How much to fix this rust spot on my Mercedes? PICS
- Thread starter ProV1
- Start date
Monte78Carlo2k1
New member
Well cant give you a price but after working in a body shop for two years. I know that it will have to be sande(a large portion to bare metal) then repainted. So if you take it to a busy shop you should only be out of a vehicle for maybe two or three days depending on how busy the shop is. Lucky you caugt it early so you wont need any replacement parts. Ball park in price I would esitmate a couple hundred w/materials to do the job, but most of it will be in labor.
LouisanaJeeper
New member
how old/milage is the mercedes. depending on how generous your dealership is it might be covered under warranty.
corrosion warranty is usually like 80k i think (but the fine print might say it only covers spots completely rusted through)
corrosion warranty is usually like 80k i think (but the fine print might say it only covers spots completely rusted through)
Absolute Detail
New member
See my post I have done less than 15k going to war on this.
imported_Yal
New member
It will cost you a couple of hundred I agree. Not to bad considering the horror stories I am hearing. Good luck getting it fixed cause that a beauty of an engine in there 
This is my 1988 W124. One single rust spot, not visible, under the trunk lip that I treated with Por 15, thats all in close to 200k miles of life, all original paint except the hood which was updated to the 94 style. In fact I didn't have rust in the undercarraige until I updated the suspension links in the back then the new links rusted on the surface. They don't build them like they use to.
This is my 1988 W124. One single rust spot, not visible, under the trunk lip that I treated with Por 15, thats all in close to 200k miles of life, all original paint except the hood which was updated to the 94 style. In fact I didn't have rust in the undercarraige until I updated the suspension links in the back then the new links rusted on the surface. They don't build them like they use to.
Attachments
Changeling
New member
PROV1, I think a good detailer could fix that (a couple 100 would be cheap). The area has to be sanded back to bare metal with something like 1500/2000 grit, some paint applied and allowed to dry, sanded, paint applied again/dry, sanded 2500/3000 grit and then polished out. That small of an area would be best polished out by hand.
To do it correctly this way and get it blended well would take some skill. What I said above would be darn near like treating it as a chip by making it a chip and then correcting it.
The above is one approach, but I doubt you're going to get any one to do it for a couple hundred $$. Maybe but doubtful.
The second method would be the one I highly recommend!!
Get the number for the manufacture call and complain like hell (don't cuss or threaten) , explain that you paid 83K for a 2001 vehicle that has 2 rust spots ready to break through, ask for a representative to meet you at the dealership (they don't like you going there with a rep) to discuss this outrageous situation. No action, write BBB and complain in a civilized manner, in writing!
Still no action (doubtful), post the letter you wrote to BBB in local paper.
This sounds like a lot but it really isn't. A good letter identifying the problem should take you maybe 30 minutes, the two phone calls lets say 15 minutes. So you have maybe an hour invested.
After you get it fixed, get off your donkey and come back to Autopia and learn how to properly take care of a 83K vehicle.
Good Luck.
Changeling
To do it correctly this way and get it blended well would take some skill. What I said above would be darn near like treating it as a chip by making it a chip and then correcting it.
The above is one approach, but I doubt you're going to get any one to do it for a couple hundred $$. Maybe but doubtful.
The second method would be the one I highly recommend!!
Get the number for the manufacture call and complain like hell (don't cuss or threaten) , explain that you paid 83K for a 2001 vehicle that has 2 rust spots ready to break through, ask for a representative to meet you at the dealership (they don't like you going there with a rep) to discuss this outrageous situation. No action, write BBB and complain in a civilized manner, in writing!
Still no action (doubtful), post the letter you wrote to BBB in local paper.
This sounds like a lot but it really isn't. A good letter identifying the problem should take you maybe 30 minutes, the two phone calls lets say 15 minutes. So you have maybe an hour invested.
After you get it fixed, get off your donkey and come back to Autopia and learn how to properly take care of a 83K vehicle.
Good Luck.
Changeling
tom p.
Active member
Pro, don't I know you from somewhere else? 
We've got a silver '02 wagon. Had rust in the same place, somewhat worse than what you're showing. Got the MBz dealer to cover under factory warranty. They (crudely) re-finished the entire tailgate.
We've got a silver '02 wagon. Had rust in the same place, somewhat worse than what you're showing. Got the MBz dealer to cover under factory warranty. They (crudely) re-finished the entire tailgate.
Accumulator
Well-known member
ProV1- The one by the upper r-hand corner of the plate should be a "touch-up type" repair IMO.
The other one is the sort of minor spot-in that my Porsche/Audi dealer would do for maybe $250 tops. Now they're not as good as the private body/paint guy I also use, but they're OK and they're expensive compared to him. So..if my *expensive* shop would fix it for half your quoted price, well your estimate would seem high to me :nixweiss
It's a small spot and it should be blendable. Shouldn't be a big deal if it's no worse than it appears to be. If the rust is really *deep*, let alone if it's through, then that'd be different, but I wouldn't expect that.
The other one is the sort of minor spot-in that my Porsche/Audi dealer would do for maybe $250 tops. Now they're not as good as the private body/paint guy I also use, but they're OK and they're expensive compared to him. So..if my *expensive* shop would fix it for half your quoted price, well your estimate would seem high to me :nixweiss
It's a small spot and it should be blendable. Shouldn't be a big deal if it's no worse than it appears to be. If the rust is really *deep*, let alone if it's through, then that'd be different, but I wouldn't expect that.
David Fermani
Forza Auto Salon
ProV1 said:
I just wrote an estimate based on the Mercedes dealer here in Palm Beach :bow , & I'm coming up with $490. I figured about 3 hours to completely sand down and repair the rust and paint the whole trunk lid. You really need to replace all 3 emblems when doing this repair. Re-gluing them is for hacks!! Send me you e-mail address and I'll give you my estimate. I really can't see how anyone can justify charging you $635???!!! No way in hell is blending of the 1/4's necessary. :nono
Thanks for the input guys.
This is what i'm doing. I've bitched & complained to MB USA headquarters on how a $83k 2001 Mercedes can have rust problems. We'll see if they step up to the plate and cover this.
If not, I'll cuss even more and I'll never buy another MB again in my life. Then I will just get a can of paint spray and some sandpaper, and do the job myself.
This is what i'm doing. I've bitched & complained to MB USA headquarters on how a $83k 2001 Mercedes can have rust problems. We'll see if they step up to the plate and cover this.
If not, I'll cuss even more and I'll never buy another MB again in my life. Then I will just get a can of paint spray and some sandpaper, and do the job myself.
David Fermani
Forza Auto Salon
Good Luck!! My friend has a 2003 S-Class(AMG) and both 1/4's, trunk and 1 fender are rusting and Mercedes won't do anything fo him?? Their stance is out of warranty = out of warranty. He went above the dealer's head and dealth with the regional customer service rep and they still said no. It's a real shame that out of all the vehicles out there, the most luxurious and expensive ones are rusting?
David Fermani said:
That friggin sucks. These Mercedes cars are a POS!! They look great, drive great, but their quality is in the $hitters. No wonder they get ranked below Kia & Geo in reliability ratings. I'm sorry for your friend. At least mine is limited to this tiny spot. Although sanding the paint down DIY on a $83k Mercedes sounds f##king crazy, I'll just get a sandpaper pen to grind down all the rust, spray on some rust converter, and then hit it with auto paint pen. Yeah it won't look perfect but it'll do. I'm keeping this car for max 2-3 yrs
Mercedes had some real quality problems starting in about 1998 (when mine was made) going into the mid 2000's. They're getting better now.
I just found the first rust spot on my ML today. It's got 164,000 miles on it though, and an ML is not $83K, so if I can find someone to fix it for $500 I'll just do it. FWIW it's not been as reliable as a Honda, but is still a pleasure to drive, and I'd take it cross country in a heartbeat.
I just found the first rust spot on my ML today. It's got 164,000 miles on it though, and an ML is not $83K, so if I can find someone to fix it for $500 I'll just do it. FWIW it's not been as reliable as a Honda, but is still a pleasure to drive, and I'd take it cross country in a heartbeat.
David Fermani
Forza Auto Salon
I had a 98 E320 and while my wife was driving both shock tower perches dropped out of it because they were completely rusted out. The shop who repaired it claimed that it was common among E-Classes. They covered it under my Star Mark warranty, so thank god!!! Good thing my wife wasn't driving and lost control. Just after that I sold the car and have never really wanted another one since(although I love the CLS).
imported_Yal
New member
David Fermani said:
Sorry to hijack :nervous:
Thats the horror stories I was referring too in my earlier post. I mean when was the last time you heard of a spring perch rusting off on a modern LUXURY car that is less than 10 years old. The spring perches on my old Benz will be 20 years old next year. I mean isn't that a thoroughly tested important part of any car, a piece that is suppose to take the stress of the weight of the car? If you have a W210 you better check those perches. It just absolutely boggles the mind whats going on at Mercedes the last 10 years.:nixweiss
If there is ever a company that is living proof on how well you can do based on past acclamations and public perception, this is it. Sad.
getright
New member
My brother had the same issue on his j30t, he had to go to a body guy that removed two spots that were considerably larger than yours for about 500. I wouldn't dismiss the 440 estimate so quickly, it is alot to spend on something that you've already spent a bunch on but you'll be alot happier with a professional job(i think but in no way is this guaranteed, they do call them stealerships for a reason). The only issue with a quick fix is the rust spreading, if these vehicles are already predisposed to rust, I would think that they would also be predisposed to premature rust spread, so when you sand it down it may be a good idea to sand down a little extra and apply rust inhibitor over the surrounding areas as well.