How many miles on your W211?




-Engine mounts replaced
-Tranny mount replaced
-Pano roof needs repair (cable, railings, and God knows what else)
-Front passenger side ball joints need replacement
Done 140,000 km
Engine Mounts Replaced
Spark Plugs Replaced
Gear Mount Replaced.
A/C refrigerator Replaced.
Air filters Replaced.
Fauly Control Unit Replaced.
Battery Replaced Twice.
Petrol Pump Replaced.
Rear Electric curtain not working - dena
Front parking sensor become super sensitive.
CD CDhanger fixed twice due to CD stuck and broken inside.
Some black dots in the DVD screen.
Two 20" Rear Rims replaced - car went over a bad pothole on speed
4 Tiers Rplaced Twice "Cost Alot
"Alot scratches on car body from ppl who dint know how to park

Funny thing that most of the above appeared after finishing the dealer warrenty of 100,000 km

Now am having SRS lights on and no idea how to fix it.

After all - am in LOVE with my E Class
Done 140,000 km
Engine Mounts Replaced
Spark Plugs Replaced
Gear Mount Replaced.
A/C refrigerator Replaced.
Air filters Replaced.
Fauly Control Unit Replaced.
Battery Replaced Twice.
Petrol Pump Replaced.
Rear Electric curtain not working - dena
Front parking sensor become super sensitive.
CD CDhanger fixed twice due to CD stuck and broken inside.
Some black dots in the DVD screen.
Two 20" Rear Rims replaced - car went over a bad pothole on speed
4 Tiers Rplaced Twice "Cost Alot
"Alot scratches on car body from ppl who dint know how to park

Funny thing that most of the above appeared after finishing the dealer warrenty of 100,000 km

Now am having SRS lights on and no idea how to fix it.

After all - am in LOVE with my E Class

:-Rear Suspension
Steering Joints
Ball joints
Upper and lover link arms.
114,000 mi
-Transfer Case at 36k,
-WSW assembly,
-front torsion bar,
-drive shaft,
-motor mounts,
-rear heater control valve.
-Car in shop now - big bang when accelerating from stop, lost all drivetrain. Dealer thinks it may be the spline connection to transfer case.




it's a very common problem. ball joints are another one that is very common (idk if it's more common on the airmatic systems or the same on both). another common problem is camshaft position sensor
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
Other than the mounts, I haven't had a single issue since I got the car 7 yrs ago.
Other than the mounts, I haven't had a single issue since I got the car 7 yrs ago.
Miles: 93000
Problems: ABS unit replaced (covered under warranty)
Rear Passenger side door lock does not work.
Heater Control valve went out (replaced)
All ball joints replaced. control arms, lower i think.
Dead battery every for past few weeks.
(replaced with a new one, but same problem)
Going to dealer soon !!
NEED 2 engine mounts + tranny mount soon.
Last edited by mk1811sl; Dec 29, 2010 at 02:00 AM.
101,000 Miles
So many issues I dont think I can recall them all, but here are most of the bad ones:
Trans Mount
Engine Mounts
Multiple rear suspension parts. Not sure of what they all were. Arms of some kind/type
Valve Cover gasket ( both sides )
Alignment Issues, multiple times but is good now after 4 alignments at dealer and 5 sets of tires on rear
Fuel Tank Leaks ( twice ) fixed wrong the first time, now good
When Valve cover gaskets were replaced the tech punched a hole in the valve cover on accident, but did not tell us. He used JB Weld to seal the hole. We discovered the hole when I changed the air filters myself. MBZ replaced the valve cover and gaskets when we showed them the problem. The tech fessed up. I let it go and did not complain up the food chain.
Transmission fluid and filter changed at 50K, but tech left the plug out of the tube where a dipstick would traditionally be located. This has allowed dirt, dust, and grit into the transmission. It is now at the dealer for trans repair. It shifts poorly. Bucks, skips in and out of gear, etc. And is leaking like crazy. Probably from the grit in the transmission getting between the seals and the shafts?
Multiple broken things like a bad climate control module, SOS button cover, Arm rest cover bubbling up, etc.
A/C Blower motor
Both rear air springs were replaced. They failed about 3 months apart.
After adding up the lost time, the down payment, the cost of the car, the BS, the 15 or more trips to the dealer, etc. this is the most expensive car to keep running and drive I have ever owned
I currently have 7 MBZ cars. This one is the worse ever and a shameful product for them. As I thought about a new car for myself last year I decided to buy BMW after 25 years of MBZ's. BMW service has been OK, but not stellar. BMW drives better, IMO and seems crafted from better materials. I think the days of a "premier car" are ending for both marks and Porsche seems to be edging them out for a top crafted vehicle in terms of quality assembly, long term durability, and the most important....service.
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After adding up the lost time, the down payment, the cost of the car, the BS, the 15 or more trips to the dealer, etc. this is the most expensive car to keep running and drive I have ever owned
I currently have 7 MBZ cars. This one is the worse ever and a shameful product for them. As I thought about a new car for myself last year I decided to buy BMW after 25 years of MBZ's. BMW service has been OK, but not stellar. BMW drives better, IMO and seems crafted from better materials. I think the days of a "premier car" are ending for both marks and Porsche seems to be edging them out for a top crafted vehicle in terms of quality assembly, long term durability, and the most important....service.
I have 102,000 miles on our E500 and gave up counting trips to the dealer and waste of my time.
I have to consider one of the top 4 for reliability. Perhaps Cadillac?
As a long time Porsche owner, I say that life with them isn't all roses, either. Porsche has also had many issues, primarily the RMS and IMS fiasco with 996s and early 997s. And PNA has been reluctant to offer much goodwill leaving many owners with expensive repair jobs.
And the new DFI 997.2 motor is in question in respect to excessive oil consumption. The verdict is still out.
But yes, I agree that the dealerships, and the dealership service, are 10000% better than MB and BMW. MBUSA needs to observe the PNA dealership model, take heed, and quit resting on their laurels of the past.
That said, there seems to be less issues with post 2007 versions. My 2009 so far has been pretty flawless, knock on wood.
As far as BMW, I was considering the new F10. But there have been an inordinate amount of first year issues with the car. Check E90 post (the 5 series section) and it's not exactly a fun fest with many owners right now. Multiple issues with the early runs and some still have the same problems. Maybe in a year or so they'll get it all figured out and the F10 will be a better option.
QUOTE]
I participate in True Delta and Data on the 07/- thru current don't show major improvements. There are others that score much higher on reliability. This data + my own painful experience with a $60K+ car gives me much higher expectations on quality.
I have actually had people tell me that buying a European car this is typical. My answer is bunk. it isn't there are reliable cars out there.
My 99 Corvette
bought new driven wayyyyyyyyyy harder than the MB has the same mileage and had very few reliability issues.
I participate in True Delta and Data on the 07/- thru current don't show major improvements. There are others that score much higher on reliability. This data + my own painful experience with a $60K+ car gives me much higher expectations on quality.
I have actually had people tell me that buying a European car this is typical. My answer is bunk. it isn't there are reliable cars out there.
My 99 Corvette
bought new driven wayyyyyyyyyy harder than the MB has the same mileage and had very few reliability issues.fwiw, True Delta does show improvements with later W211s. But with such a tiny sampling that is wholly dependent on owner's input, then we have really nothing to glean. And a lot of the stuff that people report as "issues" are sometimes too convoluted to actually understand as to what the problem really was. I do find Karesh's site to be very admirable in its attempt, but it currently fails in too many ways.
fwiw, True Delta does show improvements with later W211s. But with such a tiny sampling that is wholly dependent on owner's input, then we have really nothing to glean. And a lot of the stuff that people report as "issues" are sometimes too convoluted to actually understand as to what the problem really was. I do find Karesh's site to be very admirable in its attempt, but it currently fails in too many ways.
From a pure reliability stand point, I think we all know you can't beat Japanese (and maybe certain current US) autos.
I've owned Euro cars all my life and they've all required more maintenance and care than Japanese. Both Japanese and US are way easier to work on. There's nothing esoteric about them.
The same goes for German optics and cameras. The Japanese are easy to take apart and fix. But German are always way over built and elaborate. Engineering philosophies are radically different between Japanese and German. Ironically the Japanese love German technology and copy it but make it simpler and efficient.


