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Mercedes-Benz M-class vs Ford Explorer/Mercury Mountaineer vs Buick Rendezvous vs Acura MDX

472 messages,  Last post on Sep 17, 2007 at 5:06 PM

You are in the Mercedes Benz M-Class Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester

What is this discussion about? Mercedes-Benz M-Class, Ford Explorer, Buick Rendezvous, Acura MDX, Car Safety, Fuel Efficiency (MPG), SUV

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#453 of 472 by nvbanker Aug 01, 2003 (1:28 pm)
You could make that case easily. But my experience could make the other as well. I find my Lincoln/Mercury dealer does not overcharge for brakes and routine service. They are high on things like belts, water pumps, alternators, that kind of thing but actually give the best deals on tires.   My friends with Mercedes products are chronically bemoaning the cost of parts & labor for their machines, from the $700 brake job to the $1500 oil changes. Clearly, they should stay away from the dealers for routine stuff.
#454 of 472 Routine Stuff by chaz12 Aug 01, 2003 (2:58 pm)
The problem with not sticking to dealers for regular wear items, whether it's MB, BMW, AUDI, etc. is that warranties may then become void. I've heard alot of stories about dealers not covering warranty items if the car has not been routinely serviced by an authorized dealer.
#455 of 472 by nvbanker Aug 01, 2003 (3:45 pm)
Ford has never done that to me in all my life.
#456 of 472 illegal practice by steve_ HOST Aug 01, 2003 (4:45 pm)
Plus in the US, the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act forbids tying routine dealer maintenance to the warranty. Although sometimes it may take some nudging from the state's attorney general's office to get the dealer to figure that out.   MB, as one example, covers most routine maintenance for the intial ownership period so they may balk if you take your ML320 to a quick oil change place and put some 30 weight dead dino in it.   Steve, Host
#457 of 472 RIGHT ON Steve! by rerenov8r Aug 02, 2003 (6:03 am)
You'd have the full weight of federal law, thousands of legal cases and all 50 state's Attorney Generals on your side. Plus the manufacturer. The recalcitrant dealer would have their "Service Advisor" with a pencil lost in his lower GI tract...   'taint NO WAY that a warranty can be voided by not visting the dealer for service. Heck you could even take the new Ferrari Enzo that costs $650,000 anywhere you want for an oil change -- though I doubt that the 12 quarts of one-off 10W60 Shell Helix motor oil will be instock at many JiffyLube stores....
#458 of 472 warranty and service by fndlyfmrflyr Aug 02, 2003 (6:44 pm)
As long as you have reasonable records that required service was performed in a timely manner there should be no warranty problem no matter where the service was done, even DIY.
#459 of 472 Highlander gets a 3rd row by tmakogon Oct 20, 2003 (12:32 pm)
The other day I tried to sit in the '04 Toyota Highlander 3rd row. Was that a tight squeeze... Not that I'm tall - I'm 5 ft 9". No space left behind the 3rd row - would you put your kids' friends there?   We should start a new 4+2 classification for the tight third rows made for the purpose of marketing as in the 2+2 convertibles that have the rear two seats for the insurance purposes.   With the navigation and the trim the sticker price was over $35K. For this price MDX might be a better option. I feel that Rendezvous still has the best 3rd row among crossovers - leather, reclining, and good usable legroom.   Regards, Taras
#460 of 472 3rd row by fndlyfmrflyr Oct 20, 2003 (10:43 pm)
I looked at a Highlander's third row a few days ago too (I was at the dealer for a Prius). Yep, sure is tight, but there is some room behind the the third row. The Buick does have more knee room than the MDX, but the room behind the 3rd row is less. BTW, the MDX third row reclines as does the middle row.   I'd like to see the next MDX have a two inch stretch in wheelbase so that access to the third row would be easier and there could be a two inch increase in knee room too.   I like your idea of using a +2 (or +3) to designate the third row. The Pilot has three seat belts in the same width seat as the MDX third row, which has only two belts.   If you want to see a real third row joke take a look at the new SRX. Lots of knee room, but the cushion is on the floor which results in a chin high knee position.
#461 of 472 3rd row seating by explorerx4 Oct 21, 2003 (1:33 pm)
explorer head 39 rdv 39, shoulder 52 rdv 49, hip 45 rdv 48, leg 35 rdv 35 (all rounded to nearest) would guess the rdv is a little easier to get in/out of.
#462 of 472 3rd rows by montreid Oct 23, 2003 (10:38 am)
The Buick has 18.1 ft behind the 3rd row and fits my Combi stroller, the MDXs 14.8 didn't fit it.   Both have reclining 2nd and 3rd rows, which is nice to gain the extra inches behind the 3rd rows. I like the 60/40 partion in the MDX better than the 50/50 in the Buick, but only a single side entry on the MDX into the 3rd row and the headrests needed to be taken off too.   Haven't seen the highlander's 3rd row. Interesting why the new 330 doesn't offer it if the highlander does.   SRX: weird how low the seat cushion is, isn't it? Maybe something to do with the motor?

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