Mercedes Unreliability

[whitenemesis]

When you've been to MB Brent ford and had to listen to what they say, you'll quickly curry favour with "reliability" and "consistency" over "character" and "heritage" any day ..... !

To sum up, my 54-plate C-class (post facelift) has in its short 34,000 miles suffered the following:

- a painfully thin paint finish.
- leftward drift, although "drift" barely begins to describe it.
- uneven tyre wear, plus 8 new tyres in just 34k miles.
- steering issues galore.
- rattling dashboard (eventually cured).
- numerous blow-outs of exterior lights.
- rattling interior rear mirror (now on the 3rd one).
- various suspension faults (still ongoing).

Not a lot of character or heritage going on there. It's BMW for me next time, and if they don't work as they should, I shall head to Lexus. Bit more consistency and reliability available at Lexus.

Good luck with your MBs. Bad luck if they go wrong .....

I have a face-lift S203 '05, 43000mls

- paint is mirror perfect (OK its got stone chips but hey)
- drives straight as a die, always has
- new tyres (x4) approx every 20k
- no steering issues
- interior is silent (except for a warm weather buzz from the seatbelt adjuster!)
- all bulbs intact
- no suspension issues.

You will ALWAYS hear more from those with problems than those without. Forums are not a statistically valid indicator of reliability.
They are a very good source of information on what to be aware of.....

 

[M Paul Lloyd]

This is interesting, I always viewed Mercedes Benz cars as eternally reliable workhorses, you know, the sort of thing 'villains' in Bond movies always depended on!!!???
Anyway my experience of said marque was only second hand for many years, through trucks, vans and cars for customers and all performed impeccably, with one South African acquaintance telling me that "Merc's are second only to a cruiser eh?" which I presumed to be a compliment of some sort, but anyway I finally got to own one of my own when W202 C Class models bottomed out at £2K and you know what? My 1995 (two previous owners) has, apart from the odd brake pad, track rod ends, filter and such managed just fine without any major problems. But, to quote my old Afrikaner associate "you gotta get yer services reglar or yer dead man, eh!"
So I wonder... these unreliable Merc's ... how often do they get serviced Hmmm? Only I found myself behind a D reg' Volvo on my way home this evening, still soldiering on but... hell it stank, the mixture was way too rich and I was only too glad to get in-front of him. Its' all very well having a 'bullet proof' ride but neglect it at your peril I say.

 

[jberks]

Here we go again. I think the point between whitenemesis (2005) and grpar (2004) prove the case.

THERE WERE PROBLEMS BETWEEN 1998 AND 2004

MB have admitted it and put enourmous effort and money into sorting it. They deliberately reduced quality in an effort to reduce cost and finally twigged to what we all knew in the first place, it was a dumb move. Billions of euros later they are pretty good again.

Those of us who run new or nearly new have been through the bad days and are now out the other side, once again enjoying nice reliable motors with good paintwork. Those who run older cars who have enjoyed pre '98 models (such as M Paul Lloyd) are enjoying the pre cost cutting quality of these cars. Mine wasn't a bad one but I did have vastly more trouble with my 2000 Merc than my 1995 or my 2005 models (ok the 1995 one was by far the best).

My heart goes out to you guys. I was lucky. When my E class played up, for the most part, I just ran it back to the dealer and had it fixed under warranty. When I did have to pay, I was pumping £500 into a car worth £18k so it didn't feel so bad about it and to be truthful, it really wasn't that bad. Many of you guys are buying our old cars and are just coming into this now so you have the shock of the issues combined with whatever problems come up simply through age, and all with the lack of dealer backup.

My advice is, if you run a pre '98 car, try to hold out for a post 04 one (as I did) if you can, and if you've bought a 2000 one, probably don't plan on keeping it as long as you would other mercs you've had. They aren't all that bad, but no, a 2000 car isn't as good as a 1995 or a 2005 one, but to say I won't have another is self defeating as you are cutting off your nose so to speak. By definition, the next one you get would be built after the troubles and be excellent again so you'll be missing out. Anyway, read the BMW forums, they aren't exactly trouble free either!

 

[Rory]

Here we go again. I think the point between whitenemesis (2005) and grpar (2004) prove the case.

THERE WERE PROBLEMS BETWEEN 1998 AND 2004

grpar's car is facelift (54 reg) W203 so should fall into the "reliable" camp.

 

[stumpy]

'Friday afternoon cars' exist in all makes. My TVR is one of the most reliable cars I've had, whereas my Ex gfs new Honda Jazz had a few issues. What matters most to me is that the faults are fixed with minimal cost and inconvenience.

 

[whitenemesis]

'Friday afternoon cars' exist in all makes. My TVR is one of the most reliable cars I've had, whereas my Ex gfs new Honda Jazz had a few issues. What matters most to me is that the faults are fixed with minimal cost and inconvenience.

Hear! Hear!

 

[Soltan]

When you've been to MB Brentford and had to listen to what they say, you'll quickly curry favour with "reliability" and "consistency" over "character" and "heritage" any day ..... !

To sum up, my 54-plate C-class (post facelift) has in its short 34,000 miles suffered the following:

- leftward drift, although "drift" barely begins to describe it.
.

Hi,
First post here, so I might as well make you laugh. MY E320 also has a leftward drift and when I mentioned it to the service department at my local MB dealer he assured me it was normal for all Merc's to drift to the left due to the cambre of the British roads! Something to do with allowing the rain to run off. He then called in a tech to confirm what he was saying when he saw the stunned look on my face.

 

[Rory]

Hi,
First post here, so I might as well make you laugh. MY E320 also has a leftward drift and when I mentioned it to the service department at my local MB dealer he assured me it was normal for all Merc's to drift to the left due to the cambre of the British roads! Something to do with allowing the rain to run off. He then called in a tech to confirm what he was saying when he saw the stunned look on my face.

That's what they always tell you. There are hundreds of posts about this issue.

Some MB's are worse than others but they can fix it:
http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/showpost.php?p=476027&postcount=8

 

[grpar]

Hear! Hear!

Happy that yours is ok, Whitenemesis, but remember your faultless car is no better an indicator of MB's reliability than mine, which has (sadly) let the side down.

What distinguishes one marque from the next is how professionally they deal with any issues that arise.

In that department, my experience of MB main dealers (who've serviced and dealt with the car for 3 consecutive years) places them only slightly above the also rans ..... The various annual consumer surveys consistently place BMW several places above MB, and Lexus many more places above them.

So get off your high horse, and at least have the good grace to accept that some people have had a somewhat sh*tty experience of MB, and that which it is supposed to stand for. Anyone would think you had shares in Daimler Chrysler .....

 

[hawk20]

The various annual consumer surveys consistently place BMW several places above MB, and Lexus many more places above them.

.

Not so. The biggest survey of all is JD Power and Mercs are well up the table.

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=20188 Link to the thread “Reliable Mercedes”

Lexus and Honda did best in the list of all models but it is noteworthy how close the marks are from 10th to 40th. Just to cheer ourselves up here are some rankings in the table of all models. Out of 104 cars reported on by thousands of owners the E class finished 28th (just behind the Audi A4 and the Toyota Celica and the C class came 32nd just ahead of the Audi A3 and the Audi A6 and the VW Golf. Both Mercedes were well ahead of the BMW 5 series at 54th and well ahead of the Nissan Primera (56th=) and the Mazda MX5 (56=) and way ahead of the BMW Z4 (74th) and the AUDI TT ( a lowly 78th). Bringing up the rear from 100 to 105th place were three Fords, a Peugeot and the Land Rover Discovery.

So Mercs may not be the most reliable but the improvements are coming through for all to see and this year they beat some surprising competitors - none I imagine more satisfying than beating the BMW 5 series and Z4 as well as all but one of the Audi models.

Here are the links: -
http://www.whatcar.com/news-special-...aspx?NA=220291
http://www.whatcar.com/NonCar/8666102471.jpg

 

[hawk20]

You may also like to see: -
BMW PROBLEMS

See first page of this thread for lots of BMW engine problems, blown turbos etc
http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=34397
soon to be owner of C220CDI Elegance needs your help

http://www.bmwland.co.uk/talker/viewtopic.php?t=53451
Yet another owner suffers!

"My 320d went the same way as yours and Warleys some five weeks ago. Unfortunately as my vehicle had done 133k and didn't have a full BMW service history (Block Exemption - what's that!!) I was offered a generous 20% off parts on a £10k bill!! When you add this failure to the failed turbocharger, the failed injectors, the failed fuel pump, the failed springs and the failed front wishbone rear bushes over its five year life, I bought a vehicle that has turned out to be less of "the ultimate driving machine", more like a piece of overpriced junk!!"

 

[hawk20]

FOR Mercedes reliability in the USA see this thread: - http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=28993
American forums are ablaze with the news that Mercedes has beaten Lexus to win the large premium car class, with the new S class in the latest USA JD Power Initial Quality Surveys (which looks at faults and much more during the first 3 months of new cars' lives). In addition, the facelifted E class saw off all comers to win its class, the medium premium car class, and the SL won its class too.

JD POWER Initial Quality Survey. 2007

http://www.jdpower.com/articles/article.aspx?ID=259


And in the UK try this thread: -
http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=20188

And for JD Power’s reports on Mercedes model by model see this thread: -
http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=28294

 

[whitenemesis]

I have a face-lift S203 '05, 43000mls

- paint is mirror perfect (OK its got stone chips but hey)
- drives straight as a die, always has
- new tyres (x4) approx every 20k
- no steering issues
- interior is silent (except for a warm weather buzz from the seatbelt adjuster!)
- all bulbs intact
- no suspension issues.

You will ALWAYS hear more from those with problems than those without. Forums are not a statistically valid indicator of reliability.
They are a very good source of information on what to be aware of.....[/quote]

Happy that yours is ok, Whitenemesis, but remember your faultless car is no better an indicator of MB's reliability than mine, which has (sadly) let the side down.

What distinguishes one marque from the next is how professionally they deal with any issues that arise.

In that department, my experience of MB main dealers (who've serviced and dealt with the car for 3 consecutive years) places them only slightly above the also rans ..... The various annual consumer surveys consistently place BMW several places above MB, and Lexus many more places above them.

So get off your high horse, and at least have the good grace to accept that some people have had a somewhat sh*tty experience of MB, and that which it is supposed to stand for. Anyone would think you had shares in Daimler Chrysler .....

My point precisely! I'm on no "high horse", in fact I believe you and I are arguing the same thing. My "Hear! Hear!" was to support stumpy's comment about dealers, you have made the same comment.

I am sadened that you have had a less than wonderful experience with Mercedes Benz but I still think it unreasonable to tar the whole brand as "unrelliable".
As I stated earlier, forums are not a statistically valid indicator in this respect and I would suggest the same for "consumer surveys". The huge majority of Mercedes owners do not frequent these forums and generally people are far quicker the critisice and complaint that praise (which is probably how it should be... it should be the "norm" to be happy with one's purchase)

I really hope your experience with MB improves and you can enjoy the marque as I and many (silent) others do.

And no, I do not have shares in Daimler AG

 

[jberks]

On the service front,

The influential JD Power customer satisfaction survey also awarded Mercedes-Benz as most improved brand in 2007, reflecting on a company-wide initiative to excel in customer service.

Add that to the recent S and E class quality awards from one of the most impartial survey teams and the efforts they are making to get back to where they were seem to be having an effect.

 

[stumpy]

On the service front,

Add that to the recent S and E class quality awards from one of the most impartial survey teams and the efforts they are making to get back to where they were seem to be having an effect.

Not at MB Brooklands though in my very recent experience. My personal problem with Mercedes now is a lack of confidence in the product and the the aftercare.

 

[johnmc]

FOR Mercedes reliability in the USA see this thread: - http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=28993
American forums are ablaze with the news that Mercedes has beaten Lexus to win the large premium car class, with the new S class in the latest USA JD Power Initial Quality Surveys (which looks at faults and much more during the first 3 months of new cars' lives). In addition, the facelifted E class saw off all comers to win its class, the medium premium car class, and the SL won its class too.

JD POWER Initial Quality Survey. 2007

http://www.jdpower.com/articles/article.aspx?ID=259


And in the UK try this thread: -
http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=20188

And for JD Power’s reports on Mercedes model by model see this thread: -
http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=28294

That's the old American favourite, the "90 day failure rate". Let's see how the new stuff stuff from Merc is doing 3-5 years down the road, where it matters. The 90 day rate is the equivalent of missing the power cord in the gadget box, and they include nonsense like that in these quality reports.

Sorry, not convinced until the fat git sings (Jeremy Clarkson that is) about quality in Mercs.

John

 

[hawk20]

That's the old American favourite, the "90 day failure rate". Let's see how the new stuff stuff from Merc is doing 3-5 years down the road, where it matters. The 90 day rate is the equivalent of missing the power cord in the gadget box, and they include nonsense like that in these quality reports.

John

They include many important things too. But if you don't like the good news on the 90 day one, look at the full JD Power results. The E class does much better than the BMW 5 series. The A class is level with the equivalent Toyota (to many a legend of reliability). Lots of good news if people want and have the eyes to see it.

Jberks view is on the button if you look at the main survey evidence. There was a bad period (late nineties and early 2000's) and since then there is strong and clear evidence of real progress.

 

[jberks]

Not at MB Brooklands though in my very recent experience. My personal problem with Mercedes now is a lack of confidence in the product and the the aftercare.

Given MB's attitude to customer care and the money they're throwing at it, why not involve MB customer service. Also, if the dealer is cr-p, bin them and use someone who actually wants your business. I have 2 dealers chasing me for every service so if they don't come up to scratch .... bye

 

[stumpy]

Where else can we get the Smart looked after that isn't miles away? Brooklands recently sent the car back from a B service with oil leaking from the sump plug. Then the person we had an appointment to see wasn't there leaving us waiting for half hour. etc etc, and so it goes on.................

 

[Rory]

Where else can we get the Smart looked after that isn't miles away? Brooklands recently sent the car back from a B service with oil leaking from the sump plug. Then the person we had an appointment to see wasn't there leaving us waiting for half hour. etc etc, and so it goes on.................

There's no doubt that dealers in general (I've dealt with a fair number of different makes and MB seem no different to me) are the weakest link - I wish cars could be "sealed for life" and dealers never had to touch them.

All of MB's effort and expense can be ruined by a hopeless dealer.

I generally come away feeling dismayed by the experience and my last visit to my local dealer was no exception.