A small cooler of water spilled in the TRUNK of my 2007 GL450. The Electrical Damage has exceeded $4,000! I am being told that it's my fault, and the damage is not covered!
On August 23, 2008, my two-year-old Mercedes-Benz broke down leaving my husband and three kids stranded on the side of the road. I called Mercedes roadside assistance, and two hours later a tow truck towed the vehicle to Mercedes-Benz in Pleasanton, California. We were later informed that the servicemen found an empty one gallon cooler of water in the trunk. They assumed that the water leaked out of the small cooler and caused water damage.
The cooler was in the trunk, because my son had football practice Friday night. By the end of the two-hour practice most of the water was gone, because he drinks it and pours some of the cold water on his head to cool off. Therefore, there could not have been a lot of water remaining to spill out Saturday morning.
Ultimately, the Service manager for Mercedes-Benz in Pleasanton, California has informed us that we are responsible for more than $4,000 dollars worth of damage. He has also informed us that the interior of all Mercedes-Benz have electrical panels throughout the car that can be easily be damaged by water. Claudia, an Escalation Specialist from Mercedes-Benz verified this information as well. She also told me to write a letter to the president of Mercedes, which i have done. As of September 4th,2008, no one from the president's office has responded.
Imagine my surprise? Why aren't these electrical panels better protected or made water proof with a simple plastic cover over the panels to protect them from moisture? Imagine the disappointment of millions of Mercedes-Benz owners, if they knew that simply spilling a cup of Starbucks in their luxury car could cost them thousands of dollars.
This is an unacceptable quality standard for a family vehicle, especially a Mercedes-Benz. I am no engineer, but I know the technology to waterproof electrical panels exists.
I have searched the Service and Warranty information and the Operator’s Manual and I do not see a warning to consumers! This information should be plastered everywhere, not hidden in the fine print of an automobile manual.
No one attempted to warn us of that these exposed electrical systems cannot withstand a water spill. My family drinks beverages in our car while traveling, we transport groceries, we practically live in our Mercedes-Benz, and therefore we need a car that can withstand an accidental spill.
From the beginning, if we were told this information, we would have never written the check for over $65,000".
I can honestly say, this incident has made me feel like this Mercedes-Benz is not appropriate for the majority of commuters, like my husband who drives 35 miles into the city every morning with a cup of coffee or busy soccer moms who have to drive around town carpooling, transporting children, and occasionally driving through McDonalds to feed the kids on the way to practice or ball games/.
With the escalating cost of air travel, more consumers are taking road trips!. Consumers should be warned that a small spill during that road trip could cost you much more than airline tickets,.
The bottom line, I consider this problem a defect in the design and manufacturing of your vehicle/. I am not willing to take responsibility for this damage, because no reasonable person would assume that a fairly small spill of water could possibly cause thousands of dollars worth of damage". After all, I am not talking about a window or sunroof being left open during torrential rains or God forbid, horrible flooding?. This was a small spill from a water cooler… in a luxury car/.
Sincerely,
Lena
Disappointed GL450 Owner 129fdbd
On August 23, 2008, my two-year-old Mercedes-Benz broke down leaving my husband and three kids stranded on the side of the road. I called Mercedes roadside assistance, and two hours later a tow truck towed the vehicle to Mercedes-Benz in Pleasanton, California. We were later informed that the servicemen found an empty one gallon cooler of water in the trunk. They assumed that the water leaked out of the small cooler and caused water damage.
The cooler was in the trunk, because my son had football practice Friday night. By the end of the two-hour practice most of the water was gone, because he drinks it and pours some of the cold water on his head to cool off. Therefore, there could not have been a lot of water remaining to spill out Saturday morning.
Ultimately, the Service manager for Mercedes-Benz in Pleasanton, California has informed us that we are responsible for more than $4,000 dollars worth of damage. He has also informed us that the interior of all Mercedes-Benz have electrical panels throughout the car that can be easily be damaged by water. Claudia, an Escalation Specialist from Mercedes-Benz verified this information as well. She also told me to write a letter to the president of Mercedes, which i have done. As of September 4th,2008, no one from the president's office has responded.
Imagine my surprise? Why aren't these electrical panels better protected or made water proof with a simple plastic cover over the panels to protect them from moisture? Imagine the disappointment of millions of Mercedes-Benz owners, if they knew that simply spilling a cup of Starbucks in their luxury car could cost them thousands of dollars.
This is an unacceptable quality standard for a family vehicle, especially a Mercedes-Benz. I am no engineer, but I know the technology to waterproof electrical panels exists.
I have searched the Service and Warranty information and the Operator’s Manual and I do not see a warning to consumers! This information should be plastered everywhere, not hidden in the fine print of an automobile manual.
No one attempted to warn us of that these exposed electrical systems cannot withstand a water spill. My family drinks beverages in our car while traveling, we transport groceries, we practically live in our Mercedes-Benz, and therefore we need a car that can withstand an accidental spill.
From the beginning, if we were told this information, we would have never written the check for over $65,000".
I can honestly say, this incident has made me feel like this Mercedes-Benz is not appropriate for the majority of commuters, like my husband who drives 35 miles into the city every morning with a cup of coffee or busy soccer moms who have to drive around town carpooling, transporting children, and occasionally driving through McDonalds to feed the kids on the way to practice or ball games/.
With the escalating cost of air travel, more consumers are taking road trips!. Consumers should be warned that a small spill during that road trip could cost you much more than airline tickets,.
The bottom line, I consider this problem a defect in the design and manufacturing of your vehicle/. I am not willing to take responsibility for this damage, because no reasonable person would assume that a fairly small spill of water could possibly cause thousands of dollars worth of damage". After all, I am not talking about a window or sunroof being left open during torrential rains or God forbid, horrible flooding?. This was a small spill from a water cooler… in a luxury car/.
Sincerely,
Lena
Disappointed GL450 Owner 129fdbd
 Comments (5) |
| 1. Written by Stephen on March 9, 2011 from aliso viejo, california, US Coincidence .. I had exactly the same issue - small water spill in the truck from a water cooler. The dealer in Newport Beach, CA fixed it under warranty and charged me $100. Perhaps you can negotiate with your dealer and MB. |
| 2. Written by Todd on July 30, 2010 from chicago, illinois, US Lindsey, what ever came of this, we had water intrude the vehicle (cannot find where though) and cause similar damage and MB is claiming not warrantable cause of flooding? |
| 3. Written by m on June 30, 2010 from katy, texas, US Hey, Lindsey, While no one would spill coffee on a laptop and expect it to work we don't use them as coffee trays either. Ever run to the store and find that its rainining when you exit.... should you be afraid to put a bag of groceries in your truck for fear you'd total your car... not a good design if its true. |
| 4. Written by Johnathan on October 8, 2008 from gaithersburg, maryland, US Come on Lindsey. The trunk of every vehicle on the road is a suitable place to transport reasonable quantities of liquids! Articles in transport leak and spill - it's going to happen. So if you MUST put water-sensitive parts in a car, you should avoid the trunk, or at least cover them to keep spills out, and for heaven's sake, put them on the top or upper side walls - not in the bottom! (note to Mercedes, water flows downhill!). Want to see how to do it right - Acura puts all the electronics on the 'ceiling' of the part of the trunk forward of the lid. Spill aren't going to be a problem for that car - all because of a basic attention to its design. My last Ford/Mazda put all the electronics in the trunk behind plastic panels. My wife's Vovo actually has the Battery in the trunk, below the trunk floor. Surprise! It's well protected from any water or spills that might make their way down. Mercedes has been passing off sub-par autos for the last 10 years, trading off their former reputation for quality. It begins with thoughtless designs like this, continues with low quality controls on their parts suppliers, and ends up in their Service Departments where their Service Reps have to spew this kind of garbage on their Customers. It's a big reason why Mercedes has so few repeat customers from their supposedly 'superior' vehicles. Don't buy the car if you can't afford the upkeep? Puh-lease! At the Mercedes dealer in Bethesda MD (where I watched the Service Rep's children grow old in the pictures on their desks!), every time I was there you could here some VERY well-healed customer going off over this kind of crappy problem. $65k should buy you a vehicle with LOWER maintenance costs, not higher! |
| 5. Written by Lindsey on September 10, 2008 from montvale, new jersey, US Honestly, People purchase vehicles for their bells and whistles and everyone knows that electronics control them. Would you spill water on your laptop and expect it to work? No. How about your cell phone? No. Reseach and regular product inquiry could prevent all of that. At some point, we have to accept responsibilty for our mishaps. We are all human, we all make mistakes. Some of them, WE have to pay for. This is one of them. If you purchase something... Be sure you can afford the upkeep. |
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