Dealership dispute leaves nurse without vehicle after braking failure

A Warrington dealership is allegedly withholding a vehicle following a technical fault that caused water ingress to damage electrical control units

Dealership dispute leaves nurse without vehicle after braking failure
Image: Google Streetview

Melanie Cotton, a community nurse from Wigan, has been in a five-month dispute with Mercedes Warrington after the brakes on her EQC 400 failed. An inspection revealed that faulty sunroof seals caused water ingress, damaging the electrical systems responsible for braking.

The vehicle was subject to a 2020 recall for this issue, and Mercedes-Benz UK states remedial work was completed in 2022. However, Ms Cotton disputes the effectiveness of the repair, stating:

“If the work had been carried out during that particular recall, it has not been done successfully because further down the line it has caused me to be in this situation, whereby the brakes failed with my kids in the car and now the car having such significant damage.”

The dealership has requested payment of £17,569 for repairs, plus investigation fees. Mercedes-Benz UK claims the vehicle is outside its three-year manufacturer warranty and that the used car warranty does not cover water ingress.

The finance provider, MotoNovo, has refused a refund under the Consumer Rights Act, offering only voluntary termination. Ms Cotton noted:

“This means we would lose the entire £30,000 we have already paid (deposit plus all monthly payments to date) and still end up with no car at all through no fault of our own.”

Ms Cotton describes the situation as a “nightmare” that has left her without transport for her work as a health visitor. Mercedes-Benz UK suggested the matter must be addressed by MotoNovo Finance or escalated to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Source: Warrington Guardian

4 Comments

  1. All types of vehicles will, at some point, suffer failures. However, given that this issue has already been the subject of a recall notice, there is clearly an underlying issue with the design, and therefore Mercedes should, as a matter of course, repair the vehicle and determine that the recall action is an effective remedy, as clearly this could have long-term safety issues for other EQ owners.

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  2. Mercedes Warrington are not doing themselves any favours here.
    No one seems to care about reputation any more ⚠️

    Reply
  3. If, all the facts presented are correct, the customer without question, is right! Its appalling that the dealership and the manufacturer hide behind the terms of the warranty. A three year old car should not have water ingress unless the drain holes are blocked – and that would be a service item and chargeable! They SHOULD support the customer, further any repair that can cost so much is mind boggling. Maybe this confirms that all the technological advancement the automotive world is delivering, is great – until it goes wrong! There will be countless garage proprietors that can provide stories of horrendous repair costs, we recently became aware that a Range Rover headlight was circa £4,000, and a wiring loom for a V W Up was a similar price which sent the car to the scrap yard – tragic for many reasons..!

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  4. What year is the car and when did she buy it ?. Depending on the answers, I would think she absolutely would have a case under the Consumer Rights Act. As Mercedes have recalled cars for this fault, it’s obviously a design fault which was present when she bought the car. Regardless of the Warranty, the Consumer Rights Act states that ‘the goods’ need to last a ‘reasonable’ length of time

    Reply

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