I'll try to keep it short ladies and gentlemen. 11 months after a non-fault accident, my Mercedes-approved body shop has failed to get the car in good order.
Tomorrow, they are coming yet again to take the car away. We've gone down from about 16 faults to 3 now (there was a small increase in faults on trip #4);
o bootlid interior is loose
o new driver's door has been touched up not resprayed (it came back with defective paintwork at top of door)
o worst of all: I can hear outside traffic noise perfectly clearly from the driver's seat
My insurance company paid them months ago as "common sense would tell [me] that after four months, if we don't pay the bill, we'd be sued..". Thanks. (Can I name them?)
The local Mercedes Benz garage and Mercedes Benz customer care have been less useful than a chocolate pot, often not knowing where my car is or insisting eveything is fixed when it's not.
Any ideas on ending the nightmare? Consumer Credit Agency said pay an independant engineer to examine the car then get the money out of the Body Shop. Err .. No thanks.
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Err .. No thanks
Err .. Yes. You are going to need that Engineers report otherwise you are going nowhere.
Did you sign a form at some stage saying the work was ok?
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Threaten Merc Dealer with bad publicity.
Big sign on car and park outside showroom.
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You poor sod. I sympathise with you. Try speaking with Trading Standards, Citizens Advice Bureaux, BBC Watchdog, RMIF (if the dealer is a member of that trade body). Just get as many folks as involved, since they don't seem to be listening to you alone. Good luck!
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Dont bother making idle threats,that is really a waste of time.I have seen so many awful body repairs by so called 'approved' repairers that i think the bodyshop trade really does give the motor trade a really bad name.
What you must do is get an independant assesor to inspect the car,or have it inspected by the AA if they still offer the service.
You must then show the report to the repairers and your insurance co and ask that all defects are put right and that you are kept mobile.
Before you collect the vehicle you must then have it re inspected to make sure that the defects have been rectified.Eventually it should be right.
I would also gets MBs bodyshop quality inspectors involved because they do not want their approved repaireers working to a very low standard.
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If I get an independent engineer's report done, don't I end up out of pocket?
The other thing that made me laugh this morning (the alternative being to cry) is that the brand new courtesy car (a small cheap well-known model) wound its own window down on the passenger side and they couldn't get it back up again so they didn't take my car. That'll happen "later today".
I could park my car outside MB with a sign but it's miles from my work, plus it got damaged last time it was there and that was one more job for return #5.
No, I haven't signed anything as they've never provided me with paperwork.
The insurance company (a well-known supermarket brand) refused to help. I've asked their managers to call me several times to discuss but no one has.
MB Customer Care is full of weird people who haven't a clue about anything.
Grrr ..
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Pay for the inspection,you can claim that back from the repairer and if you use the AA they will make sue that it is done the correct standard.
If the car is your own,you will certainly be hit a trade in time if the repair is substandard,certainly more than the cost of the inspection.
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Correct me if I am wrong though the contract for repair is between the ins co and the bodyshop, therefore it may help to jump up and down on the ins co and get them to ensure that the bodyshop meets it's obligations. The ins co might even arrange an inspection for you, the downside to this though is that if their inspector is of the view that the vehicle is ok then you don't have much of a leg to stand on, at least you can ignore an independant report if you wish.
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I agree with the AA inspection ? even if you don?t get the cost back from your insurer it will highlight all outstanding issues some of which you may not be aware of.
I have had two similar experiences ? with the first, a Vx Carlton, after the 4th or 5th return trip to the dealer I got an AA report, which listed dozens of issues some of which must have been there since the car was manufactured ? as it was less than 1 year old the dealer eventually agreed to provided a new vehicle.
With the second a tree fell on my passat during a gale. To my surprise the body shop and the insurance assessor said it could be repaired. Before I picked it up some 8 weeks later I sent the AA round, their inspector said the repair was unsafe and it should have been written off in the first place. Reluctantly the insurance co paid at fair price ? also negotiated by the AA.
On both occasions the AA have saved me from ending up with a lemon.
Cheer
MPZ
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Most times the AA inspector is very good,experienced and knowlegeable,and as far as getting involved in any discussions/arguments what he says will carry a lot of weight.Its a silly dealer/repairer that tries to argue against the AA.
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The AA don't have any inspectors any more. I think if you contact the AA now, your enqiry is forwarded to DEKRA. This is a German outfit. I think the DEKRA guys work on a sort of 'self employed' basis - not sure of the details though.
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With respect to rojer, if you can afford to run an S-class, then the AA or similar inspection is chicken feed and well worth the money. There are also, independent automotive engineers who also do this work (there is a firm in Manchester I have used) and if the matter gets serious, you can ask for their costs be be included. If the matter goes any where court, they will definately be included.
Ask yourself the question. If the inspection costs £200 and the value of the car is reduced by £2,000 if the repairs are not done right, would you pay for the inspection or not.
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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I did wait for 19 years to buy the S-Class. Things is, it's now down to a trivial 4 points: I'm assuming an inspection will be in the region of £100 or so. It's only worth £4000-£5000 anyway. I don't think a purchaser would even notice.
PS They didn't call yesterday
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