[...] I’m on my third windshield after rock chips/cracks. The two previously replaced windows both done at MB facilities. I get a call from dealer that they noticed rust on a a pilar. Now, it’s been in the shop three days and they’ve made no move to repair. They state that it happened and one of the other facilities and that they’re not responsible.
Ok, I ask how they’ll find out who was responsible? They’re not sure they say. So, my can sits in limbo. Gosh, I think MB is making a real mistake here from a customer service standpoint. Or is it just me? Service manager says they’re not going to pay for it. I understand to some degree, but what about how this effects the brand? The whole repair is less than $500!
I only tell you, the reader, because I’m curious if I’m out of bounds on this? Am I expecting too much?
Here is my understanding and expectation for a situation like this:
Mercedes Benz doesn't have facilities in the US; they have dealers. Each dealer, unless part of a group of dealers, is it's own independent business. They have a business relationship with Mercedes-Benz that allows them to use the Mercedes name, sell Mercedes vehicles as "new" vehicles, and to make repairs under Mercedes warranty for which they can be reimbursed by the factory (as long as they make the repair in line with Mercedes requirements).
If you have a repair to a warrantied part done at one dealer, you can probably get the work redone (if necessary) at any other dealer, as long as you are in the factory warranty period, because the second dealer will just do the repair and bill Mercedes as long as they do the work in line with Mercedes requirements. However, Mercedes doesn't provide a warranty for repairs outside of their warranty done by a business that happens to be a Mercedes dealership any more than they would provide a warranty for repairs done by a 3rd party business like LinDen Automotive and Engineering in Colorado (just to pick a name at random).
Your van's windshield replaced was replaced twice before, at two different businesses. Now a third business has been asked to replace the windshield. The third business has noticed damage to the vehicle that the third business apparently believes is outside of the factory warranty, and they have notified you of this pre-existing condition. They cannot reasonably complete the windshield replacement without fixing the pre-existing condition, but they are not financially responsible for the pre-existing condition. Until someone else takes financial responsibility (you, one of the other dealerships, or [under certain conditions perhaps] Mercedes) they can't repair the pre-existing condition unless they want to eat the cost themselves. I suspect that eating the cost themselves would erase most/all of the profit they expect to make from replacing the windshield, so they have no incentive to do so. They also have limited ability to query/accuse one of the other dealerships for fault in their work, as they don't have any relationship to those dealerships except through Mercedes.
At this point it would be probably be difficult for you to prove that one of the previous dealerships did something wrong when they replaced the windshield, although not necessarily impossible. If the second dealership (for example) didn't alert you to the damage before they replaced the windshield, and if now there is damage that could reasonably only have been caused by the second windshield replacement, then you may have a claim against them. A claim against the first dealership would be unlikely, given that the second dealership didn't identify any pre-existing conditions before they replaced the window the second time.
I wonder how much help you can expect from Mercedes on this issue? They don't own the dealerships, but they have a contractual relationship with each dealership that they might be able to leverage to get one of them to take financial responsibility. Alternatively Mercedes could decide as an act of good will to cover the cost themselves despite it not being a warranty item for which they have responsibility (for appearances sake, for example, to uphold the fine Mercedes name).
I'm not a lawyer, and I welcome any corrections to my understanding/expectations that may be forthcoming from those who know more than I.