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Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedans

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Comments

  • bigrobnhbigrobnh Member Posts: 114
    Thanks for the uplifting story. As I said, I have no idea what Mercedes could do to fix the situation (other than close the dealership in Manchester and open a new one in Nashua).

     

    It looks like there are an expanding number of choices to replace my 4matic when I can't take it anymore. M35x, GS300x, RL. There's always the A6 and I think I read the 5 series is coming in AWD. I don't trust the former and I don't like the appearance of the latter. You can even look at 300c and a Ford 500 (well, not really). There are quite a few choices in the mid sized AWD sedan category now.

     

    I'm leaning toward the M35x and the RL, primarily because the dealers are local. I'd like the GS but that is also a Manchester dealership and involves the 50+ mile round trip. On top of that the GS does not have the 11K-12K mile service interval of the E320. That is the ONLY thing that has maintained my sanity.

     

    Regards,

    BigRob.
  • mark156mark156 Member Posts: 1,915
    Lastbenz, what an unfortunate story. If I had the same experience as you have, I would run and never look back.

     

    Fortunately, both my E-class and ML-class have been really good. There have been more issues with the ML but both have performed superbly.

     

     
    Shipo, what a wonderful story. I must have missed your previous ones as I didn't remember you working for MBNA. Keep the stories coming, they are very interesting!

     

    I most likely trade the ML in this fall and might go with the new ML but it now does not offer a third seat. I might have to move up to the R-class suv. The Land Rover LR3 is another strong possiblity. If Lexus would update the LX430, that would be a strong contender.

     

    Have a great day, Mark156
    2010 Land Rover LR4, 2013 Honda CR-V, 2009 Bentley GTC, 1990 MB 500SL, 2001 MB S500, 2007 Lincoln TC, 1964 RR Silver Cloud III, 1995 MB E320 Cab., 2015 Prevost Liberty Coach
  • clpurnellclpurnell Member Posts: 1,083
  • SylviaSylvia Member Posts: 1,636
    A reporter would like to interview someone who recently bought a large sedan such as a Mercedes E-Class, Lexus LS 430, Mercury Crown Victoria or any large Cadillac or Lincoln.

     

    Please send your daytime contact info to jfallon@edmunds.com by Friday, February 11, 2005.
  • kenevans11kenevans11 Member Posts: 1
    Dear Sir,

     

    Forgive this late reply to your commentary, but I am one of those God forsaken who gambled on MB being "bullet-proof" and indeed have transmission problems out of warranty with a '94 E320 sedan (~128k miles).

     

    I loved the car when I saw it 2 yrs ago, and followed that lust in replacing an '89 E300 with ~180k miles.

     

    I am soooo upset with Mercedes Benz for not building the tank I had expected this car to be. It was too much of a gamble at 46 and kids approaching college years.

     

    SO, I leased a 2004 Honda Accord coupe as a low cost alternative to my E320 in July 2004. I cannot come to terms to even sell my E... it is still sitting in my drive way 7 months later! Its in working order only no reverse gear. I'm afraid to find out that I might only net ~$4000... a damn paralyzing experience.

     

    Any suggestions of insights would be appreciated.

     

    KSE
  • r1_97r1_97 Member Posts: 181
    No problen with late reply as I just returned here myself due to a hard drive (computer - not car) crash.

     

    As for suggestions: Save your love,lust and other emotions for humans, not cars. A car without a reverse gear is NOT in working order. Think of your '94E as an beautiful, sexy but expensive mistress. Pay for your pleasure or get rid of it.
  • mezecamezeca Member Posts: 66
    Have you ever really seen a brand new car with doors that are not aligned? Especially as bad as the one's being described? The only time I've ever seen door alignment to be off that severely is from side impact damage.
  • pr_chand01pr_chand01 Member Posts: 2
    I want to buy new Mercedes Benz in a few days
    E-class 320 4-matic model with following options.

    1: Deser silver exterior
    2: Premium package
    3: Heated fron seats

    If some one has recently bought similar car then I want to know how much he/she bought it for.

    I will then use this information to negotiate and bargain proper price.

    Ashok
  • tomotomotomotomo Member Posts: 57
    Ashok - I don't remember the exact cost of my 2005 E320 CDI; however, the cost was MSRP plus TT&L. The dealers in Houston would not discount the CDI when I made my purchase. Good luck.
  • garyh1garyh1 Member Posts: 394
    You might get more response on the "Mercedes Benz E-Class: Prices Paid & Buying Experience" forum.

    Good luck!
  • kevinc5kevinc5 Member Posts: 204
    I have my 2000 E320 in for service at 90K miles and asked the service advisor what che charge would be for the recommended 100K spark plug change.
    Hmmm...$330.
    Is that in the ballpark? I'm sure the plugs are handcrafted in the Black Forrest by little auto worker elves, but it still seems a little high.
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    If I remember correctly your car has 12 spark plugs, and at a street price of something like $6.00 per plug you are talking about $72 for parts. Assuming that the dealership is REALLY going to stick it to you, the price will be $10 per, totalling $120. That leaves $210 for labor, working out to three hours at $70 per hour.

    Hmmm, at that price, I'd be inclined to either do it myself or find a good independent shop to do it for me.

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • kevinc5kevinc5 Member Posts: 204
    Thanks, I needed that...
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    Anyone here driven the new E350 yet?

    M
  • sjeedsjeed Member Posts: 120
    I have and am very impressed. It has good power and almost negates the need to jump to an E500. In fact I am well along in my negotiations to lease one. Let me know if you have any specific questions.
  • ccmbduong1ccmbduong1 Member Posts: 49
    Very interesting story... I am not in the car business but I had several business trips to Germany. I was told that there are 3 ways of doing business: the right way, the wrong way and the GERMAN way. The plant manager that I dealt with NEVER went down to production line, he would channel his voice thru a general manager, the GM would channel it down to plant chemist, then line chemist/engineer then production people. Quite an interesting hierachy. No wonder why the Japanese can and will capture a larger share of luxury car market. I drive an E320 now, like it. But for sure my next car will be a Lexus for its reliability. My '87 Camry has 190K miles on it and NO major problems, only replacement of wear and tear
    Happy driving
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    "...zee GERMAN vay..."

    Gee, that sounds familiar. ;-) When I was with MB-USA I ran into that syndrome a lot. I had written a large application for the North American market that the Germans wanted adapted from English to a multi-lingual Europe wide application, while at the same time they also wanted it modified from the DBMS back end that we were using over here to the one that they MANDATED everybody use (the Americans I reported to over here were a little more flexible). The thing was, the DBMS that they forced on me for the European version of the truth was ill suited for this application, and as such required easily 10 times the number of lines of code (totaled between the Client and the Server) to accomplish the same results (let alone the extra coding for the different languages).

    Then there were the lengthy meetings on how certain tasks should be accomplished. They would print these huge schemas and tape them to the wall (easily covering an area 5' high and 20' long), and then we would argue about the best methodology. The only reason why I won a few rounds was that I'd been down the same path before (when I wrote the N.A. system), and so I was able to walk them through their preferred logic and show them the pitfalls. In the end, they made the arguments that I did win sound like it was their idea all along, "Zee, ve toldt you zat eet vood verk zis vay."

    At times like that I would shut my mouth, wipe the smile off my face and dutifully execute the system the "vay I vaz toldt to do eet." ;-)

    Regarding cars, it's kind of funny how one person's reality differs from another's. In my case, by a huge margin the most unreliable car that I have ever had was a 1993 Japanese car, while the flip side is that my last two German cars (both BMWs) have yet to have so much as a single fault (unless you want to count two burned out taillights in my 1999 328i).

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • ccmbduong1ccmbduong1 Member Posts: 49
    In my opinion, trust is what we all have to earn in the business world. Repeated customers are even more important. Once we are happy with a certain names, be it Toyota, Lexus, MB,BMW, Sony, Buick... most likely we will return to that brand, unless we got screwed ,even one time.. I like my 96 E320, but with all of the publicity about MB quality, I am concerned every time I drive it... Maybe I am overly concerned, but I never had the same concern when I drive my 87 Camry. My first new car was 78 Monte Carlo, and I told myself that I will never try American made cars again... It's a matter of trust, it's not there anymore. I trust Toyota,Honda,MB.. so don't lose my trust because I will never give them another chance
    Happy driving
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    I hear you on the trust thing. While I have a fairly high tolerance for mechanical failures, just so long as the manufacturer/dealer stands behind the product and fixes it with a minimum of fuss. That was why I didn't buy another Japanese car, the manufacturer/dealers (two different ones) refused to stand behind the product. I've never had that problem from an American or a German car.

    Like you said, "don't lose my trust because..."

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    Ok thanks, and let us know what happens with the E350 if you get one. When I looked at it at the Chicago autoshow I didn't see any other changes other than the engine and the center console, which was a running change on the E320.

    M
  • microrepairmicrorepair Member Posts: 508
    I guess most of the 'noters' here must spend all their time on Edmunds and didn't notice the Insurance Institute report last week that rated the E-class as the safest sedan in the US interms of accident fatalities. I can't believe that hasn't been mentioned here yet..

    The #1 rating didn't surprise me. From personal experience (no, it wasn't even close to being THAT bad an accident) I can attest to the passenger protection systems in the E-class. I was rear-ended in my 96 E320 and although the rear bumper ended up near the rear shelf, there was no glass breakage and my knees never even touched the lower dash panel. The seat belt really tightened up as advertised and the headrest worked perfectly. I was not injured in spite of over $12,000 of body work to make it like new again. The crush zone did it's job and left the rear window intact! And me too!

    As a result of that I recently bought my second used (er, pre-owned!) E320, a 2001. And re: reliability, I have not experienced the failures that others seem to be having. The only failure on either car so far was that my 96 needed a head gasket and a water pump at 120K miles. Expensive, yes, but not too bad for the mileage considering the quality of the driving experience.

    As for the cost of the Service "A"; I just had to pay for it on my 2001 and my dealer charged $220 but also insisted that I needed an air filter for an extra $35... One would think that paying $220-250 for an oil change would get you a free air filter...?

    But that was all forgotten as soon as I put another 20 miles on it. What a pleasure to drive these cars !!
  • bigrobnhbigrobnh Member Posts: 114
    "But that was all forgotten as soon as I put another 20 miles on it. What a pleasure to drive these cars !!"

    Agreed. My post service visit/fiasco foul mood rarely lasts more than a day or two. I fear that might not be the case when the "work" they do is no longer under warrantee and I get to pay for the pleasure.

    Regards,
    BigRob.
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    I'm not surprised that it wasn't mentioned because on the sedans boards if it isn't negative this type of news isn't worth mentioning when it comes to Mercedes-Benz. Only the negative stuff gets the posts here because anything positive isn't in keeping with certain people's view of Mercedes, which by the way isn't based on anything other than what Consumer Reports or the Wall Street Journal says.

    Saying Mercedes is a leader in safety isn't understood unless certain agencies acknowledge it. Reading a lot of the posts on certain boards here you'd think a Mercedes is totally incapable of doing anything right.

    M
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Ahh, I think the sarcasm - particularly in this dedicated E-Class discussion - is not called for. Anyone can link to those results and, like microrepair, I also am surprised it took this long.

    So let's talk about the results instead of getting all wound up about posts that were NOT made - seems kind of odd given that everyone here is responsible for NOT making a post. :)
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    Correct!

    M
  • mark156mark156 Member Posts: 1,915
    Hey, I'm just pleased that they agreed with me! I knew I had a very safe car, that's why I bought it.

    Mark
    2010 Land Rover LR4, 2013 Honda CR-V, 2009 Bentley GTC, 1990 MB 500SL, 2001 MB S500, 2007 Lincoln TC, 1964 RR Silver Cloud III, 1995 MB E320 Cab., 2015 Prevost Liberty Coach
  • bedicobedico Member Posts: 1
    I am trying to change the plugs and wires in my 1986 300E. I have changed lots of plugs in many US engines, but removing the boots/plug wires on these plugs has eluded me. I bought a special padded plier tool, but all I have done is to crack two of the, what looks like, plastic cylinders inside the rubber boot. I have had the car for 2 years, and I have no idea of when the plugs were last changed. How do I get these plugs out?
    Bedico
  • leo23leo23 Member Posts: 4
    I recently went in for routine oil/lube around 48K, still under warranty and was told I had a aircondioning leak and a broken front "tierod", covvered by my factory warranty; plus a $500 break-lining job I had to pay for out of pocket.
    I was a bit shocked that I'd have these problems while still at only 48000 miles...does it seem reasonable to expect? Also, is there some way of checking whether I really have a 4-matic? The front weels don't seem to move when I get on an icy surface...and I wonder why?

    Thanks,

    Leo23 (email: lg4@nyu.edu )

    Today I had yet another problem: the passenger-side window will not go up! (all the other windows work alright). What might be the cause? can I fix it myself? as I can't really get an appointment at the MB dealers within a week... and its still cold out here in Massachussets.

    Thanks--

    Leo
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Posting your email address is a gift to the spam bots. If you want folks to have your email address without signing up for a boatload of spam, all you need to do is make it public in your profile. That way only logged in members can see it and the spam bots can't touch it.

    If you want me to delete your message, just drop me an email - then you can repost without it.
  • wbreaux1wbreaux1 Member Posts: 55
    I had 2 "window regulators" go out, and it was several hundred dollars each (as I reacll) to replace each one.
  • mark156mark156 Member Posts: 1,915
    Leo, I also had a rear window regulator go out on my 2000 E430 about a year ago. I currently 28,800 miles on my car now. As I recall, it was less than $200. Other than that, I have not had any problems since going out of warranty last October (knock on wood).

    The warranty issues were two sets of sunvisors on both sides. The mirror flap would just break off and they were not used much at all. I had a fog light assembly break where it would not aim correctly. I think that's all in the 5 years 5 months that I've owned my E other than regular maintenance.

    Mark
    2010 Land Rover LR4, 2013 Honda CR-V, 2009 Bentley GTC, 1990 MB 500SL, 2001 MB S500, 2007 Lincoln TC, 1964 RR Silver Cloud III, 1995 MB E320 Cab., 2015 Prevost Liberty Coach
  • donald02donald02 Member Posts: 54
    I have a 2001 E-430 and I seem to remember that about 2 years ago I got a notice of an extended warranty on window regulator replacements on the E-class. I'm not sure of the particulars but you may want to investigate.
  • bigrobnhbigrobnh Member Posts: 114
    Just went out to run errands on lunch and noticed a wet spot under the car. Not the typical twin puddles from the AC but right up front just left of center facing the car. Lift the hood, frame under that corner of the radiator is wet. I also notice the brand new hose they put there on Dec 27th which is just above the spot still has its' MB label on it.

    I give them a call, they look up the records and confirm that they just replaced the lower radiator hose but the leak could be anything. Well, it's 50 miles one way from work and 30 from my home...I ask if they'll come get the car and leave me a loaner. They reply that that is a service they no longer offer (this is something they did for me when I went through the 3 tries to fix a leaky transmission). So next Tuesday I start down that winding road of getting the car serviced.

    They never fix things correctly the first time. They never have parts. It is sheer luck if you can get a loaner. They actually have reduced what they will do to service a customer. When the car works I love it but I will never, ever, buy one of these again. And it will be totally due to the service I've received as I understand that cars are mechanical and will occasionally need to be worked on.

    I really, really hate my dealer and service department.

    Regards,
    BigRob.
  • bigrobnhbigrobnh Member Posts: 114
    Good news was that the leak wasn't the coolant system but the passenger side headlight washer nozzle. Of course they did not have the part so aftermy 50+ mile round trip plus 1 hour on the road + 2.5 hours there (they did put on my summer tires) the car is not fixed. On top of it all, it is not covered under starmark (I'm at 4 years + 4 days and 57K miles so regular warrantee is expired). Great coverage. Estimated cost to fix, $350.

    Looks like luck is more important than an extended warrantee if you're going to own one of these.

    Regards,
    BigRob.
  • mark156mark156 Member Posts: 1,915
    Bigrob... funny that you mentioned the headlight washer nozzle. I was with my friend who has a 2001 S500 and when he pushed the headlamp washer button, I saw something pop up and the water coming from that side was very "gushy". Come to find out, the nozzle popped off.

    He thought that it was broken but it just popped off. I think the nozzle must have gotten hung on the washer door as it was going down and loosened it. When he took a closer look at the nozzle head, there were no breaks or cracks. Also, when it popped off, all of the washer fluid drained out of the reservoir container.

    So, we just popped the nozzle back on and everything was fine. Did you try that with yours?

    Mark
    2010 Land Rover LR4, 2013 Honda CR-V, 2009 Bentley GTC, 1990 MB 500SL, 2001 MB S500, 2007 Lincoln TC, 1964 RR Silver Cloud III, 1995 MB E320 Cab., 2015 Prevost Liberty Coach
  • garyh1garyh1 Member Posts: 394
    So sorry for your pain, BigRob. Why was this not covered under the Starmark warranty? What exception applied to this? Could it be argued that this is part of the electrical or climate control systems?

    $350 for a replacement washer nozzle seems out of line even for an MB. Sounds like time to go to an independent repair shop!
  • rick1rick1 Member Posts: 12
    We bought a 99 E320 about 7 months ago w/ 45K and w/ 3 yr/100K starmark and have had 2 problems both promptly and cheerfully fixed by dealer. As a virgin MB owner, I am impressed with both the dealer and the car - it is a completely different buying and driving experience. All I can think about now is my next one. (wife drives the e)
    You realize, of course, this is probably the only place you can complain about a faulty headlight washer and garner any sympathy.
  • bigrobnhbigrobnh Member Posts: 114
    Mark,
    Thanks for the input. I haven't pulled it apart at all. The washer works fine, it just seems to intermittently ooze fluid. Maybe now that the days are warming, there is a pressure change in the reservoir. I dunno.
    I'll take a look at it over the weekend. Worst case, I let the reservoir run dry.

    Regards,
    BigRob.
  • bigrobnhbigrobnh Member Posts: 114
    Gary,
    I'm not certain what clause of the warranty this is falling thru. I figured the headlight systems would be an important safety system (washers are an integral part of the Xenon package) but they said that the washers are a convenience item. They are probably right as I rarely use them (interesting what the MTBF must be on this part).

    Regards,
    BigRob.
  • bigrobnhbigrobnh Member Posts: 114
    "You realize, of course, this is probably the only place you can complain about a faulty headlight washer and garner any sympathy."

    My post isn't searching for sympathy about my headlight washer. I'm discussing this specific dealers ability to service my vehicle. As I had posted prior to my service appt (at which time I didn't know what the issue was) I pointed out that they never have parts and these are always multi-day issues. Once again, they met my expectations.

    MBUSA called me yesterday to review the service. They made a point of mentioning that the dealerships are independantly owned but MBUSA has review authority and will check into this for me. They recommended going to another dealer. Unfortunately there are few options where I live.

    The dealership itself is an impressive place. Fresh cut flowers in the waiting room. Green Mountain coffee. Plasma screen on the wall. You could eat off their shop floor. The people are always cheerful and courteous. Unfortunately, they're always cheerfully telling me that the car will be in the shop for another day while they wait for parts; we no longer run a car pick-up service; gee, we've never seen THAT issue before, etc.

    You are fortunate that your dealer was able to solve your problems promptly. That has not been my experience.

    Regards,
    BigRob.
  • greasykid1greasykid1 Member Posts: 336
    As an owner of a 2001 E320 w/Starmark,when I read the warranty it covers items NAMED in their warranty. Anything NOT NAMED is not covered.
  • zevikzevik Member Posts: 1
    i have a couple of questions, perhaps someone can help me out. I just got a 2005 E500 and was wondering first does it integrate with Ipod? and second the seat belt keep beeping if it's not on, is there any way to turn it off?
  • sjeedsjeed Member Posts: 120
    On the iPod question, there is an iPod Integration Kit forthcoming for the E class (as well as other MB models). The Kit has just come out so far for the new M class. I called the dealer yesterday and they believe that it will be available very soon, but do not know exactly when, yet.
  • ray00edmray00edm Member Posts: 12
    MB's E class's front is a copy from the OLD lexus GS430. Many Lexus fans are outraged by this but I don't see anyone here talk about it. It is a good thing that GS had abandon the old design. A few years from now, people might just forget about this.
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    MB's E class's front is a copy from the OLD lexus GS430. Many Lexus fans are outraged by this but I don't see anyone here talk about it."

    Thats because this isn't even close to being true. The E-Class has had bascially the same front end design since 1996, long before the 1998 GS430 came out. The 2003 model is just a evolution of the them. The reality of it is that Lexus took cues from the 1996 for their 1998 GS by giving it a similar design in the front.

    I haven't seen anyone since 1998 make such a claim until now, ain't no Lexus fans been able to much such a ridiculous reach to be outraged about something that isn't true.

    M
  • ray00edmray00edm Member Posts: 12
    Sorry I meant MB 2003 E copied from old GS400. Not GS430.

    By the way, I checked and rechecked, the 2003E looks a lot more like GS400 then the 1996E. Everybody agrees with me right? You can use the USED CAR information on this very website. They got photos of 2003E and GS400 both facing left. The similarity is unbelievable. The number one cue is that the shape of the head light cover.

    I know this is a MB fan forum but we have to face the truth. Since GS400 is rarely seen, MB might think they can get away with it. However, my neighbor owns a GS300, which looks like GS400. I think that car is great looking, but I hate the change they made for the GS430. Lexus has this tendency to update great design to bad design. Example, RX330 is more ugly then RX300.
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    " Everybody agrees with me right?"

    Nobody agress with you because there is nothing to agree on. What you fail to realize is that the E-Class got its current look in 1996 before the 1998 GS came out. Period. The current E is just an update of the 1996-2002 design it it doesn't look like no lame Lexus GS.

    "Since GS400 is rarely seen, MB might think they can get away with it."

    What?

    "However, my neighbor owns a GS300, which looks like GS400."

    Uh..that is because its the same car different engine!

    M
  • babusahibbabusahib Member Posts: 1
    This is the 3rd time I got Check Engine Light on my 1997 Mercedes E320 (about 80K miles). The first time it went away in 2 weeks - before I got a chance to have it checked out. The next time I took it to a service shop (not a dealer) and he charged me $98 to read the code. He came up with P1070, the mass air flow meter needed replacement and the cost would be about $550. I thought I will do some comparison shopping before putting down that much money. Then the light went off by itself.

    Now it's back again. Any recommendation? Should I get the part and replace it myself? Should I go back to the shop and give him $550?
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    Some nice pics:

    All the E's:

    image

    image

    The last 3 generations:

    image

    My favorite E is the one in the rear most part of the picture, the vaunted W124.

    image

    Here the W124 is the first E to the right.

    M
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Do you know the MYs of the ones in the top two?
This discussion has been closed.