vinceching

heh, i remember the days of being stranded in my 96 range rover. it would always crap out on me at the worse times. and it always loved to leak.

and you're right the dealership in my case as well reacted beyond my expectionations.

for 8 months, i was driving in different used preowned jaguar xj8's, and xj6's that were always clean since the rover was in the shop. it was eventually lemon'd.

i think we had a total of 12 different colors, and it was funny to see the reaction of friends who thought i hit the jackpot but lost my mind when i only bought jaguar's xj series.

vinceching

ebay isn't a good indentation of resale. most of the cars on there are overpriced and don't sell. and you can see that when you do the advance search and search for completed listings only.

oknish

Most eBay auto sales just don't show completed on ebay but the cars are sold My point was, and I should have been clearer, that there is a healthy resale market for GLs. And let's not even talk about 320's resale value since you can't even find them used.

oknish

My standing rule with dealer is do not wash my car. They did it one time and I skewered them on their "quality of service" callback. Hasn't happened again.

vinceching

yea, thats my rule too. but the detailing guys are the car washers dealerships have on site.

its a separate company who does the whole full detail. clay bar, wax, sealant. and they removed some minor swirls for me

$350 paid for by the dealer.

vinceching

yea, very true. most people don't like to deal with ebay fees and take it off line.

jongaines

At about 5K miles, no issues. Love the vehicle and so far in "extreme like" with the dealer, which I agree, makes all the difference in the world. First service (if you can call it that) went like clockwork-loaner was brand new and staff was A+ in friendliness and efficiency.

StevethePilot

YMB*K - who cares if it's under warranty? Oh, I dunno, maybe someone who's out in the middle of the mountains of north-eastern Arizona with two kids and a couple of dogs, at night, with huge semi tractor-trailers whizzing past, not knowing what the hell is wrong with the truck because it's brand friggin' new and their first diesel.

I'm thrilled that you would rather hang around a Mercedes dealer than a Toyota one. I'd be thrilled to hang around somewhere of my own choosing and when I was with Lexus products I never had to hang around there, at all. I'm glad you've had ZERO reliability problems, that's terrific, but not the case for a disproportionate number of us. You know what truck has given me ZERO reliability problems? My Ford Excursion, V10 gas. If a car's going to be unreliable, I'd sure expect it to be the cheapest one I got. Any problem with that beast has been A) aftermarket electrical, my own fault or B) rabbits eating wires and such because it's parked outside for long periods of time, because it costs me $12 just to start the damned thing.

I've got to say, the statement "who cares if it's under warranty" is the most manufacturer-centric thing I've ever heard in my life. "So it breaks? We'll eventually fix it, maybe two or three times before we figure out what's really wrong with it. What do you care?" Amazing.

Chicky Monkey

Just for fun, I will tell you about my experiences with my MB dealer:

The water spots were more than a water spot or two from the dealer washing the car.

The truck was leaking water into the interior, and they did a “water test” to find the location of the leak. Then they just left the water to dry. So the windshield, hood, side windows, sides of the truck are COVERED in water spots. Like I parked under a sprinker. I almost cried. Since I refuse to let this dealer ever touch my truck again (read on!) I am paying to have a professional detailer remove the spots.

Here are the other issues I’ve had with my dealer:

They lubed the mirrors for the auto folding problem. The lube dripped down both sides of the truck. They didn’t wash the truck so they delivered it to me with the lube streaks.

When they lubed the mirrors, it looked as if they had taken the scratchy side of a sponge and scrubbed the painted side of the mirrors and the paint is completely scratched up. It was so bad I actually thought they were going to have to repaint the mirrors or buy me new ones. A detailer tells me he can get the scratches out, however.

When I discovered the water leak, I drove the truck to the dealership to show the service manager (it was raining that day). He scheduled me an appt for a WEEK later so the truck leaked with water sloshing around my feet for the next 7 days while it rained. He asked me to bring the truck in early so they would have enough time to do the water test to find the leak. I delivered the truck and got a call 4 hrs later that they needed to do a water test and would need the truck until the next day to have enough time (um, isn’t that why I brought it in early??) My dealer didn’t provide me with a loaner. Never has. Oh, but they will give me a ride somewhere in their shuttle. Haha. So they had the truck for 2 days trying to find the source of the leak.

During a previous visit, they tore the doorsills apart in order to install the lighted sills only to find out they were missing a part. They asked me if I wanted the truck put back together. When I asked when the part would be in and they say 4 days (this was Friday afternoon) I said, ‘Uh, yah, you need to put the truck back together.’ So I was out the truck for 2 days (2 visits) having the lighted sills installed.

I ordered chrome wheels through the parts dept and was told they were backordered. After waiting 2 months, I asked what was going on with them. The vendor the dealer uses reported he didn’t know anything about it…they had no order for me. I was back at square one!! During the install of the wheels that eventually arrived, they stripped a valve stem and had to order a new one. Once again, I had to return the truck to finish the job.

IF I had a local dealer who wasn’t a retarded group of monkeys not qualified to work on tractors, much less my $80,000 truck, I would be much less concerned about warranty issues and having to fix the truck.

As you can see, it is a MAJOR consideration for me and whether or not I buy another MB product since the next nearest dealer to me is 100 miles away.

Chicky Monkey

Adding to previous post:

I CRINGE at the thought of more things going wrong with the truck.

I am already driving the 200 mile round trip to the other dealer in order to have the broken rear door handle fixed.

What if something major happens where I have to have it towed? Who is going to tow it 100 miles when I have an in town dealer??

jongaines

Your experience actuall makes me sick to my stomache. Might I recommend that the next West Coast get together occurs at your dealership (or may be the owner's home on Sunday around dinner time). Its a long drive from NC but a good cause might be worth the trek.

blittle

Nevada Jack

Pretty funny...maybe we could all call the dealers wife like the kid did in VA when he didn't get a snow day...:-)

oknish

Lisa - you seem to have very good documentation of your travails at the local dealer. I would say give MB a call and see if they can assist you. IMO, you certainly have a case for escalation.

Chicky Monkey

Nish,
I've got my letter to MB and the owner of the dealership all ready to print and mail!!

But, what good is it going to do me? I don't think those morons at my local dealership are going to improve and they have certainly worn out their chances with me.

I only need 1 of 2 things in a vehicle: very few issues OR a competent local dealer. Right now I have neither.

anmhi

I-have-4000-miles-on-my-450-with-O-Issues-and-it-sits-outside-in-double-digit-negative-degrees-in-this-most-miserable-Chicago-winter

ubrs

I guess everything is relative. I currently own a 2002 330i with 73K miles, and I have never had a problem. I also just sold my 05 4.4 X5 with 45K and never had a single problem either, so my feelings on BMW is the complete opposite. This is my first benz as well, lets hope the GL 450 holds up to the test.

vinceching

i've done that before, and all you are going to do is get more upset because of the lack of help from the manufactuer.

this has been for all the cars i've owned... audi, land rover, and mercedes.

there is a thread on rennlist about some carrera gt owner getting upset about the yellowing of his carbon fiber in the door panels, and engine compartment.
read his post about the flip flopping of the manf, and you will get a good sense on how upseting they can make you.

best thing is to drive out for better service, or sell and buy a different brand.

StevethePilot

I need two months, six trucks, a complete set of tools, a spatula and a Bible.

slim nicky

Ugh. Driver's side rear door handle just broke on mine as well - it is stuck pulled out and now I can not open door from outside or inside. What a pain.

jongaines

Mine (both left side handles) were repaired at service A. No further problems.

grover432

As a subscriber to CR,I receive a survey questionaire every year asking me to report problems (if any) I have had with my vehicles in the past 24 months.

I am sure many people accross NA receive the same email survey. I am assuming that people who are interested, fill out these surveys and send them in, so they represent actual owner experiences with their cars.

One of the cars I drive is an older C220. This car has about 45,000 miles on it and is falling apart. It has a noisy clutch fan, the control arm bushings need replacement (again), the driver's door lock stopped working (a $500 repair), radio doesn't work properly in cold or rainy weather (ground?), the car sometimes refuses to turn over unless the transmission lever is first put into neutral and then back into park and if that isn't enough, it is rusting.

Any time I take it into the dealer, I pay a fortune to repair it and it is not usually repaired correctly - which points to a local dealer issue.

My wife drives a Honda Accord with 30,000 miles on it. It's been into the dealet for a couple of rattles (they couldn't fix them) and a broken radio. Other than that, it just goes about its business.

Now, I would much rather drive a new Mercedes than a new Honda, but there seems to be no escaping the fact that the Japanese imports are more reliable and suffer from fewer defects. My experience with BMW is similar. My last BMW (5 series) was a great car, but had many wierd problems that the dealer had a difficult time resolving. Perhaps it is the price paid for driving such a complex and rewarding car.

Would I buy a GL even though it has some problems? Sure! Ther are few vehicles that drive like a GL and sip fuel like the GL320. I think it is best in class. Is it as reliable as a Lexus? I don't think so, but it has soul, something the japanese imports are missing (in my opiion).

As another poster wrote, "don't shoot the messenger". you can't blame CR for reporting what its subscribers are writing in about.

Now if they can just explain the infant car seat testing mess ....

slim nicky

Just dropped it off hoping they could do a quick fix. Rep called out a technician who did initial look over and said it was not going to be easy given handle is jammed and door can not be open from inside or outside.

In the "no confidence inspiring" category - as I pulled up, one of the guys thought he recognized me and asked, "is the water leak problem back?" Don't have this issue and am keeping my fingers crossed my GL doesn't develop it. Have read posts about it and having water come through the rear sun roof does not sound like fun.

nantucketsleigh

Advanced technology and reliability problems go seem to go hand in hand. Given the technology in modern luxury cars and the trend of resale values over the past several years, leasing seems the way to go. I have never leased before but aside from my '92 500E which I'll keep forever, I think all my new cars will be leases - at least until the arithmetic of resale values vs lease residuals flips decisively.

bigben320e

You have to realistic. Like mentioned, more technology will have a few more issues. When I was discussing some difficult customers with my SA at one time, he said some people just don't get that any car could have a problem. Even a new one. You could buy something brand new, and have an issue with it. That's the whole point of a mfr's warranty.

Being that I am in technology, I deal with issues every day. So I can understand that the thousands of sensors, etc. you may a few more issues out of them.

My MB experience however, has been great. Out of my CLS, E320, and R500, there have been minimal issues. The 98 E320 has 178K miles on it, and runs great. I have only had to do routine maintenance on all the cars, and recently has the left CAT replaced on the E. It was supposed to be changed at 100K, but I got 178K out of it. The R, the airmatic pump was replaced under warranty, nothing else since.

Now we all know, that during the 00-03 years of MB had some dogs and MB really had to step the game up, and since their QC has greatly improved.The bottom line is that MB's on a whole perform well, and some dealers/SA's can ruin a customers experience by being a butt-head. A good SA, you get a whole different MB experience when you have an issue.