I,ve changed

[jerry1]

I no longer own an MB. I have been driving 190,s / C class for 15 years and for the majority I had trouble free motoring with an MB dealer who I felt cared and looked after me well. An example of this was, provided I gave him a couple of days notice he would wash and valet my car. Then MB stepped in and my dealer vanished in to thin air. I persisted and experienced my new dealer and it was chalk and cheese. Then I had my first big car problem and I reached a point where I was facing a service, new discs and pads, re-taxing the car, an mot and an engine management unit to resolve a tickover problem probably somewhere in the region £2400 just to keep it on the road.The lions share of that is the management unit, surely it should work efficiently for longer than mine did and I felt deserving of an offer of help from MB. I was told by the dealer you have got more chance of winning the lottery. They (the dealership) weren,t even sure that the new engine management unit would resolve the problem.
I would like to thank those people that helped me through this forum on the odd occasion and I shall still be looking in if only to see if MB have improved their customer relations and have got back to the quality of build they were renowned for. For those wondering what is he driving now I bought a Jaguar S type and I love it!

 

[SLinKyjoe]

well dont be a stranger. call in and keep us up-to-date with things.

 

[paulcallender]

I no longer own an MB. I have been driving 190,s / C class for 15 years and for the majority I had trouble free motoring with an MB dealer who I felt cared and looked after me well. An example of this was, provided I gave him a couple of days notice he would wash and valet my car. Then MB stepped in and my dealer vanished in to thin air. I persisted and experienced my new dealer and it was chalk and cheese. Then I had my first big car problem and I reached a point where I was facing a service, new discs and pads, re-taxing the car, an mot and an engine management unit to resolve a tickover problem probably somewhere in the region £2400 just to keep it on the road.The lions share of that is the management unit, surely it should work efficiently for longer than mine did and I felt deserving of an offer of help from MB. I was told by the dealer you have got more chance of winning the lottery. They (the dealership) weren,t even sure that the new engine management unit would resolve the problem.
I would like to thank those people that helped me through this forum on the odd occasion and I shall still be looking in if only to see if MB have improved their customer relations and have got back to the quality of build they were renowned for. For those wondering what is he driving now I bought a Jaguar S type and I love it!

I think we may well be seeing the end of an era.

The last of the over-engineered, 'built like tank' Mercs were the 190 (W201), W124 and W126 models and now they're approaching 15 years old, items such as auto boxes, engine management parts, fuel system bits, corrosion etc are now presenting their owners with larger bills. So, the extended life of these cars is coming to an end and many will no longer make economic sense.

Of course, lots will survive - just as W123s and earlier Mercs have done too - but I fear they will become rare, just as the older Mercs are. Parts will become harder to find, spares will dry up in breakers, etc etc.

I think the lesson here is that if you own an older Merc, 1) get friendly with your dealer and other parts suppliers; 2) try not to worry too much if large repair bills come your way - consider it good investment in the long term; 3) get under the bonnet and take on all but the most complex tasks yourself, to save money.

I have the feeling that in the event of the holocaust, the only thing surviving will be cockroaches, IBM keyboards and the Mercedes W124......

 

[turnipsock]

I think the lesson here is that if you own an older Merc, 1) get friendly with your dealer and other parts suppliers; 2) try not to worry too much if large repair bills come your way - consider it good investment in the long term; 3) get under the bonnet and take on all but the most complex tasks yourself, to save money.

I have the feeling that in the event of the holocaust, the only thing surviving will be cockroaches, IBM keyboards and the Mercedes W124......

...exactly what I have been doing.

I was in getting my wheels balanced the other day and had to go through an interigation so that the bloke could produce a receipt. "Any idea of the milage?" was one question..."about 177,000".

Tonight I was draining of the coolant as I burst a hose last weekend and thought I would give the system another clean out. I was surprised at how solid the car is underneath and very little rust (on the chassis anyway) for a 13 year old car.