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Mercedes c230

Mercedes-Benz • c230 • c240 • c320 • CL500 • CLK320 • CLK55 • G55 AMG • ML320 • S55 • SLK230 • Odds 'n ends --- News • Mercedes Hopes to Buff Its Image

Richard of Scottsdale AZ (4/8/04):
I purchased a 2003 C230K brand new and it has been nothing but problems since day one. The vehicle steers to the right since the date of purchase. The transmission shifts funny, slips, bangs into gear, consistently chooses the wrong gear, etc. Paint is chipping off all over the vehicle. The engine stalls in the mornings, sometimes racing by itself, then dropping itself down to a normal RPM.

The window mechanisms continue to scratch the window tinting - it has been replaced three times on the front windows. Rain sensing wipers work part of the time, sometimes not at all. The cupholder mechanism has broke twice. Nomenclature has fallen off the vehicle. There is EXCESSIVE road noise, tire noise, suspension noise and wind noise in this vehicle. Also, there are squeaks and rattles THROUGHOUT the vehicle. This car only has 9000 miles on it, and most of these problems were regular problems since the car had 2500 miles on it.

I wrote a nine-page letter to Paul Juron, the Director of Customer Assistance and received a brief email from someone named Honora Duffy, who told me that Mr. Juron does not deal with customers AT ALL, not in phone calls, not in correspondence. She then told that Mercedes does not get involved in any dealership concerns, and if I had any problems with my vehicle, to contact my dealership. She thanked me for buying a Mercedes and closed her email by telling me that "[my] observations about my vehicle have been shared with the appropriate individuals, and while MBUSA realizes this may not be the response I desire, they solicit my understanding of their company position”.

What is THIS supposed to mean? To me, it says, we want nothing to do with you, and thank you for buying our product.

After discussing the matter with an attorney, and relaying that information to Mercedes, they offered to get me into another vehicle. Unfortunately, all they want to do is get me into a late-model vehicle [the last offer was for a five year old car], which had a higher payment, higher insurance, and less warranty.

The vehicle keeps going back and back and back to the dealership. All I get back is an invoice that says "Could not duplicate", "No Code Observed" or "inherent vehicular characteristic". They fix NOTHING on this car, and corporate won't do ANYTHING or get involved WHATSOEVER. How can they get away with this? Their four year warranty is meaningless and worthless if they cannot fix the vehicle.

Are they hoping I will just go away? Are they waiting for the lemon law statute to time out? The service advisor told me he had been to nine such Lemon Law Arbitrations and Mercedes didn't lose a single one. He assured me my case, should I pursue one, would end the same way. Such arrogance - how can they get away with this?

I spent $32K for this car, plus over $2K in accessories thus far, and over $3800 in payments to date. Meanwhile, this car has been a piece of garbage since day one. This is ridiculous.

Christopher of Hicksville NY (12/9/03):
I leased the c230 Kompressor about a year ago and after about three months of driving the car every other few weeks the car was in the shop for something or other. First I brought the car in for its A SERVICE, when I got the car back everything seemed fine. Then one problem at a time -- I went back and foeth to the service shop. Then there was a malfunction in the windshield washer system, next the BAS and ESP light was coming on telling me to bring the car in (replaced travel membrane), next my front right headlight light went on then my rear left license plate light went out, then the drivers side vanity light went out. THREE TRIPS TO THE DEALER.

Next the BRAKE LINER WARNING LAMP went on, brought the car in, three days later car was fixed. Next the car was brought in for the ESP AND BAS warning light coming on again. The car was brought in and almost three weeks later the car was returned to me with a new ESP-BAS CONTROL UNIT. After that the car has been making wierd noises throughout the car, making left turns causes some wierd squeaking noise but when the car was brought in nothing was heard till finally a road test was taken with me and a manager (Clint) and sure enough the noise was heard but I was told there was nothing they could do and if I hear it again I should bring the car back in.

As I pulled out of the service department parking lot I made a left turn and wouldn't you know, the car made the same noise. But the kicker to all these repairs is the third week I had the car in my posession it was leaking transmission fluid in my driveway, the car was brought in by flatbed and the transmission was dropped and all the gaskets were replaced.

The second month I had the car I was at a red light, the light turned green and as my car reached the speed at which it should have shifted into second gear the car would not. The car was once again flatbedded to the Mercedes service and a brand new tranny was put into the car. I honestly feel I have not been taken care of in this matter and no longer feel I should be paying a monthly bill for this car. I would like to get out of the lease, this car is a LEMON.

Christopher should read up on the Lemon Law.

Stephanie of Elmhurst IL (5/13/03):
I am having issues with my C230 (year 2002) transmission (in addition to A/C, heating, powersteering, stalling).

1. Runs rough in the morning, stalls sometimes- most days just barely stalls, shakes terribly when reversing. [On 4 occasions since December 2002 until February 2003, while driving on highway at approx 55 mph, went over a slight bump in the road and completely lost power in the vehicle and all warning lights (Every single one) came on. Car immidiately halted to about 3 mph, the car behind me almost rear-ended me. I had my foot all the way down on the gas (I was in the middle of the road) and the power came back on within 30 seconds, and I almost rare-ended the car in front of me when my car surged forward]
2. Car doesn't shift to second in the AM while engine is cold.
3. When you turn the key in the ignition sometimes it does not start recent problem.
4. Transmission fumbles for a gear also slipping in cold weather.
5. Power steering doesn't work in the AM after sitting all night. [Ssteering wheel is completely upside down and you would think the car would not drive straight- it does!- which means the steering wheel and power steering is not working or my car would not be going straight. This is very dangerous and could cause an accident and I have no idea which way my tires are facing!]
6. Car sometimes lunges forward when going from park to drive.
7. A/C doesn't always cool car.
8. Heat is tempermental- doesn't always get warm- blows cold air.

I've complained to Mercedes corp via phone and no one returns my call. The Mercedes folks I deal with are nice, but tell me there is nothing wrong that my problems are NORMAL in the Mercedes cars (with the exception of the SUV). They claim their diagnostic tests show there is no problem. Are they trying to appease me until my lemon law rights expire? I purchased my car brand new in October 2001 right off their lot. My car has only 17,000 miles!

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