Mercedes owner 'horrified' to discover new battery will cost more than car is worth!

[itsnotoutthere]

A DRIVER was stunned to discover the cost to replace his Mercedes Benz's battery is £15,000 - more than the value of the vehicle itself.

Ranjit Singh, 63, bought the second-hand Mercedes Benz hybrid car four years ago, believing its lower CO2 emissions meant it was greener than the alternatives. The motorist, from Knighton, Leicester, bought it for £27,000 at a Mercedes Benz dealership.

But Ranjit learnt this week the battery had come to the end of its life after just eight years of motoring.

 

He claims he was quoted £15,000 for a battery replacement - excluding labour costs which he was quoted would be roughly around £200 an hour.

Speaking to Leicestershire Live, the dad said: "I have always been a Mercedes customer and loved the cars they produce and we bought the car for its reliability.

"I'm horrified by what has happened. I feel I now have just two options - scrap the eight-year-old car or spend more than it is worth.

"We checked on Auto Trader and it says the car value now stands at just £12,850."

Ranjit claimed he went to see a hybrid specialist who advised him there was nothing else he could do and that there was no cheaper repair available.

The specialist himself owned a 2018 Mercedes-Benz Hybrid and has the same problem, Mr Ranjit added.

https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/1556002/Mercedes-Benz-car-new-battery-price-Auto-Trader-Knighton-Leicester

I bet they never mentioned that in the brochure.

I think this 'saving the planet' malarkey is going to be expensive.

Edited January 27, 2022 by itsnotoutthere

[psyche101]

Blow it up like the Tesla guy did.

[psyche101]

Throw away cars now. 

Never liked the battery powered car idea. 

[psyche101]

[itsnotoutthere]

1 minute ago, psyche101 said:

Throw away cars now. 

Never liked the battery powered car idea. 

I agree, and personally I think unworkable, in the UK at least. We're having problems already trying to generate enough power to keep the lights on, whats going to happen when everybody needs to plug their car in overnight to get to work the next morning? Besides this is all supposed to be up & running by 2030, we have three massive car parks with 300 to 400 parking spaces dotted around our city, each of them have 6 electric charging points & there has been no sign of any effort to add any more.

[itsnotoutthere]

Also, Cobolt mining :-  Destroy the planet to save the planet.

Edited January 27, 2022 by itsnotoutthere

[the13bats]

Back when a few hybrids first came out here in the usa my dad was still here and went on a soapbox about its a great car until it needs a repair then forget about it, a shadetree or gearhead cant do most things to a hybrid so sure makes them an overpriced throw away novelty and they still pretty much are.

Its not just battery cars many cars not too old and if out of warranty if something like the trans goes out then haul the car to the junkyard.

 

[Buzz_Light_Year]

1 hour ago, itsnotoutthere said:

I think this 'saving the planet' malarkey is going to be expensive.

Same with wind turbine blades as there is only one company in the U.S. that recycles them and the rest end up in landfills.

Planned obsolescence or built to fail is another problem we face especially in electronics. This leads to more and more items ending up in landfills even though it's supposedly illegal to do so.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/apr/15/the-right-to-repair-planned-obsolescence-electronic-waste-mountain

Sorry for the rant but items ending up in landfills is just as much the fault of government as it is the consumer.

[itsnotoutthere]

21 minutes ago, Buzz_Light_Year said:

Same with wind turbine blades as there is only one company in the U.S. that recycles them and the rest end up in landfills.

Planned obsolescence or built to fail is another problem we face especially in electronics. This leads to more and more items ending up in landfills even though it's supposedly illegal to do so.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/apr/15/the-right-to-repair-planned-obsolescence-electronic-waste-mountain

Sorry for the rant but items ending up in landfills is just as much the fault of government as it is the consumer.

[Tatetopa]

It is not just Mercedes or even cars in general. It is not limited to electric or green stuff either. Look at the number of areas where "right to repair" has become a touch point.  Apple is one, reliable old John Deere is another. Farmers are pretty famous for being self-reliant and handy and they are pi**ed at John Deere because  so much on their new Deere  farm equipment requires a "technician " to come out and fix.  Farmers who wait two or three days during the middle of a harvest for a Deere technician to show up are furious and talking to state legislators about it in several states.  

It turns out that if you make very reliable and inexpensive objects, you work yourself out of a job.  Capitalism has found the answer,  unreliable stuff that only the manufacturer can fix or parts that cost many times their worth keep customers locked in.  They become renters instead of owners of their tractors, computers, or washing machines.

Not exactly a consumer friendly philosophy is it? 

[Dreamer screamer]

Going on the same theme.  A piston, one piston is worth £50,000.  £50,000 for one piston that belongs in a top formula racing car.    Because of precision it has to be this expensive.  

Most cars going for an MOT where the MOT costs more than the car.    Weird world.

Edited January 27, 2022 by Dreamer screamer

[Jon the frog]

10 hours ago, itsnotoutthere said:

Also, Cobolt mining :-  Destroy the planet to save the planet.

[Golden Duck]

On 1/27/2022 at 8:20 PM, itsnotoutthere said:

Also, Cobolt mining :-  Destroy the planet to save the planet.

What do you suggest, coal?

The choice of safer open cit mining versus under ground mining depends on the location of the mineral.

[itsnotoutthere]

49 minutes ago, Golden Duck said:

What do you suggest, coal?

The choice of safer open cit mining versus under ground mining depends on the location of the mineral.

As far as I know, you power an electric car on coal.

[Golden Duck]

42 minutes ago, itsnotoutthere said:

As far as I know, you power an electric car on coal.

Fantastic, what about your objection to open cut mining?

[Silver]

On 1/27/2022 at 5:45 PM, Tatetopa said:

It is not just Mercedes or even cars in general. It is not limited to electric or green stuff either. Look at the number of areas where "right to repair" has become a touch point.  Apple is one, reliable old John Deere is another. Farmers are pretty famous for being self-reliant and handy and they are pi**ed at John Deere because  so much on their new Deere  farm equipment requires a "technician " to come out and fix.  Farmers who wait two or three days during the middle of a harvest for a Deere technician to show up are furious and talking to state legislators about it in several states.  

It turns out that if you make very reliable and inexpensive objects, you work yourself out of a job.  Capitalism has found the answer,  unreliable stuff that only the manufacturer can fix or parts that cost many times their worth keep customers locked in.  They become renters instead of owners of their tractors, computers, or washing machines.

Not exactly a consumer friendly philosophy is it? 

Built- in obsolescence - that has been a real thing for decades. There has been efforts to end this (led by environmentalists, ironically,as they are concerend about landfill). White goods and small electrical appliances are "designed" to fail after 10 years. And TVs- as the market is saturated, manufacturers come up with new fads- silver coloured,then black, 3-d, led, oled, every few years there is a major move to ensure we feel the need to upgrade.

Edited January 30, 2022 by The Silver Shroud

[Silver]

On 1/27/2022 at 10:12 AM, itsnotoutthere said:

I agree, and personally I think unworkable, in the UK at least. We're having problems already trying to generate enough power to keep the lights on, whats going to happen when everybody needs to plug their car in overnight to get to work the next morning? Besides this is all supposed to be up & running by 2030, we have three massive car parks with 300 to 400 parking spaces dotted around our city, each of them have 6 electric charging points & there has been no sign of any effort to add any more.

It has not been thought through, has it? How are people in high-density housing going to find charge points? How will we afford the electricity?- millions in the UK will struggle to afford energy just to heat their homes this year. Unless it has been thought through and the long term plan is to do away with private cars for most of the population.

[+and-then]

On 1/28/2022 at 2:32 PM, Golden Duck said:

Fantastic, what about your objection to open cut mining?

Why have BOTH?  The point is that the environment is harmed by mining the elements for the battery, then harmed AGAIN by mining the coal.  

[Autochthon1990]

This is why you don't early adopt; the tech is still being refined and it's mostly a rich person's purchase at this point. Has time goes on, the prices will go down as the technology becomes more efficient, like it did with the original Model T cars. 

[godnodog]

Personally I would welcome horses and cows, elephants camels etc  back as means of transportation, because there is always a reason to trash technology.

The issue is the same everywhere, even if right to repair laws are in place companies can bypass them by designing components that makes it very expensive and hard to repair. 

The recycling is another issue, bot enough people recycle, and lots of the deposited material for recycle end up in landfills, sent to illegal recycle centers. Nevermind the incorrect amount of stuff people, due to ignorance, believe that can be recycled l, for example a pizza box soaked with fat can't be recycled (or so I read, but cannot confirmed).

Coal usage is still needed around the world, humanity kfc up in the late 19th century when capitalism decided to go oil over electrical, and when we discovered the harm being done all of it was called ecology  extremists, or not fully scientifically validated etc, even today we have this cv19 crap, flat earthers, brexitiers, trumpers, etc, basic stuff is contested at every chance.

Edited January 30, 2022 by godnodog

[XenoFish]

5 minutes ago, godnodog said:

Personally I would welcome horses and cows, elephants camels etc  back as means of transportation, because there is always a reason to trash technology.

The issue is the same everywhere, even if right to repair laws are in place companies can bypass them by designing components that makes it very expensive and hard to repair. 

The recycling is another issue, bot enough people recycle, and lots of the deposited material for recycle end up in landfills, sent to illegal recycle centers. Nevermind the incorrect amount of stuff people, due to ignorance, believe that can be recycled l, for example a pizza box soaked with fat can't be recycled (or so I read, but cannot confirmed).

Coal usage is still needed around the world, humanity kfc up in the late 19th century when capitalism decided to go oil over electrical, and when we discovered the harm being done all of it was called ecology  extremists, or not fully scientifically validated etc, even today we have this cv19 crap, flat earthers, brexitiers, trumpers, etc, basic stuff is contested at every chance.

Cycling could be an option in cities. Trash could be burnt instead of coal. I personally think tech needs to start lasting 20+ years. I don't need a new phone every time I'm told I need a new one. Kinda surprised that land lines haven't started making a come back.

[Golden Duck]

4 hours ago, and then said:

Why have BOTH?  The point is that the environment is harmed by mining the elements for the battery, then harmed AGAIN by mining the coal.  

That was not the point.  Save the feigned outrage.

The Frontier Mine is a copper mine.  Cobalt is a by product.

While no one is prepared to give up electricity or electronics. that mine will continue to operate.

[quiXilver]

Nothing green about those batteries.

[psyche101]

19 hours ago, Autochthon1990 said:

This is why you don't early adopt; the tech is still being refined and it's mostly a rich person's purchase at this point. Has time goes on, the prices will go down as the technology becomes more efficient, like it did with the original Model T cars. 

It's being marketed for the average person though.

They should be marketed as throw away cars. Ten years, you need a new one. This one won't work anymore.

Wouldn't be a great sales pitch though. 

I bet a heap of people get ripped of on second hand models through private sales too.

I like electric cars less all the time. 

Hydrogen is the only viable alternative IMO.

[the13bats]

Im baaaack, lol,

Our daily driver is a hamster car, a kia soul with full gingerbread, i love it and would buy another kia, im a lifelong gearhead i do full body off frame rebuilds but many things on this kia i cant or wont tackle.

My personal car on the otherhard was built in 69 and likely wasnt expected to see 100k miles, i have had the body off the frame and restored it ground up,

It sucks gas and bellows emissions, but i like that its simple and i can fit anything on it,

When i look at sci fi flicks we seldom see a missing link between antiquated personal transportation and mass transit i wonder what that will look like in real life,

Oh yeah city of eustis stopped picking up recycle stuff saying it cost them too much to do so,