3rd Jun 2007, 20:58

I am considering buying a 2001 CL500 but all the problems with "rust" is worrying. I thought the CL500 had aluminium doors and other body parts which cannot rust. Do you mean aluminium corrosion? I have had BMW's for years without any of these problems. I thought rust was a problem of the distant past for quality German marques.

6th Jun 2007, 15:48

I have a mb e280 94 and there is not rust at all on it. I advice anyone who wants to buy a mercedes to buy before 1996 to be sure of rust problems. I am looking of at buying a cl420 95 at the moment and it is built like a tank with no rust at all.

10th Jun 2007, 06:37

I have a 2002 S320 CDI which I bought new for over £50K with a view to keeping it for 10years. I now find I have rust at the edge of both rear wing panels, along the edge of the sunroof and along the lower border of all doors. The local MB repair centre took pictures of the areas of rust, but say they are so inundated with similar complaints it will be some time before they can get back to me,if ever?

This car has also had to have a new brake master cylinder, a new mass air sensor and a new inter-cooler installed in the last two years, what a disappointment, I thought this was a quality car, but its turning into a heap of junk. My last Mercedes I think!

16th Jun 2007, 02:44

E Class estate. 2 previous entries re. rust since when it has received a new bonnet (hood) and the rear wheel arches have been treated. Having noticed extensive rust under the rear of the car I referred it once again back to MB. They disallowed the claim this time because it was not, in their opinion, "inside to outside" corrosion, but was caused by external factors i.e. salt etc on the roads and was considered normal for a car of this age. I have therefore had the plastic protection taken down and the entire underside sprayed with a fantastic product from the aircraft industry called ACF50. John Griffiths.

21st Jul 2007, 17:14

I formerly worked in a MB dealership bodyshop & thankfully left that employment over 3 years ago. My job was office based & oh what a job it was! All those happy customers & the hours spent on the phone to MB Head Office!

My mother & father both drive Mercedes, the older one a 1996 C-Class (been a great car) & the other a 2001 C270 (not such a good car). The older car has rust on the boot lid only, & the newer has no rust at all. The old one looks otherwise like new at 110k miles, & the newer one looks a bit dowdy in my opinion at 55k miles, and is also quite badly scuffed & stone chipped now.

The old car has had no problems in 7 years of ownership, & the newer one has been a real problem car (mainly electrical faults) in only 2 years, & we accept it's only a matter of time before something else goes wrong with it.

What was a reasonably good value car on purchase, has turned into a money pit. None of the problems I add, have been covered by MB warranty. I should have known better, & put my mother off buying this car, but she wouldn't drive another brand of car... until now.

I cannot stress strongly enough... think seriously before buying any Mercedes (from 1993/94 (W202) models onwards).

They all rust very badly (not seen many problems with the A-Class), the steel seems to be of very poor quality (high iron content?) & the paintwork is thin & chips easily. Most have reliability issues from 2000 models onwards, & the quality just isn't there anymore.

I'd have liked an E300 TD Estate, but this will never happen. If you still want a Mercedes after reading all of these posts, check it over with a fine-tooth comb. On the W210 E-Class for example, check the wings, rear arches, tailgate & bonnet, lift the rubber door seals to check under them for rust in the door frames. The roof rusts too. In fact... probably better to walk & find a decent brand of car!

I hope MB might see the error of their ways & start producing good cars again; only time will tell if all the new models that have just been launched are worthy of the 3-pointed star.

26th Jul 2007, 08:24

I had a 2001 E320CDI, which I had thought would be an excellent car, having a full Mercedes service history.

How wrong I was; the electrics were as bad as my first car, a 1980's Fiat Panda, and the rust was worse!

The straw that broke the camels back was when it was diagnosed with a faulty turbo that was going to cost a fortune to fix. I struggled to get rid of it and lost a fortune; this was my 4th Mercedes and I have vowed NEVER to buy another, ever! If I ran my business the same way as Mercedes run theirs, doubtless I would be taken to court for supplying sub-standard products!

18th Sep 2007, 21:10

As a current Lexus LS owner, I had been considering a new MB or perhaps a used CL500 at the dealership that I had been admiring, but after almost accidentally stumbling on this site I am thankful to all the posters for relating their experiences and will most definitely be reconsidering. It is such a shame that MB has allowed their longstanding reputation for quality to be diminished and now must play catch-up if they have any hope of reestablishing it. It will take quite some time as there may be quite a few rusted out MB's on the road in the public eye for a few years yet. Thanks to all for saving me a headache.

22nd Sep 2007, 09:48

Regarding the poster two comments up. Thank you for your insights into the world of MB ownership experience. I agree with your belief that Mercedes has loosened the grip on producing superior automobiles that made them a premier marque. My comment is to sympathise with loyal MB owners such as ourselves who wish to service our cars with the dealer, but feel somewhat less than confident at times. I will however continue to support my local MB dealer and service dept. The cars that were engineered and built by MB are in my estimation the very best in the world for ride, comfort and handling capabilty as well the many safety features that come standard. On many MB message boards, it appears some folks enjoy the cachet of driving a Mercedes, but are unwilling to support the network that allowed us to benefit from the pleasure of owning such well engineered cars. They refer to the dealerships as "stealerships" and will only use the dealership as a last resort. This I find pitiful, as these ppl love the cars, but contribute nothing to the company. In short, I empathize with the reviewer as they seem loyal and genuinely concerned with the drop off in quality and service. For my part I will do my best to keep my CLK in optimal condition at the dealer and keep supporting the network. Thanx.