Mercedes as a brand

[st4]

Brands are for sheep with no identity of their own.

Like Audi S line pilots?

 

[Dieselman]

Like Audi S line pilots?

Amongst others...

 

[ALNoteman]

NOTHING WRONG WITH YOUR RANT. YOU'RE SPOT ON MATE!
Hi All you C-Class owners.
At last I have cured the cold starting problems on my C-270 CDI. The initial diagnosis was that there must be a leak somewhere in the diesel fuel lines that is allowing air back into the supply lines when its very cold. The first attempt by a MB Indy garage was to replace all the fuel spill lines and seals on top of the engine. Still not joy. Next they replaced fuel lines and clips on the lines from LP pump to filter and beyond but not as far as the tank. Still no joy. I noticed that there was always a strong smell of diesel after every start' which would take about 10 to 15 revs of the motor to get going as well as keeping an electric heater under the hood all night. Still no Joy, I also notice that the HP fuel pump was always wet and had been like this from the start so I decided to buy a recon fuel pump with a 12-month guarantee. To do this I purchased an old one to hand in as PX against the recon pump. This was at last fitted yesterday and all my problems were solved 500-quid later. Now why did two separate garages not spot that the fuel pump had been wet all the time. One garage wanted to start stripping out and re-seating all the injectors, another suggested it was the glow plugs, these are professional men who surely should know better? Also, is it not a poor design on Mercedes part to have a mechanical low pressure pump mounted higher that the fuel tank that cannot cope with moving a bit of air in the pipe, why did they not simply fit an electric pump low down just outside of the tank where it would self prime? I always believed that German Engineers were the worlds best, this has made me think differently! Love to hear your comments. I was about to get rid of the Merc and go back to Japanese cars.

Al.

 

[redbaron]

each to their own Redbaron

Absolutely... but why post a thread being critical of those that fit aftermarket wheels.... which instantly smashes your own greenhouse so to speak

In terms of the thread marque or brand matters little to me - the quality of the product is the greatest concern. Working with bloody renault can only go badly. They make Chrysler look good and that went well didnt it?

 

[IanA2]

It seems to me that MB are more interested in making money than cars these days. I bought my first new MB twenty years ago, have bought a couple of new and nearly new since, but I can say almost with certainty that I will never buy another new, and that any "new" additions are likely to be from their car-making era. They have made some fabulous cars.

 

[Gucci]

Interesting responses to the OP quote. In terms of quality, I have to agree that mainstream models have raised their game so much that MB looks less competitive. What about the S Class? The OP suggests that a second hand one is a money pit... Presumably deemed unreliable. Can this really be the case as the motoring press repeatedly refer to it as the "best car in the world?"

 

[chriswt]

Without wishing to point out the obvious every company is out to make money.

Over engineering is a thing of the past or for the very very rich.

We live in a throwaway society and technology moves at such a pace that there hardly seems any point in engineering longevity into anything these days.

Now if you look into high end Hi Fi and wrist watches you'll find some beauties that are built to last but as for cars regardless of make they're almost replaced as often as mobile phones.

 

[Riverside Red]

One of the most interesting thing I've noted over the past three to four years is the increase in price of the mainstream cars compared to some of the perceived luxury cars such as the CLS. In percentage terms I paid very little more for my new 218 CLS, but I specced a Golf GTi at over £35k even a Kia Sportage was over £27k, I believe a lot of mainstream cars are now over priced and I view some Mercs as good value.

RR

 

[MOCAŠ]

I believe a lot of mainstream cars are now over priced and I view some Mercs as good value.

Or put another way, MBs (and BMWs/Audis) are mainstream cars that are pitched just a little further upmarket than the rest. The 3 Series has been outselling the likes of the Mondeo and Insignia in the UK for years now, so it must be regarded as mainstream. I also get the feeling that the A4/A5 must outsell the Passat and Exeo (though perhaps not the Octavia) based on the numbers I see on the road.

 

[rsk21]

Ahh the time honoured "Nostalgia isn't what it used to be" thread

Having been a member of several over the years I'm still yet to come across a motoring forum dedicated to a a single brand/marque/manufacturer that doesn't from time to time perpetuate the whole "fings ain't wot they used to be guv" line.

 

[grober]

Over engineering is a thing of the past or for the very very rich.
We live in a throwaway society and technology moves at such a pace that there hardly seems any point in engineering longevity into anything these days.

Lets just take a recent example ---the blue efficiency piezo-electric fuel injector----- vast numbers of these started to fail within months of owners receiving their new cars---- and due to supply problems people found their new car off the road for weeks :fail ------ so you need to define " longevity" a week? a year ? 3 year warranty period? Now you might think it would be easy - design it to just last through the warranty period-say 3 years - But what if the car you design falls apart metaphorically speaking after 3 years - that will eventually reflect on second hand values which in turn impinge on residual value which effects up front leasing costs on new cars-- especially if other manufacturers back up their products with longer warranties 5- 7 years like the Koreans---- So you might think you can get way with design obsolescence but thousands of customers/ fleet buyers migrating to other manufacturers may say otherwise.

 

[finisterre]

The marque has been ruined by rust. A warranty of seven years isn't enough. I want twenty before I will buy a new Mercedes. Actually I am not going to buy another new Mercedes, ever. Design and TCO count for nothing when your Vito does an impression of a colander after six years.

If Mercedes shareholders never saw another dividend it would be too soon for my liking.

I wish BMW did vans.

 

[davidjpowell]

i read something interesting on a site...

kinda summed it well from my point of view aswell

"As much as I l.o.v.e. LOVE Mercedes-Benz, I've kind of lost interest as of late. They (and nobody else) make their cars the way they used to. Before, you could buy a Mercedes-Benz where every non-wear part was designed to last 30 years. The designs were penned to look fresh for 30 years.
Now, to me it seems they're designed to start falling apart around the time their warranty is up. There's no more free lifetime roadside assistance. They're (new E-Class) goofy and way too trendy looking. And worst of all, everyone has one now. Poor sods who don't know any better wreck themselves buying second-hand S-Classes which they get for next to nothing and slap chrome and rented wheels all over them.
I always thought I'd be a Mercedes purist for life, but they're losing me fast. I'll go ahead and put my monocle away now. Sorry for ranting.."
2/23/13 5:33pm

Is This The Next Mercedes-Benz S-Class?

I'm with this. Modern cars are all so similar it's hard to pin anything against them. Mercedes used to be about more than comparing brand to brand - you could rely on them building cars with good engineering and supporting their customer with proper excellence customer service.

Sadly the cars are now built to a budget, and their customer service is no better than any European company.

In time to come they will be competing side to side with the Korean firms.

 

[johnfromstaffs]

Ahh the time honoured "Nostalgia isn't what it used to be" thread

Having been a member of several over the years I'm still yet to come across a motoring forum dedicated to a a single brand/marque/manufacturer that doesn't from time to time perpetuate the whole "fings ain't wot they used to be guv" line.

Try the Bentley Drivers Club forum. Since most of the members' cars are older than their owners it is necessary that the past has to be a living thing. One member is currently rebuilding a mid thirties Derby Bentley on his own, and there is a presently a discussion about which sanction of Turbo R has the least reliable and most expensive to fix ECU.

 

[Gucci]

I find car shows a pleasant way to get confused about the true difference between cars. The FREE MotorExpo at Canary Wharf has the cars open and so jumping into one brand and the next is an easy exercise. They smell the same, the doors close with reassuring thumps and interiors are blinged with similar LCD displays.

Prices seem similar too, but then I do remember back in 1994, a new Vauxhall Omega Elite was £30,000. A top spec Insignia tourer (slightly longer vehicle too) is £28,950... talk about keeping the cost down.

 

[chriswt]

Lets just take a recent example ---the blue efficiency piezo-electric fuel injector----- vast numbers of these started to fail within months of owners receiving their new cars---- and due to supply problems people found their new car off the road for weeks :fail ------ so you need to define " longevity" a week? a year ? 3 year warranty period? Now you might think it would be easy - design it to just last through the warranty period-say 3 years - But what if the car you design falls apart metaphorically speaking after 3 years - that will eventually reflect on second hand values which in turn impinge on residual value which effects up front leasing costs on new cars-- especially if other manufacturers back up their products with longer warranties 5- 7 years like the Koreans---- So you might think you can get way with design obsolescence but thousands of customers/ fleet buyers migrating to other manufacturers may say otherwise.

I guess I was trying to demonstrate that you're not going to get Mercedes built the way they used to be built 30 years ago.

Once upon a time a pin, retaining clip, widget etc would be made from metal so that it never failed. Nowadays it's made from plastic. All the effort these days goes into value engineering.

P.S - the construction industry is going the other way in my experience - everything is massively over engineered to ensure no one can claim against the designers PI etc.

 

[WesLangdon]

My view is that like others have said the advanced technology involved in emmissions control and fuel efficiency threatens longevity and ultimate reliability. The rust issue is utterly unforgivable, how much more does it cost to galvanise a £30,000 car or even to make it out of stainless or aluminium. Mercedes now chase sales, in the 1980's they made quality and sales chased them now its style over substance. Still like the sls though

 

[Leec320]

Mercedes

Starting to agree with you there!

 

[Leec320]

Me too, Audi or BMW

 

[nick mercedes]

Mercedes are just cheaply made throwaway cars like Fords or Vauxhalls, only they rust and the only way to sell them is by offering cheepo lease deals to anyone with a bank account and a pulse.