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Marco Polo and Horizon roof blistering questionnaire

I did ask the warranty manager what happens if the new roof starts blistering again and my MP is out of warranty. He said because it's an ongoing problem, he will take it up with MB and they will honour the warranty. Whether his words carry any weight, I don't know.

It was because we were getting such inconsistent responses from MB and their dealers that this thread was started. Let’s hope that he is right.


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This is the response I got from MB UK to the question I posed about warranty should the new roof go the same way,

‘Having contacted your local retailer Mercedes-Benz of Southampton, I can confirm the relevant parts have been ordered for the repair to your Marco Polo roof. The Senior Service Manager has confirmed he has been in contact with you regarding the repair case, and the repair will be completed under your manufacturer's 3 year warranty.

As the roof is not part of the metal bodywork of the vehicle, this is not subject to the 30 year paintwork perforation warranty. The roof is a part supplied by Westfalia for the Marco Polo and therefore has the 3 year warranty only.

When repairs are required outside of the warranty period, the repairs and components benefit from a 2 year part warranty if the customer contributes towards the cost of the part. However, please be advised the warranty does not cover damage caused by external influences.

You may speak to your local retailer Mercedes Benz of Southampton who can confirm the warranty with you.

If you are unhappy with this final decision or feel this matter is unresolved, you can seek advice with a CTSI Certified Alternative Dispute Resolution provider, including The Motor Ombudsman who may be able to resolve your complaint in appropriate circumstances. Details can be found at www.themotorombudsman.org, or alternatively their telephone number is 0345 241 3008 selecting option 1.

Kind regards’

I will be seeking clarification on a couple of the points made.
 
This is the response I got from MB UK to the question I posed about warranty should the new roof go the same way,

‘Having contacted your local retailer Mercedes-Benz of Southampton, I can confirm the relevant parts have been ordered for the repair to your Marco Polo roof. The Senior Service Manager has confirmed he has been in contact with you regarding the repair case, and the repair will be completed under your manufacturer's 3 year warranty.

As the roof is not part of the metal bodywork of the vehicle, this is not subject to the 30 year paintwork perforation warranty. The roof is a part supplied by Westfalia for the Marco Polo and therefore has the 3 year warranty only.

When repairs are required outside of the warranty period, the repairs and components benefit from a 2 year part warranty if the customer contributes towards the cost of the part. However, please be advised the warranty does not cover damage caused by external influences.

You may speak to your local retailer Mercedes Benz of Southampton who can confirm the warranty with you.

If you are unhappy with this final decision or feel this matter is unresolved, you can seek advice with a CTSI Certified Alternative Dispute Resolution provider, including The Motor Ombudsman who may be able to resolve your complaint in appropriate circumstances. Details can be found at www.themotorombudsman.org, or alternatively their telephone number is 0345 241 3008 selecting option 1.

Kind regards’

I will be seeking clarification on a couple of the points made.
I have separately emailed Rob Halloway and Sam Johnson about warranty matters after the end of the 3 year warranty.
 
Surly consumer protection kicks in regarding what would be a "reasonable" expectation for a car roof to last?
18 months and then cosmetic damage due to an unknown cause, but suspected manufacturing defects is unreasonable, as anyone would reasonably expect it to last longer than this period.
It cant be a problem related purely to the UK market?
Maybe some negative attention and photos on the main MB twitter accounts and tags etc on social media. This often galvanizes a company.
 
Surly consumer protection kicks in regarding what would be a "reasonable" expectation for a car roof to last?
18 months and then cosmetic damage due to an unknown cause, but suspected manufacturing defects is unreasonable, as anyone would reasonably expect it to last longer than this period.
It cant be a problem related purely to the UK market?
Maybe some negative attention and photos on the main MB twitter accounts and tags etc on social media. This often galvanizes a company.
It's not limited to the UK, it's everywhere, including Australia.
I'm hoping that we have galvanised them already.
 
This is the response I got from MB UK to the question I posed about warranty should the new roof go the same way,

‘Having contacted your local retailer Mercedes-Benz of Southampton, I can confirm the relevant parts have been ordered for the repair to your Marco Polo roof. The Senior Service Manager has confirmed he has been in contact with you regarding the repair case, and the repair will be completed under your manufacturer's 3 year warranty.

As the roof is not part of the metal bodywork of the vehicle, this is not subject to the 30 year paintwork perforation warranty. The roof is a part supplied by Westfalia for the Marco Polo and therefore has the 3 year warranty only.

When repairs are required outside of the warranty period, the repairs and components benefit from a 2 year part warranty if the customer contributes towards the cost of the part. However, please be advised the warranty does not cover damage caused by external influences.

You may speak to your local retailer Mercedes Benz of Southampton who can confirm the warranty with you.

If you are unhappy with this final decision or feel this matter is unresolved, you can seek advice with a CTSI Certified Alternative Dispute Resolution provider, including The Motor Ombudsman who may be able to resolve your complaint in appropriate circumstances. Details can be found at www.themotorombudsman.org, or alternatively their telephone number is 0345 241 3008 selecting option 1.

Kind regards’

I will be seeking clarification on a couple of the points made.
Hi Blackrat, can you give a rough estimate of when you received this notification and from whom at MBUK? Cheers
(I'm hoping this is before RFT had his breakthrough with MB and we were formally allocated a person to deal with everything)
 
Hi Blackrat, can you give a rough estimate of when you received this notification and from whom at MBUK? Cheers
(I'm hoping this is before RFT had his breakthrough with MB and we were formally allocated a person to deal with everything)
Hi,
The email was from Harry Clarke at MB UK. He describes himself as a customer service manager!!!
The email was received on Tuesday this week.
 
This is the response I got from Harry Clarke yesterday. He is saying that any warranty on a replacement roof will only last for the length of the cars warranty.


‘I apologise if my explanation was not clear. To confirm, if your Marco Polo roof is repaired or replaced within your 3 year manufacture warranty period, this work is valid until the end of your original warranty. In your case, any repair or replacement would have warranty valid until 17/06/2022. All repair work is completed to the approved Mercedes-Benz standard.

If your Marco Polo roof is subject to any blistering after 17/06/2022, you as a customer would be liable for the cost of repair or replacement. As the roof is a part supplied by Westfalia and not Mercedes-Benz bodywork, any future repair or replacement would then benefit from a 2 year warranty period.

Any future circumstances where blistering occurs, please refer to your local Mercedes-Benz retailer. An independent review and analysis will take place, where the appropriate decision will be made dependant on the results. This is different for each customer, and is a case by case basis where we are unable to provide a blanket response to all.

Please feel free to contact me again if you have any questions regarding my response. ‘
 
I'm having a conversation with Harry sometime today to ask a number of general warranty questions!
I'm particularly concerned about customers who haven't looked at their roof since new and are now out of warranty.
Blisters are blisters and I find it unlikely in the extreme that our roof problems have differing causes.
 
I've just had a long chat with Harry Clarke. He tells me that there is an approved repair procedure, however, it sounds as though this is only where the blisters are few in number. I would suggest waiting longer so that a replacement is authorised.
Harry is not aware of a change of manufacture which has resulted in serial numbers on the roofs from September 2020 and he will investigate this.
As per the posting above, MB are not authorising work at their expense after expiry of warranty. I have advised that this is unexceptable, it is a known worldwide problem and they need to take it on the chin. Harry will go away and talk to MB Germany and get back to me. In the meantime I will email Rob and Sam and bring them up to date.
 
Just been informed by dealership a new roof has been approved , now awaiting the call to book in at bodyshop , dealership checked the number written on previous roof , the number apparently was not under the right hand side of front of roof
 
Just been informed by dealership a new roof has been approved , now awaiting the call to book in at bodyshop , dealership checked the number written on previous roof , the number apparently was not under the right hand side of front of roof
That seems to have taken a little while to get approval, wasn't it around the 1st or 2nd week in Feb you sent your MP in for inspection?
But very pleased for you all the same, hopefully this will get it finally sorted.
 
That seems to have taken a little while to get approval, wasn't it around the 1st or 2nd week in Feb you sent your MP in for inspection?
But very pleased for you all the same, hopefully this will get it finally sorted.
I raised the issue in December with dealership , l told them l did not want a 3rd replacement that would blister ,as warranty runs out at end of Dec 2020. He said it would get fully investigated by the technical dept , came back after checking serial nos that mine was an old roof , fingers crossed for the next roof being good, incidentally Mercedes UK denied any issued and gave me impression not interested , that why l pushed with dealership for an answer
 
I had my roof replaced about a month ago by Merc Blackpool, they confirmed by email that there is a 12m warranty on this.
My vehicle warranty expires in Oct/Nov this year
I will keep a close look at the roof up until about April next year.
Merc Blackpool were good to deal with may I add
 
I had my roof replaced about a month ago by Merc Blackpool, they confirmed by email that there is a 12m warranty on this.
My vehicle warranty expires in Oct/Nov this year
I will keep a close look at the roof up until about April next year.
Merc Blackpool were good to deal with may I add
Thanks for the update Mark, keep us all informed and if you haven't already feel free to update the roof questionnaire.
 
I washed mine on Sunday after being out in the wet and a muddy field, and checked for blisters - none found. So the new roof is ok so far.
 
No roof blisters yet but since we have started to use the MP more I'm getting a creaking sound from above the kitchen area, and since the roof was replaced. I've sat in the back whilst being driven to try to locate the source, and eliminate cupboards/draws/contents etc, but it isn't any of the usual suspects. It seems to be above the windows or the pillar near the fridge. I've had the roof up and down a few times so really not sure. I think a trip back to MB.
 
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