Chrysler influence on 300E series/Benz's in General - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

strelnik · #1 05-11-2010, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by benzborg

A bit off topic perhaps but I'm trying to find links to put a raging debate to bed. My aging Benz mechanic who spent years working for Mercedes in Germany has for some years expressed his conviction that after the late eighties he won't touch any 300Es since as he says it "That's when Chrysler started making them". He's even pointed out to me how early 300E rear end suspension was downgraded to very light control arms in the rear compared to eariler 80s 300Es. That parts in general weren't as reliable as the earlier MBs and paint, quality of metal etc went downhill as well.

Since then whenever I raise this issue debate follows and being unable to find any links that point to anything the "old boy" is on about I'm wondering if he knows something we don't or does he have his wires crossed altogether?

thanks in advance.

BB

He has his wires crossed altogether.

The actual culprit of this was Juergen Schrempp, when he ran Mercedes and tried to make money by making everything cheaper. Look at the difference between the 123 and 124 models and those which followed.

Schrempp almost got canned as MB chief before he became Daimler Chief, because of this. So he elevated Prof. Dr. Huebbert to run MB engineering and that's when things improved until the good professor retired about 2001-2.

I found this out through my conversations with German engineers who came to Chrysler's Auburn Hills facility, aka CTC, during that period.

He may be the boss and he may be German, but they hated his penny-pinching for bigger bigger profits and bonuses.

Fortunately, he's totally out of the picture, although Dieter hasn't been much better. But then neither is Wolfgang Bernd.

Andreas Renschler, if he's still around, might be a better CEO, because he is more hands-off and lets engineers do their job.