BAM! Battery Assurance Minus

TLDR; Bought 2014 ED with 19k mi from a used car dealer in July 2017. Signed lease for BAP. Original Lessee never serviced car. I had 10k & 20k service done at 21K miles. Battery tested fine. 2 Months later battery has failed. MB says it may not be covered due to 10k service not being done earlier. Submitted claim to MB and they have not approved or denied the warranty claim it's been 12 days.

So I bought my 2014 ED purchased off lease from a local used car lot which seems to have a lot of these cars. I got it for a good price and I knew about the BAP. The dealer said MB would be in touch about the BAP but of course they never notified MB (because used car dealer does not give a sh*t). So I contacted MBFS myself and signed the BAP lease and have paid every month since.

No maintenance light was on but it was at 20k miles so I took it in to MB for 20k service. They told me it had NEVER been serviced before. I asked how that could be since it was a lease return sold at auction with the requirement the new buyer continue the BAP. Why wasn't the BAP terminated with the original Lessee if they never did the required annual battery maintainance? NO ANSWER.

Anyway they did the 10k service and 20k service at the same time under warranty. All the 10k service really required was the desiccant cartridge replaced and a few software updates. They did that and said dessicant was not that dirty.

Fast forward 2 months I'm getting error messages on startup. Engine off. Won't go. Have to wait 30 mins to 1 hour for it to clear. Sometimes won't take a charge.

I bring it in. They say a ground wire was not connected and it's fixed. I've already googled this OBDC code and the people that had the problem all had it in the first year of ownership and it required a HD battery replacement. So skeptical I pick the car up, drive it for 1/2 hour park it and when try to restart it same error. So right back to MB. A day later they say yeah needs a new HV battery. And they are submitting the claim and want to know why was it never serviced at 10k? This is a different service advisor than I had before had to explain it all again. I mean it's not like it's an ICE car and I haven't had the oil changed for 20k miles this is a manufacturers defect not caused by lack of service! He said they'd submit a claim on Monday the 20th but didn't seem hopeful they'd cover it.

Now Tuesday the 28th and no word I called the service advisor and he asks can I contact the prior owner and see if they have service records for the 10k service. I said hey this was a MB off-lease you should have the record of the prior Lessee YOU contact them and again why did BAP let me take over a lease when the prior lessee never had the battery serviced? He has NO ANSWER.

So I call the MB number for BAP and ask hey am I covered on this if I get denied on the regular warranty I am paying you guys almost $90/month for "Assurance" as I am feeling LESS THAN ASSURED. She puts me on hold then comes back and she is really nice and sweet and tells me they really only take my money here and if it gets denied I need to call the warranty people and gives me the number. Yes the same warranty people who are now taking their sweet time to decide my fate.

So we will see what they say. I don't see why they would not cover it since it seems like their mistake all around and they actually own the battery, I just lease it. But if they deny it I am left with a useless sled and out $5k+ and they are out the 6 years of BAP payments I would have paid.

But the only thing that is certain is Battery Assurance Plus has completely failed as I have gotten absolutely no "Assurance" that I will be covered and have been waiting and waiting anxiously not sure if I will have a car or a total loss.

Will update when I hear back. Anyone else have issues with MB's warranty department taking way too long on a claim?