Further to my last post. 2020 S560, 7 months old with 10,000 km (6200 miles).

Warning messages: Active Brake Assist, Lane Keeping Assist inoperable

I took it to the dealer. They did an unsuccessful software update and determined that the multifunction camera requires replacement. Unfortunately, no one has any stock (even in Germany). They can't even give a time frame for the part to arrive; they suspect several months.

I indicated that I purchased the car largely because of its safety systems, and that I wasn't comfortable driving it for an extended time frame without them. They provided me with an E350 loaner for the past week but I received this email from the Mercedes Downtown Toronto service manager today:

"This was escalated with my general manager, regional service manager and head office prior to a decision being made. I am sorry you are not happy with the response, but our position has not changed. The rental is due back end of day tomorrow. Please let me know if I can assist with the swap."

I asked for assurances that the lack of safety systems would neither increase my risk of collision nor the risk of associated injury. Needless to say, those assurances have not been forthcoming.

Am I wrong? I've tried to be reasonable and my suggested alternatives were that they either provide a 'safe' loaner (even a lesser vehicle) until the part arrives, or that the part be taken from another car in the interim (there are 18 used 2018-2020 S class vehicles on the lots).

This is my second (and now last) S class. I had a BMW 750 before and was never treated like this by BMW.

Sorry for the long rant.

 

Are you wrong? Kinda yeah.

This is a unique time. The reason why they can't get ahold of the replacement part is because of the global chip shortage and getting these sorts of parts is a huge problem. If you had a similar need from BMW at this current time, my guess is you would be in the same situation. They can't take a part from another car and use that part in your car, they aren't insured for that and its not an MB approved resolution, and it would put that unit that they have $40k+ invested in unsaleable. Thats not a reasonable request.

The fact that these features aren't functioning doesnt impact the drivability of the car. I don't think its reasonable to ask for them to give you a loaner car until such time as this part becomes available when it could be a long time. In any event, I wouldnt want to drive an E350 for that legnth of time. Now, if your car were undrivable then this would be a different situation. Somehow we all drove cars without those features for many years and survived.

Absent this current chip crisis this would be solved quickly, but unfortunately circumstances are what they are. I don't think your experience would be any different with any other manufacturer right now.

 

Sorry to hear of the difficulties. This is the Mercedes of today. A low quality manufacturer that doesn’t stand behind its product.

 

What are they supposed to do? They can't make the part appear out of thin air.

 

Agreed, and I understand the supply chain issues most businesses have experienced during the pandemic (although I am a little dismayed that an adequate supply of parts would not be maintained in inventory for such a new car).

As mentioned, I would be happy with a functional loaner vehicle (not an S class). I would be even happier if they harvested the part from one of the numerous used cars on the lots - understanding that they would not be able to sell that vehicle.

 

Its an unusual part, and the part is likely the same part for many MB vehicles. The supply chain issues have been going on for a while, they are just out.

I just don't see how they can do either of those things for an undetermined amount of time.

 

Your best short term approach would be to fish a replacement out of a <rear end> crashed/totaled car.
While letting the supply channel catch up to demand.

 

I'm still not entirely convinced that, as the consumer, I should be shouldered with this - but I do appreciate the feedback. Thank you all.

 

The mechanic doing a simple seal repair on my landcruiser broke the camshaft. There are none left in the world and Toyota has no timeframe and has marked the part as discontinued, a part in twenty model years of the most reliable v8 on the planet. I can’t imagine it’s a decision that was not forced upon them. These companies want to make reliable money.

Should I ask This mechanic to find me a magical part or, do I drive my spare car and it is what it is until a solution is determined, which could even be a used engine. I found a reman head because the mechanic has never been in a situation like this where a simple metal part is unobtainable, anywhere in the world. I’m going to take a chance in a used part, it sucks but what can I do, make up a story about how the mechanic should promise that me driving my spare car (e63 wagon) is just as safe off roading as my cruiser

If I were you, and like others said, I would find the part yourself and have them or any Indy install it and call it a day. If they won’t install it, do you waste thousands of dollars in mental time to deal with a camera? A true reality is that this could also have other causes such as battery power and your lighting settings or how and where you park.

The world is not coming back from this anytime soon. It’s time for the car companies to put out what will become rare poverty packs and convince to public the don’t need some nanny cam or safety devices and flat panel TVs in order to drive their car safely, smh.

 

I don't always agree with Steve, but in this case he is 100% correct about all points. There are so few cars available right now because of the chip shortage that the dealer's hands are completely tied on extending the loaner. If you're really concerned about your safety with the car, then you should reach out to MBUSA and see if they will authorize a luxury rental car through a rental agency. Although those companies are also dealing with a shortage of cars right now. It may be worth a shot.

I had the same errors come up on my GL550 after I got rear ended and the repairs were done, although they were intermittent and not constant. The errors would always go away with a restart and often if I came to a complete stop at a light. But I can tell you with 100% certainty that they did not affect drivability or the safety of the car. If it were me, I'd just live with it until the parts become available if you cannot get a rental.

 

You shouldn't be, but its a question of what is reasonably possible. They cannot provide the part right now to fix the car, but they will provide the part as soon as the part is available. The car is drivable, and the technology that is not functioning is technology that is not a requirement for a car to be safely driven on the road. You purchased a vehicle that has additional luxury features that may make driving safer, but they don't guarantee they will do that.

For instance, if my vehicle is totaled by someone with no insurance and no assets, the "right" thing is for that person to replace my vehicle. But...all of the actions of law cannot make that so because that person is incapable of making me whole...because to his name he does not have the resources to do so. So, the only option is for me to go on my way, damaged and without restitution made to me. There is what is right, and what is practically achievable. Remember carmakers can't even deliver vehicles because of these shortages.

Perhaps another option you could offer MBUSA is to reimburse you for the loss of use of those functions for the period of time they aren't functional. What might that value be? $50 a month? $100? Its no more than that...another option is to ask them to buy the car back and roll you into a W223. There re options here just not the ones you’re proposing.

 

I had this same issue with my 2020 GLE - the replacement camera was supposed to be about a two week wait. They provided a GLB loaner (I kind of like those...) and oddly enough, the camera came in and was installed in about a week. I think they should offer a loaner in this situation if at all possible. I do not think you are crazy for expecting that - but it seems like the chip shortage has compounded the availability issue since mine was fixed in June 2020 - so, when faced with an indeterminate wait, I think you probably are stuck... but you may get a pleasant surprise and it comes in sooner than you think.

 

It sux, but be realistic not idealistic and you will feel better

 

You shouldn't be on the road if you are relying on a car's safety system to primarily prevent a collision. Could be worse, as your car is still DRIVABLE!!!

 

I would ask (or demand) some sort of compensation for the inconvenience and lost use of an important feature that you paid for.

 

I think you're being unreasonable. Yes, it stinks to have something not working in your car. I get angry whenever something goes wrong too. It's even more frustrating when it's something relatively new, from what is supposed one of the best car companies out there.

But the reality is that nothing is perfect right? Stuff happens.

As to not "feeling comfortable" driving a car that doesn't have those advanced safety features, I think is a little bit of a stretch. A lot of a stretch. They're nice features, but they're not "required". What do you do when you drive a run-of-the-mill basic Chevy or Ford that doesn't have those items? Or a car that was made before 2018 or so when those features started to come out?

The dealer has been accommodating in providing you a rental, but as of now you should take your car back and drive it like normal until the part arrives. You have a fantastic car, without the non-functional features that are not a requirement for driving. If you were missing a steering wheel or a drive shaft or an engine or headlights or brake lights, etc, then I'd say ok you have a point.

 

I had those features on my 2013 GL550. And I'm positive those features were out before then.

 

Yeah, I think some sort of compensation is reasonable, even if its a free service credit or something the dealership can control.

 

These are words to live by!

 

Can you find the part in the 3rd party market or from a junkyard. That could cove you until the supply chain is back on track. Junk dealers have a national database. Give it a shot.

 

First off without insulting those who have already spoken I will say this much, don't listen to clowns who are telling you that you are being unreasonable. This is a brand new car covered under warranty and with this specific supply issue the dealership has shown their true colors. Customer service is hard to come by these days and you shouldn't settle for anything but the best service. Even if others in this thread have settled for less.

I just spoke with a buddy of mine that is a senior service writer for the auto group that owns the top selling MB dealership in the USA.
I mentioned your issue with the Active Brake/Lane Keep assist part that is not available and that you were getting the cold shoulder from your dealership. He laughed and said find another place to service your car. He said you should also take the time to call MB corporate offices and file a complaint. When I asked why, he said they are having the same issue at their dealership and are being accommodating to ALL customers. He specifically has a vehicle that they are servicing at the moment and the park sensor module is unavailable at the moment (on back order). This is a warranty repair, brand new vehicle (similar to your situation). The customer has been in a loaner since June 2021 while they are waiting for the part (that's 4 months or 120+ days). They still don't know when the part will arrive (ETA keep getting pushed back) and they've let the customer drive a loaner car up until now and will allow them to continue to drive the loaner until the part arrives and the repair is completed.

Like I said, don't fall for these guys who claim the item is "not a safety issue" malarky. They wouldn't know good customer service if it slapped them upside the head. Call MB corporate was the advice I was given.

To others in the thread: Do you need your park sensors to drive the car safely?

[In before you guys say something about margins or taking a loss or do you think the dealership should lose money on your repair. LOL.]

Although I would agree with others in the thread about not being able to take a part off another vehicle. I wouldn't expect my dealership to do that at all. Too much legal liability issues.

 

At least Mercedes has loaners left unlike some other brands that have switched to rental cars...
Switching dealers should be no problem unless this is a corporate store (since this is in Canada). The MBUSA route will not work but I would contact the MB Canada. Not sure how or if there are lemon laws there; that usually provides some leverage for such a low-cost repair.

For whatever reason I thought Active Brake is based on radar based. Maybe they can disable the active lane assist, which is a useful feature to some and an annoying one to others. A good number of people turn off active lane assist as it is too invasive for them.

 

yep, he can return the car or go elsewhere but has instead just made up entitlement claims.

Bigking, what have you added to the thread that’s not already here? Did your buddy help this guy? Did he call this guys dealer to know their allotment and allocation of available cars to loan that satisfy his safety needs? OR did you just tell him what we all have, go elsewhere, return the car, or get a used part. If that makes us unreasonable bigking, feel free to add a different helpful suggestion.

 

Sorry to hear about your dissatisfaction but your car can be driven safely even without those assistance features . Yes, when you have them you are right to want them to be operating perfectly too . I sometimes turn them off too but it's good to have such safety equipment in any car
I don't know what else to say here but hopefully things will be OK on your end

 

I provide customer service for a living, and I have a new S Class while you have an 18 year old E Class and a Toyota Previa. Right...I'm the clown LOL. Please, teach me!

I spoke with the Queen of England and she told me this:

At the end of the day, would I rather drive a loaner E Class with lane keep (which I turn off) and active brake assist or my S Class with these functions disabled for potentially months until this part comes in? Thats not even a question to me. I don't want to drive an E Class for a day if I can help it, not when I'm paying for an S Class. Much better off to pursue some sort of restitution from MBUSA and keep driving your S Class. Just keep it in between the lines and brake yourself. Like this guy above does in his ancient cars.