We have had a 2005 E-320 for about 4 years now. It came with the standard DVD navigation system. For the first few years, it worked wonderfully - no problems - none whatsoever. About 6 months ago the nav system started to make mistakes - a left when it should have been a right, no warning to turn off on freeway exits, turning out of a parking lot, it cannot find the street even though you are in the middle of it, etc. The unit seems to have gotten senile.

OK ... I bring the car to my local Mercedes dealership and tell them the problem and the look it over for a day. They can't retrieve any error codes, so there is no problem in their minds. I am not imagining the ever increasing mistakes so I call MBUSA and complain - they connect me with tech service people who agree it is wierd problem, and they will "push" the dealer to look further. First they give me a 2008 update disk to try - no difference. I then bring it in for a second try - they have it for 5 days. The dealership says that the routes that I have taken and reported as incorrect, do not route them incorrectly. Frankly, I believe them, the problem is erratic and mostly irreproducable.

The very nature of the problem is that the Nav unit is toally unreliable, and therefore useless. My wife is disabled and I do not want her driving around with a disability and the ability to get sent in the middle of nowhere at a moments notice. The dealership confides in me that they do not get paid by MBUSA for warranty work, unless they find a bona-fide reproducable problem. So we are all stuck between rocks and a hard place. I know it is erratic and undependable - and have no reason to keep bringing it back other than to get it fixed. Of course MBUSA won't take my word for it, so nothing ever happens.

I'm going to give them one more shot at it (I found another route that it cannot navigate to - a really basic mistake). If they cannot reproduce the problem and/or replace the unit, I will pay them cash to do it anyway. I am at wits end.

Has anyone heard about these problems in any other vehicle? How have they been resolved? Any ideas as how I might proceed. I am losing my patience with these people. Thanks.

 

I have an '04 E-320 with the navigation system and it does not even recognize my own street! Granted I live in a small town on a dirt road but my wife's '03 Honda Odyssey has it on her nav system! I have often tried to enter streets in other communities and the street listing will not even allow me to finish spelling the location as if it does not exist! Thank goodness I carry a PRINTED street map with me. MB's nav system is dated and they know it. We need to get organized and threaten a class action suit just to find out where the hell we are?! What is wrong with this company? Do they want us to make our next purchase a Lexus or BMW? I will stop here. Good luck with your issue. Regards, Bob R