Decboy

I'm new to this forum but have read many posts relating to the W212's quality issues from bumper gaps to dash noises. Well, I noticed the gap around the taillight (the small one on the truck lid itself) has really bad finished paint. See my attached photo. I actually went to the dealer lot and all 10 E Classes there had this problem. Some are better, some are similar to mine. However, the dark color like black and gray hides it much better.

Luckily, you can't see it from far away. However, every time I open and close the trunk, I can't help but notice it. I also noticed the gap between the light unit and the lid is quite large so it makes the imperfection much more noticeable. The taillight on our BMW 335i coupe has a much smaller gap much better fit and finish.

ImInPA

Not sure how opening and closing the trunk would make that more visible. That part of the light does not move. It appears that the imperfection you are pointing out could be some structural adhesive that was squeezed out along the seam. As mentioned on another forum, you were told that it could easily be hidden by using a black touchup stick to darken the imperfection. I would also have your deal look to see if this light could be re-positioned to better conceal it. If this really bothers you, the dealer should have it repaired for you..

BenzMan369

Yes, the dealer's service department is your friend. If they're not, then, respectfully, find another dealer.

Imperfections that make it from the assembly line to you can, in my experience, almost always be corrected by a top-notch MB dealer service department that cares about your satisfaction. With no arguments.

By all means, have the dealer look at it and attempt to correct it your reasonable satisfaction.

CEB

That actually looks like a failure of the dealership to remove all the adhesive residue during the initial prep of the car.

ImInPA

Could very well be. It does not look very serious to me. In any event, it should not be difficult to remedy. We all have our pet peeves with what bothers us in a vehicle. I hope the OP gets this resolved to his satisfaction.

MCF

Let me add a new one.....take a close look at the plastic bezel that goes around the instrument cluster where it mates to the dash. Bet some of you have a gap on one side or the top vs the other side. They already replaced mine once and now it is doing it again. Boy did MB cut quality when they made the W212 (but I am still happy since my worst rattle was fixed).

Ctrl+alt+Elite

I do not find this gap in my tailights.. i can barely slide the edge of my "absorber" in there when I dry the car

hyperion667

I wonder what the difference is when you order a car and it's built for you, versus when you just buy one from the dealer that's already there.......
does anyone think that has anything to do with it?
I know it seems far fetched possibly....but there has to be some sort of logical reason why some of us have been experiencing these issues while others seem to have not....
knock on wood: I haven't had any of these problems yet......

K-A

I've noticed some poorly finished (oversprayed) edges on my 2010 and 2011 cars. On the back edge of both cars' trunk lids, there's dried up paint drip. So bad on my 2010, that if I yanked it off, it could have very well chipped off enough to make it to the actual trunk exterior. Also, some other hidden areas could be better. They don't bother me though, as they're all very hidden, but they shouldn't be there.... The new one is better in that area, but if I look closely, I can find some non-perfect areas hidden paint.

As for other quality, I find the fit and finish overall of the W212 to be outstanding, everything's super tight, and precisely aligned.

You want bad panel gaps and ill fits? Look at a W220, W211, and pre-W212 90's/00's M-B's. You could stock your finger through most of the gaps around those cars. The W212 is a definite improvement to say the very least.

I did JUST start hearing some weird creaking sound coming from my driver dash area.... Out of nowhere. Knocking on wood. Other than that, hard to find complaints with either of my W212's, the ones that I have are relatively minimal (so far, at least).