Brazilian Mercedes disobeys parent company and denies extended warranty

Gasoline problem. Either adulterated or with a lot of ethanol. This was how Mercedes dealerships in Brazil explained the premature wear of the seat and in the guide of the exhaust valve in the cylinder heads of the M260 or M264 engines applied in the A, CLA, GLA or GLB models produced between 2019 and 2022. In other words, neither they nor the factory were responsible for the problem. Specialized workshops in São Paulo (High Torque chain) and in Minas Gerais (Autocentro Bosch Confiar, in Contagem) received cars with this defect in the cylinder head and decided to investigate. The truth soon came out, as the brand’s headquarters in Germany had already instructed dealers to extend the warranty of these engines to 15 years or 150 thousand miles (241 thousand km).

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And in Brazil? The factory, consulted, refused to answer the question raised by our newsroom. Dealerships, consulted, explained that, when the car arrives with this problem, “the solution is examined one by one”. Which can be an extended warranty and the car owner does not pay for the repair, or a “courtesy” of 50% of the value, or Mercedes does not charge for the new cylinder head but the customer pays the labor of the exchange to the dealership.

It is hypocritical to charge even a penny for the repair of a defect caused by a manufacturing error confessed by the headquarters in Germany. As it was not a safety problem, a recall of the vehicles involved was not carried out. But, recognizing the problem and the possibility of increased exhaust emissions due to the irregular operation of the engine, the factory recommends repair at no cost to the car owner, through a Technical Bulletin.

What caused all this problem? The cylinder head has both intake and exhaust valves. The seat (where the exhaust valve rests) showed premature wear. However, usually at a higher mileage from 50 km, when the car – theoretically – is no longer in the warranty period. The symptoms are irregular functioning, failure to idle, loss of performance, etc. In an even more serious situation, the part that comes loose can cause damage to the pistons and cylinders. Irregular combustion also causes an increase in the level of exhaust gas emissions.

Mercedes-Benz in Brazil is especially attentive to its heavy vehicles (trucks and buses), but not to cars. Not least because it has already tried to produce them here twice, without success: the A-Class in Juiz de Fora (between 1999 and 2005) and the GLA SUV and the C-Class in Iracemápolis from 2016 until 2020 when it deactivated the factory. In fact, it was later sold to the Chinese GWM. Currently, the German brand is no more than a third place in the luxury car segment in Brazil, behind BMW in first and Volvo in second.

The Brazilian subsidiary’s inattention extends to the owner’s manuals: it takes advantage of the edition for Portugal that does not recommend the supply of gasoline with an ethanol content above 10%. When ours was already 27% (E27).

The NHTSA (US government security agency) received complaints about this failure and issued this statement:

Warranty Extension: Mercedes-Benz has acknowledged this defect and issued an extended warranty covering the [cylinder head](index:0.6.2, 0.6.3) for up to 15 years/150,000 miles in affected vehicles (such as the A-Class, CLA, GLA, and GLB). Contact a local dealership with your VIN to check your specific coverage.

In a direct translation, the US entity says that:

Extended Warranty: Mercedes-Benz has acknowledged this defect and granted a warranty extension covering the cylinder head for up to 15 years or 150,000 miles on affected vehicles (such as Class A, CLA, GLA and GLB). Contact a local dealer with the chassis number (VIN) to verify the specific coverage of your vehicle.