Speaking of Toyota.
Some years ago, afriend of mine asked me to do a tune-up on his 4 Runner.
When I got to the dealer, to purchase the required parts, I received a severe scolding from the parts manager, who suggested I had no business working on one of " their " vehicles.
After assuring the punk, that I was working on vehicles when he was still in diapers, I finally received the requested parts ( along with some outrageous prices ).
That day, I swore never to buy a Toyota, aside from the fact I really can't picture myself driving down the road with my Tilley hat & wrap-around sunglasses on, and finally remembering to cancel my turn-signals, after numerous drivers have pointed to them, given me the bird , and the finger).

P.S. I always get great service, good prices and helpful suggestions, when I purchase maintenance parts at my friendly M-B dealer. ;)

Manny - loved the bit about the Tilley hat and sunglasses.

The MB parts folks really are nice and courteous here too and that's a plus.

Funny I experienced crazy parts pricing when I went to the Honda dealer. Rather than spending $195 for a 30K service to change the air filter, cabin filter and oil&filter I decided to do it myself. I went into shock when they charged me $49 for the air filter! I just spent $ 26 bucks for my car 1 month earlier. I questioned it and they acknowledged the price was correct......and high.:eek: Can't complain about their service though, they've always taken care of me as has the MB Dealership.

FastLane shows an air filter for your car for 10 something .........oh well you'r rich! you drive a Mercedes Benz and rich men don't trifle over a 500% mark up..........
William Rogers......

William,

Your right, they are $10ea but the airbox requires Qty 2 and then you add shipping and it totals about $26 bucks. Trust me I'm not foolish with what little money I have.:p .......now my wife, that's a different story.:eek: ;)

New Mercedes
 

Hi Gang, Well I couldn't wait. I got a good deal on a exceptional 1998 E320. Green with tan interior. Soooo, I bought it. What's your opinion. I love it!

Nice car. ;)
Take good care of it.

Nice color combo. Enjoy!:)

Slightly off topic - SR111
 

Referred to here, though it is off topic, here is the final report of SR111:
http://www.tsb.gc.ca/en/reports/air/1998/a98h0003/a98h0003.asp

- In point 6 of the section on "findings as to causes", the report explicitly says that it cannot be determined whether the entertainment system caused the fire.

Other than that, I can find no reference to the entertainment systems in MB cars causing accidents or unreliability. Not at all sure what the author is getting at.

Momo

Mercedes is more troublesome than many other cars. You can buy two and leave one at the dealship. If something goes wrong, (and it will, no doubt) before the next scheduled service, just switch the cars and let MB work on the other one. Usually it takes the Techs a few tries anyways to get something fixed. This way they will have plenty of time to test drive!!

One other thing, sell them before 48000 miles or get extended warranty.

zafarhayatkhan- you are correct. You should either sell your car before the warranty ends or purchase an extended warranty. Because Mercedes is synonamous to Trouble, Touble, and Trouble. I used to think I can drive my E320 until it's 300000 miles on the clock with replacing ware and tear items in mind, but I was wrong and it was more than that I'd expected. Two dealership visits per month are what I'd averaged through a period of five years of owning the car. Trouble, trouble, trouble, I smell trouble. :p

Just in case anyone cares.
About five years ago, my brother-inlaw's boss bought a brand new Rolls-Royce.
We are talking 280 realllly big bills.
After 6 months of ownership, and four trips on a car hauler, he traded it in on an M-B S 500, and had virtually no problems. ;)

Hello,
Just to add fuel to the fire, my daily driver W115 has not stranded me even once, but then again it is pushing 27 years..... and needs some suspension rubber parts replaced, has a noisy differential and partially seized viscofan. But almost everyday I see W201/202/210 cars being towed along to, presumably, workshops for repair.
Perhaps I should start buying up all the W126s that are still in reasonable, unmodified, condition.
My advice, dump your Benz if it is too much trouble, heck, married people divorce after many years of an intimate relationship, why be sentimental about a a bucket of bolts, some sheet steel and rubber/plastic assemblies. Let someone else drive your troubles away!
Have a good week.

Statistics...
 

Of course, on random samples of one car, the statistics indicate that the vast majority of people will have had nothing but routine services, and the rest will have a "nothing but problems" car.

For the two current cars in my signature, the E280 had the battery changed when almost new, but has only been to the dealer at the time of the routine services. The SL, being older, has had a few more niggles, but has never been to the dealer outside the normal scheduled intervals. On this sample of two, I can conclude that no MB ever goes to the dealer outside the regularly scheduled services.

The point is that the statistics on both sides of the Atlantic, and further afield, show that MBs, with the notable exception of the ML, A and V class, have above-average reliability and satisfaction. It's normal that we expected a bit better. As another writer noted, Rolls-Royce cars, up until a few years ago, were notoriously unreliable. And don't even get started on Ferrari's. (One of my past bosses had two Testarossa's so that he could be reasonably sure one would work. I suppose he also had too much money.)

Momo

What is all the fuss about? MB are well known for requiring almost no maintenance. A word to the wise is to stay away from dealer service departments. Most are poor and contribute to a lot of problems. After all, they have to "make a living".

In case you joined late.
The fuss is about a couple of people here that should be driving rice burners, because they NEVER have any problems.;)

For those of you who think Mercedes is too troublesome, listen to this.

My parents own a 2000 Toyota Camry with approximatel 78K miles. The tranny has recently started giving them trouble and the dealership is saying that it may need a replacement soon! Oh yeah they don't do rebuilds and it's not under warranty! :eek:

My boss had a 97 Camry with 150K miles and he had to junk it because it's tranny died and replacement cost was higher than the value of the car. Recently his wifes 96 Toyota RAV4 with only 41K miles died.........AGAIN A BAD TRANNY! Guess how much they wanted to replace it????? $5000.00!!!!!!!!:eek: Needless to say he's trading it in and might be looking elsewhere.:rolleyes:

Can anyone explain where MB got the reputation for requiring a lot of maintence other than service charges can be rather high compared to a Chevy or Ford? My C280 has never had a visit to the dealer (or anyone else) and at 180,000 miles I would be reluctant to trade as this vehicle runs like new and has never needed anything. This is a good thing. Right?

Here in California I believe there are more Mercedes independent shops per capita than anywhere else. Why? Because a lot of Mercedes were sold in California, often 1/4 of all Mercedes sold per year were sold in this state.

Unfortunately because of all the Mercedes in operation, a lot of shall I say, not well qualified service facilities sprang up. These shops are now starting to fall by the wayside. Some were and still are passionate about their work and are really excellent repair facilities, independent and franchised.

In order to repair problems that were actually relatively simple and straightforward in nature, due to lack of training and knowledge, these repair places would throw parts at the problems.

This resulted in expensive and over-kill repairs- for an example, replacing a fuel distributor when actually the problem was an OVP relay, replacing brake rotors when all that was needed was pads, transmission jobs when it was a vacuum modulator or just needed a trans service and doing head jobs when the valves simply needed to be adjusted. The list goes on and on. But also added to the misperception of overly high frequency of repairs and costly repairs.

Pick any car; say a Toyota, Honda or Lexus. Check what a headlight assembly costs or a windshield, starter or an alternator. Mercedes does have some expensive parts, but a lot are a lot less than most people think.

I think one of the great values of this site is the ability to check out with many experienced and professional people the symptoms that your car is having.

It is my experience that often, even with very high mileage cars, that the correct repair isn't always tons of money. But it takes knowledge and experience to determine accurately was is wrong and how to fix it.

When I do take my car to a repair facility because I cannot do the repair myself, I look for experience, knowledge AND a relationship with that facility. I consider myself fortunate that I know of such places and people. I enjoy doing business with them.

I have a 1976, Thats right I said '76 300D with well over 200K on it and an 89 190E with 115K on it. Neither one has ever failed to start and get my wife or myself to work. I bought the '76 from a young couple who had driven it to college and generally neglected the car for years. It looks a little rough right now, but starts every time and runs like a watch. They thought it was going to need serious electrical system work and was told so by their "mechanic". It was not charging and they had to put the battery on the charger every three days or so to get it started. The first day I had it home, I noticed that the bottom pivot bolt was missing from the alternator. I replaced that, tightened the belt and have had no electrical problems since. I guess my point is that yes, MB's do need some maintenance occasionally, but when you do fix something and USE THE RIGHT PARTS, it usually stays fixed. The only problem I have had with the '89 was replacing the water pump at 110K.

I was just searching the lexus forum to find out what type of problems their GS400 series comes up with. and I was a little jealous to see that all their forum postings were mostly about upgrades, new kits, wheels, speed etc. And I had to think about our W124 forum in comparison. Almost all the posts are mostly about troubleshooting and rarely any happy posts trying to 'upgrade' their car rather than trying to 'fix' what's broken...
here's an example..
http://www.clublexus.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=4

Hmmmm, most Lexus owners I know would have trouble checking their own windshield washer fluid, because the don't know how to open the " bonnet ".;)

With over 180,000 miles on my C 280 I am beginning to feel that MB really makes a maintenance free auto. I have to date bought tires, changed the coolant, and oil/filter. Nothing, nada, no break downs or suprises. Maybe I'll buy a battery, but the originall still works perfectly. The car is flawless. Comments?

My 18 years old 560SEL has been doing well after I spent 1.7K to fixed up what had gone bad 4 years ago. My family bought the car in 1986 and I inherited it since my mother cannot drive anymore. So far, other than the normal wear and tear, the big sedan still runs smoothly and still can feel the power of the engine.

And my 8 years old S500 coupe had gone through 7K or repairs and thankfully, all before the extended warrantee expired.

The driver seat control $1200 part.
Air con pressure line
steering pump
master cylinder
rear sunshade switch


But both are still a pleasure to drive.

300D - I am afraid I will have to side with you. I have an 87 300D I purchased used. I have never had to replace so many items as I have had on this car.

I have an 88 Camry and a 75 300D. What I have had to replace on those 2 cars does not even come close to the cost of what I have had to replace on the 87. The 75 is a most superb car and I am the 3rd owner. That is why I bought the 87.

It appears that we are in the minority as others seem to have good luck with their vehicles. BUT if anyone will check Consumer report, MB is 3rd from the bottom of the list for cars with problems after 2 years. Top 3 vehicles with least problems - Japanese. The last issue of consumer tests a new S430. To quote "Reliability also has been poor".

Ron

There is no doubt that MB's require more maint.

I drove a 89 Mitsubishi Galant from 86K to 156K with virtually no major breakdowns. I was the 2nd owner. It was still in excellent conditon at 156K.

My 94 E320 has required excessive unscheduled maint. going from 58K to 68K miles. I am the 2nd owner and I bought it in "factory new" condition", ironically it is now in better conditon, since I have taken care of some of the design and manufacturing flaws.

An Infinity G35 would be a very good alternative except for the 100 years of MB automotive history, comfortable ride, inline 6 engine and the solid body structure.

I'm not sure what the 100 years of history has to do with anything, but I do know today I would spend my $42Kcdn on the G35 ahead of the C-Class.

Compare?

C240 steel wheels with covers : G35 alloy wheels
C240 some leather panels on the seats : G35 leather seats
C240 sunroof extra $2K: G35 glass roof included at $42K
C240 heated seats extra $800 : G35 heated seats included
C240 base sound system NO CD : G35 Bose standard WITH CD
C240 168 hp : G35 260hp
C240 halogen lamps $1500 for HID: G35 HID lamps standard
C240 alarm system optional : G35 standard

The C240 is no match for the G35 on the road. The G35 is a great looking car, and it's roomy inside and very comfy. It's rear wheel drive and comes with all the gadgets the MB does, and then some. No CD player on the Mercedes? Even a Corolla comes with a CD player standard now. And I don't imagine the Infiniti dealer could be any ruder than our local MB dealers, so that's a wash.

I see the G35 constantly, and I know why. It's a true sports-luxury car, and it's well equuipped out the door for $42,000. The Mercedes is a "base" car at the same price and offers less performance, no better (maybe worse) build quality and reliability, and no better dealer sales/service.

Yeah, but...

http://www.infiniti.com/m/cma/i/veh/veh_gal_g35s_3.jpg

vs.

http://www.mbusa.com/media/images/ma...320WZ_main.jpg

And you don't even wanna see the rear shot of the Infiniti. Eeew.

PS... Drop the extra $3-$4K and get the C320 sport, ya cheapskate!

In Canada, the C320 BASE is $52,000, and that has no sunroof, no CD player, etc. A nicely equipped C320 is $57,000. That's $15,000 more than the G35 which still has nearly 40 extra ponies.

"An Infinity G35 would be a very good alternative except for the 100 years of MB automotive history, comfortable ride, inline 6 engine and the solid body structure."

Isn't this ironic. :) Now that Mercedes is running out things to say but its hundred year of puppy pedigree to compare with the rival BMW and the rest of Japnese cars. It doesn't even take one hundred year for my grandma to fit the window regulator properly. Perhaps, Mercedes needs another century to master even what considered as the most trivial skill in the car industry.

Just a note. G35 is one awesome looking machine and exquistely put together, I should add, for those who haven't tried one. :)

Really?? I don't like the look of the Infiniti at all, particularly the rear view. The side view is ok. No accounting for taste, I guess. :)

I also was not impressed with the fit and finish or driving feel of an Infiniti I drove a couple years back (don't remember model, mid-line sedan), but perhaps things have changed.

Perhaps, it was an I35. But I think it is still a pretty nice car compared to the Mercedes. Yeah, Infinity does have lots of plastic on them but so does Mercedes, not to mention Mercedes plastic doesn't even hold up and crack at early stage of its youth. Maybe Mercedes should hire some motivational speakers from BMW, if not from its Jap rivals, to teach them a lesson on company overhaul and quality control, of which BMW has continued to improve dramatically.

But, would you want to own one after it got 5 years on it. Gourgeous new cars almost always look like crap in five years.

I do alignments for a Nissan only shop and two things have impressed me (make that three things): They all leak oil (gotta watch where I stand under them), they all have driveline vibration (once they have anymiles on them) and most noticably they mix the show case electronics with the crudest of systems.

This last feature I see on many low volume exotics, like RR, Jag, etc. They buy or develope the systems to sell a car, but the base line hardware sits in the past as they don't have the volume to do true development.

Unlike our now sold 98 E300 with it's cracked dash, chipped paint, multiple oil leaks, failing suspension (more than once), broken glow plugs (more than once), broken blower motor (more than once), broken evaporator temp sensor (more than once), broken Air Mass Meter, failing power windows, and so on.

There was a time not many years ago that I would made the exact same statement as Steve, but no longer. Steve sees many more cars than I do, and his experience is more valuable from that standpoint. However, there are many MB owners out there with our viewpoint, and the number is growing.

I still call them a Datsun ( that's japanese for Rustbucket ).;)

The 100-year argument only works if
 

we're talking about a consistent, incremental level of development and excellence.

IMHO, MB lost continuity in the mid-'80s when the bean-counters lost control formerly held by the engineers. Packard lost their way after 50 years, Rolls-Royce lost it after the Phantom 1 and only picked up again for brief periods...even Buick went south when they switched from straight-8 motive power to the V-8. Chrysler lost it in the early '70s, etc.

BlackMercedes- I am with you. My E320 has everything you went through and more. You can call it a conincidence, but I am convinced otherwise.

The 100-year argument only works if:
"we're talking about a consistent, incremental level of development and excellence."
Mercedes has failed to do so long before they can name all the alphabets and vowels. A nissan is a nissan regardless of the name it takes on. The fact that thier quality standard is way beyond Mercedes ability to achieve is also undeniable, unless those of you in a self-denial state. ;)

I had a 2000 Nissan Maxima. The biggest complaint I had was the harsh and jittery ride. I will consider Nissan again when they ride as well as a Mercedes Benz.
The new Infiniti G35 has the same shortcoming.

zafarhayatkhan- Then, I35 is your car. Much quieter car than Mercedes. Or ES330 is the quietest of the bunch. :)

If your priority is a quiet car, then Lexus is your choice.

They have engineered the entire experience of driving out of the car.

Every review of Lexus cars describes them as an "isolatioin chamber".

if you like the daimler chrylser products[i don't], of if you don't like the daimler chrysler products, here is a story that may prophesize the shyst that will be forthcoming.

sounds as if schremmp must have something the bankers....

INTERVIEW AT THE TOP


Five years ago, Juergen Schrempp promised DaimlerChrysler AG would become the "world's best car company." But with its U.S. arm losing market share and suffering a massive operating loss in the second quarter, the chief executive remains well short of that goal.
_
In a phone interview with the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, Mr. Schrempp discussed the company's progress, and Chrysler's coming barrage of new vehicles that he's counting on to return the unit to profitability.
_
The following are excerpts from that conversation:
_
On DaimlerChrysler's overall strategy of creating a globally integrated car and truck maker:
_
"We are making tremendous progress in integrating the company. The Mercedes car side is running at a very high level, gaining market share. Financial services is above plan. Trucks is above plan. With Chrysler we have challenges. Otherwise, the group is moving ahead very fast.
_
"We have 50 new products -- in cars and trucks -- coming, from Chrysler, from Mercedes, from commercial vehicles, in the next few years. These are the first products coming out of the integration of the company. Now it really starts. The pipeline is full."
_

DaimlerChrysler Wants to Keep
CEO Schrempp at Steering Wheel
Board Considers Extending
Contract Despite Losses
In Asia, a Blowout in U.S.

Five years after the merger that created DaimlerChrysler AG, the German-American auto maker is struggling in nearly every corner of its global empire. Although investors often have criticized Chief Executive Juergen Schrempp for the company's weakened state, some members of its supervisory board have quietly begun floating the idea of extending Mr. Schrempp's current contract, which is set to expire in April 2005.
By Neal E. Boudette in Frankfurt and Sholnn Freeman and Joseph B. White in Detroit



Mr. Schrempp said Tuesday that a long-awaited turnaround at the company's Chrysler Group, its most troubled division, will get under way next year. Speaking in a telephone interview, he said he expects a slew of new products slated to be launched in 2004 will boost sales and help Chrysler improve its profit margins despite a punishing U.S. price war with archrivals General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co.

DaimlerChrysler's supervisory board, which is the German equivalent of a U.S. board of directors, appears willing to allow Mr. Schrempp's strategy of introducing new models and relentlessly cutting costs more time to play out. "I feel more pressure by supervisory board members to influence Juergen to stay longer, rather than the other way around," Hilmar Kopper, the board's chairman, said in an interview. The supervisory board hasn't formally discussed a contract extension for Mr. Schrempp, Mr. Kopper said. But "over a glass of wine" individual members have raised the topic.

"It's gentle pressure," Mr. Kopper said. "It's, 'Wouldn't it make sense to have him a bit longer?'_"

Four other board members confirmed they want to stick with Mr. Schrempp and his strategy. "I would like him to stay longer" after his contract expires, said Juergen Langer, an employee representative on the board, which has 20 members. "The U.S. is a problem, but I think his strategy is right."

Mr. Schrempp declined Tuesday to say if he wants or would accept a contract extension. "If the board asks me, then I will have to think about it," the 59-year-old executive said. "I'm very energetic. I'm in top shape. I have been here for more than 40 years. This is my life."

DaimlerChrysler board members' backing for Mr. Schrempp harks back to traditional European reticence to make waves in the boardroom. More recently, however, European companies, including Deutsche Telekom AG, Vivendi Universal and others, have booted their chief executives as their companies' fortunes flagged. In the U.S., struggling telecommunications concern Motorola Inc. recently got rid of its CEO, and Ford got a new chief after the auto maker posted a huge loss two years ago.

Wall Street has doubts about DaimlerChrysler's turnaround plan. While the company's share price has risen in recent weeks to about $35, it remains far down from the heights of $100 a share attained in early 1999. A number of analysts also question Chrysler's ability to report a small operating profit this year, as it has promised, after the company posted an operating loss of about $930 million in the first half. Valued at $47 billion at the time of its 1998 merger, DaimlerChrysler today has a market capitalization of $36 billion.

Mr. Schrempp's strategy of creating a globally integrated auto and truck maker has turned into "a pure destruction of value," said Pia Hellbach, global equities strategist at Union Investment in Frankfurt, which owns just under four million DaimlerChrysler shares. "I see no sign it's working."

Other legs of DaimlerChrysler's global empire also are in trouble. At luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz, sales and profit are holding up but quality has slipped. Mitsubishi Motors Corp., the company's Asian affiliate, is racking up losses in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

But the biggest problems are at Chrysler, which, along with Detroit-based rivals GM and Ford, have been losing market share to foreign competitors, especially from Europe and Asia. Despite some cost relief from their new labor agreements with the United Auto Workers union, the Big Three U.S. auto makers still face significantly higher labor costs and pension obligations than do foreign auto makers.

Chrysler's vehicles, particularly its cars, suffer from poor images and weak resale values compared with Japanese and European brands. Chrysler's efforts to break free of the Big Three rebate wars have so far largely failed, and Chrysler earlier this month said it would beef up its discount deals to reverse slumping sales.

Mr. Schrempp and Chrysler Chief Executive Officer Dieter Zetsche expect to turn this around with a barrage of new models. Next week, a redesigned Dodge Durango sport-utility vehicle goes into production at a factory in Newark, Del. Then, in 2004, Chrysler plans to roll out nine new models, "the most new vehicles ever launched by any auto manufacturer in the U.S. in a one-year period," Mr. Zetsche said in a speech last week. Chrysler plans to roll out 25 new models over the next 36 months.

So far, Chrysler's scorecard for its new-product offensive is mixed at best. The Chrysler Pacifica "sports tourer," which is Chrysler lingo for "station wagon," has fallen well short of its sales targets so far. "Every launch has tremendous importance," Mr. Zetsche said in a recent interview. "We cannot afford too many misses."

Chrysler is taking some big risks in its attempt to rebuild market share in the passenger-car segment, where sales have fallen sharply. Indeed, the Chrysler and Dodge brands combined in September sold fewer passenger cars in the U.S. than Nissan Motor Corp.'s Nissan brand.

Early next year, Chrysler will begin building a new generation of large, rear-wheel drive cars at a factory in Canada. The Chrysler 300C sedan and the Dodge Magnum wagon are the first rear-drive cars Chrysler has offered since 1990.

Detroit's auto makers all but abandoned rear-wheel drive in the 1980s and 1990s, in part because federal fuel economy regulations forced auto makers to reduce the weight and size of cars. Front-wheel-drive vehicles tend to be lighter, and offer more interior space.

But in recent years, rear-wheel drive has been making a comeback, as luxury car makers, notably Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, have sold affluent car enthusiasts on rear drive as the ultimate in driving performance. Now, General Motors Corp.'s Cadillac brand is enjoying a revival thanks to its new, rear-drive Cadillac CTS. Chrysler is putting down a big bet that more American car buyers will embrace large rear-drive cars again, even if they carry a Chrysler or Dodge brand.

At a meeting of Chrysler's National Dealer Council last month, Chrysler executives appeared frustrated with the task of turning the company around and instead tried to pin some of the blame on the dealers, according to some of the dealers in attendance. The meeting included Mr. Zetsche, Joe Eberhardt, Chrysler Group executive vice president, global sales and marketing, and Chrysler sales chief Gary Dilts.

Chrysler executives complained at the meeting that the dealers are making too much money at a time when the corporation isn't making any, the dealers said. Some of the dealers said they are fearful that the company might come up with ways to shave their margins. Some also said they felt blamed by the executives for not meeting a sales objective during a big summer sales drive, among other complaints.

Mr. Eberhardt denied in an interview that he was planning to cut dealer margins, but he said Chrysler is working with dealers to improve efficiency in vehicle-launch plans, advertising and incentive programs.

"Not everything we do is pleasant," Mr. Eberhardt said. He called discussions with dealers tough and open and said he is willing to take a strong stance to improve Chrysler's finances. "I would be lying if I said we wouldn't be concerned about the developments in the market."

I was refering to the ride not NVH. Although NVH is also very high on my list.

Guys: When MB comes out with a C320 Neon,I will purchase a BMW or Lexis or what ever. My 200K plus C280 is ALL Mercedes and when they decide to try and save money, watch out. This is a company that is in BIG trouble. What say you?

They've been in big trouble since mid-'80s...
 

when executive leadership shifted from the engineers to the bean-counters and marketers. Up until then, the cost of a Mercedes-Benz was a function of "value added," with the sticker reflecting materials, craftsmanship, distinctive styling, longevity, and many other laudable attributes. The Mercedes-Benz of the last 20 years has been an often indifferent product resting on the laurels of eight decades of excellence. No matter how much you are paying now, you're still not getting much more than a gold-plated Accord or Camry, IMHO. Pre-'85 Mercedes' say to me what Packard used to: "...standards, solidity, tone, taste, style." Anything built since just says "sucker."

Very Well put Jim B+

"Other legs of DaimlerChrysler's global empire also are in trouble. At luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz, sales and profit are holding up but quality has slipped. Mitsubishi Motors Corp., the company's Asian affiliate, is racking up losses in the hundreds of millions of dollars."

Thank you, Alber Champion for this insightful article. My hands are sweating in that I almost considered purchasing a Mitsubishi EVO, another Mercede-plagued company. No wonder Mitsubishi has so many quality issues too.

They need to stick to doing what they do best: making high quality, superbly engineered cars. MB thought that the quick way to enter the US market with respect to trucks and low-mid end cars was to buy ailing Chrysler. Well, things are bad for Chrysler. Their products look sharp, but suffer from bad reps with respect to quality. That was the last thing MB needed when havin problems fo their own.

Now, the red ink looks like it's just going to flow at a faster rate as car sales cool in the next two years. What has merger-mania done for the Germans?

No matter how much you are paying now, you're still not getting much more than a gold-plated Accord or Camry, IMHO.

Whaaaaa....??? I thought that's what Acuras and Lexii were. :)

Have you driven an Accord or Camry as compared to the "equivalent" MB from the "sucker" era? Let's say, even an old clunker like my 1992 300E?

If you have, and still feel that way, commit yourself to the nearest mental institution. Or at least move over to the slow lane. :)

Actually,

Mitsubishi does not have quality problems.

The point of the article is that they are losing money.

They were losing money before Daimler Chrysler purchased a controlling interest in the company, and they still are.

Nothing's changed.