Today's MB Customer Service

[iread]

In mid June I had my 1990 300TE in of a bodyshop for some minor passenger door bodywork due to a friend backing into it incident.
I took it to our local MB Canada (Richmond) bodyshop because I wanted it the job done right and got it back in a week (rented a Pacifica in the meantime thanks to insurance). Overall the car got good bodywork job done and matched paint except for a little orange peel and a small run in the clear coat, I was happy to get my car back.

Following the body repair, about 2 weeks later, my Becker BE1482 started squeeling intermittantly, then permanently. So I thought to myself, the radio is 15 years old so maybe it is time to replace it with a CD player.

So on July 28, I bought a Blaupunkt CD head unit, installed it and the CD player didn't work, returned it and tried a second unit, which worked fine but only for 15 minutes and then it produced no sound. Frustrated by the episode, I returned it the same day and went on vacation. Then last week, Aug 1, I bought a Panasonic 3301 head unit, installed it fully and no sound came out. So I become frustrated again (its 2AM) and think there must be something else wrong. Then by method of elimination (fault isolation), I connected each speaker up one by one and when I connected the right rear door speaker, the music stopped. Curiously I went to the RR door , wiggle the wires in the hinge area, no luck, and found that the door was likely removed due to paint scratches on the painted hinge bolts. I then moved on and started to remove the speaker grill and found that the lower part of the inner door handle was loose, it was separated from the door panel. So I continue to remove the grill and then the speaker and find that it only comes out about 6 inches, the wire seems to be pinched between the door and the panel. Having no way to remove the speaker, I then grab my lamp and see a bare speaker wire just North of the opening. Not being able to get at the wiring, I start to remove the panel. Once the panel is off I find a long piece of wire and a DIN connector (which was behind the panel), the bare conductor is on the short speaker wire side of the DIN connector. I then tape up the bare wire and start to look at the panel to see why the handle is loose. I find that several handle attachment brackets have broken away which hold the handle to the panel. I look closely and see that the stand off brackets are cylindrical and so I find two small screws and washers and attach the handle more securely. The plastic hooks on the panel which provide the attachment to the door are Ok. Several days pass, I then think about the problem with the speaker and the door panel and decided to call the bodyshop.

So on Monday morning I call the shop, on Tuesday my wife brings the car in, the techs remove the panel, the manager calls me at work, I talk to two people and explain the problem. They ask my wife for the Panasonic radio receipt as so my wife drives all the way home and then back again (40km round trip). They state that I should have not touched the door, as they can't say what has happened. I explain to them, "How was I supposed to know that the radio failure could be related to door R&I." Today I speak to the a tech again, he tries to weasel a way around doing something about the problem, and talks about htecost of the panel and the BEcker. I ended up getting them to agree to replacing the door panel, but have trouble getting them to agree to excepting blame for the Becker problem. They have the radio in their hands, the receipt for the new deck, and then he tells me that they would agree to repair the radio if the squeeling can be attributed to the speaker wire short. But they don't want to believe that the short caused the problem. I tell them that all did was investigate and discover a root cause and that it could have been abd is likely due to incorrect panel R&I. It took me two new radios to find the problem because it was intermittant. I can't imagine how the wire could get pinched on its own, especially after 15 years.

Why do they question me about the issue and ask me to have the radio issue diagnosed?

So should I additionally request that they submit the Becker for a repair estimate and fault diagnosis and then have them fix it or tell them they already requested the receipt for the Panasonic deck and that thay should pay for the replacement deck ($150+taxes)?

I feel that I spent $150+ on a problem which should not have happened.

How can they be sure that it is not their problem? They are supposed to be the paid professionals.

Am I asking for too much, by requesting them to accept the full cost to repair the issues?

Thanks,
Ian
1990 300TE $MATIC

[Rob Pruijt]

Just out of curiosity, what are you going to do about the two Blaupunkt radio’s you blew up?

[benzfan]

I went into the N. Van. MB dealership several years ago with a small tach problem and a stumbling problem with my 190e. I was told it would take a few hours to diagnose, if at all. I persisted and asked for an appointment. I think he thought his original 'several hours' estimate would scare me off, so he was a bit taken aback when I wanted it done. He proceeded to tell me he was all booked up. I asked when he could do it, whereupon he told me that they really didn't want to work on my car at all. End of story. The reason? It was a pure labor charge job and they wouldn't be selling any parts (another dealer told me that). In the end, I brought the car east and fixed it myself when I had access to my own tools. The total time spent? 30min. to diagnose and fix a bad throttle position detector and a bad tach ground caused by the odometer being rolled back - another reason not to buy any vehicle in Vancouver. That sort of thing is rampant. Combined with the fact that there is no requirement to safety check a car prior to changing ownership or a dealer selling it, and it's truly a 'buyer beware' kind of town. I found the same thing there with maintenance. I never did find a reliable dealer there. As for independents? Try Milo's on Main. Tony is a great mechanic.

[benzfan]

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, Ace German in Surrey is THE place to go for used MB parts. But be aware of the new value of any part before going and be then able to bargain, but they do guarantee their parts.

[iread]

Rob,

The first Blaupunkt had a bad CD mechanism, the second unit likely worked fine but the wire short probably affected its operation when the wire was connected. Both units I returned to the store I bought them from.

[ACM]

Yes, the mechanics are not what they used to be or they have become a rare phenomenon.

I have asked my dealer for a quote on replacing the friction discs for two weeks now and still no word. From the same dealer, I asked for the fluids list reccomended by MB and still yet to come.
Of course, if I had a $100,000 new MB they would take care of my problems fast.