11th Aug 2001, 10:57

I drive a 113 Vito (petrol) for work and have had several problems. I also find my very local dealership not very helpful. All they worry about is what budget is the repair going to come out of as the van is now out of warranty, but the problems persist.

8th Dec 2001, 12:29

My V class has had numerous faults from new including:- Poor brakes, clutch replacement at 8000 miles, faulty air suspension pump, engine oil sensor faulty, trim rattles amongst others.

I cannot believe that Mercedes can keep their reputation for reliability.

It seems that all the problem vehicles are those built outside Germany.

In fact my dealer was advising customers not to buy the South African built C Class.

16th Jun 2002, 13:26

17/6/2002.

My Vito van has been fairly problematical and Mercedes have covered some of the fixes by warranty. But for the money I paid I expected a lot more, especially in the reliability stakes. At 80000 I have just paid £1060 plus VAT for a new sub-frame and am currently investigating if this is a design problem. I have received some information that leads me to believe this is a pretty common occurrence. A (not quite) 3 year old vehicle should not need a new sub-frame!! If you have had the same please e-mail me on movinginfo@aol.com.

12th Jan 2003, 11:01

I have had a V series for 3 years. It has been reliable with nothing much needing changing.

I would consider buying another one, but I need to take the seats in and out. They are so heavy this is not, in reality, practical.

18th Jan 2003, 05:50

I drive a 99 Vito 112cdi.I have owned this van from new, and it currently has 54000 miles on it with a full Mercedes dealer service history. This is my 3rd Mercedes, 2 190 2.5 Cosworths, (both of which gave quite a bit of trouble).The vito has more or less from day one has given trouble, everything from fan blowers (2),central locking systems, to drive shafts and gear boxes. I found my dealer of little or no help. My van is due for changing later this year, and one thing is for sure, I won't be buying another Mercedes.

7th Apr 2004, 14:54

A new 112 CDI was not delivered to spec. Nor was the next; with similar out of spec problems for two acquaintances, but a lot of extra cash was then demanded of me to get what I had carefully ordered in the first place.

Delivered with wheels visibly out of alignment and parts ordered missing... never to be delivered at all.

Troubles with door locks, drive-shaft, elec harness, fuel leaks, sudden jack collapse, seats, many coolant leaks, suspension, brakes, vibrations and more all within 6 months: all fixed, but not by the dealer.

Warranty? M-B dealer had "no parts" and "could not get them" thus cleverly avoiding any warranty claim at all. I went elsewhere thus negating the (useless) warranty.

M-B customer service referred me to the dealer who refers me to Victoria (factory) who refers me to customer service who refer me to the dealer...etc. Clever stuff by bean counters wreaking havoc and trashing a once famous name.

No more M-B for me and I feel so sorry for the designers and engineers of integrity. Management isn't. QC isn't and neither is customer service.

18th Sep 2004, 21:04

From Singapore.

Being the country that has the most expensive transport cost in the world, I have no regrets buying my first Vito 110CDI. It provides me the reliability, power, and speed etc.

Recently I exchanged my 2000 Vito for a 2004 110CDI, because the new Vito costs too much here. Hopefully it doesn't give me problems.

Last of all; only those that can afford it can drive a Vito. Expensive servicing and parts must be considered before buying a Vito.

9th Jan 2005, 10:50

From Singapore. Was told by another Vito Owner that once his battery went dead, the engine management computer went dead as well. I was advise to change the battery before it dies or the engine won't start even with a new battery. I'm also having problems with the locking system. It can unlock itself even with the alarm switched to armed and I got to unlock it then lock again. Quite troublesome. Unlocking the back doors is also a challenge as it gets back to locked just before you can reach it. Quite a hassle.

18th Apr 2005, 06:18

I purchased my Vito 112 CDi in Sep 2000. No major problems though I sympathize with the comments elsewhere about unhelpful dealers. At the first service the MB dealer decided it was necessary to replace the rear shocks, very expensive and I'm still not sure why (no, the van had not been abused with overloading). Also the van had air collector box inside engine compartment missing from new. The second service dealt with a glow-plug problem, but not before telling me they might wreck the engine if the plugs were difficult to remove. It seemed they did OK until I noticed a top engine oil leak... someone had stripped one of the rocker-cover bolts (fixed in plastic cowling). But other than that I am pleased: good to drive, just not so sure about the MB service. Oh the glowlpugs have gone again.

26th Aug 2005, 07:00

We bought our Vito 110 TDi Van in 2003. We are very disappointed with it. From day one we had trouble with the doors not closing properly, and the boot jamming. The fuel tank takes 20 minutes to fill because the diesel froths up. The back door won't slide open properly either after we've put diesel in it. The tank seemed to swell up! The windscreen wipers didn't work properly if we turned them to the high setting. Bits keep dropping off the inside of it. The dealer keeps repairing things (at our expense), but they keep breaking again. We're due to change it, but will never go near Mercedes again. It's been a real disappointment.

2nd Sep 2005, 16:03

I just bought a used Mercedes Vito 1997 which has gone 73000 km. After 2 weeks it has already stopped working. It is overheated, and I suspect that the fan is broken. I hate this since my Toyota Hiace haven't given me any trouble at all trough the years. I am wondering if the dealer tricked me or if there are allot of problems with the Vito. They certainly are cheap here in Norway and I am wondering why.

11th Jan 2006, 19:19

I purchased a 108cdi Vito in 2000 and had a freezer conversion fitted. I have had a number of things go wrong such as ball joints, premature wear of the exhaust, numerous drive shaft boot kits, glow plug problems, etc... But the biggest problem with mine is the body work. I have rust everywhere and not from stone chips. When I asked MB about it their reply was " where do you have you vehicle serviced "?

To which I replied " what effect could a non franchised garage changing engine oil & filter possibly have on the paint work "? Their reply was suitably negative.

On a better note, the freezer unit has been well behaved over all.