Quality woes for Mercedes

[Rtech]

We all knew that the W124's were the last of the "bank vault" Mercedes'. Just thought I'd share this article on the recent quality of Benz's. Its 1 year old, but still rlavant i think.

"We cannot believe how many people continue to project Mercedes' bank-vault '80s image on the cars they sell today. From grudging magazine admissions to random websites, it seems that no one but those in denial can seem to equate the Mercedes-Benz badge to the majority of current Mercedes-Benz products.

To quote Edmund's, "interior materials will have you wondering if it's indeed a Mercedes you're in. Check the steering wheel to be sure."

The new E-Class, w211 (beautiful, incidentally), is supposedly better-built (and out of better materials) than w210, therefore the point is moot. How it might compare to w124, one of the best-built mass-production cars ever, is a question we doubt anyone wants to take up. Perhaps w211 will turn the situation around.

If this does not happen, the Germans might lose their foothold - although judging by the power of image, even under the most desperate of circumstances that could take years. It would take Benz and BMW (and, to an extent, Audi) far longer to slide down the slippery slope than it might Acura, for example, to build an accepted contender for the luxury class (i.e.: RL is mediocre, and the buying public treats it worse).

For now, the star has been remarkably untarnished by some of mistakes it has adorned in the last decade. Yet Benz should not take this for granted. How much longer? The answer lies in whether Mercedes can stem the tide they have fully admitted to creating (see Jurgen Hubbert's comments at Benz's 2002 shareholder meeting).

Returning to the E-Class for a minute: we suspect that w124 looks fresher now, 16 years on from the basic design, than w210 will in 2011. CAR has compared the rear of the little Sports Coupe to a "squatting babboon in heat." Not that we necessarily agree (though it is an amusing thought), but we must admit one could hardly call the C230K elegant.

Why must all luxury cars strive for the same look and feel? Benz was once set apart. It has been left standing next to (and, in some cases, behind) the others in terms of quality, life cycles, and fashion trends. These 'warm' design cues date quickly.

More visibly, C230K additionally lacks the solidity, build quality, quality of materials, and cachet that the three-pointed star has earned. Mercedes-Benz is not defined by panoramic roofs or bundled telematics. To quote Robert Farago, "... what makes a Mercedes a Mercedes: fanatical attention to detail combined with engineering innovation and bulletproof build quality... it must be quality you can see, feel and hear, whether you're a driver, passenger or mechanic."

We like Mercedes-Benz just fine - but not enough, or perhaps too much, to blindly watch the company throw away an image earned by building some of the most skillfully crafted, arrogantly competent, and solidly superior automobiles the world has ever seen (think '80s S-Class, '70s 6.9).

Even the last-generation S-Class, ugly though some may have called it, was gloriously competent. The new 'S is too darn recyclable.

A Benz is a car to aspire to - not something built down to a price so that a college kid might finance it.

In the 190E, drivers were sitting on quality. In the C240 that followed, they sat on the lowest common denominator of what Benz's bottom line could afford. Between an 11-year old 190E and a 10-year old C240, it would be interesting to see where you'd rather be sitting.

Mercedes-Benz has been watered-down; those of us with some concept of its history will shed a tear. The irony of it all is that these changes are taking place with the same 3-pointed star expected to pull the image along.

How long will it last?

We'll see - although we will admit that w211 is an improvement."


Extracted from www.autobear.com

[S350L-E240]

Improvement will begin from W221 S class from 2005,
It's gonna retain every good quality about Mercedes-Benz, Gonna be as big as 140, And blow the competetion and critics alike!

Wait for MB to rise ... it will rise where no one can even dream of looking!

This is Mercedes-Benz...The future of Automobile...The starter of Automobile... And the passion..........PURE PASSION...AND PURE LOYALISTS!!!!

[GrimReaper]

I agree with everything said in it EXCEPT what has been said about the S-Class. The thing is MB is the best in making higher-segment cars ( S, SL, & CL ) and that has been a proven fact. The interiors are pretty darn good but although i do agree they aren't the best

[GTO]

I agree with most of what written in the article buttttttttttttttttttttttt as GrimReaper said, the current S Class is in a "class" of its own. Sure its got its problems, but then so does the BMW 7 series too. The bottomline is that todays cars are way more electronically complex than the W124's/6's and we all know how the Germans suck at complicated electronic engineering and the resultant unreliability.

Also, Merc was getting eaten up (alongwith BMW) by the Japs who invaded their segments with teh Acura, Lexus and Infiniti in the 90's. People took the " I AM RICH" stickers off their forehead and replaced them with "I AM SMART!" ones. The Japanese manufacturers were offering superior reliability and ownership experiences with a dash of prestige at far more realistic prices. Mercedes knew it had to build its cars to a price point and they did a pretty terrible job at it by losing some of the traditionals of owning a three pointed star.

Butttttttttttttttttttt I can tell you this. Mercs do have some reliability concerns today with their electronics. AND some plastic bits on teh inside may seem horrible. Just start the car, drive it....and live with it for an extended period. The feeling of supremeness.....of driving such superiority......a truly complete automobile...of being one with german excellence will make you believe that every bit of compromise and 30 grand services have been worth it.

Would I buy a Mercedes again? With my eyes shut...You bet!

GTO

[Powerslave]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Would I buy a Mercedes again? With my eyes shut...You bet!

Owner loyalty at it's very best. That's one department that the Lexuses and Infinities of this world have not harnessed yet - Instilling in the owner such a strong conviction that makes him say - "my car is the best". I guess there's got to be something that makes a BMW or a Merc or a Jag so special; and that, only the owner who drives it will ever know. I've learnt that over the years.

[Rehaan]

A merc is a merc is a merc,
and as the article said, you do not fully appreciate a mercedes until you have driven one and been driven in one, and most importantly been a mechanic on one. The huge amounts of respect i had simply doubled everytime i had to do something like change a bulb in my W123, and ofcourse the deeper into her working that you go the more you just worship the german engineering. Every inch has been thought out and tested and put through a million different scenarios, and ever peice in the car never ceases to amaze you.

cheers
R

[GTO]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]A merc is a merc is a merc,
and as the article said, you do not fully appreciate a mercedes until you have driven one and been driven in one, and most importantly been a mechanic on one. The huge amounts of respect i had simply doubled everytime i had to do something like change a bulb in my W123, and ofcourse the deeper into her working that you go the more you just worship the german engineering. Every inch has been thought out and tested and put through a million different scenarios, and ever peice in the car never ceases to amaze you.

Rehaan, I could not agree anymore with you. Living with a merc just brings out so many small thoughtful design aspects that the engineers have put into the car...but these attributes dont necessarily come out in a 1 day test-drive. The more I have gotten to know my C, the more I have fallen in love with it.

GTO

[S350L-E240]

GTO,
I agree so much.... Remember the power of C!

[ajmat]

You in the mood for a list? Here's a good one: 36 cars driven by 360 drivers over a combined total of 530,000 miles. But here's a better one, the extremely short list of spare parts needed during the course of those 530,000 miles by the 36 cars taking part in Mercedes' Paris-Beijing trek: three bumpers, two body panels, one alloy wheel, four windscreens, one rear light, 12 bulbs, 20 tyres and one alternator, which gave up two days after it had been driven repeatedly through water in search of the perfect splash photo.

So, point proven. The E-Class can go the distance.


read on here

[speedzak]

Nice find Ajmat!
Opens lazy eyes of many!

[merve_extreme]

you see in those 530K miles only the alternator and bulbs were a technical failure.all the windscreens and bumbers and tyre replacements were due to the poor road conditions and stones flying around from overladen quary vehicles.

[rubin2006]

The one problem that i have with merc is that they give us the indians C -Class at almost the price they give the world an S class and then some say we indians have passion for mercedes well in america they dont give a Damn about it its just one of the other models its there also thats most of desis buy to show desis cause the goras wont See

[merve_extreme]

Originally Posted by rubin2006

The one problem that i have with merc is that they give us the indians C -Class at almost the price they give the world an S class and then some say we indians have passion for mercedes well in america they dont give a Damn about it its just one of the other models its there also thats most of desis buy to show desis cause the goras wont See

you should blame the government for this and not Mercedes or any other car manufacturer.

and whatever the price there is always passion(ok atleast 90% of the times) involved with Mercedes.

[theMAG]

No point cushioning the Teutons - they've let it slip and no amount of explanations will justify this. Especially sad that its the Germanically reknowned marques that have come to this.

[merve_extreme]

Originally Posted by theMAG

No point cushioning the Teutons - they've let it slip and no amount of explanations will justify this. Especially sad that its the Germanically reknowned marques that have come to this.

Come to what?i did not get it.