For most of his life, Vekean Ohanessian has had a clear favorite when it comes to cars.
“I love Mercedes Benz from the very beginning,” he said.
He visited the carmaker’s museum while honeymooning in Germany and has owned several Mercedes through the years.
“I have a 19-year-old Mercedes and it’s beautiful inside,” he said.
But Ohanessian told NBC 6 he was disappointed every time he sat in his 2011 E350 because the vehicle’s wood trim appears to have faded, showing different shades in different parts.
“I get in the car, it’s ugly,” he said.
Ohanessian says he paid close to $40,000 for the car when he bought it certified used back in 2014.
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A few months after the purchase, he noticed the wood trim was fading so he took it back to the dealership.
“The car was under warranty, they replaced it for me - no questions asked,” he said.
He thought the issue was resolved for good until a few weeks ago, when he noticed the wood trim started to fade again. This time, when he took it to the dealership, the car was no longer under warranty.
“They told me I have too many miles on the car, they can’t do anything for me and basically I’m out of luck,” he said.
He says he came across NBC 6 Responds’ story about Lawrence Mintz who also owned an E350 with a similar issue.
“I saw the story and I said maybe I should contact them, see if they can help me out,” he said.
NBC 6 Responds sent Mercedes Benz pictures of Ohanessian’s wood trim and asked if they had looked into what is causing the issue for some consumers. A spokesperson did not answer our questions, but sent a statement saying their “...Customer Assistance Center worked to resolve this with a goodwill offer of 25% towards the replacement of the trim. Since this offer was declined, I’m afraid we have nothing more to add.”
Ohanessian said he was disappointed by the offer - he feels he shouldn’t have to pay anything for the fix. He told NBC 6 he was considering whether to keep the car or sell it.
