Service Measures

What is a Service Measure?

• Service measures are to be carried out secretly as per the instructions included within the measure. In the case of the SBC failure, according to the measure dtd.14-05-2004, “Only if a customer has heard of the international controversy” must he be informed of the “service measure”, otherwise tricks like “free monsoon camp etc.” are to be used. Even our own request to carry out the SBC braking measures in the customers house immediately, was refused !!!
• “Service Measures” have completion deadlines of one year or more and were often further extended to allow dealers to attend to cars without information to customers (“on customers next visit” is the code used). Simultaneously dealers are fooled by language such as “defects have been noted, but no damage to customer is reported”.
• Some measures (three so far as we know) are to be carried out with a letter inviting the car specially, but in these cases the customer is to be given a pre-formatted letter where the risk is totally hidden. For example in the case of the crank shaft position sensor failure, the customer is told that the sensor can fail preventing the car from starting while in related “service information” it is agreed that the sensor can fail at any moment which can cause a running engine to stall ! In the case of the SBC failure where our own car had two severe brake failures and we demanded an investigation, the customer was totally misinformed by the statements “increase braking distance” when in actual fact the defect was as good as a total brake failure which we had pointed out twice.
• On one occasion, turbo chargers of cars were removed by us under instructions to inform the customer that “he had won a lucky draw” and would get a free inspection (Dtd. 28-03-2002). We were kept in the dark by being informed that the turbocharger was being removed for analysis whereas such a story is not likely in any company which could analyse any number of components from their enormous internal fleet etc. Is this the behaviour of a civilized company?
• Clutch pedals of various models were known to stick while driving. A most ineffective measure of fitting a heat shield was tried for years, endangering many lives and surely causing death in some cases and later new insulated clutch cylinders were offered secretly by the measure of 23-3-2001 (information dtd.19-4-2011). In the documents, full knowledge of the “risks and liabilities” is admitted, yet a long period is provided so that replacements can be done on a casual basis, instead of by an immediate publicly announced recall campaign. When we found the same defect in a model not mentioned in the affected model list, the defect was not accepted for two years. Finally, after violating that customers rights by cutting the underbody to “let in air” and trying all other methods, a replaced clutch OF MODIFIED DESING was offered!!! Even though this proved the customers point, to this day no clarification has even been received as to why the remedy was delayed for two years, raising the risk of death of customer.
• Many “service measures” have been re-released with new work instructions, new models affected or new Chassis Numbers included. It is baffling that a company making such tall claims has continued to produce defects for years, as can be shown in the chronological list of “service measures”, where some corrections done in a given year for example are repeated for cars made some years later.
• Lists of cars affected have been provided so that cars can be attended to quietly. However errors have always been pointed out and as a result many customers have never received remedies, even for life threatening defects. The secrecy of Mercedes Benz, due to their shame at the sheer number of rectifications carried out by dealers (for what would have been done in the factory), has further endangered the customers.
  Customers have been deceived and dealers were “warned” not to include any mention of “service measures” in customer’s copies of workshop documents. Separate records were to be maintained for service measures to “prepare for litigation” as stated in the warning letter. Threats were also issued that if “service measures” were not carried out as per instructions the customer’s warranty policy would be cancelled for the entire car and the dealer would be “penalized”.
• The techniques used in India are employed worldwide and the failures are universal. As a result the policy of “silent/ Secret Service Measures” is followed in all countries.
• However the list of defects enclosed is, by no means a complete one. And many failures were addressed on a need to know basis only when inexplicable defects were conveyed by our technicians.
• In recent times, we have also come across various portals and sites on the internet, which amply demonstrate the fact that owners and users of these vehicles have encountered these problems all over the world but have received zero response from the company.
• We are enclosing a set of documents including instruction called “SERVICE MEASURES” and “SERVICE INFORMATION”. A detailed analysis of the enclosed documents will prove that Mercedes Benz India and its parent Daimler AG have habitually and pre-meditatedly violated the safety of their customers and increased the risk to their lives.