Hello all,

Am a new member and this is my first post.

I have a C180K Elegance SE with the optional sports pack and auto/tiptronic box fitted. I purchased the car new in June 2005 and it's currently done 29500 miles. I've had numerous problems with the vehicle ranging from small things like one of the rear number plate light bulbs working intermittently (fixed under warranty), passenger door mirror not folding in/out fully (fixed under warranty), driver's door mirror suffering the same problem (miraculously fixed itself) to a major problem resulting in the front drilled discs and brake pads being replaced in July 2007 after the pads wore down and scored the discs (I didn't get any brake pad wear warnings !!) My dealer charged me £400 for this !!

Now today another problem has developed.....the car veers to the left when driving in a straight line. It's nothing drastic but enough to change lanes on a motorway etc without touching the steering wheel !! Tyre pressures are spot on so its not that. The car stops in a straight line when applying the brakes, so it's not those. I've contacted my dealer and have to take the car in tomorrow for them to perform some "opti" (?) test on the steering. Guess what ? They said it will cost about £117 inc VAT !!!!!!!

I cannot believe the problems I've had with this car. I purchased a Merc because of their "legendary" reliability and even took advantage of their personal collection service, going to the factory in Bremen to take delivery where quality control and reliability are supposed to be the Holy Grail.

The car is my pride and joy and has absolutely no damage except for a few small stone chips on the bonnet.

Has anybody else experienced these problems ? I'm beginning to seriously think that I made the wrong choice of car.

I would be really grateful for any replies and especially any advice to help me reduce the impending bill I'm going to have to pay tomorrow.

Best regards,

Dave.

 

Further information to my post.

I have now been advised by my dealer that I need new "caster" bolts to fix the problem, the front brake pads are 85% worn (after less than 12000 miles ?) and need replacing and the cost for all of this has risen to £337 !! This is rediculousbut I shall be getting the repairs done and then part ex'ing the car for something more reliable like an audi or a mitsubishi ( Have owned both in the past).

Never again will I buy a merc..they're as bad as BMW's for reliability and ripoff dealers.

 

hi pilot115, thanks for update to us.
Mercedes and BMW is germany car and mitsubishi is japanese car, it is different.
maybe you need pay more for merc or bmw but you get more on this car (safety, luxury, etc...).