HELP - advice please?!??! - clutch gone on a HP contract mercedes A200 in 6 mnths

thescouselander

Why don't you take the car to a clutch and gearbox specialist who'll probably get the problem sorted for half the price? Then, once you know that the problem is you could chase the dealer for some money if you can prove the fault wasn't caused by you.

Car_54

thescouselander wrote: »

Why don't you take the car to a clutch and gearbox specialist who'll probably get the problem sorted for half the price? Then, once you know that the problem is you could chase the dealer for some money if you can prove the fault wasn't caused by you.

The issue isn't whether it was caused by the OP, but whether it was caused by driving style. There was at least one driver before the OP, and possibly dozens if it was a rental car.

thescouselander

Car_54 wrote: »

The issue isn't whether it was caused by the OP, but whether it was caused by driving style. There was at least one driver before the OP, and possibly dozens if it was a rental car.

Yes but it's going to be almost impossible to pin the blame on a previous driver - what evidence could there be to back this up?

I suppose the OP could also try to pursue this through the finance company but i suspect they might take a similar position to the garage.

Car_54

thescouselander wrote: »

Yes but it's going to be almost impossible to pin the blame on a previous driver - what evidence could there be to back this up?

I suppose the OP could also try to pursue this through the finance company but i suspect they might take a similar position to the garage.

It isn't really about blame: it's whether a fault was present when the car was sold.

The previous driver(s) may have caused premature wear, but wear is not a fault. And there appears to have been at least 10,000 miles left on the clutch.

Strider590

Something you have to be careful of is dealerships charging you for a fault and then charging the manufacturer for the fault under warranty, basically making double money.

Dealerships (especially with "prestige" brands) are usually run by sociopathic sales types and employ sociopaths in key roles, these people are all about money and you just cannot trust them.

Furthermore they use "health and safety" as an excuse to keep customers out of the workshop area, so you can't see what they're really doing.

I think a 2nd opinion is needed on this car.

Also, the clutch kit for these is somewhere between £50 and £100, where the hell did they get £2000 from? It makes no sense, they know full well that most people buy them on finance type deals and most can't actually afford them, never mind the crazy repair bills.

Lastly, a friend of mine had a C320 coupe some years ago, he got rid because it needed a few minor repairs and Mercedes wanted £3000 to fix it.
It's crazy really, because across Europe Mercedes are more well known for being taxis and i'm pretty sure they don't cost the earth to repair over there.