All W211 owners should be aware of this hydraulic brake problem.

My car has been having trouble with the brakes. The pedal squeaks and the brakes are very hard to control. My car has been in the shop 3 times just for this problem.

The first service the dealer found AIR in the brake lines. The system was rebled and everthing was fine for a while.

The second service, the "hydraulic accumulator" was found to be faulty. No air was found in the brake lines this time. The part, however, was not in stock. It was finally ordered and installed. The car was returned and things were better, but not perfect.

The third service, the dealer once again determined the "hydraulic accumulator" to be at fault! They already replaced this part once, and now it's faulty again?

Anyhow, to shorten a long story, my car has been at the dealer for 24 days now. There is STILL NO RELEASE DATE ON THE AVAILABILITY OF THE PART FROM GERMANY. I have not seen my car for almost one month now!

I stayed in close contact with the dealer, but could not get any definite answers on part availability or arrival.

I sent a certified letter to MBUSA, and it was finally forwarded to the local regional manager responsible for covering my dealership. Here's the important info according to the regional manager.

The hydraulic accumulator (hydraulic brake pump) installed in the E class is a defective part. It apparently has a seal that leaks. The vendor responsible for making these pumps for Mercedes is reportedly taking all the pumps back and "resealing" them properly. Thus, the extreme delay in receiving my replacement part. The problem with the seal would also explain all of the braking "symptoms" I've been having. The mushy, squeaky brake pedal was probably due to a loss of hydraulic pressure in the pump due to brake fluid leakage. Also, with a faulty seal, air could get into the brake lines lending to poor pedal feel, squeaking, and poor control over the brakes.

Shame on Mercedes and shame on the vendor for allowing such a mishap in design or production. Faulty brake pumps, mis-programmed Tele-Aid systems, ticking motor mounts, non-retrofittable nav systems... what's going on here with quality control??? This is NOT the Mercedes of old...

Needless to say, this has made my first Mercedes experience an extremely poor one. The car has been in the shop 5 times with less than 2500 miles. I have had my Tele-Aid reprogrammed, the motor mounts replaced, the communications platform module replaced and now apparently it needs to be RE-replaced or reprogrammed , and of course, the never ending hydraulic brake saga.

So, may the force be with all of you fellow W211 owners...

I didn't get much feedback from my last post. Is anyone else out there having the same trouble as myself???

 

sorry about all of your problems man. i havent had any brake problems though. 24 days in the shop! are you going to try to make this car a lemon? sorry about all the mishaps man, hope they'll fix it quickly

 

bmms8,

The car almost qualifies as a lemon under Texas law. A faulty hydraulic brake pump should be classified as a "serious safety issue".

Under Texas Lemon Laws, the dealer gets 3 chances to fix a serious safety problem. If it's not a safety problem, they get 4 chances. It's funny, though, radio defects apparently don't really count as Lemon Law items.

I love the car when it's running and when it's in my possession! Right now, I have NEITHER.

We'll see how this goes. Thanks for your concern. I sure hope nobody else is having as much trouble as myself...

 

The fact that it "almotst" qualifies as a lemon, should convince the dealer to deal with this car and get you out of it now. This would show some goodwill by the dealer. It really is mind-boggling when you think of the problems this car has had. New model or not, MB has some serious problems.

 

I see that you had your E replaced. Was this due to the navigation retrofit issue? Just curious. Did you have other "knick-knack" problems with your first E? How about your new E?

This situation has me totally frustrated. It doesn't speak well for MB at all.

 

I would consider any issue regarding brakes to be extremely serious, and I would hope that both MB and your dealer would agree. I would also hope that they both would consider that having your car out of service (and making payments on it during that time) is totally unacceptable.

True, this all does not speak very highly of MB at all. I think you need to take similiar actions that Quattroleap took when he had his paint problem. In his case, he was able to get his replaced for what was a very glaring cosmetic issue. In your case, this is no good at all.

This is horrible quality control by MB, and it gets me a little scared as I go and get my first MB after having only Japanese cars for my entire life. I have heard about a lot of different issues with my friends S-class, and there was many times when he had to leave the car for several days at a time. It was always kind of weird to me, since with my Lexus, no matter what the problem was (and they never were that big), they always had the car back to me in a day.

 

You point out in this post.....
1. this all does not speak very highly of MB at all.
2. This is horrible quality control by MB.
3. I have heard about a lot of different issues with my friends S-class.

These are damning observations. Please explain why you have not cancelled your order? I'm curious.

 

Isolated instances of dealer issues or problems have still produced these poll results:
https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...isfaction+poll

https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...isfaction+poll

alewifebp: you should look forward to the car. My experience has been great, one overnight for a part early on, and now over 10 and one-half months of trouble-free use. Very happy.

And cudos to MB for giving over 1000 folks who had paid for NAV new cars because retrofit was a problem. Isn't that pretty good service?

 

NuBenz,
Yes, my original was replaced due to the nav. retrofit. My first one had some of the common problems. Motor mounts, audio gateway, a few "teleaid malfunction" messages. But for the most part, was pretty good. I've had this one since mid july and so far so good (knocking on wood!). I'm convinced that having the right dealer is the key to a positive experience. I'm sometimes shocked at some of the things people post here regarding their dealers behavior. With serious problems (like yours) the dealer really needs to step up to the plate. Like I said, if I were you I would demand a new car.

 

slipnby: I think that the E is really the only car for me right now, problems or not. 5 will have just come out when my lease expires in October, and no new GS. The E is a very nice car, and has the features that I want, so I am willing to take a risk. I have a very positive relationship with the dealership, and am going to be getting a good price. It has been encouraging to see the replacement NAV cars that have seemed to be much better in the quality department

 

NuBenz: Sorry for your difficulties. I have no difficulties with my brake system but will ask when I pick up my nav replacement about this issue. Thanks for the tip. Hope your situation is resolved soon.

Alewifebp: I totally agree with Jim256 about your order. I looked at the GS, the LS, the ES, the A6, the 5, the 7, the S class and spy pictures of the new 5 before buying the E. I think I had another opportunity if I wanted to push it to get rid of the E now based upon the Nav issue. But, I chose and continue to prefer the E to any other vehicle, including the S class (based upon nimbleness and feeling of the size). The E500 is fast, luxurious, sporty, beautifully styled, nimble, just right sized and solid. In my opinion, no other vehicle comes close to its combination.

I have had few problems with mine. I hope to have few problems with my nav replacement. I can really understand negative feelings if you, like NuBenz, have major problems. Although no comfort to those with the problems, I am sure major problems are not unique to MB.

Jeff

 

Thanks for the support. I hope all you guys and gals have endless thousands of problem-free miles!

I have been in contact with the MB regional manager and they say they're doing everything they can to get the part. Meanwhile, I SITS and I WAITS...

They've talked about doing something "special" for me. Well see what that means. I just want my car back in perfect condition, and I want it NOW. Heck, it's been one month since I last saw it!

I asked my wife if we Lemon this ride would she want a different car? Her answer, an emphatic "No." She loves the new E.

Jhb said it best... the E combines a unique combination of power, sport, luxury, and refinement. All in what I would call a large mid-size sedan. However, recently with this latest brake wait 'n see issue, she would actually consider some other mark, like maybe Audi. Lexus' offerings are too posh for my taste, but you have to love their QC and reliability.

So, the saga continues... I'm just trying to make the best of a ****-poor situation.

Cheers!

 

No more sitting and waiting! Get yourself a Lemon Law lawyer! If you were in California, I would refer you to the best this state has seen. Just look it up in the yellow pages, and then go online to some lawyer referral websites and check up on them.

3 times, same problem, DEFINITELY SAFETY ISSUE -- it's the brakes for goodness sakes!

Plus, most states have consecutive days out of service provisions in the Lemon Law, for example: California is 30 consecutive days.

When you get your lawyer involved, they will change their tune considerably -- and you may end up with a new car. It shouldn't be much of a cost to you either, except for their initial consultation fee most of these guys work on contingency.

 

I'm really sorry to hear about your problems, NuBenz! I guess I've been really lucky, because I haven't had any problems at all with my car and really LOVE it! It's helpful to know what's going on with the car for others, yet it makes me nervous. I'd hate to not have my car!