2002 S430 Rust !!!
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
From: Windsor, ON CANADA
2002 s430
2002 S430 Rust !!!
Ok I've been reading all the horror stories with rust claims through MB and warranty... and I thought my situation would be different.... I thought wrong!
I have a 2002 S430 that I recently purchased. After getting the car fully detailed, rust areas became apparent and the detailer told me that it's all inside the panels (under the doors, inside the wheel wells, etc)
I contacted my dealer and they said that MB would only cover 50% of the bill (total cost almost $14K).
I called the 1-800 number and I never spoke to someone so rude and not helpful in my life. She pretty much told me that it's either I accept 50%, or nothing, and that she'd revoke the offer given. I asked to speak to the regional manager and she wouldn't even give me his name or anything.
My question is.... what do I do here? It's unfair and not right what they're doing here. I mentioned that there was a campaign specifically for the rust on this car, and she played dumb and never knew of any.
Any feedback here would be great guys.
Thanks
I have a 2002 S430 that I recently purchased. After getting the car fully detailed, rust areas became apparent and the detailer told me that it's all inside the panels (under the doors, inside the wheel wells, etc)
I contacted my dealer and they said that MB would only cover 50% of the bill (total cost almost $14K).
I called the 1-800 number and I never spoke to someone so rude and not helpful in my life. She pretty much told me that it's either I accept 50%, or nothing, and that she'd revoke the offer given. I asked to speak to the regional manager and she wouldn't even give me his name or anything.
My question is.... what do I do here? It's unfair and not right what they're doing here. I mentioned that there was a campaign specifically for the rust on this car, and she played dumb and never knew of any.
Any feedback here would be great guys.
Thanks
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,461
Likes: 1
From: Baltimore MD
MB, BMW
sorry to hear.. reminds me of the old saying, "the most expensive used car money can buy is a cheap Mercedes".
did you buy the car from a dealer? if there is $14k worth of rust damage, how could you possibly not notice it b4 buying..??
btw, it is clear MB builds inferior quality cars. MB offers 4 yr/50k rust warranty, which is a joke. All the other Euro manufacturers offer minimum 10 yrs/unlimited miles.
did you buy the car from a dealer? if there is $14k worth of rust damage, how could you possibly not notice it b4 buying..??
btw, it is clear MB builds inferior quality cars. MB offers 4 yr/50k rust warranty, which is a joke. All the other Euro manufacturers offer minimum 10 yrs/unlimited miles.
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Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 7
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From: Windsor, ON CANADA
2002 s430
there was some bubbling underneath the trunk key hole, but everything else looked mint. It's only once i got the car detailed was everything exposed. The local body shop took apart all the panels and said the rust was starting from the inside out, and that's why the estimate was so high.
The dealer didn't give me the regional rep's name... i'm sort of stuck now and don't know what to do.
The dealer didn't give me the regional rep's name... i'm sort of stuck now and don't know what to do.
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Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
From: Windsor, ON CANADA
2002 s430
lol, i wish i could return it...
I paid $28K for the car, it's mint other than these areas that were exposed.
How come MB covers some cars and not others? I don't understand this.
I paid $28K for the car, it's mint other than these areas that were exposed.
How come MB covers some cars and not others? I don't understand this.
Banned
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,048
Likes: 0
From: Brooklyn
02 S500 Sport
No I havent
What do you mean?
Are you saying it only started rusting after you got the car detailed...? huh?
Isnt Rust like scratch on the paint? Cant U just paint over the rust?
show some pics of ur car rust lol.
HOw do I know If I have rust m coat is perfect.
Also doesnt mercedes offer 10 yr 80k coverage on RUST.
What do you mean?
Are you saying it only started rusting after you got the car detailed...? huh?
Isnt Rust like scratch on the paint? Cant U just paint over the rust?
show some pics of ur car rust lol.
HOw do I know If I have rust m coat is perfect.
Also doesnt mercedes offer 10 yr 80k coverage on RUST.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 3,063
Likes: 27
From: Tampa, FL
2005 S500 4-Matic, 1978 450SL
abou samra hasn't given us any information about where he is located (how about filling out your profile?) - so we cannot assume he is in the U.S. and benefits from U.S. or European warranties.
MB started plating both sides of its body metal for the '03 model year; only the exterior side before.
And as for the jerk he spoke to, I would take that up with higher levels - starting with the owner of the dealership, then regional rep, them the MB parent company if no relief is provided. There is no excuse for the rudeness.
MB started plating both sides of its body metal for the '03 model year; only the exterior side before.
And as for the jerk he spoke to, I would take that up with higher levels - starting with the owner of the dealership, then regional rep, them the MB parent company if no relief is provided. There is no excuse for the rudeness.
Last edited by Skylaw; Jan 26, 2008 at 10:42 AM.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
From: Windsor, ON CANADA
2002 s430
sorry, I'm new to this site, I'll fill in the profile.
I'm from Canada. The warranty for rust on my car shows 5 years only from date of purchase. Even if the car is out of warranty for a few months, is it that crazy to expect it to be fully covered?
I'm from Canada. The warranty for rust on my car shows 5 years only from date of purchase. Even if the car is out of warranty for a few months, is it that crazy to expect it to be fully covered?
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,290
Likes: 1
From: New Zealand
1993 300SEL/S320
In my opinion there is a case here for a number of reasons:
1. A car of this cost should last longer than 5 years, find out what the average car age is in your country I think for the US it's about 8-9 years and I think there it's about 11-12, now it's pretty obvious that S Classes should not have to be replaced every 5 years.
2. Although the warranty for rust is no longer covering you its pretty obvious that it's been going on for longer than that the car just doesn't rust in a week or something like that.
These types of companies have to be dragged kicking to pay out any money, considering the amount of money that is at stake here and what you paid for the car relative to that cost it really might be worth consulting a lawyer. It's really the last thing you want to do as it carries the risk of losing and incurring more costs. You could atleast put the two points about to the local dealer and see whats what.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 7
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From: Windsor, ON CANADA
2002 s430
Trumpet, i have 2 other cars that have been exposed to the same "snowy road" conditions and there isn't one ounce of rust on them.
with all the information I've read on this and other sites, it's clear that there was a problem with the S class, or else no one would be complaining about it. The other thing is that the rust coincidentally is in the exact same spots....
I don't know, since I can't talk to the regional rep at MB headquarters, I'm going to go back to my dealer and try that. I hope I don't have to escalate this anymore. This isn't right.
with all the information I've read on this and other sites, it's clear that there was a problem with the S class, or else no one would be complaining about it. The other thing is that the rust coincidentally is in the exact same spots....
I don't know, since I can't talk to the regional rep at MB headquarters, I'm going to go back to my dealer and try that. I hope I don't have to escalate this anymore. This isn't right.
Almost a Member!
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 26
Likes: 0
From: Miami, Florida
S500
I have a '02 S500 and I've got rust on the bottom of all four doors. It does seem to be coming from the inside. I purchased the car about 8 months ago and did not see/notice it until 2 months ago.
It looks terrible. I have also noticed that EVERY little nick or scratch rusts on this car. I have never had a car with ANY rust before and they have all had nicks.
'84 Oldsmobile
'86 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z
Ford Explorer (whatever the first model year was)
'90's Chevrolet 1500 P/U
90's Chevrolet Blazer
90's Chevrolet S-10 P/U
'94 Ford Mustang GT
'96 Dodge Ram P/U
'95 Mitsubishi 3000GT (I still own this-NO RUST and Original Paint)
'04 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer
So far, this is the ONLY complaint I have about MB. I hope my repair costs aren't anything like your quote.
It looks terrible. I have also noticed that EVERY little nick or scratch rusts on this car. I have never had a car with ANY rust before and they have all had nicks.
'84 Oldsmobile
'86 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z
Ford Explorer (whatever the first model year was)
'90's Chevrolet 1500 P/U
90's Chevrolet Blazer
90's Chevrolet S-10 P/U
'94 Ford Mustang GT
'96 Dodge Ram P/U
'95 Mitsubishi 3000GT (I still own this-NO RUST and Original Paint)
'04 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer
So far, this is the ONLY complaint I have about MB. I hope my repair costs aren't anything like your quote.
Super Member
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 872
Likes: 2
From: Saint Louis
CLS 63 S AMG , s500,clk550
that sucks man.. i got my dealership to pay for 100% of mine....( not bragging or gloating about it) go to ur dealership and start making a scene.. its kinda what i did. hold your ground. and tell them how bull**** it is. and that they have to pay for it
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 308
Likes: 8
Most of the 220's have "seal bottom strip campaign." If the campaign is open you can get 100% coverage. If it is closed your dealer can pick up 50%. Most bills I have seen come in at around $1500.00 before the 50%.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,978
Likes: 1
From: NYC/FT Lauderdale
W220 M113K
had them reseal the strips but they were very sloppy with the glue took a while to get it off to much trouble to bring it all the way back
Newbie
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
2000 s430
The campaing was over in 05. The service manager told me that they would cover the car and then said they would not. He said the regional Rep said they could not do it. Why he told me they would, I don't know. My only problem is that he was based it on the 4yr 50k warranty. He didn't know about the 8yr rule. I know that he was lying. It was the 2k for repair they didn't want to do. I have some rust bubbles on my doors and yes it was the seals that did it according to the bodyshop. I can live with it however, that makes the paint not perfect like the rest of the car. MB will cover 8yrs for paint and rust. It is up to the sevice manager to do it. MY car is a 00 but it was purchased in Oct. 99 with 58907k miles as of today. The paint is perfect all over. They will try to tell you that you need the records from the dealer for service records. Keep trying. I am not finish yet because that is crazy fri an 80k car to do that. I have a 91z28 convert with no rust. Funny!
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
From: Indian Hill, Ohio
2001 S430
What about YouTube? Could several people with rust problems put their cars on YouTube, to get some attention? I mean, someone with writing skills could make it funny, so that people would watch.
Compare this to Toyota? OK, so it isn't dangerous, but the principle is the same, not paying attention to the consumer, for years!
What about a Class Action suit, for not advising us of the campaign, so the rust would be caught, before it could get a start?
Any other ideas?
Compare this to Toyota? OK, so it isn't dangerous, but the principle is the same, not paying attention to the consumer, for years!
What about a Class Action suit, for not advising us of the campaign, so the rust would be caught, before it could get a start?
Any other ideas?
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 322
Likes: 0
From: Texas
2000 Mercedes Benz S500 Designo
I think you're a little late. These cars are 10 years old now and its impossible to hold MB responsible for the paint condition 10 years later. Bottom line: it won't happen.
You'll be lucky if you fall into some good will campaign where MB covers part or all of your repairs.
You'll be lucky if you fall into some good will campaign where MB covers part or all of your repairs.
