OT: Any CL500 owners out there?
06-03-2009, 12:00 AM
#16
Burning Brakes
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You're absolutely right, that's the feeling I get each time I visit our local dealer. That's one of the main reasons we are selling it. That and the fact that it's just too much electronics in these cars, which means that you are stuck with your MB dealer for life..
Any suggestions for a replacement DD? 4-door (preferably German car) in the 30K usd price range? I'm thinking Audi A6 or BMW 5 series..
Any suggestions for a replacement DD? 4-door (preferably German car) in the 30K usd price range? I'm thinking Audi A6 or BMW 5 series..
Mt brother has a C43 Mercedes, he bought it new about 10 years ago and it has 130,000 miles on it. Looks really good, and he hasn't done any repairs, just changed fluids and brake pads.
He told me that all the AMG motors are made by hand and there has never been a single AMG motor "blow up." While I doubt this, these seem to be really great cars.
06-03-2009, 12:50 AM
#17
The 221 coupe is designated as the 216, and they are generally too new to know much about long term reliability of ABC. That said, the ABC system was improved by the end of the 215 run in 2006, so the system should be fairly reliable by now. It definitely is effective.
Expense is hard to say. Maintenance is shockingly easy to DIY on these cars, but repairs will be expensive, as is commensurate with a technology laden, super well equipped $130k vehicle.
Mercs tend to like to be driven regularly so I'd say the thing that leads to the most problems is not using them.
I would purchase a 216 without major concern, but if $x,xxx repair bills scare you, you may want to reconsider. I tend to think mercedes' reliability problems are overblown, and more of an annoyance (i.e. a bad rain sensor is a problem, and leads to lower reliability scores, but it being broken generally just brings it back down to a level of other more normal cars).
Expense is hard to say. Maintenance is shockingly easy to DIY on these cars, but repairs will be expensive, as is commensurate with a technology laden, super well equipped $130k vehicle.
Mercs tend to like to be driven regularly so I'd say the thing that leads to the most problems is not using them.
I would purchase a 216 without major concern, but if $x,xxx repair bills scare you, you may want to reconsider. I tend to think mercedes' reliability problems are overblown, and more of an annoyance (i.e. a bad rain sensor is a problem, and leads to lower reliability scores, but it being broken generally just brings it back down to a level of other more normal cars).
One has to expect, given the technology and price of those cars, that they will involve ownership expense beyond the everyday automobile. If you don't think so, just speak to a Bentley or RR owner.
MB "issues" are indeed overblown. Perhaps it's because of the mindset that if it costs so much then it should last forever with no maintenance(?)
Vhanzon, you can run into the same issues you are trying to avoid with the Audi 6 or BMW 5ers. Yes, they aren't as sophisticated as a CL (or S) with ABC, but you will still not be "error free" with those vehicles. A bit less expensive for repair, perhaps; that would be expected. But they really can't approach a CL or S Class in terms of driving experience, imho.
In addition, an indie MB mechanic is worth as much as, well, a Porsche indie mechanic. It's really the same: do you take your 993 to the stealer/dealer? You might consider taking the CL to an indie before you pass judgement and unload it.
Having owned MBs (and now own a 2009 E63 AMG) I have to give the company credit for pushing the envelope of automotive technology and safety. And, when things don't work out, MB is quick to make good and re-designs components. Granted there was a period of issues with certain models during certain years. But there are millions of MBs running strong on the road today. You see them everywhere in the world. And they keep on selling them.
The AMG motors are pretty amazing, btw.
06-03-2009, 08:00 AM
#18
5th Gear
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I took my 2003 SL500 w/40,000 miles to the MB dealer with an ABC leak. They charged me $142 to checkout my car and gave me an estimate of $5600 to fix, I never realized how much they could find wrong with my car, other than the ABC leak, which runs perfectly. They must noy be selling enough cars and need to makeup revenues in the service areas !!
06-03-2009, 08:41 AM
#19
Burning Brakes
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Ex King --
Now the fix is free, see above.
I have had similar experiences with dealers, in terms of finding non-existent problems. Like brake pads needing replacement 15,000 miles ago that are still on the car.
Now the fix is free, see above.
I have had similar experiences with dealers, in terms of finding non-existent problems. Like brake pads needing replacement 15,000 miles ago that are still on the car.
