Sticktalk

So the silver interior dash trim on my '13 C250 is coming apart, it looks like the adhesive is wearing off and it has popped up a little. Very annoying aesthetically, but I believe its because I live in Arizona and the car bakes in the sun all damn day and that's what caused the piece to come undone. My question is, has anyone ever dealt with this problem before? Or can anyone recommend what product/adhesive to use to stick it back together?

superangrypenguin

Picture please?

Carsy

Do you use a windscreen shade when the car is parked in the sun?
They take the heat off

dieseldoc

Is your under warranty. dealer might replace.

Sticktalk

Not under warranty, so the dealer wont replace it unfortunately, and is not covered under the extended warranty either. I dont have a sun shade but that's definitely something to invest in. Here are some pics.

superangrypenguin

Holy crap. There's terrible build quality!!

I'd write into MB corporate about that. That's ridiculous how that's not covered!!

dieseldoc

That looks horrible. I agree with Penguin. I would call MBUSA to see if they may help. You might find replacements on eBay.

edgalang

Looks like a good excuse to do an interior wrap to a color of your choice. By the looks of your car, do you drive with the windows open? I'd definitely get tints and sunshade.

Carsy

It is nothing to do with build quality. The interior has not been cleaned/cared for or given any applied protection from the sun or heat ie Aerospace 303.

No sunshade used either .

Arizona summers will cook any interior so I cannot see why everyone is surprised that glues & plastics fail .

Nearly every day during summer, the temperature in Phoenix tops 99°F.& that's in the shade.In a closed car the temperature would fry an egg very quickly.

Sticktalk

Well, Ive had other black cars sit outside in the sun for 10+ years and nothing has come apart or undone like that before. I expected more from Mercedes, and this isnt the only part to come lose. I've had interior pillar trims fall apart in the back. I've only had the car for less than a year! It came from california. So I have to say it is the quality of the car. Interior is very clean, but summer nights are nice so I tend to drive with the windows down, and its very dusty here in AZ.

JohnnyC

JEEZ i find summers in Los Angeles already unbearable, can't imagine how you guys in Arizona do it. That heat must be lethal.

superangrypenguin

I think you and I have agreed on basically all topics since the beginning of time that I've been on here, but I'd like to respectfully disagree if I may.

I don't think that it's fair to expect a car owner to have to apply 3rd party products to a vehicle to prevent this sort of wear. I mean, MB prides itself on extensive real world testing of the many components that make up a MB and in this case, the wear indicated by the OP seems excessive. If this was a Hyundai then maybe it would be OK, but this is a MB. So in my opinion, this is a valid complaint.

Again, IMHO, if the vehicle was treated with 303 etc this same trim issue would have reared its ugly head. MB boasts that it tests it's cars in a variety of climates - Arizona is hardly the hottest place on the planet. Dubai etc is even worse, and MB is known to test there and I can't recall seeing a Audi/BMW have trim that breaks down like what we're seeing here.

edgalang

I somewhat agree, but considering the OP was not the original owner of the car, there are unknowns on how the car was treated or handled prior to taking ownership.

superangrypenguin

You bring up a valid point, but how many of us (and I mean us = car lovers) apply any form of treatment to a car's interior that would impact the glue that holds a trim piece?

I mean, I apply a lot of love to a car's leather, glass, etc, but there's nothing that I apply to a car that would impact the outcome of a trim piece falling apart on a hot summer day.

edgalang

Come to think of it, I've never done it myself either...but at the same time I've never seen a trim piece "naturally" fall off without having been manipulated by someone else prior (either by accident, or project upgrade).

Either way, I guess we just found an advantage of not having aluminum trim.

Demvang

It definitely has something to do with the heat, especially in AZ. The glue will melt with that summer scorching temp without sunshade. Same thing applies to the tint of my car's back glass, it is showing bubbles in TX heat.

superangrypenguin

You mean bubbles in aftermarket tint? That's not from heat. That's from the original soapy water solution.... As it dries sometimes it leaves air bubbles

Alfadude

Doesn't sound like it would be an inherent design issue as otherwise I would think we would see a lot more posts about issues like this. As someone said, these cars are sold all over the world and in places with extremely hot weather and adhesives and assembly methods are certainly tested under extreme conditions. Could be related to the assembly of that particular piece. Interesting also that the OP says some other trim pieces are coming loose as well. Sounds like more an issue with this particular car. As much as it sucks, I doubt you will ever know the root cause unfortunately.

superangrypenguin

I think it's an isolated incident. I'm not more confident that my burl walnut wood trim would fare any better. Ultimately these trims are all glued to a plastic piece by...well...glue, so I don't believe that the issue at hand became present simply because the OP has a vehicle with aluminum trim.

Alfadude

And with the wood, the finish, as well as the wood itself, is much more susceptible to the effects of the sun than the aluminum will be.

Sticktalk

I take care of the care pretty good, but nothing I could do would prevent this regardless. It sucks to see something like this happen to a Mercedes. Anyway, does anyone know how to glue it back together? Or have any product they recommend? I was thinking 3m double sided tape but I feel like that would cause it to stick out more than it should and wont sit flat

ezshift5

.....black paint, AZ summertime temps approaching 120F, no visible means of heat attenuation........well, some of us get the picture.


ez

Alfadude

You can get the double sided 3M VHB adhesive in different thicknesses. You don't want one with the foam carrier so it will be thin. You can order rolls in different widths and just cut it to fit. Just make sure the mating surfaces are both very clean and you would want to sand them a bit to rough up the surface slightly to help it bite in. Just make sure it is VHB (Very High Bond) and not some other version of 3M tape. Then maybe somehow keep pressure on it for a day to help it achieve optimal bond. I believe that stuff achieves like 90% of its bond within a couple hours and full bond in like 24-48 hours.

Carsy

Stick talk,
I would not use a double sided tape as it is too thick . Just a yellow Bear adhesive would do the trick .5 minute Araldite would be good too

A sunshield & 303 will help prevent further damage.

I was young once, the area where the trim is coming apart is where leverage is sought when the seats are layed back. Just a thought.

IGB

I don't think its fair or even reasonable to expect a car manufacturer to warranty a part... ANY part for the life of the vehicle. And actually it is normal for a car owner to apply 3rd party products when their vehicle is out of warranty and a cerain part happens to fail.

OP is driving a 4 year old car... FOUR years old. And while I might agree that it is unusual for a nonmechanical part to show signs of failure at this stage, I don't think there has been that many similar complaints which would normaly signal a design flaw or part quality problem. Instead, this appears to be very isolated which would further imply it may have been caused by way of the conditions this vehicle has been kept under.

This is a simple fix that would only need some sort of epoxy to fix, and for the potential low cost and minimal effort to fix it, it would be a waste of energy to try and blame the dealer or the manufacturer, or to try and get them to take ownership and cover its repair for free.

Of course, the dealer will always have the option to offer any free repairs they choose after the warranty expires and as a good will gesture towards their customer. But to expect them to do so when there is no basis for such expectation, you'd be setting yourself up for disappointment... And a self inflicted headache!