[voldemort]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

I just cannot help but feel shortchanged with the quality & spare part / service costing of this product, and the most recent service estimate has not helped one bit!

I empathize with you.

Our W212 E250 CDI (2016) is expensive to maintain. It's covered around 65000 km in 7 years. But most of the higher usage has been in the initial years; during the past 3 or 4 years we cover maybe 4000 km a year. It isn't driven daily. We have always maintained it at the authorized service center, and here in Kochi there isn't much choice (only one official dealer/service center, though the neighboring Thrissur district also has an MB dealer/service people, from a different group).

During every routine service they give us a list of things that are wrong with the car. The final estimate usually comes to lakhs. During service we usually just do the usual items (oil/filter change etc), and defer the critical items for a subsequent visit.
Off the top of my head, here are the things that have been replaced (there may be others):

• Brake pads have been changed in late 2021.
• Transmission oil has been changed once before that.
• Tyre replacements have been done multiple times (punctures, bulges, wear). None of my other cars ever had so many punctures.
• Our AC system has been worked on multiple times (read about the fiasco in 2021 here (Maintaining a Mercedes-Benz in India)).

Here's an old post of mine where the bill has run into ₹2.7 lakhs:

Originally Posted by voldemort

Attachment 1974960

Not all of those are critical items however.

Here are the current random noises in the car:

1. Screeching noise on cold-starts. Not present in hot-starts. It goes away after sometime
2. Mysterious "chk chk" at most times, but sometimes there's a metallic sound as well.

Regarding the 1st noise, the sound happens immediately on cold-starts, and then subsides after a little bit. Then when I move from P to D, the sound re-surfaces, and again subsides after a little bit.

I was worried if it was the timing belt/chain, whose damage can mean end-game. I took a video of the screeching noise and sent it to my service advisor. They said it might be the belt/pulley, but they'd like to inspect the car to confirm. We set up an appointment at 9 am, and dad and I drove there.

(I would've uploaded the screeching sound video here directly if there was a way; don't want to setup a YouTube account just for it).

Unsurprisingly they weren't able to re-produce the issue (because, the engine was warm — we just drove there), and their inspection then was inconclusive. Now they said they'd like to keep the car overnight, and cold-start the subsequent morning. I couldn't leave the car with them right then, so we setup an appointment for them to pick up a car on a different day and keep it overnight.

Now, I knew beforehand that the problem would only surface on cold-starts, so it was kind of a waste going there that day, but I wasn't very annoyed as I had to head out to town anyway and this service-center visit wasn't too much of a detour. Whilst I was there, dad and I also clarified what exactly the other items were in their multi-lakh estimate of everything wrong with the car. So the visit wasn't a total waste.

The overnight inspection eventually happened and they said it's the belt/pulley, which needs to be replaced. They don't have the parts in stock and it'll take a couple of weeks to arrive. They said it's not a super-critical part, and we're okay with driving it around. The car is back with us, and we're awaiting the replacement parts to arrive.

I don't know if that belt/pulley thing is supposed to fail on a 7-year 65k car.

Regarding the 2nd noise, it's coming from the rear, and we suspect it's the suspension. It's not present at all times which makes demonstrating it to the service-center somewhat complicated. The sound does not seem to be correlated to the condition on the road. Sometimes it's present on smooth roads, and at other times it's not present on smooth roads. And sometimes it's present on rough roads, and at other times it's not present on rough roads. Anyway, the ride-quality is pretty-good nevertheless, so we're waiting for things to become worse before starting out with expensive repairs.

The service-center people had managed to observe the issue during their test-drive and said it's probably the suspension, but they aren't a 100% sure (at least they were honest). Anyway, they have recommended a suspension replacement (along with some related parts). To say that a suspension replacement on a Benz is expensive is an understatement. We have decided to hold off on this for now. The ride remains supple, so let it worsen a little bit more before we replace it.

Other things wrong with the car:
1. The headliner is slowly sagging, starting from the C-pillar area at the rear left. I noticed it years ago and it's been slowly expanding. It isn't too much, and is definitely not obviously visible or anything.
2. Audio speakers are shot -- "krrr" sound if I play rock music on medium-to-high volume.
3. The black coating on the power window switches are slowly peeling away. It's tiny, but once you notice it it's an eyesore.
4. You know those dynamic guidelines that come on in the parking camera display when you're in reverse gear, the line that turn when you turn the steering? Well one day those lines got stuck in a turned position. I parked the car without relying on those lines. Anyway, the problem disappeared when I turned off the car and turned it back on again, hours later.
5. Passenger side mirror sometimes don't automatically unfold when we unlock and open the front doors. When this happens, manually pressing the unlock-button opens it up though. This problem is recent and only shows up occasionally.

A consequence of living with this car is that, these days when a weird error does occur, I do not panic anymore. For instance, regarding the 4th point above, I was literally like, "pfft it must be a glitch on the computer that might go away on the next restart". And I did not even bother to immediately re-start the car to see if the problem went away (5 years ago I might have). So in a way, the Benz has made me a better, calmer man.

We stick with the authorized service center because I'm not sure which one is a good FNG over here for these kinds of cars, despite the higher costs.

We tend to keep our cars for a long period. The car is 7 years old, and I definitely intend to keep it for a few more years. Replacement is not in the pipeline in the foreseeable future because car prices in this segment have shot up in a ridiculous way, and we're not sure about the fuel-situation in a few more years. Our running is low, we have a reasonably frugal diesel car, we're not sure if our next car should be an inefficient petrol, a hybrid, or an EV (our low running probably doesn't warrant an EV). And when we do replace it, Benz wouldn't be my top pick!

[Vijay T]

After going through the posts above,I really wonder why MB is still no 1 premium car sold in India beating all other germans.

The attraction of three pointed star & perceived luxury quotient attached to it over other germans may be the reason.

But over the years,the posts listing problems on newly bought German luxury cars are on the rise.

Does some of it can be attributed to Made in India drive by these companies?

[Spaced Out]

Originally Posted by Vijay T

The attraction of three pointed star & perceived luxury quotient attached to it over other germans may be the reason.

Folks have a range of aspirational and emotional reasons while buying luxury cars. You mentioned some in your post.

Another reason is how it impresses others. I know a fund investment manager (ex- head of a consulting firm). He got a Benz as it had significant impact (as per him) when meeting clients.

[redeff]

I would like to add to this. The C class which we have now had for 7 years seems to take more maintain than our BMW x1 that has been faithful for a good 11 years now. The switches etc feel flimsy to me, in fact the driver side switchgear for the power windows will be replaced as we speak as one just snapped off and the others seem very loose. Our A4 that we sold after 11 years had better quality of interior part I feel.

The BMW x1 though has been a rock! I'm not that convinced that MB is better better than the Audis and the BMWs when it comes to part quality.

[discoverwild]

Originally Posted by voldemort

Our W212 E250 CDI (2016) is expensive to maintain. It's covered around 65000 km in 7 years. But most of the higher usage has been in the initial years; during the past 3 or 4 years we cover maybe 4000 km a year. It isn't driven daily.

Quoting your post, you have the answer right there. The car's mechanicals are such that they are meant to run for as much as possible regularly. 4000 km per year is equivalent to keeping it idle.

It's the daily running that keeps all the parts in place. When the car is stationary for extended periods, the rubber parts (belts, tyres, beadings) tend to harden as they lose their elasticity. The metal parts (body, pulleys, hinges, suspension) tend to gather moisture from humidity/rain splashes/home wash and lose lubrication (oil/grease), causing creaks, squeaks and other obnoxious noises.

Over 33 years of being behind the wheel (12L+ km), I would say the absolute minimum a car should run is about 1000 km a month. Although German/European cars tend to be over-engineered, they face a huge challenge with our trying tropical conditions. Keeping a car idle is a heartache waiting to happen.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by discoverwild

It's the daily running that keeps all the parts in place. When the car is stationary for extended periods of time, the rubber parts (belts, tyres, beadings) tend to harden as they lose their elasticity. The metal parts (body, pulleys, hinges, suspension) tend to gather moisture from humidity/rain splashes/home wash and lose lubrication (oil/grease) causing creaks, squeaks and other obnoxious noises.

Agreed, my Polo never ran for over three years and what I had to spend was more that it had run regularly. A well used car has operated at prime operating temperature, oil circulates and flushes the innards. At the most, wheel bearing, tyres, suspension need to be addressed.

My neighbour lives abroad and his Jazz and CRV have hardly run and are in a pathetic state.

[discoverwild]

Originally Posted by ajmat

A well used car has operated at prime operating temperature, oil circulates and flushes the innards.

My neighbour lives abroad and his Jazz and CRV have hardly run and in a pathetic state.

Mineral oils also tend to settle down and lose viscosity over an extended layover. This is extremely harmful to the components of the engine. The seals can wear out.

The radiator will form a layer of sediment and be prone to rust. Air filters will get clogged and choked due to dampness and dust. The interiors will smell of mold or stale air. Even the finest leather will tend to show cracks. The seat cushion, the roof liners tend to sag. Also, the battery will have a lesser shelf life.

A weekly run of 150-200kms and a long drive of 500kms a month, will keep your car pristine till the next generation takes over. While the short city drives during the week enable the engine to work at different rpms, the long drives increase the longevity of the components by performing at optimal conditions.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by discoverwild

. The interiors will smell of mold or stale air. Even the finest leather will tend to show cracks. The seat cushion, the roof liners tend to sag. Also, the battery will have a lesser shelf life.

A weekly run of 150-200kms and a long drive of 500kms a month, will keep your car pristine till the next generation takes over. While the short city drives during the week enable the engine to work at different rpms, the long drives increase the longevity of the components by performing at optimal conditions.

Very good advice. Another neighbour has a 15 year old CRV with only 13000 on the clock. We take for a breakfast run now and then it stinks!

I also am burdened with having to keep a Mini Cooper S running as its 80+ year old driver does not use it much. I take it to work a couple of times a week and do the occasional airport run with it.

Such is life!

[nareshtrao]

Question for those based in Bangalore:

Which is a good FNG for Mercedes in the city? Any feedback and experience? Please also highlight if the ones you recommend also stock genuine spares or do you buy them elsewhere?

Any guidance and pointers are deeply appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by nareshtrao

Question for those based in Bangalore: Which is a good FNG for Mercedes in the city?

No specific experiences with a MB, but you could try Carmed at Hennur. Highly impressive setup & infrastructure, & they did a great job with my Q3 for both service and partial repaint.

[CaptAM]

Hi,

For those in Delhi, request if you could recommend any good FNG's for maintaining a 10 year old Merc. Preferably in South Delhi.

TIA

[BharathXUV700]

Just took the car for a trip to Pondicherry from Bangalore. Vehicle performed flawlessly. Its a joy to use this car. Everytime i get a chance to drive it, i am even today taken aback at the engineering brilliance that has gone into the car. The ride is still sublime (considering it is now 12 years old). The power is still there in abundance. I agree with some of the comments made above. I feel this vehicle is meant to be used and if used regularly, it just works without any problems. Letting it sit for too long is what may cause more maintenance related issues.

Only issue i am facing is scratches on the windshield that is making it harder to drive in night. Need to polish the windscreen at a professional place. Second is i am not satisfied with the headlights...Currently i believe it has stock OEM 35 watts HID lights (probably OSRAM or Philips). I think the output is poor (maybe i am spoiled by the fantastic LED lights in my XUV 700). But the Mercedes is primarily used by my father and he is saying it is weak. I need to upgrade them. Any suggestions?

[Mission_PGPX]

Originally Posted by wildsdi5530

I use a 2015 B class 200d (W246)
I was inspired by the ECU remaps done by several VAG owners, and also a recent post by a Hector owner who seem to be comfortable using their cars as a daily driver.

Question to other owners of Mercs, have anyone of you sone Stage 1 Remaps in your cars. A quick search on Google refers to Quantum tuning who offer an amazing improvement in power and torque.

Hi, Did you go ahead with the Remap? I am also thinking to remap my E200? But I hardly find any reviews about remaps done on MB.

Regarding reliability of engine, I think stage 1 is the safest you can go. I had both my Polo GT and Jetta remapped and run for over 50000 kms without any issues, but again VAG is a different animal when it comes to ECU remap. Please let me know your experience on your Bclass.

[wildsdi5530]

Originally Posted by Mission_PGPX

Hi, Did you go ahead with the Remap? I am also thinking to remap my E200? But I hardly find any reviews about remaps done on MB.

NoI have not remapped. Again same reason. Too scared to touch anything in case it ends up in huge bills later on.

[KkVaidya]

Originally Posted by Mission_PGPX

Hi, Did you go ahead with the Remap? I am also thinking to remap my E200? But I hardly find any reviews about remaps done on MB.

Go for installing a throttle controller instead. I have one from Ultimate9 and it solves the lumpy throttle issue completely.