I purchased a Mercedes CLE convertible from Mercedes-Benz of Belfast - Isaac Agnew - in July 2025. After a catalogue of issues with the vehicle - including the car leaving the road, a speeding ticket, faulty systems, and delivery of a car not matching the specification - I formally rejected the vehicle. This has been refused by Mercedes Benz’s UK (MBUK) and I have escalated the matter to the Motor Ombudsman.The issues are:1. The car did not meet my, or the dealers, expected specification due to a missing camera which meant that Augmented Reality Navigation and Traffic Light Assist were not available The dealer missed notifications from Mercedes UK that the car would not have the camera. If I had known I would not have continued with the purchase. They also told me that Traffic Light Assist was not available in the UK, which is not the case.2. Other driver assistance systems - most notably Traffic Sign Assist - are faulty which means that the car does not produce warnings when crossing red traffic lights, no-entry signs and travel on one-way roads against the flow of traffic. The recognition of, specifically, speed signage now appears to be partially working.3. Due to missing and inoperative assistance systems the car left the road, due to excess speed and failing Lane Keep Assist, damaging a rear alloy wheel on only my second day of ownership. On the same day, for the first time over 35 years of driving, I received a speeding ticket, due to the car’s inability to detect temporary speed limits.4. The dealer has had many opportunities to fix the faults but has failed despite having the car on site for a total of five weeks in three separate attempts to resolve the problem, with four additional visits to discuss the issues. Under the 2015 Consumer Rights Act they are allowed one attempt to fix problems.5. I initiated a rejection of the car as it was not to the specification agreed with the dealer. The return period was extended beyond 30 days to allow the dealer lots of time to fix the problems.Mercedes UK this week rejected my return. Laughably they say that:* The vehicle was supplied to the correct specifications as ordered.* All vehicle issues raised with MBUK have been thoroughly investigated, and no fault has been confirmed.* The assistance features on the vehicle are designed to aid the driver, who always remains in full control.This is sophistry. * The specification was not what I agreed with the dealer, who act as MBUK’s agent. It is not the buyers fault if they are not advised of any specification changes, especially as the MBUK website, and promotion brochure differ on what equipment is included. Mercedes appear to change specs due to ‘supply change’ problems on an almost daily basis.* The car’s Traffic Sign Assist is only partially functional although the precise reason for this has not been determined. That’s why MBUK argue that "no fault has been confirmed". To translate ’the car is faulty, but we don’t know why, so no fault has been confirmed’. On the day before MBUK’s refusal to accept the return I was with the dealer where an attempt to fix the remaining problems was attempted but failed. * I, of course, accept that assistance features are designed only to assist, but that does mean that they should not be functioning at all.I have taken legal advice from the Consumers’ Association who state that MBUK are in breach of the 2015 Consumer Rights Act. They are frankly amazed that MBUK have rejected the return. The matter has been formally raised through a complaint to the Motor Ombudsman. Legal advice indicates the dealer is also liable as agent for MBUK.It is worth other Mercedes buyers noting that AR navigation is a standard feature on all Premium and above trim levels. The dealer was notified in Spring 2024 that the relevant camera would not be installed for production until late in 2025 but they did not notice the change.As a result, any CLE buyer purchasing from Mercedes Belfast with all but the most basic specification will not have the features they were expecting. It is up to them whether they wish to raise the issue, but the Consumers Association argue that they are in breach of the 2015 Act.There’s some mitigation for the dealer. The dealer team are generally pleasant and helpful, although in one interaction I was told that if I continued to be ‘patronising’ then there was no point in continuing with the conversation. This was not the response I was expecting at a first meeting, when the dealer inadvertently or not, didn’t tell me of the specification change! Nonetheless courtesy cars have been provided, and the dealer has offered to pay for the speeding fine and alloy repair. They have suffered due to poor support from MBUK.I will update this review as my complaint continues.
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