Any previous mercedes owners out there?
02-09-11, 05:32 PM
#1
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
Any previous mercedes owners out there?
hey gang,
just wonderin if there are any retired benz owners out there and moved on to Lexus...
if there are than how did ur benz treat u? did u have to get many repairs? any problems comparing to Lexus?
reason why i'm posting in the 2IS section is because i wanna compare the IS350 to the Benz C350.
I really like the styling of the new C350 but the engine is the only problem that is bringin me down...I know its a luxury car to cruise in but i want the power to get up and go also. The IS350's 3.5L has 306HP and 277lb-ft of torque and claims to reach 60 in 5.6 secs (ive seen a member sayin he broke 4.9). The new C350 also has a 3.5L but only 268HP with 258lb-ft of peak torque and does 60 in about 6.1 secs. I like both cars but the power of the benz is stoppin me. I do like the 7-speed auto's tho. Also i dont really know about the reliability about Benz's, I know that Lexus' are almost rock solid...
im car searching and i just want outputs from u fellow Lexus owners on how u feel about the 11 Benz C350.Would u pick the Benz over ur Lex?
and as for the retired benz owners...Any major problems...would u buy another one compared to Lexus?
just wonderin if there are any retired benz owners out there and moved on to Lexus...
if there are than how did ur benz treat u? did u have to get many repairs? any problems comparing to Lexus?
reason why i'm posting in the 2IS section is because i wanna compare the IS350 to the Benz C350.
I really like the styling of the new C350 but the engine is the only problem that is bringin me down...I know its a luxury car to cruise in but i want the power to get up and go also. The IS350's 3.5L has 306HP and 277lb-ft of torque and claims to reach 60 in 5.6 secs (ive seen a member sayin he broke 4.9). The new C350 also has a 3.5L but only 268HP with 258lb-ft of peak torque and does 60 in about 6.1 secs. I like both cars but the power of the benz is stoppin me. I do like the 7-speed auto's tho. Also i dont really know about the reliability about Benz's, I know that Lexus' are almost rock solid...
im car searching and i just want outputs from u fellow Lexus owners on how u feel about the 11 Benz C350.Would u pick the Benz over ur Lex?
and as for the retired benz owners...Any major problems...would u buy another one compared to Lexus?
Last edited by 00LexusGS3; 02-09-11 at 05:40 PM.
02-09-11, 05:44 PM
#2
IDK if I am late on this since your other post says you bought a lex, but I came from a 6speed manual C-Klasse and boy did I love that car.
Ran her 20,000 miles/year and NO PROBLEMS. Ofcourse all maintenance was done every 3,500 miles with fully synthetic oil (pricey mobil 1 FTL)
However I dont suggest you make a buying decision solely off of one person's experience. Many MB's out there with horrible problem. But then again Ive only had this car 3 months and been to the dealership 2 times already. 2007 IS350
Ran her 20,000 miles/year and NO PROBLEMS. Ofcourse all maintenance was done every 3,500 miles with fully synthetic oil (pricey mobil 1 FTL)
However I dont suggest you make a buying decision solely off of one person's experience. Many MB's out there with horrible problem. But then again Ive only had this car 3 months and been to the dealership 2 times already. 2007 IS350
02-09-11, 05:47 PM
#3
Wow, it's quite funny I just found this post.
My last car was a 2003 Mercedes E55 AMG, which I just traded in 2 weeks ago for my 2007 IS350. I know an '03 AMG is a different beast than an '11 C350, so I won't go into all the details, but here's the short story. I only owned the Merc for 7 months. In that it racked up about $7,000 in repair bills. That was simply for replacement of failed parts (75% of which were not wear and tear) and did not include maintenance costs. It was a nightmare car, and I'll never again own a Mercedes because of it.
Now, your mileage may vary and obviously we're talking about two different Mercedes. The part I think is applicable to your question is my experience with the company in general. From a practical standpoint, MB recommends maintenance intervals every 10k miles, and each maintenance costs $300-500. Lexus recommends 30k intervals, and what I've been told is that each trip is less than $300.
More importantly was overall quality and experience with the dealers. I owned 2 Lexus LS400's before I made the move to the E55. Both LS400's had over 150k miles and the most I had to do was an alternator on one ($400) and a rack and pinion on another ($800 or so). Incredibly reliable cars. The IS350 has had some notable recalls on it, some that have plagued owners several times. What I understand is that Lexus, in addition to taking care of the problems, is sending checks to those affected to compensate them for the trouble.
Mercedes had a fuel sending unit recall on the W211 E55's. Fuel actually leaked into the cabin of the car, pooled there and created a fire hazard. The recall was in 2006. My car had the recall performed but the same issue happened again to me after I bought it. I took it to the dealer and they diagnosed it and told me it'd be $2,000 and asked how I wanted to pay. I had already done my research and brought up the recall, and only after lobbying with the tech and the manager did they finally agree to goodwill it. And after sharing my nightmare experience with the car ($7,000 in repairs in 6 months) all they said was "Hmm that's not normal" and repeatedly defended the brand instead of trying to rectify the situation.
Anyway, I just wanted to share my experience. I went from 2 Lexus's I loved to a Mercedes that I couldn't even get to drive because it was always in the shop, so I returned to Lexus and will be here to stay.
As a last point, since my car was always in the shop I was driving loaners all the time and I drove a C350 a few times. I very much prefer the IS in every respect, and I think in the long run you'll also appreciate better treatment from Lexus the company and its dealers, and it'll cost you less I promise.
My last car was a 2003 Mercedes E55 AMG, which I just traded in 2 weeks ago for my 2007 IS350. I know an '03 AMG is a different beast than an '11 C350, so I won't go into all the details, but here's the short story. I only owned the Merc for 7 months. In that it racked up about $7,000 in repair bills. That was simply for replacement of failed parts (75% of which were not wear and tear) and did not include maintenance costs. It was a nightmare car, and I'll never again own a Mercedes because of it.
Now, your mileage may vary and obviously we're talking about two different Mercedes. The part I think is applicable to your question is my experience with the company in general. From a practical standpoint, MB recommends maintenance intervals every 10k miles, and each maintenance costs $300-500. Lexus recommends 30k intervals, and what I've been told is that each trip is less than $300.
More importantly was overall quality and experience with the dealers. I owned 2 Lexus LS400's before I made the move to the E55. Both LS400's had over 150k miles and the most I had to do was an alternator on one ($400) and a rack and pinion on another ($800 or so). Incredibly reliable cars. The IS350 has had some notable recalls on it, some that have plagued owners several times. What I understand is that Lexus, in addition to taking care of the problems, is sending checks to those affected to compensate them for the trouble.
Mercedes had a fuel sending unit recall on the W211 E55's. Fuel actually leaked into the cabin of the car, pooled there and created a fire hazard. The recall was in 2006. My car had the recall performed but the same issue happened again to me after I bought it. I took it to the dealer and they diagnosed it and told me it'd be $2,000 and asked how I wanted to pay. I had already done my research and brought up the recall, and only after lobbying with the tech and the manager did they finally agree to goodwill it. And after sharing my nightmare experience with the car ($7,000 in repairs in 6 months) all they said was "Hmm that's not normal" and repeatedly defended the brand instead of trying to rectify the situation.
Anyway, I just wanted to share my experience. I went from 2 Lexus's I loved to a Mercedes that I couldn't even get to drive because it was always in the shop, so I returned to Lexus and will be here to stay.
As a last point, since my car was always in the shop I was driving loaners all the time and I drove a C350 a few times. I very much prefer the IS in every respect, and I think in the long run you'll also appreciate better treatment from Lexus the company and its dealers, and it'll cost you less I promise.
02-09-11, 05:48 PM
#4
IDK if I am late on this since your other post says you bought a lex, but I came from a 6speed manual C-Klasse and boy did I love that car.
Ran her 20,000 miles/year and NO PROBLEMS. Ofcourse all maintenance was done every 3,500 miles with fully synthetic oil (pricey mobil 1 FTL)
However I dont suggest you make a buying decision solely off of one person's experience. Many MB's out there with horrible problem. But then again Ive only had this car 3 months and been to the dealership 2 times already. 2007 IS350
Ran her 20,000 miles/year and NO PROBLEMS. Ofcourse all maintenance was done every 3,500 miles with fully synthetic oil (pricey mobil 1 FTL)
However I dont suggest you make a buying decision solely off of one person's experience. Many MB's out there with horrible problem. But then again Ive only had this car 3 months and been to the dealership 2 times already. 2007 IS350
02-09-11, 05:54 PM
#5
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
IDK if I am late on this since your other post says you bought a lex, but I came from a 6speed manual C-Klasse and boy did I love that car.
Ran her 20,000 miles/year and NO PROBLEMS. Ofcourse all maintenance was done every 3,500 miles with fully synthetic oil (pricey mobil 1 FTL)
However I dont suggest you make a buying decision solely off of one person's experience. Many MB's out there with horrible problem. But then again Ive only had this car 3 months and been to the dealership 2 times already. 2007 IS350
Ran her 20,000 miles/year and NO PROBLEMS. Ofcourse all maintenance was done every 3,500 miles with fully synthetic oil (pricey mobil 1 FTL)
However I dont suggest you make a buying decision solely off of one person's experience. Many MB's out there with horrible problem. But then again Ive only had this car 3 months and been to the dealership 2 times already. 2007 IS350
i like the looks of the new C-class but my cousins have had problems with their benz's which concerns me as i will use it throughout college and beyond colloege until i can afford a new one.
as for the IS350 i was looking at...they wouldnt lower the price at all
02-09-11, 05:55 PM
#6
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
Wow, it's quite funny I just found this post.
My last car was a 2003 Mercedes E55 AMG, which I just traded in 2 weeks ago for my 2007 IS350. I know an '03 AMG is a different beast than an '11 C350, so I won't go into all the details, but here's the short story. I only owned the Merc for 7 months. In that it racked up about $7,000 in repair bills. That was simply for replacement of failed parts (75% of which were not wear and tear) and did not include maintenance costs. It was a nightmare car, and I'll never again own a Mercedes because of it.
Now, your mileage may vary and obviously we're talking about two different Mercedes. The part I think is applicable to your question is my experience with the company in general. From a practical standpoint, MB recommends maintenance intervals every 10k miles, and each maintenance costs $300-500. Lexus recommends 30k intervals, and what I've been told is that each trip is less than $300.
More importantly was overall quality and experience with the dealers. I owned 2 Lexus LS400's before I made the move to the E55. Both LS400's had over 150k miles and the most I had to do was an alternator on one ($400) and a rack and pinion on another ($800 or so). Incredibly reliable cars. The IS350 has had some notable recalls on it, some that have plagued owners several times. What I understand is that Lexus, in addition to taking care of the problems, is sending checks to those affected to compensate them for the trouble.
Mercedes had a fuel sending unit recall on the W211 E55's. Fuel actually leaked into the cabin of the car, pooled there and created a fire hazard. The recall was in 2006. My car had the recall performed but the same issue happened again to me after I bought it. I took it to the dealer and they diagnosed it and told me it'd be $2,000 and asked how I wanted to pay. I had already done my research and brought up the recall, and only after lobbying with the tech and the manager did they finally agree to goodwill it. And after sharing my nightmare experience with the car ($7,000 in repairs in 6 months) all they said was "Hmm that's not normal" and repeatedly defended the brand instead of trying to rectify the situation.
Anyway, I just wanted to share my experience. I went from 2 Lexus's I loved to a Mercedes that I couldn't even get to drive because it was always in the shop, so I returned to Lexus and will be here to stay.
As a last point, since my car was always in the shop I was driving loaners all the time and I drove a C350 a few times. I very much prefer the IS in every respect, and I think in the long run you'll also appreciate better treatment from Lexus the company and its dealers, and it'll cost you less I promise.
My last car was a 2003 Mercedes E55 AMG, which I just traded in 2 weeks ago for my 2007 IS350. I know an '03 AMG is a different beast than an '11 C350, so I won't go into all the details, but here's the short story. I only owned the Merc for 7 months. In that it racked up about $7,000 in repair bills. That was simply for replacement of failed parts (75% of which were not wear and tear) and did not include maintenance costs. It was a nightmare car, and I'll never again own a Mercedes because of it.
Now, your mileage may vary and obviously we're talking about two different Mercedes. The part I think is applicable to your question is my experience with the company in general. From a practical standpoint, MB recommends maintenance intervals every 10k miles, and each maintenance costs $300-500. Lexus recommends 30k intervals, and what I've been told is that each trip is less than $300.
More importantly was overall quality and experience with the dealers. I owned 2 Lexus LS400's before I made the move to the E55. Both LS400's had over 150k miles and the most I had to do was an alternator on one ($400) and a rack and pinion on another ($800 or so). Incredibly reliable cars. The IS350 has had some notable recalls on it, some that have plagued owners several times. What I understand is that Lexus, in addition to taking care of the problems, is sending checks to those affected to compensate them for the trouble.
Mercedes had a fuel sending unit recall on the W211 E55's. Fuel actually leaked into the cabin of the car, pooled there and created a fire hazard. The recall was in 2006. My car had the recall performed but the same issue happened again to me after I bought it. I took it to the dealer and they diagnosed it and told me it'd be $2,000 and asked how I wanted to pay. I had already done my research and brought up the recall, and only after lobbying with the tech and the manager did they finally agree to goodwill it. And after sharing my nightmare experience with the car ($7,000 in repairs in 6 months) all they said was "Hmm that's not normal" and repeatedly defended the brand instead of trying to rectify the situation.
Anyway, I just wanted to share my experience. I went from 2 Lexus's I loved to a Mercedes that I couldn't even get to drive because it was always in the shop, so I returned to Lexus and will be here to stay.
As a last point, since my car was always in the shop I was driving loaners all the time and I drove a C350 a few times. I very much prefer the IS in every respect, and I think in the long run you'll also appreciate better treatment from Lexus the company and its dealers, and it'll cost you less I promise.
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02-09-11, 06:11 PM
#8
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02-09-11, 06:22 PM
#9
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My first and last Benz was an 03 C230. Biggest POS I ever owned. Burned out tail lamp bulbs regularly, power door locks broke, windshield wipers broke, brake caliper failed and let the inside brake pad rest on the rotor and wear the inside pad down to nothing while the outside pad was brand new (dealer wouldn't warranty it on a 20 month old car). The last straw was the right side strut bolts falling out and having the wheel fall off as I was pulling into a parking space. (Front suspension was never wrenched on. No accidents etc). Traded the turd with 52,000 miles on it.
02-09-11, 06:50 PM
#10
My dad purchased a 1995 E320 brand new back in '95 for $40,000. Over the course of 10 years, he paid $25,000 in repair bills. You read that correctly - $25,000 in 10 years.
My father's experience was similar to calvin2376's experience with his E55 AMG. The vast majority of repairs were for failed parts. This wasn't a wear and tear issue.
I've since learned that the '95 E320 was supposedly the most unreliable Mercedes built during that era, so $25,000 probably isn't typical for most Mercedes Benz products.
My father's experience was similar to calvin2376's experience with his E55 AMG. The vast majority of repairs were for failed parts. This wasn't a wear and tear issue.
I've since learned that the '95 E320 was supposedly the most unreliable Mercedes built during that era, so $25,000 probably isn't typical for most Mercedes Benz products.
02-09-11, 07:47 PM
#11
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^25,000 in maintenance on any car is ridiculous. I'd go with the Lexus and I'm barely biased as I didnt like Lexus cars that much till I saw people tuning them VIP style and till the new IS's came out. My only complaints about my IS250 are that its too slow (you'll fix that since you'll have a 350) and it needs sportier handling which you can easily solve by getting the F-sport sway bars. To me Benz interiors arent even that nice for what you pay for. Incredibly disappointed. I've always been extremely disappointed with all Benz's. Last German car I'd get. If you were comparing it say to an S5 or BMW 335 it'd be a tougher argument.
Oh and my buddy works as valet in a large building here where only millionaires live and they all complain how much they hate their Benz or how its always in the shop. I just think that headache and what you get for the money isnt worth it.
Oh and my buddy works as valet in a large building here where only millionaires live and they all complain how much they hate their Benz or how its always in the shop. I just think that headache and what you get for the money isnt worth it.
02-09-11, 09:00 PM
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i have a 09 250awd and my wife has a 08 c300 4matic. she has had some issues bt nothing too seriousand i wouldnt say she has had more problems than any other brand. my moms new honda crv has had a few issues, iv had the dash rattle in my lexus, the wife had to replace the blower motor due to a manuf design flaw. other than that i like the car alot in a few ways more than my lexus. the nav is way better i think the interior holds up very well with heavy use plus the ride is better. im very torn as to what my next car will be when im ready to get my next one.
02-09-11, 09:19 PM
#14
Lexus Fanatic
i had a late 80's 300D... it was a piece of crap that leaked oil all over my driveway~ had no guts AT ALL, handled like a boat, needed to be fixed all the freaking time, no Benz for me EVER AGAIN~
02-09-11, 09:25 PM
#15
The new C350 getting ready to come out as a 2012 model will have an updated engine with direct injection. I believe the horsepower numbers are around 305 or so. But, I do agree with many... Got to drive them both to know for sure. But I think Lexus is so much better overall.