A rat-chewed wire has left a Rs 1-crore Mercedes-Benz stranded in a Thane workshop for nearly three months, with no repair in sight until at least December.
Skin specialist Dr Amit Karkhanis and his gynaecologist wife, Dr Anagha Karkhanis, have been waiting since August for the repair of their EQE 500 4MATIC.
After they sent repeated emails, the service team informed them that they were manufacturing its replacement wiring harness in Germany and it would arrive only by the last week of December. Meanwhile, the couple continues to pay Rs 2.5 lakh in monthly EMIs, with no courtesy car to fall back on.
The delay has disrupted their professional and personal commitments, particularly as they are currently staying in Thane while their Andheri home undergoes renovation. Dr Karkhanis, director of Dr Tvacha, said he and his wife need the car to commute between Thane and Bandra for work.
“Mercedes-Benz and Landmark just don’t seem to care. Both my wife and I need the car to commute between Thane and Bandra, and this issue is also affecting our work,” he said.
Wiring damage and delayed repairs
In July 2024, Landmark Cars’ Thane workshop took the car on August 27 after rodents reportedly damaged its wiring. Although the insurance company immediately approved the repair, they told the couple that the replacement harness was vehicle-specific and had to be ordered from Germany.
“I bought my Mercedes-Benz for about Rs 1 crore. I paid for the car, and I paid for the Mercedes-Benz name and the service promise that comes with it. My insurance company immediately approved the repair. Landmark has now told me the car will be with them for about three months,” he said.
Dr Karkhanis said the dealer had neither agreed to provide a replacement vehicle of the same class nor committed to a delivery date.
“My warranty and insurance cover keep running out on a car that’s sitting idle in a workshop. On top of that, I’m paying for another car out of my own pocket just to get to work,” he said, adding that he had to book a cab during a medical emergency.
The brand let couple down
His wife said the couple felt let down after they trusted the brand with their hard-earned money.
“We worked hard for years to buy this car. We trusted the Mercedes-Benz name with our hard-earned money. She expressed her helplessness about the dealership telling her ‘three months’ with no date and no replacement car, as if they expected us to be grateful to wait.”
When contacted, Shefali Shinde, General Manager – Customer Experience CS at Landmark Cars Limited, the Mercedes-Benz dealer in Maharashtra, explained that rodents had damaged the vehicle-specific wiring harness and that they had ordered a replacement from Germany. “It will take time, hopefully by last week of December.
Availability of courtesy vehicles
On the demand for a courtesy vehicle, Shinde said that the company generally provides such cars to customers whose vehicles are under warranty. She added that this case falls under the accidental category and that all courtesy cars are occupied due to the festive season.
“Like in past, we would have provided a courtesy car to the customer but due to the festive season, our courtesy cars are occupied,” she said.
Content contributed by Diwakar Sharma, reported from Thane, Maharashtra, India, sourced by mumbaimirror.com