Galaxy 40

Hey guys I need your input on AMG cars, are they reliable are they better than the regular MB cars? I might get the C63 next yr. I already did a photoshop with bbs-lms

mmarshall

Hard to say. Consumer Reports, generally the best reliability source available, does not break down individual AMG vs. non-AMG Mercedes models in their various reliability charts, graphs, and rankings....perhaps because the relative lack of AMG customers and survey respondents does not provide much data for AMG models. Same with the BMW M cars and Audi S and RS models.

J.D. Power, an OK source but not as good as Consumr Reports, does not break the AMG/non-AMG lines down either, to my knowledge.

But, in a nutshell, I would not bet the monthly rent on any AMG models showing any better overall reliability than their regular Mercedes counterparts, despite the hand-built AMG engines and generally heavier-duty suspension and braking components.

RON430

Audi and BMW have intermittent results but can manage to get a couple of models on at least average reliability lists. As far as I remember, MB across the board, at least for cars, has nothing that even approaches average reliability. And that would be well under what a Lexus owner would expect.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

i know people with c32 and c55. c55 owners mostly tell me the cars have much less problems without the supercharger. and they say the car has been relatively reliable and no major problems.

i hope that's carried over to the c63 too. but high performance stuff after all so....

Jay

iTrader: (3)

63 is BAD AZZ motor !! V8 puts out over 500 plus hp !! man.... !!!

Supercharger got more probs than you expect. (based on my friends` experience with their E55 and CL).

NA is better !!

maniax

iTrader: (3)

my friend's 01 m5 has alot of problems.....and it has been very well maintained

So i would say The high performance models aren't much better in terms of reliability

splitfire

iTrader: (6)

AMG has bigger brake more power better interior i think they should be better than regular MB.... just make sure you don't keep is past warrenty then you are ok Love the BBS LM I have them on my Scion XB I think they look great

Ramon

Most of MB's reliability issues are not with the engine or transmission, but with the electronics

G Star

iTrader: (2)

the new c class is so ugly...



well, the old one is too.

STIG

You need an eye exam

mmarshall

It's been like that for about ten years or so with M-B products, particularly in the last five or six. That's because people continue to buy M-B products despite their unreliability. There is (or was) a magical mystique about the Mercedes name, dating from the 70's and 80's when they built some of the best cars in the world, that still has a lot of people mesmerized today. Many people walking into M-B showrooms are still living way in the past, and don't read good publications like Consumer Reports (or follow CAR CHAT ). So the company has little incentive to improve their products....particularly with better electronics.

However, the company, like Volvo, still does some of the safest and most crashworthy cars in the buisness...you honestly cannot take that away from them.

lkirchner

I have owned 55 MB's for 4 + years and have never had a problem with the supercharged engines. I did have the notorious supercharger chirp on one of them and the clutch pack was replaced with the 2006 clutch pack and it is gone.

AzNMpower

I don't think reliable and Mercedes can be used in the same sentence. I mean, they break, go into the shop, come out more broken, go back into the shop, etc...Indeed, people have started associating MB with "unreliable" since the past few years have been so bad.

You'd be better off with a BMW or even an Audi.

geko29

Mercedez-Benz finally clinched the title this year. After a long reign, Land Rover is no longer the least reliable brand on the road. According to CR, the BEST M-B (the C-class with the V6) is 35% less reliable than the average car. The average Merecedez is 125% less reliable than average, and the worst (ML-class V8) is 200% less reliable than average.

To put that into perspective, the worst Lexus (GS350 AWD) is 15% less reliable than average, making it still substantially better than any M-B.

The C-class, in particular, has major problems with the electrical, climate control, and fuel systems (which would carry over to an AMG model), as well as the driveline (which may be more or less reliable in an AMG). One other thing to note is the V8 E-class models (E550 and E63 AMG) are SIGNIFICANTLY less reliable at -159% than the V6 models (E350, E320 Bluetec) at -70%, so you may be able to draw some correlation there.

I'd stay away.