[GordandMichele]

I really wanted to like this car, but alas, it was not to be. There were many reasons for getting rid of it, including:

• More fixes under warranty in 18 months than my last 3 cars combined.
• Horrible gas mileage.
• Very harsh ride.
• Run flat tires. Never again.
• User-unfriendly NAV/Audio interface. Touch screen is the way to go.
• Funky balky transmission, especially when cold.
• Poor all around visiblity.
• Bad experiences with service department. Plus, 4 weeks to get an appointment?
• High service costs. But I knew this going in. My bad.

Things I liked:

• Super quick. But, pretty much every road I drive on is 50 km/h or less.
• Fantastic handling.
• Great audio.
• Best brakes ever.
• Excellent cargo area.

So, bye bye B250. Traded straight up for a loaded 2015 Altima SV. Love it, but I'm biased because I owned an Altima for 10 years.

If you live in the Toronto area, I've got an almost new set of winter wheels (MB alloys) and tires, a cargo liner and winter MB floor mats available. PM me.

I also just sold my 1998 C280, so I'm leaving the forum altogether.

Thanks to all on the forum and goodbye.

 

[LostInTime]

I really wanted to like this car, but alas, it was not to be. There were many reasons for getting rid of it, including:

• More fixes under warranty in 18 months than my last 3 cars combined.
• Horrible gas mileage.
• Very harsh ride.
• Run flat tires. Never again.
• User-unfriendly NAV/Audio interface. Touch screen is the way to go.
• Funky balky transmission, especially when cold.
• Poor all around visiblity.
• Bad experiences with service department. Plus, 4 weeks to get an appointment?
• High service costs. But I knew this going in. My bad.

Things I liked:

• Super quick. But, pretty much every road I drive on is 50 km/h or less.
• Fantastic handling.
• Great audio.
• Best brakes ever.
• Excellent cargo area.

So, bye bye B250. Traded straight up for a loaded 2015 Altima SV. Love it, but I'm biased because I owned an Altima for 10 years.

If you live in the Toronto area, I've got an almost new set of winter wheels (MB alloys) and tires, a cargo liner and winter MB floor mats available. PM me.

I also just sold my 1998 C280, so I'm leaving the forum altogether.

Thanks to all on the forum and goodbye.

I appreciate your candor.

I have been in and out of various Mercedes since 1980 and many of them have been truly marginal cars. Mercedes turns out lots of junk, but also hits a few high notes. After taking a blood bath (financially) on a newer MB (lemon) in the early 90's, I swore off the brand (for over a decade). But I came back after I sampled the garbage from other euro and US brands.

Best wishes.

 

[rk21]

what issues have you had with your car? my car seems ok so far, except for turn signal bulb replacement because it gave me the message "check left turn signal". done free of course.

 

[GordandMichele]

what issues have you had with your car? my car seems ok so far, except for turn signal bulb replacement because it gave me the message "check left turn signal". done free of course.

Well, I had the "Check oil at next refueling" random message that others reported. A software upgrade seemed to fix that. Also had the "Anti-theft protection activated" message that disabled the entire Comand system. Just recently got a "Front left airbag malfunction message". That required replacement of a steering jacket switch module, 2 locking mechanisms,4 cables and 4 cable connectors.

Those are the three that I can remember. The car I had before this was a 2004 Altima, and it had exactly zero warranty work done in the 10 years I owned it.

With the B250, I made 5 claims under the tire and rim protection in less than 18 months. Two rims and three tires. Never even had a flat with the Altima.

Plus, the service is atrocious. As a test, I tried to book an appointment just now. The first date I can get is May 6th. 20 DAYS FROM TODAY. That's nuts! And, they won`t give you a loaner car, even if it takes several days to service your car. Ever look at replacing the fuel filter? $738 plus tax.

Like I said, I really wanted to like the car. Took a big $$$ hit to dump it, but it had to done. Live and learn. I did love my 1998 C280 Sport, though. That was a great car. Then again, I never had to take it to the dealer. I had a local guy do all the work on it.

 

[kplesz]

Wow. That dealer seems to really suck. Mine is not that bad. I always get a loaner, but I do have to plan it weeks in advance.

I had the oil warning fault, fixed by a software upgrade. All of my other issues are related to a hail damage repair. The paintless dent repair people did a number on my hatch door handle and then tried to glue it together to hide their damage. Plus I'm positive they damaged the LED license plate light, because it failed shortly afterward.

The maintenance costs and unknown reliability do make me nervous, but I'm just loving my car too much to worry. I am definitely glad I extended the warranty.

 

[jkimchi]

Hopefully your experience is not indicative of the future experiences we B250 owners are in store for (knock on wood).

Above board, my experience with the B250 has been nothing but excellent. It has its quirks but compared to the B200, this car is a qualitative leap in improvement, from workmanship to driving experience.

Second, the experiences with Mercedes dealerships across Canada seems to be hit and miss. In my area, I guess enough owners have complained enough to the dealer that they have now have a fleet of 20 loaner cars. Yet still the costs of servicing is atrocious with threats to nullify warranty if maintenance is not kept up to Mercedes 'standards'.

Sad to say.... After this B250 ... this may be the last of the Mercedes three pointed stars to be housed in my garage....

 

[Mike Tee]

I wanted to like the W246 too because we have had a 245 since 2007. However, the far cheaper interior materials, immense road noise (I mean, my convertible diesel smart seems quieter and certainly has less road noise) and no manual transmission option made it a big NO. I won't buy a double clutch auto if I can avoid it.

We always planned to drive the W245 until it dies anyway....so far at only 190,000 km, it should be only half done.


There is no new Mercedes that I would want to buy, maybe excluding the E250. But I don't like slushboxes either.


If the B croaked tomorrow I'd probably get a 328i. Manual of course.

 

[Fun-2-Drive]

Hi Everyone ... my first post and thanks for sharing your experiences.

I was looking forward to leasing a 2015 B250 FWD, after reading some of the reliability issues here on the forum and the hit and miss service from the dealerships, I am immediately considering not going for it, hoping someone would prove otherwise ...

 

[Strumfoptimus]

I drove yesterday a B250 and i was impressed. Big difference compare with my 2010 B200
I really like it. Thinking to trade in my B200 for a B250 now...