THESE horror photos show a Mercedes-Benz engulfed in flames shortly after the car was taken to a garage for repairs.
Kevin Bull, 51, spent the better part of a year looking for the perfect Mercedes E350 until he found a 2016 model that “satisfied all his needs”.
He bought it on March 16, 2024 for £17,109 and it came with a one-year warranty.
But just eight days after it was delivered to his home in Wideopen, North Tyneside, from Stratford-upon-Avon via the Mercedes-Benz approved used car network, the engine management light came on.
Mercedes’ breakdown service discovered there was a crack in the air intake and Mr Bull booked the car into the official dealer on Scotswood Road.
The car was repaired for three days and on April 13 it got its engine back.
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Although the car had only 60,000 miles on the odometer and all service history was available at the dealer, the car’s engine started to smoke as it turned off the A1 towards Kingston Park Road.
Moments after he got out, the car caught fire and had to be extinguished by two fire engines.
The burnt-out remains of the car have since been located at Mercedes-Benz Newcastle.
The German manufacturer conducted an inspection of the vehicle and found that “there was no indication that an inherent manufacturing defect or the previous repair… caused this incident.”
Mercedes has advised Mr Bull to get his money back through his insurance.
He has also been asked to return the loan car he was given before July 3 and also to ensure that the remains of his E-Class are removed from the Scotswood Road site.
However, Mr Bull has refused to take out insurance and is hoping he can return the car and get a refund through the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
According to the law, he could get his money back if he could prove that there was a defect in the car. However, Mercedes claims this is not the case.
The NHS worker says the situation has left him with sleepless nights.
Mr Bull told ChronicleLive: “I just want it to be over, I’m fed up with it.
“It’s been going on far too long and I’ve had enough.
“There’s something to do every night, but it just takes up time and causes so much stress. You have to go to bed and at night you’re already stressed and you’re thinking about what the outcome will be?”
He has also vowed never to buy a Mercedes-Benz again.
Mr Bull said he had owned BMWs for 20 years and had never had any problems with them.
A Mercedes-Benz spokesperson said: “We are very sorry to hear about Mr Bull’s experience.
“We take every incident extremely seriously and work with all relevant parties to assess the circumstances.
“The examination of the car by Mercedes-Benz UK has revealed that there is no evidence to suggest that an inherent manufacturing defect or the previous repair carried out by Mercedes-Benz of Newcastle caused this incident.
“Given this fact, Mr Bull has been advised to contact his insurance company.”
A spokesman for Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said: “We can confirm that on the afternoon of Saturday 13 April two of our crews attended a vehicle fire near the A1 in Newcastle.
The Sun’s take on the Mercedes E-Class Estate
We put the bike through its paces in May 2021, here’s what we thought
A Mercedes station wagon. People keep them for years and love them for just as long. A car for life.
The E-Class Estate is the largest and most powerful estate Mercedes makes. Which means about the largest and most powerful anyone makes.
The base model, tested here, has almost all the specifications you could wish for.
The E-Class’s suspension is flat and supple, even more so in our base model than in the more expensive models with AMG Line trim and large wheels.
Cornering is completely reassuring. It shoots down a highway as solid as a rock, in near silence.
Inside it’s a smart car, well equipped and extremely spacious.
But most of all: strong. The leather is not the buttery soft kind.
It is as strong as the skin of a rhinoceros. Everything feels like it was made to last a lifetime. Or two.
Of course, all this beauty is also in the E-class sedan. But the estate is more useful. And even better, it ensures that no one thinks you’re an executive mini-cab driver.
“The emergency call was received at 12.25pm and the first crew was on the scene on Kingston Park Road within seven minutes.
“Our control team sent two devices to the car fire because the vehicle was near a roundabout.
“This was to ensure the safety of our firefighters and all road users.
“After the fire was safely extinguished, our crews left the scene at 1:28 p.m.”
In May last year, a £2.2million Mercedes AMG One – which has the same engine as Lewis Hamilton’s F1 car – was being towed along the M6 in Staffordshire when it caught fire.
While in July of the same year, a £45,000 Tesla Model Y caught fire on the side of the road.