i appreciate your input, Greg. They 're-calibrated' the offending sensor last time (i.e. 4 days ago), perhaps a replacement is in order. I am curious as to who makes these sensors, and why they can't be fashioned in such a way that they don't fail after such a short period of time. they are too fickle. same goes for the faulty auto liftgate mechanism i had - these are parts that experience heavy usage, and should be tested, tried and true before they see the consumer.
again, if this were a 18k Hyundai with a faulty sensor, i would chalk it up to expectations, but i paid over $50k of my hard-earned money to enjoy the vehicle, and it has been a headache thus far. Mercedes has seen their reputation go by the wayside due to problems such as this - i was banking on the fact that they had addressed these issues, and so far have been proven wrong. that being said, i will give the service dept. and car another shot at fixing this problem before i bolt off to a Lexus.
Why not have your dealer pick up the car and leave a loaner?? This is what my dealer does for everyone and even for routine service. As for the Asian cars you mentioned, they are far less complex than the MB and when something goes wrong its lots more serious than the check engine light. Also unfortunatly 50 K is not a lot of money in today's world.
I don't understand why everytime there is something wrong with a car in the US, you guys always want your money back.
I know it is a pain in the ass, but you could have bought a $150K and had the same problems. The same with a $15K car.
The price of the car has no bearing on whether or not it will have problems or not.
Let this be a leason to all of you, I learned it the hard way too, never buy a first model year car. Wait a year or 2 until the majority of teh bugs are worked out.
If I get a ML320 CDI, it will be atleast the 2nd or 3rd year that we have them.
...and if you think Toyota/Lexus don't have their share of problems and are perfect, you live in a dream world...
I only said i was considering requesting a refund, and have decided to hold off, for now, pending how the car holds up. It's not like i have a long history with this car, given that it has less than 1800 miles in it.
As for Lexus/Toyota, i realize they have their share of problems, but you're living in a dreamworld if you don't think Benzes have had more quality issues than Toyotas of late.
As for the price, i leased three Honda Accords in a row, 9 years total, and did not have a SINGLE problem with any of the cars. It seems incongrous to me that a car that costs twice as much should be replete with problems.
let's see how this turns out, not ready to hop off the Benz bandwagon quite yet.
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'06 ML350 Iridium/Black, Appearance, Comfort, Lighting, Entertainment, DVD Nav., Sunroof, Air Susp., IPod Integ., Sirius, 3-Zone, Power tailgate, Rear side airbags.
i appreciate your input, Greg. They 're-calibrated' the offending sensor last time (i.e. 4 days ago), perhaps a replacement is in order. I am curious as to who makes these sensors, and why they can't be fashioned in such a way that they don't fail after such a short period of time. they are too fickle. same goes for the faulty auto liftgate mechanism i had - these are parts that experience heavy usage, and should be tested, tried and true before they see the consumer.
again, if this were a 18k Hyundai with a faulty sensor, i would chalk it up to expectations, but i paid over $50k of my hard-earned money to enjoy the vehicle, and it has been a headache thus far. Mercedes has seen their reputation go by the wayside due to problems such as this - i was banking on the fact that they had addressed these issues, and so far have been proven wrong. that being said, i will give the service dept. and car another shot at fixing this problem before i bolt off to a Lexus.
Why not have your dealer pick up the car and leave a loaner?? This is what my dealer does for everyone and even for routine service. As for the Asian cars you mentioned, they are far less complex than the MB and when something goes wrong its lots more serious than the check engine light. Also unfortunatly 50 K is not a lot of money in today's world.
i agree that a Honda or a Hyundai are less complex, but Lexuses are equally as 'complex' as Benzes, yet they are somehow able to avoid most of these pitfalls, from what i'm seeing/reading. Say what you will about JD Powers, but it's not a coincidence that Lexus is on top of its lists in all categories. Also, $50k is still a lot of money in my world. My wife and I are doing well, but it's still a lot of money, and will always be, to me.
as for a loaner, i live in NYC, the dealer said there is a 3 week wait for a loaner. (what is that all about? take a car off the showroom floor if you have to). regardless, hoping that the car is fixed in one day so that i don't need a loaner. they offer me a car service to work in the morning, but i am on my own to get back to the dealer at night to pick up the car, which is not easy given that the dealer is 5 long blocks from the nearest subway station, and in a congested, poorly lit, and rough section of town. i may ask them to drop off the car at my parking garage, but they have already told me they won't drop off the car at my office, in Wall St., which is too far according to them.
that being said, i chose a Benz, and for good reasons, and will stick with it, unless the car leaves me no choice but to do otherwise.
i appreciate your input, Greg. They 're-calibrated' the offending sensor last time (i.e. 4 days ago), perhaps a replacement is in order. I am curious as to who makes these sensors, and why they can't be fashioned in such a way that they don't fail after such a short period of time. they are too fickle. same goes for the faulty auto liftgate mechanism i had - these are parts that experience heavy usage, and should be tested, tried and true before they see the consumer.
again, if this were a 18k Hyundai with a faulty sensor, i would chalk it up to expectations, but i paid over $50k of my hard-earned money to enjoy the vehicle, and it has been a headache thus far. Mercedes has seen their reputation go by the wayside due to problems such as this - i was banking on the fact that they had addressed these issues, and so far have been proven wrong. that being said, i will give the service dept. and car another shot at fixing this problem before i bolt off to a Lexus.
Why not have your dealer pick up the car and leave a loaner?? This is what my dealer does for everyone and even for routine service. As for the Asian cars you mentioned, they are far less complex than the MB and when something goes wrong its lots more serious than the check engine light. Also unfortunatly 50 K is not a lot of money in today's world.
i agree that a Honda or a Hyundai are less complex, but Lexuses are equally as 'complex' as Benzes, yet they are somehow able to avoid most of these pitfalls, from what i'm seeing/reading. Say what you will about JD Powers, but it's not a coincidence that Lexus is on top of its lists in all categories.
that being said, i chose a Benz, and for good reasons, and will stick with it, unless the car leaves me no choice but to do otherwise.
I disagree with your statement as to Lexus being as complex. What you have with a Lexus is an Asian car that is mostly Toyota in different sheet metal. As for their reliability, take a walk thru a Lexus dealer shop and see whats there. may surprise you!! By the way there is a great parts interchangeability between Lexus and Toyota some of which has been disguised by the use of the same part with a different part number on the Lexus.
Sosh - you don't think an RX is just as complex as an ML (other than the absence of Sirius, Ipod, and maybe air suspension)? I don't see the ML as dwarfing the RX in terms of complexity/technology. even more so with the RX400h hybrid.
bottom line, i would be surprised to get a check engine light in a Lexus RX within the first month of ownership, whereas with the Benz i wish i could say i was surprised, but i sort of feel like it was just a matter of time.
I'll report back on Friday after the car is diagnosed and hopefully repaired.
JJL1,
Modern autos which are very sophisticated & with cutting edge technology usually are the ones with alot of problems. If this auto happens to be a 1st year model, ...trust me, … you are a guinea pig!… no offense here!..., …what I mean is the auto maker will get report on all kinds of issues & glitches from you to be resolved in next year model and so forth…!...
When you sit down and list all those good features & technology in your car, …the more you have usually means more problems you will have compared to a plain car with less or no technology….
I understand you frustration, …If I was in your shoes I would feel the same!... This is what I would do, … I would kick my a$@ for buying a 1st year model!... [:(!] ...may be I would consider to trade the car for MY 2008 when it comes out!...
Myself I own ML430 year 2000 since 2003 (used). I have had 1 CHECK ENGINE light once, BAS light once, SRS light once. All of them were fixed and haven’t seen a light since. Keep in mind I drive this truck almost everyday to go to work.
JJL1, you thought Lexus is trouble free.
Here's a glimpse of issues Lexus Rx 330 owners are having.
1. Owner with Recurrent Problems [V]
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.ef22a65!make=Lexus&model=RX%20330&ed_makeindex=.e f22a65
I actually leased an '02 Audi A4, the first year of its redesign, and it was flawless other than a rear light that blew out twice. I was willing to take a chance with the ML first year redesign.
As for Lexus, i know they have problems, it's just a car after all, but you have to agree that overall, Lexus vehicles have less problems than Benz vehicles these days. it's reality. also, the 400h is compelling for it's potential gas mileage, i have to admit that as a first time SUV owner, i feel like i'm wasting natural resources (and my money) with a traditional SUV.
still, i bought the ML primarily for safety and space for my wife and kids, and on that front, it's been great, just hope that the reliability goes up a notch after this initial bumpy period.
I actually leased an '02 Audi A4, the first year of its redesign, and it was flawless other than a rear light that blew out twice. I was willing to take a chance with the ML first year redesign.
As for Lexus, i know they have problems, it's just a car after all, but you have to agree that overall, Lexus vehicles have less problems than Benz vehicles these days. it's reality. also, the 400h is compelling for it's potential gas mileage, i have to admit that as a first time SUV owner, i feel like i'm wasting natural resources (and my money) with a traditional SUV.
still, i bought the ML primarily for safety and space for my wife and kids, and on that front, it's been great, just hope that the reliability goes up a notch after this initial bumpy period.
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