docjoe

I just read the 11th Circuit's 44 page Opinion on the Mars Red Settlement. The Georgia District Court was upheld on all challenged issues. This means that the Settlement agreed upon several years ago is de facto what will happen going forward.

I am just curious when Mercedes USA will inform it's authorized dealers they can proceed with customer's claims to have their Mars Red cars painted, in whole or in part.

I have some minor peeling and micro-spots all over my SL400, and want to get them corrected ASAP. Car looks beautiful from several feet away, but on close inspection the paint flaws are obvious.

As soon as anyone on this forum hears something positive from their authorized Mercedes dealer, PLEASE post that here for the rest of us weary waiters.

Thanks, and Merry Christmas to All,

Joe

JettaRed

iTrader: (1)

I fear they will wait until most cars have hit the 10 year mark where only 50% is covered.

Streamliner

If they try to pull something like that, it might be time for ANOTHER class action.

FormerSaabGuy

I tried two dealerships and a certified body shop. Nobody knows anything. In fact, the dealerships claimed not to know about the suit at all, let alone the status.

Also emailed the website.

I'll keep you posted. Squeaky wheel mode engaged.

docjoe

My MB dealer in Raleigh NC is aware of the Settlement and has offered to inspect my car now so when he gets the go ahead from MB he can proceed quickly. In fact there is another MB dealer in Cary NC nearby who is also aware. In both cases I spoke with service managers, not just service advisors.

my Mars Red looks great from 10 ft away, but not up close. Looking forward to my re-paint.

wonder what color will be used inasmuch as I’ve read where Mars Red per se is discontinued.

JettaRed

iTrader: (1)

They have probably just renamed the color to protect the guilty. Remember, it wasn't the paint as much as it is the clear coat that is flaking.

FormerSaabGuy

In response to my email to marsredsettlement:

On November 27, 2023, the Court upheld the Certification of the Settlement. If the parties do not request the Supreme Court review the decision, the Effective Date will be March 11, 2024.

So I guess it's a couple more months. There should be about zero clear coat on my car by then (it started coming off in sheets last month).

docjoe

March 11th was deadline for any further appeals in the class action suit, and apparently none were filed. So, the original Federal Court order governing the Settlement is now in full effect.

March 11th has come and gone, so for those of us in the affected class, we can take our cars to a MB Dealer now, body shop presumably, and file a warranty claim for paint repair.

The MB service Bulletin indicates that only affected panels will be repaired, not the whole car. The TSB is L198.00-P-058914, and it pretty much details what the shop should look for and do.
There is something I don't understand in the TSB having to do with car manufactured before and after Feb 2015. If manufactured after Feb 2015, then warranty claim must be submitted with photos of
the affected areas on the car. Not needed for cars manufactured before Feb 2015. Wonder why that is?

Here's a link to the TSB: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/20...35678-9999.pdf

Has anyone already taken their car to a dealer and started this process? If so, please share details. Thanks.

Joe

fscir60

I received this today
my earlier email to the administrator is the lower one.



ply

Streamliner

I really feel for you folks in this mess. Red is a very difficult color to match. And, even if the color match looks perfect on day one, the repainted panels will fade much differently than the factory painted panels. If anyone here is having these “repairs” done, I would highly recommend that you dispose of the car soon thereafter. I certainly hope that many of you did not join the class action and have sued MB independently. Mercedes-Benz: The Best or Nothing.

JettaRed

iTrader: (1)

I am curious what the cost of a total car paint job would be compared to separately suing MB over this? I suspect paying out of pocket for a paint job would be less in terms of actual cost, energy, emotion, and time. This settlement has taken YEARS, and as you said, the outcome is a bit dubious with regards to long-term fade of the repainted surface.

I'm not being snarky, but just evaluating options.

Streamliner

I don’t think you are wrong or being snarky.

I’m not familiar with the settlement. Is there is a cash payment option in lieu of having the areas in question repainted? If so, that might be the way to go. Take the cash, find a good custom shop and have the whole car painted. It seems to me that the class action lawyers did not handle this suit well. In the case of the SL’s, I believe a strong argument could have been made that the cars are special and not just everyday transportation. That people tend to keep these cars for extended periods of time (I had mine for 12 years) and that long term resale value will be tremendously affected after being partially repainted.

Mercedes-Benz really screwed their customers over on this one. They KNEW that the paint was bad, they KNEW they delivered a defective product—and in the case of the SL’s some of which were “life-long, dream car” purchases, yet they forced their customers to sue them and now the result is tantamount to a slap in the face.

These are the types of cases where you hear of someone parking their car at the dealership entrance, dousing it with gasoline and setting it on fire, or beating it to death with a baseball bat, out of utter frustration. MB should have offered to repurchase or replace these cars, less a prorated use deduction. They should have done the right thing. Instead, they flipped a tremendous middle finger to customers who bought their products in good faith, believing they were buying one of the best vehicles on the planet. This whole mess just wasn’t handled properly and EVEN NOW, MB still continues to pour salt on their customer’s open wounds.

docjoe

Great idea, but there is no cash option. Repainting on a panel by panel basis is the only offered repair. In my case the most MB will pay for the panel repaint is 50% of the cost.

several years ago my red truck was vandalized requiring two panels be repainted. The shop promised me an undetectable repair that would not fade and would match. Amazingly, the shop was correct. I could not see any difference from original paint and it matched rest of the truck. It lasted for years with no difference ever observed. Modern technology.

I hope for the same experience with my SL400.

docjoe

Members on this forum have mentioned total car repaint deluxe job at $10,000. Yikes!

JettaRed

iTrader: (1)

In my case, it’s the 2014 C350 that’s affected. And the problem is actually the clear coat, not the paint.

Because this has taken so long, I do expect MB to cover only 50%.

scf100

My 2013 will need a repaint as my clearcoat now has a haze look....I got an estimate for $13,000 to paint 3/4 the car ( rear was repainted 2 years ago from an accident and looks good)

Will probably get mine repainted in May 2024....fingers crossed I get 50% back

FormerSaabGuy

I received my quote on an E400 Convertible (no roof). It was $22,000 to paint the metal parts + $4,000 to paint the bumpers which are peeling and not covered.

My share is $15,000!!! I asked how they justify saying my car needs a $30,000 paint job. No response.

It's all a sham.

docjoe

YIKES!!!

GOOD GRIEF, IF THAT IS WHAT THEY TELL ME, THEN I'LL BE SELLING MY SL400.

ACTUALLY, MINE IS NOT TOO BAD - VERY MINOR PEELS OF CLEAR COAT IN 3 AREAS, AND ONE AREA ABOUT 2"X6" HAS PEELED.

LIKELY, I WILL TRY REPAIR THOSE SPOTS MYSELF. FROM WHAT I READ ON THE INTERNET AND SEE ON YOUTUBE, IT CAN BE DONE WITH RIGHT MATERIALS, AND PATIENCE.

THANK YOU FOR POSTING YOUR EXPERIENCE, AND SORRY THEIR NEWS WASN'T WHAT YOU HOPED FOR.

JettaRed

iTrader: (1)

Kinda a dumb reason to get rid of your SL400. Not saying your dumb, just that's a silly reason to get rid of a beautiful car.

I think it's absurd to pay that much for a paint job. And as you said, it's the clear coat and not the actual paint. A good paint shop should be able to fix the clear coat for a lot less that $30,000!

Streamliner

So, if I understand this correctly, no matter what, the “settlement” will not pay the entire cost of the repairs, right? Even if, let’s say, only the hood needs to be refinished, the settlement will only pay a portion of it. Is this correct?

JettaRed

iTrader: (1)

https://www.marsredpaintsettlement.com/

Under a certain mileage and age, the paint repair is covered 100%. Over that and less than another set of limits, 50%. Over a certain age and mileage, 25%. And so on.

FormerSaabGuy

What's frustrating is that the model years impacted max out at 2017, so everything is over 7 years old now.

I'm hoping for an avalanche of other posts reporting lower prices. I'm in a bind, the entire car is peeling. It's a complete eyesore. Yet there's a limit on how much is reasonable to invest in it.

I even considered a wrap, but it needs a smooth surface.

JettaRed

iTrader: (1)

And when the suit started, my car was in the Period 1 group (2014 C350). It's really just the bumper for me. But there's no way I'm spending more than the car is worth on a paint job.

Streamliner

And the repairs must be done by an MB or MB “approved” shop, or can you take it anywhere?

FormerSaabGuy

I think they have to do it. There isn't a mechanism for getting reimbursed for repairs after the notification.

It would definitely be cheaper for us, but the current program of charging ridiculous prices so nobody does it is free for them.