Rat bite in my Mercedes-Benz GLC & a 5L bill: Who is liable to pay?

The service engineer is saying that Mercedes warranty doesn't cover rodents/rats bites

BHPian rohank024 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hey guys, few months back i discussed the idea of buying used GLC, which i ended up doing in Feb. My reasons were fairly simple, the car had run only around 15,000 kms and was 2020 registered and so i thought i would have warranty support of atleast an year and won't have to worry about any issue that come up with the car. However, i am now stuck with an issue, with very limited options and need some help.

I was traveling for a couple of days and when i came back i noticed that my car was showing an error "Power Steering Malfunction". I got it towed it to Landmark dealership in Kalina (Mumbai), and the guy called me today that wires connected to steering wheel got chewed by rodents/rats and the whole assemble (steering rack) would need replacement. I can believe the diagnosis as I did notice some rats in my building. Anyway, the service engineer is saying that Merc warranty doesn't cover rodents/rats bites and couple of people in the past few months also faced this issue but Merc declined for free replacement so those guys tried with their insurance companies and one get paid by insurer, while the other case is still being processed. My insurance is Reliance General and i have own damage insurance (with zero dep) as well as third party insurance (2 different insurances) from Reliance.

My worry is that if insurance declines the claim, then the service guy is talking about a cost of upwards of Rs. 5 lacs. So my questions are as follows-

1. Would anyone have an experience where insurance company creates issue for honoring claims for such rodent damages? From quick internet read, i could make out that rodent damage is "a case of accidental external means" and hence its a valid case of insurance claim.
2. In case, insurance co declines then does it make any sense at all to go for such expensive replacement from an authorized dealer? I mean this is like more than 10% purchase cost of my car. If not, then could someone please suggest a cheaper option to fix this problem in Mumbai.

Thanks in advance guys.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

No car manufacturer's warranty will cover rat damage.

Some insurance companies offer rodent damage as an add-on. Attached to this post is a sample PDF from Bharti-Axa. Regardless, no harm in trying with your current policy. Take the help of your insurance agent.

Go to an independent garage. Will be fixed for anywhere between 20k - 1 lakh, depending on extent of damage. I don't think anything other than the wiring will need to be replaced.

Over & above, equip your car with:

• AutoShine Rat Spray every 2 months
• Varna Suraksha rat repellent device
• Cover all wires in Honda's rat repellent tape
• Keep the area around your parking spot clean (e.g. no junk / food / garbage cans)
• Use rat poison / cakes / paste / traps

There is no permanent "fix" for rats. It's a continuous, never-ending battle.

Here's what BHPian Maverick5490 had to say on the matter:

Why do they need to replace the complete steering rack assembly? The should only repair/replace the wiring harness. Please ask them to share images and reason for replacing the rack assembly.

Also certain insurance companies cover rodent damage as well, please speak with your agent as well as the insurance company for clarifications. In case there is insurance coverage, the dealer also needs to prove why they need to replace such an expensive part for rodent damage.

Here's what BHPian shankar.balan had to say on the matter:

Rat damage is unavoidable in a country like ours. Where there are people and animals, there will be food and waste. Where there is food and waste there will be rodents and other animals who form a part of the food chain. Whether you live in a house or apartment or anywhere at all, the parking area absolutely has to be kept clean and litter free at all times. Add to this the various anti rat repellents etc.

No other go, I m afraid.

The Repair Bill:

There is no easy way out of this. You could read my notes elsewhere in the forum in getting my Mini’s suspension completely overhauled and the attendant the drama of obtaining the parts and then going to my FNG for the labour.

Yes, the service engineers have quoted large sums of money to you - they are all rogues and scoundrels and typically will do that because service and parts is how the dealer makes his regular income after selling the car.

First things to do.

1. Find out if all the part/ parts are available, how large / heavy they are.

2. Ask how much exactly the parts cost.

3. Get the lead time for repairs and the actual cost of labour at Mercedes Servicing.

4. Ask the Mercedes chaps to give you at Least a screenshot, if not a printout of the entire bill of materials required. This is essential, so that you know what is needed.

Note that it is a real pain to get this info, but use your best wiles, influence and beg and plead all you have to, to get the details. They typically do not cooperate. But with perseverance, you will get there.

In tandem with the above, identify a competent FNG in your city - I am sure there will be plenty of advice you can get on tbhp itself. And go and meet them personally and ask them the likely cost of the repairs, labour. ( no harm asking if they can help you to source the parts as well.)

Next things to do;

1. Find out the prices of these exact parts in the UK, Australia, HongKong, Sri Lanka, EU and USA. (But when checking in UAE, EU and USA, be careful to check and specify this is a right hand drive vehicle.)

2. Please make sure to get a proper freight estimate.

3. Note that Duty and IGST will cost you quite a bit, nearly 28% IGST and Duty also will be chargeable as per the EAN codes / category of the parts, which determines the rates.

It is also a good idea to activate your friends and family networks outside of India once you get the info ref the parts. If the parts are easily available in Sri Lanka it may even be a good idea to just fly down, buy them and bring them in yourself. (Combine this with a quick holiday maybe)

These steps may help you to make an informed decision by comparing, whether it makes sense to quietly bite the bullet and give the vehicle for full repairs to the Mercedes Service or take the alternate route that I am suggesting, in order to see if you are going to save some money.

The bottomline is, you’re going to have to invest in this by way of money or your valuable time and effort.

Resources:

The following US web sites twill give you the details of European car parts. These are the ones I ve been using and they’ve worked nicely for me so far. Make sure you check the model/ chassis number etc carefully - you can also check parts availability by VIN No.

1. ECS tuning

2. Pelican parts

Additional resources which are good, from what I have read (though I don’t own a Mercedes) are;

1. mbonlineparts

2. mercedesbenzpartscenter

3. eurocarparts

4. fastparts

5. mbfwann

Here's what BHPian vinay.sathyan had to say on the matter:

I know too late to talk about insurance now since the issue is already present, but just for general info-

I own a GLC too and based on my previous experience with rat bites, i ended by taking the add-ons along with the insurance.

So Mercedes gives 4 types of insurance.. Bronze, silver, Gold and Platinum.. its Mercedes tying up with insurance partners like Reliance, Tata AIG, etc.

Any of these categories have add-ons and they are inclusive of rat bites cover.

Advantage with this, since you are paying Mercedes, they take care of working with the insurance partner and get the job done.

It is unfortunate that your car got damaged due to rat bite and i really feel bad about your situation, this is the pain of owning these German cars.

Here's what BHPian HighRevving had to say on the matter:

Replacing the entire steering rack for a cut wire is daylight robbery.

Whether your policy covers it or not, if you hint at using insurance, it will only make your service advisor happy because you've accepted defeat. I am not sure of Mercedes, but in Skoda you can get power steering malfunction even if the battery is short as it blows one of the main fuses that control multiple functions including power steering.

Insist on their diagnosis report and if they don't provide it to you, get the diagnosis done outside from a reputed shop. If the steering rack indeed needs replacement, my suggestion would be to go back to Mercedes and get it done through insurance or otherwise. But do not immediately agree for replacement as the problem may be much simpler.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.