ok, after reading the thread over concerns of reliability of our cars, & a comparison to the "wonders" of the Mercedes range, it made me chuckle a bit.

 

Merc always has this wonderful reputation of reliabilty.

 

so just to put things int perspective heres some of todays jobs in my Merc workshop:

 

1st thing this morning C class turns up on transporter. non start, battery keeps going flat. owners fitted a new one let him down in the South of France

 

collected A class for service (3 yrs old, 50k miles) needed front anti roll bar links, worn out. rear radius arms, bearings collapse on those. tyres deformed due to knackered radius arms. earth cable to engine connector broken off.

 

C class in for A/C not working. condensor corroded & leaking. replaced the condensor & pipeline union to condensor had corroded on, so needed new pipe too.

 

A class stalling, reqs Engine ECU (always go)

 

AMG E55 in for faulty oil level sensor

 

1 yr old C class we delivered at the weekend stuck in park, wont shift out (bloody Autos!!)

 

C class we had in decided not to recognise the key anymore while in for repairs - vehicle immobilised, had to pick up the owners key on the way home.

 

and thats just the jobs today i can remember :rolleyes:

Paul, have you dealt with any of the older models such as the W124 CE coupes and W126 SEC Coupes?

 

How do they fair against the newer models as far as build quality and reliability goes?

 

I've read on a few MB Forums that some of the later models (C Class) are made in South Africa, is that right? Many owners have said the later models dont feel as well built as older Mercs.

 

Ta,

Trev

yeah, we still get 124's 126's 123's & good ole G wagens :rolleyes:

 

yes, some of the new 203 c classes are assembled in SA. v classes were made in Spain, ML's in USA

 

they are still built well really IMO, but seemed to have suffered the cheap plastic look & feel.

 

many problems are due to the ever increasing electronic complexity now :(

Paul

 

How do the 89 - 02 SL`s fair

Iv`e always liked them and they seem good value now.

 

Mark

Paul, a mate of mine has a 2/3 year old merc E class V8 4 litre, very nice but boring lol.

Anyway the brake lights went last week, so he took it to the main dealer in Taunton somerset. They fixed it but when he went to pick the car up the ignition system wouldnt recognise the key (some plastic gismo) and the guys in the garage couldnt fix it, the spare didnt work either.

So the dealer gave him a loan car for a week while they sent for a new ignition thingy. Week later he got the car back and they charged him £550. He didnt expect to have to pay either!

Anyway he drove away , got home ,parked up and the electric windows wouldnt go up!! He aint all that happy, think he's writing to the main merc people now.

His other car is an Etype jag, 30years old but more reliable!

You must have to go on a course every month to keep up with the electronics now? Hope ya get paid well..:)

Mark, the 129 SL's are very nice, esp the later ones (about 97 - , got a few upgrades!) the 500 is the one to have (or an AMG60 if you can find one ;) ) although compared to a zed there not that quick really. very nice cruiser tho :)

 

Trev - sounds like the electronic ignition switch, quite a common fault really :( which is one of the points i was trying to make, ALL cars are unreliable

 

the windows may just need re-syncronising. get him to press the switch gently (1st position) & the window should come up. keep it held until it reaches the top & hold for a further 3-4 secs. that needs doing if the window module has lost its feed. sunroof will need doing too if he has one.

 

& yes, i do get paid well ;) :D

I must admit to having a soft spot for these:

 

 

Looked at a couple prior to buying the Zed. :D

 

They are H U G E !

 

Tim

....and ugly!!! IMHO, of course. :)

LOL :D

 

Yeah and when my local Kirk dealer was charging 64 squid an hour Mr C maybe Captain Kirk woke up around 10 or 15 years ago and did what Nelson did.

 

"Hey if we sell them at a rediculous price brand new we make a sh1t load initially but...if we also start introducing sh1te build quality our service and repairs divisions will keep us in the money for years to come! Diamond idea!"

LMAO!!! :D

 

thats the Germans for you Timmy ;) they threw a towel on the sunbed of quality years ago & have been tanning on it ever since :D

I've been told that the quality of the internal parts in a Merc engine are better than most other cars. Something to do with the alloys they use or summat. The wear metals detectable after testing are negligible.

Originally posted by Nelson MainFella

I've been told that the quality of the internal parts in a Merc engine are better than most other cars. Something to do with the alloys they use or summat. The wear metals detectable after testing are negligible.

 

yes, on the whole, mechanically they are very good. even after very high milage when pullin cyl heads off there is very little wear.

 

shame they cant make a head gasket that doesnt piss out oil after 5 miles of use tho :rolleyes:

So then Paul, which is better 300ZX's or Mercs ?

Originally posted by dazuti

So then Paul, which is better 300ZX's or Mercs ?

 

well i own a zed, not a merc - you work it out :D

Me Cossie did 190,000 miles and was still going strong when I flogged it/gave it away! LOL :D

 

Due to the fact that the last garage I took it to threaded one of the plugs into the deep recess head FFS. Muppets. Wasn't a Kirk dealer though...just some Welsh hill billy garage. Always a bad sign when they claim to be VW/Audi specialists and general Herman German specialists and have a 1980's Krypton tuner in the work bay. ROFL :D

 

Do those Krypton tuners actually do anything or are they just a prop for all dodgy garages?

 

Never...EVER seen one being used.

Originally posted by Timmy_Turbo

 

Do those Krypton tuners actually do anything or are they just a prop for all dodgy garages?

 

Never...EVER seen one being used.

 

we use ours quite a lot actually - honest!!

don't forget the ratling timing chains that always seem to go on mercs lol.

I had the V-pulley belt and tensioner go west on mine on the M1 whilst munching along at about 85. Most interesting trying to turn off the slip road...with negat power steering and the dash lit up like a simple simon game on acid! :D

 

Great idea that, let's have one belt that drives everything so when it craps out you crap yerself. :D

Oh shite, Ive got a C32 AMG as well as the zed. Does this mean i`ve got 2 unreliable cars????:eek: :rolleyes:

Originally posted by mickeyb

Oh shite, Ive got a C32 AMG as well as the zed. Does this mean i`ve got 2 unreliable cars????:eek: :rolleyes:

 

no, you've got 1 unreliable car & a zed!! ;) :D

got to agree, my dad has a '95 C200 and the zed is a far better car.

The merc has many problems including the alarm going off every time you try to start the engine, whether you have disarmed it or not, the steering wheel sometimes squeals:confused: , the brakes squeal even after they have all been changed, new shims and greased, it overheats if you go up hills, its hard to start even with a perfectly good battery, rust is starting to show on the boot lid, etc...

 

Ok the zed has its niggly things like the other day it was running dog rough, but all it took was to clean out the temp sensor harness and it was good as new, overall is more reliable and of better build quality.

My stearing wheel used to squeal when you turned it aswell, well I never. :D

Know someone who has a 170 I don't know why! (ugly imho)

 

Nothing but probs, and only two years old, imobiliser probs twice causing them to be stranded, locking probs, air con probs, and lots of general niggly bits going wrong meaning more time in dealer.

 

Mind you they get a brand spanker all time to replace it to drive in so it aint all bad!

I work in sheffield opposite Gordon Lambs. They service Lotus, Nobles, Evo's, ROvers, Saabs and 'bishis. However, very occasionally, a snot green merx appears sometime, probably of the same era of the one in the picture above but it is a 2 door estate.

 

Has anyone know what model this is or what engine is in it? I assume it was a limited edition because I don't remember seeing many about? I not that much for mercs, apart from the new bread of fire breathing 500s/600s and 55AMGs. If I had to have a german car, and could afford it, the RS6 would win for me, hands down.

 

I

Cars have the most problems in the first 3 years of life.