RT 420SEL
Distinguished
Bit of FYI! I have just had a very frustrating experience with a Victorian Mercedes dealership/service provider that has resulted in more damage to my 420 SEL than when the car went in for a few mechanical repairs.
As with many W126, the interior door trim/panels have been previously removed incorrectly-pulled rather than lifted, therefore breaking the mounting clips, which I posted about a while back.
The centre console was removed along with the burl gear fascia panel & ventilation burl fascia for other work.
The door trims were removed to repair a power window fault, with written instructions to contact me when removed to ascertain a clip repair methodology. I hadn't heard from them so rang & was told its all fixed. "What about the door trim? Oh, you will need to get them repaired.. I stated, "that was also the point of removal during the window repair as per my written instructions!"
I then went over the car & found the centre burl gear fascia veneer (pristine condition) had been snapped, with pieces poorly glued & the service manager had not even been notified of this. The ventilation fascia had tool markings/chips along the edge due to incorrect removal. They also polished the car & scratched the roof!
The result was they were instructed to remove both door trims again & the centre console/ventilation fascia. The burl fascias have been sent to Carwood in Melbourne for re-veneering which they are paying for & will cost approximately $1000. During the 2nd removal of the ventilation fascia, they also snapped one of the plastic side mounts!
I have repaired the door trim clips with custom top mounting clips which work well. A pretty simple fix really, but disappointing to have to do it twice to achieve a satisfactory result & the additional labour cost to the dealer.
I have had repairs completed by good local mechanics who have been outstanding, but thought it best to go to Mercedes this time-right tools, access to correct parts, skill set etc.. Not so.
I can post some photos of door trim repair if anyone may find them useful. Overall, it will cost the dealer around $2000, which is more than the initial mechanical repair.
Incredible nescience.
As with many W126, the interior door trim/panels have been previously removed incorrectly-pulled rather than lifted, therefore breaking the mounting clips, which I posted about a while back.
The centre console was removed along with the burl gear fascia panel & ventilation burl fascia for other work.
The door trims were removed to repair a power window fault, with written instructions to contact me when removed to ascertain a clip repair methodology. I hadn't heard from them so rang & was told its all fixed. "What about the door trim? Oh, you will need to get them repaired.. I stated, "that was also the point of removal during the window repair as per my written instructions!"
I then went over the car & found the centre burl gear fascia veneer (pristine condition) had been snapped, with pieces poorly glued & the service manager had not even been notified of this. The ventilation fascia had tool markings/chips along the edge due to incorrect removal. They also polished the car & scratched the roof!
The result was they were instructed to remove both door trims again & the centre console/ventilation fascia. The burl fascias have been sent to Carwood in Melbourne for re-veneering which they are paying for & will cost approximately $1000. During the 2nd removal of the ventilation fascia, they also snapped one of the plastic side mounts!
I have repaired the door trim clips with custom top mounting clips which work well. A pretty simple fix really, but disappointing to have to do it twice to achieve a satisfactory result & the additional labour cost to the dealer.
I have had repairs completed by good local mechanics who have been outstanding, but thought it best to go to Mercedes this time-right tools, access to correct parts, skill set etc.. Not so.
I can post some photos of door trim repair if anyone may find them useful. Overall, it will cost the dealer around $2000, which is more than the initial mechanical repair.
Incredible nescience.