Are mercedes reliable?

Question

i heard that the mercedes' made (assembled) in the u.s are not reliable at all compared to european models. is this true? i have a 2000 ml55 and had a problem with the windows(won't do down or up) but the problem ended up not being a big deal. now my transmision has problems. it won't change gears until the rpm's are really high...is it a lemon? i'm thinking about selling it but i really like the car. what should i do?

Answer 1

In general, MB reliability collapsed around this time, and got worse with Chysler's merger. What happened was a couple of things. First, MB rushed a ton of electronic heavy technology to market before it was quite ready. Second, MB squeezed its suppliers who in turn supplied inferior parts, as MB tried to keep pace with Lexus. These two factors led to an absolute crash in quality around this time.



Mercedes has righted the ship today, but several models around this time were very poorly built, and the M-Class built in Alabama is near the bottom of the barrel. On the plus side, you probably benefitted from an extremely low purchase price on the used car market -- ML55s have some of the worst resale values in the automotive world.



Transmission problems and window problems (probably the regulators) are very common MB issues. As to whether your particular car is a lemon, you would need to research its history, which you can do by having your dealer pull its service records from MBs computer database. That way you can tell how many times the car has been serviced and for what issues.



That being said, keep in mind this car is now 7 years old. That is pretty old in car years for any vehicle, so you should expect to have some problems from any German automaker after that many years. Merceds engines are bulletproof, so they will run forever. However, electronics issues are another story, and I would expect them to occur with this car and count yourself lucky if they don't.



As to what you should do, I'd pull the service history first. If you have a car with a poor history, consider selling. Also, I would certainly look into aftermarket warranties. They will pay for themselves with one big issue. Check with your dealer for which product they recommend.

Then it just is a matter of how much you like the car and what you are willing to put up with. AMG cars are special, and one can forgive a lot of ills for the pleasure of driving them.

Answer 2

Reliable Mercedes

Answer 3

go with toyotas. mercedes might be reliable, but its all about they're design for the most part.

Answer 4

Yes very reliable but with 120,000 a warranty is needed as if 1 little thing goes wrong ike the locks which conne4ct to security and all doors are connected so to fix one shoet on 1 lock is about 500.00. If you do maintenance then just a drive train will be sufficient. The bad is they drop like rocks in value and get terrible gas. I bought a 1996 C280 with 24,000 miles 5 years ago for 10,000 and bought bumper to bumper for 4 years at 4500.00. The EBB trade in fair was 16,200.00 so ho w could i lose? Well the car with 45,000 miles is worth now 6500.00 well maintained and clean car fax. Leather is not the most comfortable in the Sport model but on highway going 140 is like going 65 in a regular car..It is quick and will last as long as cared for as 500,000 miles plus is not uncommon. good car as the 2005 is totally different as S.C. 4 is nice as well as 6. Coupe with aftermarket Spoiler is nice and 18" chrome wheels preferably nice 2 part wheels with Pirelli P-7's which kids think are too thick but will get traction like no other. One other K@N air filter as well as free flow converter with quiet bola muffler and all synthetic fluids by them self add life and will and is cheapest way to get 25-30 lib's of torque and same ponies. That is where any fluid is. ABOUT 100.00 BUT SAVE IN NO TIME ESPECIALLY IF SOMEONE FORGETS TO PUT SCREW BACK IN OIL YOU WILL HAVE ABOUT 350 MILES BEFORE DAMAGE WHERE A CAR WITH REG. WILL LAST 30 MILES TOPS.

Answer 5

well, even from the most reliable cars in the world (aka volvo?) some of them will have SOME problems. My family has owned 6? Mercedes and so far they've all been good. So from my experence, yes, Mercedes are reliable, however you must look into the fact all the ones my family have owned were yearly taken to a Mercedes delear and no where else.

Answer 6

Its an issue of maintainance. My uncle has two mercedes cars. Both have never gone to the shop for repairs. Never. I bought a used mercedes as a result. I took it to the shop once for an SRS light warning. Nothing wrong with it since.



Like I said, Its a question of maintainance.

Answer 7

As far as reputations go, Mercedes are very unreliable. I don't think the fact that they are assembled in the U.S. has anything to do with it though... I don't recommend getting a Mercedes, and if I were you, I'd sell it. Fixing a luxury car may be pricey, though... I know that Lexus is the leader of reliability and quality, so if you're getting another luxury car, I'd recommend getting a Lexus.



Sorry to hear about your car, though.

Answer 8

Mercedes have the worst reliability rating of all car manufacturers. Overpriced, especially when buying them brand new because they depreciate really fast. Your car probably isn't a lemon, check the transmission fluid level first before you take it into a dealership where they're going to charge you megabucks just looking at it. If you don't have a second car, I really suggest that you sell the car, since Mercedes aren't reliable at all, and while it's still sort of new.

Answer 9

For what it's worth Consumer Reports has Mercedes Benz, as a manufacturer, in the bottom three for reliability.

Answer 10

most likely the transmission output speed sensor is at fault .

these things are real pigs overall and a royal pain to work on.

one customer had a crank sensor go bad and managed to flood the intake when he tried to start the car again later, it backfired so hard it blew out the front end of the intake manifold [a very thin casting of goat shtt pot metal] and pound for pound priced as if it were gold . while these are snow cars at best, they are sold as if they had real world off road capibilities--- that don't exist, off driveway use only.

Answer 11

It's like this....everyone who does NOT own a Porsche has an "opinion" about mine...



As far as my coupe MBZ...fan-fu--inTASTIC! Effortless high-speed cruiser which consumes the road like a leopard on a goat.



In case you have not noticed, since 2006, JD powers surveys has stated MBZ to be a better quality product than Toyota...

Answer 12

All mercedes are not reliable. Location of manufacture does not matter with reliability because they are built the same way no matter where you are. Mercedes break down easily and are expensive to fix.

Answer 13

Only buy a German made Mercedes.