If you are Rich enough to afford a Merc, don't complain when it goes wrong...

[OmniCognateNeutronRangler]

new to the forum, this thread make you boil. if you cant afford a mercedes and pay for its repairs why buy one. who cares what it costs you its a mercedes omnicognateranglar and psmart sound like commoners always whining about pennies they should get a life and not a mercedes

This quote came from a "new" member. As stated by Blobcat it is an intersting way to introduce yourself to a forum. That aside I think it raises an "interesting" point and it would be interesting to see the views of others.

Does anyone else on this forum believe that as Mercs are apparently for "rich" people it doesn't matter if they go wrong a lot or are badly put together because rich people can afford to have them fixed?

I'm not convinced that rich people stay rich by throwing money away on poor quality cars and I'm also not convinced that they should be taken advantage off simply because they are rich.

Based on the premise above I assume it is ok for a "rich" person to buy a £20,000 Rolex and have the glass fall out and the hands drop off "because they can afford to get it fixed".

I don't consider myself to be "rich" but I certainly earn a bit more than your average Tesco shelf stacker. I don't see, however, that it makes any difference if I buy a Merc (and can afford to run it) and a Tesco shelf stacker puts all his hard-earned together to buy a Merc and has to service it all himself. There is plenty of evidence on this site that MB have problems. There has also been plenty of evidence in JD Power Surveys that MB have had problems. I have issues with surveys but you don't have to look far on this site to see real user feedback on problems.

I'm afraid in my humble opinion if you are sold a car with a reputation of quality and reliability it shouldn't fall appart or be less reliable than an old Cortina irrespective if your ability to be able to afford the repairs.

Let's have other people's opinions, not on the reliablity and build quality of Mercs, but on the issue of "if you can afford a Merc, then you should be rich enough to put up with unreliablity and big repair costs"

 

[Rory]

I think there's an element of truth in this - not just for MB, but for all 'prestige' marques. Certainly the dealers seem to like to cultivate an air of 'if you need to ask the price then you can't afford it'. There was a comment on here from someone who queried the price of a service item and everybody in the dealership turned and looked at him!

A lot of this may be due to many of these cars being run by companies, although in recent years leasing companies have taken over this role, and they really won't spend money unless they have to. Although I guess if the dealer says it needs pads and disks then they're not likely to argue and take the car to an indie.

 

[littlebrooklyn]

Let's have other people's opinonsm, not on the reliablity and build quality of Mercs, but on the issue of "if you can afford a Merc, then you should be rich enough to put up with unreliablity and big repair costs"

My experience was that having spent so much money on buying a Mercedes we couldn't afford big repair costs, leastways not whilst spending money on model trains too.

It's very similar to how people react when they realise you live in a nice detached house. They assume because you had the money to buy the house that the huge bills that come with owning a larger house are not a problem, when in fact they are. When your Council Tax is more than your mortgage you realise how much you are being ripped off :?

 

[television]

My experience was that having spent so much money on buying a Mercedes we couldn't afford big repair costs, leastways not whilst spending money on model trains too.

It's very similar to how people react when they realise you live in a nice detached house. They assume because you had the money to buy the house that the huge bills that come with owning a larger house are not a problem, when in fact they are. When your Council Tax is more than your mortgage you realise how much you are being ripped off :?

A good MB 407d converted to a motor home makes a good alternative

Malcolm

 

[Ibby]

surely those of us who pay extra for the mecerdes/bmw/lexus etc marque do so as not only do we think that the car will provide an excellent drive, but will also be bullitproof? many other cars that are brilliant to drive (such as alfa romeo) are rubbish in the reliability department hence them being in a slightly lower price sector.

i cant believe that any mercedes owner goes out and buys a brand new S500 (for example) with the belief that he would have to shell out to keep the fundamentals of the car going - surely thats lunacy :-S

 

[OmniCognateNeutronRangler]

My experience was that having spent so much money on buying a Mercedes we couldn't afford big repair costs, leastways not whilst spending money on model trains too.

erm....I'll let the model trains line slide

The premise of antsclk's entry is that you shouldn't have bought the Merc as you obviously can't afford to fix it when it goes wrong. Do you think that is a fair comment?

 

[television]

surely those of us who pay extra for the mecerdes/bmw/lexus etc marque do so as not only do we think that the car will provide an excellent drive, but will also be bullitproof? many other cars that are brilliant to drive (such as alfa romeo) are rubbish in the reliability department hence them being in a slightly lower price sector.

i cant believe that any mercedes owner goes out and buys a brand new S500 (for example) with the belief that he would have to shell out to keep the fundamentals of the car going - surely thats lunacy :-S

You hit the nail on the head, I showed the site to my friend who had just ordered his new S320 and he could not believe that they go wrong. he has had over 30 new ones.

Malcolm

 

[Rory]

You hit the nail on the head, I showed the site to my friend who had just ordered his new S320 and he could not believe that they go wrong. he has had over 30 new ones.

Malcolm

A lot depends on the person - some people don't notice a little vibration here, or a pull there. Or they're too busy to be going back & to the dealer (or even to arrange it).
Other people would be wanting to hand the car back. I think 'rich people' are also able to laugh these things off. So the Merc won't start - no problem, we'll take the Range Rover then.

And someone who had 30 new Merc's has probably never paid for anything other than routine servicing, so anything that did go wrong would be taken of.

 

[Blobcat]

Other people would be wanting to hand the car back. I think 'rich people' are also able to laugh these things off. So the Merc won't start - no problem, we'll take the Range Rover then.

Probably not the best choice of second car . My brothers May 05 Vogue has spent more time in the dealership than on the road. New sat/nav/phone (command) twice, new steering rack, new front suspension, air suspension problems. The phone still will not talk to car so that needs fixing again. As the dealer isn't paying (LR is) every time a code comes up they change all the parts they can. Dealer makes money from the warranty work, good business really if you pick the right marque to sell.

 

[hawk20]

Seems a shame to start a new thread just to attack a new members first posting. So let's at least say welcome Antsclk.

In addition to being welcomed, he should at least be quoted correctly. He did not say (as is quoted in direct quotation marks): -
"if you can afford a Merc, then you should be rich enough to put up with unreliablity and big repair costs"

What he said was: -
Originally Posted by antsclk
"new to the forum, this thread make you boil. if you cant afford a mercedes and pay for its repairs why buy one. who cares what it costs you its a mercedes omnicognateranglar and psmart sound like commoners always whining about pennies they should get a life and not a mercedes"

I think the point he was making was that repetitive complaining about and running down of Mercedes at every opportunity gets a bit annoying after a while. Especially when it is often coupled with attacking anyone who shows enthusiasm for the marque -even though this is meant to be a forum for owners and enthusiasts of Mercedes.

Also, just for the record, JD Power surveys, the very latest, show Mercedes reliability has improved markedly and is now above average - for accurate details see the 'Reliable Mercedes' thread on this forum.

All makes have some cars that have serious problems. It is inevitable that some of those who have a bad experience will take delight in coming to a Forum and 'putting the boot in' to the brand at every opportunity. You can see examples on every forum. I've seen it even on the Lexus one.

 

[martthefart]

I'm not rich, but I appreciate these cars. I have owned a number of cars, both second hand and new, they all go wrong at some stage and cost you money. The difference is i'm spending money on something I love. Nothing like spending huge money on a crap car and not enjoying driving it. Mercs aren't just for the rich. Its the fact that you see so many old cars on the road that make people think they are reliable. This keeps desireablilty and hence second hand values high. If it wasn't for this how many rich would buy one? Its the brand we buy into as well as the cars and so an expectation of quality and service is reasonably held. As for the original comments by antslk, why did they buy a merc and not something else?

 

[littlebrooklyn]

erm....I'll let the model trains line slide

A lot of the very expensive 'O' Gauge trains have been sold and partner is now in the process of building a cheaper Dublo layout. It's actually quite nice, I even had a go myself last night, but somehow forgot to change all the points over and managed to derail a train

The premise of antsclk's entry is that you shouldn't have bought the Merc as you obviously can't afford to fix it when it goes wrong. Do you think that is a fair comment?

In our case yes as it was patently clear that we couldn't afford to pay massive repair bills. After owning a Peugeot 206 for the previous 5yrs that had never missed a heartbeat we assumed the Mercedes would prove to be just as reliable, which in reality wasn't the case. I still think they are beatiful cars though

 

[hawk20]

:
In our case yes as it was patently clear that we couldn't afford to pay massive repair bills. After owning a Peugeot 206 for the previous 5yrs that had never missed a heartbeat we assumed the Mercedes would prove to be just as reliable, which in reality wasn't the case. I still think they are beatiful cars though

Oh come on LIL B didn't you sell your C class while it was still under guarantee? What massive repair bills? Don't you join the moaners. You're usually so upbeat!

 

[Flying Scot]

A lot of the very expensive 'O' Gauge trains have been sold and partner is now in the process of building a cheaper Dublo layout. It's actually quite nice, I even had a go myself last night, but somehow forgot to change all the points over and managed to derail a train

what a shame he did not move to 7 1/4" Gauge or even G gauge and get out in the garden and have some fun NOT that you want to derail a 7 1/2" gauge engine now that is a real train wreck wooooooooooooo hoooooooooooooooo he he

 

[OmniCognateNeutronRangler]

come on Hawk 20, get a grip. How can you say I "mis-quoted" out latest member as I used the "quote" option in the system. I quoted him verbatum.

Although I (and others) on this forum disagree with your views I'm not sure I recall anyone refering to you as a "commoner" for airing them. I think that remark, and your defence of it says more about antsclk and you than it does about either me or this forum. I also find it interesting that you refer to anyone who has had a problem as a "moaner".

You can chose to intentionally misread what was written or ignore direct questions if you want but even you must be able to see that this was a very rude and antognistic entry that was desinged for only one purpose. The fact that it lead rise to a very interesting (in my opinion) thread is it's only saving grace.

btw, there is a BIG difference between being a car "enthusiast" and wearing rose tinted glasses. If you are enthuistic about Mercs, you should be saddened by their decline rather than just chose to ignore it. Based on your comments I'm sure you would rather people come on this site just to say how wonderful Mercs are, rather than report their true ownership experiences but then I think that would just misguide those into believing an outdated stereotype of MB and it's cars. MB have made some great cars, they still do but as an MB owner I want my car to spend more time on the road and less time in the garage and there are a very large number of people on this forum that believe the same.

 

[Hanz]

My opinion on this thread that you have to be rich to own a Merc and to not moan when something goes wrong. Well...

I think Mercedes Dealer parts are overpriced, but you still can pick up parts fairly cheaply if you know where to look. In no way am I earning £££ but I picked up my Merc fairly cheaply, and I expected it to cost when it goes wrong, and in petrol, you can't buy a 2.8 then complain about the fuel thinking it'll still cost as much as a 1.4.

People do expect those to own a Merc to be rich, I get it a lot. I was once in town, getting harrased by someone trying to make me pay out £1.25 a week for children, now I'm not being nasty, but it's one less outgoing I could do without. Later on he saw me drive past in my car and said "Well looks like you can afford a Merc though"...

I have always wanted a Merc, and the day I had one, I wouldn't look back. I had to make a few other sacrifices, but I could of brought a Ford for the same money, I chose the Merc because I feel the build quality is better and you get more car for your money.

We all need a moan from time to time

 

[OmniCognateNeutronRangler]

Thanks Hanz. Nicely put.

 

[Hanz]

Oh, one last thing:

Do people who own fords/vauxhalls etc not moan when something goes wrong on their cars?

I think not.

 

[Shambolic]

A lot of the very expensive 'O' Gauge trains have been sold and partner is now in the process of building a cheaper Dublo layout. It's actually quite nice, I even had a go myself last night, but somehow forgot to change all the points over and managed to derail a train



In our case yes as it was patently clear that we couldn't afford to pay massive repair bills. After owning a Peugeot 206 for the previous 5yrs that had never missed a heartbeat we assumed the Mercedes would prove to be just as reliable, which in reality wasn't the case. I still think they are beatiful cars though

Had a 206cc 2.0se b4 jaguar that I sold for Slk. Twelve times in garge in first six months Engine blew up after 2 weeks.The dealer service was utter crap with comments like"no you again" after car dumped outside on trailer for third time in week by AA. Dealer refused to take car back, in the end I traded it in against Jaguar (picked for dealer good name and reliability). 206 cc 12 months old lost 4K
Had a few small niggles in first year with Jag all dealt with very well by dealer and the service was top notch.
Traded this in in June for pre-owned Slk (14 months old 5500 miles) You will see probs on other threads but all in all the dealer has dealt with all problems very well .
I work for a Manufacturer of Central Heating Boilers and the reason we offer a warranty is that things do go wrong, so I have no problem with my car if I have a few niggles provided the dealer gets them sorted to my satisfaction under warranty and at no cost to myself.
I have a Breitling watch that costs £80 every couple of years for a battery and £100 pounds for a service which I expect to pay for but when I have took it to the dealer for problems with strap and other wee niggles I dont pay for this work as I have it serviced. This is the same with Mercedes and I don't see a problem with this!
Mibbee peoples expectations are higher the more you pay and the JD power survey etc are a wee bit false because of this and the fact that people will, on average, tell 10 others about a problem but only 2 about normal or good service.

 

[jberks]

As far as the rich and afford repairs bit is concerned. The rich own cars that are still under warranty and hence don't pay for repairs! General maintenance perhaps but no it probably doesn't bother them.

For the rest of us - sure they cost a bit more to fix than other stuff but not that much if you know what you're doing.

They are heavier, more complex and more powerful than most cars so it's hardly surprising that some components are more expensive. You could hardly fit focus brake pads to an E class and expect it to stop! As far as labour is concerned, no one is forcing you to go to the dealer. Like the chap with the 1991 S class I saw last time I was there (his head gasket had gone) a fool and his money are easily parted.