Mercedes Benz
Consumer Report

In April I purchased a 2003 Mercedes C230 Kompressor from MotorWerks of Barrington. As it was only 1 year old, I was given a StarMark warranty, good until the end of April.

On April 27th I brought my car to the dealer, with the complaint that the A/C suddenly was not working, blowing warm. Additionally the transmission had an unusual vibration and shudder that was getting worse over time. The car was checked and the mechanic stated he could not experience the transmission problem and he filled the A/C with freon. I do not know if he checked for leaks or not, as no further info was given.

A while later, I brought the car in again and had the service advisor, Bob Poduch, take a ride with me. He drove and was able to experience the vibration and shudder I had complained about. Also at that time, the A/C had gone bad again and was blowing warm again. As the warranty had now lapsed, he stated he did not know if it would be covered. After a couple of weeks, it was determined that Mercedes would pay for the transmission problem, which turned out to be threefold: Radiator fluid leaking into the trans fluid, a radiator issue that necessitated a replacement of the radiator and also an issue with the torque converter. Mercedes did pay for this, as they should under the warranty. However, they said they would not pay to fix the A/C. This was very curious, as this was definitely an issue before the warranty was up.

When this was revealed to me, I called Mercedes and talked with Ian (not sure of last name). Ian stated he would help me and call me back the next day. He did not and I called him back a few days later. At this time he said that Mercedes would not pay for the repair of the A/C, as they were not sure it was a problem while still in warranty. How could it not be an issue, when it was not working, and the stopgap fix of just replacing the freon obviously did not work? I asked to speak to his boss and he stated there was no one higher than him. I asked for the name of a president or vice president and he would not supply that or give me a phone number, email address or postal address. He could not really give me a reason why a car under warranty with an issue would not be repaired, he merely stated “We have already spent too much on this car.” He did say that Mercedes will pay for the parts, and after I complained again, they would pay $800.00 more of the labor bill of $2,500.00. Thus I have to pay $1,700.00 for a repair that should have been covered by the Mercedes Starmark warranty. I do not feel this is fair or right.

In talking with Bob Poduch and the C.J. Romig, Sales Manager at MotorWerks, they both feel as I do that this should have been covered and paid in full by Mercedes Benz Corporation.

I am not the type of person who runs to the press, but I am enraged that this has occurred from a company with a supposed excellent reputation. I purchased a Mercedes because it is supposed to be a quality company with quality vehicles, and a company with integrity. Additionally, a car made by Mercedes that has 3 major issues for a relatively low mileage (83,562) car is quite surprising. Something is just not right. I am prepared to go to the Chicago papers, the media, BBB and tell all my friends and family of this. I really do not want to do this, but I have been wronged and it has cost me $1,700.00.

I asked to be refunded the $1,700.00 that I paid MotorWerks for the repair. They refused saying they were not sure it was an issue while under warranty. Are they kidding???

George Duffey
(Personal Info Removed)

Company: Mercedes Benz
Country: USA
State: Illinois
City: Barrington
ZIP: 60010-5205
Address: 1475 S. Barrington Road
Phone: 8884660754, 8473818900
Site: motorwerksmercedes.com

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