Fire damage to Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles must always be reported by the customer to its responsible insurance company. In the event of a fire in the vehicle at the workshop, the workshop's service liability insurance must also be notified. The workshop is instructed to create a TIPS case that includes pictures of the fire damage and not to undertake any work on the vehicle until further instructions are received from the trucks service.
As part of the TIPS case creation process, the following information should already have been sent by the workshop to the trucks service:
Is this a potential product liability damage claim (have persons been injured and/or have other things been damaged apart from the vehicle)?
Damage date and damage location - description of fire details
Was it a fire with naked flame and/or was it extinguished? If so, how and by whom was the fire extinguished (fire brigade, driver, third party)?
Which retrofitted attachments or modifications were made on the vehicle?
Are any operating fluids or external materials visible in the fire area?
Neither an appraiser of the amount of damage involved from the insurance company or the workshop is permitted to take/remove/replace vehicle parts insofar as it is foreseeable during the further course of events that recourse demands may be made on Daimler AG as manufacturer or a third party (e.g. where retrofits or accessory items are involved as possible reasons for the fire). If parts have been removed/replaced, the workshop is instructed not to dispose of defective parts, but to store them instead in a suitable way for a possible inspection, until further instructions are received. If the assigned appraiser of the amount of damage involved suspects/comes to the conclusion that joint manufacturer responsibility is given, an appraiser for the cause of fire is to be assigned by the insurance company.
If an appraiser for the cause of fire is not assigned then subsequent recourse demands against Daimler AG are excluded.
The workshop is instructed here, as part of the TIPS case, to provide information about the date scheduled for an appraisal to determine the cause of the fire, so that a representative of Daimler AG can then take part in the inspection and provide technical assistance. Depending on the result of the inspection and clarification of the cause of the fire, the process shall then proceed on an individual basis. The further procedure for the workshop is to be coordinated in principle with the trucks service.
If the vehicle affected is a leasing vehicle, MB Leasing GmbH must also be notified.