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2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,315
edited September 2014 in Mercedes-Benz

image2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster Long-Term Road Test

We've now driven our beloved SLS AMG Roadster about 15,000 miles since December and a small problem has come up. Its driver seat has become a bit loose in its mounts.

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    zimtheinvaderzimtheinvader Member Posts: 580
    typical GM quality problems. this is the reason they will never be considered among the true luxury brands. --------- oh, wait wrong car, sorry.
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    mercedesfanmercedesfan Member Posts: 365
    Now that is unusual for MBs. If your rain-sensing wiper sensor or auto-climate control sensors went on the fritz I wouldn't be that surprised. However, in all my years of owning Germans cars I have never had a single one develop a loose seat.
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    noburgersnoburgers Member Posts: 500
    I still think you got a Monday car
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    wdrauchwdrauch Member Posts: 22
    just curious, what plant builds the SLS AMG? Is it even built in a regular MB plant?
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    s197gts197gt Member Posts: 486
    "in all my years of owning Germans cars I have never had a single one develop a loose seat." Google BMW Z3 seat bushings... maybe it is a German convertible thing.
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    agentorangeagentorange Member Posts: 893
    I'm sorry but this SLS has been like owning a badly assembled shed.
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    wcollegenjwcollegenj Member Posts: 2
    If this were a 20k American car, you guys would be all over it....way too many problems for a car that costs this much.
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    noburgersnoburgers Member Posts: 500
    I agree with @wcollegenj. I suppose the more advanced technology and mechanics in a vehicle, the more there is to go wrong. But this car has had all manner of basic fit and finish issues totally unrelated to what I would consider high tech parts.
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    exnevadan_exnevadan_ Member Posts: 25
    in an Italian or British car this would be called character

    in an American or Korean car this would be attributed to lack of build quality

    in a German or Japanese car this kind of problem is simply ignored or explained away as an anomaly

    so much for fair reporting (I'm still an Edmunds fan)
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    misterfusionmisterfusion Member Posts: 471
    unionbuster: "See, this is what happens when two incompetent automakers try to build a meaningless car using a broken platform, assembled by disgusting UNION workers -- wait, what? It's from outside the US? Oh, never mind then."
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    cjasiscjasis Member Posts: 274
    Sorry but a loose seat is a big deal. Airbags, etc. are all designed to work with a fixed seat and god forbid you get in an accident, 1/4 inch of play could be HUGE.

    I'm not one to bash a brand but honestly... all the problems with this flagship car are a bit unsettling and perhaps revealing as to why top end MB cars depreciate like rocks.
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    fordson1fordson1 Unconfirmed Posts: 1,512
    30k, huh? You got it with 14k and change...so that means that you only have to keep the wheels from falling off for another four thousand miles before you flatbed it back to MBUSA and can put your battery minder back up on the shelf where it belongs. Maybe the two AMG techs who signed the engine-assembly plaque can put you in touch with whomever was supposedly responsible for screwing together the rest of the car. Hey - for that matter, you guys have done enough work on it to get your own plaque.
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    adantiumadantium Member Posts: 42
    what a piece of trash car...Like all mercs. Quality is kaput. plan on buying two so when one is in the shop you still have a spare. Or better yet buy three. You never know when two will die at the same time. :p
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    mercedesfanmercedesfan Member Posts: 365
    @cjasis, MB's residual value at the top end is no worse than any other German car. No car in the top price bracket has particularly good residuals, but the German cars always struggle when compared to bespoke vehicles like Bentleys, Rollers, Astons, etc.
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    camrydriver69camrydriver69 Member Posts: 54
    @mercedesfan "The fact is that MB is amongst the most dependable brands out there."

    Mercedes Benz is dependable? Maybe 30 years ago. Luxury cars are generally not dependable. Especially over-engineered German ones made from plastic with comple
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    ckuers_ckuers_ Member Posts: 2
    Why wait another 15,000 miles? A loose seat can be a safety hazard. I"d take it to the dealer ASAP, or most likely, tighten the bolts myself...
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    duck87duck87 Member Posts: 649
    @mercedesfan: I don't doubt that there are many desirable MBs out there, and reliability for some models are not bad. But I think this particular SLS is a lost cause.
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    mercedesfanmercedesfan Member Posts: 365
    @camrydriver69, Actually, MB is consistently ranked top 10 for overall dependability industry wide and has the second lowest probability of a mechanical issue in the industry (second only to Honda). There is no question that generally their electrical sys
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    mercedesfanmercedesfan Member Posts: 365
    @camrydriver69, Actually, MB is consistently ranked top 10 for overall dependability industry wide and has the second lowest probability of a mechanical issue in the industry (second only to Honda). There is no question that generally their electrical sys
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