Wednesday 9th May 2001

Mercedes Suffer Quality Problems

Reliability may not be all its cracked up to be

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[bottle10]

My 1999 E Class has suffered from a number of irritating faults. A front seatbelt mechanism has now developed a fault and the standard fit Blaupunkt Melbourne radio/cassette has broken. Despite the fact that these are unusual in a 2yr old car, Mercedes refuse to help in any way because the car is out of warranty. Mercedes attitude to customer relations will certainly make me think long and hard before buying another.

[tkrtape]

I have a 98 ML320 that has had a bunch of Ford like electrical problems Lights going out in the dash ,rear lisence plate light ,ac unit lighting also going out and last sunroof and windows getting stuck open.

[Marshy]

Funnily enough, the most reliable cars I've ever driven have been Fords. An Escort, Sierra, and a Mondeo. The Mondeo, dare I say it, was actually pleasant (if not inspiring) to drive. Then it all went downhill: a company Rover Coupe vvc (terrible - damp start problems on a brand new car?) then a BMW 525i (which came with a bit more "history" than I'd been lead to expect. They had that back.) Then it all went seriously pear shaped with a 1994 BMW 730i (current shape). I had a year of bizarre electrical problems. The best one had to be one speed sensor failing (of five: wheels plus axle/diff). The speedo, trip computer, transmission and ABS all went haywire as a result, which was fun. Having said that, the warranty took care of it all, and it's been good ever since. Then I bought a TVR and I'm in what looks like my compulsory first year of niggles. I've rambled, but what I sort of figure is this: I was probably lucky with the Fords, and mildly unlucky with the rest. But I'm beginning to think that it doesn't matter what you buy, it'll give you gyp. At least that way, I can't be disappointed...!