Mercedes reliability ? Did I just get unlucky ?

[liam quigley 21]

Got an approved used 2017 W213 E220 AMG line in Nov 2019 with an extended warranty. Warranty ran out in November. Engine warning light came on end of Dec. Turned out to be an Adblue level sensor. Cost £2000 to replace the tank. Car was in the garage for 4 weeks while I was waiting for a new tank. When I got the car back it now has bad vibration through the steering wheel when I brake. Dealer said discs may be damaged as it sat in rain/snow for 4 weeks when waiting for a new tank. Now this week the engine light has came back on but its not Adblue its something else.

This has been the least reliable car I have owned. Driven for 16 years do about 20k miles a year. So have I been Lucky that all I have had to replace in years gone by is brake pads and tyres or is this really poor reliability ?

[TwigtheWonderkid]

I've had a GLC200d AMG Line for 3 years, bought at 6 months old. It's been faultless.

Maybe I got lucky, or you've been unlucky.

[Chris32345]

No more or less reliable then any other brand these days

Most car issues seem to be some of sensor issue these days (excluding wear and damage related like tyres brakes and suspension) and most electrical related parts are made by about a dosnt company's for all manufacturers



Just have the Merc premium on a lot of parts

[s m]

Luck of the draw I’d say

Friend has a 190 2.5 - very reliable for a 30 year old car but when it has gone wrong it’s quite expensive

Another friend had a C32 - unbelievably fast but it’s been a Friday afternoon car for him

[Pan Pan Pan]

I wonder about this because I have had three VW`s and they have all been virtually faultless, whereas I read that some others have had loads of trouble with their VW cars. given the vast numbers they churn out, it is probably the case that they are no more reliable or unreliable than any other make, but when it is an expensive car that gives problems I can understand, how its owner might be more p*ssed off about it than if the car had been a cheap model.
Given my experience with them, I always likened someone who got a `bad' VW, as the person who fell into a barrel of t*ts, and came out sucking his thumb!

[cerb4.5lee]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

I've had a GLC200d AMG Line for 3 years, bought at 6 months old. It's been faultless.

Same(touchwood) and had a GLC350d from new(done 80k miles in it). Had it 4 years in august.

As s m says it is the luck of the draw I think.

[stevemcs]

We have seen the tank issue on a C CLass, the sensor isn't available on its own and only comes with the tank, i thought it was around £800 plus vat plus fitting which is easy enough.

I wouldn't say Mercs are anymore reliable than anything else, we see more issues with German stuff than any Fords Korean stuff etc.

[thecremeegg]

I've got a 19 plate c300 as a company car, so far it's had a new brake servo and the passenger window sometimes doesn't close properly when you lock the car. Not terrible but not amazing either. I think a lot of cars go wrong in the first few years, it's after that where they really show their reliability or lack of

[liam quigley 21]

Thanks for the replies, had a few BMWs before and never had any problems, This is my first Mercedes so guess its just unlucky. Put me off the car now.

[Glenn63]

I had a 2012 c63 up to 6 years/ 45k miles and it ran perfectly no issues bar a bonnet latch sensor £12 to replace.

[raspy]

Was it MB extended warranty and had it always been serviced by MB? I've heard of stories where cars that have main dealer history and have major problems just after warranty expiring sometimes get goodwill contribution from manufacturer.

[samoht]

In terms of reliability, as said luck of the draw I think. I recently bought an older Mercedes, I don't have any particular expectations of it being more well-built than average, so I won't be disappointed when it needs money spending on it.

To some extent you may also be hitting the issue where quite a few more recent diesels had emissions-control systems kludged onto them in a hurry after dieselgate hit, and have a few issues as a result.


However, I think with a four year old car that's out of warranty, you might do better to try and find a recommended independent Mercedes specialist nearby, rather than taking the car back to the dealer. It won't make the car any more or less reliable, but if the problems cost half as much to fix then it won't feel so bad.

[Rozzers]

Every Merc I’ve had has been moved on the minute the warranty was up. Recalls, limp home, steering racks, broken seats.... not worth a premium at all.

[liam quigley 21]

raspy said:

Was it MB extended warranty and had it always been serviced by MB? I've heard of stories where cars that have main dealer history and have major problems just after warranty expiring sometimes get goodwill contribution from manufacturer.

yeah it was. More annoyingly I thought it was 1 year added on to the 3 years warranty, its not its one year from the date I bought it. Car is 4 years old in May. Gutting. ( Mercedes contributed £400 to the cost )

Edited by liam quigley 21 on Friday 2nd April 13:02

[Sheepshanks]

raspy said:

Was it MB extended warranty and had it always been serviced by MB? I've heard of stories where cars that have main dealer history and have major problems just after warranty expiring sometimes get goodwill contribution from manufacturer.

I'd say that's true especially if its emission or safety related as they're both 'sensitive' issues. However MB is less keen if you didn't buy it new, or nearly new. It's up to the dealership to push for these things - some aren't as interested as others.

I'd be very reluctant to run a modern (ie EU6 with Ad Blue) diesel without a warranty. Have the VW one on wife's 5yr old Tiguan.

Had one on my Merc until 10yrs old but I think the Merc extended warranty is expensive - I had Warranty Direct as it covered wear and tear, but I only needed to claim a couple of times so was well out of pocket. I guess if you choose not to have an extended warranty you could offset the cost of that against what you paid out for repairs - over a few years you may well come out ahead.

Oh, and it's asking for trouble to take an out of warranty Merc to a dealer - find a good indie, there's absolutely loads of them around.

[Monkeylegend]

Adblue and the whole emissions system is a known issue on the Blue Tec Mercedes diesel engines.

Did you ask Mercedes for a contribution for the NOx sensor replacement, they have done them free of charge or made a contribution in some cases.

[Dog Star]

Is there not some way of tricking the car into thinking the adblue tank is full?

[Monkeylegend]

Dog Star said:

Is there not some way of tricking the car into thinking the adblue tank is full?

Sorry got to rush, need a pee.

[anonymous-user]

liam quigley 21 said:

Got an approved used 2017 W213 E220 AMG line in Nov 2019 with an extended warranty. Warranty ran out in November.

How do those numbers work?

The oldest 2017 might have been bought on 1 Jan 2017. 3 years warranty wouldn't expire until 1 Jan 2020.

You say you bought the car Nov 2019 and extended the warranty. The failure occurred in Dec 2020.

If the basic 3 warranty had been extended for, say, 12 months then the car should still have been under warranty until 1 Jan 2021 at the very earliest.

[Fady]

rockin said:

liam quigley 21 said:

Got an approved used 2017 W213 E220 AMG line in Nov 2019 with an extended warranty. Warranty ran out in November.

How do those numbers work?

The oldest 2017 might have been bought on 1 Jan 2017. 3 years warranty wouldn't expire until 1 Jan 2020.

You say you bought the car Nov 2019 and extended the warranty. The failure occurred in Dec 2020.

If the basic 3 warranty had been extended for, say, 12 months then the car should still have been under warranty until 1 Jan 2021 at the very earliest.

Sounds more like the standard approved used warranty of one year?

Also seems OP is a victim of MB tech that should probably still be in the R and D phase and yet is being held to ransom even though they realise this.