Expert Opinion - Cracked Windsheild
 

:( The dealer in Saint John, N.B. Canada worked on my vehicle to replace the blower motor in my 1989 E260. As it turned out, the mechanic said the blower wasn't the problem, instead he said its the electronic controller which they didn't have in stock. So for $300+ I got my car back with still no heat.(You may think I'm crazy already for paying for this but, the next closest dealer is 500km away in another province). I drove home with this overwhelming smell of penetrating oil.

A week later I was just lucky enough to notice a small glimmer of light reflecting on the passenger side windsheild. I stopped the car, it was a crack which developed from under the bottom trim at the bottom of the windshield. Of course, I went back to the mechanic to tell him what happened and he and the dealer stated its not their fault. I asked them to explain how the crack in the windshield got there as there is no rock chip and they were the only ones with the trim off the car.

The mechanic said it must be a stress problem with the car. I never heard of E260's - 124 Chaissis having stress problems-- anyone know statistics? This car is in immacualate shape, no rust, no previous history of problems with the windshield.

I have an appointment with Mercedes Canada's, field service manager on November 19th to hear my complaint. Would anyone out there care to give their opinion on this for me to bring along?

Good or bad, I'll bring them all.

My 90 300E 2.6 is essentially the same car. When I did the blower motor, there was no real danger of stressing or cracking the windshield. I didn't even use tools to take the trim pieces off, they just pop out.

It's possible that they dropped a tool near the edge. It seems like a very suspicious coincidence, however it would be tough to prove anything in this case. Sorry, that's a bummer.

On another note, I'm surprised that they charged you the labor for the R&R on the blower when it was a misdiagnosis. The blower motor can be checked by applying voltage without any disassembly. Was it their misdiagnosis, or did you specificaly ask them to change it based on your own diagnosis?

Thank-you 300EE320 for replying and I appreciate your response. Your right suspicious and difficult to prove. As far as the blower motor, I told them mine was making a loud squealing noise and then it died. The parts guy said he would order in a new one and then book an appointment for me - so I guess thats my fault. The bill was 126.00 for blower motor and another 112.00 for diagno of problem why new motor doesn't work and then they uninstalled the new motor and reinstalled the old one they say so I wouldn't have to pay the money for the new blower motor when it still wouldn't work. Not sure what all the penatrating oil smell is? Maybe trying to get the old blower to work?

ATF or penetrating oil is used to lube the blower motor bearings in an effort to keep it from squealing. I hope it continues to hold up for you. At about 140,000 miles my blower became intermittent. After I had it apart a few times I finally determined that the brushes were worn and too far gone. I replaced the motor and it's been fine for the last 40,000 and going strong.

Good luck with your repair / dispute.

Thanks again 300EE320 for replying so quickly. I wonder why they were lubricating the old blower motor when they charged me 126.00 labour to install a new blower motor? Now, I wonder if they even ordered a new blower motor in the first place.

do a search for a crack that ashman had on his windshield sometime back...

It is very possible that when the tech was removing or installing the wiper assembly he could have hit the edge of the windshield causing a chip which in turn caused the crack. Having worked in two large dealers for 15 years I saw this happen several times. Great care must be taken while working around the lower edge of the windshield.

As a lifelong tech and occasional insurance adjustor I would insist that the trim be removed with the dealer rep present and the source of the crack investigated. It is really easy to snag the edge of the windshield and it will be very apparent if it has been chipped.

Thank-you to RPM55, greasy Mystic and jsmith for your response.
This has to be the best forum I've ever belonged to!

True , the trim at the bottom of the windshield pulls out easily, but the glass may have been broken when it was re-installed! It's quite a coincidence ( or a real stretch of the imagination ) that the "stress crack" occurred at the same time that area of the vehicle was worked on. In my dealership, if prior defects/damage are noticed in an area that's about to be worked on, a shop foreman is notified immediately and it's noted on the repair order. This eliminates any problems later on. See if the repair order for your last visit has any such reference to the damaged glass. Lastly, it's not uncommon for the blower regulator as well as the motor to be replaced together. I've seen regulators fail with no warning many times on cars like yours shortly after motor replacement. Good luck

Thank-you ILUVMILS for your advise. It is all very helpful because its showing that the consensus is that while it cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Bay Star damaged the windshield, we seem to agree that it is very suspicious to have occurred at or around the same time of the repair.