Mercedes Benz of North America - transmission problems, 1998 Mercedes C230

Mercedes Benz of North America - transmission problems, 1998 Mercedes C230

Mercedes Benz of North America: Transmission problems, 1998 Mercedes C230

My 1998 Mercedes C230 sedan had transmission trouble since new, but it became extremely problematic at 90,000 miles. In the beginning they told me it was normal. After taking it to the dealer I found out from their lead mechanic that this was a known problem with all 1998 Mercedes transmissions (except for the largest sedans) and those from 1997 (and possibly others). Mercedes Benz refused to fix it for free since it was out of warranty. My letter to the chairman of Daimler Chrysler in Germany didn't do any good. This is my third Mercedes and I'll never buy another. I've owned this one since new and have had more problems with it than any other car (with the exception of a 1989 SAAB 900s, which was a lemon like you read about).

Letters to Mercedes, which yielded no result.... July 11, 2003 Mr. Jurgen E. Schrempp

Chairman of Management

DaimlerChrysler AG

Dear Mr. Schrempp: I wanted to let you know how deeply disappointed I am in the quality of the Mercedes C-class I purchased in 1998. Let it suffice to say that the problems this car has had are so numerous that my file is an inch thick-larger than any file for the 12 new vehicles I've purchased in the last 22 years. This is my third Mercedes, and I've also owned four Jeeps, two of which were purchased new, and one new Dodge vehicle. After my recent experience with the Mercedes US "representative", I'll never buy another DamlerChrysler product. I don't write many letters like this, but given that I've been a client off and on since 1980, I thought offering you a customer's perspective was warranted. You might also consider this a "wake-up call," because my experience doesn't appear to be all that unusual given Mercedes' abysmal results in the recent J.D.

Powers quality survey. With 52% of your revenue coming from the U.S., things

can't be going well for your company in general. A little history is probably relevant. In 1983 I purchased one of the first 190E's sold in the United States. That car broke down when I was about a hundred miles from home. Since you repaired it under warranty, I wrote it off as an aberration. Then the paint started to flake off my hood after about 2 years. At the time, I had the highest mileage 190 in the eastern US, so each service was a new experience for both of us. A guy named MacIntosh (I mention him for a reason) grilled me on whether or not a household member had an accident that they didn't tell me about. He eventually concluded that the situation was "legitimate" (lacking insulation under the hood) and authorized painting the affected areas. I didn't appreciate being put through that for something that was obviously a Mercedes quality problem. I sold the car shortly thereafter and didn't purchase another new Mercedes until 1998. If my experience in 1985 had been positive, I would have continued to be a loyal customer. After taking delivery of my C230 in 1998, I told the dealership that the transmission didn't feel right. When I described the problem, they said it was "normal." I knew it wasn't normal, but the car had so many other problems that I had to focus on getting them fixed. One problem they couldn't resolve was the car intermittently rolling up and down the windows when I attempted to lock the doors remotely. The dealer could never duplicate the problem, so I had to figure it out myself. After several months I discovered that if the windshield wipers were left on, and the car had been driven in the rain for about a half hour, and if you left the windshield wipers on and turned the car off, the car did all sorts of strange things-including not turning on the alarm, blinking the lights and raising and lowering the windows. I even explained this to the dealership (Herb

Chambers) service manager on one of my visits. They still couldn't fix it. I'm a busy person, so I just turned the windshield wipers off before locking the car from that point forward. Herb Chambers also seemed to have adopted a policy of never having what they needed to fix warranty problems. They would invariably say they had to order a part, and that they'd call when it arrived, but they'd never call. At some point I decided that I should explore other dealers for service and settled on Foreign Motors West (FMW), just outside Boston. About 6 months ago I noticed that when I stop the car quickly, a few seconds later, the car would lurch forward. The transmission was starting to behave even more strangely than it had before, so I brought it into FMW. When I first noticed this problem, the car had about 90,000 miles on it. FMW's service rep said that it needed transmission work. A rebuilt one would be about $7,000 and a new one would be about $9,000 installed. To put this in perspective, the car was $30,000 new. I asked to speak with the Mercedes rep, who happens to be the same MacIntosh fellow who made me feel like a criminal in the mid-80's before repainting my hood. After persistent attempts to contact him through FMW and directly, he never returned a single call. The message was clear, however. "If you're out of warranty, you're out of luck." Well, perhaps I am out of warranty and out of luck. I certainly have a 98 Mercedes sitting under cover in the yard because I'm concerned that if I drive it, and a kid jumps out in front of me, I might run them over when the transmission lurches forward. From a personal perspective, I'm 45 and have several vehicles. In fact, I just bought a new Toyota SUV, replacing a Jeep. Rather than the Toyota, I had originally planned to purchase a Jeep Grand Cherokee, a Dodge Durango or a Mercedes M Class. My replacement for the C230 would likely have been an S-class late in 2004. The replacement for my Porsche might have been an SL in 2005. I'm somewhat particular about what I drive, and people tend to know that. Many friends, relatives and colleagues have bought cars based on my recommendations. You'll be doing without my referral business as well. In my opinion, Mercedes no longer represents a good value. But perhaps more importantly, your company appears to have little regard for proper and effective treatment of clients. Perhaps these two conditions are related. I'm left with the impression that DamlerChrysler believes customer relations are government regulated, or resolved through litigation. I ask you, is this effective customer service? My only recourse is to ensure that I never buy another product from your company(ies). Keep in mind that 42% of the new vehicles I've purchased were manufactured by DamlerChrysler, and you probably don't have many 45 year old clients that have owned 12 new vehicles and don't work in your business. While it's highly unlikely that my vehicle woes will rise to the top of your priority list, I tend to be a leading indicator of things to come, and that doesn't bode well for DCX. Sincerely, Mark F. O

Saturday, August 16, 2003 Mr. Jurgen E. Schrempp

Chairman of Management

DaimlerChrysler AG Re: C230 S.N. WDBHA23G0WA592666

Dear Mr. Schrempp: A little over a month ago I sent a letter regarding my personal history with your company over the last 20 years, and why you might want to consider my recent history as a real-time example of why DaimlerChrysler is in such difficult financial and operational condition today.

Quite frankly, I am in total disbelief that the Chairman of a well respected company would place the people that I had suggested are at the root of your recent troubles here in the States, in charge of responding to my correspondence. A word of advice: if you have no intention of properly addressing customer problems to their satisfaction, then it's best not to make things worse. If your intention was the equivalent of taking a sharp stick and poking me in the eye, then you succeeded. Obviously I've wasted my time trying to help you, and I won't waste any more of it. This situation remains an excellent example of how the "flight to quality" in motor vehicles has been a flight away from DamlerChrysler products. And your people and policies ensure that won't be changing anytime soon. Regretfully, Mark O

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