nelsonr

Well the problems continue. I have had my E320 in the shop 6 times since taking delivery in October. The problems started about 15 minutes after taking delivery of the car with a warning that the brakes had failed. The dealership has replaced the computer chip, updated the microcode, etc.

I am now driving the car with a message that say the SOS system has failed, the SRS system has failed and the tires are low on air pressure.

I asked the dealership to have a Mercedes tech rep on site before I come back down for service again. Mercedes refused to do that. They want to step the dealership through the process to update the microcode. Which they have already done at least once. They claim this process can take at least 8 hours, which I really do not understand.

Keep in mind, this is not my first Mercedes. In fact, I have been a customer of this particular dealership for 20 years.

I understand that some like this car a great deal. It rides great, looks good. At this point though, I do not trust any of the safty features of the car. I never know if a critical system is working or not. It is a shame Mercedes does not share my concern.

ashahashah

How loudly are you complaining? For my SRS problem, I remember I was on the phone with my service manager for 15-20 minutes blaming the dealership owners and MBUSA. Eventually he got so sick of talking to me that he said someone will call me up. BTW, make sure to mention the words "Lexus" many many times in your conversation. That will get them going... Point is to complain and not be rude when doing so.

Most importantly, get some compensation in return for your troubles. I got a wood steering wheel installed for free and since then I have heard that others got more freebies (like a free phone - worth $2000). It doesn't hurt to ask.

I know that you just want a reliable car and not compensation - so do I - but now that you already have the car, get something in return rather than nothing.

wow

I agree with you. The fact that MB did not share the same concerns troubles me. I did my fair shares of complaining. I was very patience but after 8 days of waiting, I do not think that it is fair to me to pay so much for the car and have it in the shop more days than I care to remember.

So far, I own the car for 50 days. I visited the service shops 4 times. First time 3 days in the shop. Second time 2 days. Third time 1 day. Fourth time 15 days and still counting.

I would call Mercedes Customer Service center.

In my case, after 14 days of waiting, I decided to call and complaint directly to the MB Customer Service. They called my dealer and now I just finished talking with my service advisor and he told me that everyone is involved in solving my car problem.

I asked my service advisor to ask MB to compensate me for all the troubles and craps that I have to go through. I told him that MB should give me a free navigator, a free wood-leather steering wheel, free accessories for the trunk. He said that he would do his best. Whatever that means.

The point is that if we keep silent and not voice our concerns and frustration, MB won't know. If enough people complaint, they will get the message about some of their quality issues.

nelsonr

Complaining loud and clear to the dealership. Started with the service manager, the sellsman, general manager, etc.

I agree, complain in a polite but firm way. The interesting part is the total lack of interest on the part of MB. The MB service rep absolutely refused to drive to my dealership and look at the car. Interesting since the dealer has told me since I purchased the car that their mechanics have not been to the factory sponsered training yet.

I am at the point of starting the LemonLaw procedures. Like I said, I have been driving a loaner car more than my own since purchasing the 320. A real disappointment.

jim256

That's perhaps the most telling. My dealer had a number of techs back from the school before the E arrived, and when I had a small problem at delivery (radio would not come on--cured itself with a couple on/off cycles of the ignition switch), they PILED ON my car. I think there were 2 guys in the front seats, one at each front door, and one on the diagnostic machine.

That certainly showed me the importance they attached to the event. When I had the SRS/TeleAid warning a week later, they had their Guild tech on it, ordered the part for overnight delivery, and I had the car the next afternoon. The general manager personally commented on their plan to have it fixed, made sure the loaner was satisfactory, and offered to have a driver bring the car half way to me the next day (I'm 100 miles away). A good dealer and caring service makes a big difference.

mwillems

Known issue. Needs new firmware. (But on my car the upgrade killed the radio, I am now radio-less.)

Michael.

ValueplusClass

Question - When they replaced the chip and burnt in the microcode, did all the problems at that point get solved and then afterward, these other lights showed up? Could it be a lack of training on the part of the techs, learning on the job? Maybe incorrect handling of the chip stressed it?

ctouhey

This post just made me think of something. While my car set for about a month at the VPC, the explanation I was given was that "a chip is bad in the stereo and they have to send to Germany for new chips". Apparently, when they spoke with someone at the VPC, there were several cars that came with my shipment that had the same problem.

I actually thought my salesperson may have been mistaken and perhaps they were waiting on the in-dash CD changer, as I had heard they were in short supply during that period. Now I'm thinking that my car had this same problem but they caught it at the VPC. I wonder...

greenm

about the problems you are having. You should post your experience on http://www.mercedes-lemon.com
MBUSA visits this site on a regular basis.

Jim Banville

You people expect the first batch of a brand new model to not have lots of bugs? HA! Thank God you guinea pigs sort them out for the rest of us before we buy the later year models

abhansali

I except a first year model to have bugs, that is okay...but the part which I think is frustrating everyone is the complete lack of knowledge by service personal, dealers, etc., on how to fix the problems.

It seems like most people on this forum are going back to the service advisors and telling THEM about the bulletins, updates, etc., so that they can be fixed. This is a communication problem between factory, MBUSA, and dealers that is unbelievable for this brand. Frankly speaking there are many good software tools out there to disseminate information across an enterprise, and if they deployed something like that it seems everyone could be informed.

How hard is it to tell a dealer's service manager that .."if someone complains about a ticking noise or diesel type sound, check the motor mounts..."

nelsonr

Do I expect problems? Sure, but not in the numbers I am having and not with safty system. Having lights come on saying my brakes have failed, my SRS system is out and I have a flat tire is not very comforting. Expecially when the problem has been worked on several times. Having said that, when I do have problems, I expect MB to step up to the plate and resove them. Having the manufacturer refuse to work on my car after the dealership has failed to fix the problem on multiple trips is unacceptable.

Keep in mind, they dealership has fixed the problem with multiple replacements of the gateway module, software changes, and who know what else, only to have the problem occur again.

The car has been in the shop so many times, the dealership has not even logged all of the repair trips.

marksatex

We ordered our E500 2 weeks ago for 3-15 (approx) delivery. Reviewing all these negative posts causes concern.

Is MB working out defective areas as production continues, or are they simply building with same errors? Is a loaner car a standard feature if the vehicle is in the shop for warannty service?

While I expect some "new car issues" I had also expected that since this is MB, exhaustive and profound testing would have weeded out these issues.

Our saleman also told me that the US E Class has actually a year of production use in Europe and Mexico... Is this not true?

And if it's not true why are these issues developing? Poor design or too much design? Lack of testing or low quality control?

What are the odds I will get a car with problems? I have had a Lexus SC400 for years with very very few issues at all.

Concerned...

jim256

Forget about it and enjoy anticipating the car. This is a new model, yes it came out in Germany about 6 months before here, but many of the features are modified for US tastes and safety. Yours will have a further 6 months of US experience.

I had one warning light fixed overnight, one radio glitch that cured itself with a vehicle restart. I would get my car again without hesitation, I really like it, and mine was one of the first ones off the boat. Certainly MB learns from the new ones, and I expect many issues will be resolved at the factory or at the VPC (Vehicle Prep Center) if they know any reprogramming or newer parts are needed. I have a great dealer and have confidence in them based upon my last 2 cars. They do give a loaner, I don't know if that is required or not.

nelsonr

The thing that is most disappointing is that I have had to involve a lawyer to even get Mercedes to agree to look at my car. There is a visit to the shop scheduled for Jan 2nd. In the mean time, MB does not seem real concerned that I am driving around with a warning light that says I have a flat tire, the SRS system is not working and the SOS system is broken. The "Car of my Dreams" has turned into the "Nightmare on Elm Street".

Oh well, so much for th?e quality of the service.

Would I be concerned? Hard to tell at this point will let you know the outcome of my next service visit.

BTW, if you are interested, I did setup a poll on this web site to see how many people were having these problems. Of the 23 voters, 65.22% have not while 34.78% have had issues. I realize that this statistically means nothing, but it is interesting that over 1/3 of the people have had the same type of problems.

https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...threadid=25134

wow

I would not be too concerned about some of these issues. Everything can be fixed by your MB dealers. I believe that some or most of these issues that early MB buyers faced may not be the problem for cars that are in production now. The one big problem that I faced was the SRS malfunctioning. This required a new gateway. For some reasons, I had to wait 16 days for this one to get fixed. Other than that, a couple of minor ones.

Ask your MB dealer to see whether or not they provide loaner car. Both of the dealers that I visited in Northern CA provide car loaner. One provides MB as loaner, the other utilizes "Enterprise Car Rental" which you will get whatever they have.

I enjoy the E500 very much. It is an excellent car.

ajoe

I shouldn't jinx myself but so far not one issue. I learned alot from owning a BMW 745 and reading this board. For example, on a first year model minimize the number of add on electronic "goodie" options that you could live without. Don't activate the SRS system. Many of these modules are interrelated and sometimes the "fixing" of one can compromise other modules. Are any of these audio problems happening in the Harmon Kardon systems?

JamE55

Think you should've just have your dealer switch the car.

ashahashah

Try and declare your ca as a lemon (have you looked into the lemon laws in your state?) and get yourself a new car.

You are right, 23 votes does not make a valid statistical sample.

jim256

Just to clarify on the above, I answered the poll to say I had a Gateway module replaced, not that I had all the problems that nelsonr has. I just had an SRS/Tele-Aid warning message, none of the other problems he mentions.

nelsonr

I have checked into the lemon law. I have the paperwork filled out and ready to submit. I have more than met the requirements. I will give MB one more chance to fix the car on the Jan 2nd. I have explained to them that this is their last chance.

I did ask the dealership to replace the car. They refuse. In fact, phone calls to the general manager are never returned by him, but by someone he appoints to deal with me.

One of my basic problems is that I live in a small town. Only one MB dealer within 100-150 miles. However, I do not mind driving that distance for my next purchase a few years down the road.

While being in a small town is a problem, it is also a problem for the dealer. An unhappy customer can spread the word of "This problem is MB, not our dealership" fast and far.

phungpho

I am not surprised that you have so many problems with the new E W211. Sorry to hear that

Here's my experience with my E430 2000 (after in production for 5 years):
1. First day, 5 miles: the differential was leaking.
2. After 1 year, at the service schedule A, they fixed the 2 front seat supports. My was working but I guess it is a 'bug' or bad design so, the dealer replaced it.
3. Afetr 1 1/2 year, problem with ABS, ESP .... Changed the sensor, control unit.
4. Recently, the 'Fuel' sensor is not working. For a full tank, it shows 2/3 ???? I will fix it at the next schedule service.

So, I guess MB has a problem here:
1. Too much design (good) and lack of testing (bad). That's the problem!
2. some bad design too (dashboard crack, sunroof doesn't close, power window rear broken, AC, ABS + ESP, Fuel sensor....)
3. Low quality control.

I really like my Benz but to be honest I am not sure if I'll buy another Benz. So far, I am lucky to have good service from the dealers

jim256

I've had pretty good experience on my last 2 MB's:

'98 E, 3 years: one fuel sender replaced, one battery defect (internal short), one main seal leak on the new V6, all spaced over the 3 years. This was the second E-Class with the new V6 delivered by the dealer. No need for a loaner.

'01 C, 2 years: one defective washer bottle (leaked), defective left and right front turn signal sockets, Smart Key dash module replaced when Smart keys were not always recognized. Mine was the first C-Class delivered by them for 2001. One loaner period for the key module since it was erratically recognizing the key. The new module cured it.

I've been happy with the cars and the dealer service. We have had 3 other American cars (Chrysler products) during this time and they actually had only 1 problem each, which was one recall on each, but they did not have the level of sophistication or complexity of the MB models.

I'm pleased on all fronts.

ElDiabloJoe

No personal offense intended, but I think it is sad that with those problems, people think they've gotten off pretty lucky and are happy.

1989 Toyota pick up. Drove it 150,000 miles in 6 years.
1996 Honda Accord Drove it 90,000 miles in 5 years.
2001 Toyota Tundra Drove it 30,000 miles in 2 years.
Wifes's 1998 Acura Integra. Drove it 30,000 miles in 3 years.
Parent's 1987 Toyota Cressida
Parent's 1992 Toyota Camry
Parent's 1997 Toyota Camry
Parent's 2001 Toyota Camry

All of the above cars, during their entire time in my family, went to the dealership ONLY FOR SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE.

This is the norm with Japanese cars, and why I am disgusted with the Mercedes (lack of) quality level. And I am saddened that so many seem to just bend over and take it as the norm.

Makes me very sorry I decided to "upgrade" to the top of the line luxury car in the world, Mercedez-benz. I will VERY strongly consider the luxury Japanese cars next time around.

EDJ

nelsonr

I think that is one of the reasons I am most upset. I have driven Toyotas, Honda's and an Infiniti, Never saw the inside of the service center other than for scheduled maintance.

My last MB was the prior 320, only problem I ever had with it was the fuel sensor saying the tank was not full. One of the interesting side remarks made by the dealerships service manager was that if I was happy with my old MB and not having problems, why did I trade it on the new one! Funny, but I thought thats why dealerships were around... to sell me my next car.

Before everyone takes me for the biggest whinner in the US, like I said, my last MB was a great car. Not as sleak looking or as comfortable to drive as the new one, but a nice car. I am not in the habit of slamming any manufacturer. In fact, I am in sells of a different kind. One of the things that I am most turned off by in any sell cycle is to sell one product by pointing out the shortcomings of another. In other words, I have been trained to sell based on the merits of my product. MB simply cannot sell their product based on their past history of delivering a quality product. My own opinion.

I am very happy that most of you have had a much better experience with your purchases. I wish you continued good luck.

Happy Holidays to all.