One year ownership report: 2018 E class. The good and the bad.

This is our first Mercedes car, and we are now at the one year point of ownership. The following is a report of how our first year experiences and observations have been.

1. The E class is a beautiful car, especially the Designo interior.

2. Delivery at Dealer was handled very well, for the most part. The passenger side front door required slamming to close. No one on hand to make adjustment on Saturday delivery, and since we didn’t want to make the trip back to the dealer, I adjusted the door to close properly.

3. The 4 cylinder engine is very efficient. Decent performance with good response, and very good economy especially considering the size of this car. However, the engine is very noisy when listened to on the outside. (Sounds like, but isn’t, a diesel) Inside the car you can’t hear the noise very loudly.

4. The car has the acoustic package and is very solid and quiet at all speeds.

5. The seats are comfortable (almost as comfortable as our Volvo seats), The massage function is very nice. Also nice is the side bolster that hugs you when you turn.

6. The gear shift lever on the steering column is not a good arrangement. Too easy to mistake the lever for the windshield wiper control. I prefer the lever be on the console.

7. The seat heaters time out too quickly.

8. The controls are not intuitive, and having to go to the screen to make changes in functions as opposed to old fashioned buttons and knobs is complicated and dangerous when driving.

9. Run flat tires are worrisome. Would have preferred regular tires and a space saver spare. Would have been worth the sacrifice of 0.1% fuel savings, in my opinion.

10. Some of the body fitment could be better. Not up to the standards of a Honda, for example.

11. Very nice car to travel in as it is quiet and serene.


And now the reason why we will NEVER own another Mercedes:

Mercedes “The best or nothing”….the pathetic truth.

In 2018, my wife was retiring from many years of dedicated service as a speech and language pathologist specializing in pediatrics. Her Volvo was getting “old”, as it was a 2012. I suggested we go out to look at cars, and she could pick out whichever one she wanted, and we would “special order it”. We looked at many cars and what she liked was the 2018 E class Mercedes. We ordered the car and loaded it with options. For about 4000 miles all was good and she was elated with her car. This was our first Mercedes. My wife and I were elated enough where we could overlook some of the obvious flaws in workmanship.

December 16th 2018 was a very proud afternoon when we left from the graduation luncheon for our oldest Grandsons’ graduation from college. On the way home a small pebble hit the windshield of our Mercedes, causing a tiny chip. By the time we got home, the chip spread to a crack across the windshield. We have had many cars over many years and although we have had chips in glass, never have they caused a crack. This happened on a Sunday. The following day, I contacted my insurance company. (Florida insurance covers windshield replacement at no deductible) I called the dealer where we purchased the car to arrange for repair, and they told me I had to pay for the windshield upfront as the insurance company won’t pay their rate to do the repair, and the insurance company takes too long to pay them. Can you imagine! I contacted an aftermarket installer. (even though I would have preferred that the dealer do the job). The aftermarket company ordered the glass and we set up an appointment for repair. After showing up for repair, I was then told that glass would not be available until the first week in January, as the glass was on back order from Mercedes. (I specified OEM glass) Aftermarket glass wasn’t even an option as it was not available, according to the glass installer.

I made my first contact with Mercedes customer service on January 8, 2019. The result of my call was that no answer as to when the windshield would be available. When February came, still no glass, and no accurate information. I was then told the glass would not arrive until March! I contacted Mercedes customer service again and again. In dealing with Mercedes customer service, I was made to feel that their function is not customer service. I was made to feel that their function was to keep Mercedes from incurring any responsibility or costs. Perhaps Consumer Reports should add to their annual survey a question asking if the consumer had any interaction with the OE manufacturer, and what was the outcome? I made numerous calls to Mercedes starting on January 8, 2019, and continued to get inaccurate information every time. Finally, on February 15, 2019, the windshield arrived and was installed by a Mercedes Dealer, selected by the Mercedes company……not the selling dealer. (The dealer that did the installation did do a good job)

While we were waiting for the windshield, almost two months went by where we could not use the car. It is potentially illegal to drive a car with a cracked windshield according to Florida statute 316-610. It is also dangerous to drive a car with a cracked windshield. The windshield is part of the structural integrity of an automobile. In addition, the windshield serves to deflect the airbag on the passenger side. If the glass is compromised, the bag could lose effectiveness resulting in harm to a passenger. In addition, Mercedes has published a paper entitled “MBUSA position statement re: Replacement Glass & Glazing”, whereby Mercedes states that only Mercedes glass has been tested and approved for replacement in their vehicles, and that anything else could be “inferior”. (Not that an aftermarket glass was available anyhow) In addition, if you don’t install OEM glass, Mercedes won’t “certify” the car for resale!

For two months our car sat in the garage not being used. We lost two month depreciation, two months payments, two months insurance cost, and suffered embarrassment from our friends and associates that questioned our sanity for buying this car. Mercedes never even offered a loaner car. Mercedes never offered to “pull a windshield off the assembly line” to take care of this issue. I asked about this, and was told “it will not happen” It appears that Mercedes does not have a product planning department……..or is there perhaps another issue. In doing research online, it appears that many Mercedes cars, all different models, have had windshield issues. Some from “chips”, and some from structure issues, ie: hitting pot holes or curbs, etc. Perhaps the Mercedes windshields are problematical, and Mercedes is replacing more windshields than they planned for?

Mercedes customer service verbally suggested that they would make a lease payment for me as “good will”…….. I don’t have a lease! I asked them to put things in writing, they didn’t do that, although when I called them , I was advised that the phone call might be recorded by them……Their last comment, which they finally did put in writing, was “as discussed, our position will remain unchanged as it was fully reviewed on many levels”. What this translates to is that they won’t assume any responsibility for the issue they caused. The costs, the embarrassment…….”the best or nothing” is fraudulent advertising…..they are not even close to best! In the April 2019 issue of Consumer Reports, Mercedes was “mid pack”. In my mind, and the mind of others we have talked with, Mercedes would have to improve their product and their attitude to be mid pack. They clearly don’t have a grip on what customer service is about. And by the way, “good will” is when you take care of issues to the customers’ satisfaction and then do something above and beyond.

It is my hope that any perspective customer who is considering the purchase of a Mercedes do their “due diligence” before making a commitment to a Mercedes product. Based on our experience, and the way we were treated, there will be no Mercedes products purchased by us, or anyone we speak with.

I tried to make this Mercedes purchase for my wife to celebrate her hard earned retirement. This was to be special. Now she is reluctant to even drive the car, and questions whether we should even keep it. We expected better from a manufacturer that wants to be known as a “luxury car provider”. The way we were treated is unacceptable, at any level.

 

I've had similar windshield issues with BMW's. Virtually no insurance company will pay for a dealer installed replacement. They overcharge significantly. The windshield shop I use orders the parts and lets me know when they can do the work. One should not expect to have uncommon original replacement parts for a Mercedes or BMW available in the same time frame as a Toyota, Ford or GM vehicle. As for Volvo, I would never buy a Chinese car no matter where is is assembled.

 

I can tell you are frustrated. I had a recent bad experience with an entirely different "luxury" product. In my situation I wanted to feel that the company shared my frustration and concerns. Instead of me needing to call each time to get an update about the malfunction. It would have been better if someone were actually assigned to my case and reached out to me. Even when you can't provide a service or follow through, an apology goes a long way. On the other hand, having to initiate the contact each time and then painstakingly explain the situation to a new person each time is flat out annoying. In your case someone from your dealership could have called to discuss some goodwill options as well as to see you through this process. By doing so they could have taken this negative experience and turned it into something better. I was sent a $50 gift card after my 6 week ordeal and never received an apology. As you might guess I will not be purchasing KitchenAid in the future.

Even with a windshield, a luxury marque could at least make the effort to reach out to you and to make sure you understood that they not only knew you were without your vehicle for 60 days but that as a potential long term customer they wanted to do something about it.

 

I think overall, the latest reiterations of E Class and CLS's are not being built with the quality control that past MB's were. For example our 2019 CLS only 6 months old: Front windshield replaced due to blemishes on the right side and considerable distortion. The replacement glass which was installed under warranty, still has the distortion on the edge of the glass. The center console controller replace due to blemish in the inside of the glass. The driver's door needed adjustment to align it correctly. I performed this detail. Now, our car is still in the dealer's body shop to align the trunk. The dealer, i must say, has been excellent in addressing these issues. Will see how the car will hold in the months to come.

 

Every car manufacturer is going to have issues with certain things. With the windshield though and the insurance claim the blame is more with the insurance Co. especially in Florida. They just want you to go to Safelite normally and get the cheapest after market glass possible no matter what kind of car you have. I would not go blaming this directly on Mercedes.

I have a gripe too, my car is the luxury Wagon edition not even the AMG sport line and it came with the Goodyear Sport tires which ride very rough and not all that smooth even on a smooth highway. I'm having to have the dealer change them out in a week at a cost to me of over 1500 dollars. I paid good money for this car I don't want to suffer with a bad ride the next 20K miles (already have 10K miles) so the Michelin Primacy 3 tires it will be. To me it is a mistake of Mercedes putting a Sport tire on a regular E class Benz instead of a grand touring tire, I could see if it were the AMG line as you want a little better handling with that at the expense of the ride quality. But the way I look at it is my car is a great car and I don't think I could do any better with another brand of car, especially once I get the grand touring tires on it then it will be perfect. I think that's how you have to look at it and just let it go and by never buying another Mercedes you'd be missing out on owning a great car. From all I know there is no comparison from a Volvo to a Mercedes within it's own class. I had test driven a 2018 Volvo Wagon before I bought my E450 and was very disappointed with it and would not want to be stuck with that car the next 100K miles.

 

Hello all.......and thank you all for your responses and comments to my original post. To address some of the comments: Perhaps I have expected too much from Mercedes, since I paid over 70 K for a car! I have had numerous cars over the years in all price categories, from numerous companies. All the car companies, and most of the dealers have been appreciative, and have demonstrated that they would like my continued business. I would think in this day and age, all companies would understand that "if you are happy with a product or service, you tell one person. If you are unhappy you tell 100 people!". This old adage has never been truer than in our age of "instant communications". I do want to stress that in all my communications with Mercedes (the company and the dealer) I remained calm and overly polite. I learned a long time ago that expressing anger does not achieve positive results. I am really surprised that Mercedes would spend so much money on advertising, and yet not support an existing customer. It costs far less to satisfy and retain an existing customer than it does to try and sell to a new customer. As far as the windshield goes, this is a common repair item. I believe this is the same windshield as used in 2017, 2018 and now in 2019 E class cars. (Perhaps in other models as well?). Again, I can only make the guess that either the Mercedes product planning department is incompetent, or they are overwhelmed with windshield replacements. Regardless of what the blame is, Mercedes should have handled this much better.

I see a couple of mentions of the "mighty Volvo"!. I don't see a direct comparison between our Mercedes and our Volvo. In terms of seat comfort, the Volvo seat is more comfortable, in my opinion. Will it last as long or wear as well as the Mercedes.......it is too early to tell. As far as the rest of any comparison goes, the Volvo is a 2012 S80, with over 50K miles, and was half the cost new of our 2018 Mercedes. The Mercedes is a more "upscale" car than the Volvo. There are far more features on the Mercedes,, most good, some not so much.

There was mention of Mercedes ripping off the insurance companies with ridiculous prices for the replacement of the windshield. I know first hand of a doctor friend of ours, who has a 2017 S class that also had a windshield crack from a minor pebble hitting it. He too waited months for replacement, and Mercedes (according to him) charged the insurance company $2,600.00! It is no wonder the insurance companies are reluctant to have the Mercedes customer use OEM glass. Here is the caveat for the Mercedes owner though: I am told by the Mercedes dealer (I have checked with two of them) that if you use aftermarket glass, when you trade that car in, they cannot certify that car for re-sale, This could impact your cost at trade in or even private re-sale.

Thanks again to all who responded and those who read this.

 

All companies overcharge when they know insurance company is paying. And believe it or not, they got the money. The tallest buildings in the most expensive part of the town is where you find the offices of insurance companies and banks, so don’t shed any tears for them. If they had saved the money, the owners would have taken it out as bonuses.

Windscreens are expensive, and the more quieter ride etc. thus more expensive windscreen if you want the original part, ie the S class windscreen.

Not having windscreens in stock, or be able to get hold of one quickly, that is bad planning by Mercedes USA employees.

 

Agree 100% and would expect much better than I have witnessed.

As far as making you wait so long for a windscreen replacement, disgraceful. Worse so, considering the size of the US market.

 

I agree. It shouldn’t take so long to get a oem windshield. I fear for mine everyday as I drive up and down i75 with a lot of trucks spilling sand out the back. I try not to ride behind them. I’d talk with the service mgr at the dealership if I were you.

 

My road car, a BMW, gets a new windshield almost every year due to trucks kicking up debris from the road (mostly gravel).

 

All of this over crack windshield, that wasn't the fault of the manufacturer? Borderline ridiculous IMO. I've had windshields replaced in my previous Mercedes and current BMW and it took at week at best.

M

 

FWIW there is a thing known as reduced value. I hear it a lot in the Corvette forum. Someone's Corvette is in an accident and part of the settlement is additional payout as the resale value is less when one has been in an accident. I would think that would also apply to the E series. Use a cheap windshield from safelite and trade in value is reduced. Maybe the insurance company may be more inclined to pay for a genuine OEM windshield if they have to pay additionally for reduced value for a non OEM one.

 

I definitely can empathize with you in regards to all encompassed with that issue. All cars possess issues that sometimes compel dealers not to take appropriate or our desired actions. All in all, the Benz E300 is a solid car and I'd ask you to keep it and most of all, enjoy it.

 

All it takes is one incident to sour someone on a car, which on the whole, is a wonderful luxury automobile. Quite a few S owners have faced this problem with the windshield as well. One OP waited months and months and literally has a mini novel over his exploits trying to get his windshield replaced that he shared with us. It's a combination of incompetent insurance companies and Mercedes lack of keeping an adequate stock of windshields.

Wouldn't you think giving the nature of windshields, the you would keep plenty of them in stock? Mercedes should be ashamed allowing this to happen over and over; these are not isolated incidents! I too hold my breath every time a stone kicks up.

 

Failure to maintain an adequate supply chain for spares certainly is solely the fault of the manufacturer. OP is not faulting MB for the windshield crack. He's faulting MBUSA for failing to stock a very common replacement part, namely the windshield.

 

amf77

After reading your post I decided to register on this site as my retired wife just left a deposit on our first Mercedes Benz a 2019 E450 wagon. I showed her your post and prior to driving off on our new vehicle we will be asking the dealer about windshield issues. Thank you for posting of your experience but windshield damaged by a stone is not going to discourage us from the purchase.
Hopefully I'll be able to update this thread after our first year experience with our first Mercedes Benz

Howard

 

I suspect part of the windshield delay is due to the acoustic comfort package. That’s no excuse, they should have stock for such a component if they’re offering it, but that’s my guess. I too have the acoustic comfort package on my wagon, so I hope I don’t wind up stuck in limbo waiting on a replacement at some point.

 

Just bear in mind that any of these "supply chain planning" problems boil down to one single contributing factor. . . MONEY! It costs the company money to maintain spare parts in inventory. These days, they will change a parts supplier for a tiny fraction of a cent per piece in cost savings. Keeping parts in inventory is, to them, not a good use of their money. They would rather build another car, and hope to capture one more happy customer. They just, IMHO, take cost reduction a bit too far.

This is not a new issue, in general. Maybe with the windshield glass it is unique, but way back in the late 1970's I had an accident with a brand new VW. That car sat in the shop over a month, waiting for body parts, because they had just changed over to a new platform and all available parts went into new car production. Those of us who had already bought (and paid for) cars were forced to wait for parts until production caught up with demand.

I did have the windshield of my 2015 E400 replaced when the car was only 3 months old. Only waited a day or two. OEM MB glass installed by a MB certified shop. I wonder what is different with the W213 platform. Is it just that it is a "new" chassis?

 

I don't think it has a thing to do with the W213 chassis. The W222 S series,SL's, etc. face the same problem. As one OP suggested, it's more likely some bean counters have figured they could save Mercedes some bucks by not storing a decent number of windshields. Windshields crack quite frequently, so you think of all parts stored, this would be a major one....such is not the case.

Today's modern windshields are more fragile due to the heat and pressure used in the lamination process. The glass outer layers go through a lot of stress, which causes them to form microscopic defects, especially around the edges of the windshield. Whenever a rock, piece of debris, or sudden and violent jolt affects the area where these stress defects are, the windshield is more likely to more easily sustain a larger chip or crack. Windshields are much safer for passengers, but unfortunately the trade off is increased risk of cracking.

 

Dear rustybear3:

You posted:

I have never heard this before. I thought the opposite that today's windshields were much stronger than windshields of old.

Can you please post your source.

Thanks!

 

Read this: https://readcars.co/2018/06/25/moder...aged-so-often/

The frequent complaints of windshield crack failure on this forum alone seems to bear this out.

 

Thanks.

I thought your were referring to something new in present day windshields that causes chipping now that didn't happen in the past.

In fact safety glass, also known as laminated glass, has been in every windshield in every car manufactured in the United States for the past 50 years, and before that, until the 1960's in side and rear windows as well.

See: https://www.hg.org/legal-articles/th...ty-glass-19112

 

Its bound to be a very expensive windshield as all MB parts are. Don't expect that driving a luxury German brand will be inexpensive, in fact MB has one of the highest costs of ownership of any brand. We also suffered a pebble on our GLS, however knowing that any pebble pit is bound to crack the windshield I immediately ran to the nearest pep boys and bought a windshield repair kit and fixed in about one hour. Cost 18 dollars. Regarding cost 2k isn't too bad, I paid 1k for an odyssey one 20 years ago that was a plain old safelite one that had none of all the modern goodies that go attached to our modern ones. MB windshield is heat rejecting and has heating elements for the cameras. Im sorry to hear about the ridiculous long wait but again its kind of par for a car that uses few if any locally sourced parts. These type of hassles have always been part and parcel of owning a luxury foreign vehicle. As to reliavility, MB has improved significantly, in the early 2000s it was quite bad.

 

Just curious: do the current cameras and sensors in MB models mount directly to the windshield glass?