Be forewarned - problems with HK sys
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Joined: Aug 2002
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Be forewarned - problems with HK sys
The Command 2 system is not the only unsolved problem on the E series. The HK sound system is having powering off problems for which, according to MB, they don't have a current fix. I took myself off the #1 position at the dealership for an E55 because of these problems and the belief that the car was being released as an 03. In addition, the dealership charged me $4 to top off my washer fluid on my E500 because it was unscheduled maintenance (HK sys). I may settle for the RS6, if nothing else their service bay is only 4 miles from my home. Sorry, just fed up with all the problems I've had with bmw's and now the MB.
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Joined: Jan 2003
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We've had our E500 for about a month and 2000 miles of both short and long distance driving and have yet to have the HK system even hiccup. I wouldn't let that scare you away from the car!
I feel that MB will work these problems out in short order, most likely requiring only a firmware upgrade. I suppose it's down to the complexity of the systems but even my C32 has the occasional audio system glitch. Restarting the car has taken care of it every time. Unfortunately as the systems in our cars grow more complex I fear such bugs will become more the norm than the exception. As an aside, audio system glitches were also not unknown in my previous cars (BMWs and MBs with NAV and without as well as a Lexus) so it's not just Benz.
On the COMAND, it's something I sorely want, but it's something I can live without. If necessary I'll take the car without COMAND, enjoy it, get back on the list and hope by the time I come to the top again the issues are resolved. The lack of a NAV system won't impact my enjoyment of the car greatly.
As far as the RS6 goes, it's a great car but you'll likely be making a huge sacrifice in the resale department. If you plan on keeping the car long term it's not really a factor but if you even have an inkling that you might want to sell it on and get into something else within three years that steep depreciation is going to smart.
I feel that MB will work these problems out in short order, most likely requiring only a firmware upgrade. I suppose it's down to the complexity of the systems but even my C32 has the occasional audio system glitch. Restarting the car has taken care of it every time. Unfortunately as the systems in our cars grow more complex I fear such bugs will become more the norm than the exception. As an aside, audio system glitches were also not unknown in my previous cars (BMWs and MBs with NAV and without as well as a Lexus) so it's not just Benz.
On the COMAND, it's something I sorely want, but it's something I can live without. If necessary I'll take the car without COMAND, enjoy it, get back on the list and hope by the time I come to the top again the issues are resolved. The lack of a NAV system won't impact my enjoyment of the car greatly.
As far as the RS6 goes, it's a great car but you'll likely be making a huge sacrifice in the resale department. If you plan on keeping the car long term it's not really a factor but if you even have an inkling that you might want to sell it on and get into something else within three years that steep depreciation is going to smart.
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Joined: Dec 2001
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As regards reliability and satisfaction issues, don't assume Audi is going to be the answer to your prayers.
Here are the results of various recent JD Power rankings of owner satisfaction and reliability, limited to the German marques:
2002 Owner Satisfaction Survey (German residents):
BMW> Porsche>MB>Audi
2002 US Vehicle Dependability Study:
Porsche>BMW>MB>Audi
2001 US Vehicle Dependability Study:
Porsche>MB>BMW>Audi
2002 Owner Ratings of Initial Quality, overall score, 1-5 scale:
A6---2.83
5 Series---4.33
E Class---4.00
Data from Edmunds regarding consumer quality rating, 1-10 scale:
2002 A6---8.4
JDP performance--3 out of 5
JDP mechanical quality--2 out of 5
2002 540i---9.1
JDP performance--5 out of 5
JDP mechanical--5 out of 5
2002 E Class---8.9
JDP performance--4 out of 5
JDP mechanical--5 out of 5
The bottom line is simply that Audis are not more reliable than other marques. In fact, all recent data suggests Audis are LESS reliable, and provide poorer ownership experiences, than BMW's, MB's and Porsches.
MB and BMW are not stellar when it comes to reliability...Japan is still in the Far East--in more ways than just geographically.
But Audi is still looking up at most other manufacturers of luxury vehicles when it comes to reliability.
Here are the results of various recent JD Power rankings of owner satisfaction and reliability, limited to the German marques:
2002 Owner Satisfaction Survey (German residents):
BMW> Porsche>MB>Audi
2002 US Vehicle Dependability Study:
Porsche>BMW>MB>Audi
2001 US Vehicle Dependability Study:
Porsche>MB>BMW>Audi
2002 Owner Ratings of Initial Quality, overall score, 1-5 scale:
A6---2.83
5 Series---4.33
E Class---4.00
Data from Edmunds regarding consumer quality rating, 1-10 scale:
2002 A6---8.4
JDP performance--3 out of 5
JDP mechanical quality--2 out of 5
2002 540i---9.1
JDP performance--5 out of 5
JDP mechanical--5 out of 5
2002 E Class---8.9
JDP performance--4 out of 5
JDP mechanical--5 out of 5
The bottom line is simply that Audis are not more reliable than other marques. In fact, all recent data suggests Audis are LESS reliable, and provide poorer ownership experiences, than BMW's, MB's and Porsches.
MB and BMW are not stellar when it comes to reliability...Japan is still in the Far East--in more ways than just geographically.
But Audi is still looking up at most other manufacturers of luxury vehicles when it comes to reliability.
