blue efficiency mercedes

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers!

Microstar wrote: »

I run a garage business (independent) which specialises in servicing, repairing and selling VAG and BMW cars, We have been established 21 years and have two premises with a third opening up. I am also the MoT AE for one of our premises and I can assure you that the MAJORITY of VW's do not last 15 years. I know because I fail them on MoT and the owners take them off and scrap them. There are certainly a good number of older VW's around, but most will bite the dust before they reach 15 years - usually due to repairs being uneconomic (as opposed to structural failure). The older Mercedes (W201, W124, W126) would certainly last 15 years, but the W202's et al, in general, will not. Corrosion is a major problem on many Mercs post-1996 and I have seen MY 2000 cars which had such bad structural rust that they were not economically repairable and had to be broken for spares.
The jury is obviously out on newer models, but they are not built for the long haul, like the older ones were.

I disagree. The economic viability of a repair is not an indicator as to "how long a car will last". W124s are also renowned for their rust problems and biodegradable wiring harnesses.

Economic viability isn't really an issue for a DIYer like myself. As with any vehicle, its down to the care that the owner takes. Most people simply aren't interested, and rather than spending a grand or two keeping a car running for another five years or more, they'd rather go out and blow double that money on depreciation on a newer, shinier model.

There are a lot of great cars out there that will of course run with little or no attention, but there isn't any such thing as a trouble-free marque or model—eventually, they all need money to be spent.

Its the driver's desire for a car that "isn't old and therefore my neighbours will think I'm tight" which determines the lifetime of most cars (in my opinion).

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers!

pgilc1 wrote: »

I think there were ongoing quality issues during the last decade too - backed up by what other posters have put here.

Most of their quality cuts around later half of the 90's seemed to be around paintwork IIRC.

All manufacturers have problems. You just have to look on a marque-specific forum to see that.

You're right, most of Mercedes problems during the 90s and early 00s were corrosion-related, and its this that may well kill off my car. Their engines and transmissions have been largely fault-free (although there were serious issues with ATF/coolant mixing on some W211 gearboxes that required a new radiator and torque convertor). Mine currently has 237,000 miles on and is fine. The recent problem with Delphi injectors is something quite new.

motorguy

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers! wrote: »

All manufacturers have problems. You just have to look on a marque-specific forum to see that.

You're right, most of Mercedes problems during the 90s and early 00s were corrosion-related, and its this that may well kill off my car. Their engines and transmissions have been largely fault-free (although there were serious issues with ATF/coolant mixing on some W211 gearboxes that required a new radiator and torque convertor). Mine currently has 237,000 miles on and is fine. The recent problem with Delphi injectors is something quite new.

Yes, you're right. No cars are perfect. I ran BMW's for years and they certainly werent as reliable as their image / price implied. My 5 series needed a track rod end at its first mot! :eek:

I've a passat now and theres question marks over the common rail engine reliability.

Oh well...

[Deleted User]

I have a P-reg E-class. Main problems (to my eyes) are quite bad rust, mainly around the wheel arches and the boot. Had to get some welding down last year somewhere, I wonder if its the front suspension which are reported to have some problems. 150000 miles and engine starts everytime. I fear the main problem, as already stated, will be rust to vital bits of the car. Not sure on the newer mercs - you see quite a few of the round lights style E-class still around, but not so many C-classes of that age. Is the general consensus that mid-90s mercs were of a lesser build quality, or newer 2000s ones? My main problem with newer cars are that we live in a materialistic society, and whereas in years gone by things were built to last (in general), things are now built to fail after a certain period of time so we have to fork out on a replacement - just look at these new slim TVs.

BTW - to an earlier post re 8k miles, and replier was correct - 8k is two thirds of the average 12k a year.

catflea

petrolhead69 wrote: »

Have you owned a merc recently? The build quality of them recently 10 years is pushing it.

I saw a 52 plate (I think) E class with the whole of the front wheelarch rotted out today :eek: Mercedes Build quality.....

Microstar_2

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers! wrote: »

I disagree. The economic viability of a repair is not an indicator as to "how long a car will last". W124s are also renowned for their rust problems and biodegradable wiring harnesses.

Economic viability isn't really an issue for a DIYer like myself. As with any vehicle, its down to the care that the owner takes.

W124 rust and wiring problems were relatively late in its production run.

Of course economic viability of repair is an indicator of how long a car will last. If it wasn't then cars would effectively last forever because body and mechanical parts can always be repaired or replaced - its the economic viability of the repair that will determine whether a car is scrapped or not.

DIY'ers are increasingly coming unstuck because they don't have the knowledge, experience or tools to repair modern cars - and the situation is only going to get more difficult. DIY'ers are increasingly starting repairs that they can't finish because they don't fully understand the complexities of modern cars. I have about £40k's worth of specialist diagnostic and mechanical tools on my premesis, without them there are many jobs that we cannot do and would have to refer the customer to the main dealer for. In fact there are more and more jobs that ONLY a main dealer can complete. Passat steering columns are failing all over the place at the moment, - almost £1k job at the dealer and currently none of us independents can do the job.

catflea

Microstar wrote: »

Passat steering columns are failing all over the place at the moment, - almost £1k job at the dealer and currently none of us independents can do the job.

If you dont mind the question, why cant you do it? Surely the steering column is a mechanical item that would be held with nuts and bolts. Or am I missing something?

worried_jim

Mercedes S 350 CDI BlueEfficiency

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/jeremy_clarkson/article7059238.ece

There’s another problem too. The 3-litre turbocharged engine simply isn’t big or powerful enough for a car this size. It wheezes and strains and actually sounds quite rough if you try to squeeze what little power there is to get up a hill. This is a car that was built to cruise, which is fine, but the cruising speed it likes most of all is about 50. And that makes progress on the motorway very dreary.

This new S-class, then, is bacon, then egg, then coffee, then milk, then sugar. It’s a join-the-dots puzzle that hasn’t been joined up. It is spacious, comfortable and well made, but, all things considered, if I were in the market for such a car, I think I’d hang on for a week or two to see if the new Jag XJ is any better.

motorguy

worried_jim wrote: »

Mercedes S 350 CDI BlueEfficiency

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/jeremy_clarkson/article7059238.ece

There’s another problem too. The 3-litre turbocharged engine simply isn’t big or powerful enough for a car this size. It wheezes and strains and actually sounds quite rough if you try to squeeze what little power there is to get up a hill. This is a car that was built to cruise, which is fine, but the cruising speed it likes most of all is about 50. And that makes progress on the motorway very dreary.

This new S-class, then, is bacon, then egg, then coffee, then milk, then sugar. It’s a join-the-dots puzzle that hasn’t been joined up. It is spacious, comfortable and well made, but, all things considered, if I were in the market for such a car, I think I’d hang on for a week or two to see if the new Jag XJ is any better.

Eh?

Whats the relevance to the O/P buying a C Class, to an S Class, given its a different engine, different car, etc?

worried_jim

Sorry- thought it was same car.