How long is the anti-corrosion warranty valid on Mercedes Sprinter vans?
I have a 56 reg Mercedes Sprinter LWB van (in the UK) and it is beginning to suffer from rust on most of the panels, particularly the lower edges.
I was wondering how long the warranty is valid on the paintwork and whether Mercedes should be held liable for this type of corrosion.
The van was purchased privately and not from a dealership.
Should I just contact a local dealership and hope for the best or do I have any rights as a consumer with regards to this.
Thank you.
1. Mercedes are bastards. They will only honour any warranty if you bought from a franchised dealer.
2. They don’t have an ‘anti corrosion’ warranty, they have an ‘anti perforation’ warranty. This lasts for 7 or 10 years depending on the vehicle, but it MUST have had an annual inspection every year at a main dealer & had any paintwork repaired. In practice, this means you don’t have any body or paintwork guarantee.
1. Mercedes are bastards. They will only honour any warranty if you bought from a franchised dealer.
2. They don’t have an ‘anti corrosion’ warranty, they have an ‘anti perforation’ warranty. This lasts for 7 or 10 years depending on the vehicle, but it MUST have had an annual inspection every year at a main dealer & had any paintwork repaired. In practice, this means you don’t have any body or paintwork guarantee.
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Call the dealer for the exact warranty terms, but don’t describe the problem before getting an answer. If they ask why you want to know tell them you’re thinking about buying a pre-owned Sprinter.
Call several dealerships to make sure you’re getting the right answers. Most dealerships are very reasonable, because they want to keep the franchise. Mercedes employs people to call dealerships and ask these types of questions. All dealerships have CSI (customer service index) standards that they have to meet to keep their franchise.
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It depends on the conditions attached to any warranty offered. My own experience is that they offer a warranty and then do all they can to minimise their response. I doubt you would have much luck in common law with a 56 reg vehicle. Their procedure is that they get any vehicle eligible for bodywork repairs under warranty surveyed by an approved body shop and reject anything that could possibly relate to factors other than manufacturing faults however unlikely. I did not expect such a minimal response from a self appointed premium manufacturer, but considering the mechanical problems I had with a 2003 saloon I suppose they cannot afford to be other than parsimonious.
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I wouldn’t even bother contacting Mercedes, as they are total wankers. My 06 Plate van actually was wrapped in graphics and still managed to rust and blister under the stickers.. The paint they use on the body panels is crap therefore expected to rust and Bleb up all over.. gone are the days of Two pack paint due to health and safety.. The body and the doors are crap, yet a forklift went down the wing of mine and it still hasn’t rusted though, proving that the wings are zinc coated correctly.. I would see about getting it rubbed down and resprayed if your planning on keeping it
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