time posting here.

Bought a pre-owned 2015 W222 S550 recently from an authorized Mercedes dealership (not CPO and vehicle had about 120k miles). Dealer said everything was fine and I had my own Indy MB mechanic check it out who said engine was in good shape with no leaks, and it was regularly serviced at the dealership. The only issue the mechanic raised was a creaking noise from the driver door "check" which needs to be replaced. Had the dealer promise in writing to inspect and repair for door as part of the purchase agreement.

Brought vehicle into dealership with an appointment 2 weeks later and was told they need to take to a specific body shop some 75 miles away. I said fine since that was the only option provided and the agreement didn't specify the repair location. (Being in the middle of San Francisco Bay Area so there should be ample of shops available, I think the reason was they want to keep the cost down since they are paying for the repair)

Got a call saying the car is ready for pick up after 2 weeks. At pick up, realized the door hinge was replaced but the door no longer stays at wherever angle you leave it at (continuous hinge or stay I believe it is called". Tried the passenger door which was not replaced and noticed actual difference between the two.

The check engine light was also on which was not on at drop off(possibly more concerning than the door hinges). I didn't see any other warning besides that. I know sometimes gas cap not closed properly can cause that but I am quite sure they didn't touch that since I had a full tank coming in and now gas is at 1/2.

The repair was done at an unspecified body shop and no service receipt was provided from that shop. The dealership did provide their own service receipt which briefly mentioned two door hinges were replaced.

Spoke to the service manger and he said they will keep the car and get back to me in a few days. What recourse do I have about the door that now has a downgraded function and about the check engine light which presumably came on while at dealer's possession? What would any of you do?

 

Body shop hooned it?

Do the math on the gas…
If they drove it there and back, that is a 150 miles which might put your tank in the 1/2 range?

Wrt the doors, one door function is now not like the others. That’s not in spec and they’ll need to make it within spec.

 

I get why the gas is at 1/2. In fact, I’m asking the manager to fill up the gas tank for me and they seems to have agreed. My rationale was I would’ve been charged for the gas if I didn’t fill up the loaner, why shouldn’t they fill up mine too?

I am more concerned about the check engine light. Should the dealership be responsible for the check engine light that went on in their possession? Regardless that I bought the car from them less than 500 miles ago? At the same time, the repair shouldn’t have trigger the light in any way.

 

Interesting question. It would be interesting to see what fault(s) the check engine light is representing. It is a difficult situation and hard to answer your question.

So, let's evaluate it based on a couple of hypotheticals -
What if the check engine fault turns out to be a P0304? They diagnose it and find the coil on the #4 cylinder went bad when it was being driven the 150 miles to the body shop. They replace the coil and the bill is $150. Should the shop incur the cost or should you? A coil can fail at any time. So, we have to assume, if the repair work wasn't necessary and you were driving the car, the coil would have failed anyway (just as starters do and water pumps, etc.), in this new case, would you be paying for the coil that its time had come?

Another scenario - What if the car had a blowout on the way to the body shop and the tire was $600? Would you feel obligated to incur the cost of the tire, or would it be the responsibility of the shop?

Final scenario - If you loaned the car to a relative and they drove it 150 miles and in that time gave it back to you with a check engine light on, it was diagnosed to be a P0304 and the #4 coil had to be replaced, would you pay for it or expect the relative to pay for it?

I'm only posing these to illustrate it's quite a gray area. Maybe the dealer who JUST sold the car to you would pop for the coil, maybe even pay for the blowout tire, but I could see an argument that you are the present owner. Hopefully whatever the CEL represents, it's chump change and becomes a non issue for you.

Good luck with it whichever way goes. If it were me, I'd certainly want to discuss it with the dealer, and if they said absolutely not the cost is my responsibility, I'd probably be alright with it.

 

I'd want the dealer to inspect, diagnose and repair on their dime. It was in their possession at the time of illumination. But that's just me, others may not agree due to the mileage and situation.
Hope it works out simple. Welcome to the forums

 

You find yourself in a grey area with a recent purchase of non CPO S550, a fresh CEL, failed door repair attempt, gas useage...

I would not waste anybody's time for half a tank of gas. Give this dealer a chance to do you right by stating your issues. Any work estimate is going to fall between 1200 and $3500... that's when you'll need to bargain!

At the end of the day your 120kMi car is ripe for an excellent Indy shop you'll find responsive to fix issues instead of dealer games like "could not reproduce" and crazy billing for minimal maintenance.

This is an oportunity to search for a better shop to serve your needs.
✌️