Article on MB problems

[S320 newbie]

http://motoring.independent.co.uk/features/article318539.ece

 

[flagstaff]

i think it's a shame that mercedes gave up the one thing that made them great - the overegineering, the commitment to quality: sure, they're climbing up the surveys and lists again, but it seems that nowadays quality means a different thing from in years gone by. my boss has an SL55 AMG (which i get to drive occasionally, thereby endangering my licence), and while the dynamics of the car cannot be faulted, the fit and finish leaves a lot to be desired. everything seems cheap and tacky, somehow.

 

[SLinKyjoe]

this does fit in with recent road test reports from big car mags who say the latest generation of Mercs are well built and feel as such. problem is for most, if you have the badly built ones you tell everyone and thats the problem.

 

[OlafMaxwell]

The problem wit hth eolder Mercs or the badly built ones is not the quality, its the apalling dealer service and customer attitude. I run a business where evry transaction generates call backs and this is something most people are quite prepared to live with if the service procedure meets expectations. Ie if its honest, efficient and competent. Mercedes fail miserably on these and thats where the real problem is. Mercredes could solve their problems overnight by re educating their dealers and it would be so much cheaper. They waste millions on advertising and sponsorships when its well know that word of mouth is what sells. Imagine what this money could have done to the dealer network!! You will never eliminate build niggles. How else have companies like FIAT and Ferrari etc survived over the years.

 

[jberks]

Agreed, though interestingly as dealers no longer have the monopoly on warranty repairs you can effectively boycott them.
Mine seems to be ok though time will tell and we'll see how they behave if I get problems with the 270. I am fortunate to have 2 dealers within 8 miles of me. I bought the car from one and the other is chasing me for the service work and has sent me a rather expensively produced brochure telling me how great their service is. Hopefully with competition like this, and not taking into account that I can now have all the work done by my local indie (12 miles away) which given the 50% cheaper servicing costs is undoubtably where I will end up anyway, the dealer will either come up to expectation or I walk.