omr

I don't know why CR and other mags have given these cars such a bad rap with Reliability. Has anyone here ever had one with problems?

Hameed

I had a 96 E320 four years ago with 100K miles on it and in the 2 years I had it I had to replace the following
- one of the radiator fans,
- the right rear tail light unit
- left rear window motor

And just before I sold it, the engine head gaskets had started to leak. The car was not abused and had all service performed by an MB dealer prior to me buying the car.

But it was a very solid car structurally.

INHOCJP

My finance has a '06 E350. Aside from a couple minor issues, it's been running great. And it has zero rattles, compared to my GS which is a rattle-trap.

Who knows about long term reliability, but over the past 1.5 years, the E has been pretty trouble free.

Kaban

100k with only minor replacements, shows how well the Benz is bulit.

rsantiago

My pops owns a W210 97 E420, only thing he's replaced so far is the coils on the ignition. Besides the regular oil changes and fluids it just recently hit 121k miles and it runs great.

I honestly think W211 (E-Class) gets quite a bad rap due to it's advanced electronics that Germans can't seem to work the bugs out. Hopefully, the face lifted E-Class (350 and 550) has at least addressed these annoying issues.

Faraaz23

Some close friends bought a brand new E55 AMG about two years ago... drove it home exactly 1.5 miles (glassy suburban roads) from the dealer to their home. When they walked out of the house into the garage next morning, the transmission fluid had leaked out and onto the garage floor. Needless to say they made the dealer take the car back and had one helluva cleanup on their hands.

We have other friends with a W211 E320 and I do notice they have a loaner on the driveway every 4-5 months.

I think benz ownership is hit or miss, I'm sure there's still some owners out there with relatively problem free cars while others have lemons.

lkirchner

My wife has an '06 E55 that is about 10 months old. So far no problems.

rsantiago

I'll agree that Benz in general is either you get lucky or don't.

Before my pop got the E420, he had a 1996 E320 first year of the W210 and it had electrical problems, lamp defective light would pop up and then check light pops.

Jewcano

iTrader: (4)

We have a W210 E430, (2000), so far we have had to change the MAF out, and on occassion the CEL light comes on.

splitfire

iTrader: (6)

my E55 had few minor issues all cover by warrenty and s550 so far zero problems for past 4k miles..

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

My neighbor has an '04 E500 he bought about 6 mos ago. No problems - GREAT car.

dbaron

Check out the Benz World boards and you will see many more issues with their cars all classes then on the Lexus board. I drive a 2002 E320 and have owned 3 other MB's. The older ones didn't have as many electrical issues as the newer ones. So far this year I have put on $2000 in repairs out of pocket. Car out of warranty. A couple of sensors that shut my car down cost me about a thousand dollars to replace. My last Benz a E420 is still running and has 250k miles on it with no issues! Just regular wear and tear maintenance. Drives as nice as my 2002 with 77k miles on it. Not as computerzied as what I drive now. I am getting a GS350 in a few months. They are on back order right now. If MB can put the quality and reliability back then I will be there in a nano second! I love how my MB handles, sports package. Great car and incredible in near miss accident situations. Saved my life a few times!! Will miss her after the trade in. Mind made up and I need reliability that MB used to have. I am very impressed with Lexus and if I could afford to I would have the GS350 2007 and a new MB E350 2007. Right now my gut says go with the GS350. All my friends that drive Lexus swear by them!!

rsantiago

I'm not surprised by the electrical problems Benz has in general. In my Dad's E420 Carfax, it says Electrical Serviced at 72k miles. It's a shame that Benz can't get the electrical problems fixed.

I can't honestly blame you with going with GS, it offers a terrific value for a Mid size luxury sedan and it's cheaper to maintain in the long run too. Though I must admit that the E550 is pretty amazing though faster than the W210 E55. Looking forward to the GS460 soon though.

splitfire

iTrader: (6)

look into the new 221 s class, the car is very well build best car you can buy for the money you won't be disappointed.

DIrEctQL

I heard many testimonials that the car is just not there in quality and reliability. For example, my friend bought a brand new C55 AMD, very nice car, but a week after the transmission went. A lot of the local Mercedes owners who bought newer models used, constantly visit the dealerships.

On this week's Fifth Gear, they were testing I think an S600 AMG and it broke after doing a burnout. Top Gear reviewed bunch of them also. Their navi sucks, controls are confusing, it's expansive to repair, and their technology isn't quite thought through.

Mercedes used to make good cars that worked well and drove well. Now they stopped over-engineering their cars so they could produce more and make money. That is not a good sign for the customer.

All and all, there are two kinds of people, the ones that like the sporty side of the car and the ones that just want to get places (not the dealership with a tow truck). I admit, the name and sports packages are very tempting, but (back in the real world) Mercedes these days is not a good car.

Chris