Why is my Mercedes-Benz B-Class' faulty air conditioning condenser so expensive to replace?
I have been told by my local Mercedes-Benz garage that the air-conditioning unit in my 2010 B-Class doesn't work because the condenser was damaged by a stone thrown up from the road. The original repair quote was in excess of £1000 but the most recent offer is £800. Why is this not considered a design fault, repaired free of charge and investigated by engineers? And why such an astronomical cost?
Asked on 29 September 2012 by DB, West Wickham

Air conditioning condensers are vulnerable in a lot of cars. Car makers aren’t interested in making them less vulnerable because they make money out of supplying replacements. But a condenser is a mass-produced component which won't differ much from a Ford to a Ferrari. A specialist should be able to do this job for about £400. Try someone here: www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/air-conditioning/
Similar questions

I wrote to you a few weeks ago about a fuse box fire in our 2013 Volkswagen Passat, which we have owned for almost six months now. We got our car back from the dealer on 19 October and everything thing...

I brought a Skoda Yeti from a Skoda main dealer four months ago for £7000. I've been on maternity leave and only drove the car small journeys (only done 1500 miles). I recently went back to work via the...

The heater resistor pack on my Nissan Note failed and was replaced by my local Nissan garage for £172. The part supplied consists of two parts, the resistor and heat sink, and the wires and plug that go...
Related models
.jpg?width=115&height=75&rmode=crop)
Raised driving position, lots of interior room, decent diesel engines, good ride quality on smaller wheels.