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Hi, I have an A class, bought less than a year old with 6000 miles on the clock which now has 37000 miles and the dealer tells me it needs a new gearbox. As the vehicle is only worth £5500 and the repairs are quoted @£5000 I am in a dilemma. Investigation on the internet reveals that these cars have a problem with the automatic gearbox . I would like the dealer/mercedes to assist with the cost but no joy. I am now considering taking the dealer to court under the Sale of Goods Act as 37000 miles by a 50year old female driver does not seem to qualify under the "durability" test. I can't use Small Claims as Northern Ireland has a £2000 limit.
Apparently to get another engineer to test would cost half the repair cost as the gearbox is difficult to remove. Anyone any suggestions?
The first 6 months after purchase the ownership is on the dealer/trader to prove that the problem wasn't there, when you bought it. After that its your responsibility. But 3 years down the line....
Like you say, the costs to get this investigated nearly outweigh having it repaired! It would be a long and difficult case to judge durability involving specialist mechanics, metalurgists (maybe) and other professionals. You'd end up footing the bill for all this, and then 'hope' to get recompence through the courts.
I'd wish you all the luck in the world, but in my opinion (what its worth - probably nothing to a stranger!) you'll be well out of pocket and time.
Take the car to an independent garage and get a diagnosis (to see if they match up) and a quote to put it right - they're usually cheaper than dealers. That might save you some brass
i also have probems with my A160 mercerdes gearbox. I have had garages test and they all agree a valve has gone which means it has to be reconditioned and has only 75000 miles on clock. the car is not worth the repair so I have continued to run it although has a loss of power in lower gears. I often get a smell of burning which if I turn engine off and restart goes away. I have also through research discovered that sometimes the problem is not gearbox but caused by ecu. see lofty's page.
Mercedes A class automatic gearbox problems
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