Mercedes reliability?!?

[Adamccc]

I'd say not, whilst the power and noise is worthy of a weekend car; for me, it's too practical and big for a weekend toy - almost like having an RS6 as a weekend car when it's so practical you can take it anywhere, in any conditions with any amount of people/luggage.

I've used mine as a daily for almost 2 years now and have had times where I've taken the other car for a couple of weeks and didn't really get a fizz when I got back into mine (You do get the biggest grin ever when you see a tunnel/echo-y area coming up though). Mines in drug dealer spec - silly large wheels, blacked out windows, tinted lights etc and it does seem to get as much attention as supercars do but honestly, I'd rather have something that's more nimble and a real driving experience:- if it weren't for the crazy noise, it'd actually be a pretty dull to drive unless you're at 8/10th's (which you'll be in locked up if caught taking it past 5/10th's).

This is the dream 2 car (relatively achievable) garage at the moment:

 

[FateSynchro]

See now my take is a bit different...

As much as i would love a 12c or a R8 they are just SOOO much money to uphold and the cost of them even second hand is high.
Even the old V8's are still half decent money.

I'll be keeping the E63 as it does everything really well, it went round the nurburgring and kept me excited, it does the daily drive thing and the overall driving easy and pleasent.
Its a fantastic car all round and its 735bhp and over 850ib/ft its savage, and with the new MPS4S tyres on it grips like nothing i've ever imagined... it makes my face peel off when i use the Launch Control.

But it isnt quite as fun as something stripped out and nimble, so i'll be keeping the E63 and replacing it with a new W213 E63 in 18 months time, but in between that im going to buy something like a Honda Civic EK with a K20 motor in it.
Or a silly EVO or something that is literally just utterly useless day to day but makes you smile.
Something i wont lose much money on and i can just use the odd day a weekend for a laugh.
I'd have another Skyline R32 GTR but they are monster money now.

 

[Adamccc]

I think with all the hassle I've had with the dealer and such, even now everything's fixed, I may have fallen out of love with it. Noise and power is epic but I still miss my 1300kg TTRS with 430hp + properly sorted out fast road setup. Come rain or shine it was an absolute, bolted to the floor, missile.

I think I just miss the short wheelbase and instant acceleration in all conditions, sure I'd probably miss the noise and class of the Merc but not for long.

 

[jimiE55]

I think with all the hassle I've had with the dealer and such, even now everything's fixed, I may have fallen out of love with it. Noise and power is epic but I still miss my 1300kg TTRS with 430hp + properly sorted out fast road setup. Come rain or shine it was an absolute, bolted to the floor, missile.

I think I just miss the short wheelbase and instant acceleration in all conditions, sure I'd probably miss the noise and class of the Merc but not for long.

Safe to say, you are currently in the wrong Car/Brand then Chief.

 

[RickMM]

If you want something crazy fast, exhilarating and cheap for a second vehicle them get a bike?
£5 - 10k will get you more performance than you could ever need on road or track

 

[AlexM]

A bit of thread drift here, but interesting. I have no expectation that a heavily modded car will be as reliable as it was in standard spec and it has no bearing on reliability per se of a marque or particular model. Some cars will be built with more left on the table than others, and how much of that you want to take back is up to you. Personally, I now draw the line at replacement or upgrades of major mechanical assemblies to make it work well enough at a given power level - been there, done that, spent a small fortune and still ended up with an unreliable piece of junk!.

I'm old enough such that it is still fairly amazing that a stock saloon car nowadays can have 500+ bhp, 10k annual service intervals and be pretty much as reliable as any other car. That is real, tangible progress over what was possible 10 years ago. What does disappoint is that wear out for suspension components is too quick. Having said that, the only problems I've had with my car have been fixed under warranty (auxiliary battery, front suspension lower arms (perished bushes), and squeaking top mounts). That's not too bad in my book. I do have other niggles - trim rattles and squeaks are a major bugbear for me and this car is much noisier than others that I've owned. That isn't really acceptable, and is a major source of dissatisfaction for me.

Cheers,
Alex

 

[Adamccc]

Wouldn't say a quick remap and exhaust system counts as heavily modified (especially in this day and age when you can forge the block, add bigger turbos and look to achieve double the output) - but from the reports of the early M157's there seems to be an issue with the chains and oil drain whether stock or not. Maybe I've just had a terrible experience with the brand, but it seems less of a coincidence when everything Merc I come across seems to have some sort of an issue.

 

[jimiE55]

Wouldn't say a quick remap and exhaust system counts as heavily modified (especially in this day and age when you can forge the block, add bigger turbos and look to achieve double the output) - but from the reports of the early M157's there seems to be an issue with the chains and oil drain whether stock or not. Maybe I've just had a terrible experience with the brand, but it seems less of a coincidence when everything Merc I come across seems to have some sort of an issue.

Like myself and others have said, there are examples of problems with every brand. The owner of the company that fitted the windows in my house had a brand new Audi A5 that had literally every possible thing go wrong with it. Major engine and gearbox issues. It's basic probability, every brand has these examples.

Regardless of myself or any other positive Merc owner, think you've made your mind up, so best of luck when you move on, not much more to be said really.

 

[AlexM]

Yes, sorry Adam.. Wasn't commenting on your situation, more a riff on the theme of GTR gearbox upgrades etc. I hear of a lot of bad customer service experiences and this is critical to brand perception where people have an expectation set by marketing / brand capital that is at odds with the reality. Having said that, my local dealer MB Epsom have been great and have been very helpful and accommodating but YMMV. You do seem to have had more problems than most in fairness. The timing chain issue isn't widespread although the new tensioner and anti drain back mods in the head are done as a matter of course if it causes an issue.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

I am the opposite to most folk; every LR, Jaguar and Maserati I've owned have never given me a moments bother whereas I had a Lexus IS that was a stinking pile of crap, my experience of BMW and Audi similar and Mercedes have been about the best of the so-called "reliable" set and they've mostly been 50/50!