New member looking for advice - about to give up on MB for good

[television]

As from the point of keeping or selling, after a think I would base it on the rust on the car, if there is any, that is the point of no return.

Your normal running gear has been replaced, so should be OK for many miles or years, any rust blisters forming then let it go when you are ready, the rust problem completely went away by 04-04

 

[EGBM]

What a sad tale to hear, you have my sympathies mate.

We've had our CLS for getting on for a year and we took the decision to avoid the main dealer as they belong to the same Group we got our Yaris from. In my opinion, a bunch of sharks. On the other hand the local indie (approved repairer) has looked after us really well, almost as if we had a Mercedes-Benz as opposed to a Toyota (no offence).

Touch wood all we've had to deal with is tyres so far so I can't really compare to your stunning experience!

 

[Rappey69]

Thats a scary list of problems with your car. Mine is the same age as yours and was taken from 80,000 to 234,000 over the past 3 years without any major problems at all and was serviced by indies.
Everything still works but aircon does have a slight leak somewhere.

 

[PanzerMcGrory]

Dry your eyes,
Just joking, if your leaving Mercedes then get a Honda. pound for pound they are the best car you can buy and just dont go wrong.

 

[postmastergeneral]

hiya mate

i know exactly how you feel however i have nt paid out anything when i was having problems. in 2002 i bought a brand new peugeot 406 petrol. top of the range. sorry for mentioning an inferior brand guys but at that time it was all i could afford.

that car had over £17,000 spent on it through warranty which was extended upto 4 years. over those 4 years that car went in for so many things i canot even remember. it had a new EVERYTHING fitted, including new engine!

in the end, i went above the dealer and started talking to peugeot customer service, who kept referring me back to the dealer, but i persisted and said "No! you made a crappy car, now YOU sort it!" after threatening court action they backed down and said "ok what do you want?" so they offered me a like for like replacement. i said no to that and demanded a deal on the newer 407.

then they (after many back and fro) offered me £9000 (instead of £3000 which was its real value) as trade-in value and a brand new 407 at cost price.

upto now, touchwood, the 407 has been fine. i still use it as myrunaround and going to work cos if i took my merc to work, my customers would get jealous and go elsewhere etc.

i would seriously talk to UK headquarters or like someone said someone in germany. tell them you have been so loyal to the brand an want to continue doing so but are finding it hard. you may be surprised but at the end of the day what have you got to lose? a few letters surely cant hurt? if you like, i can email you the letters i wrote to give you some ideas how to structure your letters.

im sure you just have a bad apple mate, as others have and will tell you, MBs are generally a solid car and if you get no joy from MB after a good fight, cut your losses on this one and give another MB a chance.

good luck!

G

PS-if you email me at gauravesood@hotmail.com ill email you back my letters if you wish to get some ideas. youre not alone

 

[st4]

I would say to the OP that 2002 was a bad time for MB quality. The newer cars are much better and a facelifted w203 C class or a later 2005 onwards E class like mine are reliable solid cars so if he were to change the newer ones are much better.

 

[OmniCognateNeutronRangler]

Hi Gurmot,

I think if you have a look for other posts of mine (I think I became a tad infamous when I had my C240 W203, 2003) you'll see that I came close to £5000.00 in just one year, Including servicing.

The car was lovely to drive and looked great (apart from the rust, but that's a whole different story) but was one of the most unreliable and cheapest feeling cars I've ever owned. And the Merc dealer I used (Tony Purlsow in Guildford) were patchy at best.

If you still have the car and it's not too old I can whole heartedly recommend MB Service Plus. It's not cheap but will make those nasty expenses easier to plan for.

Or do what I did, sell the car for a massive loss and buy a BMW.

btw, Macolm, stumpy, blobcat, lyn, Hanz, et al, the other site went bang so I'll hang around here for a bit. Sorry Hawk, I'm back........(I'll try to be good though, now I have rid myself of my three pointed albatross)

 

[television]

Hi Gurmot,

I think if you have a look for other posts of mine (I think I became a tad infamous when I had my C240 W203, 2003) you'll see that I came close to £5000.00 in just one year, Including servicing.

The car was lovely to drive and looked great (apart from the rust, but that's a whole different story) but was one of the most unreliable and cheapest feeling cars I've ever owned. And the Merc dealer I used (Tony Purlsow in Guildford) were patchy at best.

If you still have the car and it's not too old I can whole heartedly recommend MB Service Plus. It's not cheap but will make those nasty expenses easier to plan for.

Or do what I did, sell the car for a massive loss and buy a BMW.

btw, Macolm, stumpy, blobcat, lyn, Hanz, et al, the other site went bang so I'll hang around here for a bit. Sorry Hawk, I'm back........(I'll try to be good though, I have rid myself of my three pointed albatross)

Having you back is fantastic, I was having an awful day till you posted,,,welcome back

 

[OmniCognateNeutronRangler]

good to be here Malcolm (sorry, I won't hyjack the thread any more).

By the way Gurmot, doesn't matter what your feelings are on Merc's, there are some great people on this forum. Enjoy

 

[Gurmot]

good to be here Malcolm (sorry, I won't hyjack the thread any more).

By the way Gurmot, doesn't matter what your feelings are on Merc's, there are some great people on this forum. Enjoy

Hi Neil,

I'm learning that fast, and I don't mind you hijacking the thread at all. It's great to see a bunch of positive people sharing a common interest.

Cheers - Simon

 

[Lambo]

My advice would be to sell your car, Mercedes-Benz are not the auto company they used to be, just ask their staff what they think of them and you will get the true Picture, switch brands as I am going to and say good bye to MB as thousands of customers are doing all over the World.

 

[television]

My advice would be to sell your car, Mercedes-Benz are not the auto company they used to be, just ask their staff what they think of them and you will get the true Picture, switch brands as I am going to and say good bye to MB as thousands of customers are doing all over the World.

There are no figures out there to back up your post, even today they are doing better than most

 

[hawk20]

So hard to comment on cases such as this as none of us know the back history. How was it driven, how far, and how well was it looked after?

Was it clocked at any time in the past before the OP bought it at 77k miles?
What was the service record prior to his purchase?

Things like wheel alignment and new cats for the exhaust after 100k miles are hardly surprising. The other problems would not be expected at the mileage shown on the clock.

As for the last episode; the OP is upset because a seagull crapped on the driver's door. He thinks it was done after he left the car at the dealer. Who knows? Who can prove what? If it had been me I would have got a wet cloth, wiped it and left.

But then my local dealer, who is excellent, would have cleaned the car inside and out before returning it, if it had been in for a service or any repair not minor.

I agree with those who say later MBs are more reliable (and fully galvanised on all steel panels from end 2002 production onwards). Before going Japanese look at AutoExpress this month with the Driver Power survey in which the E class is in the top ten of over 100 cars sold in the UK and ahead of the Lexus IS250. And the A class is in the top 15. Huge efforts have been made to improve reliabilty, especially since Dr Z took over, and it is coming through in lots of recent surveys, including the J.D. Power survey, the Warranty Direct survey, and the survey of major fleet users.

You can still be unlucky. But a lot less likely now than in 2002.

 

[Gurmot]

Thanks for your comments which I'll try to address one at a time....

So hard to comment on cases such as this as none of us know the back history. How was it driven, how far, and how well was it looked after?

Answer - One previous owner, full MB service history and only worked on by MB in all it's life. And bought from MB as an approved used vehicle with 77K.

Was it clocked at any time in the past before the OP bought it at 77k miles?
What was the service record prior to his purchase?

Answer - You never really know but the service log (from the one previous owner) stacks up and doesn't have any gaps in time or distance travelled. I've certainly not had it clocked since I bought it.


Things like wheel alignment and new cats for the exhaust after 100k miles are hardly surprising. The other problems would not be expected at the mileage shown on the clock.

Answer - I would agree with this. Some minor repairs / wear and tear would be expected but not nearly £5000 surely?


As for the last episode; the OP is upset because a seagull crapped on the driver's door. He thinks it was done after he left the car at the dealer. Who knows? Who can prove what? If it had been me I would have got a wet cloth, wiped it and left.

Answer - I know. You can believe me or not, it's your choice but even if I was to blame, you'd think one of the 3 authorised dealers / repairers who saw the car in the same day would have tried to help and polished it out (as finally happened). I can assure you that the marks were not there before the car was dropped off for the 2 week job of fitting a new cat (in Weston Super Mare, Seagulls!!!!!).

But then my local dealer, who is excellent, would have cleaned the car inside and out before returning it, if it had been in for a service or any repair not minor.

Answer - These guys also cleaned it inside and out. They just didn't bother with the "bird-lime".

I agree with those who say later MBs are more reliable (and fully galvanised on all steel panels from end 2002 production onwards). Before going Japanese look at AutoExpress this month with the Driver Power survey in which the E class is in the top ten of over 100 cars sold in the UK and ahead of the Lexus IS250. And the A class is in the top 15. Huge efforts have been made to improve reliabilty, especially since Dr Z took over, and it is coming through in lots of recent surveys, including the J.D. Power survey, the Warranty Direct survey, and the survey of major fleet users.

Answer - this may or may not prove to be true, but after £5000 of my hard-earned cash, I don't think I'll be taking any more risks.


You can still be unlucky. But a lot less likely now than in 2002.

I would also like to point out that the car has been very well looked after, washed regularly and always serviced ahead of schedule. I'm 42 years old and a father of 2 and my racing days are well behind me. This car was bought as something of a milestone (close to my 40th birthday) and I have tried my best to cheirsh it and I've certainly looked after it as far as I've been able.

I guess I've been unlucky with the actual car, but the biggest dissapointment has been with the way I've treated been by the service staff at two dealerships. Bad luck or poor quality you choose - but poor customer service is totally unacceptable with this kind of purchase. That's why I'm going Japanese.

 

[True romance]

Hi Gurmot, if you can afford it sell it. With all the issues you've had I would have swapped long before. I think buying new or nearly new with low miles should reduce the number of problems you've had. Anyway best of luck with whatever you decided to buy next. Just for the record my last car was a Honda which would have a flat battery if left for more than 4 days so even the Japs get it wrong.

TR.

 

[PanzerMcGrory]

Hi Gurmot, if you can afford it sell it. With all the issues you've had I would have swapped long before. I think buying new or nearly new with low miles should reduce the number of problems you've had. Anyway best of luck with whatever you decided to buy next. Just for the record my last car was a Honda which would have a flat battery if left for more than 4 days so even the Japs get it wrong.

TR.

The battery was probably british.

 

[st4]

The battery was probably british.

In manufacture, design on temperament?

 

[television]

It does not make sense to sell it now in my view, after all the main work has been done, it may never go wrong again

 

[jberks]

Nt sure whether you should cut your losses. Malcolm makes a lot of sense when he says you've replaced so much you may as well get the benefit now. As has been said, your first mistake is using the dealer network. You've probably paid 1/3 to 1/2 more than you needed to. You've also probably paid for new components you didn't need too. It happens when they can't find the cause of a problem and you've been badly stung I imagine.
My dad had a litany of issues with his 2002 E220 a couple of years back. 9 months where something or other didn't work properly despite how much money he threw at it. That said, since then it's been fault free and he intends to keep it a long while yet. My 2004/5 model is vastly better.

1998 to 2003 was a well documented bad period for MB quality, there is no getting around it, so if you can afford to upgrade, a post 05 version of what you have should give the same pleasure without the aggrivation. Sadly a Honda or other eurobox may avoid the aggrivation but will also avoid the pleasure.

The dealers are a mixed bag. Some good, some bad, some depending on who you deal with. The same is true of most dealerships, whatever the make, especially at the moment when things are tight and goodwill thin on the ground. The dealer was probably scared to accept responsibility so wouldn't sort it. Just a shame they were too dumb to try a bit of polish themselves, or did the bodyshop use an orbital polisher? Dealers won't have such kit normally. That said, if your car had been covered with a good coat of polish to begin with I doubt the damage would have occurred. It wasn't a failure of the paint but of the protection, which I'm afraid to say is your responsibility.
I think on balance if you like the car, after what you've spent, keep it and find a good indie. I've advised my dad to stop using dealers now and switch over the the dark side, (and our dealer is pretty good) I'd advise you the same.

 

[Juddian]

I'm of the opinion Gurmot that your costs would have been very much more bearable if you'd been using a competent indy from the day warranty ran out....the loss of MB goodwill seems to be of no consequence anymore if the goodwill involved here and in many other cases is anything to go by.
The alternator as a small example could probably have been overhauled for a fraction of the price, my indy would have.

Your appear to have been mistreated at the dealership involved, and the list of woes with your car is shameful.
It matters not a jot just how good other dealers are, this apple is poisoning the whole barrell, if you've got to travel hundreds of miles to find a competent, honourable dealer then you might as well make a similar trip to a good indy and save a large wedge for your inconvenience.
This is assuming of course that the car is only needing servicing and doesn't require fairly instant repairs.

My jury is still out on the post 04 improvements...most of these cars are too new and too low mileage to make any sort of blanket assumptions, however the amount of salt thats gone down this winter which will still be lurking under the bodies of most cars (that never get a clean underneath except by rain which we didn't get and it's now too late) and will quickly show weaknesses, and mechanical/electrical failures don't seem to be missing from these threads.

I'm a admirer of proper genuine Japanese cars, where they are let down is in the diesel engine's in their cars, don't include the 4x4's, Toyota in particular make some of the best diesels around in that market.
They for some reason missed the boat on putting proper diesels in their luxury brands, the Lexus diesel being a prime example, far too small and underpowered for such a car and lacking the one most important thing in this market...a proper auto box.

If Lexus had shoved a 3+ litre diesel into the 300/400 models from the early days then i and many i know would happily be riding round in them now clocking up vast mileages of trouble free motoring safe in the knowledge that the dealerships are all to a standard.
TBH if they'd put decent diesel in he Camry and made it RWD, there would have been no need for Lexus anyway.

Your situation now is a difficult one, your car may be fine for some time, or something really expensive may go wrong next week.
Only you know your situation, do you take the risk of keeping the car, the heaviest depreciation of which is now over, or do you trade up to something else and hope that said depreciation is the only cost.

My thoughts are unless you can find another MB dealer within reasonable distance (if replacing with another MB) or a competent recommended indy for your present car you might well be advised to change brands.