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Completly disagree, I take note of older Mercs and can't say I've seen many bad ones. where did this corrosion info come from? I think Mercs last as well as most brands and better than many.
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I reckon you dont see many old ones cos they mainly gone to the tip. Those subsaharan million milers dont see any water to rust and they dont have to pass any MOT.
More importantly, what does this "decision" mean for perforation (used to be called corrosion) warranties from the other motor manufacturers?
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Just look at any E clalls from 1997 to c 2005 and any C class from c 2002 to 2005.
Rampant rust around gront wings - and on E class- collapse of front suspension towers and front subframe due to design/mauufacturing defects. Very well known. Look at C class under Boot handle as well..
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Yes they dropped a real clanger with manky steel and rubbish paint in the years Madf mentions, even the S class and the alumium bodied CL of those years are mingers for rot.
Not all cars affected though, some C and E classes are lasting well, my sisters R reg W210 E 300d in green shows no rust other than where stone chips have been untreated, and that car is not pampered.
The problem being that C and E classes of these years are still robust durable long mechaincally lived vehicles and without the corrosion problems could easily last 30+ years if maintained well (which can be surprisingly cheap if you avoid air suspension), so the costs to MB to keep repairing these vehicles would be huge.
The minor disturbance in a teacup over this won't make a scrap of difference to MB sales, who buys an MB to keep it 30 years?
Anyone with an ounce of common already knows which makers stand by their customer and product and who doesn't, a half hours perusal here will soon enlighten them if they don't.
Edited by gordonbennet on 22/07/2013 at 20:17
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A neighbour has a 2000 S class. Both front and rear arches need major work.
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A friend had a C220 Coupe, 52 plate at 8 years old IIRC, I noticed the whole thing was rusty. I thought it was tar spots, but it was small rust blebs over every panel. The electrics were a bit 'French' too.
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Just look at any E clalls from 1997 to c 2005 and any C class from c 2002 to 2005.
Rampant rust around gront wings - and on E class- collapse of front suspension towers and front subframe due to design/mauufacturing defects. Very well known. Look at C class under Boot handle as well..
A few SA MB rerouted to the UK its hard to find a really rusty MB in any other country I had E classes from 98 till 2012 not one had any rust the first E class I had is owned now by a local shop keeper and I see it most days and that does not have any rust whatsoever and is still a head turner finished in black.
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Completly disagree, I take note of older Mercs and can't say I've seen many bad ones. where did this corrosion info come from? I think Mercs last as well as most brands and better than many.
You're mistaken I'm afraid. Mercs are some of the worst motors for rust, including some worryingly recent models. The Mother-in-law has an X plate CLK and it is the rustiest old barge of that age that I've ever seen. Every arch, the bonnet, the boot, the whole thing is crusty. I've seen a C Class coupe at a dealer on a 52 plate with rotten rear arches, and even the sales bod couldn't avoid the inevitable comment that it's just what Mercs do. On the other hand my old 51 plate Polo was completely scab free, as are all of them of that age, because VW bothered to make them properly.
To be quite honest it amazes me how they've have managed to cling on to a high end reputation for so long, when for many years they were quite obviously churning out motors made of cheap steel and then charging a fortune for them. If I'd had 40 or 50 grand to spend on wheels ten years or so ago, I'd have expected whatever I bought to be properly galvanized or whatever. Not only that but for a long time they were a long way behing their German siblings in terms of cabin design too; my '98 5 Series has an interior that would almost pass muster today, while Mercs of the same age are full of big chunky 'Tonka' buttons and unconvincing plastic wood.
Edited by happy polo on 22/07/2013 at 23:40
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Because you probably have never owned one and reciting to many fairy stories they are simply the best cars ever made ask a German taxi driver which car he prefers.Having had MB E classes since 1998 till 2012 without any mechanical problems without any rust and that also includes three C class coupes and a c class eastate bough for my wife.
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Ask a British taxi driver which car he prefers, you wouldn't want to buy one of those either.
Likewise, the next vehicle I buy isn't going to be on the advice of a farmer, as I have no need of a tractor, nor will I be letting a quarryman talk me into splashing out on a 40-tonne dumper.
I'm sure a Merc is an ideal car, if you're in the business of piling all the miles until it's thoroughly cacked on before the rot sets in and you get the taxi spec with all the troublesome electrical toys removed.
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"Because you probably have never owned one and reciting to many fairy stories they are simply the best cars ever made "
ROFL.. You have an entertaining sense of humour.
The C class introduced in c 2000 was notorious for a range of elctrical and mechanical defects including valve seat recession on the 1.8 petrols.
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/mercedes-benz/c-class-w203-2000/?section=bad
tells you all you need to know about one of the worst cars on the road.
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Because you probably have never owned one and reciting to many fairy stories they are simply the best cars ever made ask a German taxi driver which car he prefers.Having had MB E classes since 1998 till 2012 without any mechanical problems without any rust and that also includes three C class coupes and a c class eastate bough for my wife.
With all those cars in the past 15 years though it sounds as if you never kepy one long enough for the rust or any mechanical issues to become a problem.
Edited by rfm943 on 23/07/2013 at 10:33
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Because you probably have never owned one and reciting to many fairy stories they are simply the best cars ever made ask a German taxi driver which car he prefers.Having had MB E classes since 1998 till 2012 without any mechanical problems without any rust and that also includes three C class coupes and a c class eastate bough for my wife.
With all those cars in the past 15 years though it sounds as if you never kepy one long enough for the rust or any mechanical issues to become a problem.
Three e classes in fifteen years is hardly a lot the other cars were my wifes ,as I said before I owned them most people just recite fairy stories.
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Because you probably have never owned one and reciting to many fairy stories they are simply the best cars ever made ask a German taxi driver which car he prefers.Having had MB E classes since 1998 till 2012 without any mechanical problems without any rust and that also includes three C class coupes and a c class eastate bough for my wife.
Do they not have rain or road salt in Germany then? Or do they just do a better job with the rustrpoofing for the home market models?!
E Class Mercs rust terribly, so do C Class Mercs. Open your eyes, you see loads of them. Cabbies like them because the engines are bulletproof and will chug on forever, that in itself does not make a worthy luxury car. A Lada will last just as long but you wouldn't pay 50k for one. If you really owned that many Mercs and none had a spot of rust you were clearly doing far more to keep it at bay than you ought to have to on such expensive (over priced) cars. Most owners, in the UK at least, will tell you something very different.
As for not owning one, I would never buy a Merc but as I said earlier the Mother-in-law sadly did and it is turning to brown dust before her eyes.
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Completly disagree, I take note of older Mercs and can't say I've seen many bad ones. where did this corrosion info come from? I think Mercs last as well as most brands and better than many.
You're mistaken I'm afraid.
I can only say my experience of Mercedes...and that of several people I know with varying ages of Mercedes from my 13 year old CLK to up to date ones has only been good.
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They sort of did go bust, not M-B exactly, but the 'Signature' approved used car division, which collapsed under the weight of poor quality E-class warranty claims, primarily air suspension, brake assist, premature corrosion, water ingress and various electrical issues.
For the record, M-B began a huge manufacturing volume change in the early 90s, emulating the 'Toyota' model of mass manufacture, including new procurement methods and other, cost-led, initiatives, to allow them to release 10 different cars in three years, not three different cars in 10 years. That wave of change broke all over the M-B faithful from 1998 onwards, in the form of risible manufacturing quality. The debris only really started washing away from 2007 onwards.
I have a 1994 E280 W124 estate. One front wing has just started to bubble at the wheel arch. The gearbox is getting very slurry and the auto gearbox mode selector switch has jamed. Apart from those, it burns no oil between services and all the electrics - sunroof, electric boot catch, windows, mirrors, work faultlessly. Not bad for 19 years and 187K miles.
Also worth remembering that the hugely improved W211 E-Class from 2006-2009 is gaining a strong reputation for reliability and build quality, as evidenced by various warranty claim stats. That is arguably a better made car than the current W212. Once my W124 shuffles off to the classic showroom in the sky, a 2008 E280 W211 will be its replacement.
Edited by Sulphur Man on 23/07/2013 at 10:49
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For the record, M-B began a huge manufacturing volume change in the early 90s, emulating the 'Toyota' model of mass manufacture, including new procurement methods and other, cost-led, initiatives, to allow them to release 10 different cars in three years, not three different cars in 10 years. That wave of change broke all over the M-B faithful from 1998 onwards, in the form of risible manufacturing quality. The debris only really started washing away from 2007 onwards.
Isnt that when MB became Chrysler along with the "american way" of manufacturing?
Anyway, its rather telling that MB are so concerned about corrosion that they now refuse reasonable claims against their "30 year warranty" (see OP)
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In 1998 I bought a "new" W124 Mercedes, assembled in India from kits sent over from Germany. I kept it for 5 years and did over 100k miles, with no problem other than a new battery. It was slow as a snail, acceleration wise (250D) but totally reliable and there were absolutely no rust problems whilst I had it.
For servicing I took it to my local Indy specialist and he always told me that from the early 1990s onwards MB standards had fallen alarmingly and that my car would outlast all the new E Class models.
Regrettably I let myself be persuaded to sell it and ended up with a very unreliable BMW 5 series. I saw the Merc again last year and it looked just the same as when I sold it in 2003.
In fairness to MB I think that they do seem to have addressed the QC controls that they suffered from although you do still read of a few cases of unreliability in current models.
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