I too have same worries... on both issues.

I worry about the cars built today bacause I see how components are designed. I ask the design engineers why parts aren't robust and I get the answer I posted above, that the manufacturers don't want to pay the price premium. They only want it "good enough" and for certain design features to only last through warranty.

Cars - especially MBs - are so complicated that sometimes the technician has no choice but to throw up their hands and say "I give up!".

I too thought I was buying a quality car when I bought my E320. I was naive. I can only hope the best for your ownership of the E550. You have no worries if you're only planning to own it through the warranty period.

The complexity, lack of quality, and difficulty of repair have given Mercedes vehicles low residual value during resale. Ironically, this is also the reason I could afford my E320 when I bought it as a 7 year old car. They cost $75-80K when new!

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95 E320 Cabriolet, 169K