Newer M-B terribly unreliable? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

braverichard · #1 11-09-2004, 12:13 PM

Excerpt from Detroit Newspaper article about the results of the most recent Consumer Reports Survey on vehicle dependability.

Quote:

Hyundai's $16,000 Sonata sedan is among the "most reliable" sedans. Mercedes-Benz's $75,000 S-class and BMW's $70,000 7 Series are among the "least reliable."

BMW officials say they are confident their cars will do better in next year's survey.

Mercedes officials say their internal tracking shows improvement across all Mercedes models.

"The better measure of reliability is the fact that 72% of the over 2 million Mercedes-Benz vehicles that have been sold in the USA since the 1950s are still on the road today," says Geoff Day, Mercedes spokesman.

Still selling M-Bs on the old reputation are we?

boneheaddoctor · #2 11-09-2004, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by braverichard

Excerpt from Detroit Newspaper article about the results of the most recent Consumer Reports Survey on vehicle dependability.

Still selling M-Bs on the old reputation are we?

And still catering to the gaget obsessed and not the quality obsessed

braverichard · #3 11-09-2004, 12:41 PM

I love gadgets, I'm huge on technology and new inventions. I don't mind having to deal with a few quirks if something is completely new. M-B may not be doing a very bad thing afterall. Many years ago, people actually kept their cars for a long time. Most people purchased, not leased, these luxury cars. Today it is a different story. Why build a car that will be very good to last for 30 years when the guy who takes the huge depreciation will only have it for five years at the most? Still, all that aside, they have to attend to the quality issues. I believe they are already doing that. If this company could survive two world wars that were very harsh on Germany, this quality problem will be a piece of cake for it - only if they really want to solve it!!

I just found that statistic stated by the M-B rep to be very interesting. I wonder if any other brand can make such a claim... maybe Toyota, but most of the old Toyotas have rusted away.

Ken300D · #4 11-09-2004, 12:42 PM

They don't refer to the new cars as Daimler-CHRYSLER for nothing!

Ken300D

P.S. Couldn't get me in a 2005 CDI in 2025 for nothing either.

boneheaddoctor · #5 11-09-2004, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by braverichard

I love gadgets, I'm huge on technology and new inventions. I don't mind having to deal with a few quirks if something is completely new. M-B may not be doing a very bad thing afterall. Many years ago, people actually kept their cars for a long time. Most people purchased, not leased, these luxury cars. Today it is a different story. Why build a car that will be very good to last for 30 years when the guy who takes the huge depreciation will only have it for five years at the most? Still, all that aside, they have to attend to the quality issues. I believe they are already doing that. If this company could survive two world wars that were very harsh on Germany, this quality problem will be a piece of cake for it - only if they really want to solve it!!

I just found that statistic stated by the M-B rep to be very interesting. I wonder if any other brand can make such a claim... maybe Toyota, but most of the old Toyotas have rusted away.

Years ago cars barely lasted 4-7 years...........on the most part without major work. Now they last 1-200,000 miles. That was unheard of 30 years ago on original engines. ITs the gagets that make the car unreliable.

Look at our cars....the Climate control and Cruise are both unreliable (still) but those are the only gagets to deal with. New ones are built with planned obsolescence formost in the design......

d.delano · #6 11-09-2004, 01:12 PM

Sensotronic brakes. Who the hell needs that. Maybe better driver education courses that actually TEACH these women about driving dynamics will make the roads safer. Disconnecting the driver from the road is just asking for trouble.

Hatterasguy · #7 11-09-2004, 01:20 PM

My SDL is very reliable it has never let me down. She also always starts and stops.

But I only have to fix a few things every week.

The same can be said for a W140 and I'm sure a W220. All complicated cutting edge cars are expensive to keep going. Heck look at the W116 6.9! It had air suspension in the late 70's! That didn't come back until 1999.

MB's were never ment to be cheap to run they were ment to run for a long time.

miamimike · #8 11-17-2004, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by braverichard

I love gadgets, I'm huge on technology and new inventions. I don't mind having to deal with a few quirks if something is completely new. M-B may not be doing a very bad thing afterall. Many years ago, people actually kept their cars for a long time. Most people purchased, not leased, these luxury cars. Today it is a different story. Why build a car that will be very good to last for 30 years when the guy who takes the huge depreciation will only have it for five years at the most? Still, all that aside, they have to attend to the quality issues. I believe they are already doing that. If this company could survive two world wars that were very harsh on Germany, this quality problem will be a piece of cake for it - only if they really want to solve it!!

I just found that statistic stated by the M-B rep to be very interesting. I wonder if any other brand can make such a claim... maybe Toyota, but most of the old Toyotas have rusted away.

Brave Richard--Yes I think the Volvo 240sof the 80s can make that boast--short on gadgets but long on reliability.Esay to fix, reliable, change the OIl and do the maintenence and they will never die.

braverichard · #9 11-17-2004, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by miamimike

Brave Richard--Yes I think the Volvo 240sof the 80s can make that boast--short on gadgets but long on reliability.Esay to fix, reliable, change the OIl and do the maintenence and they will never die.

Just the 240s, or all Volvos from the '80s as with the M-Bs? Do you have any exact statistics? Just wondering.

bullwinkle · #10 11-17-2004, 09:01 PM

How about the Cummins powered Dodge pickups?-namely the 12 valve first generation starting in 1989(I know, only 15-16 yrs. ago)-I've seen old ones hauling unbelievable amounts of stuff(and I know personally of 2 that are over 300K mi. with little or no major problems).

#11 11-21-2004, 10:15 AM

the acme of "mechanical" automobiles. The could not be improved upon in any significant way insofar as materials, workmanship, perpetual reliability, longevity, and well thought out and pleasant design. Much of the electronic content that has crept into cars since has been to meet mandated safety and pollution standards, but the great bulk of gizmos (GPS, etc) was to fancy up the cars so they might sell better. And much of it was a question of "building to a price"...which made much suffer.

The "better" cars of 20 years ago are in many ways the high points of what automobiles were supposed to be...98 percent of "progress" since then has, IMHO, in fact been retrograde.

n4xft · #12 01-04-2005, 04:38 PM

http://www.troublebenz.com/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi

just one of the sites I have come across trying to get some info for my uncle about his 03, S class, gasser, brake {ABS} problems. Like the earlier post stated, Chrysler in the name says it all. I love Mercedes diesels {123-126} and I hope to be able to never drive anything else for the rest of my life because the newer ones don't look very promising for the future used market, and the used market is where I exist in this world. The more bells and whistles, the more potential for malfunction.

Hatterasguy · #13 01-04-2005, 06:10 PM

From what I understand the when the W126's first came out they had many ABS problems, heck I still am having them. Nothing is perfect, I like old cars a lot. Except when I am working a lot and going to school and it is cold and rainy out. Then they break and I have to lay underneath a oil covered car and fight with 20 year old rusted bolts to fix something so I can get to school/work the next day. At times like that I don't give a crap that a new one might not hold up well over 20 years, having a nice newer car that will run and get me around is a great thing. I don't want to keep daily drivers for more than 5 years by then I want something else, let the next guy try to take it to 20 years.

Old cars are fun to drive and fix, but having a late model car to get around is preferable in my book.

fahrgewehr2 · #14 01-04-2005, 06:34 PM

Old cars ok if you buy a really good one to start with. Just buy the very best of what's out there. How much did you pay for your SDL?

DslBnz · #15 01-04-2005, 07:07 PM

Late model cars are not superior machines to older model cars. It all lies in your definition of what "superior" is.

Each has it's pros and cons. If one is competent enough, than much of the cons associated with an older vehicle are negated. Hence my stable.

Oh, the W210 is a helluva car. Perhaps personal bias, or maybe it is just because it seems carved out so much better than a W124 to me.

Remember that unless your car has a complete ground up restoration using OEM parts and equipment, it will never be as good as it was new. So it is not fair to compare an older car with 200 + K miles to one with 54 miles.