Fluid Damage?

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SpeedDemon77

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Hello, my name is David and I own my own detailing business as many of you do. I recently detailed a 2011 Mercedes Benz GL450, about two days after the detail was completed he comes back to me and claims that his door lock is broken(internal, wont unlock) and his Vent is broken. I explained to him that the vent was already broken and that I have documentation of it being broken before the service began, I then stated that I understand and recommended him to take it to a mechanic and get it inspected to see what the cause was. He replies back about 3 days later that he had the vehicle serviced at a dealership and told them that he believes its fluid damage. I have washed a lot of cars, owned a few and done interior details on many. I have never heard of a lock short-circuiting after a detail. So today I called over 21 mechanics across the country(I will call more over the weekend) to get the most diverse answer possible, 1 gave no answer, 2 said that it is very possible, 12 said that its EXTREMELY unlikely but anything is possible and 6 said that it was impossible. Now I am willing to pay for what is broken, as much as it sucks. I just want to make sure it's actually my fault, it totaled up to $800.00 to fix it, he says he has the lock apparently so I haven't seen for myself if there are A. Burnt wires or B. corrosion, Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated.
 
If you google GL450 Door Lock Actuator, you get enough hits for it to be apparent it’s a pretty common problem for that car.

As a technician (independent BMW and Audi), unless you were pressure washing at the door lock, I find it hard to believe it was anything you did. Are there any independent Mercedes shops near you you could get a second opinion/price quote? We’re generally a lot cheaper than the dealer.
 
Its out of my hands and already was repaired through a dealer. It was also an interior detail the most aggressive thing i used was a steamer but i quickly brush over the door with it to loosen up dirt then i quickly wipe up as much moisture as possible. He claimed the door was ratteling and wouldn't open. I believe the mechanic wrote it up as fluid damage but im not 100% sure. Im just in disbelief.
 
The mechanic wrote it up as, cleaning fluid may have shorted the lock.
 
SpeedDemon77 said:
The mechanic wrote it up as, cleaning fluid may have shorted the lock.
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If this is truly the case, I'd have serious reservations on buying a MB of that model.

"Why are my door locks inoperable?"

You washed it.
 
SpeedDemon77 said:
Interior Detail, i apologize for not specifying.
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Ok, thanks for specifying.

As a mechanic myself, (Marine/small engines), I still find it unlikely unless you held the steam where it could penetrate for several seconds. JMO
 
Yeah, sounding like an unfortunate coincidence it happened after you touched it.

IMO, For an interior detail only - unless you shorted the switch, which overworked the motor, I’m just not buying it. Especially since the cars I’m used to have overheat protection for the door lock motors where it stops letting them cycle if you hit the locks too many times.

You could also try calling the Mercedes dealers parts departments nearby and see how many of those door latches they stock. If it’s more than a couple, there’s your answer...

Is he a tunnel wash club member? Those cars I do see with water intrusion issues from frequent high pressure washes.

The hard part of the situation is no matter the reality, to him it happened after you touched it, so it must be your fault.
 
As somebody in the other side of that business for many years, highly unlikely. I wouldn't even think about paying for it unless I was shown the damage during the repair process. He already tried to get over on your once with the vent, no doubt in my mind he's trying to get over on you again.
 
It’s a 7 year old car. Parts fail. Did he open the door when he picked the car up? I would let this one go to small claims court. Especially after he tried to make you pay for a vent he clearly broke.
 
You keep saying lock, but what part was actually replaced? Was it the actuator? The door lock switch? The computer that controls the locking (which I'm not sure is even located in the door)? Something else?
 
And it wouldn't be corrosion. Nothing corrodes from fresh water that quickly. I'm assuming you're using straight tap water in your steamer? I would really like a more technical explanation of exactly what the problem was (that's how a professional diagnoses a problem) and what parts were replaced. You also indicated that something was rattling. That makes me think that the actuator itself came loose from the lock mechanism. If that's the case, it was certainly not your fault in any way, shape or form.
 
Eldorado2k said:
If he had insurance, would it cover this?
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Very iffy. Comp doesn't cover mechanical or electrical breakdown, so again, he'd have to prove that the damage was caused by the "shop" doing the work. If he has a $500 deductible, he's going to eat that as well until the insurance company can get that from the shop. I'd think before you get the insurance company involved, you would need to be able to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they caused the damage.
 
sudsmobile said:
You keep saying lock, but what part was actually replaced? Was it the actuator? The door lock switch? The computer that controls the locking (which I'm not sure is even located in the door)? Something else?
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When I did a quick search, looks like the actuators (door latch assy) are potentially $400, so probably that. Steep labor charge if the whole thing was $800!
 
Unless the lock was really saturated, it seems pretty unlikely you caused the damage. And it's a bit suspect that he was trying to blame you for the damaged vent. Undoubtedly he knew about the vent prior to your detail. Also it doesn't seem logical that he already paid for the repair and is trying to recoup his loss unless the door was inoperable.
 
I use distilled water in my steamer. The write up by the mechanic says that there was an elec fault and the left rear door lock was replaced.
 
Sounds coincidental. It would have failed around that time detailed or not. It may have already failed before the job. You are a stand-up guy for taking the fall. I would not work for him again. If in fact he was trying to get stuff covered, he will do it again.
 
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