R500 - rain damaged car, $5K in electronics repair
09-09-2011, 05:18 PM
#1
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Alexandria, VA
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2007 R500, 2006 Suburban, 2000 M5, 1999 CL500, 1991 200 Turbo Quattro
R500 - rain damaged car, $5K in electronics repair
Just this afternoon I had my R500 towed to the dealership. It's been raining a lot in the DC area for 4 days. Last night my husband was driving in the rain again and the car electronically flipped out - wipers stopped, dash lights came on and off, windows went down, radio stopped working, headlights went out. He got to a garage and pulled the key out and the car wouldn't stop running. Had to pull some fuses to get it to stop, but a few lights stayed on.
This morning, over the phone, the service adviser asked if it had water damage, if the passenger floor was wet. Floor wasn't wet, we hadn't driven through a 12" puddle, just normal bad weather driving. When the tech got into the car, he found 2" of water (said they drained 10 gallons) in the tray/compartment that houses the battery and some controllers. My adviser said that the heavy rain overwhelmed the drains and water got into the air-intake and into the electronics. $5000+ in damages
and he told me to call my insurance asap.
Doesn't quite sit right - sounds like a design flaw.
Has anyone had this happen? The tow driver said he sees rain then electronic problems like this a lot with MB.
This morning, over the phone, the service adviser asked if it had water damage, if the passenger floor was wet. Floor wasn't wet, we hadn't driven through a 12" puddle, just normal bad weather driving. When the tech got into the car, he found 2" of water (said they drained 10 gallons) in the tray/compartment that houses the battery and some controllers. My adviser said that the heavy rain overwhelmed the drains and water got into the air-intake and into the electronics. $5000+ in damages
and he told me to call my insurance asap.Doesn't quite sit right - sounds like a design flaw.
Has anyone had this happen? The tow driver said he sees rain then electronic problems like this a lot with MB.
09-11-2011, 11:18 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Woodbridge, VA
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2007 R500
AJaeger,
Sorry to hear about your situation. My wife drove to DC from Woodbridge to pick me up from work. She chose the Volvo over the Benz for some reason. We later agreed that the R would have been a better choice in case we encountered high water on the four hour ride back home. After reading your horror story, I'm happy she chose as she did. Best wishes for a favorable outcome!
Sorry to hear about your situation. My wife drove to DC from Woodbridge to pick me up from work. She chose the Volvo over the Benz for some reason. We later agreed that the R would have been a better choice in case we encountered high water on the four hour ride back home. After reading your horror story, I'm happy she chose as she did. Best wishes for a favorable outcome!
Last edited by TINMan22; 09-12-2011 at 10:26 AM.
