StanNH

Yes, I've certainly had as many, or more, problems with my early build C300 as anyone. The list is long, and includes: steering recall, tire recall, emissions campaign, slight misalignment, badly fit fuel door, paint damage caused by fuel door replacement, intermittent Keyless Go operation, sagging sunroof shade, misaligned rear bumper, defective door LED and, of course, the MB-Tex issue which has to be done again because of an incomplete repair kit.

I don't have any wind noise at all, no paint defects, the Burmester sounds great and doesn't rattle, and my iPhone 5 synched up quickly.

This is THE most troublesome car I've ever owned but, in spite of that, I don't think there's any other compact or mid-size sedan being made I would rather have. The car is just that good. The level of amenities offered is excellent, the interior comfort is as good as anything out there, either the 4 or 6 are great engines, the 7 speed transmission ... although perhaps not the smoothest unit ... is efficient and works well. The headlights are well above average, the handling is better than most, the ride compliant without being too soft, and the styling is unique and eye catching.

I'm posting this simply because there have been so many negative threads about the car ... certainly justified ... that we may lose track of the simple fact that the W205 is a brilliantly designed car. First year production woes have been greater than many of us expected, and too often have turned our initial enthusiasm sour. With a good dealer, these problems are, for the most part, being dealt with. Some problem areas, like wind noise in some cars, are not. Overall though, I wonder how many of us wish, in retrospect, that they had gone with a different car? I've thought about it a lot, but I think I'd still get back into another W205 if I had to get another car.

Boudicca

Yes Stan I agree.
I have now had a number of issues with my car, I don't want to list them as they are all in the process of being addressed and I will see how it goes, none of them have prevented me from being able to drive the vehicle.
However, issues aside, I just love this car. I love driving it, I enjoy finding out new things about it. To me it is designed to be enjoyed and makes my daily commute (1 hour and 20 minutes) an absolute pleasure.
The intelligent lighting system is absolutely fantastic and I am so pleased I got it as well as HUD.
After fiddling about with the Burmester system I have got it just right for me.
It is a shame that there has been so much negativity, some due to poor service, some due to poor QC,about the car. For me, as long as the issues are addressed promptly and professionally, I am happy and have no regrets about buying the car. I would purchase again- this is my first MB but won't be my last.

6G Schnell

Well said, this car has something special
My 3rd C-class, but not the last.

c21bill

With me it's not the issues as I have only had 3, one of which corrected itself. My complaint is with the failure of MB to respond honestly to the valid complaints. It's as if you have to do this dance with MB in the hopes that someday they will take action. It is among the worst customer service experiences I have encountered.

floridadriver

That's good you like it....you should LOVE it though, and not have so many QC concessions IMO. I know some of this par for course in a car, especially new build. Hoping for smooth driving from here though for you!

tgrx1901

Good to see you are enjoying your car Stan.

I also appreciate you taking the time to post a positive comment, despite all of the issues that you have had.

The forum seems to have become very negative and it reads more like a list of issues and complaints than anything else. The majority are genuinely issues that MB really need to iron out with the car.
However, there are a few other "complaints" that seem to amount more to nit picking, petulance and in one or two cases, downright stupidity!

I have some very minor issues with my car (rattling sunroof and a slight creaking noise from my drivers door). My overwhelming impression of the car though is positive. I enjoy driving it, I love the technology it is packed with and I love the smooth, quiet, comfortable drive that it delivers.

My first Mercedes and it wont be the last.

digitallust_aus

How long have your car for and were your issues anything major? I am a few weeks away from receiving mine and after reading all of these posts I feel a little worried

Jinzen

I like the car mostly for its styling... if it didn't look like a Mini S-Class I would probably not have bought it.

I have to say refinement wise it's not there. Suspension is not comfortable (I have the cushiest too with a Luxury trim), there's wind noise, tons of fit and finish issues not being fixed, Burmeister rattle/buzzing that they failed to fix by replacing a speaker (it sounds like a retention issue but they're clueless). Drives well enough though.

This will likely be my last Mercedes, I will be moving back to Jaguar Land Rover or Porsche after my lease ends. Part of the reason is that I don't trust the ineptness of the Mercedes dealers and I also find that Mercedes just doesn't seem to care about its customers either.

StanNH

It's surprising how much the dealer experience can vary with a premium brand like Mercedes. My dealer has been fantastic, and has dealt with every issue that has been brought to their attention. They have picked up my car for service, leaving me another C300 as a loaner each time, and then brought my car back to my house. They even offered to use a flatbed so they wouldn't put mileage on the car.

My experience with MB-USA has been mixed. My case manager is courteous and always follows up as promised, but very little has actually gotten done at this point. I'll reserve judgement for now.

I think MB does care about its customers, they'd be crazy not to, but they certainly have been anything but proactive in dealing with all the various first year issues that continue to plague the W205 series.

bostonc400

I couldn't agree more with what you have written. As frustrated as I am with this car, I would probably buy it again. I am still struggling with the LED door issue and dealt with the steering and tire recalls. I believe that I could also pursue the poor bumper and fuel door fitment issues, as well as the MB-Tex issue on the parts of my leather seats that are trimmed in MB-Tex. However, my MB-Tex issue is so minor I am not going to do anything about it.

The fact remains is that the W205 is a stunning car. I never get tired of looking at, and i see that it gets many, many stares. The interior is comfortable, and the crystal grey leather with the linden wood and MB-Tex trimmed dash is a knockout. The engine in the C400 is incredible and has a nice, throaty exhaust note. I love the Burmester, the advanced parking guidance, and am quite impressed with Airmatic. At this juncture, I am truly probably more unhappy with my dealership than with the car itself.

Boudicca

PM sent to digitallust

notabenex

Well I am going to receive c250 from SA in 4 weeks.. hopefully quality will be good..

6G Schnell

Yes, this hurts. I had similar experience few years back with E550 warped rotors. Known issue that was discussed at length on board, however it took call to MB customer service and visits to local dealer to admit and replace front rotors and pads at no charge. Guess they are trained to say no by default.

In contrast to this, I could not get BMW to fix known SMG issue with M5. Car was under the warranty, but service could not reproduce, end of story....

miketc

After 1500 mi and close to 2 months of ownership (delivered in 2015), I have zero issue with my C300 4matic. It appears that there are a lot less complains from owners of 2015 built date C's, hopefully the early QA issues are behind for MB. This is truly a great designed car but those QA issues just keep it from shining thru.

mmaldin

Thanks Stan, I agree!
I have a January build and I too am very happy with mine, only a couple of minor issues. I am not thrilled with the shifting of the 7 speed transmission but have gotten used to it. I am hoping a software fix will improve it in the future.
I am perplexed by by the wind noise issues that some are having. I am very sensitive to wind noise and I don't have any. I had wind noise issues on my BMW and they were fixed with new window seals. It seems like the cause should be identifiable and repairable. I hope a solution is found for those of you with this problem.

mikbar2

I am a member of four diff. vehicle forums and one consistant item through out all of them is that more people come to the forums to complain than people that are happy and don't even know that the forums exist. On most of them there are probably, guestamate on my part, a thousand satisfied owners to every one disatisfied with their vehicle. Most happy owners just go about their business while a disatisfied owner is looking to vent and guess where they end up. JMHO

dopplr

Great car - Dealing with Mercedes though? Yeah...

puzzled

I think this is a great point. I also think the customer's relationship with the dealer is important. The manufacturer is there as a backup. But the customer and the dealer should be able to resolve most problems. I have bought or leased four cars from a dealer that is in my neighborhood and get good service. I haven't had a difficult problem but if I did I believe my dealer would work with me.

Also, anytime I buy a car I feel there is a risk I won't like it. This may be the case even if the car is perfect or the car may have problems. If the car has problems I would try to get them resolved but failing that I would get another car - even if it cost me some money. That has yet to happen to me but even if it did how many times in a lifetime can that happen? Cars today are pretty reliable.

Many years ago my Dad had an Oldsmobile that leaked oil from day one. The dealer worked with the GM rep but could never fix the car. The leak was small but really bothered my Dad. He ended up selling the car and getting a new car. The minute he sold the car and got a new one his aggravation ceased. Nothing like that has ever happened again to him or to me.

A relationship with a dealer is important when you own or lease a complex piece of equipment. I would not own a brand of car unless I felt the dealer really cared about my satisfaction.

coladin

The only reason to put up with a car is because you like it. I will put up with an imperfect car if I enjoy driving it, being in it, and owning it.


Hard to explain but if I purchased I car that I did not love and require transportation without headaches, like an Accord and a Camry, any quality or repair would have me absolutely intolerable. I have endured brake issues with my AMGs because I loved those cars, other niggling or irritating complaints are much easier to live with if you love the car!

puzzled

There are no perfect cars.

AAN

I am picking up my car tomorrow. I have decided to buy today, after a long test drive and a thorough inspection. This is an order, C300, luxury trim, premium package, Burmester, etc. The car was built on January 12th.

The car drives beautifully. The transmission could be a bit smoother, the engine could have a better sound to it, but all works well. If one really looks for it, there is maybe a hint of some wind noise, but I would never noticed it, if I had not read about it. It is not excessive and maybe it is just "normal". The bumper fit is not super perfect, but again without knowing about the issue, I would never noticed. Burmeater sounds very good, better than my HK system in my old car.

Well, I will find out in time if there are any quality problems with the car, but for now I am very pleased with my choice. My guess is that many of the problems discussed here are a bit of nit-picking, and should not stop anybody from buying and enjoying a new C300. As puzzled said, there are no perfect cars.

puzzled

I love my C300. Enjoy your new car.

spyked

I think one of my concerns with MB is that they are falling down when it comes to perceived quality and customer service. The latest CR report has them closer to the bottom than the top because of the CLA. I have a feeling next year's surveys will be worse, if the W205 complaints are any indication.


MB has the best designers and engineers in the world. They need to make assembly quality and supplier QC their TOP priority to fly above the storm. MB should be perceived as heirloom automobiles like they used to be.

rapalax

I had/have the following issues with early build c300:

-Bleeding seats
-Squeaky breaks in the cold.
-noisy alternator when starting in the cold.

They replaced the alternator, and they'll eventually replace seats and breaks. I think these issues are minor if properly fixed and I just love driving the car. I know the 328 drives better, but I just couldn't deal with it's cheap interior. The c300 engine is a bit noisy, but I love the noise it makes... It makes me feel like I can go fast

What really matters to me most though, is if this car can last me 10 years. But after 4 months of ownership I still love it.

puzzled

The car will last 10 years no problem, unless you drive 50,000 miles a year