What is the average Mercedes owner

[chrisaaaaa]

I know the manufacturers often paint a picture of a fund manager from Frankfurt with 1.8 kids, 0.8 wives and 0.1 mistresses, but I am beginning to think they must be doormats.

I have a C class, it has plenty of design issues which just seem to be accepted and for when I take it in to get things investigated they say "no fault found", despite my demonstrating it to a staff member, then Mr Angry rings me up from Maastrict to insist that if there is no fault found it is not broken.

Is it because I have a C class, is that the pleb end of the range, do you get better treatment in an S class.

Just venting as yet again I have to mess around with the tailgate to get it to close - oh no - what am I saying - it must be operator error...

 

[grober]

If you are a S class owner you get a much superior form of " no fault found" response and a Christmas card in German depicting ol Gottlieb as God from the service manager.

 

[chrisaaaaa]

In an S class does it dive down any camber, "they all do that"?

I have driven A and B class they were OK, but for a C class they say the atrocious tracking is normal (but offer to fix it for several hundred pounds out - but not under warranty).

I guess what I am askign is why do MErc owners put up with this rubbish?

 

[Jonobigblind]

I didn't... I found plenty of faults with my 2011 C220 so swapped it out for the Audi and have been enjoying that for the last 9 months. Time has come to change and I've ordered the W205 C250 Sport - on paper this has addressed all the issues I had with the last model so I'm quietly confident I'll be joining the majority of Merc owners that are happy with their purchase.

 

[chrisaaaaa]

After last having a VW Passat with the fiasco DSG gearbox, all of VAG are on the no way ever again list.

I don't do anything like enough mileage to justify yearly replacements, the idea was to get a nice car look after it and keep it for years - so far the C class is taking on a distinctly lemony hue.

If the treatment within warranty is so dire what are the prospect when it expires.

 

[grober]

Mercedes cars are camber sensitive and previous models have had "advisories" although its doubtful these would qualify as " faults" under warranty. Don't know if this was actively addressed in the W204??
http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/476027-post8.html

In many respects this is down to the supplying dealer's attitude. Some will sell you a car and walk away unless the fault is covered under warranty. Other's will go the extra mile, but as you can see its a pretty labour intensive process which will cost money to get right. You might be better to go to a good suspension/alignment specialist. In the end running a Merc is going to cost money but if you intend to keep it long term it might be worth it to get behind the wheel of a car you will enjoy driving.

 

[chrisaaaaa]

The w204 made it worse, the older models had bolts (offset/ecentric?) which could be used to adjust the tracking/castor, the MY12 version does not have these fitted, you have to buy them along with getting it tracked.

So far I have changed all the tyres had adjustable bolts fitted and it has been laser tracked 4 times, including specialists in London and Aylesbury.

It sucks less now, but if any other car was like this I would get the tracking fixed.

 

[markjay]

...Time has come to change and I've ordered the W205 C250 Sport - on paper this has addressed all the issues...

What were the issues you were concerned about if I may ask?

 

[BTB 500]

I had a top spec. VW with 4Motion 4WD that developed severe but intermittent vibration when cruising (under 40k miles, owned by me from new). It went to several main dealers (including one in Germany) and none of them could identify the cause let alone fix it. It went to webuyanycar in the end ...

 

[Deleted member 65149]

Well my 2012 W204 is delightful. No camber sensitivity problems, no rattles and squeaks, no problems of any kind (other than frighteningly rapid depreciation so far from new). Perhaps I'm lucky to have chosen one with the right spec for optimum conditions. Perhaps I'm lucky to have chosen a specific model that was built in Singfelden, which has a better reputation than any of their other factories. I love my Merc

 

[Jonobigblind]

What were the issues you were concerned about if I may ask?

Sure, in no particular order:

Release on the parking brake was 'sticky' and wasn't rectified in the two trips back to the dealer.

The auto start stop had software fault that they couldn't fix which meant that 2 or 3 times out of ten the car stalled about a second or two after starting up again which nearly had me in trouble on a motorway roundabout.

Personally, the manual gearbox felt awful (wasn't slick and didn't have a good positive engagement when going into the gate).

The dash had the most annoying squeak that they tried to fix with gaffer tape but couldn't.

Those things weren't major but they were enough for me to tell my lease company that I was swapping out to an Audi they had 'in stock'.

That lease is up and now the 205 is out I'll take another punt.

 

[chrisaaaaa]

Sure, in no particular order:

Release on the parking brake was 'sticky' and wasn't rectified in the two trips back to the dealer.

The auto start stop had software fault that they couldn't fix which meant that 2 or 3 times out of ten the car stalled about a second or two after starting up again which nearly had me in trouble on a motorway roundabout.

Personally, the manual gearbox felt awful (wasn't slick and didn't have a good positive engagement when going into the gate).

The dash had the most annoying squeak that they tried to fix with gaffer tape but couldn't.

Those things weren't major but they were enough for me to tell my lease company that I was swapping out to an Audi they had 'in stock'.

That lease is up and now the 205 is out I'll take another punt.

The parking break on my is hopeless, when I first got it it did nothing at all depit only being a couple of thou past a MB service, when I looked into it the adjuster had been wound beyond the end stop that it does not have and the shoes were metal and some shiny bits of charcoal. Considering the fuss it makes if you drive with the break on it is hard to see how that happened.

I had the start-stop joy too, great fun rolling onto a tight roundabout with no power steering while you turn the key all the way off an on again. MB have 'fixed' that now, stp start used to operate all the time, even seconds after starting for the first time in the morning, now it is a lot more conservative, I drove from Cambridge to Woburn, the start-stop did not operate once as I went around the park - but hey - at least it did not stall.

GB, and engine are pretty rough but the reviews said they would be.

My dash is fine, even after I opened it up to add extra wiring for a speed camera sensor.

Anyone else got the power tailgate?

 

[grober]

Ah the world of the W205 with its electronic handbrake. I predict a veritable smorgasbord of humorous anecdotes awaits.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

The parking break on my is hopeless, when I first got it it did nothing at all depit only being a couple of thou past a MB service, when I looked into it the adjuster had been wound beyond the end stop that it does not have and the shoes were metal and some shiny bits of charcoal. Considering the fuss it makes if you drive with the break on it is hard to see how that happened.

I had the start-stop joy too, great fun rolling onto a tight roundabout with no power steering while you turn the key all the way off an on again. MB have 'fixed' that now, stp start used to operate all the time, even seconds after starting for the first time in the morning, now it is a lot more conservative, I drove from Cambridge to Woburn, the start-stop did not operate once as I went around the park - but hey - at least it did not stall.

GB, and engine are pretty rough but the reviews said they would be.

My dash is fine, even after I opened it up to add extra wiring for a speed camera sensor.

Anyone else got the power tailgate?

Maybe you bought ***'s old smoker?

 

[chrisaaaaa]

Maybe it was jonobigblinds, it was a lease car that did loads of miles in the first year, then seemed to get parked for 6 months.

Buying one new must be disheartening, mine was under 2 years old and was half price!

 

[geraldrobins]

Suggest you trade it in for a Kia. They have some good reviews.

 

[chrisaaaaa]

Suggest you trade it in for a Kia. They have some good reviews.

I drove a Sportage demonstator, it was so rough I barely got it off the forecourt before I was asking if it was broken, the salesboy assured me they were all like that.

Once you cross off all french (bonkers engineering) and VAG (poor service) and Toyota/Honda (sheer tedium) there are not a lot of nice big estates left.

I have done BMW and Volvo so onto Merc, I drove a B class as a hire car on hols, that was pleasant and perfectly able to go in a straight line.

 

[geraldrobins]

I can only suggest public transport then.

 

[Jonobigblind]

Maybe it was jonobigblinds, it was a lease car that did loads of miles in the first year, then seemed to get parked for 6 months.

Buying one new must be disheartening, mine was under 2 years old and was half price!

Nah, mine was an 11 plate and I picked it up in Jan 13 then it left me in Aug 13. You'd have to have been the unluckiest swine in the land to pick that one up from me. Did have a really easy to remember number plate though - the one silver lining haha