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Sedans Mercedes-Benz E-Class Mercedes-Benz E-Class Maintenance and Repair
1094 messages, Last post on Oct 21, 2009 at 5:02 PM
You are in the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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I just found this board yesterday and can't believe all the problems people are having with this car. I thought it was just me as the dealer has been tight lipped about the issues. I bought a new 2003 E500 in October 2002 and had the following problems SRS/Airbags defective Tele-Aid system not working Audio-some many problems I can't list them all here but the best was when it would just inadvertently come on when the car was locked and I was away from the vehicle. Headlights randomly coming on while car turned off After months of arguing with the mercedes regional rep who was of absolutely no help I finally did some research and I tell you what changed everything. I sent a formal Lemon Law letter to Mercedes (google search by your state but plenty of information out there). Once that happened they completely changed their attitude towards me. They worked hard to resolve the problem but never did. Finally, in May they just gave me a new car with about $3,000 more in options on it. Well, I wish that was the end of the story but my new car has been in the shop for 13 days with guess what? Electrical problems. They all seem to be related to the Audio system this time so I guess you can call that progress but it is unreal to understand the frustration I have gone through and having spent $60,000 on this car. The new car has been in 3 times now and some tech specialist from Chicago is flying in next week to examine my car. I finally had one of the mechanics pull me aside this morning and said effectively, "it's not just you MB is having a ton of problems with this vehicle and are trying to keep a lid on it best they can". All I can tell you is I am fed up, but MBUSA completely changed their attitude when I sent them the first Lemon Law letter. I suppose they are about to get another one from me if they can't get this fixed. Best wishes to all |
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Thanks for setting this chat up. If you look at the other chat regarding the NAV/COMMAND problems you will see that you are not alone. I too have a 2003 E500. The only options are the sport package and premium sound system. I also subscribed to the teleaid. The car wasn't even 2 weeks old when the "teleaid defective visit workshop" warning came on. Well, the salesman told me that was a known problem, i.e., a fauly teleaid modulation unit. Long story short, got that repaired but the malfunction still comes on even though the teleaid is working. The regional rep told me just 2 days ago that the fix that my dealer applied recently was not the right one and as of right now there IS NO FIX FOR THIS PROBLEM!!! Sheesh. In addition, my sound system goes out periodically. The first time it happened I took it to the dealer and since they were able to duplicate the problem, they just replaced the entire stereo system. However, now that the problem is intermittent, they refuse to do anything since they can't duplicate in the shop. I am going to try the lemon law approach but I just want my money back. I absolutely, positively do NOT WANT ANOTHER BENZ. I was leasing a brand new SL500 before this and it had a ton of problems as well. The only difference was that all of the problems got fixed. As the woman from the other chat says, "very disoncerting." |
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Spotty & pvh3: I own a 2000 E430 with the COMAND system & phone which has been problematic from day 7 of ownership. My local MB dealer has responded by replacing parts and modules with no real success. Unfortunately, with the previous E-class, the electrical parts are rebuilt so I am not real comfortable with reliability over time. . . I have talked many owners of MB's who have had a variety of "electrical" problems: C, M, E, S-class cars. My problems are also intermittent which are impossible to really fix. I think the idea is to replace parts with the hope that the problem will be resolved. . . I have only 23,000 miles on this car and I am not interested in getting another MB at this time. I think MB needs to look hard at the supplier of the electrical components of the cars since this seems to be a problem across the entire line. Good Luck |
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| I too have electrical problems with my 2nd 2003 E-class. My current E500 radio will occassionally cut off and come back on. It starts with static which builds up until the sound goes off completely for a few seconds and then comes back on. Has anyone else experienced this same problem? The dealer has attempted to fix it (replaced communication platform and checked fiber optics). Problems still exists. Also, has anyone noticed (E500 or E320 w/Sport Pkg) that after driving and parked, it is not level??? Sometimes it is, sometimes it is not. I have measured over 1/2 inch lower one side than other. Dealer has no clue. Anyone been through this??? | |
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The problem you are having is identical to the one I am having. It happens both with the radio and the cd changer. My dealer applied a fix from CD rom that was supposed to correct this but it has happened at least once since the fix was applied. When I took the car back last week, they couldn't recreate it so they said, you're SOL, more or less. As for the car not being level, I too have an E500 w/sport pkg, however, I have not noticed this. I know that the car is supposed to raise and lower itself 1 inch based on driving conditions and the suspension setting. Yesterday when I stopped at a light I could feel the car raising itself and it scared the bejeezies out of me. I never noticed that before. One last thing, MB should be singing a different tune very soon as far as getting these things fixed. There are MB executives in Wash., DC right now meeting w/automotive experts and such to discuss the fact that their reputation for quality has taken a serious blow. I'll keep you posted.
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| Thanks for your note. I had the car in again for a "fix". They did another software update and replaced something to do with the "hands free" unit located in the trunk per instructions from the factory tech. No, I do not have the phone. I'll let you know if this works. By the way, there is a modification to make the brake assist pump quieter. That will be done next time. My car is out of level parked in the garage after driving and not running. I measure from the center of the wheel wells to the ground. It varies alot. Don't have a clue why. | |
The kinds of electrical problems you guys are describing are not unique to the E class. My brother has a new CL600 that has had a lot of the same electrical gremlins. The worst one was when he got back from a 10 day trip and found the battery dead. The dealer had no idea as to what caused that. The CL600 is an awesome car--I recently drove it--but the electrical system is awesome in a negative sense.
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To: pvh3 & donk7, my 2003 E320 Sport also experienced the same radio problem... after some static, it shuts. This happens very infrequently. when you get yours fixed, please post the solution in detail. Thanks. |
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Well, after the last attempted repairs to fix the radio, I was confident it was "fixed". Almost 2 weeks went by without a repeat performance. However, it just happened again!!!! Crackling noise which starts and builds and sound pops off for a few seconds. Back to the drawing boards... Also, has anyone else experienced an annoying squeaking noise from the brake pedal?? Sounds like a wet tennis shoe when the brake pedal is pressed. Mine has come and gone a couple of times. Dealer seems perplexed on this one too. Help! |
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