(Newbie) TSBs : what happens now?
 

Hi All.

I'm a proud new owner of a 1992 500SEL with 159400 miles. Car runs and handles beautifully.

After a little research in this and other forums, it appears that I have a problem with the Central Locking System and will probably have to replace the Vacuum pump. Of interest was a TSB posted on an ALLDATA website.

Question: Since I'm new to this, is MB responsible for correcting the problems listed for this model or is that my welcome to the club?

Thanks!

LarryM76

Welcome to the club, pal.

Once in a great while you'll see some form of recall on a car this old, but it doesn't happen that often. There are still some older SL's running around for example that are subject to a recall involving a cracked front subframe.
I believe there is a NHTSA website that can inform you of recalls that different cars are subject to. Anyone know it?

Gilly

Just to add to what Gilly said, TSB's are technical service bulletins. They are simply updates and information to the dealer techs on what to look out for on particular models.

TSB's are not recalls, so the factory has no obligation to fix it for you.

Hi All.

Thanks for the speedy replies! It's unfortunate that all a TSB will do is prompt the technician to a known (possibly) inherent problem. Short of a recall, it appears that the manufacturer could conceivably get away with "murder"! I guess this is my "welcome to the real world!"

Tx again.....

LarryM76

Kind of like the ol Nader book, "Unsafe at any Speed", huh?
In the example of your car, if it were a problem with the central locks that would make a door pop open while driving or something truely dangerous, then you'd be talking recall. But something comfort or convenience related? No way. Even if it kept the car from running......

Gilly

I believe that the government requires manufacturers to issue recalls if the problem is safety related.

It boils down to your expectation of the manufacturer. If you expect that they will fix the car forever, even beyond the warranty period, then all TSB's should be recalls.

However, the TSB can be invaluable even if MB does not cover the repair cost. It can save huge amounts of diagnosis time, and that saves us the car owner time and money.

In this case, the car in question is about 12 years old and covered more than 250,000 kilometers. Is it unreasonable to expect the owner to foot the bill for repairs at this point, even if it is a "known" flaw and information is contained in a TSB?

Drive ANY other car. No one covers anything even 1 mile past the warranty period. MB has replaced 3.5L diesel engines years after the warranty period expired on "goodwill." I have talked to many owners of W124 and W202 cars that had wiring harnesses replaced either on MB's tab, of a shared cost, all long after the warranty expired. On my own C230, it was under warranty and required a $150 transmission repair. MB Canada popped for a new unit so that I would have the "updated" 722.6 transmission. Would even Honda do such a thing? Not on your life.