Mercedes Benz warranty issue

[tony1958]

I recently bought a Mercedes Benz sprinter chassis,to have converted to an ice cream van.It has a computer to advise when a service is due.

After 3000 miles the service message came on.The service garage, agree that there is a fault with the computer.However mercedes are refusing to replace the computer unit.They argue that the driving style is the reason the service message is being displayed.I know other ice cream traders with the same van and same driving conditions,most cover 7000 to 9000 miles between services.Any help or advice welcome.

Edited January 30, 2014 by tony1958

[Daz1979]

Did you buy the chassis new or used?

 

'Driving style' is just a term they use when they're trying to weasel their way out. 3000 miles between services is rubbish - what are they expecting if you cover say 10000 miles per year - 3 to 4 services a year?

 

Get 2 copies of an engineer's report from the service garage and recommendations on the van and send that to Mercedes UK head office. Just keep going higher until you get a result.

 

Failing that maybe there's a way that the computer can be reset or reprogrammed.

[robertjrt]

What was the Warranty given when you bought the chassis?

[j66]

Has the reminder come on due to time or mileage?, there's likely nothing wrong with it except that it wasn't reset just prior to you taking delivery of it, it's probably been counting down the days to a service since it left the factory. When was it built? If so it just needs programming with the days and mileage it should be serviced at.

[tony1958]

Thanks for the advise,the garage has updated the soft ware on the computer, but it is still the same.I am going to ask them to do a report and then get intouch with mercedes again.

[tony1958]

Forgot to say,the chassis was bought new,it was then converted to an ice cream van.

[psyduck]

Why was the Service Centre not able to simply reset the Service Indicator? If they are approved by Mercedes they have the STAR system which will allow them to reset the indicator, updating the software will not make a difference to this fault. If they are not it's no wonder Mercedes aren't rolling over as they cannot actually prove it is faulty due to not having the proper equipment at their garage.

[heliosuk]

Software updates are quite common to address issues such as this, the same as one company I know has just issued an update to address a not too dissimilar issue. It could be though that the system is reading correctly as it does not only rely on the number of start/stops, miles done or time but other things like the operating temperatures achieved, viscosities and above all the amount of time spent at idle. If the vans cooling systems for the ice cream are driven from the engine then that's a bit of a clue.

[tony1958]

Thankyou for your replies I take onboard that the service light may come on because the van only does short distances,therefore the oil temperature doesn't reach the ideal operating temp.Ihave spoken to people in the trade ,who do the same work in their vans,they get approximately 8000 miles between services,which seems more reasonable taking everything in consideration.