Luxury Brand, Backyard Service – Mercedes-Benz Paarl Exposed

🚨 7 Weeks Without My Car — Mercedes-Benz Paarl | Mercedes Benz South Africa | This Is Unacceptable!🚨

On the 7th of May, I was driving down the N1 to visit my mother for Mother’s Day when I hit something in the road — along with two other cars. The impact caused serious damage, and the car had to be towed. Since it happened right next to Mercedes-Benz Paarl, that’s where it was taken.

And that’s where the real problems began.

Since that day, I’ve followed every single step given to me by the insurance, the assessor, Mercedes-Benz Paarl, and the panel beaters. I’ve probably explained the situation over 150 times — and still, over 7 weeks later, I don’t have my car back. No urgency. No solution. No accountability.

When the car arrived at their branch, they suddenly claimed it had an oil leak — something that never existed before the incident. That already felt like an attempt to push extra, unnecessary costs onto me. Then, after the tyre was slashed from the object in the road, they fitted a 2023 tyre, which they know they’re not allowed to do. When I asked for a proper 2025 tyre, they tried to charge me approx. R15,000 for 2 tyres.

Then came the issue with a second tyre. They phoned and asked if they should replace it, and we clearly told them: If it’s not part of the claim, we’re not paying for it — do not replace it.

Instead of handling it professionally, they went ahead and replaced the tyre anyway — and then sent us the bill. When we told them to remove the unauthorised tyre and put the original one back on, they didn’t return the correct one. Instead, they took the already-claimed, slashed tyre — the one damaged from the accident — and put that back on the car before delivering it to me. That was clearly done out of spite.

To make matters worse, when I finally got the car back (briefly), I noticed that they had switched the rims around, likely trying to hide the damage rather than fix it properly. Between Mercedes-Benz Paarl and the panel beaters, the only thing they seemed to fix was the bodywork on the side — and even that was limited.

We’ve had issues with Mercedes-Benz Paarl in the past — that’s why we moved servicing to Century City, and then Tokai. But because this happened near their branch, the car landed back there. And we’re paying the price all over again.

That’s why I’m making this public. Maybe this post will finally create the pressure needed for them to take this seriously.

If you’re thinking of buying a car or getting service at Mercedes-Benz Paarl, I strongly advise you don’t. Especially avoid dealing with Enrico. Based on my experience, their service has been dishonest, petty, and deeply unprofessional.

@Mercedes-Benz South Africa — please fix this. I’m still waiting. Enough is enough.