OneThinkingGuy

Thank you Wolfman. And I also appreciate the support coming to me from Tom S, even if he does not fully agree with me. This is such a great forum. All of us are civil here. This is so adult. So helpful, really.

OneThinkingGuy

I wanted to say, to be fair, no dealership has accommodated me this well through the years. Steve Desko, general manager has always been "top notch" exemplary in taking care of me and the customers I have recommended throughout many years. I know his hands are tied, so to speak, and he is being dictated to by the corporate office in New Jersey. I will continue to buy cars from him if corporate will resolve this. As an aside, to be personal, between my aging issues and two life threatening illnesses, routine service on a car is fine. Beyond routine service, I prefer to dedicate my time and energy to my own well being, not my $100,000 car.

BenzV12

Sorry to hear about the problems with your car . I believe you got a bad lot considering I have read various car mags and none of them talked about rattles .
33 MBs That must be a record . I heard a dealership in Boston sent a tech to the customer's location to fix a broken windshield wiper arm , just $30 part but I like the way they take the matters .
I know it may not sound a good deal but if I were you I would try a different dealer and trade the car for a newer S222 .
There is a common perception about first year productions but I never get that idea , these are not prototypes they are tested tested and tested before releasing to the customers but still you hear such glitches

OneThinkingGuy

Thank you, BenzV12. Store manager of Walter's is handling the situation very well at this point. They will come for the car on Tuesday.....I will demonstrate.....and they'll leave a nice loaner car with me. The dealership is approximately 60 miles from my home.

Germancar1

The CLA and GLA ARE NOT built in the U.S. Only the ML, GL, and R are built in the U.S. The C-Class will be built here this fall.

The ML and GL feel as good as any other Mercedes in their price range, and the GL in particular is tried and true bucks up Mercedes. This about where they're built and how they feel is a thing of the past.

M

K-A

My '06, 2010 and 2011 E350's all started to rattle heavily as time went on. It was one of the main issues I had with the cars as historically I assumed a Mercedes was the last car that should rattle. Came to realize that lots of people have issues with rattles on many of the modern models. With the E Class I credit it to poor suspension absorbing, therefore putting too much strain on the chassis, who couldn't handle it, therefore started to "loosen the car up". I didn't think the new S would have the issue but I'm assuming/hoping it's a rare case.

As for M-B's built in Germany, U.S, etc. I personally wouldn't get a Benz made anywhere but Germany, or any German car for that matter. Part of what you pay for it it being built and assembled in Germany, not middle America, and even if there are no fundamental differences, when getting a premium car I think a lot of the experience is about the "experience", the emotional aspect, and for that alone I'd only want one imported from Germany, not Alabama. I always feel the M-B trucks feel more "Americanized" than the cars, however that could have to do with trucks in general being more Americanized.

torontowino

From the sounds of things you need to let another MB dealership try and fix the rattles. Not impossible and you might end up happy. Otherwise sell the car and move on. If it were me I would find a dealership that has a very good trim person. Sometimes tracking down rattles is very difficult other times not. Let them try. Just letting the car sit is not the answer.

Khan28

I usually agree with you but I see no problem with the South Africa or US made MBs or BMWs. As for the MLs, Rs and GLs feeling more Americanized yes they do but they're made with the North American market in mind. That being said they're exported all around the world and people still buy them up. If they lack in quality (which they don't) then that would be the fault of MB lacking in quality control and not the employees at that work there.

With the world being so "flat" I don't really mind where the vehicles are made. They should be made in their homeland but if the quality is good that's all that matters.

Wolfman

Well, American built M & GL models are sold in Germany and have an excellent reputation there. I haven't heard from friends that own them there that the country of origin is even a discussion.
Mercedes in Germany was also rated to have the most reliable cars...