Gobsmacked

[@MARK]

As you know, my car has been in and out of the dealer for the last 10 months. Nearly all the visits have been related to rattles coming from the dashboard area.

So after lots of attempts to fix things, the car spent two weeks solid at the dealer whilst they stripped the dash and put it back piece by piece checking for rattles as they went.

But whilst my car was with them for 2 weeks, this was my loan car

A C220 CDI Coupe

If had 15,000 miles on the clock and rattled like a bucket. From the dash, from the rear shelf from the seatbelt. Everywhere.

So I got my car back last week and after a couple of days, the rattles returned. This time worse than ever and in different places but still from behind the dash.

So I have returned the car this morning for "one last try". The instructions are simple. Even if you have to ship the car back to Germany, fix the rattles or the car will be rejected. MB UK are involved and so is my dealers head office but to be fair, I am not holding out much hope.

So this got me thinking about what the hell I will do if I do reject the car because I will find myself without a car and having to choose a new one. A new C Class is not an option as so far, every one I have had has rattled.

So I started thinking about the E Class. These are supposedly better built using better quality materials.

So here is the loan car that I picked up this morning

An E200 Estate

It's a few weeks old and has 1000 miles on the clock. Looks good doesn't it?

And it rattles. From behind the sat nav screen there are rattles and they are bad on this car.

So have MB lost the plot?

Seriously this is beyond a joke. I have never had this problem with a car before (and I have had a lot of cars). Even my mother in laws 3 year old Nissan Micra has zero rattles.

I suspect this is actually a design flaw. I believe the plastics they have chosen for the heater pipes behind the dash are of poor quality and simply "creak" when flexed and of course cars flex.

So I don't know where to go from here.

The evidence is that MB cars rattle from the factory and this does not appear to be limited to the C Class.

 

[flango]

This was one of the reasons I didn't go MB and went Volvo, every new MB I have driven has annoying rattles from either behind the dash or rear near side window area. Top money for cars with issues like this is just not on. Now covered 20k in my Volvo not a squeak or rattle anywhere and also for the record BMW's aren't that well screwed together either suffering annoying squeaks and rattles. it's really not difficult is it

 

[Troon]

My S211 was a rattly old bus when I bought it, far worse than any of the many Fords I owned previously. I've been on an intensive anti-rattle crusade and it's now acceptably quiet on almost all road surfaces. Luckily, my rattles are all from the rear, which is all accessible.

 

[davethemus]

buy a nice w124....

 

[d w124]

buy a nice w124....

Funny that as I was thinking the same

 

[Benzmanc]

My 208 is whisper quiet

 

[A210AMG]

Ours S211 has had no rattles since new.


Actually its had one, from our 18month old.


Reminds me of the old VW add and the squeaky sign

 

[Igurisu]

Our company recently lost business with MB on both W212 and W204 facelift. The reason was cost, MB couldn't accept the cost for our products (which are in the dash). When we refused to meet their price targets, they switched to a lower cost competitor part. The engineering department were not happy, they are aware of the quality of the new supplier, they stopped using this particular supplier 5/6 years ago due to poor quality.

No sour grapes here, we don't compromise on quality, but in the case of MB and BMW they clearly do. The number one priority is profit, maybe the longer term view would be to make a little less profit and keep the reputation for quality?

By the way Ian, Volvo still use our products They have tried the other stuff and rejected it. They will not compromise on the build quality of the car.

 

[st4]

Volvo or Audi Mark, try them.

 

[wemorgan]

Every OEM I've worked with sets targets for performance, quality and price. They all compromise in some respect. For engineering quality the best OEM I know of are Honda and Toyota - but that's based on a very limit product range I've been involved with.

 

[@MARK]

Thanks guys

Kind of confirmed what I was thinking. Cheap plastic inside the dash of current model cars and of course that means no matter what the dealer does, he ain't going to fix it.

My next post is going to be a "what car" one at this rate.

 

[@MARK]

Volvo or Audi Mark, try them.

I have thought about Volvo.

I owned an S70 TDI years ago followed by an S60 D5

Just thinking that the D5 engine isn't in the same league as the 6 pot Mercedes or BMW units though.


Audi on the other hand seem to think that if I want a performance diesel, I must have 4x4 (which I don't). My neighbour has an 3L A6 which is a very nice car but his running costs are mental.

 

[st4]

What's mental about the running costs of the Audi, the mpg difference will only be 10% or is it very unreliable.

I'm giving Metcedes cars one more shot but I doubt your next door neighbour has seen £6k worth of repairs and faults I've seen

 

[Dr-Nab]

Had my E-cab for 18 months or so, rattle developed 3 months in - definitely not roof scuttle or anything related to the roof 110% coming from the dash board and still hasn't gone away.. numerous fixes then it comes back after a week.. In effect I've given up on trying to get it sorted I just turn my music up.

One thing the techs who've tried to resolve it have said is that there is a gap that appears, only 1mm between the bottom of the A-pillar and the upper dash piece and it is that gap that is causing the rattle.. awful quality considering but when I get round to it I'll leave the car with them to get it sorted - they did at one point say if they can't sort it they will replace the entire upper dash see if that works.

Considering that last time I left them to sort my car out for that over a few days two of my 19s got kerbed, I'm rather reluctant to do it again.

 

[flango]

I have thought about Volvo.

Just thinking that the D5 engine isn't in the same league as the 6 pot Mercedes or BMW units though.

Oh Yes it is 250 bhp 500 Nm Torque and 50 mpg (polestar version) what more could you want? not as refined as the BMW but better than the MB. The MB has more power because of it's extra turbo but there's not much in it and the Volvo is £10k cheaper for a better specc'd car that made it a no brainer to me

 

[@MARK]

What's mental about the running costs of the Audi, the mpg difference will only be 10% or is it very unreliable.

He is getting mid to low 20mpg on average. 30mpg on a run.

I'm giving Metcedes cars one more shot but I doubt your next door neighbour has seen £6k worth of repairs and faults I've seen

I suspect you are right although this is one reason why I tend not to run cars out of warranty.

 

[@MARK]

Oh Yes it is 250 bhp 500 Nm Torque and 50 mpg (polestar version) what more could you want? not as refined as the BMW but better than the MB. The MB has more power because of it's extra turbo but there's not much in it and the Volvo is £10k cheaper for a better specc'd car that made it a no brainer to me

Volvo claim 215bhp so where do you get 250 from

Even Polestar only claim 230bhp and 470Nm which is still a long way from 265bhp and 600Nm.

BTW the MB is single turbo

 

[st4]

Volvo claim 215bhp so where do you get 250 from

Even Polestar only claim 230bhp and 470Nm which is still a long way from 265bhp and 600Nm

Do you want a 15% less powerful car that won't rattle or the car you have that does?

Or get a petrol T5 or T6. They go like stink.

 

[flango]

Volvo claim 215bhp so where do you get 250 from

Even Polestar only claim 230bhp and 470Nm which is still a long way from 265bhp and 600Nm.

BTW the MB is single turbo

Polestar figures are always conservative mine came out at 251 bhp and 507 Nm torque, might be a long way from the MB figure in your opinion but is it worth spending £10k to get 14bhp and another 193Nm torque? I didn't think so. More than pleased with mine and it will keep up with the best of them. You can map the engine even higher but I stayed within the safety limits.

If your neighbours Audi A6 is doing that sort of mileage there is something wrong with it ours never did less than 38 mpg on SWMBO's daily town commute or when I had it on my motorway commute 45 mpg

 

[bpsorrel]

I can't stand rattles either. Luckily most of my cars have been rattle free, including amazingly my Nissan in Russia which despite it's age and the very rough roads remains uncannily quiet! My S211 had a few rattles, but liberal spraying of WD40 in all the likely areas quietened it down quite a lot. The CLS, so far has been OK. Rattles a little, but again, the WD40 seems to have done the job, for now.

Way too early to tell, but the Auris seems very well screwed together and based on my FIL's experience with Toyotas, I'm expecting rattle free life with it!

But, I am concerned about the car that will replace the CLS. I was strongly thinking of E coupe but having spoken to a few people I know who have them, rattles seem the order of the day!! SO, I may move over to Audi or Lexus after all...