Mercedes Getting Better

[hawk20]

J.D.Power 2007.

http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/news/releases/pressrelease.asp?ID=2007069
Mercedes-Benz is the most improved nameplate in 2007, increasing 12 points from 2006. Other notable improvements include Citroën, MG Rover and Land Rover.
“Mercedes-Benz has made impressive strides over the past two years, with major improvements in vehicle quality and dealer service making a strong impact on satisfaction with the overall ownership experience,” said Frank Parisi, director of European automotive research at J.D. Power and Associates.

Full results will be published in What Car magazine. J D Power have Mercedes placed 12th equal with BMW. Both are well above average though not yet up with the best of the Japanese.

 

[anyweb]

great news thanks Hawk

 

[hawk20]

great news thanks Hawk

Well, time we had something to cheer us all up.

 

[anyweb]

what would cheer me up is having enough money to get a new merc !!!!

meanwhile I'll deal with the one I have for as long as I have to

:/

cheers
anyweb

 

[hawk20]

My youngest daughter visited today and wanted a new frying pan. Went to Woolworths and a 24cm non-stick pan was -I kid you not-- £2-25p. A set of 5 non-stick pans was £9-99p. If the Chinese start making components for the big car firms, your next new one just might get a lot cheaper.

 

[Blobcat]

My youngest daughter visited today and wanted a new frying pan. Went to Woolworths and a 24cm non-stick pan was -I kid you not-- £2-25p. A set of 5 non-stick pans was £9-99p. If the Chinese start making components for the big car firms, your next new one just might get a lot cheaper.

Just don't expect them to last very long :-(

 

[Dosco]

what would cheer me up is having enough money to get a new merc !!!!

meanwhile I'll deal with the one I have for as long as I have to

:/

cheers
anyweb

I am with you on this one

 

[hawk20]

Just don't expect them to last very long :-(

No that can be the catch. We bought a set of 'stainless steel' kitchen knives made in China-unbelievable value. Well unbelievable price really. Value not so hot as rusted in only six weeks.

Remember Dr Z (new Merc chairman) said he would get their reliability up to Lexus levels. Going in the right direction it seems. On the new C class apparently they decided not to go for loads of fancy new electronics but to get the reliabilty right.

 

[Marco Polo]

The Chinese are catching up fast. I source stainless steel building industry products and whilst there are those at the bottom end where the quality is still very suspect, there are others producing products far better than anything that came out of UK factories over recent years. Customers for these products just need to spend a lot of time researching the market and being selective.

Most of the major german brands across allindustries have manufacturing plants in China and are pulling up quality expectations and standards.

Remember how Japan was in 1970's? Remember Datsun? Who's at the top of the reliabilty tables now?

 

[Russell L B]

too little too late. everyone knows mercedes lost the plot when they ended the w123 series. in favor of the chromeless, rustfast w124 series.

 

[Russell L B]

No that can be the catch. We bought a set of 'stainless steel' kitchen knives made in China-unbelievable value. Well unbelievable price really. Value not so hot as rusted in only six weeks.

Remember Dr Z (new Merc chairman) said he would get their reliability up to Lexus levels. Going in the right direction it seems. On the new C class apparently they decided not to go for loads of fancy new electronics but to get the reliabilty right.

yes. but lexus do reliability and electronics!
dont get me wrong. i think modern mercs are pretty. but if i wanted a new car. i would want reliability and no paint issues, for my top dollar.

 

[hawk20]

The Chinese are catching up fast. I source stainless steel building industry products and whilst there are those at the bottom end where the quality is still very suspect, there are others producing products far better than anything that came out of UK factories over recent years. Customers for these products just need to spend a lot of time researching the market and being selective.

Most of the major german brands across allindustries have manufacturing plants in China and are pulling up quality expectations and standards.

Remember how Japan was in 1970's? Remember Datsun? Who's at the top of the reliabilty tables now?

Scary. So what jobs will be left in Europe? Big unemployment in France and Germany now. 1.7 million unemployed here and rising plus over 5 million on benefits.

 

[Marco Polo]

Very scary! Remember the lock factories in Willenhall in the West Midlands - Yale, Union, Legge. They've almost all gone and the multi-nationals that bought these companies have transferred manufacturing to Turkey and China, so that industry has virtually disappeared from the UK now like the motorcycle industry, and now more recently the motorcar industry. It's only the Japanese who make cars here now.

 

[Mercrob]

Very scary! Remember the lock factories in Willenhall in the West Midlands - Yale, Union, Legge. They've almost all gone and the multi-nationals that bought these companies have transferred manufacturing to Turkey and China, so that industry has virtually disappeared from the UK now like the motorcycle industry, and now more recently the motorcar industry. It's only the Japanese who make cars here now.

Don't even get me started on that one.

I live in Coventry, which was once the Motor production centre of the country
and now we have nothing.:-(

It's very very sad to see the recently closed Peugeot/citroen factory with all it's windows boarded up.

Rob

 

[hawk20]

Don't even get me started on that one.

I live in Coventry, which was once the Motor production centre of the country
and now we have nothing.:-(

It's very very sad to see the recently closed Peugeot/citroen factory with all it's windows boarded up.

Rob

I didn't know that had gone too. I used to live in Coventry at one time. Cars were in the atmosphere and everyone was involved in some way.

 

[Mercrob]

I didn't know that had gone too. I used to live in Coventry at one time. Cars were in the atmosphere and everyone was involved in some way.

Yep gone, the bl**dy lot

Rob

 

[mioba]

My youngest daughter visited today and wanted a new frying pan. Went to Woolworths and a 24cm non-stick pan was -I kid you not-- £2-25p. A set of 5 non-stick pans was £9-99p. If the Chinese start making components for the big car firms, your next new one just might get a lot cheaper.

You would be surprised. Here unfortunely in Munich its BMW land, I have net a few purchasers foir BMW and they are always in Asia.
the cars wont get cheaper for us, only the manufacturer, result increased profit margins.

w.r.t to the original post MB have suffered massively here, Germany is the acid test. Especially when 99% of cabs are mercs. threse people know!

 

[hawk20]

Very scary! Remember the lock factories in Willenhall in the West Midlands - Yale, Union, Legge. They've almost all gone and the multi-nationals that bought these companies have transferred manufacturing to Turkey and China, so that industry has virtually disappeared from the UK now like the motorcycle industry, and now more recently the motorcar industry. It's only the Japanese who make cars here now.

I wonder how they manage to be economic when others can't. I always wanted Merc to combine with Honda (rather than Chrysler). Imagine all we like about Mercedes combined with Honda reliability.

 

[hawk20]

w.r.t to the original post MB have suffered massively here, Germany is the acid test. Especially when 99% of cabs are mercs. threse people know!

Can you expand on this. How do you mean: 'MB have suffered massively here'. In what way and why?

 

[mioba]

Can you expand on this. How do you mean: 'MB have suffered massively here'. In what way and why?

reliability, quality

maybe people in the UK dont quiet realise it as there are not so many MBs there, but here they are everywhere and when everyone moans that thay are have been really bad over the past say 6 years, you know there has been a problem