Mercedes A Class Water Ingress - Mercedes Complaint Reply

Shaunwaltz

Hi all.
So last winter I took my car to Merc with the water ingress problem. The service manager proceeded to tell me everything that was wrong with the ingress and the vents need changing etc. He offered me a diagnostic check at a ridiculous price which I declined as he had already told me what was wrong. He told me to get febreeze and dab it down! Also mention a Mercedes bulletin but wouldn’t tell me if the water ingress was on it from 14 plate Aclass. So I left it over the summer as there was no leak, now it’s raining again the ingress is terrible and the smell even worse. I spoke with Dale at Merc UK who said he wasn’t aware of any such problems with ingress in A Class and didn’t know what a Merc bulletin is. I told him his service manager told me the exact problem so why do I have to pay for a diagnostic check?!? I raised a complaint and this was the reply .....


Thank you for contacting Mercedes-Benz Customer Service.
Please allow me to offer my sincere apologies for any inconvenience you’ve experienced as a result of the water ingress you’ve reported. Following our initial conversation dated 4th October 2019, I’ve contacted Mercedes-Benz of Blackpool for further information on the situation.
As mentioned during our last discussion, unfortunately we’re unable to confirm the fault and submit a claim for a gesture of goodwill review until the vehicle has been inspected. We review issues on a case by case basis and will therefore not take into account the information posted by other drivers on the Internet with similar experiences.
As the manufacturer’s warranty for the vehicle has now expired, any diagnostics or inspections would be chargeable, though Mercedes-Benz of Blackpool are happy to offer a 10% discount. The technicians have advised me that they will need to strip the rear bumper to gain access to the vents and perform a water test to confirm the cause of the issue.
Should you have any further requirements please do not hesitate to contact me or any of my colleagues.

If you are unhappy with this final decision or feel this matter is unresolved, you can seek advice with an CTSI Certified Alternative Dispute Resolution provider. We are prepared to engage with The Motor Ombudsman to resolve your dispute. Further details can be found at or alternatively their telephone number is 0selecting option 1.

Yours sincerely

Dale Monaghan
Customer Service UK


Where to go now? Any help much appreciated!!

AdrianC

Shaunwaltz wrote: »

MercUK wrote:

As mentioned during our last discussion, unfortunately we’re unable to confirm the fault and submit a claim for a gesture of goodwill review until the vehicle has been inspected. We review issues on a case by case basis and will therefore not take into account the information posted by other drivers on the Internet with similar experiences.

That's hardly unreasonable, is it?

It's a 5yo car. Has it been leaking like this from new?

Shaunwaltz

As this is a common fault and thousands of others suffer with it, is this not unreasonable?

I haven’t had the car since new

Shaunwaltz

Furthermore it’s very unreasonable when the service manager told me exactly the problem but then wanted to charge near £300 do a diagnostic check that he’d already explained the problem

debtdebt

If he's already told you what the problem was, why don't you just go to Merc and tell them to fix it and pay for the repair only then.

AdrianC

Shaunwaltz wrote: »

As this is a common fault and thousands of others suffer with it, is this not unreasonable?

"Thousands of others" - out of how many?
Is yours German- or FInnish-built? Do the problems apply to both?

I haven’t had the car since new

So you have no way of knowing whether the cause is poorly repaired previous collision damage, say, under the bumper?

Furthermore it’s very unreasonable when the service manager told me exactly the problem but then wanted to charge near £300 do a diagnostic check that he’d already explained the problem

"Near £300" at a Merc dealer is two hours labour. To remove the rear bumper and investigate what's behind there. If Merc accept liability, they'll cover that, right?

Shaunwaltz

No no liability.

Please googl Mercedes a class water ingress before you post again as you clearly know nothing about it

bengalknights

If you haven't had the car since new and the previous owners didn't report it back then the chances of goodwill are slim as it would be a matter of proving that the fault existed at time of manufacture.

debtdebt

Shaunwaltz wrote: »

No no liability.

Please googl Mercedes a class water ingress before you post again as you clearly know nothing about it

If you know better, why are you asking advice on here then?

LandyAndy

If this is a common fault then an independent Mercedes specialist ought to be able to solve it for a lot less.

AdrianC

Shaunwaltz wrote: »

No no liability.

Please googl Mercedes a class water ingress before you post again as you clearly know nothing about it

Well, I've googled. And there really isn't that much about water ingress to the boot floor/spare wheel well on W176s - which I assume is where yours is collecting water, since Merc talk about removing the rear bumper. Rear lights appear to be suspect, which again could point to previous collision damage as a possible cause.

Most inherent seal problems on them appear to be water collecting in the rear footwells, which won't be coming from there.

To save us all some time, is this one of those "Don't ask awkward questions, just agree with me" questions?

Are you absolutely certain that, in the event MercUK do accept liability and sort the problem as out-of-warranty goodwill, they won't cover that diagnostic cost...? That would be very unusual.