[Smokinjoe73]

So had my smarty to mechanic and on his printout he said were some recalls for the car. The PO lived far from a dealer so never addressed them.


How do I find out the recalls for my 08 451? I of course lost the paper from the tech.

 

[jwight]

Go to the NHTSA site and search for your car under recalls and service bulletins.

 

[sokoloff]

https://vinrcl.safercar.gov/vin/

Len
2014 EV Coupe 18,000 miles
2014 EV Cabriolet 12,000 miles

 

[Smokinjoe73]

So I went and found the recall was just the insulation mat over the engine may sag and burn.


Am I wrong or is there a reflash that helps the shifting issue?


That is what I think I need. Gonna start a thread about that.

 

[Miss Mercedes]

No need to start separate threads.

There have been a few transmission software updates, but they aren't recalls so you basically have to ask for them.

 

[Smokinjoe73]

So by "ask for them" you mean drag it to the stealership and ask them?


I am discouraged since I have called the local dealer already and they sound very unprofessional and disheveled.


They had no one available to speak 2 words about my car. Meaning no one to even acknowledge that they knew what a smart car was!


They said to bring it in then we could speak. (!).


Any other way besides finding a different dealer? Not used to this type of interaction.

 

[OliverB]

Is the dealer a Mercedes dealer and are they one of only a handful nation-wide that are a smart service center? All other Mercedes dealers won’t touch a smart.

And, software updates - in my experience - are only applied if you ask for a specific one or describe a specific issue that will be addressed by the update. In addition, you will most likely have to pay for the update(s) since your car is out of warranty.

 

[Smokinjoe73]

So yeah I found a dealer who would look at the car. $175 to hook it up to I'm guessing the obd port to see if any issues are there.


They said they didn't know if it would be more $ to flash it or address the car refusing reverse gear sporadically.


I am really not used to dealing with dealerships and it is not pleasant. I do all my own maintenance on my other vehicles and paying that much to even have it looked at is really a ripoff.


But if I want the shifter quirk fixed this is my only option?


The tech mentioned maybe the clutch is thin but I can change a clutch in my sleep. That shouldn't affect the reverse shift I wouldn't think.

 

[Miss Mercedes]

MB has avoided recalls at all costs. There was also a clutch plate issue that happened with 2008s and 2009s that often rendered their transmissions largely unusable. These were replaced for free under a service bulletin. If your car somehow didn't get the clutch plate fix, that could also be a problem. I'm not sure if a dealer would do it for free today as the service bulletin happened a decade ago.

A charitable smart center would update your transmission firmware for free, but there are plenty of stories out there of people being charged for it.

 

[MB DNA]

A charitable smart center "would" (insert "might") update your transmission firmware for free, but there are plenty of stories out there of people being charged for it.

ALL "charitable" smart Centers have closed and FREE software updates were seldom given beyond warranty . . . :shrug:

 

[ohabbal]

MB has avoided recalls at all costs. There was also a clutch plate issue that happened with 2008s and 2009s that often rendered their transmissions largely unusable. These were replaced for free under a service bulletin. If your car somehow didn't get the clutch plate fix, that could also be a problem. I'm not sure if a dealer would do it for free today as the service bulletin happened a decade ago.

A charitable smart center would update your transmission firmware for free, but there are plenty of stories out there of people being charged for it.

MB USA has good lawyers who let them get away with camshaft and headbolt issues on the m156 AMG engines. The balance shaft issues on the m275 engines. There are many more examples of this. This is why being able to work on your own car is very important if you own a used Mercedes.
As someone who is loyal to the Mercedes brand,I find their support disappointing to say the least.
?

 

[Smokinjoe73]

I guess I am shocked at the $175 to look at the car. That seems nuts.


Very few shops will charge you just to look at a car.

 

[jwight]

It's a Mercedes-Benz dealer. Nothing is free, even the "free" coffee....:wink:

 

[Smokinjoe73]

Kinda reminds me of this video....

Not to bad mouth the car I just bought. Just glad it only misses reverse gear once in a while..

 

[sokoloff]

Not necessarily going to defend the marque, but the guy in the video is pretty clueless. I stopped watching when he talked about the brakes. Mercedes has been having their rotors have that wear ridge in them since they started using disk brakes 50+ years ago and you DO NOT have to change the rotors every time you change the pads.

As for the cost the dealers charge, I have been very fortunate. I have used dealers in several states where I lived and I was always treated well. Sure they were proud of the work they did and their prices showed it, but I never felt ripped off. Maybe I was lucky? That being said, over the years I have always tried to do as much of my own work as I could, figuring that no one cared for my car like I did.

Len
2014 EV Coupe 18,000 miles
2014 EV Cabriolet 12,000 miles

 

[ohabbal]

Kinda reminds me of this video....

Not to bad mouth the car I just bought. Just glad it only misses reverse gear once in a while..

Scotty has alot of experience when it comes to cars, but when it comes to Mercedes I'm afraid I can't agree.
If you watch his videos you will notice that he advocates for cars with the least maintenance requirement and that's it. Now, Mercedes is a brand that is based on luxury and cutting edge technology, so it is only natural that the extra equipment these cars have require additional care.
He just doesn't want less affluent individuals to get stuck with a car they can't afford to fix.
However parts of the videos are wrong, about the wheels, brakes and the error codes.
Just a tip for your transmission, I had the same problem as you did, I cleaned the actuator and the shift motor, then I went to the dealer and specifically asked for the update, $150 later, my car worked perfectly.
I'll keep buying Mercedes Benz products because I appreciate the engineering that goes into it, the safety, comfort, power, feel...etc. as for the MB dealers...I try to stay away as far as possible.

 

[Miss Mercedes]

If you know more than the average person about a car brand, you'll find Scotty is absolutely full of crap on a good amount of his claims.

He knows how to repair cars, but his "facts" about cars are usually not. His channel is for people who know nothing about cars and will be easily misinformed.

I do think it's unfair to single out MB for not doing anything about issues. Forums like these for other brands are filled with people complaining about why the brand doesn't fix x, or hides the fix for y under a service bulletin, and so on.

 

[strelnik]

That's why you always take friends with you, when you go to the dealer. They can eat all the free food and walk away with all the extra Keurig cups.


The universe lets them get away with this, lol.

 

[smark]

Only recalls on my 08 were........ the first 4 were performed in 09.

Transmission software update. Twice, free.
B pillar door sill identification sticker replaced
Owners manual was replaced with a update one. Free
Smart replaced the car battery, vehicles with comfort package. Free.
Engine insulation blanket recall.

 

[Miss Mercedes]

Only recalls on my 08 were........ the first 4 were performed in 09.

Transmission software update. Twice, free.
B pillar door sill identification sticker replaced
Owners manual was replaced with a update one. Free
Smart replaced the car battery, vehicles with comfort package. Free.
Engine insulation blanket recall.

All of those but the engine mat one are not recalls, but service bulletins. IIRC, service bulletins are not required to be free fixes if the car's no longer in warranty. The only actual recalls for 2008 fortwos are the engine mats and the tridion cell paint on 49 or so cars.