Thericker

Darn! I knew it was to good to be true, thanks for the clarification though

Havoc

Thericker, it's the MB Tech guy at a local MB Dealership Vadim uses that does the warranty work and has the final say. Sorry if I confused you or misspoke.
For me, I just rather have Vadim speak to his local MB Tech guy on my behalf compared to me speaking with my local MB dealer. Now don’t get me wrong, I'm not saying that Vadim's MB Tech guy will cover any work under warranty either. But since Vadim has a MB Tuning Business and has a good relationship with his MB Teck guy, he is more likely to get legit problems covered under warranty compared to me trying on my own at a MB Stealership. I like it because I didn’t have to do anything. If I ever have any type of problem with my car in the future, I’m bringing it to VRP and let them figure it out cause I know it’s in good hands and I’m not going to get BSed around.

Thericker

Understood, thank you I'll deff be taking my 600 to them in the near future..

EXECMALIBU

I had repeatedly complained (in writing on the ROs) about the transmission getting stuck in gear or not shifting among other issues (check engine, check oil level, loss of power, Keyless Go etc) with my SL65 all of which were almost always described as "cannot duplicate customer complaint" on the ROs when I picked the car up.

Then the transmission totally failed and the car will not move in any gear, the check engine light was on, the Keyless Go failed (all verified in wiriting again by a MB roadside tech) and the car had to be towed for the THIRD TIME in 9,300 miles!


It is my opinion that the shop foreman at Calabasas MB may have detected fault codes for the transmission (that they refused to give to me or even tell me about) when he verified the 4-5 other defects. Then last week the trans totally failed about 10 days after being in the Calabasas MB service dept and that is why they refused to do warranty work on my SL65!

It is my understanding that trans repairs are very involved, take alot of time and are often prone to comebacks and that MB-USA only pays at a reduced rate and often will not pay the dealers for comeback repairs.

I think the MB dealers do not make as much money on long term repairs (often waiting for authorization and/or parts) that can often tie up a rack for weeks and they would rather do quick in and out repairs that pay quickly and well...


I also think that is why the general manager at Calabasas MB refused to work on my SL65 and wanted the car pawned it off on another MB dealer..

adam28

if you are having a ton of problems with your SL can you lemon the car?

Fast55

I won't use Calabasas anymore either. This is common for other brands as well. You get a predetermined amount of shop time for a given repair, and unfortunately, the book is very stingy. If it takes longer than what the book says, they eat the difference. Have you considered Silver Star in T.O.? You have a strong claim for the car to be declared a lemon.

Untertürkheim

This is sad to hear, although my experience with Calabasas has been okay. They are nearly walking distance from my house, which is why I initially went there for service. The shop foreman, George, is fantastic; he really takes a lot of pride in his work. The service advisors often seem overworked, but I am not ignored. Any time my car has to stay for more than a few hours I get a loaner, otherwise they offer to drive me anywhere I would like.

Regarding other dealerships, Peterson (formerly owner of Peterson’s Calabasas Motorcars, now MB of Calabasas) bought Stiegler, renaming it MB of Encino.

SteveL

MBUSA is your friend. You should at least call them and let them know what happened. No MB dealership should be able to refuse warranty work on a in warranty stock car. You need to report them to MBUSA for sure.

gaazmon

From what I hear Sonic dealerships are crap. When I bought my E320 from Beverly Hills, the sales representative was saying how Calabasas Motorcars got bought by Sonic group and that they are horrible with everything and said that many people would not work for Sonic group.

With regards to Stiegler, they still exist ONLY as used car dealership out in Camarillo, CA. next to Steve Thomas BMW. AutoStiegler lost their franchise. The story of the fall of AutoStiegler is an interesting one.

usctrojans1

Wow! That is really sad to hear. I hope you resolve your problem quickly. This incident gives Mercedes a black eye. Unfortunate but true.

CynCarvin32

I have had 3 items ignored by mb recently saying there is nothing wrong and that its normal. MB has gotten so strict on warranty work and claims that they pretty much will not do anything they dont have to. If they can say the car had bad gas they for sure will not do it.

People making bogus claims and people demanding buy backs (mainly an issue here in southern california where some people seem to want MB to buy them new cars every year for fake defect claims) have caused warranty work to become a disaster for both the customer and dealership. The amount of money made by a dealership and or tech is basically NOTHING on most warranty items. The time allowed for billing often does not cover the job and thats against the whole method for shop operation from before.

Im not shocked to hear this but I cant say its right. I have escalated claims with MB as well and they just call you and have a person from NJ tell you oh thats not considered a problem and the tech feels your car is fine. We cant authorize anything else at this time. And Im an honest person with honest claims.

Think MB is bad? Look at BMW. Thats just a mess. At least MB is now #4 in quality (tied with Toyota) so things are not breaking often. Less exposure to their wonderful warranty claims system!

bari

Silver Star in T.O.? Forget it... Waiting for my almost year-old case come to an amicable solution... that's another big fiasco ... weird!

rshellman443

On December 31, 2004, I paid cash for a brand-new C240. With about 100 cumulative miles on the odometer, for the first time, I took a long trip.

Somewhere around the 100 mile mark, I started to smell overheated oil. On two separate occasions, I reported this to the Mercedes Benz dealer in West Covina, and the service center that was in Ontario, CA. They both said that nothing was wrong. Each time thereafter, when I took it in for service, I complained that after the engine had time to get hot, I smelled something that smelled like burning transmission fluid. Each time, they said that they couldn't find anything.

On January 15, 2008, I took it in for a B-Service which required the underside of the vehicle to be checked. The manager informed me that some sort of electrical switch on the transmission was leaking. I asked to see it.

The mechanic had removed a flat panel from the underside of the vehicle and the topside of it was completely covered with transmission fluid.

According to the work order, the "A FLEX & 13 PIN LEAKING."

Three years after my initial complaint, they finally found the problem.

It is good they finally found the leak. However, I think it illustrates how much work MB is willing to do when they are not getting paid. They were not going to be paid to detect the leak, so I don't think they even looked for it. It's too bad, because I will never buy another MB.

Anyway, back to my story. Now I have to live with that awful stench that is left over from the burning fluid.

It appears that the transmission fluid dripped onto the deflection pan, then the rushing air, transferred it onto the hot exhaust pipes, where it boiled off as a gas. The gaseous fluid rose into the cabin and trunk compartments and permeated everything with the fine aroma of burnt transmission fluid.

To this day, it lingers. I use to love my Mercedes. Now I despise it. I can't stand to get in it.

What I expected to be and Exciting Mercedes Experience was ruined by a few incompetent jerks.

My next car will be a Lexus. Maybe it will be a Exciting Lexus Experience, but I've learned not to build my hopes up too high. If Lexus turns out to be like MB, then I will take my business elsewhere.

By the way, I suppose I should pull that pan off and check to see if they cleaned the underside of my chassis. They were not paid to do it, so . . .

Fast55

A year old case??? Sounds like something more that just a Silver Star problem. I'm not saying I'm overjoyed taking any of the MB's there, just a hell of a difference compared to Calabasas and it's probably still a reasonable drive for the OP. In general, MB service is definitely not what it used to be and frankly embarrassing compared to Lexus service, not that they're perfect either. I guess we all expect a lot when we spend 100K+ on a car.

EXECMALIBU

My SL65 was towed into the MB dealer for the 3rd time because the trans totally failed (died in traffic) after repeatedly complaining and they "VERIFIED" that the trans does not shift correctly!

To date they have installed (2) $850 used/rebuilt valve bodies in the same defective trans. After the first one failed then 2 replacements this makes a total of 3 valve bodies in the same trans in 300 miles! Even when I insist that it is obvious that the valve body is not the problem!

After 11 days in the shop I finally get my car back and on my way home the trans starts missing shifts in manual mode ( my repeated complaint). I hit the shift button and it is either VERY VERY slow to respond or does not respond at all or shifts 2 gears!

The MB dealers are jerking me around again trying to avoid putting in a new trans!

But they continue to spend 4+ weeks of my time and well over $2,300 in parts/labor billed to MB-USA because they are denying the obvious...

If I wanted to make a case against MB for Lemon Law they sure make it very easy.. These guys are not rocket scientists!

ALL I really want at this point is my SL65 FIXED without DRAMA!

BUT IF THEY INSIST ON JERKING ME AROUND THEY MAY LEAVE ME NO CHOICE?

Fantasm

why are they charging you?

EXECMALIBU

I am not being billed for the Trans repairs but MB has already installed 2 Valve Bodies @ $850 plus labor/rental car/tow etc (3 valve bodies including the original) in their attempt to patch what is obviously a defective trans.


Typical MB-USA Corperate decission! Deny the obvious and hope it goes away! NOT!!!

MB-USA will spend $2,600 trying to patch a $4,800 trans. Then after jerking everyone around they end up ultimately having to spend the $4,800 which will end up costing them a total of over $7,900 and loss of all good will and numerous customers.

Plus this type of MB-USA decision is like putting in extra bullets in the revolver that you are using to play Russian Roulette.

CynCarvin32

Exactly but WIS and tsb's state that the factory will not cover the warranty claims if the process is not what they are instructed to follow. I makes no sense but thats they new game. Before, when the old 5 speed first came out and failed every day of the week, they would replace them all right away with a new trans, ecu and valve body.

New procedures dictate taking the least action possible on a step by step basis. They also say that if the codes only call for a valve body that is what you get. They dont like to go outside their matrix for car servicing any longer.

I have seen them try and salvage a tranny that has failed due to a seized pump. They had to replace everything but the bell housing pretty much but that saved them having to do a tranny replacement. In that case the dealership was "over quota" on tranny replacements so any further claims are not well accepted (leading to an audit) and they will do anything to not have a total tranny replacement. So the tech builds the trans him self and fixes it all for the booked hours paid even though a new tranny would be cheaper.

It often wonder how MB can flag a dealership for having to many control arm replacements or trannies when these are known weak spots on cars. Its not the dealerships fault that some cars are weak links but they get audited and fined if they do to many services of a specific kind (outside the amount MB feels is normal).

Stupid systems all around.

EXECMALIBU

Is this your opinion or a verified fact?
If MB-USA is consistantly practicing this type of a warranty default then they deserve exactly what they get once this is fully disclosed to the public and prosecution teams.


In the old days you could trust on MB dealers to totally protect you and your Mercedes under warranty. Now it must be the bean counters running the show?

I have been told that if a tech sees a defect that is not saftey related he will not fix it and he is ordered by MB not tell you about a defect until it is out of warranty.

HLG600

I believe it is time to lemon the car. I am merely sitting here reading your story, yet still becoming infuriated at this complete disregard of customer service. Until rational thought settles back in, you might as well hand me the keys to your SL65 as I will happily drive through the plate glass, past the demo C63, past the screaming secretary, and directly into that *******'s cubicle.

Seriously though, I would allocate my efforts on getting the thing lemoned. Dealing with greedy scum tends to generate unnerving levels of stress, and truly dilutes your enjoyment of what is otherwise a fine automobile. Lemon it, and take your business to a reputable MB Dealership.

CynCarvin32

It is not a patch. They say the issue is located (in some cases for example) in the valve body. After 1-2 valve bodies on 7g cars they will give the customer a new tranny (sadly mb even sends out new 7g boxes with the OLD version valve body on them and techs who are careful check that before installing the tranny on the car). Then if the problem keeps going a torque converter. My point is not that they are fraudulent but instead that they are cutting costs by trying to limit their warranty expenses. So they HOPE one valve body will fix the issue but when it does not they end up spending far more money. So I think you will get a new tranny and maybe a tq converter eventually but you have to go through the warranty hoops before that happens. In your case they are going step by step trying to solve the issue without a entire new transmission and torque converter being replaced. I know that it seems stupid since in the end they pay more but their hope is that the car is fixed at step one not step 6.

As for seeing a defect you are 100% correct. MB warranty does not allow a tech to "add a line" to a ticket unless it is a safety item. If they see a dripping oil pan or broken window regulator they cant fix it under the rules (after the customer as signed the ticket and left the building). If they see a tie rod end that is totally sloppy lose or see a brake line that is falling off they can under the rules add and fix those issues only (after being signed off by the shop foreman). If you dont have that rule techs will run through the car fixing every niggly thing they think is not right and mb's warranty claims will be back in the sky. You cant let a person who gets paid to fix a car have free reign to just work on it ***** nilly. I agree with this item but the fact that they are so strict with fixing thing and only go step by step drives me nuts. It wastes their money in the end and and it wastes the customers time as well. Neither is a good thing.

Does that clear anything up?

CynCarvin32

MB has learned how to protect themselves from the lemon law and this car does not sound like a lemon quite yet. They bought back far to many cars in the last 5 years and now they are extremely careful documenting everything and making sure they are not being taken advantage of.

Sadly it hurts the customer with a real lemon and makes their life a living hell. This all stems from crooks trying to get new cars for free every 1-2 years without having to pay for them. Its so common here in southern california that you would be stunned. I know people who have had 4 out of their 5 mb's bought back with in 1 year of purchase. Right around when it gets some scratches, needs tires and brakes. Funny huh? The cars always have no real issues just a bunch of made up bs.

adam28

You are absolutely correct. I know someone that that I consider a weasel...get a brand new 2005 SL 500 and after 2 years he got the car lemon and he got back $48,000 dollars too! The jerk actually tried to lemon his new CL550 too! It's guys like this that make it nearly impossible for people with actual lemon cars to get their money back

HLG600

Wow, I never even considered that. Everyone is always looking for a freebie. My sympathy to those with real lemons who are tangled up because of these douches.

EXECMALIBU

I took this directly from the 2006 MB-USA warranty book that came with my SL65.

These are their words! The first important line under to the owner says:

"Mercedes will fix/replace "ANY" defective parts under warranty. Then "As a MERCEDES-BENZ OWNER you deserve service unparalleled in the industry"

It does not say any defective parts the customer complains about!...

It says "ANY PART! So if a tech sees a defect window regulator or other part that should be repaired/replaced they are obligated to fix it! I am not saying every tiny little thing but anything over say $50.

How does a customer know that a trans or a shock is starting to leak. Or that a hose is starting to swell. We rely on our MB tech to keep the car in tip top condition that is what we expect for our Mercedes. They sure have no problem making a long list when the customer is paying the bill! But not when MB-USA is obligated!

It is my opinion that MB-USA has a duty to repair and/or at least disclose ANY defects that the tech finds. But my experiance is that they will hide almost everything they can.

Even the VMI (vehicle master inquiry) is now protected as for internal use only! Ask MB for a copy of the history on your own car and see what they tell you...