I been hearing that there is a difference between a Pure German Made Benz vs. a Daimler-Chrysler made Benz. Can someone elaborate on this? Is there anything to be aware of?[]
After model year '98, Mercedes no longer offered 5 16" alloy wheels standard with the car. Instead, they gave you a temporary spare good for limited highway speeds. Mercedes started using the Smart key which can fail at times and prevent you from running the car(the infrared lens gets scratched or battery goes dead). Have to go to the dealer for that one where it could cost up to 200$!
Build quality has dropped off immensely, and parts sharing between Chrysler and Mercedes is happening.
One good example is the Crossfire. IT HAS MB'S OWN V6 IN IT AS WELL AS TRANSMISSION and MODIFIED dash and console equivalent to the SLK roadster! One of many Chrysler MB's to follow. I'll never forgive Mercedes for that. I'm sorry, but the old world Benz is gone.
It’s sad, really. I would think all the former Daimler-Benz (boy, I miss that!) executives are privately regretting their Faustian deal with Chrysler. Schrempp, when accused of trying to sell Chrysler, said:
"I will not rest until this company, this American paragon, has been restored to its rightful place - at the head of the industry."
He must have smoked a bad piece of crack that day![:0]
I don’t know how Chrysler is/was viewed outside of the US but here the company’s a joke: they made mini-vans, k cars and other front wheel drive crap.
I long for the day when Daimler gets rid of Chrysler and brings back Benz. It’s almost as if we own cars which are no longer made.
Do you own a '98 or newer? My key is scratched to heck and it still works. And as for the battery going dead I REMOVED it and put a new one in for both the car AND the key! Car started up just fine???
As for "german" cars I thnk people forget the ML is assembled in Alabama and sedans are assembled in places like South Africa. And since Mercedes is **ONLY** a final assembly point for a bunch of supplier parts whose factory are you looking at anyway? Mercedes, Bosch, Behr, VDO, FrigidAire (older compressors) Sanden/Sankyo (newer ones), Glasurit, Continental.....
Pop quiz: It's late night and your key battery decides to go flat. Your outta town and not familiar where you are. Where do you go for a replacement battery? Will they be open?? Will they stock the battery size it needs?? Is there a workaround? Will you need to wait for roadside recovery?
Sounds like how MB has a fuel door activated by a vacumn hose in our 126s. Vacumn hose goes bad - how do u gas up to get back home?? Luckly, MB has the fuel door mechanism in the trunk - a good workaround unless your driving with the "spare"(read valet) key!!
These kind of MB overengineering of simplistic devices, I can EASILY do without. Hopefully some good ol *Chrysler* simplicity can filter into MB R&D!!
Let’s hope simplicity, not stupidity – and please none of those god-awful Chrysler designs like the LH platform [:0][xx(](which is a piece of junk, BTW) - Those guys at what was Chrysler weren’t the brightest people on earth. []
seems to me that a good car is borne of 1) thoughtful design, 2) high-quality components, and 3) meticulous assembly. on a 1-10 scale, i'd say our w126 is probably a 10/8/10, which is why it's one of the (if not *the*) best all-around cars ever made. american cars from the same era have a reputation for being 5/5/5, though they were probably more like 6/7/4 (the "4" dragging down public perception along the way), and currently american cars are probably more like 8/7/7 though i'm sure many still think of them as 5/5/5.
bear with me here....
so, while american cars (i.e. dodge) have gone from around 6/7/4 in 1990 to 8/7/7 in 2000, mercedes seems to have gone from around 10/8/10 to 8/7/8, and the biggest difference now separating a dodge from a benz is the public's memory of the ways things were 10 years ago. that, plus fit-and-finish problems that are still more noticeable in most american cars and that (perhaps) unfairly drive down their perceived quality.
this closing of the gap between dodge and mercedes in the past 10 years has made it possible (not just on paper or in corporate theory, but actually, physically, and in a financially viable way) to make cars like the crossfire and 300C, which have a huge amount of mercedes parts in them as we all know.
so while it would have been impossible to stuff a 300E's engine and tranny inside a K-car (though it sure would have been funny), it's not impossible to build the crossfire. but i don't think mercedes has declined *because* it has partnered with dodge. or that dodge is better *because* of mercedes. i think the decline and improvement, respectively, happened before the merger, and the merger itself came along because the two companies were an okay match for each other. we'll see what the future holds. if daimlerchrysler is smart, it'll stratify its products intelligently, like toyota has. if it's not so smart, we'll get a lot more brand-confused cars with no clear identity or particular consumer appeal.
Yes, Mercedes buying Ford would have sucked; I'd rather have a car that Drips Oil, Drops Grease Everywhere or is Mostly Old Parts And Rust than I would something that I have to Fix Or Repair Daily. I mean, who wants to drive something that might become a Fireball On Rear Denting, and which is notorious for being First On Recall Day.
I suppose it could be worse- at least Mercedes' newer cars still aren't Big Money Wastes []
Now, look at the lineup today - there are so many models I can't remember all the chassis numbers. You've got C, E, S, SL, SLK, CL, CLK, M, G ... and the CLS is on the way.
DB's purchase of Chrysler (and let's be clear about that) obviously stretched its resources. Mercedes still must remain a world leader on many fronts while simultaneously managing USA's number three automaker.
It is clear that the "parts sharing" has been a one way street. DB's technical expertise is so far ahead of Chrysler's, and this has been to Chrysler's benefit. What DCX has done: combine two of the world's largest automakers is not easy. I'm no business major, but I'll venture to say that much.
I dont' pretend to know why DB is suffering from quality defects at the moment. It could be anything from suppliers, capital investments, worker training or inept management. However, I doubt that DB is ignoring its current quality glitches - I'm optimistic about that area. My only concern is that there might not be any strong impetus for change as long as sales are strong.
Smart key again. Our 1998 C280 has the stupid key system - you get two with remote and one emergency key which is basically worthless. BTW I call it "stupid key" because on memory seat models you get 3 memory seat positions (for what 3 drivers?) but only 2 keys - STUPID!!!) Now the quiz - you are in middle of nowhere and key battery dies. What do you do? You slide out the mechanical key which is inside the remote and you stick it in door and unlock the car manually. Then you slide the mechanical key back in it's slot and put the key in the ignition like you always do and start the car. The regular key requires NO BATTERY to start the car! It's all reflective infra-red. If you look closely at the emergency key it has no provision for a battery of any kind and it starts the car just fine. The battery is ONLY needed for remote lock/unlocking NOT for starting.
You can actually see some interesting parallels between Daimler and Chrysler if you look back far enough. Back in the 30's both built large, powerful cars. In the early 50's both built well engineered, if somewhat frumpy looking cars. Both built high performance cars in the mid-late 50's. (300 SL's and Chrysler letter cars) Both built fast, solid cars in the 60's. Hemi sedans, and 6.3 SEL's. Bread and butter cars for both companies were economical, well engineered sedans.(slant 6 Valiants and Darts and 240 D's) Companies took different paths in the 70's. MB built quality. Chrysler built crap. I had a 64 Valiant. Great car. My Dad had a '80 Ass-pen. Poop on wheels. Maybe if Chrysler had built something good, we'd be talking about Chrysler-Daimler. In any case, the drop in MB quality is due to Lexus. They can't build a car like the 126 and compete with the Japanese. I think the marriage can work, but they need to avoid the Packard-Studebaker problem.
We have a 97 Chrysler Town & Country LXi. It is a reliable well built safe car (2 accidents 1 severe) and after body work it looks like new. Build quality is acceptable for the price range. Its powerfull enough with its Mitsubishi V6 although the engine has developed a slight ping. Overall its a good car. I myself bought a 1991 Dodge Spirit (K-car) for 50 bucks! No reverse and it just needs new tires and a brake job!! What a bargain. Its in great condition as well. It has 170k miles on it and the 3.0L Mitsubishi V6 still starts right up!! Before that we had a 91 Dodge minivan...pretty low end but had the big engine. For being a volume built car it was ok until it was destroyed in an accident ( thank god nobody was hurt) anyway Chrysler I dont think is being detrimental to Mercedes, I think they have a LOT to offer each other. I also dont think they build crap cars. You have to remember what kind of market they are catering to. I think the accountants and big wigs need to get the pencils out of their a$$es and let the engineers (the best in the world) do their jobs! The only thing bad about the Chrysler/Benz merger was they are trying to let everyone in the world have a mercedes. The c220 coupe for example. A MERCEDES HATCHBACK!!!??? COME ON! These are not supposed to be volume built cars! I dont care where thay are made! You cant however blame them for trying to make more money though just dont sacrafice quality the die hard benz fans love!! (btw no offense to c-class drivers! I was just trying to prove a point the c-class is a really nice car and i can myself only dream on owning one) Just my 2cents.
Smart key again. Our 1998 C280 has the stupid key system - you get two with remote and one emergency key which is basically worthless. BTW I call it "stupid key" because on memory seat models you get 3 memory seat positions (for what 3 drivers?) but only 2 keys - STUPID!!!) Now the quiz - you are in middle of nowhere and key battery dies. What do you do? You slide out the mechanical key which is inside the remote and you stick it in door and unlock the car manually. Then you slide the mechanical key back in it's slot and put the key in the ignition like you always do and start the car. The regular key requires NO BATTERY to start the car! It's all reflective infra-red. If you look closely at the emergency key it has no provision for a battery of any kind and it starts the car just fine. The battery is ONLY needed for remote lock/unlocking NOT for starting.
FYI, I have a '97 model E420. I am aware of the mechanical key that slides out of the Smartkey, and I know that the ignition sometimes fails to recognize the key. I'd rather have infrared lock technology coupled with a mechanical ignition release. Therefore, identification wouldn't be a possible problem(like my '97 has).[]
BTW, we also don't need the car to "start itself for you" after you lightly tap the key to crank the ignition.[|)]The strange stuff that is on those models.(rolleyes)
Yes, Mercedes buying Ford would have sucked; I'd rather have a car that Drips Oil, Drops Grease Everywhere or is Mostly Old Parts And Rust than I would something that I have to Fix Or Repair Daily. I mean, who wants to drive something that might become a Fireball On Rear Denting, and which is notorious for being First On Recall Day.
I suppose it could be worse- at least Mercedes' newer cars still aren't Big Money Wastes []
hey i agree i would rather own a dodge than a ford. in fact before i was lucky enough to get my car now i was driving a '94 dodge full-size conversion van.
If every car on the road had a M-100 in it, the world would be a better place. []
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