I have just called my dealer to ask about the progress on the repairs to my 1989 300SE.
He's exact words were 'everything is OK, we have just ordered a regulator for one of the windows. We also punctured a hole in the door skin trying to remove a bolt, but that should be repaired by tomorrow'.
I said OK, i'll pick it up tomorrow. I have just realised what he said he had done.
Surely the paint on the re-spray will not match, and I will be entitled to a full re-spray (or am I just being a bit greedy??).

Thank you for all your help

Oliver

What is the door "skin"? That could be the internal $1 piece of plastic to prevent moisture inside the door panel? I would not get your knickers in a tivy yet. Find out exactly what he did. I doubt he will re-sand, paint , etc, the door in one day.

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'89 420 SEL
'90 300 SEL
'68 Olds 88 Convertible
'84 300 SD (sold it)

The door skin is the actual bodywork on the door.

The hole has gone right through the door apparantly.

I'm not bothered if it is a good repair, i just wouldn't mind a re-spray! :)

Oliver

If they damaged the door you are most certainly entitled to having the door repaired. I think having the entire car re-painted will not happen. You are entitled to try, of course. They will say something to the effect of "it's not our fault that your 11 year old car's bolt was so stuck that it went through the door in the process of removing it."

Give it a try, though! What's the risk? By comparison, and in too short a story, one of my neighbors was injured while working as a carpenter's assistant. After months of unsuccessful rehab, and several lobbying attempts on his part, the State is going to pick up the tab to re-train him as a designer. Unbelievable. Sometimes the magic works....

Good luck!

…tracy

I thought it would be wishful thinking, but hey if you don't ask you don't get!!

Oliver

God help you if they have to remove the engine - they might slip and you'd find the grill on THIS side of the Atlantic. :D

Sorry, I couldn't resist... I have, on occasion, put extra "beef" on a stubborn fastener, and the "oops" that followed was, and is, the stuff of legend amongst my friends.

BCingU, Jim

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'96 E300D 58k mi (wife's daily ride)
'95 Audi 90 118k mi
'92 GMC Suburban 138k mi
'85 300SD 230k mi (my daily ride)

I wouldn't be suprised if they totally destroy the car knowing my luck lately.
I haven't even seen the bill for the repairs yet!!!!
2 electric windows had to be repaired
The a/c was running warm
a headlamp was smashed
the steering was all over the place
and other stuff!!
I can sense this bill may send me bankrupt

Oliver

If you know these guys and have been good to them - take it out of their labor. I think a total re-spray is a bit much to ask but they've made a major mistake here.

I've been known to fight for free labor when repairs have been botched or delayed due to oversight or negligence. Just recently my tech needed my car an additional, very busy day (though they had it for FOUR full days while on business trip), because "they forgot" to order a new, requested thermostat. Worse yet, they didn't have the balls to call me ahead of time to tell me it wouldn't be ready and I went to pick it up.

Well, they expected me to roll over and take it. NOT.

I ended up not paying labor on the repairs. All I had to do was show them how their admitted mistake COST ME, in real dollar terms, and explain to them that they can take or leave my future business but they've got to be accountable to me, the customer, if they want it.

All ended well. I think the techs here will agree with me. Or they'll flame me then lock me out...

Oliver, if you are doing business with a reputable body shop, the repair will require the entire panel or at least the area of the panel which has trim boundaries (mouldings, etc, be painted to color match the rest of the car. Your car has a base coat, clear coat finish so this should not be an unreasonable request. Make sure in the repair contract there is no language such as "not responsible for incidental damage" or the like. Insist they make good on the damage they have done..

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Jeff Lawrence
1989 300e
2000 Dodge Grand Caravan SE

I thought that the "door skin" was the interior panel that covers the door. In other words, the part where the armrest, seat controls, and map pocket are attached to.

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Robert W. Roe
1984 300SD 171K mi

I would have to think that it is the interoir door panel that was damaged. It would take one hell of a tool to go through the door.

Make sure and then let us know.

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Benzmac:
Donnie Drummonds
300E
ASE CERTIFIED MASTER AUTO TECHNICIAN
SERVICE MANAGER FOR 14 BAY FACILITY
MERCEDES SPECIALIST 8 YRS
PARTNER IN MERCEDESSHOP.COM

OliverP,

Maybe tomorrow would be a good time to go and actually see the damage if at all possible, or to call and get some greater details?

If it's just the inner liner, than no lost sleep tomorrow night, if its the door skin then start taking notes, j/k.

BTW, Not to make light of a sensitive subject, but how is the Gas situation over in the UK?

Cheers

------------------
Ross
96 C280, Greenish Black

Petrol is slowly getting better. Very slowly.
At the moment there is basically no petrol anywhere, and if there is they are charging £1 per litre.
Today tankers started their journey to the petrol stations, so hopefully it should be sorted over the weekend.

I'll keep you up to date on the door thing, i should be able to get the car today.

Oliver

WOW!!!!

I have just had the bill for the 'minor service and repairs'

£1,162

AAAAGGGHHHHH!!!!!

I'm going to inspect the invoice when I pick the car up in hour.

OOOpppppss!!

Oliver

This is close to $1900, whatever they fixed I hope it looks or feels better than it ever did.

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yal
88 230E (W124)
euroheadlights,
clearcorners,
smoke/red tailights
98 e420 sport replicas

I have just got the car back, and it is terrible!!

The interior is filthy, it has been covered with oily hands, they have put some minor scratches on the wood surrounding the gear lever. The paintwork has also been smudged with oil, and the indicator lense has not been put back right.

I'm going to see them first thing tomorrow, i'm not too sure exactly what to say, but i definately did not expect this after paying £1200, half of that being labour.

Please help!!!

was this from an authorized mercedes dealer? Some a letters should be a writin to someone high up immediately.

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'89 420 SEL
'90 300 SEL
'68 Olds 88 Convertible
'84 300 SD (sold it)

I've been through this before. Sounds like they've made a mess of things. The last thing you want is for them to 'fix' the damage... um, repairs.

Talk to the owner(s) and seek restitution. If that gets you nowhere, contact the Better Business Bureau in your area. Also, take LOTS of pictures, the more the better. Document EVERYTHING. Seek another repair facility and get a quote to put your car back to the way it was. Send a copy of this bill to the original shop. If they won't pay for the other shop to make the repairs or compensate you for the cost... find a good lawyer.

This past year, I had $1500 worth of body work and paint done on my 240D, to clean up 25 years of weather and parking lots :). The 'certified' body shop did the work, but caused $4700 in other damages including a tear in the back seat, broken arm-rest, missing/damaged chrome, and painting the wrong colour.... it is supposed to be dark blue, not sea-foam green! :mad: Needless to say, we are awaiting a court date!

Good Luck with the damage control,

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William
76 240D (W115) - 550K miles
78 300D (W123) - 200K+ miles

I like to say that as you can see, all the responses are from the USA/ Here we are dealing under different set of rules / You guys there are more sofisticated speaking and mentaly by nature or by geografic circunstances who knows / By saying that, with all respect, it is very possible that they really F***up your machine and by the tone of voice they seem to sound very casual or "Englishly" ...if that's a word /
If some one in USA would end up having a problem like yours, oh boy here would not be enough lawyers to eat them alive!!! / But again, there in the UK, is normal to have a tremendous car accident on wich you may loose 40% percent of you automovil and end up shaking hands by the other motorist negligence... saying F***Off have a nice day. So in my opinion here it is.../ Just take it for what its worth. sorry for my spellings.
I only speak other four lenguages but some times here is not enough. good luck.

Ditto what Ney above says. You've been screwed mate. Tell me you didn't pay by cash because if its on credit your card company may be able to help you but don't hold your breath. Go through your local consumer advocate channels also, they may not be as visible as they are in the US but the're around. I know this is after the fact but if your going to pay that much take it to the dealer next time ;)

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yal
88 230E (W124)
euroheadlights,
clearcorners,
smoke/red tailights
98 e420 sport replicas

IMHO, assuming the car has been cared for and still has a good factory (OEM) paint, I would not want my whole car repainted, because only one shop in a 100, if even that, could ever improve on the factory paintings (all those coats of paint, etc.). I'd rather have them try to match the area damaged to the rest of the car -- I'd rather have a small blemish at one place than a whole car with a unsatisfactory finish.

The place I took it to is a Mercedes main dealer. It is one of the biggest dealers in the country. I have just faxed them explaining the problem, and asking them what they are going to do about it.
I love my car, and i'm going to make sure they take the car off me and I get it back in a better condition than I have ever seen it in.

The same thing happend to my dad. He has a W140 500. He took his car in when the a/c went. He recieved a £2500 bill, and also minor scratches on the exterior and a filthy interior. When we complained they took the car back and cleaned it amazingly getting the all the scratches out, and they threw in some new carpets.

I didn't think the same thing could happen again, but hey!

I agree with the comments made concerning the english way of dealing with problems, and it really irritates me.
I'm sure they did a poor job with my car because it's not a brand new S500.

I WILL GET JUSTICE!!!! :)

Oliver

Hope they straighten it all out for you, BUT I agree with Ken, have them fix the minimum amount of factory paint and do it over till they get it right. The factory finish can't be improved on. It can be made to look as good but none of them last like the original. I know, being in Florida paint takes a beating and I own a body shop that does most of the local MB dealers work.

The dealer has just contacted me, they are taking the car in on monday for a full clean, they will keep it until wednesday because they say it needs a full day to dry out.
I presume that means they will do a superb clean inside!!

It seems to be working out OK now.

Oliver

It seems like less than A1 quality service at some of these "authorized" MB dealership is not keyed in to any one part of the world. Hopefully, they will make it right.

In regard to a previous post concerning how the english handle problems, the man that called me from the service centre made a few mildly funny remarks to begin the conversation to try and soften me up a bit. He didn't once attempt to say sorry, but he did say he would sort out the problem straight away.

It is dissapointing to see the extremely low level of customer support being dished out in this country.

Oliver

[This message has been edited by Oliverp (edited 09-15-2000).]

Oliver,
If they don't make it right, write to Mercedes and tell them you were screwed by one of their dealers, and ask them what they are going to do about it. Send copies of whatever documentation you have along with your letter. I would hope the company would speak to the dealer about their busines practices.
Colin