E500 Transmission woes, and protests to dealers.
#1
08-24-2009, 02:43 AM
E500 Transmission woes, and protests to dealers.
My post some weeks ago, where I said that my 32k - like new - E500 Sport had lost its transmission due to coolant getting in the oil...I now have a much more serious problem to resolve.
Following the Warranty company paying for a new transmission, I experience a resonant noise between 1400 and 1800 RPM on light acceleration. I could also hear a grumble that made the running noise greater than before. It just wasn't the same car anymore.
A main MB dealer, had done the work, and indeed sold me the extended warranty. They then had the car for several days while a new, new torque converter was fitted. Some time extra was spent on getting the software right. The car was exactly the same after this multi hundred $ work. The transmission company had paid for the part, I have no idea who paid for the work...it wasn't me.
Last week, after visiting another main dealer, and having their qualified specialist hear the noise, I sadly elected to drive - a day each way - to go back to the original place because of the complexity of bringing in another party. (There were three already, a fourth seemed over the top and made 'Who was going to pay this time' just that more complicated.)
Anyway, they listened, and to be fair, it wasn't very loud on that day, but the noise was there. They did not want to call the other dealer who had offered to take calls on this issue. 'Hearsay' is what was said, but he was a MB qualified guy for %@#$ sake. After about 40 mins, they shut the door on any further work on it. 700 miles of driving and 3 days away for nothing.
Neither party will tell me who supplied the transmission and I'm getting very suspicious as to just what has been put in my low mileage car. Gradually I'm getting records of the parts fitted, but I'm having trouble finding the original owner of the 'new' transmission. I want to know if it was a 'breaker'.
Is there any way I can find what car a certain serial number transmission came out of, and indeed the previous owners?
Just what should I be able to expect from a warranty that was sold and actioned at a main MB dealer? A noisy transmission may be just bad luck, but one with several times the mileage would seem to me quite unacceptable as a replacement. What think you?
The whole thing was so unnecessary. I would have waited for my unit to be rebuilt, but having been told it would be a week, I got a call on the way home saying it was done.
In other words, I lost all control of the way the repair would be handled. After 50 years of doing ALL the work on my cars, many of them high performance kit, I feel that I'd sooner have managed the whole thing myself.
Following the Warranty company paying for a new transmission, I experience a resonant noise between 1400 and 1800 RPM on light acceleration. I could also hear a grumble that made the running noise greater than before. It just wasn't the same car anymore.
A main MB dealer, had done the work, and indeed sold me the extended warranty. They then had the car for several days while a new, new torque converter was fitted. Some time extra was spent on getting the software right. The car was exactly the same after this multi hundred $ work. The transmission company had paid for the part, I have no idea who paid for the work...it wasn't me.
Last week, after visiting another main dealer, and having their qualified specialist hear the noise, I sadly elected to drive - a day each way - to go back to the original place because of the complexity of bringing in another party. (There were three already, a fourth seemed over the top and made 'Who was going to pay this time' just that more complicated.)
Anyway, they listened, and to be fair, it wasn't very loud on that day, but the noise was there. They did not want to call the other dealer who had offered to take calls on this issue. 'Hearsay' is what was said, but he was a MB qualified guy for %@#$ sake. After about 40 mins, they shut the door on any further work on it. 700 miles of driving and 3 days away for nothing.
Neither party will tell me who supplied the transmission and I'm getting very suspicious as to just what has been put in my low mileage car. Gradually I'm getting records of the parts fitted, but I'm having trouble finding the original owner of the 'new' transmission. I want to know if it was a 'breaker'.
Is there any way I can find what car a certain serial number transmission came out of, and indeed the previous owners?
Just what should I be able to expect from a warranty that was sold and actioned at a main MB dealer? A noisy transmission may be just bad luck, but one with several times the mileage would seem to me quite unacceptable as a replacement. What think you?
The whole thing was so unnecessary. I would have waited for my unit to be rebuilt, but having been told it would be a week, I got a call on the way home saying it was done.
In other words, I lost all control of the way the repair would be handled. After 50 years of doing ALL the work on my cars, many of them high performance kit, I feel that I'd sooner have managed the whole thing myself.
#2
09-20-2009, 01:54 AM
Hey guys, I'm really surprised that this has not peaked anyone's interest!
Can anyone make suggestions as to this kind of fault? 1400 - 1800 on light acceleration, and there is a resonant vibration - said to be traveling down the prop-shaft. Sometimes it really growls.
Any previous knowledge or information would be helpful.
Nearly a month later, and the problem isn't resolved. Two other main MB dealers have said the Torque-converter lock is coming in early. The car is going to a different dealer this time. What a mess!
The young transmission expert hooked up a laptop, and switched off the solenoid. The noise stopped. How hard was that? He now thinks that the warranty company will want the computer to be 're-educated' at three different temps as a first try. So, left overnight to get cold. After that, it'll be a full claim. Time wasting is exactly what I wanted to avoid when I got a 23k mile hi-end car and my patience is running out.
While all this was going on the suspension collapsed. And dirty (at 33k) brake fluid made the computer tell me to have it towed to base. Sheesh!
The thing is, the guys at the first main dealer have been fantastic for the last year or so. They've gone the extra mile for me several times, but now I'm kind of out in the cold. Without good support, I feel an E500 is a bit of a liability. No I don't. I feel it's a huge liability.
This is a car that rarely gets wet, and is not left out in the heat for any length of time without a white cover. Cleaned, it looks like new, but is the most problematical car I've owned in 50+ years.
Can anyone make suggestions as to this kind of fault? 1400 - 1800 on light acceleration, and there is a resonant vibration - said to be traveling down the prop-shaft. Sometimes it really growls.
Any previous knowledge or information would be helpful.
Nearly a month later, and the problem isn't resolved. Two other main MB dealers have said the Torque-converter lock is coming in early. The car is going to a different dealer this time. What a mess!
The young transmission expert hooked up a laptop, and switched off the solenoid. The noise stopped. How hard was that? He now thinks that the warranty company will want the computer to be 're-educated' at three different temps as a first try. So, left overnight to get cold. After that, it'll be a full claim. Time wasting is exactly what I wanted to avoid when I got a 23k mile hi-end car and my patience is running out.
While all this was going on the suspension collapsed. And dirty (at 33k) brake fluid made the computer tell me to have it towed to base. Sheesh!
The thing is, the guys at the first main dealer have been fantastic for the last year or so. They've gone the extra mile for me several times, but now I'm kind of out in the cold. Without good support, I feel an E500 is a bit of a liability. No I don't. I feel it's a huge liability.
This is a car that rarely gets wet, and is not left out in the heat for any length of time without a white cover. Cleaned, it looks like new, but is the most problematical car I've owned in 50+ years.
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