I have found the quality of my 1999 E430 to be very poor for a car of its supposed class. I have had continual ABS/BAS problems, a catalytic convert issue, ignition key actuation problems, a gear shifter shift gate issue, very poor AM/FM reception, power windows and moon roof which occasionally decide not to open or close fully and finally the specter of a spring perch collapse while my family is in the car doing 65mph on the highway, which happened to my brother in his '98 E420 due to the under-reinforced sheet metal frame the front springs rest on; Luckily he was doing 4mph in a parking lot when his front end dropped to the ground. Those complaints aside the car has been a dream. I have owned many cars in my life some as new most as used and I can say without hesitation this car has had more problems than any other car I have ever owned. If I didn't have so much repair money "invested" I would trade it in tomorrow. We had a 1960 220S which was driven for 21 years before we junked it due to rust and over 400k miles on the gas 6 cylinder. This car is not nearly as reliable. For those "nuts" who need everything to be in perfect working order at all times, I cannot image how much time and money they must spend at the dealership. It is no wonder the Japanese cars have overtaken MB in customer loyalty. MB is a shadow of its former self. They seem to be concentrating on marketing more than quality and it shows. Judging by the posts, they have a long way to go to win me back. BTW, anyone want to buy a '99 E430? Write me.

Great sales pitch! BTW your brother couldn't have had a 98 E420 - no such thing - had to be either 97 420 or a 98 430. The remarkable thing about the spring perch issue is that they always seem to fail at low speed - which I'm sure played into MB's decision not to recall.

I feel you pain, and in all honesty, the 124s' we own have definatly had their share of problems, which have all been documented by most everyone who has owned one. They still, even with their woes, far exceed the quality and reliability of any other 12 to 14 year old car out there. And then there is always the ownership of a vehicle that you see very seldom, in these parts anyway. It is a real advantage to be able to do a lot of the wrenching yourself also, and this forum alone has saved me thousands of dollars in repairs. I still love our cars.

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95 SL500 Smoke Silver, Parchment 64K
07 E350 4matic Station Wagon White 34K
02 E320 4Matic Silver/grey 80K
05 F150 Silver 44K

Sorry to hear your perches.

I firmly believe that all these RWD W210's will have their spring perches fail someday. Just look at how thin the original perches are and then there is no rust proofing of the welds. The soft sealant will crack someday and it does not necessarily takes the snow belt for them to start rusting. All it takes is a little moisture.

So what happened to your car at 65 MPH? Did you lose control? Anyone hurt?

Now is a good time for MB to replaced your perches for free. Once they are done, PM me and I'll fly to NJ and drive it home.

According to my friend in Germany who works for DB do not buy any car from the mid to late '90s up to 2003. Those cars have the worst build quality and the most design flaws of anything Mercedes has ever put out. He says that things have been getting better since 2003. I can understand people's frustration with the cars from the '90s. If I had paid as much for a car as I did on the down payment on my house and the spring perches failed I would be flipping out!


He actually told the people he works with that he would never by another MB as his 2001 S-class has been in the shop more than on the road (and it is serviced at the factory!)

He blames a lot of it on the decision to cut costs that they made after the W140 came out. They have been buying a lot of parts made in Turkey, Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic and it has taken a long time for these suppliers to get up to the quality we expect in a MB. His job is to go from factory to factory in the Czech Republic and Hungary to monitor quality.

__________________
"I have no convictions ... I blow with the wind, and the prevailing wind happens to be from Vichy"

Current
Monika '74 450 SL
BrownHilda '79 280SL
FoxyCleopatra '99 Chevy Suburban
Scarlett 2014 Jeep Cherokee
Krystal 2004 Volvo S60
Gone
'74 Jeep CJ5
'97 Jeep ZJ Laredo
Rudolf ‘86 300SDL
Bruno '81 300SD
Fritzi '84 BMW
'92 Subaru
'96 Impala SS
'71 Buick GS conv
'67 GTO conv
'63 Corvair conv
'57 Nomad

My condolences. This is exactly why I will continue to keep my old '77 280E in good shape. New cars - and unfortunately MBZ as well - are made with built-in obsolesence. Once the 126 model appeared on the sceen, the handwriting was on the wall, starting w/ the plastic bumper covers. From that point on, it has been just one gimmic after another to create car sales. The sad thing is: MBZ now copies Jap cars. Up to the mid 80s, it had always been the opposite.

The good thing is: there are still plenty of old, quality Mercedes cars out there waiting for an owner to appreciate them.

92 190E 2.3 w/ 137,000 miles

Parts replaced since June 2007
Front struts & strut mounts • rear shocks • ball joints • tie rods • idler arm bushing • steering stabilizer • radiator • belt tensioner & shock • water pump • cat back exhaust •*motor and trans mounts • master cylinder & reservior • front & rear flex discs

Repairs to be made or Parts to be replaced before winter
Heater blower motor • heater core (since I will be under there) • tachometer repair (crank position sensor?) • trans shifting problem • climate control vacuum and dash light problem • aux fan problem.

I have never had a car with this kind of mileage need so much work. How can a company that touts its engineering produce such garbage? I must say it is wonderful to drive, but its a money pit. It is very likely my last.

Did you but this car new or in June?

If you just bought it do you know how the previous owner took car of the car and how he drove it? He could have beat it to death before you got it.

I have had to replace all those suspension parts on many cars with under 130k. In fact some parts such as the water pump should be replaced with under 100k miles.

On My W126, I have had to do the water pump, radiator, engine mounts, alternator, fan belts, Climate Control Unit, Aux water pump, etc. These are just maintenance parts.

I would be worried if you needed to replace the cylinder head, transmission, etc with your mileage.

That being said, I can understand where you are coming from. My car needed a lot of work seemingly one thing right after another for a few months after I bought it. I chalked it up to buying a 25 year old car.

Would I buy another MB? Not from the period of say 1993-2005. As my previous post said, MB had a lot of trouble with parts suppliers and with cost centered engineering. Be that as it may, the ads for the new C-class look promising, like they are once again making Mercedes Benz cars and not just turning out what the bean counters tell them to.

If anybody is interested, I can find out what my friend at DB thinks of the C-class.

__________________
"I have no convictions ... I blow with the wind, and the prevailing wind happens to be from Vichy"

Current
Monika '74 450 SL
BrownHilda '79 280SL
FoxyCleopatra '99 Chevy Suburban
Scarlett 2014 Jeep Cherokee
Krystal 2004 Volvo S60
Gone
'74 Jeep CJ5
'97 Jeep ZJ Laredo
Rudolf ‘86 300SDL
Bruno '81 300SD
Fritzi '84 BMW
'92 Subaru
'96 Impala SS
'71 Buick GS conv
'67 GTO conv
'63 Corvair conv
'57 Nomad

I'm on my last Benz. Changed out the wire engine wire harness last month, now the other shoe has dropped and the A/C evaporator is leaking. There's no effing excuse for it other than DB decided to save a very few Marks and passed the savings on to me.
It's pathetic.

I fix cars and sell them for a living. Me too, I will never ever touch anything MB made after 1985. I may keep my '87TD, but that sucker needs engine wiring harness and (of course) a new turbo. none of my pre '85 benzes have major isssues, and they have loads of miles on them.
I say if you want a newer nice car, get a BMW E36 body, or a civic. that's good stuff.
Every time I'm at MB of Nashville there will be someone with a newer Benz with alignment issues. Their 3 point alignment is nice if you wreck your car, you can always get it straight. but it's really just a PITA because every older benz eats tires etc.

I second that. Excelent driving, but quality is really poor....

__________________
-----------------
Juan
1995 E320 Sedan
2008 Ford Escape
RC Helicopter

I can't complain. Why complain if you don't like MB don't buy them. Go buy a Lexus or Acura and be happy.

__________________
2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

But the point is supposed to be that MB is the pinnacle of engineering, reliability, et cetera... Engineered Like No Other Car in The World? That used to be the slogan. If I am paying 51K for an E350..I want that thing to be bulletproof...at least that will make up for the price difference between that and a Lexus or Infiniti or other Japanese model. I want to see cutting edge performing at it's best, and reliably. That's the whole Benz reputation; quality. That's why up until recently all Benz taxis in the fatherland..BMW is creeping in after my recent trip there..

__________________
http://www.betten.mercedescenter.com...n_banner_1.jpg
1976 300D
190,000 Miles
Colorado Beige

1975 300D
Parts Car
78,000 Miles
Rustbucket
Also Colorado Beige

1984 190D 2.2 (Dad's)
156,000 miles
Champagne Metallic Clearcoat

You poor slob I could not agree with you more.
Got a '98 E300 and it has been literally one issue after another but being a handy fellow with a backgound in mechanics and electronics I,with the INVALUABLE help of member of this forum{and my code scanner} have been able to remedy everything no matter how simple or difficult,as a perusal of my posts will show since I have,until now enjoyed the superb handling and economy it offers.

But you know one thing...I'M GODDAM TIRED!!!Worse than my damn Jaguar....at least with that car it was essentially lucas relays and Jetronic fuel pressure regs,maybe a coolant temp sensor... But this monster is unpredictable!
I know,I know....it's nearly 10 years old,but then I've collected,bought and sold historic cars for most of my life and it was just coil,points and condenser,carb rebuild,new clutch,oil and tranny seals...you get the picture.

I was bantering with another forum member here about selling it but I really like the guy,why would I want to unload any future problems on him?

At this point I'll just fix it up,detail the hell out of it and let some hoople fall in love with it,then I can get the best manual tranny 123 out there.....hopefully a wagon.

When do the 2008's come out? Look out bub, she's made it to double digits. As Father Fran might say, "time for her first beer".
There is something nice about an older car for a man that does his own work. I think you've hit on it with the term... predictable. As time goes by, when you've replaced most every system, you get to know what may soon come to fail and what will surly not, at a level of intimacy usually reserved for only the oldest and best used of whores.

__________________
-Marty

1986 300E 220,000 miles+ transmission impossible
(Now waiting under a bridge in order to become one)

Reading your M103 duty cycle:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/831799-post13.html
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/831807-post14.html