Not uncommon to have warranty dispute but pretty pissed off about this one….
Changed the car last year and thought with all the price fluctuations and ulez chaos it would be best to play safe and go used to minimise depreciation and to give time for the dust to settle before committing to one of the next generation EV’s in a couple of years.
To that end found the right model and spec at Mercedes-Benz Worcester. Was happy to pay top dollar on the basis main dealers only sell cars with impeccable history and provide a robust 12 month warranty.
Fast forward to now and the roof doesn’t close properly. The cables that pull the roof lining taught into the recess have frayed and snapped and so the deck lid doesn’t close fully flat.
Worcester say as it’s a MB warranty, I can take it to my local dealer. Epsom MB say the cables unfortunately aren’t covered under warranty (motors, electronics etc etc are), and quoted a repair cost of £960! There is an appeal process but MB swiftly replied saying basically, not covered, too bad amigo.
Have called Worcester back because as the selling dealer they might feel some sense of responsibility and want to help (yeah, I’m not holding out much hope either) and am waiting to hear back from them.
Meanwhile, researching online and talking to service techs it appears this is a VERY common problem. So much so the replacement cables are a modified design and Mercedes have apparently changed warranty conditions to exclude some roof parts on certain models.
Haven’t quite given up yet but it does look like MB are saying no and the dealers are saying ‘nothing to do with us’.
Needless to say mightily pissed off.
A follow up to this with a couple of advice questions at the end:
Firstly, the selling dealer (Worcester) have washed their hands with it and don’t want to know.
The Epsom main dealer have subsequently gone back to MB for a second appeal. They seem genuinely sympathic and want to fight my corner (the prospect of ongoing servicing and repairs etc could be influencing that of course).
MB eventually come back with a goodwill gesture stating they will pay 36%, customer to pay 64%, meaning a bill of £625.15 which I’ve agreed to.
Anyway, I’ve dug around a bit and learned that whilst it is recognised this part wears and fails regularly, and that the replacement part is an upgraded component, MERCEDES BENZ MAIN DEALERS DO NOT INSPECT THE CORDS THEMSELVES, only that the roof mechanism is fully functioning.
Therefore, MB dealers currently have vehicles for sale with these cords that are potentially worn/frayed/about to fail, which they are not inspecting and the customer will have no warranty for whatsoever. You’ve no more protection from MB than going privately or to a back street dealer. To my mind that’s a disgrace.
So essentially, I’ll take the hit but want to try and raise awareness. I think ultimately the goal would be to have MB inspect the part and report on the condition as per all of the components, and replace if necessary.
I don’t really do SM apart from here, but would happily do a YouTube vid or use Twitter? Could potentially just join a couple of MB forums and spread the word too. There’s plenty out there discussing the cords, how they fail and scary costs (they can fail, damage other parts and the bill is 1000’s), but nothing about MB not inspecting them in the first place and the lack of warranty.
So I’m fighting from two angles, naming and shaming MB and trying to force change (not holding much hope but will try), then just raising awareness as much as possible.
Any thoughts as to the best way to go guys?
