konkon007

Hi guys,

First time on this forum. Current situation. I'm looking at getting a new car. Currently driving a 2003 Audi A4 3.0 Q. I have a deposite for a S5 right now.

I'm thinking about getting a benz. To me reliability is the key, as I have had a crap time with my Audi, Coil miss fire x 3, fuel injector replacement, catalytic converter replacement, Torque converter replacement. You guys are all laughing and I know it. I would be too. I bought this car new as well, and I would say its a lemon, but these are common problems or how can I say it, more often then usually based on other people from the Audi Forum. I've had a bimmer before, and reliability was a bit better.

So to get to the point. I like benz, especially the C-350 or 300, but AMG is nice too. I'm a just worried about a few things and reliability is the highest on the list. I like standard driving as well. The audi is auto so the gf can drive it too, but the torque converter replacement just popped my eyes out.

Anyways, what are your thoughts on reliability between Benz and Audi. Reason I'm asking is b/c I got a deposite on a S5 but I saw a c-class 350 pimpin out on the road and I liked it. Obviously, there is a huge saving and that's always good. I just want to drive my car and not have it in the shop on repair.

Speed is not a major point for my decision, but of class and reliability. The S5is super hot, but again, its an Audi. The M3 is a huge disappointment, and the 335, everyone got. 5 Series, E class, and A6 are looks doesn't suit me, looks, class, and reliability is what I'm looking for. Sorry, if that statement sounded cocky, as I have no intention of meaning that. I'm just trying to draw the right picture in a forum, so people can relate to my current situation.

Please provide your honest opinion.

Many Thanks.

cvx5832

I owned 4 Hondas before our foray into European cars. Dare I say it, but my C-class has had Honda-like reliability so far. BMW was/is fun, but the reliability starts to take away from the fun beyond 3 years. We'll see with the Mercedes.

12k miles so far and it just keeps on going. Others have similar experiences. Do some research on the design and manufacture of this particular C-class. The fanaticism that went into this particular car makes sense when you start driving it.

Some things to watch out for - the door pins, the Germany vs South Africa debate, and maybe look closer at the available options before you decide or go to the dealership. Lots of folks here who jumped too fast and looking to retrofit options they didn't think existed or needed.

Good luck.

Paolo
SA-built C300 Sport with everything but the panorama roof

tanktube67

Welcome to MBW

tanktube67

Its hard to say how reliable the C is or will be, I had a 1998 M3 with not a single problem my 545 is a lemon, with my C350 I haven't had any big problems yet, but if you want reliability I had 3 Infiniti’s with out a single problem

konkon007

I've heard great things about Benz, so that is a good thing. I won't be going back to Japanese unless its a family van. Thanks for the welcome as well.

So it positive notes so far. I'll check back in a few days to see where this thread goes for opinion.

Carsy

The noisy operation of sunroofs & folding mirrors have had a mention on this forum . I have neither & am very happy with our 220CDI

VaderSS

As long as you look at it as a mechanical device then your fine. All things will break down and there is always the bad apple in the bunch as well as the car going 250k without a hiccup.

Now coming from owning Audi, BMW, Porsche, Mercedes as well as Asian and Domestic USA, but I guess your talking about the Euro cars or German? I ask you to just think of cars you have passed stuck on the side of the road… seriously. How many were Mercedes? (and not for a flat or gas). Now do the same for the other brands and you may have your answer…

For me Porsche has always had the durability and reliability at the cost of high maintenance, but that’s what goes with it. Mercedes is my second good service intervals (cheaper than Lexus) with BMW third (they never seem to get the car back to me when promised so I’m driving some X3 piece of crap… No offence to anyone who owns it but its not my car!)… sorry had issues with Audi my A6 –TT Quattro… always kept limping into the dealer with small problems.

Do you plan on keeping your car past 3 years? By the look of it you drove your Audi for 5 years. Just think of how many old Mercedes you see driving around then do the same for the other makes… ok maybe that was a bad one… lets get back to the side of the road thing..

In my opinion, Mercedes is reliable and if anything breaks it’s usually convenience items… the customer service here in Hawaii is steps above the other luxury marques.

1 Vote for Mercedes!

Dema

MB had quality problems in 2001-2003 period. The new C class is most reliable Benz ever. It will last for many years without any problem.

syrAMG

I honestly believe all Mercedes standard C class models are not worth its value beyond 4 years.
They are built economical compared to the premium classes.
the parts will start failing little by little.
If I were to get a C to finance or buy I'd always go for an AMG.

imboom

I can vouch for that. Top notch service, just got my A done on my C350 at MB of Honolulu.

GDawgC220

The S5 is one of the hottest cars out there now and more or less rare. Sorry to hear all the issues with your '03 A4 3.0. My '05 1.8T just passed 100,000 miles on Friday and has been very reliable.

You're going to find owners, no matter what brand (even Japanese brands) that have had tons of trouble with their car and those that have none or very few problems. Like VaderSS says, there will always be a few bad apples in the bunch.

There must have been a reason why you want the S5 if put a deposit down for it. There's a savings between the C350 and the S5 but really you can't compare the two. One is a two door coupe with a V8 and AWD vs a 4 door sedan with a V6 and RWD.

Can't go wrong with either IMO. Good luck.

ShoremNJ

21,000+ miles and going strong with no problems at all. I drive it hard also. It is a great vehicle.

JulianH

I disagree with you completely. Just because the C class is the cheapest Mercedes model, does not mean it is less reliable. My practically entirely handbuilt G500 has not been very reliable at all, and that is an 80k car. The car is only a bit over a year old, and it's needed a lot of silly things, like a new washer reservoir that had cracked, yes, after only being a bit over a year old.

I think the new C-class is the most reliable Mercedes yet. I think we all agree that Mercedes makes very reliable engines. The new C class, well most of it is built by machine. It's the only Mercedes right now that has this. The others cannot be built this way right now, they have to be newly designed to work with the robots/machines that do the welding and such. Further, though the new C has only been out for a couple years, I do not know of any common problems with it. Mercedes themselves said they wanted to return their reliability back to what it used to be. It seems like they have succeeded. The car is so solid, no sqeaks, rattles, or anything. I think the C is at least as reliable as any other car out there right now. Every car has it's issues. Even the Lexus IS's are known for having rattles inside and for brakes that create a lot of dust.

jstaneff

Reliability is one of the things that I looked for in this car. I drove Honda Accords for 21 years, and they are sort of a minimal standard for me. Very reliable cars. The C seems to have been built, and pre-production tested to a level better than that. The post-production testing (e.g., us!) is ongoing, but so far it's been as good as expected, maybe even better.

I won't miss having to "suddenly" replace CV joint boots, or silly things like that. While MB is claimed to be expensive to repair, the Hondas weren't exactly cheap.

I'm concerned about the cost of brakes, especially if we have to also replace the rotors with each set of pads. I'm also concerned about the tire wear since rotating is difficult at best. There are minor things I don't like, like the cheap ventilation grill. But on balance, this is a great car!

ShoremNJ

I had a 2006 ML350 and had to replace disc pads only at 50,000miles not rotors also did tires at 48,000 miles. Wasn't so bad. Traded it in at 76,000 miles for the 2008 C300.

drevil2k2

The Audi reliability issue is what made me consider MB. I had my share of coolant leaks, coil pack and fuel pump failures.

The S5 on edmunds is getting nice reviews, but with another, probably from lack of data, not so good with reliability.

http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com...5/Reliability/

http://www.edmunds.com/audi/s5/2008/consumerreview.html

The C-class has been out a little longer with higher production of units and ranked quite well.

http://www.edmunds.com/mercedesbenz/...merreview.html

http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com...-Benz-C-Class/

The S5 is a very nice coupe and they are less common than the C350. At this level of car selection, it's up to personal preference.

chilledbenz

Forget the German/South Africa debate...I have a German build and have had more problems with it than my Alabama built R class. My R class has better paint, better panel gaps, better interior fit and finish, and better over all build quality than my German built C.

JimPap

Its too soon to say.

The C class as we currently have it has only been out a little over a year.

In initial quality, I think most people have had a good experience. Whose to say what happens at year 5?

c300white

Well - I have a 2008 - with 80K miles (almost 7 years old now). I did not own from new - but got service records from previous owner. Other than regular service items (brakes, tires, oil, filters) there have only been a few "minor issues"

-Cam position sensor failed around 80K miles
-Fuel pipe leak (well OK this would not be minor if the car caught fire - but was in parking lot) - loose connector under car

Others report issues with electronic steering lock - but I have not seen that (yet). Overall - I'd say pretty good. Let's see what happens at 100K and 10 years now

cfmistry

I have only had my C350 for 2 months, but did ample research prior to purchasing the car.

The C-class a very reliable car. The part failures are few and far in-between. Additionally, the maintenance is very reasonable on the naturally-aspirated versions (C300/C350). I have owned several BMWs (including an M), several Audis (including an S4), and several Japanese cars (Nissan x2, Honda, Toyota). The MB is above average in terms of realiability.

It is not fair to generalize all German (or European cars) as unreliable. Some are very good, some are awful. My X5 required routine $3-4000 repairs once out of warranty. My other BMW has needed literally nothing but oil and gas.

Of course I am a little biased because I purchased a car near the end of its production run, where most of the quirks have been worked out. I would recommend you do the same.

TheRulesLawyer

From what I've read

-MB is the most reliable German brand (above average overall, particular models can be spotty)
-The w204 C class is one of the most reliable MB models, if not the most.
-The RWD w204 in particular is really good.
-One study I read showed the w204 to be inline with honda average scores in terms of reliability. (Of course cost is another matter)

So I don't have any qualms saying that you'll probably have better luck with a w204 than your audi.


Edit- Just realised this is a zombie thread. The OP is long gone.

Carsy

C 300 is dredging the dark pools of the river :_)

Haffster

I've had my C300 for a while and have put a reasonable number of miles on it. Apart from regular maintenance, the only issues I've had so far were the Command dial failing and the fan blower motor die on me (both are well known issues and covered under warranty if you have it). Other than that, it's been very reliable and enjoyable. The two things you want to keep in mind are:

1. As opposed to Japanese cars (where you can sometimes get away with this), you do not want to ignore anything amiss about this car - you hear a sound that doesn't sound right, get to the bottom of it right away. It's generally more reliable than some of its competitors, but this ain't your "change oil/filters regularly and that's it" kind of car. But you know that already, having owned German cars.

2. Late model is always better in terms of reliability. Most of the kinks have been worked out or known problems/solutions are out there.

Good luck!

ezshift5

...the 2012 M-B C Series coupe in my garage has the 1.8 liter turbocharged 4-cylinder.

Seems to be a nice little (good looking) RWD fuel efficient CPO find.

Is this considered a W204?

FlatoutSusp

I'm going to give some input here...

My old 9-5 for YEARS was fixing electronics in all cars. I'm a car guy so when I car shop I like for ease of DIY repairs and the like. As I work on everything from Acura to VW, I have a lot of insight as to what fails electronically.

I knew I wanted European, for safety with 2 kids and I love the way the euros feel. They just feel so well engineered.

My assessment; Audis have major water leak issues. The Q7 is the worst for amp failures which in turn causes a break in the fiber optics and causes the MOST system to go down. I've replaced so many amps and most controllers by the shifter.

Bmw has the same water issue. Tuner packs go out constantly and the X5 is the worst for it. Really everything from 3-5 series has water damage. Logic7 amps aren't cheap. They are Becker built and hard to fix. I had a mini and it had so many issues (bmw built). My check engine light was on so often, when it went out, I assumed the bulb burned out. Cd mechanisms fail across the board. The CCC units fail as well, also über expensive.

Then there's Mercedes. Rare. RARELY do I get one to fix. Most often an S550 CD player goes bad. A few C300 Nav screens go black and I repair them with a new screen and move on. Not much else. The car comes apart very easy and the engine bay is pretty wide-open as far as European standards go.

I bought a C300 without a second thought.

Hope that helps.