Are recent 'high end' Mercedes cars poorly put together?

[Ari]

I bought a 3 year old SL a year ago and seem to have nothing but niggly build quality issues with it. Really stupid things like in the centre console there's a cubby - push the little button and the twin lids open vertically. Except one of them has stopped working (they're not powered, they're on springs). The centre speaker started buzzing, errors with the intelligent headlight system, a squeaking window, really petty, ridiculous things that couldn't be a result of previous abuse.

The thing is that a friend recently got rid of an S Class of similar age for similar petty but frustrating reasons and I've heard of another SL that's the same. On the other hand a couple of people I know with C Class models have found them faultless.

And meanwhile, my partner's Skoda just gets serviced once a year and trundles on faultlessly.

I like the car immensely and, thinking it might just be a bit of a 'Friday afternoon' car was thinking of swapping it for a newer lower mileage SL in the hope of retaining the joy of the vehicle but losing the silly niggles with it.

However, I'm wondering whether modern 'high end' Mercedes just aren't very well put together.

Anyone care to share their experiences, good or bad?

[Ari]

dimots said:

I have definitely noticed quality dropping on everything S-class and down. I am still in my Shooting Brake CLS 63 AMG-S because I don't want an S-class or AMG GT. I want another fast estate but the E-class interior doesn't do it for me.

The SL is the old man of the current Merc lineup and development seems to be completely under resourced so it doesn't surprise me to hear you've had niggles.

It looks like the new one has finally brought it up to date so I'm keen to see how that turns out.

Agreed, the model dates back to 2014 I think (facelifted at 2016). However I'd have thought that would make it more likely to be good as they've had time to iron out production issues. I'd think the very first of a new model would be riskier. Happy to be educated though, that's just my impression.

From what I've seen and read about the new one, I'm really not keen. 4 cylinder engines and a canvas roof, and a bit more 'sporty' (car manufacturers seem desperate to please journalists who all think they're racing drivers, rather than the people who actually buy them who, in the main, probably have no knowledge or interest in 'on the limit' handling).

The current model suits me perfectly, it's exceptionally comfortable and refined, excellent ride (handling won't challenge a hard driven 911, but neither will I), plenty quick enough even with the 'base' engine mine has, which is a 3 litre twin turbo V6, sounds great, is a hard top coupe most of the time but turns into a proper convertible.

Hence thinking, maybe buy as near to new as I can get/afford and just keep it for ever (had my last car, a 2009 SLK 280, for 8 years and it was near faultless - far more has gone wrong with this car in 12 months than the entire ownership period of the SLK, which had a six figure mileage when I reluctantly parted with it for this car).

Hence the question, because if it's just going to dish up more of the same, why bother?

However that throws up another problem because there is genuinely no other car that I can think of that suits what I want as well as the SL. Porsches are too sporty (and too expensive), BMW 6 Series isn't an especially elegant car and has the canvas tent, as does a Bentley, which I definitely can't afford! Audi don't do anything at all like it in a convertible, Jaguars aren't especially well finished (and I suspect are even more of a liability long term), what else is there?

[Ari]

I seem to recall that from mid nineties to about the mid noughties, Mercedes really suffered from bean counters cutting quality thinking that the brand alone was enough to sell anything. They were wrong.

It's reckoned that from the late noughties on, quality was supposed to have been taken seriously again, which certainly felt to be the case for my 2009 SLK, less so, sadly, for the 2016 SL...

[Ari]

So where do you go? BMW? Audi? Lexus maybe?

[Ari]

Mosdef said:

No question, for years now, MB has offered products that nearly get to Honda build quality, but at 2-3x the price. I used to rate Audi, BMW and MB but the days of them offering high quality products are 10+years ago. I went over to Porsche a few years ago to have Panameras instead of A8s, 7 series S Class and again, they have also lost their way since their 2016/17 facelift. Doesn’t leave many places to go!

I guess we reap the rewards of a society that prizes aspiration and image over quality. It's just ironic that Mercedes got that image in the first place by being an expensive high quality car that people aspired to...

You're right though, where do you go next? I can't believe that BMW or Audi (both once quality cars) are any better, or indeed even as good.

Lexus maybe..? Perhaps an LC Convertible. I wonder what the depreciation is like on them. It's pretty bad from new on the Mercedes SL, which is how I could afford one!

[Ari]

KPB1973 said:

2013 SL63 here. Bar a bit of an intermittent creak from the steering column, and dragging wipers that I haven't got around to sorting - it's apparently hewn from granite. Mind you, it should be given what it cost the first owner to buy.

Selling it today due to lockdown. Absolutely gutted!

Sorry to hear that.

[Ari]

Had a little look online - they're a bit shouty on the outside and a bit Amstrad on the inside. And used start at £53K for one over 3 years old (so about £20K more than a similar age SL!)

Not feeling the love for it...

[Ari]

That's intriguing, I'd always heard that Lexus dealers were the best of the best. Maybe they were once (like Mercedes...)

[Ari]

I had a mate with the metal roof convertible (LS500?) who absolutely raved about them.

[Ari]

For anyone else who is baffled by what a 'W205' is, according to Google, in non geek, it's the current C Class.

[Ari]

That's very much my thinking about cars like the BMW M3, which I also considered before buying the SL. Fast car, but ultimately, it's just a very tricked up 3 Series...