I've had bunch of German cars before (Audis and BMWs) and have BMW right now so I know that reliability is always somewhat of an issue vs say Lexus etc (although one I have has been very reliable so far).....I never had MB myself and the ones some of my buddies bought (used) were a pile of unreliable garbage (to the point of becoming ridiculous) That said I really like the new C-class and looking at some used C43s.... unfortunately been reading quite a bit of posts with issues and consumer reports ratings aren't that great for MB in general and for C-class as well. So what's the word in here.....dump them before warranty expires?

​​​​​​I am also looking at ISFs by the way....

 

I have had my C43 sedan for a year. Had one issue with Active Brake Assist Limited Function warning. The dealer pulled fault codes and there were several communication fault codes. They performed software updates on 3 sub-systems, one of them was the collision prevent assist. No other problems. I have no regrets with my purchase. I also had a 2015 C 300 4Matic that had zero issues. My impression is that the early production vehicles in the new designs tend to have more issues.

 

I am guessing 10k or less on C43? How many miles were on C300? Most people have no regrets, especially with AMG products unless it gets really bad....but I am I wonder whats it like to have AMG car with 30-40-50k+ miles. I heard some nightmare stores people getting flooded with thousands and thousands of bills.

 

I've got an older E63 with 82k on it that I bought with 73k on it. The only issues I've run into were bad engine mounts ($130 in parts) and the fuel tank needed replacement (common issue with W211, warranty was extended so no cost to me). My keyless go driver's side door handle quit working so I have to actually push the button my fob to unlock that door now. I've had the car for almost a year and a half and it's been problem free. There are issues with the M156 engine that can be extremely expensive to repair. Preventative repair is possible, but still costs a decent amount.

I also had a 2001 E55 and it was reliable, but I spent a ton of money getting it up to date on maintenance. I know the guy that bought it from me and the only issue he's had with the car is that it currently needs a new cat.

My 2001 E320 wagon I've only had for a little over 1,000 miles. I can't say much there. It needs a new oil level sensor right now and some suspension work. It did have some rear self-leveling suspension work done right before I bought it.

Personally, I wouldn't buy a newer Mercedes without a warranty. Cars now days have gotten so electronics intensive with so many computers that I wouldn't want to mess around with one. I'm probably not the person you're really looking for an opinion from since my newest MB is 11 years old.

 

Well in comparison, I had S2000 with about 90k miles and 10 years old, I spent $100 bucks in parts and labor in those 10 years besides oil changes and tires etc. Buddy had 2011 S4 with about 80k miles which only needed water pump. Had A4 and have M235i with 25k miles and zero issues (by zero I mean zero), also have Lexus with 70k miles, zero issues besides few recalls. Yes I had 335i and M3 and those weren't that lucky, but I believe a car shouldn't have much problems if any at least until 100k

 

Mercedes makes a great vehicle but Lexus as far as reliabilty and maintenance is way better hands down!

 

DOUBLE POST

 

Yeah that's a fact, but according to enthusiasts and consumer reports, Audis and BMWs have improved alot as well. Audi is 3rd after Toyota and Lexus, and BMW is 5th while MB I forgot....14th or 17th

I guess I kinda answered my own question.....

 

Im not doubting those reports/rankings. But I just always found it so different from my own experience and the experience of those around me.

My family has owned several different BMWs and BENZs. The Benzs we've owned have always always always been more reliable. The problems we've had with Benz (vs BMWs) are far and inbetween.
The BMW's we've owned have always had more problems and at a much earlier time in the ownership period compared to BMW.

Early 90s E34 525i (Taiwan)
- This was before I moved to Taiwan, but apparently it convinced my father never to buy BMW again

Mid 90s E34 535i (LA)
- Had this when I was still living in LA, but I was still a kid at the time. Apparently same ownership experience as the 525i we had in Taiwan.

2010 or 2011 535GT (Taiwan):
- vacuum doors failed after just 5 years. They took atleast 12yrs to fail in the 2002 S350.
- Navigation Screen shuts off by itself and refuses to turn on after 6 years. This never happened in any Mercedes we've owned
- Leaking right rear shock after 7 years. Never happened ever in any Benz we've owned.
- Car doors inexplicably open and close on their own
- Keyless entry is super buggy. Sometimes it works on the 1st try, Sometimes you gotta try a little longer. This start to happen after about 3 yrs i think.

2014 or 2015 740il (Taiwan)
- Leaking right front strut after 2 years
- Car failed to start due to not recognizing key.

vs

1999 SLK230 (LA)
- Pretty simple car. Not really much can really go wrong with it anyways since It didnt have many options as it was a pre-order 1st year car. It didnt even have power seats.
- Literally never had a problem ever, in the 4 years of ownership
- This car also saved my life. I had a collision on the 605 freeway with an 18wheeler. This resulted in the front half of the car being SEVERED off. But I didnt even have whiplash. Car literally saved my life.

Early 90s 400SEL (LA)
- Steering wheel locked up due to car stalling while I was making a U-Turn on Colorado Blvd in Pasadena during rush hour. Almost got me killed. But this was after almost 10 years of ownership
- Rear Window Shade sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt. This happen after I got my license, so it was probably a good 5/6 years after ownership.
- Radiator Pump needed replacement. After about 100k miles in like 2001 i think. Happened on the freeway on my way to Vegas.
- Vacuum doors eventually failed after about 100k miles before we sold the car in 2003.

2003 C32 (LA)
- No issues with the car while it was stock. An Airhose needed replacement after 3 years.
- I added H&R coilovers and Brabus front/rear sway bars after 1 year of ownership. This caused a whole slew of problems, which were all suspension related and convinced me to never ever do any suspension mods again
- Power Windows sometimes dont go all the way down on the 1st attempt. Happened since the 1st day.

2003 S350 (Taiwan)
- Vaccuum doors failed after 12 years
- Power Windows sometimes dont go all the way down on the 1st attempt. Happened as long as I can remember. Since this happened in my C32 also, I think its probably common in all 2002/3 Benz regardless of car model.
- Front suspension and control arm bushings needed replacement after 13/14 years.
- That was it. Nothing else ever went wrong
- Power Windows sometimes dont go all the way down on the 1st attempt.

2017 GLC43 (Taiwan)
- So far nothing, but I only have 12000km on this car.

*Its worth noting that all of the ownership experiences I just mentioned are with NEW cars. Also Taiwan has horrible horrible horrible roads and the air is pretty dusty. So IMO its pretty amazing that the Benzs we've owned had suspensions that held up as long as they did, vs the BMW 535GT that needed replacement rear shocks after just a few years.

Ive never owned an Audi. I would love to get a used 2016 or 2017 S6 sedan as my next car. But I will say Ive never known anybody to buy Audi twice in a row. Each time a friend of mine bought an Audi, they didnt buy another Audi as their next car.
From what I understand, Audi designs their engines in such a way that they can go longer in-between Major repairs/services (timing belt etc). But once those need to be done, its twice the labor that similar era BMW/Benz's would require due to needing removal of the front bumper to do such a service etc

 

I had a Lexus LX 470 suv.The system that allows you to adjust the height went bad.It drove like it no longer had shocks.
I was told that they could only replace it,not fix it.....to the tune of almost $4000.
I ended it trading it away.

 

I'm at 13,320mi - just a few rattles remain, otherwise no issues.

When I had my '02 A4 1.8T, timing belt and thermostat went out around 65k mi...pricey repair at about $6000 at the time. That along with a coil pack failure at least twice a year, every year, I wasn't upset to see that car go. With that said, when she worked, she was a blast!

 

car has been mechanically sound other than the TSB's and recalls. 25k here.

would never buy this piece of crap again though, I have had more fit and finish issues on this car than any other I've owned.

 

Interesting because they look like such a great quality cars on pics and youtube. Many Youtubers said its the best interior in class. Where do they make C43?

 

That Lexus had to be around 100k mile mark, or off roaded maybe. Easy fix for that suspension is to install none-adjustable shocks instead. Most famous cars for this issue are S-class and Land Rover though, they eat through shocks like crazy at $2k per each. 3 of my buddies got burned on that, one with S-Class, one with Land Rover, and the other had some AMG (was mechanic himself and still couldnt afford thousands and thousands in repairs and car only had like 60k miles)

 

I think Audi wins that. The look is classy and the materials are overall acceptable for the price category.

The sedan is made in Alabama and the coupe is made in Germany. People generally say the Coupe is better built than the sedan. I would imagine the disparity between the two have come closer with the car in production for quite some time and should be better than they were in late 2016.

 

I was checking B9 S4 as well but those seem to be a step down from C43 and even my current M235i as far as performance. If I switch I would probably need a sedan this time due to increase in family

 

The b9 S4 performs much better than the publishings are posting. I still follow the progress of that platform closely on audizine. Car is every bit as fast as the C43 and it's newer to the market and probably have 5 times more aftermarket support.

 

C43 is not great, but OK for the term of the lease (36m), but I would not buy one to own for more than 3 years, especially if its an AMG

 

^are there really that many issues? I've been saving and waiting to buy either a c43 or c450, but am hesitant to buy based on long term reliability.

 

30k mileage.Never off-road.
The suv was babied & driven with a feather touch on the accelerator.

 

I got my C43 sedan in Oct 2016 as one of the first delivered to my area. I've had absolutely no issues with it. No creaks/squeaks/noises of any kind. All the features and functions work as expected (apart from some non-intuitive UI functions with COMMAND but I knew that was going to be an issue). The only thing I've done to my car is replace all the tires, but that is mostly due to Dallas Roads. :P I'm currently at just over 12K miles and couldn't be happier with my car.

I know several people have had their complaints but just thought I would throw out a success story for the Sedans to counter some of the negativity.