Cheesed off with your Mercedes?

[Will]

I'm not so sure that the older ones were much more reliable than the newer ones; I remember quite a few problems with 124s 129s and 201s. Mostly electrical from memory - at least the engines and transmissions were mostly bombproof. If my only criteria was reliability I would have had only Lexus or Toyotas - quite astonishing cars in terms of build quality and reliability.

Out of interest, what were the electrical problems with the 124s/129s and 201s?

I remember the wiring loom issues that affected some engines on later model 124s, but generally the 190s and 124s I owned were trouble free electronics wise.

Conversely I must have owned/worked on at least a dozen 190s, many with engines that required surgery to some degree - generally cylinder head gaskets and/or top end work on the 16-valve models at 100k plus miles.

Agreed on Lexus and Toyota reliability in general though.

 

[Smiley]

Out of interest, what were the electrical problems with the 124s/129s and 201s?

I remember the wiring loom issues that affected some engines on later model 124s, but generally the 190s and 124s I owned were trouble free electronics wise.

Conversely I must have owned/worked on at least a dozen 190s, many with engines that required surgery to some degree - generally cylinder head gaskets and/or top end work on the 16-valve models at 100k plus miles.

Agreed on Lexus and Toyota reliability in general though.

Indicator and wiper relay, OVP relay, wiper motor, cabin fan motor, window motor, wiper/indicator stalk, wiring through the tailgate. Never had loom issues other than caused by rodents.

 

[C320]

Air conditioning re-gas for £300 because they added a diagnostic fee to hook up STAR and confirm gas was low. Then charged for gas atop. Disputed and received a refund after a month.

 

[TC350]

Agreed on Lexus and Toyota reliability in general though.

During my 60 years of motoring I’ve only been let down seriously twice.

The first time was a company Ford Mundaneo that lied to be about how much fuel was left - so I ran out on the M3 in the middle of roadworks

The second time was in a hired Toyota SUV in Australia. We were in the middle of nowhere when we decided to take a break by the side of a beautiful lake. Half an hour later we returned to the car and it wouldn’t start - flat battery. Being in the middle of nowhere meant no mobile phone signal. It was over four hours later before we got going again, thanks to a passing local taking me to her house about 10 miles away to make a call.

 

[kam09]

Air conditioning re-gas for £300 because they added a diagnostic fee to hook up STAR and confirm gas was low. Then charged for gas atop. Disputed and received a refund after a month.

This is where I would use a local air con mobile company who do it day in day out and only charge for the gas required..

 

[ALFAitalia]

Air conditioning re-gas for £300 because they added a diagnostic fee to hook up STAR and confirm gas was low. Then charged for gas atop. Disputed and received a refund after a month.

What a rip off. As soon as the AC machine was hooked up they would see the pressures. My local tech does the AC on my cars for forty quid cash!

 

[ChrisHGTV]

Boo! Mine needed more expenditure today. It was in for a service and front pads but also needed something for the handbrake as it was rusted at the back. Total about £700. I would normally do things like pads myself but I’m tight on time before we go on a Scottish road trip Tues. I’m curious to know more about the handbrake gubbins as I normally give everything visible a good clean and de-rust every now and then. Apparently one rear brake was binding slightly.

 

[colinallcars]

Boo! Mine needed more expenditure today. It was in for a service and front pads but also needed something for the handbrake as it was rusted at the back. Total about £700. I would normally do things like pads myself but I’m tight on time before we go on a Scottish road trip Tues. I’m curious to know more about the handbrake gubbins as I normally give everything visible a good clean and de-rust every now and then. Apparently one rear brake was binding slightly.

The backplates rust resulting in the brake shoe (parking brake) retaining pins pulling through. The brake shoes can then move around inside the drum causing it to bind.

 

[ChrisHGTV]

The backplates rust resulting in the brake shoe (parking brake) retaining pins pulling through. The brake shoes can then move around inside the drum causing it to bind.

Ah that makes sense - its also needed new rear discs as they said they were coming apart on the inside (never seen that to be honest). I trust TM Motors, they're a good outfit. When i was on the phone to them i heard a customer in the background saying he had been coming to them for over 40 years, and one of the Technicians was then a young lad! (I guess now in his 50's). That's nice.

But some good news - the 24 year old Alfa passed its MoT today with flying colours! Hoorah!

Off to Bonnie Scotland in the Merc on Tues!
Off to Zandvoort in the Alfa in June!
Off to France in the Merc in August!

Roadtrips a go go...

 

[tommytucker]

Only just seen this thread after posting New To Me E220?, reading the issues posted doesn't encourage me to buy another MB

 

[ChrisHGTV]

Only just seen this thread after posting New To Me E220?, reading the issues posted doesn't encourage me to buy another MB

Well it ended up also needing rear discs as well so total bill just over £800.

Probably unfair comparison with the Alfa though as I spent £3k on that in the last few months!

I love the S212 but for sure it’s not the cheapest to run. But then I’d still prefer it over something Japanese.

 

[Dippo]

What Car have just published their latest reliability survey.

Brand reliability for cars aged up to five years old​

Rank	Brand	Score
1	Lexus	98.3%
2	Toyota	97.4%
3	Mini	97.2%
4	Suzuki	96.9%
5	Mitsubishi	96.2%
6	Honda	95.9%
7	Hyundai	94.3%
8	Kia	93.8%
9	Volvo	93.7%
10	Tesla	93.6%
11	Dacia	93.1%
12	BMW	93.0%
13	Mazda	92.8%
14	Citroen	92.3%
15	Fiat	92.0%
16	Skoda	91.4%
17	Ford	91.4%
18	Seat	90.9%
19	Nissan	90.7%
20	Porsche	90.7%
21	Peugeot	90.5%
22	Volkswagen	90.2%
23	Renault	90.0%
24	Mercedes	89.8%
25	MG	89.2%
26	Audi	89.1%
27	Subaru	89.0%
28	Land Rover	87.6%
29	Jaguar	87.4%
30	Vauxhall	86.9%
31	Alfa Romeo	85.6%
32	Cupra	82.4%

 

[ALFAitalia]

Wow.....my beloved ALFA has taken a plunge.....was well up there not so long ago......maybe that wasn't What Car?

 

[SpikyMikey]

Interesting that there is such a difference between Mini and BMW.
And lousy results for any member of the VW group; they really do seem to have shot themselves in the Fuß

 

[Dippo]

I sometimes wonder whether it also depends on the buyer's expectations - why else would Dacia be higher than Renault, and Skoda the best of the VAG product?

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I sometimes wonder whether it also depends on the buyer's expectations - why else would Dacia be higher than Renault, and Skoda the best of the VAG product?

agree. Perception is everything.

 

[SpikyMikey]

I sometimes wonder whether it also depends on the buyer's expectations - why else would Dacia be higher than Renault, and Skoda the best of the VAG product?

agree. Perception is everything.

A bit like the cheap 'n cheerful Chinese stuff from Amazon.
You expect it to be mediocre, but when it turns out to be pretty decent, you're made up.

 

[HappytalkAgain]

The EV haters will be furious to see Tesla above their much beloved ‘premium’ marques.

Job well done for Toyota/Lexus.

 

[ChrisHGTV]

I’d really like to see stats at 10 years old. I still consider 5 years to be a new car! I’d like to see how the longer term durability holds up.

 

[Bellow]

I sometimes wonder whether it also depends on the buyer's expectations - why else would Dacia be higher than Renault, and Skoda the best of the VAG product?

Less to go wrong?
Proven (cast off) underpinnings?