V8_I6_F6

i am thinking to buy a E-class for my next family car but i hear from my cusin that E-Class is having problems on the computer system which may shut down the whole car while driving on the street. does that ever happen to you guys' E-Class or does the car have many computer problems?

W210

Never, no electronics problems at all. The nav/audio was acting up a bit but the software update fixed it.

The only bug I can think of is the track one bug, meaning if you switch off your car with a CD playing, it will show track 1 when you restart the car, even though it is playing track 6 for example. System will correct itself properly displaying track 7 when track 6 finishes.

JimPurdy

You can search this board or the other MB boards for this problem. I don't remember hearing of or seeing anyone complain of this problem. I haven't had any problems like that with my 211.

Jim

ATS

That is pretty normal for CD Changers / Players that resume. The player continues playing from where it left off and then as soon as the song is over it then tells the comp that the next song started and everything is great.

I would rather the play from last left then to start at a new track..

jangy

I have also had some of the Command/Nav unit concerns, but nothing to the degree that you say. I do not think that I have ever heard of the E just shutting down due to known electronic issues. In my case, the command unit shuts down from time to time, but I am pretty sure that proper service would have corrected it. As you may be aware, the electrical system is designed to shut down certain components (including the command/nav) in order to maintain power to the "vital" components. That is actually a safety feature and not a fault.
The electrical "bugs" that I have experienced or heard of are things that MBZ is very capable of addressing and I am sure that they will. I would NEVER expect MBZ to put a car on the market that would have safety issues as you describe, nor would they get away with it. It is just not their style. I personally feel very safe in my car, even when the radio doesn't work.
P.S. If you are considering an E, what the hell else are you even looking at? The only choice is engine sizes!!

CASL55

MP3 player got confused once and wouldn't advance to the next song. Changing to Sat and back to MP3 fixed the problem. Nav database is seriously incomplete in some rural areas. Nav directions are therefore sometimes nonsensical.

That's all!

Jim

pfphipps

No problems with my 2003 211--supposed to be the "bad" first year but my car does not seem to fit that description. Two very minor things broke, total of ten minutes to fix, but no electronics problems at all.

steph280

I don't have any electrical problems with mine either (knock on wood). But there have been a couple reports on the E55 forum about complete SBC brake failures. Not sure if the E55 uses a different SBC system than other W211, but the thought of that just scares me.

V8_I6_F6

thanks for the information. it seems that you guys have no any serious computer or electronic problems on E-Class. now i am interest to have a E-class again. after my cusin told me about the computer problem, i was interested about the new infiniti M series which is a nice family car too with its reasonal price

jangy

Dude,
INFINITY?
Come back to earth my brother. There is no substitute for the E, just like there is none for the 911 (or whatever they are these days).

Baby Jocko

Twice my car has shut down while attempting to play a corrupted MP3. Fortunately, the car was at an idle both times.

THundar

Careful there V8_I6_F6,

I know someone who has had horrible electrical troubles with an Infinity M series. Nice car for the price, but by no means faultless.

MB E-Class is on a whole other level. When you are paying this much (or close to this much) for a car, don't pinch pennies.

W210

Agree it should resume where it left off, but should also properly display the track number!

MadManAboutTown

Really? I cannot see how these two incidents are related, given that engine management would certainly not be related to an audio subsystem.

steph280

That is really hard to believe. The COMAND audio system is on a MOST fiber ring unrelated to engine electrical system. Even if the MOST ring has a complete failure, the car shouldn't be affected.

Don't tell me some trojan horse/virus from the computer you burned the CD with got into the car's computer and caused a blue screen of death...

krispykrme

I have two W211. Electrical problem are not serious, but do exists.

1. I have audio gateway overheat issue that at times will shut down the CD-changer, and the navi. (It would not turn back on even after re-start. Need to wait until it cools). (Both W211 audio gateway was replaced under warranty)

2. I have airmatic failure on the E55. (took them a good month to isolate the problem and fix).

3. My E500 battery discharged itself for no reason what so ever. (this has not happened recently).

Strange thing that happened recently on the E500. The unlock feature will unlock the door of the car. But it will not disarm the immoblizer. When I insert the key to ignition, the key is recognized (you can hear the electronic turing on) but i can't turn it to start the car. I have to press unlock again before I can start the car.

Personally i think M35/45 is a much better car than E320/350/500. Better handling, better brakes, better interior, and on top of that better price too. Yes, I am waiting for a right time to trade the E500 (if i can't get a good deal, i am going to send this car to Philly as gift to my sister).

As far as infiniti quality goes, I really don't know.

But it could not be any worse than W211 right now. There is a reason why DCX is struggling, W211 has the worse resale value as well as low quality survey.

krispykrme

did you get your command upgraded with latest software? this issue was resolved after software upgrade that eliminated the static issue.

Baby Jocko

Yeah, sure. I made it up for the reading pleasure of this thread.

I'll say it again: My car has twice shut down completely while attempting to play a corrupt MP3. Coincidence? Then, what caused the car to shut down, twice?

Perhaps you may want to see if you can re-create it while driving 80MPH on the Interstate.

steph280

There was a cover article about Nissan's quality struggle in Newsweek couple months ago. Carlos Ghosn admitted to the QA issues and is determined to fix it (sounds familiar? Same statement from MB CEO). Apparently their goals has been to pump out new designs as fast as they can. Even factory workers admits there are quality issues when they are forced to pump out cars this fast. Unlike the W211's electrical problems, the Nissan/Infinity has problems in all areas, from design/material choice to assembly. So I would pass on the first model year for M if I were you.

steph280

No no, I am not saying you're lieing. Just find it hard to believe. I'd be curious to hear what could cause this. When the car dies, do you still have power to instrument cluster? What about steering/brake? Did the dealer ever find the cause of the problem?

Baby Jocko

The car acted as if the ignition was shut off. Both times, the car was running idle in park. I do have Keyless Go, but I know where my hands were -- not near the shift button.

I have not taken it to the dealer for that. I did ask a couple of technicians and they seemed to not have much of a clue. But, they did say that DVD data could cause such a problem. What do I know? What do they know? So, I didn't want to open a can of worms. I just re-burned the DVD slowly in an effort to avoid corrupt MP3. I have not had another problem since.

krispykrme

I know nissan has a lot of issues (such as quest....). But so far infiniti seems to be shielded thus far. (Knock on wood).

The good thing is that M35/45 has been on the market for almost a year in Japan as fuga. The powertrain is not new either. But then again who knows.

Majority of nissan's quality issues are with their brand new product (such as quest). The car imported from Japan seems to be okay. I am a little worried, but then again, if i can put up with W211 i think i can put up with a nissan.

jangy

Put up with? Sell your benzes and move on. You obviously have no CLUE as to comparisons (apples and oranges?)

krispykrme

Yes, I am comparing apple and oranges, except the Japanese competition are siginificantly better than the 60k benz you just paid.

another snobby owner.

jangy

I'd be most happy to get into a flame session with you as you are going to look REALLY smart in the end. Keep the Japanese out of this as your statements of "quality" are in reference to Mercedes E vs Nissan. Do your research and find out where Nissan's Q.C. comes from and what brand they are associated with (i.e. Ford and Jaguar). You want to talk about an EXTREMELY long history of electrical problems? LOL. You blow my mind with your thoughts.
You have only been right about one thing, and that is that I paid $60K for my car.
If you really had ANY legitimate issues with your stable of Mercedes Benzes you would have documented them through the proper channels and been protected by the laws that govern consumer rights. It is clear you don't or are too ignorant to realize what warranties are for. Either way, I won't guess which. Another thoughtful note. You must REALLY love your sister, if you are willing to "give" her a W211 as a gift, when you are so concerned about its safety!
Get real and move on. There is a huge difference between spending $60K to show off (i.e. you) and those of us that spend it because we enjoy the fruits of our labor.
As I said before, please o please, sell the Benzes at a great loss; since you are so rich to afford it and move on to the Infinity family of happy customers. And by the way, they should have their own chat board, so I would hope there would be no need in hearing from you again.
We appreciate the opportunity to review your wild stories and are dying to see them on MTV cribs.

Snob on, foo