Approved used mercedes - lots of minor issues

[Zippee]

I bought my car, a 67 plate AMG GTC via Mercedes approved used in Nov last year. It had just 6500 miles on it and was otherwise in mint condition.
However, since then it’s been at the dealer for pretty much half my ownership, only with minor issues rather than anything stopping me driving it but incredibly annoying all the same;
Dec;
- went in for new keyless entry system as the old one had failed (was picked up on my pre-purchase inspection but went in later due to parts availability)
- Water ingress into passenger side footwell
- Very annoying resonating rattle from passenger side
For this one the car was with them 5 weeks.

Feb;
- Leak still there, turned out to be a new door seal required that took 5 weeks to arrive from Germany
- Passenger side rattle still there, albeit louder and now more akin to Chinese water torture
- Horn failed – should be dual tone and was now working only with the high pitch siren.
Car was with them 6 weeks trying to find leak and waiting on parts

May;
- Rattle still there – despite being ‘fixed’ each time
- Front right parking sensor intermittently coming on and staying on – with a bonnet the length of an oil tanker these are pretty important
- Cup holder sliding lid mechanism stopped working
Car there 2 weeks whilst they tried to source the rattle.

Picked up yesterday with them having replaced one parking sensor and fixing rattle as a loose undertray and adjusting the lid mechanism (4 hour job to remove and refit). Got the car home, parking sensor issue happened yet again and the resonating rattle is still there plus the lid slider stopped working again – aarrrgghhhh!!!

I can’t fault the dealership who have been very good but at what point can I say enough is enough and reject a car? Can I even reject for minor bits and pieces (leak aside) such as above? I know a lot of these may sounds trivial but they are spoiling the overall enjoyment of the car. Mercedes have had the car pretty much half my ownership and it’s not something I should really expect from what was 4 years ago a nigh on 150k car.

I owned an AMG GTS coupe for 2 years prior to swapping to the GTC and it was perfect so I am feeling pretty deflated. I just want to know what my realistic options are here.

[Muzzer79]

Have you spoken to the dealer about rejecting it?

A lot of the time with main dealers, they're reasonably amenable to this if the deal is sensible.

By sensible, you should not expect to get what you paid for it and should expect a deduction for mileage and the fact you've had it 6 months.

I would start there, then look at legal options only if they are obstructive.

[Zippee]

Thanks.
Trouble is, over those 6 months they've had it back for pretty much half of it and I've done 800 miles, plus the values have gone up slightly.
I know I need to speak with them, I just want to be sure of what my realistic options are before I do.
In isolation, none of those issues I've had are deal breakers (aside from the leak) but it's the constant stream of annoying faults over such a short period of time that are just getting to me.

[Muzzer79]

Zippee said:

Thanks.
Trouble is, over those 6 months they've had it back for pretty much half of it and I've done 800 miles, plus the values have gone up slightly.
I know I need to speak with them, I just want to be sure of what my realistic options are before I do.

Great - values have gone up and it's only done 800 miles more than when you got it. This means the deal to take it back should be positive.

But do one thing at a time - have the conversation first. They may just say

"OK, we have a lot of buyers lined up for this sort of car, we'll take it back"

If they are obstructive, you can then look at legal options. IMO, rejecting a car after 6 months for the reasons you've listed is not impossible, but neither would it be straightforward if the dealer isn't playing ball.

But, being a Mercedes main dealer, they probably will play ball if you're reasonable - they don't need the grief of unhappy customers.

[Canon_Fodder]

Muzzer79 said:

. IMO, rejecting a car after 6 months for the reasons you've listed is not impossible, but neither would it be straightforward if the dealer isn't playing ball.

I agree with this. there have been repeated faults within the first 6 months of ownership and repeated failures by the dealer to resolve them. That said, they're fairly minor faults on a 5 yo car.

If you do go for rejection OP, expect a small dedication for the use you've had of it - albeit that the use has been impacted by its long stays Chez Merc

[Novexx]

Zippee said:

I can’t fault the dealership

I wouldn't agree with that - it's a premium brand, not exactly cheap & approved used.

Minor tales of woe about fault finding time & parts delays are sadly to be expected, but retaining the vehicle for that long over multiple occasions is just farce. They should be ashamed of themselves & pulling out every possible pin to get things sorted. An experienced technician & a service manager who gives a s*** would be a good start.

[LightningBlue]

Zippee said:

I can’t fault the dealership who have been very good

They're obviously not very good It's probably been sat in the car park for most of that time while they do the jobs that make money and the work they are doing to your car is rushed and shoddy

[lornemalvo]

Novexx said:

Zippee said:

I can’t fault the dealership

I wouldn't agree with that - it's a premium brand, not exactly cheap & approved used.

Minor tales of woe about fault finding time & parts delays are sadly to be expected, but retaining the vehicle for that long over multiple occasions is just farce. They should be ashamed of themselves & pulling out every possible pin to get things sorted. An experienced technician & a service manager who gives a s*** would be a good start.

Quite right. Too many people, in every conceivable area of our live, are quite content to provide shoddy service. Any excuse is given from computer problems to Covid to Ukraine. It might be an indication of a moral decline (that goes right to the top in this country). They don't seem interested in making things happen and could not give a toss about the customers who provide their living.