Why so unreliable?

"mkbruin, Atlas VP" (mkbruin) 08/24/2016 at 17:37 • Filed to: None

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Clearly I’m... joking. But, the R class is eassentially a parts-bin special, with most bits shared with other Mercedes. So, why is it far and away the most unreliable Mercedes ever? Why were these put together so poorly?

MultiplaOrgasms > mkbruin, Atlas VP 08/24/2016 at 17:39

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Built in America.

Ash78, voting early and often > mkbruin, Atlas VP 08/24/2016 at 17:43

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I had never heard any anecdotes to this effect...most unreliable ever would have to be the W210 E-Class (late 90s). I can't imagine getting much worse than that.

PS9 > mkbruin, Atlas VP 08/24/2016 at 17:43

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Because if your luxury brand is from Europe, you don’t have to build anything that lasts anymore. Customers who buy new don’t. They lease and move on to the new hotness year after year, so they’ll never know how shoddily built the thing is. Customers who buy used won’t be covered by the warranty, so who cares? It just needs to last as long as the lease and pre-owned warranty period. It’s someone else’s problem after that.

TheHondaBro > Ash78, voting early and often 08/24/2016 at 17:56

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dogisbadob > Ash78, voting early and often 08/24/2016 at 17:59

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the w140?

dogisbadob > mkbruin, Atlas VP 08/24/2016 at 18:00

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Unreliable parts make an unreliable car

C62030 > TheHondaBro 08/24/2016 at 19:51

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New Chryslers generally suck, but damn if their logo isn’t classy

C62030 > MultiplaOrgasms 08/24/2016 at 20:24

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Yeah, but the Camry, Avalon and LaCrosse are too and they’re extremely reliable. Maybe the Mercedes people get too many coffee breaks.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Ash78, voting early and often 08/24/2016 at 20:30

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Entirely untrue. The internet is full of shit. I would argue 220.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > mkbruin, Atlas VP 08/24/2016 at 20:35

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Some are fantastic. I own one, it isn’t without its problems but it’s ten years old and is creeping up on 100k miles. I think the biggest problem with them is the type of owners they have. Always full of kids who trash them, owners who can’t afford maintenance or just don’t care or think periodic oil changes are all any car needs. I wouldn’t say they’re particularly less reliable than comparable ML/GL’s, which are basically the same thing. They did originate in one of Mercedes worst reliability periods in my opinion though so that doesn’t help.

RallyWrench > Ash78, voting early and often 08/24/2016 at 20:37

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To the contrary, the W210 is far and away the best car Mercedes-Benz built in that era.

His Stigness > mkbruin, Atlas VP 08/24/2016 at 22:22

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If the R series truly is terrible, I have a theory:

The R was bought by people who don’t like real Mercedes, but wanted the badge, and couldn’t afford to properly maintain it, hence why they’re piles of shit now (allegedly).

I’ve always found the shittiest German cars to be the ones owned by people who failed to maintain them. It’s amazing how doing proper oil changes, and timely fluid exchanges will make parts last longer. Not to mention doing induction services, getting good gas, and just having a qualified technician inspect your car at each timely oil change.

His Stigness > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 08/24/2016 at 22:25

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I didn’t see your comment first, but I had a sneaking suspicion the R Series was bought by people who treated it like shit. Color me shocked to see that I may be right.

It makes me sad to people mistreat nice German cars, and then bitch about moan when things break.

Ash78, voting early and often > RallyWrench 08/25/2016 at 09:02

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Wow...that’s shocking. OTOH, the W211 seems to be 10x better than its predecessor. My MIL has had both, back to back, and the 211 is still going strong after 10 years and 140k miles (the same timeframe and mileage made her 210 so expensive as to be unsustainable)

MultiplaOrgasms > C62030 08/25/2016 at 10:15

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I have experienced a fair share of french built cars over the years. Each of them has proven itself to be absolutely dependable over extended periods of time and mileages far beyond the average.