1999 Mercedes-Benz M-Class review from North America
"An expensive piece of junk"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The catalytic converter has been a problem from the start. It is full of sensors and if a sensor malfunctions there is usually an immediate loss of power - so much so that we were forced, on numerous occasions, to pull over to the side of the road and turn off the vehicle... and this on major highways, including the 401 in Toronto! The check engine light will brighten up the dash board every time a sensor detects something. The vehicle would be difficult to accelerate. In August of 2000 our dealer finally replaced one half of the converter at no cost. In August of 2001, the other half malfunctioned and was replaced at tremendous cost to us. Just recently the converter portion that was replaced in August 2000 malfunctioned again, but this time the repair was at our cost since Mercedes only guarantees the part for one year.
The most intriguing problem we encountered was having to replace the struts at 110,000 km - the vehicle has never been driven off-road and has literally only seen highways. Our vehicle has high mileage, but it has been all on the highway - my wife commutes to Ottawa everyday (240 km return).
Many electronic gadgets have had to be replaced, including headlights six times, right window button, rear defogger, fuel gage, gas cap.
The unfortunate thing in all of this saga is that Mercedes does not stand behind its vehicle.
Recommended reviews
| A high priced mistake |
|
| A real piece of (well you know) |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Year of manufacture | 1999 |
| First year of ownership | 1999 |
| Engine and transmission | Automatic |
| Performance marks | 6 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 3 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 7 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 9 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 0 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 220000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Ford Explorer |
| Date of Entry | 26th August, 2002 |