Mercedes Reliability bad for cars, and Army Trucks too!

[Toronto]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...hub=TopStories

rather funny.
Mercedes just can't build good cars anymore.

[gobs3z]

Mercedes just can't build good cars anymore.

I knew that awhile ago. Good post.

[SilviaEvo]

just like that armoured S Class. stolen in Stuttgart! with windows tires bomb proof everything!

[papaSMURF]

and wheres the argument? like what spurs when bmw is mentioned? i think people are a bit biased here.

[SPEEDKILLAR]

:roll:

[jon_s]

Originally Posted by papaSMURF and wheres the argument? like what spurs when bmw is mentioned? i think people are a bit biased here.

I posted a statement from merc who admitted there were problems and that they predict that it will take 5 years to put right. Hows that for an argument?

I still like Merc...I mean, how can you not like the SL But their build quality has plumitted recently. The main thing is that they have identified the problem and are resolving it.

[papaSMURF]

i was talking about others arguing against your statement, i personally love the cars, and seem to know how to run a company correctly.

[cooperluke]

eheheheh

[is64fun]

Originally Posted by jon_s Originally Posted by papaSMURF and wheres the argument? like what spurs when bmw is mentioned? i think people are a bit biased here. I posted a statement from merc who admitted there were problems and that they predict that it will take 5 years to put right. Hows that for an argument? I still like Merc...I mean, how can you not like the SL But their build quality has plumitted recently. The main thing is that they have identified the problem and are resolving it.

i will not mention the quality but thay are absolutly costumer friendly company. once thay changed a s class because of the "too many service visits".

[Sir_GT]

Ummm... let me just pull these facts out for you guys:

• Mercedes's reputation for quality products have fallen, as pointed out by several surveys, consumer groups, and as admitted by DaimlerChrysler themselves.
  
• Mercedes is NOT running the company properly. Their top management are continuously trying to match BMW's profitability, hence their effort to increase profit margins by means of cost cutting... i.e. the loss of build quality. They also tried to extend product life by using the older chassis in the new Chryslers (old SLK = Crossfire, old E-class = 300C)
  
• Mercedes has even tried to outsource most of their passenger cars in order to increase the profitability, hence the current C-class and its chassis derivatives are built in south east Asia, while the current E-class is built in India.
  
• This didn't work due to the fall in demand in Mercedes products because of the "sporty" trend of today's automobile market. Young professionals no longer want to be associated with "an old man's brand", an issue that Mercedes tried to address with their (then new) current sleek look. This however, was proving to be more difficult than they had originally thought due to the conflict of brand image being brought about by their other products. (VANEO anyone?)
  
• That strategy didn't work either, because most young buyers KNEW that Mercedes's cars were not capable of the same "sporty" performance Audi and BMW were providing, because of the internet boom, and the spread of information amongst tuners. (ever seen a magazine that dedicates itself to tuning and modifying mercs? nope? ever wondered why?)
  
• It's also an irrefutable fact that the best selling car in Britain is the current 3-series. Outselling literally EVERYTHING. Likewise, BMW has outsold Mercedes for the 3rd straight year in the United States, making them the most sought after German brand (and that was formally acknowledged just this September).
  
• Due to the series of downfalls, Mercedes then bought out a 40% stake in McLaren, to further use as a vehicle to push their "new" sporty theme. Hence the birth of the SLR, the most expensive AUTOMATIC you can buy, and has a complete carbonfibre monocoque, but a plastic silver dash. :roll:
  
• Senior technical directors at McLaren were not pleased with Mercedes's insistence on certain requirements, (automatic transmission, boot, luxury electronic devices, etc.) and felt that the end product was severely compromised. Thus, the result was the departure of Gordon Murray (the man behind the McLaren F1 car) and other senior technical engineers (including Adrian Newey as well IIRC)from the company. Which leaves Ron Dennis the only original McLaren man still on board.
  
• Further compounding Mercedes's brand problems are the recent engine reliability problems in Formula 1, and most European magazines's stinging criticisms regarding their consumer products. Which have been, as you all know, confirmed by consumers themselves.

There you go. Source? Articles from both Forbes and Fortune magazine.

Like I said... Mercedes? hah.

[ZfrkS62]

heheheh

Further compounding Mercedes's brand problems are the recent engine reliability problems in Formula 1, and most European magazines's stinging criticisms regarding their consumer products. Which have been, as you all know, confirmed by consumers themselves.

not to mention their shitty crank pulley's on their road cars that like to come apart and decimate the upper oil pan. Need i even mention that joke of a braking system that they introduced on the S and C classes? I don't know about you guys, but i prefer to have more than 5% braking power if something in my braking system decides to say F-off. I seriously hope Mercedes puts out a full mechanical-hydraulic retrofit for those cars.

there was also an ML today that had its Circulation Pump catch fire while it sat in the techs stall. Always interesting to see smoke pouring out of the fender, all being produced by an internal short in an electric motor, which did NOT blow the 10 amp fuse (should have been 25amp)

there really isn't room for an argument here. Mercedes is not the marque they once were. and it all happened when Merc and Chrysler merged.

[Sir_GT]

What he said.

[Sir_GT]

^^^ What he said.