Hi all,

Just a note. It seems that the negativity of the posts over the last month or so continue with negative tone. While I definitely think the is healthy and what an enthusiasts forum should have, I would hate to see it spiral over every single decision thatMB makes. It seems they are re-focuing on getting the cars more reliable.....which is great. They claim by making it simpler (in some repsects) it will help with overall relaibility. Taking this at face value (for whatever its worth), it seems this is not acceptable to most in these forums. So let's see, we want to see MB address these concerns, but on out terms. Meaning MB better fix fix it, but don't take any my rubber ashtray mat or I'll die. a Benz is a Benz...not a Lexus. Those who would compare the two - should probably opt for the Lexus...since they "seem" more reliable.

The trade mags have been giving the 211 really nice press and I agree that its a great car. Is it perfect....no. Do I agree with everyhting MB does? No. But what has that got to do with anything. The fact is, you pay a premium dollar for a premium car.....but this is not and should not be considered perfect car. while I think its healthy to debate the merrits of de-contenting of ashtrays and lack of Bluetooth in the U.S, those are not the reasons why I purchased a Benz. We have to be willing to take some bad, with the good.

Its very nice when a new owner posts their pleasure with their new purchase. Too often I think we forget what that feels like. Its to bad that this does not happen more often - and by more experienced owners.

Just my rantings and humble opinion :-):

 

I think it's my fault . . . I joined about a month ago after ordering my first MB ever (the new diesel), and noticed that this board is similar to the Porsche boards in which people tend to be more critical/realistic than jingoistic about their vehicles. That's OK with me, though, since just reading about how someone loves his/her car gets real old real fast.

 

old adage-

you dont see healthy people in the hospital

you dont see fine running cars in the shop

these sites are for complaints, as all the happy campers

are out on the road, not behind keyboard writing complaints!!!!

 

Maybe i'm mistaken, but I thought the forums were for bad AND good news. I look forward to reading both. I was merely commenting about a pattern that I noticed. The critical stuff is great, it just upsets me when I see a potential buyer basing a decsion on whether or not MB removed and ashtray liner or entrance lamps......which I have seen here.

another old adage....

its called constructuve criticism.

 

rarenaro-

i wasnt implying you are wrong in your thoughts, but rather, when things are well, nobody seems to complain ( obvious).
i waited 11 months for delivery of my e500 4matic, and if i based my purchase on this sites volume of complaints, i too would be driving a lexus.......yech/bland/reliable, etc........
and for what its worth, 4000 miles in 2 months of flawless quality!!!!!!!!

enjoy, Bruce

 

-brlazar2

Hi - sorry. I was also not impying that you were implying on my part :-) I agree. When things are good - the forums are silent :-)

 

My $.02 -

I have lurked on this board for the past 2 years, and have been a member for a while. I must say, that of any of the BMW or Audi boards Ive been on, this site gives the most praise from vehicle owners that I've ever seen. Every other week there is some elated owner who posts an "I love my E" post. As I have done myself.

The car is awesome, and most likely, I'd buy it again knowing what I know now, and the minor issues it has. The point is, taking the paint off of the license plate holder or removing lumbar doesnt make the car more reliable. In my eyes, a car of this "caliber" should have a certain level of technology. The things that bug me are the lack of certain creature comforts or simple, little things. "Its all about the little things" in a relationship that actually MAKE the relationship..

Radio presents not working, no RDS, no one-touch close (pano), et etc, are minor, but at the same time, why can't they just get it right? As far as warranty repairs, doesn't bother me that much. Thats life.

In addition, this has been one of the most supportive and informative boards I've been on. You should see the heckling that goes on in the BMW and Audi boards- people ripping each other up, let alone their cars.

If people decide to gripe about problems, its OK. Most people realize this is a small representative sample, and the more we know, the easier it will be to overcome future difficulties.

I think the above-post has a lot of merit.

Every time I get behind the wheel, I take in the gorgeous interior and confortable seats, and feel a little better about lfie. I LOVE MY E500!!

 

Brav,

I could have not said that any better myself!!!! "BRAV"o!!!

 

Well, good news is contagious, and so is bad. This goes with all of life. You mention some bad points about something, suddenly everyone has an opinion about it and remembers some bad things. Same with the good stuff. You should post some good things. I would have made the same decision as well, even knowning all of these faults.

I think that the contention with most is that you pay for the best, you expect the best. And I personally don't like the fact that someone with a $30,000 car can point out things that are better than they are in my $60,000 car. Bluetooth, stereo, better navigation system, etc. Maybe not important to some people, but very important to others. The lack of some of these little things can add up, too. Is RDS important to me? Not too important (particularly in the NY area), but nice to have. How about the mat or the shelf in the glovebox? Well I don't have the shelf, it is pretty useless to store anything in there. At the same time, you could take away my heated steering wheel and I wouldn't care one bit, but I am in a minority of car owners that have one, and you better believe that I mention it when I show off all of the features of the car. You also better believe that I mention the eight airbags in the car.

And those little features that they seem to be taking away, are little, but I ended saying WOW when I discovered them for the first time. And then to hear that they are *supposedly* taking them away. A little disappointing.

But it is true, the end game is the actual dynamics of the car, which are impressive. I think we all love cars here, and we all want to be driving the best of everything. We want, demand and expect a lot. Nothing wrong with that. We have paid for the privilege, and I feel lucky to be able to have it.

 

I'm very enthuastic about the W211 cars. I have had my gripes but overall I can't think of any car I would rather own. I have ownew over 40 MB's and none were perfect but what machine is? Right now I'm switching from an E500 to a
320 CDI. I generally trade every year and the CDI sounds like a good choice. I have had excellent results with the 8 MB Diesels that I have owned and will be looking forward to this incredible new engine.
I, like so many of you have been upset with the list of things being remover from the 05 E Class. It's hard to believe that they would do this, but when I review the list, most of the features aren't really important. The one item that really does bother me is removal of the dark tint at the top of the windshield. I sat in an 05 C Class yesterday which didn't have the windshield shaded upper band. Frankly the light seemed very bright. I live in Arizona where it is bright while MB
is in Stuttgart where the sun seems to be overcast most of the time. We certainly need the tinting but they probably don't think it is important from their vantage point in Germany. We can buy a tinted plastic strip at our local auto supply store but it will sure look cheap on a Mercedes.
I'm looking forward to my CDI which I will be picking up in Sindelfingen on May 24th.

 

I think this is the point I was tryiong to make. We all love the MB vehicle (generally) - although we may not all agree with the change or removal of a feature. Regardless, there is something about driving a E500 that you just don't get in a Lexus or Infiniti. I don't think its neccessarily a particular feature, but more of the whole driving experience thats unique and distinctively Mercedes.

Happy owners unite :-)

 

I hereby rest my case!!!

 

Today I drove from Houston Texas to San Antonio Texas in a horrible thunderstorm. The rain was later rated at over 3" per hour over many of the counties I crossed. Wind was erratic but very strong.

As a small "pack" of us left Houston about noon we had clear road and dry pavement, but hitting the edge of town I knew it would not last so I hammered it to see if I could make headway before the storm hit. The pack consisted of a BWW X5 an LS430 and my E500. Now we all held close together but were cruising at 80 mph. Even when the rain started we made more than 1/2 way 100 miles before the rain caused us to slow. And soon we were moving bumper to bumper at 25 mph with flashers on. As soon as the rain lifted a bit we three blasted out of the pack and even though it was raining we were comfortably sailing at 80mph.

The whole point is that while I was in good company, my car (and theirs) are designed to cruise at 80 mph in the rain. Solid, sure-footed, quiet and safe. I thought I heard a squeak but it may have been my laptop case.

Minor complaints? Had a Lexus SC400 and had some minor complaints too so I am a little skeptical about the stories I hear of totally no issues. (We had a driver’s window that chronically would snap a retaining clip in the regulator and fall into the door, usually when it rained or I was entertaining a client.

The car performed flawlessly for me. High speed, bad weather dangerous conditions- Car was built for it and was up to every twist and turn.

 

Oh yeah at 80 mph in a driving driving rain with maybe 200 ft visability, the wipers miss a spot about the size of a dollar bill over on the passenger side if a big wind gust hits the car from the side just right..... DAmm poor design I say !

 

hey guys,

all cars have flaws.
MB's are fantastic automobiles.
imho the most attractive automobiles
on the road.