Roof paint blistering on older Marco Polo

[Dom]

I got my ‘67 plate Marco Polo in 2023. The roof pain was fine at the time. It has since developed some blistering. The local MB dealer has helpfully taken photos and sent them to MB UK. Local dealer was hopeful they would replace roof as low mileage and in good condition. MB UK has said it won’t replace roof as Marco Polo now 9 years old. I’m just wondering if there are any precedents of owners on here having roof blistering problem fixed by MB with an older van. Thanks in advance.

 

[Steve B]

Hi - highly unlikely on a old MP, the dealerships didn't like it and tried to get out of replacing roofs when they were in warranty!

 

[Dom]

Thanks Steve that’s helpful. I don’t want to waste energy if it’s unlikely they will support the repair. Dealership saying that it’s largely cosmetic and should never rust…….so hope that’s accurate.

 

[Pete S]

Hi Dom. We have a 2006 model bought 4 years ago, on which the roof has blistered, starting about 2 years ago. My guess is that the van lived in a garage until we bought it, but it has lived on the drive in the summer (and in a frozen garage in the winter) since then. Not ideal. I have had a paint shop look at it, and respray would be very expensive. The upside is that they also said it had no functional effect at all, we could just learn to live with it!

 

[Greens_Peace]

If you have a continues service record with Mercedes dealerships then in theory the paint warranty would cover this issue. The initial paint warranty lasts for one year from the date of purchase. After this period, the warranty can be extended by one year with each service performed at an authorized Mercedes-Benz dealer, potentially extending coverage up to 30 years in total

 

[Russdew]

I got my ‘67 plate Marco Polo in 2023. The roof pain was fine at the time. It has since developed some blistering. The local MB dealer has helpfully taken photos and sent them to MB UK. Local dealer was hopeful they would replace roof as low mileage and in good condition. MB UK has said it won’t replace roof as Marco Polo now 9 years old. I’m just wondering if there are any precedents of owners on here having roof blistering problem fixed by MB with an older van. Thanks in advance.

Good morning Dom, just out of interest was your Marco Polo purchased in West Wales? I sold my 67 plate MP there with the same problem showing early signs of this roof issue.

 

[Sailorman]

We have a 2017 MP and a few years ago had the roof replaced under warranty. This was originally reported in May 2021 when the van was just shy of 4 years old (and 8000 miles). I feel it is likely this is osmosis given the roof is GRP, but osmosis normally takes 25+ years to appear in boats so this is very early. Our roof had also cracked down the near side which I suspect was caused by raising the roof with an (empty) Thule roof box and the position of the roof bars relative to the raising levers. Sadly these roof panels are probably too thin and would benefit from beefing up particularly on the lower edge of the sides (which is the area likely to suffer the greatest tensile stress and in my case would have been the point at which the crack/split first appeared before propagating upward). Unfortunately the warranty on the new roof (as a spare) is only 12 months so if we get more blisters it's just tough. If it is osmosis then structurally this is unlikely to be a concern, it's just annoying and as with boats becomes a negotiating tool.

 

[JPD]

We have a 2017 MP and a few years ago had the roof replaced under warranty. This was originally reported in May 2021 when the van was just shy of 4 years old (and 8000 miles). I feel it is likely this is osmosis given the roof is GRP, but osmosis normally takes 25+ years to appear in boats so this is very early. Our roof had also cracked down the near side which I suspect was caused by raising the roof with an (empty) Thule roof box and the position of the roof bars relative to the raising levers. Sadly these roof panels are probably too thin and would benefit from beefing up particularly on the lower edge of the sides (which is the area likely to suffer the greatest tensile stress and in my case would have been the point at which the crack/split first appeared before propagating upward). Unfortunately the warranty on the new roof (as a spare) is only 12 months so if we get more blisters it's just tough. If it is osmosis then structurally this is unlikely to be a concern, it's just annoying and as with boats becomes a negotiating tool.

We have a 2018 MP and noticed roof bubbles a while ago. We have always had the MB extended warranty. I took my Vehicle to MB Southampton who examined and sent a warranty claim to MB. After 2 weeks came the reply that they would only offer a 25% “goodwill contribution. We have asked them to review their offer as MB Southampton had previously replaced roofs from what appears to be a relatively common issue on MP’s of a similar age. Any suggestions would be welcome. JD

 

[Sailorman]

We have a 2018 MP and noticed roof bubbles a while ago. We have always had the MB extended warranty. I took my Vehicle to MB Southampton who examined and sent a warranty claim to MB. After 2 weeks came the reply that they would only offer a 25% “goodwill contribution. We have asked them to review their offer as MB Southampton had previously replaced roofs from what appears to be a relatively common issue on MP’s of a similar age. Any suggestions would be welcome. JD

For me it was a painful process. Though originally reported to the dealer in Bury st Edmunds it got passed to Norwich as I believe they dealt with actually changing the roof. Fundamentally, if as I suspect this is osmosis then it is due to the use of inappropriate resins (as in boat building) and frankly there is no excuse for this give the issue has been well known in boats for 30+ years. I suspect the number of claims may justify a recall and I suspect that is what Mercedes corporate are trying to avoid. Ultimately I found Mercedes poor to deal with so if you get no further explanation of the apparently variable response/treatment you may have to resort to the small claims court, or just live with the blisters which as noted are rarely structural and largely cosmetic. Another route which is common in boats with just a few blisters would be to grind them out, wash, wash and dry and fill/paint. If osmosis you will notice a smell when popping a blister (can't quite remember what but you can google). Whether MB actually changed the layup and fixed the issue in later vans has yet to be determined.