Parts Catalog Accessories Catalog How To Articles Tech Forums
Call Pelican Parts at 888-280-7799
Shopping Cart Cart | Project List | Order Status | Help



Go Back   PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum > Mercedes-Benz Tech Information and Support > Tech Help

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 07-10-2006, 08:00 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Posts: 146
Should I be wary of a newer M-B?

We're looking at replacing a couple of cars in our household -- a '93 300E and a '94 Miata. For both we're considering newer Mercedes-Benzes (a CLK and an SLK, more specifically) but are wary of them because of the reputation of the newer cars as being more troublesome than the old ones.

I've done a fair amount of reading on this forum about the quality issues and have found some good information. I do still have a couple of questions, however, and would be grateful for some assistance.

1. What sort of problems do the newer cars have? We don't expect cars to be perfect, but consider problems that can leave you stranded to be much more serious than nuisance problems. An Audi that nearly stranded us three times far away from home is fresh in our memories.

2. Is it still possible for a DIYer to work on the newer cars? One thing I love about the 300E is that I can do a lot of the maintenance myself; it goes to the mechanic only for major services and when there are problems I can't diagnose myself. If I had to take its replacement to the dealer/independent mechanic for every little thing that could be a dealbreaker.

Thanks in advance for your input.

-Mike

Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 07-10-2006, 10:03 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Phoenix
Posts: 3,726
Should you be wary of a newer MB? Is a frog's ass watertight?
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 07-10-2006, 10:18 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Posts: 146
Quote:
Originally Posted by deanyel
Should you be wary of a newer MB? Is a frog's ass watertight?
Excellent point. Guess I should have asked how wary I should be.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 07-10-2006, 10:21 PM
Jim B.'s Avatar
Who's flying this thing ?
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: N. California./ N. Nevada
Posts: 3,611
Overall, lately it seems that the newer models are less bulletproof than the ones in the early nineties (more or less) according to the quality surveys that
monitor this kind of thing. That's because they were built more to a price point than to the company's original credo "The Best or Nothing" Look at the ads you see for them, saying how cheap you can buy or lease one for.

That's not to say you can't find a great example. Lots of folks own the newer ones and are very happy with them. But there are lots ot "Toads" out there now also.

Certainly, with the introduction of the W140 for 1992, complexity skyrocketed and quality went down somewhat.

For sure after 1996 you would need access to an OBD II diagnosis analyzer at the least. Fixing electronic gremlins in these new ones won't be for the faint of heart either. Things in that area have gotten so complex that some Independent mechanics would rather not have to try and fix them

This isn't really an answere to your question, but were I to get another Mercedes, a newer one, I would definately try and get one with a Starmark Warranty. True, they are not cheap, but they are like insurance and could
really save you if something big and difficult went wrong.

The passive/active safety features are still good and getting better so a good argument for them is still, you can survive and walk away from a bad accident, that would be very quite horrible for you otherwise.
__________________
1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 07-10-2006, 10:37 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 4,263
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim B.
For sure after 1996 you would need access to an OBD II diagnosis analyzer at the least. Fixing electronic gremlins in these new ones won't be for the faint of heart either. Things in that area have gotten so complex that some Independent mechanics would rather not have to try and fix them
My '96 E300 has the OBD-II port for a scanner, but as this is required to show only PCM codes, that's all it does show. You still need to connect the Mercedes tool to read any codes from any of the other computers. There are a bunch of other computers in my car.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 07-11-2006, 04:29 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 530
Our "06 C 280 4Matic has been flawless. 11,500 miles

John
__________________
President Minuteman Section MBCA
www.mbca.org/minuteman
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 07-11-2006, 07:58 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Posts: 146
Thanks for the responses, everyone. Sounds like if I'm going to take the plunge with a newer M-B (or two) it would be wise to get one with a warranty in case expensive things go wrong.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 07-11-2006, 08:03 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 4,177
In this 10yr indie tech's opinion MB quality has been going down ever since the dreaded merger. Chryslers, however have been getting somewhat better.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 07-11-2006, 08:46 PM
Hatterasguy's Avatar
Zero
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Milford, CT
Posts: 19,318
I'd have zero heart bunr buying a very late model MB, actualy I am looking forward to doing that in a couple of years.
__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 07-12-2006, 10:32 AM
blackmercedes's Avatar
Just a guy
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: St. Albert, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 3,492
There are good cars to be had, but you have to pick carefully. As an example, the early W203 C-Class cars (2001-) can be very troublesome. Of course, some are perfect, but many owners had headaches returning to the dealers for all kinds of electrical problems.

The more complex the model, the more chance you have of having problems. Try to buy the simplest model you can in the range you want.
__________________
John Shellenberg
1998 C230 "Black Betty" 240K

http://img31.exs.cx/img31/4050/tophat6.gif
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 07-12-2006, 12:35 PM
Mike Murrell's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2000
Posts: 2,580
M.B.Doc commented on this issue not long ago. Electronics from 1995 on has been awful.

You have no idea if the car you'd like to buy is going to be plagued with elect. gremlins. Starmark or not, you could end up with a real nightmare.

Personally, I wouldn't dream of buying a newer MB until we know that Dainler has actually taken measures to correct the problem. It will be some years into the future before this gets resolved, but in the end, it's your money.

If I were in the market for a luxury car, MB would not be on the list. Quite frankly, no European car would.

Good luck.
__________________
Mike Murrell
1991 300-SEL - Model 126
M103 - SOHC
"Fräulein"
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 07-12-2006, 03:16 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Albuquerque, NM USA
Posts: 1,947
If you own the repair CD for W124, just look at all the "field fixes."

Hard to think new cars could be much worse.
__________________
Kent Christensen
Albuquerque
'07 GL320CDI, '10 CL550. '01 Porsche Boxster
Two BMW motorcycles
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 07-13-2006, 09:48 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Wahington State
Posts: 19
I am Happy with my E320

I am happy with my 95 E320 but I have to say also that I am lucky. I bought this car used with some warranty left. So far all major components and repair was covered by insurence. I Think you will be happier with any Jap's car. They are more reliable. I want to own MB only becoz it is diff from all others. I am willing to put up with repair.

Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On




All times are GMT -4. The time now is 01:26 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2018 Pelican Parts, LLC - Posts may be archived for display on the Peach Parts or Pelican Parts Website -    DMCA Registered Agent Contact Page