Mercedes Benz recalls 744k cars for sunroof defect

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Interesting. Auto manufacturers usually let owners twist in the wind for leaking sunroofs, so this must be more serious. Pane flying off on sudden stops?
 
I bought my wife a 2006 C-class for her birthday. It was one of the biggest POS we ever owned. Drivetrain rumbling and ABS problems were never solved under warranty (in hindsight I should have lemon lawed it). Then in a period of 6 months it inhaled some plastic pieces inside the multi-stage intake manifold, which killed the right side catalytic converter. Then just weeks later the "conductor plate" in the transmission failed, resulting in the trans being stuck in 7th gear. Then the valve body had to be replaced shortly after (we were suspicious of it being bad as well, but were hoping the only problem was the conductor plate).

I spent $5.5 in repairs in a period of 3 months, only to get disgusted one afternoon trade the POS in for $6.5k when we got our E90 BMW.

Scott
 
06 and early 07 were bad years for MB. The v6 had been re-engineered and the new 7 sp trans had a lot of problems. Note to everyone: don't buy an 06-07 gas MB!
Of course you had no way of knowing this. Sorry you had to suffer with it.
 
Originally Posted by loneryder
06 and early 07 were bad years for MB. The v6 had been re-engineered and the new 7 sp trans had a lot of problems. Note to everyone: don't buy an 06-07 gas MB!
Of course you had no way of knowing this. Sorry you had to suffer with it.


Not only that, but the C class had more problems that the more expensive models like the E and S class. Although sometimes they had more expensive options like airmatic that would also been expensive to repair.

That's one nice thing about buying a used car, you can research it before you buy it. I was going to get a 2006 E-350 initially but then read about all the problems and ended up getting a 2008. It's been pretty decent in the last 5 years I've owned it.

It's too bad the article isn't clear on exactly which sunroof they're talking about. The E class came standard with a sunroof in the US, the panorama sunroof was an option.
 
The C class was a MB in name only, it lacked most of the things that makes a MB a MB
wink.gif
it is better now, but still not at the same level as the E class.
 
Yeah, I was going to get a C class as a beater, but they were only 1-2k cheaper than an E class as a used car and didn't have as many options so I just got another E class car to use as a beater.
 
Ok, after checking the MB forums, it seems that the recalls only affect the cars with the sunroof and not the pano roofs so I guess I'm safe. Pano on both cars and I already checked, I'm not listed for any recalls.
 
Originally Posted by Trav
Yep, the E class and up are real MB cars. The A, B, and C class are crap from the get go.

My question is why does a "high end" automotive brand sully its reputation just to achieve a lower price point? To increase sales? It seems short sighted to me, and not very German. Germany as a nation has trumpeted its engineering prowess, and then they engineer and manufacture a car with serious design and manufacturing flaws. Reputations takes decades to establish, but reputations can be ruined far more quickly.

Scott

PS One thing about our C-class - it didn't have enough suspension travel. How can that not be vetted during the design process? It's not complicated.
 
Originally Posted by SLO_Town
Originally Posted by Trav
Yep, the E class and up are real MB cars. The A, B, and C class are crap from the get go.

My question is why does a "high end" automotive brand sully its reputation just to achieve a lower price point? To increase sales? It seems short sighted to me, and not very German. Germany as a nation has trumpeted its engineering prowess, and then they engineer and manufacture a car with serious design and manufacturing flaws. Reputations takes decades to establish, but reputations can be ruined far more quickly.

Scott

PS One thing about our C-class - it didn't have enough suspension travel. How can that not be vetted during the design process? It's not complicated.


You forget that during your time of ownership that they were also owners of Chrysler which they got rid of in 2007. BMW also did the same with the 3 series. It's just part of GM's playbook which they've had for a long while. You start out with a Chevy and can stay loyal to their brand by having more expensive cars to buy. The C class was an entry level car and they have other models to step up to later.

Yeah, one drawback of the sports crazy is lack of suspension travel. I've always railed against bigger rims and lower profile tires. But automakers will just give whatever the market demands. And somehow the fools who like low profile tires and lowered cars because it's supposed to yield better handling have won out. Yet the percentage of people who can actually take advantage of those features are probably in the single digits.
 
Originally Posted by SLO_Town

My question is why does a "high end" automotive brand sully its reputation just to achieve a lower price point? To increase sales? It seems short sighted to me, and not very German. Germany as a nation has trumpeted its engineering prowess, and then they engineer and manufacture a car with serious design and manufacturing flaws. Reputations takes decades to establish, but reputations can be ruined far more quickly.

Scott

PS One thing about our C-class - it didn't have enough suspension travel. How can that not be vetted during the design process? It's not complicated.


Right on Scott, I've asked myself the same question, but I think the answer is Chrysler was contagious and MB got in spades! All that mattered after the merger was the bottom line and the short sighted view guided by the stock market ruled. They almost reached rock-bottom actually one short of that. Thay've clawed their way back a lot, but they are not where they used to be. Who knows if they'll ever be that again.
 
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Originally Posted by SLO_Town
I spent $5.5 in repairs in a period of 3 months, only to get disgusted one afternoon trade the POS in for $6.5k when we got our E90 BMW.
Not bad, less than a round trip bus fare.
Originally Posted by Wolf359
Yeah, one drawback of the sports crazy is lack of suspension travel. I've always railed against bigger rims and lower profile tires. But automakers will just give whatever the market demands. And somehow the fools who like low profile tires and lowered cars because it's supposed to yield better handling have won out. Yet the percentage of people who can actually take advantage of those features are probably in the single digits.
The reason for big wheels is higher belt lines to improve pedestrian safety. Cars would look hilarious with 16" wheels and 8" of wheel well gap.
 
Originally Posted by maxdustington
Originally Posted by Wolf359
Yeah, one drawback of the sports crazy is lack of suspension travel. I've always railed against bigger rims and lower profile tires. But automakers will just give whatever the market demands. And somehow the fools who like low profile tires and lowered cars because it's supposed to yield better handling have won out. Yet the percentage of people who can actually take advantage of those features are probably in the single digits.
The reason for big wheels is higher belt lines to improve pedestrian safety. Cars would look hilarious with 16" wheels and 8" of wheel well gap.


That's exactly what they looked like 15+ years ago before this craze. The wheel well gap is to give you more suspension travel. You'd get a softer ride and less flat tires/bent/cracked rims. There's trade offs in every engineering decision. They just picked the wrong one just for looks.

The night package is crazy too, the murdered look has gone too far. Sure make the car extra black so people can't see you. You can get it now as an option.
 
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I spent $5.5 in repairs in a period of 3 months, only to get disgusted one afternoon trade the POS in for $6.5k when we got our E90 BMW.

Something about frying pan and fire comes to mind when I read the above statement.
 
If you end up behind one on the freeway I would suggest getting out of that position. A flying sunroof will ruin your day for sure.
 
Originally Posted by RhondaHonda
The optional light-up MB emblem on the front gets my vote for worst styling change.


Me too! That thing looks soooooo ghetto fabulous!
 
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