I have a 2009 Passion Cabriolet, (red on black) and all the body panels, except the doors, have spots or areas where the color is fading and now the clear is peeling in a few spots.
I contacted the Mercedes Benz corporate office about the issue. The initial contact was on March 13, I heard nothing about it for a month so I emailed them again on April 18, and they finally responded.
They asked for pictures, so I sent them some, they called me back and asked me to bring it to the Smart dealer, 40 miles away, to have it "inspected" by them, I brought it up there today (9:30am 04/20/2012) the gentleman at the dealership (Jim) took numerous photos and looked at all the spots, he told me he'd send the photos to smart and let me know what they said. But they'd have to replace almost all the panels.
At 4:30pm this afternoon I got a phone call from Andrew (from Mercedes Benz) who said the dealer determined that it was an outside source that caused the damage, and that they were closing my case and there was nothing I could do. He was very rude something I wouldn't expect from Mercedes Benz office. I was always under the impression that they cared about their customers.
I called the dealer asking that they clarify what the "outside source" was that caused the damage, and Jim said he never actually got a hold of Andrew, but left him a message Jim said that in his opinion "it was an out side source", I asked him what. He commented about the fact that I had waxed the car, I told him that I waxed it by hand, not using any kind of equipment, to which he responded "I'm not even sure if you can wax a smart car". I said to him that I had talked to the service dept at the dealership and asked them about waxing it and they told me as long as it was a good quality wax it would be fine.
I'm extremely disappointed with this, I dont know why they won't stand behind this considering in my owners manual it says to clean using "car shampoo concentrate, hard wax, insect remover for insect remains, polish"
Has anyone else experienced this?
As far as useless service...yep...my dealer's run by knuckleheads. Once they told me they'd call me back in 15 minutes (regarding pod install)...it took them 2 days!!
As far as your panels go...Sorry to say but if you're out of warranty then you're responsible for fixing the problem. If the car went for three years before fading and peeling then I'd agree that some outside chemical had its ways with your car.
smart USA has handled this with the OP in that thread. I don't think you've found the right person at your dealer (not sure if a smart can be waxed - really???) or at smartUSA. If you are not on smartusainsider.com yet, I suggest you join (the "official" smart site) and contact Eric Angeloro directly for assistance.
smart USA has handled this with the OP in that thread. I don't think you've found the right person at your dealer (not sure if a smart can be waxed - really???) or at smartUSA. If you are not on smartusainsider.com yet, I suggest you join (the "official" smart site) and contact Eric Angeloro directly for assistance.
As far as your panels go...Sorry to say but if you're out of warranty then you're responsible for fixing the problem.
That's completely true....but still, it's not a bad idea to ask for help when something like this happens after the warranty has expired. If you're a solid customer with a history of having your vehicle serviced at a smart/MB dealership, they're likely to do everything they can to help you out. What most people don't realize is that your service history is the key. If you've never had the car back to the dealer and choose to have it maintained elsewhere, the Case Manager will know that (they have access to all company dealership records) and will not be as likely to provide any kind of assistance for issues arising after the warranty has expired. But if you've regularly used the dealership to repair/maintain your vehicle, they'll often do everything within their power to help you out.
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That's completely true....but still, it's not a bad idea to ask for help when something like this happens after the warranty has expired. If you're a solid customer with a history of having your vehicle serviced at a smart/MB dealership, they're likely to do everything they can to help you out. What most people don't realize is that your service history is the key. If you've never had the car back to the dealer and choose to have it maintained elsewhere, the Case Manager will know that (they have access to all company dealership records) and will not be as likely to provide any kind of assistance for issues arising after the warranty has expired. But if you've regularly used the dealership to repair/maintain your vehicle, they'll often do everything within their power to help you out.
Except for Owners in Minnesota who went to Smart Center Bloomington. Those records were kept with the original dealer and Smart does not have access to those.
Keeping you receipts is a good idea as well... Good luck with the panels!
I notice my black shiny trim around the rear fading. Just took Meguiars Scratch Remover to it to bring back the gloss shine. I was on my own there. The car sits outside a lot now.
Out of warranty. Plastic, and the sun, don't mix well.
I would say too, the OP cars is way out of warranty. He's on his own. I'd buy new/used panels, or have the originals re clear coated, at a body shop. Red cars, fade easy.
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Tucker
1976 Rover Mini
2003 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
2007 Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec (SOLD)
2009 smart Passion (Gone)
2011 smart Passion
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