Oh joy! Thanks Mobilo

[lowdrag]

Having had my Merc W202 since new, I noticed the hatch was bubbling badly with rust at the bottom edge. Then a friend told me about the 30 year guarantee. Should have known I guess but lovely news just the same.

[r129sl]

Don't count your chickens just yet...

[yellowbentines]

Covered by a warranty you say, should be plain sailing getting it fixed by an MB dealer then



seriously, good luck.

[Dewi 2]

lowdrag said:

Having had my Merc W202 since new, I noticed the hatch was bubbling badly with rust at the bottom edge. Then a friend told me about the 30 year guarantee. Should have known I guess but lovely news just the same.

How did you get on with your problem?

Their normal line is, "Ah the 30 year corrosion warranty does not apply. The type of corrosion you have Sir, is not covered by the warranty. I am sure that you must understand, that when all of our cars began rusting around the wheelarches, it became far too expensive to have every car repaired, so that is why we decline claims."

[frontfloater]

M-B's press release by Dieter Zetsche in 1998, saying they would now give a 30-year anti-rust warranty, appears to have been spurious - nothing but a marketing ploy. Here is the official reply that I received recently from their UK head office when I sent them an enquiry about rust on my front wing brackets, in which I specifically quoted the 1998 announcement :


"We are extremely sorry your experience of Mercedes-Benz has caused you to contact us. At this moment in time Mercedes-Benz are unable to comment or open an investigation to address your concerns. Your car would first need to be diagnosed within our Mercedes-Benz network in order to assist and comment further.

Due to the age of your car, diagnostic fees may be applicable. This is a standard fee that will always apply when determining the issue(s) your car is facing. The cost of the fee covers the time and labour to conduct the investigation and cannot be waived by Customer Services.

Pending the outcome of the diagnostic, our Authorised Repairer can look to submit a goodwill application to Mercedes-Benz Warranty to determine whether a contribution of costs will be applicable, but only after the issue has been determined. Please note once your car is outside of its Manufacturer’s Warranty of three years, Mercedes-Benz as a Manufacturer do not have any financial obligation to contribute towards repairs once this period has ended. Goodwill is assessed on a case by case basis but is not guaranteed.

As Customer Services are not trained in warranty application, we trust our Authorised Repairers to advise you further and use the dedicated goodwill channels accordingly. It is important to note, at Customer Services we have no influence over the decision made by our Mercedes-Benz Warranty team.

In order to help you locate and contact your nearest or most convenient Mercedes-Benz Authorised Repairer, we have attached a link below to our Retailer Locator webpage:
https://www.mercedes-benz.co.uk/passengercars/merc...

Whilst we hope this has provided further clarity on our process, our office would also like to assure you that your comments have been logged as part of a formal complaint. The feedback of which will be used by our department to aid us in improving the services we provide.

If you are unhappy with this final decision or feel this matter is unresolved, you can seek advice with a CTSI Certified Alternative Dispute Resolution provider, including The Motor Ombudsman who may be able to resolve your complaint in appropriate circumstances. Details can be found at www.themotorombudsman.org, or alternatively their telephone number is 0345 241 3008 selecting option 1."

[PositronicRay]

frontfloater said:

M-B's press release by Dieter Zetsche in 1998, saying they would now give a 30-year anti-rust warranty, appears to have been spurious - nothing but a marketing ploy. Here is the official reply that I received recently from their UK head office when I sent them an enquiry about rust on my front wing brackets, in which I specifically quoted the 1998 announcement :


"We are extremely sorry your experience of Mercedes-Benz has caused you to contact us. At this moment in time Mercedes-Benz are unable to comment or open an investigation to address your concerns. Your car would first need to be diagnosed within our Mercedes-Benz network in order to assist and comment further.

Due to the age of your car, diagnostic fees may be applicable. This is a standard fee that will always apply when determining the issue(s) your car is facing. The cost of the fee covers the time and labour to conduct the investigation and cannot be waived by Customer Services.

Pending the outcome of the diagnostic, our Authorised Repairer can look to submit a goodwill application to Mercedes-Benz Warranty to determine whether a contribution of costs will be applicable, but only after the issue has been determined. Please note once your car is outside of its Manufacturer’s Warranty of three years, Mercedes-Benz as a Manufacturer do not have any financial obligation to contribute towards repairs once this period has ended. Goodwill is assessed on a case by case basis but is not guaranteed.

As Customer Services are not trained in warranty application, we trust our Authorised Repairers to advise you further and use the dedicated goodwill channels accordingly. It is important to note, at Customer Services we have no influence over the decision made by our Mercedes-Benz Warranty team.

In order to help you locate and contact your nearest or most convenient Mercedes-Benz Authorised Repairer, we have attached a link below to our Retailer Locator webpage:
https://www.mercedes-benz.co.uk/passengercars/merc...

Whilst we hope this has provided further clarity on our process, our office would also like to assure you that your comments have been logged as part of a formal complaint. The feedback of which will be used by our department to aid us in improving the services we provide.

If you are unhappy with this final decision or feel this matter is unresolved, you can seek advice with a CTSI Certified Alternative Dispute Resolution provider, including The Motor Ombudsman who may be able to resolve your complaint in appropriate circumstances. Details can be found at www.themotorombudsman.org, or alternatively their telephone number is 0345 241 3008 selecting option 1."

Sounds stressful, did you take it to a dealer?

[frontfloater]

I replied, asking them how much the "standard diagnostic fee" is. I sent that message on 29 September, still waiting for a reply. And they had already taken nearly 2 months to reply to my original enquiry.

Lousy customer service, and certainly not what I expected when buying my first Mercedes.

I decided weeks ago that it will probably be better to use my local independent specialist.

[Dewi 2]

The Mobilo scheme is worth very little.
It is stated in writing to owners, that Corrosion Warranty and Roadside Assistance are provided for 30 years subject to main dealer servicing.

I once used the Roadside Assistance OK, but many years later, with all servicing correct (earlier cars were not subject to every 12 months, but dashboard indicator, so for low mileage it could be up to 24 months), the fools at the call centre insisted that my car was too old. Not even near 30 years yet.

The Corrosion Warranty does not apply to ordinary corrosion, it is only a very rare, specific type of rust, as described by Mercedes-Benz when you try to claim. Rusty bodywork is certainly not caused by corrosion, apparently.

Don't be taken in by thinking you can make a customer complaint. You just receive standard pre-prepared replies from automatons, who only have first names.

I cannot fault M-B cars, but the recent customer support has been infantile. I was planning to purchase a new 2024 model E Class, but my recent experience is that they no longer deserve my order.

[Teddy Lop]

Dewi 2 said:

The Mobilo scheme is worth very little.
It is stated in writing to owners, that Corrosion Warranty and Roadside Assistance are provided for 30 years subject to main dealer servicing.

I once used the Roadside Assistance OK, but many years later, with all servicing correct (earlier cars were not subject to every 12 months, but dashboard indicator, so for low mileage it could be up to 24 months), the fools at the call centre insisted that my car was too old. Not even near 30 years yet.

The Corrosion Warranty does not apply to ordinary corrosion, it is only a very rare, specific type of rust, as described by Mercedes-Benz when you try to claim. Rusty bodywork is certainly not caused by corrosion, apparently.

Don't be taken in by thinking you can make a customer complaint. You just receive standard pre-prepared replies from automatons, who only have first names.

I cannot fault M-B cars, but the recent customer support has been infantile. I was planning to purchase a new 2024 model E Class, but my recent experience is that they no longer deserve my order.

Recent? 15 years since I was last in an MB agent, they were a tribe of time wasting clowns then too.

The paint warranty was something like you have to have them inspect it annually so largely worthless to many.

[gtidriver]

I had a good result with MB Mobilo. I had a 2006(06) A Class after a heated discussion with my local dealer that my rust spots on the tailgate was stone chips I eventually got things moving. In the 3 years I had the car it had, all four doors replaced, the new tailgate, both front wings replaced, twice, the rear wheel arches on both sides, twice.. The only panel not painted was the roof. Mercedes head office called to say no more warranty claims on the car. I was politely asked not to keep sending A Class owners back to the dealer ship with rusty mercs, if I saw an A Class owner in a carpark id go chat. A lady who I knew had rust on her A Class and was denied a claim as the paint wast the correct depth when measured, she had bought the car from the dealer so had an uphill fight but got there in the end.

[swisstoni]

Merc really nearly st the bed there for a while.
I remember a generation of E Class was a joke in terms of rust.

Presumably they realised that a fleet of rusted hulks about the place with the 3-pointed star on wasn’t exactly a good look.