So... my father is a service consultant for a few dealerships, one of them being Lexus. (The car's totally mine, under my name, TFS receives my checks, etc). I live near an MB dealership. I can't keep my eyes off of this 05 C55 they have over there. It's just too sexy.

I've only owned 2 cars, one being an American car (NEVER again) and this one being the Lexus (great car, a little soft).

I know that reputably MB's are problem children, but I haven't actually encountered anything first hand. In fact, there are a TON of Benz's around here, so they must be doing SOMETHING right.

So my question is... what makes them so bad? I don't know specifics. Like VW for example... I know about the window regulators, the bulbs, etc etc etc

Someone save me

 

I don't think you will find the awnser on this board. I could be wrong.

I think for the most part:
The specifics of what problmes you might come across have to be asked about a year and model.

Start Here:
http://www.mbworld.org/forums/index.php

If you are interested in a C55 try a search like "C55 Problems"
http://www.mbworld.org/forums/showth...t=C55+problems

I like this guy's post!
"9000 miles. No issues. A blessing coming from a ///M3 that lived in the shop"

 

just the facts...
brand new 2001 E320 all options.. 4.5 months after purchase, found oil under the car <dealer: "is it like golf ball size spot?", "try 2 football ***** size"> they have to tow the car out of the garage.. 2 months later car simply completly dies on the hwy, quick reflexex/maneuvers save the day.. last but not least, about month later, turn on window child lock, niece actually is able to open it from her door <hear crunch> but then it won't go back up oh but wait if you use your hands the GLASS will go up <til you hit the first bump and it just falls off again > .. take it to dealer <did I mention their loaner was a taurus or mit galant?> they say "oh it's a common problem, we have to replace ALL of the upper pieces around the car since we dont have the matching color" so ended up with a grey interior with black colored upper trim?? said screw it, bye bye MB <12K miles>, hello GS300 and lived happily ever after til sold

K.

 

lol that M3 quote rules

I dunno... for some reason I just love that car. It looks beautiful, it's really smooth yet at the same time more vicious than a pissed off lion

 

Holy crap Skulinex

My neighbor had an older E Class and had some trim problems with it, so I was curious to see how the newer Benz's are holding up since they're pretty far from what they were before... so I have no idea. But, again, holy crap

 

old MB's were good. But their eletronics are way too sensitive. We found out the hard way that by simply disconnecting the battery on 98 E class, ABS error might show on the dash. Wasnt that fun.

 

Well, I have a 2000 S500. It's been doing well for the past 3 years, but the first 2 were filled with headaches. Airmatic, brakes, dash, climate control/command, CD changer. Myriad of stuff. I'm just happy I didn't get the distronic or rear AC system. Apparently even more troublesome.

 

I should point out that 2000 was the first year that Mercedes made a tech-heavy vehicle, and also the first model year of that version of the S-Class.

What's wrong with me?

 

as spwolf said, MB's were good a while back, but I believe ever since they paired up with chrysler, it all went down the drain... I think up to this day chrysler has gotten more benefits from MB than viceversa

 

i've been eyeballing the e55 wagon...but the crap shoot of something going wrong on an 80k+ car scares me

 

I hate statements like the above, 9,000 trouble free miles, like thats something special. THERE SHOULD NEVER BE ANYTHING WRONG WITH A CAR THAT HAS 9000 MILES ON IT. In my opinion a solid car will go 100,000 miles without a single mechanical problem aside from a few flukes which are bound to happen in any group of cars. Benz has gone down hill and theres not any of their cars that really appeal to me anymore besides some of the ones that cost 100k plus, but if your in that range then maintenance shouldnt be an issue.

 

Having owned Mercedes in the family, they have been very problematic cars. I will say this that how they design the car is interesting from a mechanic's viewpoint as the parts are placed in some of the most logical positions possible in terms of repair work (which you will do a lot of).

The trim falls apart and huge mechanic issues and you will pay a fortune for the parts.

 

I have a C32 and I would stay away from anything but the ///AMG built versions. There are still problems with some some of the cars in each model, but overall they are pretty reliable within the ///AMG ranks only. They suck lot's of gas, but they are reliable.

The only thing you need to remember with a C55 is that it no longer comes with a free maintenance warranty. Overall, there have been very few problems that I have read about with the C55 since the engine has been around forever.

Fun car to drive too...love the V8 rumble and the huge amount of torque out of the box.

 

You make a great point about AMG vehicles.

You used to be able to buy a Mercedes and the quality was the same throughout their ranges, not you are lucky to find quality at all regardless of the range, AMG being an exception.

 

but on amg cars, i thought mostly the difference are in the engine and tranny? all the other electronic gadgets they are still the same shared in their "normal" versions?