ngerstman

I would agree. A co-worker of mine bought a BMW 535 the same time I bought my e550. One month after his purchase the rear end went and it took three weeks to get the part. Now he has a low battery indicator light that BMW can't figure out. Regards. Ned.

SolidGranite

Got that right! Never again will I own another Lexus. Had a '95 ES300 back in the day and that thing was solid as a rock. Sure do miss that car.

K-A

Totally. I frequent the F10 Boards a lot and even their smallest problems are more dire than our most prevalent ones (which don't really exist, as the W212 doesn't really have a "common problem".... we'll see how the new powerplants fare though).

220S

I personally don't buy that. But whatever makes you feel good.

http://arstechnica.com/science/news/...self-image.ars

hyperion667

where is that popcorn eating emoticon anyway?

SolidGranite

+1

WEBSRFR

I just hope they improve the interior. The exterior has grown on me but I still really dislike the interior. Not quality per se but just the look and feel of it. It just seems very C-classish and plasticy to me. Not that there is anything wrong with the C class but I would have much rather preferred an understated and elegant interior more in the direction of the S class interior. I've tried really hard to like the plastics and the interior design and layout and it's still not working for me. I guess I am not an odd angles all over the place kind of guy as far as the interior is concerned...

ImInPA

I just turned 20K on my 2011 Bluetec. I have only had one noise (a strange loud popping sound coming from under and behind the driver's seat. It has been looked at several times and is now mostly gone, at least it is very intermitten now. Often times, noises/rattles can be tricky to track down. Your dealer will ultimately find it and fix it. Overall, during my first 20K miles, I have found the W212 to be very well bolted together, and, my car has exceeded my expectations from a quality perspective. Rattles and noises really drive me nuts, so you have my sympathies, but, it happens. When my car hit 10K, I became worried because I started hearing some "buzzy' sounds hear and there. As the car was driven more, these all seemed to just go away. I think that the Benz is to tightly screwed together that it actually takes longer for the car to really break in and get settled.

ngerstman

I don't agree. For one thing the s class is a $100,000 car. Why should you expect an s class interior in a $50,000 car. If that were the case, I would be complaining as an s class owner. I think that the e class is as nice or nicer than any car in its class. Compare it to the class right below and I think you would agree that it is no contest(Acura TL, Infinity g, etc.). As for the other cars in its class, the BMW, the Audi, it is a case of personal taste. And in my opinion, I'll take the e. And how can you begin to compare the e interior to the c interior? No contest. Not even close. Regards. Ned.

SolidGranite

If anything, the coupe is C-like but not the sedan. Still better than the C though..

MCF

Thanks guys...and for those that say my priorities are messed, I am taking VERY good care of my wife. My posting last night was all within an hour or so and the wifey was upstairs resting in bed. Took car in today (of course it did not do it on the way to the dealer) and to my disbelief, the service manager (to whom I have discussed this problem with a number of times) called me and told me he drove my car and did not hear anything. I guess he doesn't remember the discussions we had or doesn't know the meaning of the word intermittent. I did let my service advisor know that if they don't get it fixed to my satisfaction I will be going to the lemon law - but seriously, does the lemon law apply to 'rattles'?? It's been at the dealer over 21 days since 07July for this problem. How about Audi A7...that looks like a cool car.

K-A

How so? "Cost cutting" is a tricky thing to pinpoint. I'd assume the far more extensive use of UHSS and MHSS (whereas the W211 didn't feature any of either actually, as they weren't really par for the course when the W211 was built) on the 212 costs much more than the construction of the 211. The W212 tracks and feels exceptionally bolted together in comparison to the rather soft feeling of the 211, not to mention, additional wood, ambient lighting, these are things that are the opposite of cost cutting.

Signs of cost cutting would come from anywhere but fit and finish, and build quality, where the W211 suffered (massive panel gaps, I could stick my fingers through the hood-to-bumper shutline, and the door-to-dash shutline, slappy sounding doors when you shut them, interior bits that don't feel screwed in as tightly as the 212, panel gaps so large from the window to interior door panels that you can see mildew looking substances on the bottom of the windows, etc.).

It's easy to pinpoint where the W212 was in fact cost-cut, and it's in the same tricky areas that all manufacturers cut nowadays. A little less detail in the rarely-seen areas (no carpeting in the left panel footwell, no carpeting on the lower b-pillar, chassis sharing, simplified suspension - which M-B says was done for safety and performance, but who knows - what we do know is it's a cheaper and simpler setup on the 212, more parts sharing, dropping some extra-length options like 4-Zone Climate and 2 Drive Dynamic seats, etc.).

K-A

I drove an A7 and it was nice, though not my thing personally, but I did like it more than I thought I would, styling wise. At 6'4, the lack of front headroom made it a no-go for me, even if I did like it more than my E.

In regards to quality, Audi is known to be the worst of the M-B/BMW/Audi trio, and they have notoriously terrible Dealer treatment in the U.S. However, they are coming up fast, and most likely you'd get an A7 that would be worry free, just like you should have most likely gotten a W212 that would be worry free.

MCF

I'm 6'4".

220S

I used to harass the pom-pom girls at the pep rallies in high school, so I guess it's just a habit of mine.

Did you even read the article I posted? http://arstechnica.com/science/news/...self-image.ars

MCF

It's too bad I am having this very irritating problem because when I walked around the show room this morning I really love the way all the MB models look. As some of you know, I am not a huge fan of the Luxury model we have, but it does have it's advantages (more ground clearance that keeps my wife from tearing up the front end on parking stops and parking lot entrances/exits, softer/quieter ride). Maybe this is the last straw to push me into a 2011 Sport with P2. As we all know they are blowing out the 2011's before the 2012s show up. But what is that about insanity - doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results? I would have to be insane to trade a car in that has caused me so much grief to just get a different flavor of the same car.

WEBSRFR

I had a very annoying rattle that was fixed exceptionally well by the dealership but it was only present at certain times and under certain roads. If you are complaining about a rattle, you really need to be able to find a stretch of road where you can duplicate it. Otherwise in all fairness, how can they fix something they don't hear? So after much driving obsessive over the rattle I found out that the rattle was coming from the top right hand corner of the outer airbag cover that was loose and it was fixed right away. They've also fixed a rattle with the pano roof but each time I made sure I could duplicate it and rode with them so they can hear the sound. It's really unreasonable for you to expect them to fix an intermittent rattle that they can't hear.

I can empathize with your situation but you are going about this the wrong way. By threatening lemon action suits over at the dealer because of an intermittent rattle, you are not doing yourself any favors for what it's worth. As others have suggested it helps to develop a relationship with these people. I give my Service Advisor and the Service Foreman an occasional bottle of wine and sometime even concert tickets. In return they take exceptional care of me. I once had this issue with an annoying distorted sound coming from my center channel speaker but this would only happen at a certain temperature and with certain type of classical music but the service foreman personally spent about half an hour in the car with me until he heard the distortion and went "Aha!" Even before that he assured me that he will see to it that the issue is fixed no matter what. Also when I have my car in for service, I usually get an e-mail from the foreman saying how he noticed my car was in for service and everything will be taken care of. All this extra service is because I take care of those who help me.

Anyway good luck with your issue and congratulations on fatherhood! Perhaps that will give you some new perspective...

EmE247

You know that saying where u can't make everybody happy 100% of the time?

Getting a MB with probs sucks. When I bought my last car, a CPO 2008 w211, I had major overheating probs. I had to lemon law that car and lost a few grand in the mod work that i had done to the car on top of all the service work that I was not compensated for and paid out of pocket for.

At times u may want to label the brand MB at fault for all of your troubles, but the service at the dealerships can be more to blame than the actual build.

WEBSRFR

Don't want to hijack this exciting thread but I understand what you are saying. I guess I like the more fluid lines of the W211 as well as the current generation S class and it's a matter of me still not being able to deal with the sharp angles all over the instrument cluster. Also don't forget that though the E class starts around $50K you can easily get into the $70K territory. We can have a different opinion on this matter but in my opinion MB strayed closer to the C than the S with the interior and I wish the look and feel of the dash had some of the understated flowing elegance of the S in it.

In any case glad you like the current interior so much so enjoy it and safe driving!

hyperion667

it would be nice to NOT have to bribe the SA's with wine and tickets and what not....they should do they're job because they get paid, not because a 'well to do'
might give them a puppy treat, scooby snack....whatever......
there are way to many people with their hand out and expecting some sort of tip or 'bribe'......
that isn't to say I DIDN'T give my SA an edible arrangment, but that was my FIRST trip to the dealer for things, and I have not done anything like that since......
and also, when you DON'T get 'hooked up' or treated well.....a gift means absolutly nothing at that point.............except regret for giving it.......

K-A

They get paid to do what we're asking them to do. Their gift is our return business.

Giving extra for someone who's taken care of you in a longstanding relationship is a great gesture, bu shouldn't be anywhere near a requirement for top notch work.

MCF

They have heard the noise FOUR TIMES. IS that not enough times!?

SolidGranite

Where do you live? Does the temperature vary a lot?

ImInPA

Obviously not. My popping noise took 5 trips to get it about 90% resolved. The noise itself is not coming from a single point. That your dealer is still trying is a very good sign that they will ultimately find it and resolve it to your satisfaction. They have heard it and acknowledge it. If they had no intention of resolving it, they could just as easily used the old "Unable to reproduce" excuse. I think you need to take a deep breath, turn up the radio a bit, and continue to stop by the dealer when it is convenient for you. With most of the cars I have owned, the irritating noises either get worse (making them easier to find and fix), or, they go away as the car loosens up a bit from break-in. If you are just totally soured on the brand, by all means, just get rid of it and move on. Life is far to precious and short to be agravated by an annoying car.

SolidGranite

Well said. I took the exact same approach with a headliner noise that went on for over a year!! Took the entire headliner off to fix it!