pixmation

I have filed a lemon with the car already (read other posts). So it's a matter of time that I will get something else.

C230K4Laura

Well,

What can I say after what I have seen here. I have my coupe on order, but I am scared as hell to get it now.

If I trade in my Saturn and use some of my settlement $$ and the car is a POS, I am going to hear it for months if not years on end about how I shouldn't have bought the car.

Can someone please reassure me???

Laura

Fuzzo

the thing to keep in mind is that there are tons of people out there with coupes or sedans who don't have problems. Even on this forum, there seem to be only a handful of people with issues or issues that bug them. If minor things don't bug you and you don't have a problem with getting them attended to, then you won't have a problem.

You may end up being one of the lucky ones that had no probs with their cars, you never know. If you do have probs, then attend to them early and find a way out of the car

my 2 cents

Buellwinkle

The cars are hit and miss, you'll never know. Despite all the problems, the car is wonderfull and certainly worth the money. MB of LN is practically giving them away for 26k for a nicely equiped one (leather, bose, automatic, panorama roof). Also MB of Laguna Niguel is great at taking care of you. The loaners are great and so are the car washes.

revstriker

Good to see a "not so negative" post about the coupe. I do agree with you 100%.

Laura, no matter what kind of car you decide to purchase, there is a chance that you will have problems. The only way to guarantee that you will not have any problems is to not buy a car, but most likely, this is out of the question. As for MB, even though their quality rating may have slipped a few notches in the past few years, it is still much higher than most. My advice to you would be to stop worrying about the problems, and start thinking how great it will be to cruise around in your new car.

Fuzzo

... yeah specially coming from the 2 guys that have the issues with the car

raymond

Laura

To me the most worrying things were the total crapshoot involved, and the automatic assumption by the MB dealer staff that I was imagining things, that they've "never heard" of that problem before, and that I was a jerk and driving like one and thus causing the car to misbehave.

I may be a jerk (you can ask my wife) but I know how to drive, and do not relish being told that since a problem occurs above the maximum legal speed limit that it will not be addressed by MB.

I know another user C230Komp who has a coupe, and has not one issue with it. I also know that those with serious problems like myself were far in the minority.

As I said in a previous post, my heart loved the car even as my brain hated it.

My advice to anyone would be to avoid MB, but I am a little biased. More relevant advice would be to avoid Park Place Mid-Cities in Texas.

Good luck, and enjoy the stares when you get your car.

Raymond

Smoky

I'll bet there are 10,000 parts in a new MB coupe. And all things mechanical wear, or can fail. Expect some minor problems, and hope for no major ones.

MB has a fine warranty, and most of their people are dedicated to the car and the job.

The coupe is a wonderful design, and the engineering is superb. Enjoy the car, hopefully, like the majority here, you will have few or no problems.

Smoky

MB-BOB

Laura, I've had my C-Sedan for more than a year. In general, the car has been near perfect, and wasn't back to the dealer for the first 11-months. There were a couple of minor issues, such as the glovebox lid not fitting squarely, (uneven gap where lid meets dash), driver's inner door seal (black rubber) wearing prematurely at B-Pillar (now replaced with new design that color matches the interior, an improvement) In short, if it's an obvious problem, my dealer addressed it without question or argument.

Problems arise when the defect is not easily traceable, repeatable, etc. The dealer fumbles around with these (like any other service department does... pick any brand, IMO). For example, the one-touch auto tilt close function on my sunroof doesn't work. It is re-sync-able, but it refuses to hold sync more than 4-hours. Thus, it has taken 4-visits to the dealer to convince them of this, in spite of the fact that I've demonstrated the problem to them live, I've drawn pictures for them, and even copied pages from the owner's manual to prove my point. A part is finally on order and should be replaced soon.

Reading this forum, you will learn more detailed, insider stuff about these cars than the dealership service department knows. Then, when you do identify a problem, and already have it diagnosed based on shared experiences here, you can get frustrated trying to convince the dealer what the problem is, because you think that they should be as astute as you are... know that there is a service bulletin, etc. Good part is that you get to impress the service personnel with your knowledge, and in the process they learn, too... if they're smart.

Just make sure you understand how your service loan car program works... each dealer is different. Trips to the dealer are a lot less stressful knowing that while they monkey-around, you have a replacement car to drive!

revstriker

I have heard of this happening with many people at dealers for all different kind of cars. My brother had a new Buick that would squeak when he went over bumps. The dealer told him that it was normal. When I first moved to Texas, our AC in our Jeep was not working correct. The first dealer told us that it was working normal. Second dealer fixed the problem. I think that there are some dealers that just don't want to help you, especially if it's a warranty issue.


I feel the same way about Ford! Glad that you admit and explain about being biased. For the record, I bought my car from Ewing in Plano, and have not had any problems at all after 5 months (C320). Haven't had to deal with their service dept. yet though.....

Buellwinkle

So let me understand this Revstriker, I should not expect a premium brand like MB to provide me any better level of realibility or customer service than Jeep or Buick. I don't know about TX, but the dealers in So Cal for MB are far better than what I experienced at Buick and Jeep dealers. True the Buicks and Jeeps are more reliable than MB but their service depts are mediocre at best.

MB-BOB

Agreed, Scott. But I guess I really don't understand why this is. The sales department doesn't make the margin they used to in selling the car, so they have to rely on giving good repair service. When it's a warranty issue, MB pays for the parts and the labor at their top rate (without question if they return a broken part), so why is the dealer so reluctant to OFFER the best treatment to the customer they can? If I don't get good service, I'm not inclined to continue taking my car there post warranty for service on my nickel, or buy my next car from that dealer... regardless of what brand car it is... Why they choose to shoot themselves in the foot this way, I don't understand.

IMO, Ewing Autohaus treats service as if they are competing with other dealers for MBUSA's "Penny-Pincher of the Year Award." Per my previous post, it took four trips to the dealer for them to understand that they needed to replace a module to get my sunroof to work properly, and that I wouldn't be happy until they showed me a defective part going back to MB, instead of resyncing the roof and claiming the job was done.

My A-Service: The car takes 8 quarts of Mobil One. My dyno diagnostic mode says (all year long) the car was delivered with 8-quarts. The workorder for my recent A-Service says I got 8-quarts of Mobil 1, and I'm sure Ewing will claim this expense to MBUSA for reimbursement. And, the FSS oil measuring procedure says oil level is OK... most customers would be happy, right? However, dyno mode (learned only here) tells me I actually have only 6.9 quarts, so I'm starting off my next 10,000 miles a quart+ below full. So, once the sunroof part is in, I now get to go back and teach them how dyno mode works (I'm sure they have no clue) so I can demand they top off my oil to the right level.

I also intend to ask them why they are so stingy with MB parts under warranty.

Duffer

The odds are in your favor that your car will be fine. MB quality, from what I have read, is improving. Also, the problems you see here are the same as with many other manufacturers.

For example, some people think Audis are problem cars, but I have had 3 and no major problems have arisen with each having over 40-50k miles when sold.

On my MB Coupe, it's my first MB and after 1,000 miles, I have had Zero problems - fit and finish were fine and all works well (knock on wood).

The problems you see on a board such as this are from, usually, enthusiasts who are very demanding and will critique the heck out of everything. So don't let problems get in the way of buying your car.

The odds are in your favor (knock, knock) that your car will be just about perfect.

Just tell your sales person you want a service advisor that is an enthusiast and will listen to your problems - that you are not the typical ******** owner - you are knoweldgeable.

revstriker

No, I was just using those two as examples. You will find dealers that do not provide good customer service no matter what the brand.

I think that you should expect good customer service no matter what brand of car you have. Even if you pay 9K for a car, you're still spending a lot of money on a product, and you should expect good service. Also, just because one dealer is bad, one should not draw a conclusion that all are bad (or good for that matter). The example with the Jeep's AC shows this: One dealer did not want to provide any service, and the other one provided the service and fixed the problem. Guess which one I would pick if I were in the market for a new Jeep?

galaxygrrl

Laura,

OK, I'm gonna lemon my car, but I'm getting another one because I love the car and think I can't be unlucky twice.

IMHO, MBs are for car enthusiasts and they are not POS, they are fine automobiles; however, they are not for people who want pure reliability.

Some people have problems, some people don't; it's a game of chance. To be honest, if all you care about is reliability and that is how you define a good car, an MB is a poor choice. It just is. These cars have problems. Relative to an older Saturn (which beat Honda's in reliability) you will have issues. Very few people on this board have a perfectly, troubled free cars. Part of the issue is these are complicated cars too. A Honda Civic is not.

People here say that their cars are near perfect, ask a Lexus or Infiniti owner how they would describe their car problems. To me that the standard. People with Lexus’s, go 100,000 miles with no visits to the dealerships. Ask any MB own if they have that experience. We don't.

MBs are a blast to drive and a fun car to own! It's a trade off. You need to think of it was a trade-off or when you have problems, you will be frustrated. You also get a 50,000-mile warranty.

I hope this helps. Don't mean to be a wet blanket. If someone had said this to me before I bought my car, I would have bought something else (Acura most likely), but after drving it, I love it. Back to that trade-off thing.

Cheers,

Beth

viper

Nicely put galaxygrrl.

MarkL

I don't mean to be snobbish, but what other cars are you considering? If you're not sure between a Saturn and a Mercedes-Benz, by all means, please don't get the Mercedes! I agree with most of the responses here though. The people on this board are a tiny minority of M-B owners, and most of us are very picky. Every car will have some problems (I don't care what Galaxygrrl says about those Lexus's ), and it's important to have a good dealer whose service technicians know how to make the right diagnoses.

I've had my C240 since last August, and haven't had a single problem. I love it! It's the best car I've ever owned! What else can I say? It really PO's me to hear some of the people say it's crap when the features, mechanics, comfort, safety, etc. etc. are so far ahead of so many other cars. It's my belief that many of these people have simply not owned many other vehicles and they expect things that just aren't realistic.

viper

I have to agree. Ever car has the potential to be problematic. It is how the dealer rectifies the situation that makes the difference. In most cases if the dealer fixes it right the first time you will probably be understanding. But again there is no such thing as the perfect car. If you have unrealistic expectations you will never be satisfied pure and simple.

galaxygrrl

Not to be contenious, but, don't you think the bar for comparision is the most dependable car on the market, since one can go and buy that car. The reason to buy a MB is more the fun factor. The stats show MBs are not the most dependable car on the market and this board reflects that issue. To say these cars are as dependable across the board to a Lexus, Totoya or Honda simply ignores the facts. But they are more fun to drive.

pixmation

Just got a call from my lawyer, MB is going to agree to my demand and refund all my money back plus paying for the lawyer's fee. They should have the check ready end of this week or early next week.

viper

It depends on your definition of dependable and reliable. If your car starts every day and gets you where you want to go you could say it is dependable. If your radio does not work sometime you could say your radio is not reliable. Trouble is nobody separates the two. We have people complaining on this board about power window problems. To say the vehicle is not dependable is inaccurate. To say the windows are not reliable is an accurate statement.

C230K4Laura

In response to the question about what other cars I am looking at, the coupe is the one and only.

I have a 2001 Saturn SC2 and have only had Saturns since 1994. Yes, I admit it... I was a Saturn fanatic. I loved those cars, but I also was afraid also to go to a "real" dealership and get demolished by the sales people.

I haven't had many problems with my Saturns except for my 95 (my key got stuck in the ignition more times than I could count) and my 2001 has a intermittant radio problem and squeaks.

All I want is the Mercedes and that is what I am going to get! If it doesn't work out, then I guess that there is the Lemon law. I just want stuff fixed right the first time and I have no problem getting assertive with the service guy if it isn't.

I guess the only problem I have now is 1. How to convince hubby I "need" a mercedes and 2. What to do when my ordered car comes in and I don't have the $$ yet!!!!!

Laura

galaxygrrl

Laura, your dealer should be able to work out short-term financing for you for a few weeks or a month until you get the money.

As for the hubby, I'm afraid I have no great suggestions, except to let him test drive the car. But, I'm sure you can figure this one out. Good luck with it!

Hooray, Pixmation! Feels good huh? What are you going to get instead of a c-coupe?

Oh, how long did the whole process with the lawyer take?

Beth

Black230

I've had so many problems with this car, that I just don't pay attention anymore. Last problem which was from day 5 of ownership, they finally corrected almost 8 months later, the 4 tires needed to be replaced as well as the front right control arm and front end upgrade bolts and re-align the car for about the 4th time and my panorama seal was bad and the roof was leaking-those have been corrected. Now my gas lid doesn't open when all the doors unlock i had to remove the trunk panel and pull the pin back annoying, but I've learned to live with the problems. Just tired of having to get into something else and start having little problems again, at least all the idiosyncracies of the car are being filtered out and will not re-occur and hopefully I will not have anymore probs after this lid situation. Otherwise car is also the first year of the body style so people have to make room and allowances for this, but Mercedes has been very supportive, provided me with loaners every time and they have been E320's and C 320's and the 90% of the problems have been resolved on one visit, it's just the annoyance of having to take it in and get a loaner , you guys know the rat race, but anyhow till something better arises for now i just want it to get me where i need to go and it's been doing that so far.

pixmation

yeah it sure feel good! if I knew about the lemon law i detail with the GTI I would have "lemon-ed" the GTI as well. It pays and help to be an informed consumer. The GTI's anti-lock brake light didn't work from time to time in the first 2 years of ownership. And the dealer couldn't trace the problem. Without a loaner programmer sure made me not to frequent their service dept.

I don't know what to get yet. Just found out that Beverly Hills MB is willing to sell me the C coupe for roughly $200 over invoice. Very tempting. Maybe also look into IS300 and 325ci again. Also the MINI Cooper...

McGee sent the demanding letter to MBUSA on April 19th, so the entire process took less than 2 months.

Edmond