Hi,

I would like to know what you guys think about your CLS55 so far. Any technical / mechanical problems? Rumours say that Mercedes has some problems with their newer cars - problems and quality-issues they didn't have in the past. Is that true in regards to the CLS55 as well?

I haven't heard any negative comments / problems of members with their CLS55s on this board so I thought I could start some kind of poll. As you can see I'm still waiting for my car 'til December - I'm a bit bored so I thought I should ask you guys about what to expect... :p

 

Driven almost 2K miles and no problems what-so-ever!

 

Perfect so far....3 months and 1200 miles.....

 

I have driven mine over 900 miles in the past three weeks. It is wonderful! The smartest car move I have made in years is trading in my trouble-plagued 2004 E55 for my CLS55.

 

5,000 and no problems other than drywall screw in the tire.

 

How will the Kompressor engine hold up over the years? Is it a good engine for long term use?
Will it break or wear out easier than the N/A V-8?

 

Only time will tell...

 

I have had my CLS55 for 5+ months and about 3000 miles.

So far, I've had no known defects, but I have had very poor experiences with the dealer and MB USA. The service department at my dealer seems poorly run for my one encounter which is for a basic introductory service.

Further, my car was in an accident (hit while parked) after about two months and the process of getting parts was incredibly bad and the customer service from the parts department at the local dealer and backup from MB in New Jersey were equally awful.

Also, the car certainly has a lot of odd quirks in the electronics. They are well documented here, but you'll never get help from the dealer. Even a Prius has superior navigation, audio, and general electronics than a top of the line MB.

None of this is particularly surprising given that my experience with BMW dealers was equally bad and I think is endemic to the weak dealers of the old german brands. It is hard to find a Lexus owner who doesn't have multiple positive and extraordinary experiences with their dealers. Mercedes and BMW owners all seem to have a host of horrible stories.

All of that said, my sense is that the key problem for Mercedes in the last 5 years has been electronics and quality problems and it seems that they have improved to some extent starting with 05 and 06 cars. I think that the dealers are still pretty dreadful for service, but that is a more predictable problem to manage. Even if Mercedes has a clue, which it isn't clear that they do, it will take 10-15 years to push better service into the dealer network. I did get the 100,000 mile extended warranty as I never want to own a German car that is out of warranty

As for the car, it is real pleasure. I have truly loved having it. The driving is really amazing and I'm not sure what other car would have been better for me. To the extent that you care about things, I have never owned a car that got so much positive recognition from young hip-hop kids to old ladies. I had an imported G500 before they were sold through the US dealers and it got far fewer looks than this car. Since you are a current Mercedes owner, you know what you are getting with your dealer. The car is amazing. The electronics are pretty weak. THat is the story.

 

Thank you very much for your feedback, guys! Basically, I wanted to avoid getting a car that has to be driven to the dealership on a weekly basis due to technical and mechanical problems - that doesn't seem to be the case with the CLS 55.

Finding the right dealer that provides good service is like playing "Wheel of Fortune" - you never know what you will end up with...

 

Had mines since February and now have over 8000 miles. So far the SRS light came on which has to do with the airbags and are having problems with rattling in the sunroof at speeds over 50+ mph. Other than this, everything else is great. Getting it dropped tomorrow with the kleeman module.

 

Does this help?? http://www.dealerrater.com/

 

Thank you very much for the link! Unfortunately, my dealer (Mercedes-Benz of Tampa) is not listed (at least I wasn't able to find him??).