my 2014 B Class is a lemon, HUGE ripoff

[lensovet]

I don't think 99% of the owners have to dispose their cars, it's more likely that those who have issues are the ones that we can keep reading about

I didn’t say 99% of owners. I said 99% of owners who get the workshop message.

 

[lensovet]

Fixing the motor costs between 1.5k-6k depending on where in the world you are

This also is bananas. No dealer fixes the motor; they replace it wholesale. That’s a $16-20k repair depending on where you are. Even QC Charge, which does rebuilds, is apparently charging over $7k per a recent post.

 

[lensovet]

I had only my battery 'service' done (the 8th and final one on a 16 plate) just last month at Mercedes (UK). No main service done (they wanted over £400 for a 'B' service!). They wanted to charge £119 for the battery service (or around that amount) and it's just replacing 2 battery dessicant cartridges accessed under the rear panel, and it took them just over 2 hours. So, the battery warranty is maintained without having an A or B service, or so it seems, which is actually contradictory to their T&C's, but I didn't say anything.. Anyway, they didn't charge me a penny for it after checking.

I asked for the old cartridges (you can refresh them and re-use them or replace the silicant in them) and when I asked why I hadn't been given them I was told "Due to health and safety, used parts may be a fire hazard and therefore have to be disposed by us".

Keeping the old parts is standard and the cost of the repair includes the fact that they might recoup something from recycling them. Battery warranty TC never required doing A or B service, it was always just the battery check and desiccant replacement which should always be free of charge. I had issues with this in 2016 and 2017 (the original advisors never understood this but I stood my ground and by checkout I never had to pay), but by 2018 it was fairly standard (though some advisors were still clueless and I had to refer them to previous years’ records).

 

[nrkmann]

There is no A & B service for the B electric. Here in the US a service costs me about $140 at the dealership. Ask you dealer for a printout of the two services, go to your maintenance book or online. Now the dealer will also try and upsell you to wiper blades, brake fluid change, etc. Last time they tried to sell me tires that were no where near the wear bars. The desiccant filter(s) cost me $80 and the labor is about $120.

 

[jjo]

This also is bananas. No dealer fixes the motor; they replace it wholesale. That’s a $16-20k repair depending on where you are. Even QC Charge, which does rebuilds, is apparently charging over $7k per a recent post.

That's why I said, "depending where you are in the world". I know that there are specialised workshops rebuilding this motor for as low as €1500 in Europe. QC Charge apparently charges a huge premium for their services and probably one of the most expensive in the world (which is no surprise given their location). The total cost of parts for the rebuild is at around $500, not counting the coolant delete of course.

 

[lensovet]

The desiccant filter(s) cost me $80 and the labor is about $120.

This service should not cost anything if you’re still under your 8-year battery warranty.

There’s definitely A & B service as outlined in the service manual but 90% of the stuff on there is inspections and filter and wiper blade replacements.

 

[AlexRandall5]

Is the dessicant filter the most common failure in the B-class?

I had a 10 year service done just a few weeks ago and they replaced all kinds of stuff.. I assume this would be part of a ten year service.
What are other common problems folks have had.

 

[jjo]

Is the dessicant filter the most common failure in the B-class?

I had a 10 year service done just a few weeks ago and they replaced all kinds of stuff.. I assume this would be part of a ten year service.
What are other common problems folks have had.

The desiccant filter is not a reason for failure, I think Mercedes-Benz just "invented" this consumable so they can still charge for something in place of oil change on ICEs. It's a Tesla battery but Tesla cars don't have such filter, interestingly.
The most common failure of this car must be coolant leaking into the motor, causing a complete motor failure if not caught early (you can find plenty of conversations on this forum related to this error.

 

[asavage]

The Model S/X has no dessicant in the HV battery case. MB added that feature to their implementation.

Toyota installed a small, noisy, low-volume air pump (not a fan) on the top of the battery case that runs during charging, presumably to circulate a small amount of air through the battery and keep the humidity/moisture level down. Mine is notable in that its sound became became intermittent a few months ago, and it's now completely silent. The pack has to be dropped to service it, and of course no replacement is available from either Tesla nor Toyota.

At least MB's engineering is somewhat serviceable.