MuffinFlavored

MuffinFlavored

MuffinFlavored

Well... this progressed like ****.

Status R - AOM Review means an in-field "area of operations manager" Mercedes employee needs to schedule an appointment to come visit the service department for your dealer and investigate your car. Until this is done, *NO* warranty work can be done on your vehicle.

Why?

Because some dealer flagged your car for review, aka they want to get your warranty voided.

I'm 99% sure the AOM is going to check for things like "how many times has this ECU been reflashed", and void the warranty from there.

What are my options? If my car is tuned, but my totally unrelated ABS/active brake assist/lane departure system module is having issues, can they deny my claim outright?

MuffinFlavored

Update 2: this is basically what happens when you admit to tuning your car and **** off your service advisor.

If your car is in status R, you have two options:

1. Every time you want to do a warranty claim, Mercedes corporate needs to approve of the work.

2. You get an AOM to come out, investigate the car, and hopefully clear the flag. My concern is... they can clear status R, but put it in status _____ (I forgot what the letter/name is) that means... you have your warranty voided for tuning lol

bobblehead

that's not good.

jkob5

Sorry to hear. This is the first time I've actually seen this happen, it's also known a "title 13" around the web. So the short answer is you need to read about the Magnussen-Moss Warranty act. At this point, you are correct, mercedes can deny any warranty claim involving your drivetrain or anything affected by increased power. This could potentially include engine / tranny / axles / exhaust etc. Why did you tell your dealer and "**** them off" that your car was tuned?

MuffinFlavored

I have also seen it called "status 8" from some other Googling.

I drove to a dealer who was recommended by a local tuner as "tune friendly". I was told the advisor "asks no questions and is great to work with"

I get there, and they tell me I hit a pebble on the way there and need a $3k non-warranty-covered front air heat exchanger/intercooler/radiator (not sure which one it is) replacement due to a new leak.

Before I drove there, I Googled the dealership. 21 1 star Yelp reviews. This made me feel like I could not trust the dealership.

I followed the service advisor to the back bay where my car was. I was shaking hands with the tech and chit chatting as he showed me the issue. Then they told me it is not covered under warranty and I have to pay and leave the car there (an hour away) for multiple days. I said "nothing for nothing but... is this how you guys drum up business?"

Was it a dumb move on my end? Yeah... pretty dumb/rude. Heat of the moment mistake. But, I don't know. What are the chances that my car was fine for 3 months and the second I go to get an oil change at a "shady" dealership I need a big repair. Somebody could have stuck a pin in my heat exchanger kind of thing.

Then they go get the manager, he gets in my face, tells me to leave the bay and I'm not allowed in the bay (I was escorted there by the service advisor) and at this point I'm like... **** this ****. I'll find another dealer. Then the service advisor runs to my car like a petty **** and flags it status R.

Wait 6 hours to get it towed. Go to another dealer where they are down to do whatever crooked **** they can. Voiding insurance deductibles, all kinds of ****.

jkob5

You didn't mention how they found out your car was tuned?

Regardless, that sucks. Sounds like you didn't handle a 3k surprise bill very well but then again it is what it is. Things happen. You're in Dallas correct? Bummer man, the good news is they can't void the warranty on any non-drivetrain related issues. Bad news is the drivetrain affects a lot and the most expensive stuff. Good thing these engines have proven pretty reliable!

MuffinFlavored

I was introduced to the service advisor from a local tuning shop, so the tune was implied when the relationship was formed.

Thanks for listening to me ***** and moan. I think I'll be fine. Mercedes Corporate all called me (which is impressive in my opinion) and we might work it out.

E634Me

If you were hit by a pebble, or visa versa, which punctured the radiator, that should be covered by your car insurance. By definition, the pebble was moving when it struck your car or you struck it. Somehow, the pebble was in motion because a stationary pebble on the ground can't puncture a radiator. This is important because if you run over stationary debris on the road and your car is damaged it gets covered under collision, but if you hit moving debris it gets covered under comprehensive.

There's a different deductible, usually, and no at fault raise your rates action as a result of a comprehensive claim.

There's no way the dealer could get your insurance to void coverage for a pebble impact under whatever BS they're trying to pull.

Exotic-metal55

That is big brother mode !

MuffinFlavored

I got it covered under comprehensive coverage on my car insurance.

MuffinFlavored

Do tell. It sounds like you know about this.

Wolfman

That sucks. Based on the outcome you car maybe permanently marked for upcoming warranty issues. More hassle to be sure...
Unrelated issues can't void warranty so your lane departure/active brake assist issue will be covered.

You might want to add to list of the Yelp/other reviews...Very uncool.

MuffinFlavored

It's my own fault. I have nobody to blame but myself for losing my temper and being rude. Nobody has sympathy for the young punk kid in the E63S AMG, especially when he is casting doubt at your character as you try to stick him with a $3k repair bill out of thin air.

Did I hit a pebble on the way there? Probably. Should I have accused a manager, a service advisor, and a master tech of scheming against me for a measly repair? Probably not. Dumb *** move on my part.

Did the service advisor make sure to stick it to me, and make sure I am potentially out thousands of dollars trying to enjoy the automobile I drive to the fullest? 100%. I hope karma catches up to them in the fullest. I'm only worried it's going to catch up to me first!

For anybody else looking to tune their car and talk warranties: DON'T TELL ANYBODY lol

pentium7

Respect to all that tune up their cars. This story reinforced that with a 2k+ lease payment I'm never bothering to touch it. 5053 miles and it's in for CEL to update with March I guess it was lucky CEL decided to wait until there was a good update. If I had tuned it who knows what kind of nonsense I'd deal with and it's too expensive of a toy to have issues.

MuffinFlavored

absolutely. i shaved 0.2s off of my 60-130mph time and now i’m in a 5 way cluster**** phone call situation with

the dealer/the service advisor/the tech/the manager

corporate

somebody else at corporate

regional

all kinds of ****

i personally am still glad i did it because it really brings the car alive and i might mod more but

a $20k repair bill (if one comes up) would sure kill that tuner spirit, lol

Mandarin

Any problem will kill tuner spirit, and this is always the game.

I've been waiting till more than 10k miles on it before I touched it to make sure everything works well. Now time to visit friendly dialer )))

MuffinFlavored

Just to play devil's advocate, it was a tune friendly dealer who flagged my car. They are tune friendly until given a reason not to be. :O

Mandarin

Well, you said you were not nice to them, probably this is why...

I also don't understand why people are trying to cover under warranty radiators that got a hole and have a leak since this is not a production problem and manufacturer should not cover it... It's like if you will get a rock cheap and will try to replace your windshield with warranty.

Anyway, you can buy OEM DPs, install them and go back for inspection they should not be able to find evidence of something I think. Sorry about this and you have this situation now, hope I'll be good )

MuffinFlavored

> I also don't understand why people are trying to cover under warranty radiators that got a hole and have a leak since this is not a production problem and manufacturer should not cover it... It's like if you will get a rock cheap and will try to replace your windshield with warranty.

Because it is a design flaw of the car to have a gaping open vulnerable surface that can allow for a *PEBBLE* to puncture your heat exchanger and put you out $3k

What is to stop a pebble from hitting your heat exchanger every day of the week? Monday, pebble. Tuesday, pebble.

Maybe if it happened to you, you'd feel differently.

Mandarin

I have protectors from the 1st day I got that and no single bents on radiators. Yeah, I lose some look and aggression of car, but safety is first. Daily driven my car, almost year, no single problem.

MuffinFlavored

So you agree it is a design flaw from the factory, because why should you need to go buy special protector?

Did you buy special protector for every car you've ever owned?

That is why people want it under warranty. Something along the lines of "this shouldn't be happening so frequently/easily".

But I get your point. Damage from road is damage from road, not fault of manufacturer. Except their fault for designing big open gapping hole. :P

Mandarin

I agree those holes are huge but I disagree this is should not be replaced under warranty, in this case, we have to ask to replace body panels that got rock chips, windshield and etc, because this is "a design flaw from the factory" but in reality, this is road hazards and nothing else.

If some tree gonna falls down on the car you won't go to a dealer and ask them to replace your car by warranty because the did not engineer protection of falling trees, same about pebble that breaks your radiators.

You have insurance for that. This is why people are doing paint protection films, radiators protections and etc, because some people know the price of their time and don't want to deal with this stuff and then making a million thread around the internet about how's their dealer sucking and don't want to cover your indifference to many things.

I did break my fender's carbon trim a while ago and I did not go to the dealer to replace it by warranty because I broke it by my hands. Same about windshield and etc.

It will have more sense if you will go to the city hall and ask them to cover your expenses because they did not make cleaning on the road, but it's going to take months better go to the dealer and then complain they don't want pay for this ))

Be realistic.

MuffinFlavored

l o l

How could I forget that you are so much richer and smarter than me and your time is so much more valuable? How dare I make a million threads around the Internet on how my dealer flagged my car to void my warranty?