TTA850

I had two W163 trucks, both to over 100k miles, both towed a lot, and both had relatively few problems with the worst being a drivers seat heater that burnt up (and was fixed under warrenty).

As for JD Powers IQS - basicly useless once you know what they consider a problem…

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...-study-feature

I have and would buy again a Mercedes built in the US if it fit my needs, but I do prefer buying ones built in Germany. Way I see it, no company is going to build their best stuff far from home. The same as GM's flagship is built in Kentucky I believe Mercedes and AMG's best stuff will continue to come out of Germany.

Tjdehya

Isn't the C class already being built in Alabama?
What are the quality issues they have had so far?
I am pretty sure they have been assembling the W205 for more than 6 months now.

Count Laszlo

I'm okay with it and having the savings passed on to us so we can continue to be entertained with BMW's demise is fine with me. Personally, if the new C-class wasn't made here, with its new up market premium redesign and strategy, the car would be out of reach, especially the AMG. This allows the C63 to meet the M3/4 price elasticity while delivering a car that's literally miles above it.

natman316

I have a w205 c300 and while the quality of materials are better upon close inspection I do think the build quality is not as good as the w204. Specifically the panels dont seem to line up as well. Lots of panel gaps also.

abcut973

You sold the C63?

natman316

Nope I still have it as well!

zibby43

Interesting.

I have a relative with a new C300 and the build quality puts my old M Sport F30 335i to shame.

The doors slam with authority and the fit and finish inside the cabin is spectacular. It is Lexus-quiet. No squeaks, no creaks, no rattles. The buttons and other controls provide nice tactile feedback.

The interior materials really put the W204 to shame, and I actually thoroughly enjoy my LCI W204 C63 interior.

natman316

Yep interior wise and quality materials are excellent but i think its not put together that well. There are some awkward panel gaps on the exterior and blemishes here and there on the interior trim.

sraj

I had a 2008 GL550 that was a total horror show, by far the worst-built vehicle I have ever owned. I thought it would put me off Mercedes forever, but the C63 was starting to catch my eye. I have to say this news about the Alabama plant is giving me second thoughts again.

Will617

My father drove a Mercedes for many years because it was considered the best car brand out there period. Most of them were diesels except for a 280S. Man that thing was fast on the Autobahn. He bought an ML350 ( I don't know if it was made in the US ) shortly after it came out and that vehicle had a lot of problems, so many that he stopped buying Mercs. He said MB is not what it used to be.

The 2009 C350 I drive is my first Merc. I wanted to get the C63 but was a bit hesitant to spend a lot of $$ because of the ML350. My c350 has been a dream for the last 6+ years. Now I am ready for the new w205 C63 and feel comfortable and am not worried about it being build in Alabama.

Viper98912

I hope you guys aren't confusing plant build quality vs. bad design/engineering.

bratwurst

This is my concern.

Note, it only affects C Class from the Alabama plant.


http://autoweek.com/article/car-news...ical-substance

Will617

Seems to affect only the man made leather seats. Weird stuff.

norb

Umm no check out the factory videos on youtube, there is still a lot of hand assembling. My concern is the locally sourced parts, not the assembly.

crazeazn

I have no evidence backing this up but why aren't flagships made in the US? LS460/S550? Those are pretty high turnover models that could? warrant build here.

For those in industry, are the machines that do the assembly the same as the ones abroad in Japan or Germany? Alot of parts will be sourced out to local suppliers and sometimes OEM is not truly OEM. Like someone mentioned before if its not engineered/manufactured properly, no perfect assembly is going to change that...

I can't speak for Germany but I know the culture and fairly homogenous race *could* play a factor in the QC of the vehicles that are made in Japan.

Viper98912

The LS is a very low volume seller. S-class is one that does maybe have some merit. It all boils down to money - logistics, local supplier availability, total costs internal and supplier, etc. Many many many factors, but it's all down to money. Re-tooling a plant isn't quite cheap or easy either. To make a new car, the total amount of investment by automakers and suppliers to re-tool is in the billions.

For BMW and Mercedes, that's in the C-class, 3 series, and ML/X3/X5. Hence Tuscaloosa and Spartanburg.

Most equipment nowadays is pretty similar - they may be from different suppliers, but equipment and engineers are pretty "standard". Yes, some are better than others, but again that's also driven by the amount of capital investment that the mother corporation is willing to invest. It's only in the developing countries nowadays (some parts of Mexico, south Asia, etc) where there's less equipment and more tradesmen.

Most parts are outsourced nowadays. Assembly plants are truly just that, "assembly". Many still make their own engines. Transmissions is a toss up. Many plants still do their own sheetmetal and paint, but you'd be surprised how many manufacturers outsource some of their steel stampings and paint items outside their facility. And yet they get all those colors to match...

When it comes to suppliers, there are only a handful of suppliers for every type of part, especially now in the post-2009 collapse. So those that supply Mercedes may also be supplying Nissan, Kia, GM, Tesla, and Subaru. There can definitely be different ranges of "quality" from a supplier, and it's all based off what the automaker is willing to pay for. I've seen parts more expensive for a Kia than a Ford.

Also note that new products are normally a joint development between a supplier and an automaker, with the supplier normally doing most of the development but the automaker always being in the loop. So when a problem arises, don't blame the workers or the supplier. People on both sides of the line had to participate and approve of the final development and final product, so there is plenty of blame to pass around. In the case of the seats above, my assumption would be that it was not seen in the final approvals, of which I'm sure the supplier, MB Alabama, MB Germany, and MB development engineering all signed off on.

It happens. The automotive world is more connected than you guys think.

coladin

I agree, the new C Class interior is in another league. So far, my C400 is rock solid, quiet and well put together, but there are always going to be some issues with a brand new car, brand new everything.


I've had 3 German built MBs, and three American built MBs, and their quality/reliability performances are indistinguishable (is that a word lol).

crazeazn

I just want a c63 wagon if they are going to be made in the US!!!

Viper98912

The volumes probably won't justify making a whole new set of stamping and assembly tools and processes. If they ever bring a W205 wagon to the US, my guess is it'll be imported.

Nachtsturm

My ML55 was assembled in Alabama. Didn't keep me from enjoying it, it was an excellent truck, reliability wise. My only complaint was I couldn't find 285/50/18 tires anywhere, my one option was to wait months for a special order Yoko, and they were quite expensive. That's not the ML55's fault though.

With that said, would I prefer if it was made in Germany? Yes, but it wouldn't keep me from buying the car. Just like the CLA45 being assembled in Hungary.

BIGWILL63

My 2015 C300 is rock solid!! I work in the logistics field and I can tell you that manufacturing and QC are so global these days, that one can find faults in all manufactuers regardless of origin, let's face it, even Porsche has had serious problems in the past.