Apparently October issue of Consumer Reports has new car reliability information. Europeans tanked AGAIN with M-B not doing well at all.
However, E350 is better than average.
You would think M-B and BMW could improve and this area and stay there.

 

Consumer Reports should really limit themselves to small electric appliances and such things that they can accurately report about.

 

Above average is very good for the E class considering some of the crap they built six or seven years ago.

 

I got survey to fill, unfortunately couldn't find a single problem to report. Boring.

 

While I consider CR biased, it is a source of information. For those that are members, it is important to send in your surveys as they require 100 per model before reporting. Compared to some other reliability surveys, this is a pretty big number and much more valid.
The surveys come from owners and not the magazine staff, so that's a plus. The staff are biased as are their reports.

 

As long as the Germans are leading in engineering and forward tech in their cars, they will have "bad" reliability on paper, just the nature of the beast.

However, it's obvious that they were obsessive with the W212, and nice to see that it shows on paper. Above Average for an E-Class is great, not only considering the reports from earlier E's, but again, considering the tech and all that goes into the car.

 

I'm a big fan of European and American cars.

American cars have been poorly labeled "unreliable" for decades now. Most people just don't know what the hell they're talking about.

 

The car you have in your possession at this very moment will either be reliable or it won't. Whatever the "reliability reports" happen to say will have no bearing on what's in your driveway right now.

All of it means nothing except to make you either get worried or feel better. And perhaps guide you in your decision making when you buy another new car next time.

What's done is done. You have your car already. Now convince yourself that's it's made by infallible geniuses and will never fail you.

 

 

I bought a Chevy Malibu because I needed the most durable car I could find, for the price I wanted to pay.

I don't think there are many cars that I'd trust over it for that job, to be honest (knocking on wood).

 

The Malibu is a work-horse. You should hear some of the stories my buddy in the NYPD tells me about what they do to the Impalas and Malibus. I have a hard time believing that Toyotas could survive some of their abuse.

 

Damn, do tell!

It's a great work horse indeed.