JD Powers/MB durability report - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Rockman59 · #1 07-09-2003, 11:07 AM

Lexus Holds Top Spot in Durability Study

Lexus maintained its top spot for the ninth year in dependability rankings, according to an annual study by market researcher J.D. Power and Associates.

Lexus, the luxury division of Toyota Motor Corp., was followed by Nissan Motor Co.'s Infiniti brand, General Motors Corp.'s Buick nameplate, Porsche AG and Honda Motor Co.'s Acura label.

GM was the only one of Detroit's Big Three automakers to score better than the industry average of 273 problems per 100 vehicles.

"The Lexus brand has become one of the bulletproof brands out there," said Mike Wall, an industry analyst with CSM Worldwide. "In terms of quality, efficiency and overall manufacturing, I think Toyota's been head and shoulders above the rest."

The closely watched study is based on responses from more than 55,000 original owners of 2000 model-year cars and light trucks. For the first time, J.D. Power reviewed models at three years of ownership instead of four to five years to better support manufacturers' efforts to improve next-generation replacement models.

Because of the change, 2003 results are not directly comparable to previous studies.

Some of the most common problems in the new survey were excessive brake wear, wind noise and the replacement of components not called for under the normal maintenance schedule.

"Conventional wisdom said that dependability was the property of the Japanese and Europeans," said Joe Ivers, executive director of quality/customer satisfaction at J.D. Power. "While it's still true for automakers like Toyota and Honda, it's no longer the case for many Europeans."

Ivers noted that while Porsche, Jaguar, Saab and BMW scored above the industry average for dependability, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo were well below the standard.

J.D. Power said Mercedes-Benz had the largest gap between initial quality and long-term quality measurements.

In fact, DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler, Dodge and now-defunct Plymouth brands all scored higher than Mercedes-Benz in the 2003 study. Wall said Mercedes-Benz's score was partly attributable to problems with its M-Class sport utility vehicle.

rich39 · #2 07-11-2003, 01:18 AM

be sure to read these posts below carefully. I certainly did.

#3 07-11-2003, 07:21 AM

WHY IS THIS THREAD IN THE TECH HELP FORUM????????????????

WHERE IS YOUR TECHNICAL QUESTION????????????????????

yal · #4 07-11-2003, 08:33 AM

Mercedes Benz E-Class

Discussion already in progress.

spinedoc · #5 07-11-2003, 08:55 AM

LOL LOL LOL
Gotta laugh at this as someone who previously got crucified for "daring" to compare a Lexus to a MB.

rich39 · #6 07-11-2003, 12:18 PM

This poor quality thing is NO laughing matter- he was crucified for
saying I believe that all the models after 126 were crap, or something to that effect. Now everyone is posting threads about J.D. Powers this and that etc. Larry Bible: You have your answer now I believe. For people like me who buy USED cars because new cars are over priced(that's why they depreciate so rapidly) what are we to do now? I can't afford to buy a car that requires $4000 parts replaced! And I agree this shouldn't be on this forum. I guess people are just upset- can you blame them?

zafarhayatkhan · #7 07-11-2003, 12:45 PM

Durability and Tech Help are related topics. Discussions like this help us to see what is going on in the industry and what are MB design issues.

Replacing a badly designed head gasket with another one of the same design will result in a failure again after some time but replacing it with a redesigned one may solve the problem for a long time.

This is taking the forum one step further.

rich39 · #8 07-11-2003, 01:22 PM

Can we dare hope Mercedes Benz of North America also comes to this forum? Imagine if this inspired them to to redue a component that they KNEW was faulty. At their replacement prices, should we expect anything less?