Could it be that if they don't like their vehicle, they just move on to another brand, instead of whining like a puppy dog?

I do not understand people on this thread, if you no longer like the products that Mercedes Benz builds, why don't you focus your time on finding something you really like instead of complaining about it?

Interesting question Benzbob:

It's one that I've been analyzing as I read this thread. There must be a masochistic streak in the psychological make up of some Benz enthusiasts. An earlier poster on this board told about $9,000 in various repairs over a 6 month period. That would have sent me directly to my nearest Lexus, Acura, Jaguar delership. I speculate that we want so badly to believe that these cars are still what their reputation has always indicated that they were and with each repair, we hope that this is the final fix that will make the car right, because when they are right, there are few marques that can compete with the MB.

Knowing what I know from these and other stories, I would never buy a new Benz. I'll just stick with my 560SEL. It's build is rock solid, it's styling timeless, and at least I know its quirks. Knock on wood, it has yet to leave me stranded! At the same time, however, there are thousands of new Benzes sold every year. I would imagine that at least 90%-95% of these cars are performing flawlessly, otherwise dealerships would be stormed by angry owners on a constant basis. We only hear the horror stories. The satisfied owners are too busy enjoying their cars to log onto boards such as this one.

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1991 560SEL (254K miles)
1980 Lincoln Mark VI - Givenchy
1979 Lincoln Mark V Collector's Series
1979 Lincoln Town Car Collector's Series
1979 Ford "Effie" Pickup (in gradual transformation to a show/street truck)
1969 Lincoln Mark III (waiting for "Overhaulin" to call)
1989 Lincoln Towncar
2001 Lexus GS300 (spousal unit's daily driver)

I am a long term MB driver 30 years and 5 cars. I always thought I got my money's worth until recently. My 2000 ML 320, bought new 47k, has really let me down in the last three weeks. I was driving straight and level at 40MPH and BAM! the car locked up one or more wheels without my foot on the brake! I dove for the shoulder and made it without being rear-ended. I have been ignoring a BAS/ESP light that rarely shows (5% of driving time) for months hoping to wait out a service visit. After the first incident, my local mechanic found nothing and reset the ESP. BAM again. First dealer service was new brake switch and BAM again. Second visit was a replacement of the YAW Sensor. The sensor and switch cost over $1000. The yaw sensor apparently shorted out and sent the BAS a signal that the car was out of control and power was withdrawn and brakes applied to certain wheels to bring the truck back under control. I'm just thankful that I survived three abrupt panic stops without my foot on the brake caused by the failure of a component in the electronic stability system. This is a really dangerous engineering fault. Imagine interstate driving at speed and sudden almost lock up (the BAS functioned with the pulsation) of some wheels.

They can be costly. For the first two years my SDL was bleeding me for $300-$400 in parts a month. That was fun!

Not that I read the Ferrari forum all the time, but I notice with those cars a few grand here and there is just expected. Also the high entry fee kind of keeps the people who really shouldn't be driving them out. A $5k service on a $100k car isn't a big deal. But you get a second hand MB for $5k-$10k and a $2k repiar is a big chunk of the purchase price.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Wow!......unacceptable.......new cars are getting a little scary. When are the going to realize there is a "tipping point" where cars will become too complicated and dangerous.

I wish Honda would hurry up and bring their diesel to the US.

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Jim

This is really startling. I was under the impression that none of this new fancy crap (on all cars, not just MB) were DESIGNED and tested under "rule 0", in that no failure can cause loss of the normal operation of the car, even if that "normal operation" was coasting to a stop while having the brakes working, even with loss of power assist. If you look at the electronics in an MB (or any car of the 80's or up to the mid 90's) you can see that this is true, everything electronic has a "limp home" or "degraded performance" mode. IMHO, as soon as the mfr's strated violating rule 0, that's when the troubles began...I can hardly wait to see what things will be like with this new steering by wire crap 10 years from now. Or this automatic parking stuff gone mad or degraded from age and lack of maintenance.

When I was still working in engineering in the 90's, our shop was fairly close to UL headquarters in Northbrook. They were at the time mulling over the testing of software and systems for UL approval, and our UL guy was pretty respected over there. We came to the conclusion that it would be impossible to build something inherently safe unless it was designed from a blank piece of paper to have every failure mode run to a safe mode.

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86 560SL
With homebrew first gear start!
85 380SL
Daily Driver Project

http://juliepalooza.8m.com/sl/mercedes.htm

I have a '73 220D with four speed stick. I bought the car, a really nice car, with a dead engine for $500. I bought and installed a completely rebuilt 240 engine from Metric Motors for about 5K (2 year un-limited mileage warrantee).

From the time I first cranked that engine over 'til now I have had ZERO trouble with the car. Geez, the thing is SO simple, there really is nothing to go wrong, so long as basic maintenance points are covered.

Well, OK - the central locking system does not work properly, but that should be simple enough to fix when I open up the doors this coming Spring (fix busted vac lines). And I will be replacing either axle boots or the entire axles before long, as the old boots are cracking.

My total expense thus far is about 7K. Now I just drive and change the oil in the thing, and I love it.

For myself, I would never own a car that has a computer in it, or power windows, etc. And I would never trust a shop to do the work for me. I am DIY to the max, and the old MB fits right in with the fleet of old air-cooled VWs, which, BTW, never give me trouble either.

Newer cars suck. You HAVE to rely on the dealer because they are so complex. Not for me.

Buy old, and do the work yourself. Works for me, and has never left me stranded.

Ciao!

I hope I'm not jinxing my ML, but it's been quite reliable after 130K mi.

Not if the right diagnostic tools are available. I can diagnose any problem on a VW or Audi with a $200 software package and a laptop; unfortunately such a package is not available for Mercedes. Touaregs and Phaetons are just as complex as most Mercedes.

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Lenny

There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games. --Ernest Hemingway

'10 GL550/'04 BMW 545/'99 BMW 323/'98 ML320/'87 VW GTI (race)

Bravo Steve, I used to hear the same thing about Alfa Romeo Spiders. However, I love the car and found one that had been dealer serviced and not worked on by someone that had no idea what he was doing. That was 8 years ago and it has never hung me up... for that matter, none of them have and I we have a 66 Mustang Coupe, 78 Alfa Spider Veloce, 91 300CE, and, yes, two old Toyotas. Most of the problems with cars are a lack of maintenence. Yes you can buy a car today that boasts no maintenance for 100K but you do not want to be the owner of that vehicle once its owner realizes it is time to throw it away and start all over again. What ever happened to auto makers not making throw away cars? The problem is us, a people who are too much in a hurry to look under the hood from time to time and demand NEW every year rather than staying with something that is proven and works. I fear that Mercedes has jumped on that bandwagon to some extent...that is why I bought the 91 300CE...it is still a real Benz and a classic at that. I would not give it up for a new Camry or Honda. Someone who buys the pointed star, or an Alfa or Porche is buying a piece of history. Can you imagine any Honda or Toyota becoming a classic? My two cents.

I guess that depends on your definition of a classic.
I would say that the Hondas and Toyotas are defining reliability of automobiles today. Many people now compare them to the cars that they talk about. I bet if the new MB models that are available today had the same reliability and of the current Hondas and Toyotas, most people including myself would buy one and get ride of the current MB's that we have.

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2010 W212 E350 Sport
1996 W210 E320 (220K miles)

I can't resist. Words have meanings.

"I bet if the new MB models that are available today had the same reliability and of the current Hondas and Toyotas, most people including myself would buy one and get ride of the current MB's that we have."

Do you really believe that reliability is the only criteria by which we choose the cars we drive? What about style, status, safety, performance, comfort, among many other factors. How can you possibly make the statement that most people including yourself would buy one?
Most new MB's are from $40,000 to $100,000+. The luxury car market will never be for most people.

Steve

of course!! reliability should be No.1 how on earth could you show off the other factors if your bright and shiny MB would not even start? or stalls?

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joel

Prayers bring forth enlightenment.

I guess that why there is now brand called Lexus that has only been around since 1989.....luxury and reliability.....there are obviously a few buyers who care about both



Warren
Columbus Ohio

I for one wouldn't want to drive what everyone else has. For me performance, style, comfort, longevity, and reliability are most important, in roughly that order. Status I could care less about.

Most people I believe buy primarily on price.

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Lenny

There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games. --Ernest Hemingway

'10 GL550/'04 BMW 545/'99 BMW 323/'98 ML320/'87 VW GTI (race)