How To Repair Gsm?

How repair-prone is a Mercedes?

• I'm about to buy a new car - finally - after driving my BMW for 22 years and talking about buying a new car for 2 years.... I have looked at and test driven the BMW 320 Cabrio, The VW Tiguan and the Mercedes Blue Efficiency 250. Now I know the German cars are "tractors", i.e. you can't ground them even if you drive them for 30 years. At least my BMW would still be good if it wasn't for the general safety (like no airbag etc.). I do like the Mercedes but I never had one. Contrary to my old "cardboard box" of a car, that Mercedes is out of the world. But it's an automatic, and everything is driven electrically. - My old BMW is manually gear shift driven, everything is done by hand. My questions are: - How repair-prone is such a Mercedes? Does the electricity fail easily? I mean the electricity that drives the mirrors, seats etc. - What about rust? - Is the motor delicate? Do I have to take it to a Mercedes garage to repair it or could my friend who repaired my BMW also do the job? I'm asking because it could be that only Mercedes is able to repair it and then charges a fortune for the fitting parts. - How delicate is an automatic gear shift? Is it repair-prone, too? I know to a Mercedes driver, I must sound like a complete idiot. But to me, these are important issues. I want a safe car and the Mercedes is indeed impressive with all its airbags everywhere, side collision protection, movable bonnet etc. And I'm looking for a car to keep for the next 20 years...... :-) Thanks for any information!

• Answer:

  I have never owned a Mercedes but I have done research on this at least on this side of the Atlantic (US). Here is what I found from US News; Ranking and Reviews: Reliability The 2010 Mercedes-Benz C-Class reliability score of 7.0 out of 10 is the Predicted Reliability rating provided by J.D. Power and Associates. This score is based on trending the past three years of historical initial quality and dependability data from J.D. Power's automotive studies, specifically the Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) and the Initial Quality Study (IQS). The C-Class is covered by a four-year/50,000-mile warranty. Mercedes-Benz has faced reliability issues in the past few years, but our most recent data says the brand is having success in addressing those concerns. Through the first part of the model year, the 2010 C-Class is earning better reliability scores than previous editions of the car. "It's no secret that Mercedes had a couple of bad years earlier this decade, with embarrassing below-average scores in owner surveys by J.D. Power and Associates and Consumer Reports that measure vehicle quality and dealer service. Scores lower than Hyundai's or Ford's are unacceptable in Mercedes' price range. Consumer Reports called the last generation of C-Class below average in reliability. Lately, though, things have been looking better." -- Newsday "Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of DaimlerChrysler and Head of the Mercedes Group, has made restoring the legendary quality of Mercedes-Benz his number one priority. ... Time will tell if dealers have listened to Zetsche's decree, but after driving the all-new 2008 C-Class, it's quite clear that everyone on the design, engineering, and manufacturing teams have listened well." -- Roadfly From what I am reading is that Mercedes quality control has slipped in the past few years but is now being corrected. It is best to talk to British people who own the C-Class cars and their experiences.