qualcomm65

please tell stories of lemon law buy backs here. Tell what problems to look for in the sl's. I am having alot of electrical problems

Xeron

an 04. too many problems to count. Bought an 05 which runs well,

ja1031

I had an '03 SL 500 that should have been bought back. At 3800 miles I was tired of being stranded ( first time was 6 weeks in the shop, no brakes with 260 miles on the odometer) and traded it in on an '05 SL 55 which is running well with the exception of a starter replacement on the first service. If Lexus (I've had four) could have built the SL 55 I would sign up for life but since they don't this will be my last Benz. Oh yes, I almost forgot... my '03 S 55 had problems also so I traded it for a '05 LS 430. What a shame. Years ago I was a Mercedes mechanic and except for the vacuum door locks and the 8,000 mile brake pads they were paragons of reliability. The only major work we did was on cars that were high mileage 10 year olds that simply had worn out. But now, like the song says "We won't be fooled again".
jeff

qualcomm65

did anyone use attorney's? any problems with mercedes north america?

evanichka

I bought a 03 sl500 a few years back. broke down on the first day (electrical problems). after the dealership could not fix the problem for almost a month, i got a refund.

Vik888

Search for mercedes benz lemon law on google .. people have setup sites to document problems and for people to post their stories

Generally, you can recover attorney costs, and if an attorney takes your case on contingency, you have nothing to lose.

Lmmike

I believe still having the car under warranty is key to arbitrate?
Here are the circumstances that must exist in order for you to assert this presumption:
(1) you have taken the vehicle to the dealership for repair of the same component four or more times,
or
(2) it has been kept at the dealership for repair of any one or more components for 30 days or more.
A replacement vehicle would be one that is substantially identical to the one you have; a repurchase would pay you the cash purchase price for your vehicle, less any rebates, and plus such other fees as sales tax and documentary fee, first year license fees, finance charges, and some or all of the out-of-pocket expenses you incurred because of the vehicle's failure.
The presumption of the Lemon Law does not mean that either replacement or repurchase will automatically happen. It does mean, though, that the burden of proof is on the manufacturer to rebut your presumption, rather than on you to offer any further proof that your vehicle is a "lemon."
To become eligible for consideration for replacement or repurchase, you must take certain steps:
Since 1986, automobile manufacturers have had to provide their customers with a means for settling manufacturing defect claims. If, according to your owner's manual, your vehicle's manufacturer uses Better Business Bureau Auto Line arbitration to settle these claims, the first step you must take is to notify the manufacturer directly of the problem. You can find the manufacturer's address or a toll-free telephone number in your owner's manual. When you call, ask to be given your "customer complaint or record number." Keep this number as your proof that you have attempted to allow the manufacturer to make good on his product.
The manufacturer will ask you to contact the Better Business Bureau's Auto Line department to request a claim form, which you should complete and return to the Bureau, along with certain other documents, such as a copy of your purchase contract. (When you receive the claim form, you'll also be given further information about the Bureau's Auto Line program.)
The BBB will forward your written claim to the manufacturer, who will respond with what they are willing to do to settle it. If their response is satisfactory to you, you will not have to do anything further. If it is not, the Bureau will facilitate the arbitratration of your claim for you.
Arbitration simply means that you have the opportunity to tell your side of your story to an arbitrator, who acts as an impartial judge, at an informal hearing in BBB offices. (It will help your case if you have retained records of all visits to your dealer, even for routine maintenance.) The arbitrator will listen to the manufacturer's representative also, and will then decide what the outcome should be.
Auto Line arbitration decisions are binding upon the manufacturer, but not upon the automobile owner. That is, if the manufacturer is ordered to buy back your vehicle, for example, they must do it. If, though, you are awarded less than you wanted, or nothing at all, you may reject the decision and take your case to court, if you wish.
The Better Business Bureau's Auto Line program is free, and should be completed within approximately 40 days.
For information or questions about the program, call the Better Business Bureau at:
(800) 955-5100

qualcomm65

is there a number to mercedes corporate or do you go to your dealer to ask for a refund?

vhooloo

Following this thread as I have a lemon law case on a new EQS 450 which died days after driving off from dealership. Will update on progress.

MJones439

Hi. I am new to this forum but am similarly interested in following this thread and hearing from others. I purchased a brand new AMG GLE 55 in February of this year and (was) super excited. The issue started at the end of April. When I would try to start the vehicle, every light and alarm bell would go off and every warning would pop up on the screen (Active Blind Spot Assist inactive, 4Matic inoperative, Battery Malfunction, Apply Parking Break, Inoperative - see Owners Manual, etc.) and the car would not start. Interestingly, the lights on the left side of the vehicle would come on (the left front headlight, left tail light, curtesy lights on the drivers side, etc.) but those on the right side of the vehicle were off. It had to be towed into the shop and was there for about 2 weeks. The dealer said it was my fault, that I had left the lights on or something and drained the battery (even though the battery was full when then tow truck operator came to pick it up). I said OK, whatever - but it happened again while the car was running just about 2 weeks later. That time, the dealer took another 10 to 12 days and said they went through the electrical wiring system and showed me a bunch of pictures of broken wires, bent connectors and other things that had to be done incorrectly at the factory. They said they replaced all of those. The car lasted about 7 full days before all of it happened yet again (and again the vehicle had to be towed into the dealer). This time, the dealer said they dont know what the issue is and told me to file a claim with Mercedes. I did that last week but haven't heard anything yet.

I am wondering what I should expect. There are less than 2000 miles on it, and now I really can't trust driving it any long distance or planning for it to actually run when I need it to.

LAAB

I'm having the exact same issues on my 2021 GLE 53, was out for transmission rebuild for 31 days in the first month. And again for the same transmission rebuild 8 months later. December 2022 I started having these same issues ... I've initiated a lemon claim since the dealership told me they were working with MB Corp and they didn't have an update for me after 3 weeks. The car is currently with the dealer and they have no clue what is wrong with it. I have asked for a replacement vehicle. What are your thoughts? Are you making any progress on your claim? The car has spend 135 days (and counting) in the shop out of 745 days I've owned it.

MJones439

Hi Laab - I am sorry to hear that you are having the same issue. Unfortunately, I have not heard anything from Mercedes corporate. My AMG 53 is still at the dealer, and has been now for just over 4 weeks (which is on top of the two other times I brought it in for repair, the first of which was 11 days and the second was 13 days - for a grand total of 54 days as of today). The dealer has been super nice and accommodating - letting me use a loaner car and following up with Mercedes corporate. I am sure they are getting tired of the delay as well. Since this is my first time, I have no idea how long it is supposed to take and am beginning to think that Mercedes will just not answer.

LAAB

Hi,

I had the GM at my dealership tell me the same thing. Following up with MB Corporate but never provided any updates. When I eventually filed a lemon law claim (in Ga) I heard back from MB Corporate stating they had agreed to repurchase the vehicle even though I asked for a replacement. It appears they are attempting to bully me into accepting a repurchase (if the numbers don't add up and they don't give me enough of an incentive I'll will be hiring a lawyer and pursuing a replacement). I would advise submitting a lemon law request to get things moving. The tech explained to me that engineering in Germany wants him to go through over 500 wires to isolate the problem - car will never be the same.

Please don't feel the dealership is being super nice. My experience is that they just say whatever to make you feel okay and do very little.

I was told the first set of transmission problems was because the vehicle was learning my driving style. With the electrical issues I was told they'll get me out of my lease and start a new lease (like they are doing me a favor).

With this car i have used 11 loaners over 2 years. I have stopped trusting the dealership folks. THEY ARE NOT FRIENDS.

Just sharing what I've gathered. I'll update with what the terms of the repurchase offer are when I get it. But please pursue the lemon law request to get things going.

MJones439

Thanks, and thanks for the additional advice. I agree with you and will pursue a lemon law claim this week. I will post again when I hear anything or have any other update.

LAAB

Got a repurchase offer which pretty much gives me everything I've put into the car bar about $300, over the course of 2 years. So I'll be taking it even though prices have pretty much gone up about 20k from when I got it.

MJones439

You were more fortunate. Mercedes denied all liability or responsibility - despite the fact that they still can't say that they are confident they fixed or even identify the issue. The call was exceptionally short. They didn't provide any rationale.