Mercedes Me - yet again & Mercedes generally

[wivenhoe]

Received the new Mercedes Me terms & conditions. To see what was new, went to log in using my iPad - “Vehicle Data is not available We are already working on this”. This is typical of Mercedes in recent times.
I have had 6 new cars from them previously and wanted another - an E300e to replace my existing E350e. Total disinterest from the same salesman I bought the E350e from - after chasing for 2 weeks, delivery of new car definitely not before next March, would probably be later. Restricted options, virtually all in packs - massage seats, hud, remote parking no longer available. Current PX offer (non negotiable) less than WeBuyAnyCar and not prepared to agree a future value so deal would be an agreed purchase price but who knows what the px value would be. I ‘escalated’ the issue to an incredibly helpful senior manager in the dealership and he came back and confirmed that was the way things were. He did offer me 40% off a new S Class L plug-in though !

Contacted a BMW dealer (in the same group) - I got the precise spec I wanted on a 530e, delivery October, px agreed and held if delivery slips after November. Salesman was great and the ‘buying experience’ couldn’t have been better. Regular emails confirming progress of order and I believe progress is reported right through until delivery. The Merc salesman couldn’t match the discount (£ 11k) in the Beemer deal. The 530e received vastly improved ‘infotainment system’ and electric range in July so I was fearful the discount was for a ‘run out’ but confirmed in writing it is against a build of the all new spec.

I am really sorry to be coming out of a Mercedes - previous new cars were 2 CLK’s, E Class Coupe, CLS, C350e and E350e and each one of them have been great without any problems, but the way things are now I couldn’t buy another one.

 

[GeeJayW]

Don't blame you. If you can't get a deal you're happy with, no reason to stay with MB over BMW if you like the car.

 

[Dodgy]

I suspect you’ll enjoy the handling of the beemer. The suspension of the C350e is impressive, but it doesn’t grip or corner like a BMW. Not sure how much effect the battery pack will have - I hope not too much.

 

[wivenhoe]

I suspect you’ll enjoy the handling of the beemer. The suspension of the C350e is impressive, but it doesn’t grip or corner like a BMW. Not sure how much effect the battery pack will have - I hope not too much.

The 530e M doesn’t have M suspension because of the battery - they advised (as they would) to go with the £ 1,000 adaptive / variable damper control. I don’t really believe the hype, but allegedly that uses the sat nav and sensors to automatically change the suspension to the road conditions - more ‘comfort’ on motorways and dual carriageways and up to sport+ in lanes etc. As with the Merc, you can select Comfort, Sport, Sport+ and Eco Pro and also have ‘individual settings’ but they say with the adaptive you’ll not bother. The range has increased to a WLTP of 40 miles, apparently 30+ real world. I struggle to get 12 out of my E350e.

 

[Eddy77]

That’s partly why we went for an A6.....amazing deal and helpful staff. MB need to take care

 

[Deletedmember130310]

There is an interesting letter / article in The Gazette, the monthly magazine for MB Club, making much the same point that the customer focus is somewhat lacking in the MB showroom.

 

[c63chris]

The latest Which car survey has BMW significantly better for reliability than Mercedes now. Do seem to be letting things slip.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

MB dealer staff do seem a bit cocky currently, I’ve seen some weird behaviour from service personnel such as denying any knowledge of MOT cover and insisting that items are not covered by warranty.
Maybe their incentive scheme is driving poor outcomes?

 

[TeddyRuxpin]

Yeah, bunch of ****s. Worst part of the MB 'experience'.

 

[Mactech]

As a counter point to this, BMW have skilfully managed to finish plum last in the UK JD power dependability index

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=jd+power+reliability+2019&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari#imgrc=

 

[wivenhoe]

As a counter point to this, BMW have skilfully managed to finish plum last in the UK JD power dependability index

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=jd+power+reliability+2019&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari#imgrc=

Yes 25th compared to Merc’s 20th with Jaguar, Audi, Land Rover & Fiat between. With the exception of Volvo none of the ‘prestige’ manufacturers were in the top 19. Using the results I would have been better off buying a Suzuki or Dacia !
I get your point but there is something strange about the result when all of the ‘prestige’ manufacturers are in the bottom of the table.
One reason for going with BMW is that their 6 year hybrid battery warranty covers depletion below 70% - the Merc. one only covers total failure

 

[Mactech]

Yes 25th compared to Merc’s 20th with Jaguar, Audi, Land Rover & Fiat between. With the exception of Volvo none of the ‘prestige’ manufacturers were in the top 19. Using the results I would have been better off buying a Suzuki or Dacia !
I get your point but there is something strange about the result when all of the ‘prestige’ manufacturers are in the bottom of the table.
One reason for going with BMW is that their 6 year hybrid battery warranty covers depletion below 70% - the Merc. one only covers total failure

I agree, the higher up the alleged 'prestige' scale a manufacturer is, the greater the burden of expectation. Minor gripes with 'lesser' brands tend to go unreported, but can be seen as major flaws if a 'prestige' brand does not attain perfection.
I bought a 5 series estate back in 2012, lovely car, but then I started working for Bentley again and had my pick of VAG group company cars.

 

[219]

Received the new Mercedes Me terms & conditions. To see what was new, went to log in using my iPad - “Vehicle Data is not available We are already working on this”. This is typical of Mercedes in recent times.
I have had 6 new cars from them previously and wanted another - an E300e to replace my existing E350e. Total disinterest from the same salesman I bought the E350e from - after chasing for 2 weeks, delivery of new car definitely not before next March, would probably be later. Restricted options, virtually all in packs - massage seats, hud, remote parking no longer available. Current PX offer (non negotiable) less than WeBuyAnyCar and not prepared to agree a future value so deal would be an agreed purchase price but who knows what the px value would be. I ‘escalated’ the issue to an incredibly helpful senior manager in the dealership and he came back and confirmed that was the way things were. He did offer me 40% off a new S Class L plug-in though !

Contacted a BMW dealer (in the same group) - I got the precise spec I wanted on a 530e, delivery October, px agreed and held if delivery slips after November. Salesman was great and the ‘buying experience’ couldn’t have been better. Regular emails confirming progress of order and I believe progress is reported right through until delivery. The Merc salesman couldn’t match the discount (£ 11k) in the Beemer deal. The 530e received vastly improved ‘infotainment system’ and electric range in July so I was fearful the discount was for a ‘run out’ but confirmed in writing it is against a build of the all new spec.

I am really sorry to be coming out of a Mercedes - previous new cars were 2 CLK’s, E Class Coupe, CLS, C350e and E350e and each one of them have been great without any problems, but the way things are now I couldn’t buy another one.

I wonder if this is just an issue created by MBUK and whether you would do better buying in Germany a UK compliant RHD vehicle .

I know , for example , that MBUK flatly refuse to offer the ‘heritage grille’ yet E Class cars can be ordered with it on the continent, so it follows that other options may be available outside MBUK , and reputedly , German MB dealers do still treat customers like they value their business.

It always puzzles me how unhelpful sales staff are tolerated ; I never worked in car sales , but have worked in retail in the distant past and anyone who treated customers like that would be shown the door .

At the end of the day though , customers will vote with their feet , as you did .

Good luck with your new car .

 

[Eddy77]

I agree, the higher up the alleged 'prestige' scale a manufacturer is, the greater the burden of expectation. Minor gripes with 'lesser' brands tend to go unreported, but can be seen as major flaws if a 'prestige' brand does not attain perfection.
I bought a 5 series estate back in 2012, lovely car, but then I started working for Bentley again and had my pick of VAG group company cars.

Very much this. I am a bit miffed that the dashboard on my 16 week old Audi rattles. I will complain about it. If it were a Dacia I wouldn’t bother. This does skew the results of such surveys. That said a £45k Audi should not suffer such niggles so perhaps it is fair enough!

 

[Dodgy]

Very much this. I am a bit miffed that the dashboard on my 16 week old Audi rattles. I will complain about it. If it were a Dacia I wouldn’t bother. This does skew the results of such surveys. That said a £45k Audi should not suffer such niggles so perhaps it is fair enough!

I was miffed when my brand new Audi shorted two circuit boards and shut down within a couple of months of m being delivered. I was also miffed when the same car ate its own gearbox a few months later and needed two weeks of reconstruction. I’d have been perfectly happy with these niggles in a Dacia.

Then there were the minor incidents in a BMW, one that involved a suspension coil shearing off (is that even possible?) and another that involved limp mode activating when I was 100 miles from home.

I wouldn’t trust a premium car to be trouble-free. It’ll probably be a nicer place to sit.

I did once have a Citroen BX that had more replacement parts than originals, so going French might not be the solution.

 

[whitenemesis]

Lexus?

 

[219]

I was miffed when my brand new Audi shorted two circuit boards and shut down within a couple of months of m being delivered. I was also miffed when the same car ate its own gearbox a few months later and needed two weeks of reconstruction. I’d have been perfectly happy with these niggles in a Dacia.

Then there were the minor incidents in a BMW, one that involved a suspension coil shearing off (is that even possible?) and another that involved limp mode activating when I was 100 miles from home.

I wouldn’t trust a premium car to be trouble-free. It’ll probably be a nicer place to sit.

I did once have a Citroen BX that had more replacement parts than originals, so going French might not be the solution.

Yet my 1976 Audi 100GL , RLS 767P , which I bought as an ex demonstrator 3 months old , I ran for over a decade , then my sister got it and eventually sold it at 18 years old when rust was starting to bubble here and there . We still saw it running around locally for a few years after that .

In all that time , NOTHING ever went wrong with it , barring things like bulbs needing replaced , a battery or two , a clutch and an exhaust system , and all the usual service items . That car was utterly reliable .

Progress isn’t always forwards .

 

[Peter103]

My father would say of modern cars with all their electronics and fancy extras, " it's just another thing to go wrong! Seems he was right after all.

 

[John]

The problem these days is that cars have to be built to a price point for the manufacturers to make as much money as possible / be as competitive as possible as they all do the same.

Nothing is immune from problems, new or old so you are taking a gamble with whatever you choose.

Gone are the days of over-engineering although I would rather a newer car each time which gets safer than an older over-engineered car that is out of date and gradually becomes less safe compared to newer cars.

A lot of the experience is down to the quality of the dealer. Having bought a handful of cars on behalf of other people this year, it seems to be a culture within the dealer / dealer group to either be good or shyte.

You can't escape poor service by switching brands as you are still taking a gamble unless you know of a good dealer from another manufacturer.

As much as I don't like their cars, if you want prestige, reliability and good service, go with WhiteNemesis's suggestion above!

 

[derektrotter]

Reliability ratings do confuse me as they often seem to conflict, if I recall correctly the Jaguar XF came out on top years ago on JD but our company car fleet had a lot of issues with them, my colleague buys 5 year old Audi A4's and sells them after another 5, he's done this for years and says they've been rock solid, I was leaning towards this path but then you read things like the above on Audi which does not fill you with confidence.

Its a shame that I do not like the styling of Lexus as their reliability and customer service seems to tick the boxes.