I think I discovered why my front end was feeling a bit dodgey when I would apply the brakes. The past week or so the front would feel like it was veering to the right or to the left when I applied the brakes, especially with a bit of vigor. It was like the toe-in was way out of wack.

This afternoon I had just started backing out of a parking space and was turning the steering wheel to back to the left when I heard a loud crunch. I thought I had hit or run over something metal or concrete. I had only moved about 5 feet. When I got out to see what I had hit, I found that my right front wheel was badly askew with the bottom out several inches more than the top. The front of the tire was hard against the fender liner.

I could not see exactly what had happend, but obviously something in the front suspension had given way.

I called M-B Roadside Assistance using the wrench button in the center console. They arranged for a tow truck and put me through to the service department of my dealer. The tow truck arrived in about 15 minutes. They had told me it would be an hour.Fortunately, they had a truck nearby. It took nearly an hour to get the car up onto the tow truck bed.

Once up on the truck I could see that a bolt that holds the main lower control arm into a pivot joint on the frame had sheared off allowing the lower part of the wheel to move out from the frame about 3-4 inches.

It is fortunate that I was moving very slowly and in a parking lot and not on the freeway. I hate to think what could have happened to the car and to me had it occurred on the freeway.

My car is now at the dealer and they are giving me a loaner M-B tomorrow. The car will be worked on Monday.

Very strange.

 

Glad you weren't hurt, and I've not heard of that type of failure before for the W-211's. Have you hit any pot holes or curbs that might have caused it? Thanks for telling us about your problem. If there is no apparent reason for the failure, you should call the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) and file a report. Their number is 1-800-424-9393. If they get enough reports, they will issue a recall.

 

I looked at my car at the dealership today with the front wheel removed. It appears that the nut had worked its way off the bolt that attaches the lower control arm to the chassis. I could feel the threads on the end of the bolt in teh slotted hole in the lower control arm. They did not feel like they had been stripped. I suspect that when I had a front end alignment done on February 3 & 4, this bolt was not adequately secured.

This also probably accounts for the strange feeling I had every time I hit the brakesafter this work was done . The car would veer right or left and straighten up when I realesed the brake. This bolt must have been sliding back and forth inside the slotted hole until finally it worked its way back far enough to drop the lower control arm out of its yoke.

We will see what develops on Monday with the dealer. Fortunately, it happened in a parking lot after moving about 5 feet and not on a freeway at 70MPH.

 

The dealer replaced the right lower control arm, pivot bolt and hardware, the entire support frame to which the lower control arm bolts, all the attaching hardware and my right rear tire damaged in the tow procedure.

To date I have had only one email from MBUSA telling me the following:

"Thank you for your recent Internet.

Your authorized Mercedes-Benz dealership, in conjunction with our regional manager, is in the best position to address matters of this nature on behalf of Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC.

Arrangements have been made for your concerns to be reviewed on a local level; you may expect further contact shortly.
Kathleen Durning
MBUSA,LLC"

There has not been any "further contact" from MBUSA.

No one has been able to provide any explanation as to how the bolt came undone and allowed the right lower control arm to become separated from its mounting. No one has offered any apology for the potentially fatal circumstances that this created.

Prior to collecting my car from the dealer I advised the service "consultant" that I was unhappy with the dirty condition my car was returned to me after my prevous service for the wheel alignment. There were black boot/shoe marks on the carpet, door panel, carpeted side of the center console by the gas pedal, the front of the lower surround of the driver's seat . There were also black finger marks on the seat and the dash. He said these would be taken care of.

When I picked up my car this time I found that the previous marks had not been removed and more were added to them. I complained again about the condition of my car. Rather than drive 30 miles back to the dealer, I told them I would clean the car myself. Two days later as I was washing the wheels I found that three had been damaged with nicks, gouges, scrapes around the lug nut holes and along the rim of my right rear wheel from changing the tire. It looked like extremely sloppy and careless use of an impact wrench.

Last Monday I sent a fax to the GM & Service Director indicating my extreme unhappiness with this latest find and that I could see no other solution to the situation than the replacement of the three damaged wheels, all 18" AMG wheels. I had no reply until 5:15 PM on Thursday from someone who I think was the Service Director. He left a voicemail message indiocating that he would only be there until 6:00 PM that night and not in at all the next day, Friday.

In the meantime I had decided that for me the solution to this entire unhappy situation was to rid myself of this car and this dealer. My wife and I have been planning a 6,000+ mile driving trip across the country and back in May and June. I could not be comfortable making this trip in this car.

Last Friday I traded in my E500 with 3,695 miles on the odometer on a 2004 Lexus LS430 with Sport Suspension. An extreme measure, perhaps, but one I can live with.

Most, if not all of the forum members will look with disdain on a Lexus. Each is entitled to his own opinion. Consider, however, that this LS430 has many of the features you have spent days or weeks railing against M-B about. These features on the Lexus are fully implemented, operational and in many cases better than that provided on my E500.

The LS430 has a 6-speed automatic transmission and is EPA rated at 18 MPG City and 25 MPG Highway. The gas tank holds 22.5 Gallons
The Sport Suspension includes 18" five spoke wheels.

Other features include:
Adaptive Front Lighting System (Cornering headlights that work)
Wood & Leather steering wheel
Dual zone climate control with oscillating vents in the center console
Heated and cooled front seats
Heated rear seats
Intuitive Parking Assist
Smart Access (Keyless Go)
Mark Levinson Audio System with 12 speakers
RDS radio
Scroll through radio presets from the steering wheel
Navigation system that is accurate and vastly more features than COMAND Navi DVD
Bluetooth cell phone connectivity to handsfree system
Rear Back-Up color TV camera when in reverse gear
Both rear view mirrors tilt down when in reverse gear
Outside mirrors fold manually or automatically, no hinge shows when folded
Plastic covers over the door thresholds
7" longer overall, providing more rear seat leg room, longer wheel base for improved ride

All of this and more, for the same price as the E500. The style is not that of the E500, but it is in my opinion not a displeasing car to look at. It is tight, taut, quiet, smooth, comfortable and in its Sport Suspension form, the handling is very good. Little body roll.

I wish my E500s (pre-NAV and post-NAV) had been a better experience for me. I hope Lexus does not disappoint me. So I bid farewell to all of you and wish you well with your E-Class and other rides.

 

Given the deplorable service that many have had from dealers, I can understand. Response from MB is non-existant.
I have not had problems. However, I feel that I have just been lucky to have a good service advisor at my dealership.

I would have no problem switching to a Lexus if I had problems.

 

Good luck with you new car, I feel for you. Those guys at your dealer are total dufuses. That's what sucks about high end car ownership, to the dealers, they are just cars, but to us, its our pride and joy.

 

If I had experienced the same situation as you, switching to Lexus would definitely be the way to go. Specs on your new LS430 is awesome! Wish you a happy and enjoyable ownership experience with your new car. Good luck.

 

Sorry to hear about your car, I actually had a similar experience wtih a lexus dealership (not a safety issue tho). Poor workmanship was always visible in their repair jobs. My rims have been destroyed, paint scratched all the way to bare metal, interior pieces broken and damaged, it goes on. I have had a horrible experience with my purchasing dealer and lexus has left a bad taste in my mouth. The car's suspension constantly clunks and squeaks over bumps with only 25k on the odometer. I've driven the 2002 LS430 and I can say that car is awesome! Good luck.

 

I readily acknowledge that anything mechanical and man made is subject to failure. This also goes for repair work. The human factor is an issue in all aspects of life. I do believe that there is not a car made that does not present the possibility of a mechanical failure at some point. A lousy dealer/service department can surely hasten this failure or contribute to it. It is entirely possible, maybe even probable, that had I chosen to go to another dealer none of the above related events would have occurred. In my case I had had enough abuse to seek a different automobile and, I hope, a better experience.

I am fully prepared for the possibility that my Lexus LS430, the dealer and/or Lexus may let me down also.

As an aside, in 1968 I owned a 1961 M-B 220seb. It was a very comfortable car. One day as I was leaving work I heard a loud crack. I stopped and looked around my car. I could find nothing amiss, so I continued home. I made a stop on the way. As I was crossing the apron of the driveway, I heard another loud crack and the left front suspension gave way. The car was towed to a service station, where they found that two bolts holding the lower front wishbone in place had both broken - perhaps the result of age, corrosion, prior abuse – who knows. They replaced the bolts and the shock, which had a bent rod as a result of the suspension collapse, and the car was as good as before. In this case, as well as in my most recent situation, I had not hit any pot holes, curbs or other obstacles that might have precipitated the damage.

It may just be that Mercedes-Benz ownership is just not in my cards. Before my E500 I owned four Porsche 911s. I never had dealer service issues and the one major mechanical problem I had on a brand new 993 was quickly and professionally resolved by the dealer and the regional Porsche factory technical representative who both kept me fully informed of their actions. A far cry from what I experienced with this E500.

 

This LS430 (loaded) is more like the price loaded E320, not E500 (read 5K less...)


Makes me thinking regarding new E order....

 

When I was shopping for a new car I test drove and looked at many different cars. In the end I was down to 2 cars..The E-500 and the LS430.

It was a tought decision that I wrestled with for a week. In the end I decided on the Benz because of only one major factor...the styling..

To me, Im only 30 and the Lexus looked more like an "older man's car"
I did like the fact that it was a "full size" sedan. Also, all of the extra features that were standard.

BUT all in all other than that (and its just my styling opinion) that Lexus is an awesome car..You wont be dissapointed.