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Mercedes-Benz S450 W223: 11 issues faced on a brand new car

My friend was left stranded on the highway when the car completely shut down in the middle of nowhere and this was within 3 months of delivery.

BHPian rugsrags recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Posting about a bad experience a friend who purchased a S-450 in March 2022 had. Unfortunately now the vehicle has been sent back to the workshop and my friend has refused to get the same picked up due to various issues right from the point of delivery. In terms of the issues faced I can summarise the issues as below :

  • Right from the point of delivery there was an alert regarding Bonnet open which was diagnosed as being a faulty sensor.
  • There was a sound from the rear suspension every time the vehicle goes over the smallest of bumps. It was diagnosed as an issue with the rear RHS airmatic strut and an issue with the boot lock.
  • The rear screen entertainment system was not functioning properly with a heavily flickering display.

  • My friend was left stranded on the highway when the car completely shut down in the middle of nowhere and this was within 3 months of delivery. This was diagnosed later as a faulty fuel pump.
  • The engine light malfunction light came on in the cluster which was removed after diagnostic by the dealership.
  • MBUX front screen display conked off. Now this controls all the functioning of the vehicle including the basic ones like an AC. So suddenly none of the functions in the vehicle were operable. The dealership did a software update but the issue was off and on persisting.

  • The horn stopped working.
  • The front door handle got stuck. The vehicle comes with popping out handles so one can imagine the situation when suddenly one of the handles refused to come out. No way to get in the car unless the door is opened from inside! Was diagnosed as an issue with the handle bearing bracket.
  • Air leakage from the rear tyres. Both rear tyres were approved to get replaced.
  • Active brake assist malfunction light glowing intermittently on the cluster.
  • Wiper juddering.

Now one can imagine the amount of time the cars been with him as opposed to the workshop since ofcourse most of the parts are never available off the shelf and all the issues do not happen at once. While some of the points were addressed inbetween two dealerships (also approached a different dealership since response at one wasn't upto the mark) some were work in progress when my friend finally realised that he's been given a 'lemon' and has now refused to take the car back. Anybody would get worried when one sees multiple malfunction lights popping up and basic functions compromised. One does not pay so much to loose one's peace of mind.

Bringing it out to the notice of fellow members as with crazy tech comes the chance and probability of crazy issues too which may even result in an untoward incident since everything is now managed and controlled by software and a glitch in the system can cause serious mishaps too. What remains to be seen is how Mercedes chooses to address his situation as he gave a fair amount of time to address issues which kept escalating after finally giving up.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Very sorry to hear about your friend's experience, especially the breakdown, after spending 2 crore rupees! As we frequently suggest, best to buy a freshly launched German luxury car after 2 years or so. Cars like the S-Class are brimming with tech and are as advanced as rocket ships! The problems & niggles in the early build years can be nightmares not just for owners, but even for the dealerships who have no clue how to solve it.

I'd never buy a German car in its launch year. That was the primary reason my current German is from the 3rd year of production (that too, end of 3rd year).

Here's what BHPian devsoftech had to say on the matter:

6-MBUX front screen display conked off. Now this controls all the functioning of the vehicle including the basic ones like an AC. So suddenly none of the functions in the vehicle were operable. The dealership did a software update but the issue was off and on persisting.

There is an active recall for this. I have experienced this on my S580 during cold starts at morning. Engage reverse and the screen is black. Can't see anything on screen.

Wiper juddering - Typically covered under warranty.

Most of these issues are fixable, parts will be an issue. For my throttle body replacement on my GLE350, I had to wait for almost a month.

Active brake malfunction can also be due to dirty camera lens. Most likely it's not a mechanical issue. Faced the issue numerous times when bugs crash on to camera sensors.

I usually face a weird issue in tight parking spots where active brake assist disables itself at times as it feels it cannot work in those tight conditions. This could also be a vector for your friend's consideration.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

 
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