Mercedes what a car!!

[mafiose]

I bought a mercedes 2 month ago...and I regret everyday of my ownership...

actually to be honest..I regret .....everyday minus the first week.....after that .....one problem after another......

Last week....I arrived to work normally......when it was time to leave....got in the car turned it on...put it in reverse...all of a sudden......all sort of ratteling, squeeking noise started to come out of the engine compartement. I poped the hood open....the tensioner was jumping up and down...futher examination revealed a tensioner shock that totally came loose. Now this part was preventitavely changed at the dealership 6 months ago for 160$. Stoped by the first independent I can see....Left it there and picked it up later....total charge 115$....(oh and it is just to put it back in place...no parts changed)......Friday I took it to the dealership.....U think they will tell you sorry Sir for the inconvenience......we'll do all the necessary.....but NO they made eloquently argue my case ..I felt I was begging them to change change...that should be changed under warranty...no questions asked ....Hey ....I over-excpect things from people....what can I do I have a big heart.

4 days later.......on my way back from work........on a red light.....my Idle starts fluctuating..and then car dies....I snap it back on and continue my drive...(saying to myself...Hey it happens...right??? well NO).......3 blocks later.....while having the gas pedal pressed....I would experience sudden short loss of power and then back on ..not lasting 1 second ...but you can feel it ....because the car...feel like its starved or bumpy.....this soon became worse....
Got home......checked eveything I could ...and since then ...I myslef have changed....plugs, wires, fuel filter...checked fuel pressure......OVP and fuel relay voltage......Mass Sensor seems working fine.....Running out of options I took it today to a friend of mine who has a Star Diagnostic system.....and ran it......well he tells me you have some hard codes....we look'em up and depending on the futher tests...this problem can be 3 things...A bad throttle housing (700$w/labor), ECU (1800$), or wiring (ruled out)......so I said ...what the f***!!!!!

At 74k......for a car...serviced since day one at the dealer with tabs for tune[ups at 800-900-1000 $, at every recommended interval......with an original price tag of 38K$........why is this happening?!!! CAN ANYONE EXPLAIN to me why would this happen..........I do not rough the car....I take really good care of it......

my only reasoning is that this car was not designed to drive this long.

what use to be a utility and reliability car...is now looks and gadgets...or commodity car.....

U have ECU failing left and right (unheard of in other makes)....u have MAS sensors doing the same......throttle housings......head gasket defected.....balancer shafts.......just take a look a this website and search it.....

I have owned 2 hondas in the past that were 8-10 year old, dorve for 3 years.....All I changed is plugs, oil, and brakes.

Cars should be made to be driven ....let us not fool ourselves....I am not here to defend Honda's.......but when we pay big bucks for a car, we should expect to have the mechanical/electrical top of the line.......hard to break and fail.

Mercedes might look like a solid car.......but when u see all these things fail on it..it makes me think twice about what our "chrysler's " real value...vs quality.

Another beef I have is with the mechanics....they also seem to think they can steal people.....just because they drive a Benz....It's ridiculous.....walk in a place that fixes japanese cars and they will charge you 45-55-60 $ an hour....another place next door that is specialized BENZ....wow....would not settle for less than 90-95-105..you name it.

Come on people....what is this world coming to......


Anyways.....I guess now it's a good time to annouce to everyone that my Daimler-Chrysler experience should and will soon end ...as I have decided to sell my car......

So if anyone is interested it's a 1996 C220, with 74k, immacculate outside/inside, clear corners, Lip spoiler w/ matching paint, CD changer, the color is Emerald/tan leather, OH and yeah this is a California car........Price to be discussed on the phone (818)681-9605 ask for Geo you will not be disappointed with the priced.

[ericnguyen]

If you're not a DIY type, don't buy MB cars, especially newer ones.

I found it amusing that many people have kept speaking evil of Japanese cars which all have timing belts instead of timing chains.
Yes, timing belts may fail sooner than timing chains, but the cost of replacing them is very cheap compared to those on MB cars. I've seen many Asian shops charging $200-300 for replacing BOTH TIMING BELT and WATER PUMP (labor + parts) on Japanese cars, including the expensive Lexus ones.

Timing chain + water pump (parts only) would already cost
almost $200 for MB cars.

And the good thing about Japanese cars is that the majority of them would require very minimal maintenance for a long time. 10-15 years of ownership is typically long enough for most users, except die-hard MB afficionados like many of us here

If you don't want to mess around with fixing cars, buy a cheap Honda Civic to drive to work every day. You will save a lot of money for better things in your life.

Eric

[fahrgewehr2]

I feel your pain, but that is the worst ad for a car I have ever seen. And it belongs in the "cars" section.

[Car Nut]

Sorry to hear your frustration!!! I agree with you on the MB problem. I have 2 honda 1995 Honda Accord V6 90k miles and 2001 Honda CRV 58k miles.

Things have repaired on Accord
1. 2 sets of brakes front and back
2. 1 muffler
3. ignition coil (check engine light) warranty
4. power door driver's side front and back
5. coil in the A/C (don't really know the part name)
6. timing belt with water pump (prevention only, no leak)
7. driver's window regulator warranty
8. starter

Things have repaired on CRV
ZERO

I only do minor maintenance by myself such as oil change, filters change, etc. I never go the dealer for regular maintenance i.e. 5k, 10k, 15k... service.

Things have repaired on 99 E430 65k miles
All under warranty
1. driver's seat motor and switch
2. MAS
3. oxygen sensor
4. 2 CD changers
5. fiber optic cable for CD changer
6. passenger rear window regulator
7. both rear shock absobers
8. fuel level sensor (next service visit)
9. mini fan belt (I have to paid)
10. pair of front brake (I have to paid)

I have done all the FSS bulls*** and brake fluid change at the dealer. I also change oil at the midde of the inteval with Mobil 1 and MB oil filter. Please help me do the math.


Car Nut

[86560SEL]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. Perhaps you have a lemon? Personally- the only Mercedes I would buy is a 1979-1985 300SD turbo diesel, or a 1978-1983 240D / 1978-1985 300D, or even a 84-up 190D. Also, the 1986-1991 S-class diesel/gasoline models are great cars too. The diesels seem to be the most reliable mechanically and like most foreign (Japanese and German) cars, the quality of the mid 90s to current have really went down.

I too have had several Hondas and Toyotas- several with well over 200K- still running perfectly. I currently have a 1990 Lexus LS400, with 225,500 that is still in perfect conditions.

I even have a 1998 Ford Taurus, with 245,000 miles. Not a misprint- it has two hundred and forty-five thousand miles. Engine is still in excellent condition, but as expected, the transmission is due for major service.

I also recently test drove a 1984 Mercedes 300SD with 336K that was still a good car- aside from some issues that I was unsure about, so I passed in it. It may be a good car. I guess my point is- I cannot see a 1995-newer Mercedes going over 300K like the 81-91s often do.

Your 96 C220 should have a lot less problems at 74K miles. I do not think all of the C220s have that many problems. Good luck.

[zero4588]

Same here, bro. Been there and done that. Welcome to the Mercedes club.
86560SEL- I see a lot of Japanese luxury cars with more than 200000 miles these days. My wife's coworker's G20 even has 300000 miles with all the original drivetrain, still running strong. I am confused now where the reliability I supposed to have paid for in my Mercedes.

[Freestyler]

Hey.. You bought a 'C'. What did you expect?

I'm just joking.. Though it is known that the C-class doesn't quite live up to the standards of the older models. It's sad but true.

I understand your frustration. I have an '86 W124 300E - One of the strongest most well-built cars ever made. And it craps out on me all the time. I could have bought a nice Honda every 3 months for the $$ i put in this car.

I asked the authorized MB shop how they could justify charging $110/hour?
"They had to, to pay for all the fancy diagnostic computers for the new models.."
Well.. why do I have to pay for that? They won't be using it on my car!
So i DIY most of my repairs. And when not, my independant (MB-trained) mechanic charge me $32/hour.

Freestyler

[zeronero]

That's horrible, guess it's true, Japanese cars are the best now. I'm lucky I've had my car for over 25k miles and have only spent $300 in repairs. I do the work myself so that's the reason.

[mafiose]

Thanks for all the response.

I did not intend for my post to be an add but it is ....

I honestly love the car....it is beautifull and all I can ask for as far as appearance ...and inside luxury....

buy my frustration after wasting a day from school, today in the garage....and last friday as well ......was what led me to this posting.

The reason I bought a Benz in the first place is because I thought that these cars are reputable for durability and reliability. I guess you can see these problems I am seeing with all cars....but the fact is that with MBZ parts cost the least to say twice as much. That does not fit in my student budget, nor was it my intention.

so following an email from one of the members, if the moderator allow I will post up some moe info on my car.

it's a 1996 C220 with 74,358 miles. I put on it about 1500$ including new tires, cd changer, S600 grill, clear lens, just had it professionally detailed last week for 150$ and serviced it for oil change, fuel filter, trans filter/fluid, spark plugs/wires, new tensioner shock all work done between 72-74K..........It was serviced before at the dealer at 68K...also oil change, tensionner belt, new antenna, new cup holder. The car is absolutely great in the inside and outside.....when I was looking to buy a car ...I saw 1999s, and 1998s.....they looked like crap on the inside...this one was owned by an old guy who lived alone...and only drove it himself....back seats and passenger almost unused.....it was always serviced at Calstar glendale, and all records are available.

Almost forgot the lip spoiler...it's painted and color matched to the car (got it off ebay for like 50$ and paint for 100$)


Phone number is (818)681-9605

My name is George

[mafiose]

sorry if i upset anyone of the fanatics...

[albert champion]

please explain it to me...

my sister has been leasing toyotas for the last few years. she tells me that they are maintenance free.

should be. her leases are 3 years, 45,000 miles.

my older benzes go beyond that level of driving. that having been said, i can prove that they are the cheapest cars to own in the long term on this planet.

i shall concede, however, that current benzes are not worth owning or leasing.

on the other hand, i have never driven any other car for as many miles as i have driven my benzes. somehow, i doubt that a honda will go as inexpensively as my 560sel for 250,000 miles. and i am certain that it will not look as new as my old benz beast.

let us get it accurately, friends. if you want a new car, acquire one. if you want to drive a car for many miles, you tell me which manufacture gives it to you. my experience tells me that only benz gives me long term excellence.

but i tender this caveat...no such durability after schrempp[sic] took over the marque.

my guess is that down the road, we shall all be praising chinese vehicles.

f*ck schrempp[sic]

[mafiose]

let's not jump 200,000 k down the line......you are talking about 250,000k...

Well I am not there now ....I am not even 1/4 of the way there...

you know I drove my 1994 honda from 59K to 114K.....I change plugs twice, regular oil change, drained trans once, and 2 brake jobs.

Oh and i did use GASOLINE in the car.......but I guess most cars use that too.....and some in way lmuch arger amounts I bet ya

[rickjordan]

You know the old expression, the more toys a car has the more there is to break. Both of my TDs have sunroofs. The '83 has a manual one and the '87 has a powered one with the tilt feature. The manual one will never fail, it's a straight forward design. The powered one has the motor, the cable, and the tilt mechanism. All of these could fail at some point. It is sort of comparing apples to oranges when talking about items that had to be replaced. Many of the items that need repair on a Benz are not even available on a Honda. Though I do agree that the quality of Benzes has gone down. Even my '87 has what I consider a cheaper looking interior compared to my '83. The subject of quality is already another thread, so I won't go off on that .

[Limited Edition]

Before I bought my first Mercedes, I owned a Jaguar. I loved the car but parts were very expensive and I figured it was better to get a more reliable car so I could spend the repair money on higher monthly payments.

I ended up getting a 1994 c280. It had a few problems but they were easy to fix myself, and the parts were cheap on Fastlane. I would not have been able to do many repairs on the Jaguar myself because they are not as easy to understand and work on than the Mercedes.

I have stuck with Mercedes because of the reliability and ease of repairs and the last 5 cars I have owned have been MBs.

I know some people have a idealized view of Honda. I owned a 1994 Honda Accord and it had a ABS Pump problem that is common on all 1994-1996 Accords and it would have cost $2,000 to fix it. I have a realistic view of Hondas and I will continue to buy MBs as long as they are reliable and easy to fix when they break.

[dtf]

From talking to BMW, Jaguar owners here at work- the poor quality thing is not specific to MB.