1999 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Elegance review from UK and Ireland
"Once everything's replaced, it's great"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
PreDelivery from dealer as new.
Requested rubber strips all round. Only front and back were done.
Requested cup holder between front seats. Got an arm rest instead. Never used it.
Warranty work.
Both seat height adjusters have broken off, twice. The first time for each was repaired under warranty.
The steering wheel shaft became too worn and had to be replaced.
Gear selector broke. £400.
Almost warranty.
At about 40,000 miles the rear suspension bushes became too worn and had to be replaced. At the same time it was noticed that the rear springs had become too compressed and allowed too much travel. These also had to be replaced. The car was out of warranty so Mercedes only paid for the labor.
Out of warranty.
The rear nearside passenger handle (above the door) broke off. £20 to replace.
The air conditioning stopped working. I was told it needed re-gassing. Probably about £80 plus VAT.
During the re-gassing process, it was discovered that the gas filter was no good and had to be changed, another £50 plus VAT. During the exchange it was found that the thread was crossed during manufacture and was irreparable. This had damaged the pipe and therefore the whole heat-exchanger had to be changed. The air ventilation filter had to be changed which required a major strip down. As a result, a minor re-gassing at less that £100 turned into a job costing over £600.
General comments?
Very economical.
Loads of room.
On a flat road it's very comfortable.
Over potholes and speed bumps it's terrible for rear passengers.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Year of manufacture | 1999 |
| First year of ownership | 1999 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.6 Semi-Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 6 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 6 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 5 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 9 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 25 miles |
| Most recent distance | 53127 miles |
| Previous car | Toyota Carina |
| Date of Entry | 28th June, 2004 |