Originally Posted by Jsmuve7

Hello all, I am new to Mercedes ( CPO 2018 S450 4matic). I purchased my vehicle online & had it shipped to me (local dealership barely had pre-owned S class inventory & would only pick up/deliver from one of their own stores).
Now, I'm thinking, "I have a Mercedes Benz, so surely I can make an appointment with the local dealer & have them spend some time with me getting to learn some of the nuances of this car" ... well my first interaction with my local dealership after getting my car has me rethinking my decision to purchase Mercedes. When I tried to make an appointment to just have someone go through some things with me, the response was "you didn't buy it from here, so we can't help you". ???WHAT??? Didn't I just buy a Mercedes Benz....a Certified Pre-Owned Mercedes? The Best or nothing??? Surely this can't be right, maybe I just got someone on the phone that didn't feel like being bothered. So I call the MBUSA 800 number and explain what just happened. They concurred with the person at the dealership!! Explanation was that dealerships are individually owned so they can set their own standards. What about some minimum standards set by Mercedes Benz? So, I am quite disappointed in Mercedes. To the point that I don't even want to drive the car, I'm going to let my wife drive this one, I will drive her Lexus LS...where by the way, the dealership there goes out of their way to make sure we have everything we need.

Originally Posted by places

There are features in my S that I will probably never discover or use. It's too much, just enjoy the car!

Originally Posted by Streamliner

On something like this, I would immediately open a case with MBUSA. Leaking gasoline? The possibility of a fire or explosion? I believe they will jump all over this, immediately. They really don’t care about you, but they REALLY care about law suits, of which something like this could generate a huge one. Just play dumb and tell them you are scared. And, PLEASE let us know how this works out. Good luck!

Originally Posted by SW20S

I think this is a little dramatic. If I just stopped driving every car I had when I had a bad service experience with a dealer of that brand I wouldnt drive any car Ive ever had...including my Lexus LSs and my S Class lol. Any dealer can service the car, but you can't expect a dealer who didnt sell you the car to sit down with you and go over features and all. That something the selling dealer should have done for you. Its like if you bought a house with one realtor and called some random realtor affiliated with the same brokerage and asked them to come over and help you with some teething issues you're having. No, thats the realtor's job who got paid for you buying the house.

A Lexus dealer would have had the same response.

And the other point, you bought a used car, so MBUSA didn't even sell you a car, the dealership you bought from sold you a car they owned. Your expectations are out of whack here.

Originally Posted by Streamliner

On something like this, I would immediately open a case with MBUSA. Leaking gasoline? The possibility of a fire or explosion? I believe they will jump all over this, immediately. They really don’t care about you, but they REALLY care about law suits, of which something like this could generate a huge one. Just play dumb and tell them you are scared. And, PLEASE let us know how this works out. Good luck!

Originally Posted by E55Greasemonkey

L.M.A.O. Apparently you're not familiar with the 211 e-class fuel tank leaks. MB fought the NHTSA for years trying to avoid a recall and even lied, saying it was "impossible" for fuel to enter the passenger compartment. Many owner's rear seat cushions were soaked with fuel. They finally caved in and issued a 15 year warranty on the tanks. MB didn't care about raw fuel dripping under and into the car.

Originally Posted by 2012 merc amg

Ya I've read about that in my research with my issue. Apparently thats why they got rid of the under seat access to the fuel pump and the fuel sender unit. I assumed my 2018 had that setup but the Service writer at the dealer I was today told me they discontinued doing that setup, probably that is the reason. My understanding is that you need to drop the fuel tank now in the newer cars to change either the fuel pump or the sender unit, that is the reason they are not too keen on doing it on my car, they try to avoid doing this repair at all possible on the newer cars as it's a pretty big job. He said they noted that one of the fuel lines was a little loose and he said they tightened it and that just may fix the problem, I guess I'll find out in the next few days. He said if the issue is still present after the little repair they did today that they are going to need the car for at least a week or more to drop the fuel tank. I guess they would give me a loaner car, not sure what kind of car. I'm just praying maybe that fuel line tweak worked today but I'm not real optimistic as I could swear the fuel smell is coming from around the fuel tank and not the up near the top of the engine where they said the line was a little loose.

Originally Posted by hyperion667

Next they'll try gorilla tape.........but in gorilla tape's defense, it is really strong stuff

Originally Posted by superangrypenguin

Originally Posted by DaveW68

Electric cars are extremely annoying to drive. I can't blame MB for dragging their feet. And once Republicans take back control of both chambers of Congress next Fall and the presidency in 2024 (depending on how much the Democrats cheat), and gas prices begin to fall again, the rush to green tech will slow dramatically and companies like Cadillac who are banking on being fully electric in 2035 will see their sales plummet as they'll be left holding the bag.

Originally Posted by DaveW68

Electric cars are extremely annoying to drive. I can't blame MB for dragging their feet. And once Republicans take back control of both chambers of Congress next Fall and the presidency in 2024 (depending on how much the Democrats cheat), and gas prices begin to fall again, the rush to green tech will slow dramatically and companies like Cadillac who are banking on being fully electric in 2035 will see their sales plummet as they'll be left holding the bag.

Originally Posted by E55Greasemonkey

Have you heard about a company named Tesla? They've eclipsed Mercedes-Benz as the "brand to have" amongst affluent buyers and the younger generations over the last several years. They have almost a cult following. Technology is moving forward, with or without you. I suppose those dinosaur republicans ought to outlaw iPhones and return to dial phones eh?

Originally Posted by SW20S

How are electric cars annoying to drive?

Originally Posted by DaveW68

The biggest annoyance is modulating the accelerator pedal to give smooth acceleration.....and then letting off the pedal and the super annoying brake regeneration slowing the car dramatically. Those cars are either on or off. It is extremely difficult to have a smooth ride in a Tesla.

Originally Posted by DaveW68

LOL!!!

In 2019, Tesla sold 195,125 cars in the US. MB sold 352,734.

So much for your argument about affluent buyers flocking to Tesla over MB.

I don't doubt that Millennials are the target group for Tesla. But if the US taxpayers didn't foot the bill for Tesla, they'd never sell any cars as they'd cost double what they sell for now. And it's not like they have very good build quality or are loaded to the gills in luxury features. I guess us old dinosaurs still appreciate a high quality luxury product where we don't have to worry how far our car will go before it runs out of energy and takes hours to fully recharge....whereas I can fill up from empty in 5 minutes.

Originally Posted by DaveW68

LOL!!!

In 2019, Tesla sold 195,125 cars in the US. MB sold 352,734.

So much for your argument about affluent buyers flocking to Tesla over MB.

I don't doubt that Millennials are the target group for Tesla. But if the US taxpayers didn't foot the bill for Tesla, they'd never sell any cars as they'd cost double what they sell for now. And it's not like they have very good build quality or are loaded to the gills in luxury features. I guess us old dinosaurs still appreciate a high quality luxury product where we don't have to worry how far our car will go before it runs out of energy and takes hours to fully recharge....whereas I can fill up from empty in 5 minutes.

Originally Posted by MBNUT1

How is the tax payer footing the bill?

Originally Posted by chassis

@DaveW68 What are the demographics of the 195k Tesla owners? It's a large slice of formerly MB customers. Tesla has taken share from BMW and MB.

Millennials want Teslas. Many of them, because of their tender age and modest but growing net worth, are not yet able to afford a Tesla and its potentially very expensive ownership experience. But they will, when they age and their portfolios grow. Watch.