Almost l-o-st p-a-t-i-e-n-c-e

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Aswall, very sorry to hear of your problems. We all come here to complain about things that go wrong with our cars and dealers and quite rightly so. fwb44 ....... out of order dude. I think you really need to calm down a bit. As has been posted already a simple apology could bring the thread back to some sort of Status Quo. I personally dont like to see public dissing of people or issues as it is not in the spirit of this forum.
 
glojo said:
I understand your reasons for not writing to Mercedes-Benz UK, but it would be doing us all a favour if you could spare the time, and tell them how you have now been let down twice and as a consequence you are taking your custom to another manufacturer! Please ;)

You're absolutely right John, if every dissatisfied customer just walks away and says nothing then nothing will ever improve. I will write to MB but I will wait until the car is gone, in case anything else goes wrong :(

Good luck with the Volkswagen, and thank you again for the reply,

Kind regards,
John

Thanks, should be an experience. Not sure whether it will be "me" but I've certainly enjoyed the test drives I've had. Someone said to me that I was trying to recapture my youth, but not true, my youth was spent on 2 wheels not 4 ;)
 
A-AvantGarde said:
The 997 is absolutely gorgeous, that's what I working towards next too. In fact I've already got the private plate waiting for it - 997 xxx (where xxx = my intials) :)

It is isn't it? Unfortunately I have made the stupid mistake of test driving one before I could afford it, which has taken the shine off the anticipation of the GTI.

If everything comes together then I should be able to get one Xmas 2006. I can't afford an S version and apparently the waiting list for the standard has come right down, the dealer told me if I wasn't too fussy on spec he could get me one within a fortnight!

Nice plate, that will look superb on the 997 - it is your destiny to have one :D
 
A-AvantGarde said:
The 997 is absolutely gorgeous, that's what I working towards next too. In fact I've already got the private plate waiting for it - 997 xxx (where xxx = my intials) :)

Sorry about your car aswall but this is the exact reason I chose to buy a 5 year old Merc instead of a new one :( My car has given me more than a fair share of problems, but then it is old and old cars do suffer occasionally.

If I had your car, I would have driven it through the dealers windows and walked off by now!

Im hoping to get a look at a 911 some time before the end of the month, but I had a Boxter S out today and although it was much faster than my SL, I found the cockpit was too cramped and I struggled to get my footings right.
and over all it didn't make me smile :( I hope the 997 does or Im buggered for a new car :(
 
Aswall said:
It is isn't it? Unfortunately I have made the stupid mistake of test driving one before I could afford it, which has taken the shine off the anticipation of the GTI.

If everything comes together then I should be able to get one Xmas 2006. I can't afford an S version and apparently the waiting list for the standard has come right down, the dealer told me if I wasn't too fussy on spec he could get me one within a fortnight!

I made a similar mistake to you by test driving a 2004 996 Targa. I had it for the weekend almost exactly a year ago. It was absolutely amazing. I've been a Porsche fan almost forever. As soon as I got my licence and had a few years no claims I started out wanting my first Porsche. The obsession staretd with a 944S2 that turned into a 968 and before I knew it I had my eyes set on the Boxster.

Aswall said:
Nice plate, that will look superb on the 997 - it is your destiny to have one :D

Cheers, I'd started lusting after the Boxster and when it got to the point that I could get one (albeit an older one) instead of the C320. I changed my mind and decided I'd hold out for the 996 / 997. No matter how much I convince my self that the Boxster is so similar to a 996 / 997 it's just not enough.
Having the 996 for the weekend has convinced the wife we could keep it as a second or third car when a little one comes along (so long as it's not twins!), much more usable than the Boxster.

Don't get me wrong I'm not a Boxster hater like some Porsche fans but I'd rather have the 997 (quite like the Cayenne too, but that's another story!). Anyways I'm still saving, don't think I'll do it by Xmas '06 :( but I can't wait, getting the plate was great (but is a bit like putting the cart before the horse!!!) but will keep me happy for now...
 
we are all on this forum to help remember its nice to be important but more important to be nice and nothing matters in a 100 yrs lol

however i have sold my mercs and gone over to lexus and my god they have customer service a1 and £ 100 for a service and free drop and collect and clean car and a golf umb as well
honest do not buy mbz look at jd power mbz c class 60 th please
how do mbz think they can continue ????
 
Silverarrow,

which lexus do you have? After having a 3rd problem on my C320 in just over a month (electric window problem this time) I have booked a test drive tomorrow of an IS200 which seems good value as they are very fully loaded at a good price (20K new). I'd be interested in your thoughts.

I also had a test drive of the new Audi A4 (2.0tdi) today and was impressed. The build quality and general feel is far better than the current mercs. Very regrettable.
 
silverarrow said:
however i have sold my mercs and gone over to lexus and my god they have customer service a1 and £ 100 for a service and free drop and collect and clean car and a golf umb as well
honest do not buy mbz look at jd power mbz c class 60 th please
how do mbz think they can continue ????

I don't quite understand some of your points, but hopefully our dealership will be offering Mike free membership of the Sports Club (or golf club can't remember which one)

We also have free collection, delivery, courtesy car and obviously valetting. Don't know about the £100 service though. What car and service is this and how often is the car serviced?

Glad to hear you like the Lexus, happy motoring.

John
 
Is it me or is there loads of Porker talk on these forums at the moment - watch out MB, they're all defecting :D

Aswall, sorry about your trouble - there's nothing worse than problems that don't get sorted out.

The lack of service helped Mercs downfall with me but I wouldn't rule them out altogether for the future, at the end of the day the service you get from main dealers of all marques is hit and miss in my experience. The problem with Merc is that you expect more of them.

I have a friend who has had Mercs for 20+ yrs and wouldn't have a bad word said about them even though his CL55 has given him a bit of trouble. That said he's considering a Continental GT now! Another friend swears by BMW and up until untold problems with his new 730D he's been very happy - now drives a 645. Another has had a few problems with a VW recently, and on it goes.

Good luck with the Golf, should be fun and don't be too dissapointed by not getting the Porker yet just think what you;ve got to look forward to :devil:
 
glojo said:
I don't quite understand some of your points, but hopefully our dealership will be offering Mike free membership of the Sports Club (or golf club can't remember which one)

We also have free collection, delivery, courtesy car and obviously valetting. Don't know about the £100 service though. What car and service is this and how often is the car serviced?

Glad to hear you like the Lexus, happy motoring.

John

We had our honda serviced the other week £130 all in :) chap in service center said "At the end of the day, we are only looking round the car for things failing or wearing out, and it only takes 10 minutes to change the oil and filter. So howmuch much should that cost at the end of the day? :D"
Thats was the standard service. Plugs are done at 40K or 4 years and I am told that nothing goes over the £300 mark in the schedule. They can offer walk in services as well...

Honda also do fixed price repairs. You discuss the problem, the service op suggests the solution then thats what you pay regardless of how much extra effort it takes to fix the problem! none of this swap parts till its fix then offer a bill for half a dozen things you did not need :(

MB are getting better but there is going to be a hangover for a few more years till things are back up to scratch. In the meantime jumping ship for a "lesser" marque with better service cant hurt :)

I tried an IS200 a few years ago and I really liked it :) the drive was very nice and the standard equipment was very good :) dealer was nice as well. I bought the MR2 in the end though because I wanted the softop, but the IS was a strong car...

I agree that MB offer lots of these things too :)
 
OGiii said:
I have a friend who has had Mercs for 20+ yrs and wouldn't have a bad word said about them even though his CL55 has given him a bit of trouble. That said he's considering a Continental GT now!

:D Hi Ogii,
Someoneone who lives in the next Avenue traded in his SL55AMG for a Bentley Continental GT, but he only kept it for six months!! Back to a CL600 now. Oh and before the SL he had some sort of Ferrari. (Unfortunately they all look the same to me!! so I have no idea of the model)

I totally agree about the terrible differing standards of customer care which is being shown by our dealerships. It MUST be rectified if Mercedes-Benz want to maintain their reputation!

I cannot recollect seeing any new Mercedes-Benz in our area since the CL, which is something that should cause concern.

We lost our local dealership and now have to travel up to Exeter for the nearest showroom, both BMW and Audi have dealerships on our doorstep!!!

Are the new superstores the right way to go??

Do these superstore type dealerships treat customers in a similar fashion to what is being described??

John
 
Me too in 1999. But I thought it was rubbish. You could not turn off the reversing beep. The doors, boot and bonnet was flimsy and light, felt cheap.

The engine was gutless.

The dash was hideous and over styled.

However, the new IS200 that I saw in the NY Auto Show looked amazing, contemporary and bang up to date. Much better in every respect. Anyone thinking of an IS should wait for the new model. As good as, if not better than, a Merc.


peterchurch said:
I tried an IS200 a few years ago and I really liked it :)
 
TBH, I probably wont buy the IS200, it wont have enough power after the C320. But it doesnt hurt to look at the competition. I suspect the new model (esp. the diesel) will be a very serious contender.

I did think the GS300 in the showroom was fab though, if a bit too much for my budget.
 
Last edited:
Nope, can't think of a single reason not to buy a Lexus .........









Oh hang on ................

:D :bannana:

















alanpartridge.jpg
 
LOL, nice one :)

My one overriding feeling though is one of sadness. It is a real shame that I have been reduced to looking around for another car after only two years. I really thought I was buying something special in the merc, but sadly this has not proven to be so and the car IMO is of substandard quality. Every time we use the car we are constantly in fear of something else going wrong, we have lost faith. We are still unsure about whether to hang onto it, but if anything else goes wrong I fear that it will be the end.
 
C240Sport97 said:
The engine was gutless.

The dash was hideous and over styled.

They have the 300 too if you wanted more power but to be honest I didn't rag mine too much as I was in London so there was not much room :(

I quite liked the dash :)
 
Here is a list of things faults in 16000 miles of ownership (car has done 36000 miles) :-

Drivers door electric window failure - new door control module
front Anti-roll bar bushes failed
anti-roll bar drop links need to be replaced due to clattering noise over bumps
Heated rear screen - no radio reception when switched on
electric drivers seat failed - faulty wiring
Broken rear spring !!??
electric windows dont wind up properly-keep stopping and starting
Passenger electric window now failed
play in steering - new steering rack required
Automatic transmission - has failed to engage reverse on occasion (I am very worried about this one)

Yours depressed, Robbo
 
the 300 did not exist when I tested the IS in 1999


peterchurch said:
They have the 300 too if you wanted more power but to be honest I didn't rag mine too much as I was in London so there was not much room :(

I quite liked the dash :)
 
Isn't the IS200 being replaced by the IS250 or have I got my facts wrong?

Edit: No I'm right, V6 250 with 202 bhp
 
Last edited:

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom