S-Class (W221/C216) New Mercedes S-Class W221 Reliability.

[Kowalski]

How reliable is the new S-Class?

No car is bulletproof, but I still want to know how reliable the new S really is.

I haven't heard a single complaint about the car, so far.

Does anyone know about an unfortunate W221 owner, or how well or bad the W221 fared in reliability surveys?

What about the folks at the MBWorld. Is there any over there who had problems with the W221?

 

[LaArtist]

man i check it all the time..
the only thing ive seen is some bluetooth issue 1 dude had where his phone didnt connect properly
so i would say.. damn good job done by MB
its like a MB is supposed to be

 

[Zafiro]

Lexus fails too, so does MB. Perfect car doesnt exist.....yet!

 

[NarutoRamen]

Lexus fails too, so does MB. Perfect car doesnt exist.....yet!

It never will....there is no such thing as perfection when a human is involved in its creation.

 

[Centurion]

Cars often suffer from alot of flaws the during the first year. Infact the first buyers are the real beta testers. I remember when I worked at Volvo last year. We frequently made several minor changes to the S80 production during the first months after launch.

 

[Euphoria]

Well so far, my dad's new S-class is working well, nothing's wrong, except for the warranty. My dad's been hit with stones and the likes, and he doesn't want to fix it because it's so expensive.
Also, be careful when you wash the car, I've seen two S-classes (my dad's and another one) with the headrest controls broken off. I think the plastic holding it on the control is too thin. it's like ~1mm thick, and it's seemed wobbly since my dad got his S-class last year.
Other than that everything's perfect

 

[cawimmer430]

Other than that everything's perfect

Good to hear.

I've only heard positive news about the W221 S-Class but I don't know anyone personally who owns one except for NevadaJack and his S-Class, according to him, has been just fine and dandy.

 

[GTA45E]

I`ve been checking as well and it seems so far that Mercedes-Benz has nailed it with the Quality-Factor for the W221 S-Class. For it`s 1st year in production, with so many electronic features (maby more than any other car on the road today), the King of the Crop excutive cruiser S-Class is doing mighty mighty well.

Believe me, I keep an eye on the quality factor in the 1st year and the new S is one of the very FEW cars` I would buy in the 1st year. It`s a winner and is as close to perfection as you could want in a european excutive luxury car.

 

[LaArtist]

i read a comment over at MB world i while ago..from a mechanic at a major MB dealer in the US..
he and his work mates where amazed that so few W221´s came in with probs..given that it was the first year..

i guess they started to get used to crappy mercs..lol

 

[Kowalski]

i read a comment over at MB world i while ago..from a mechanic at a major MB dealer in the US..
he and his work mates where amazed that so few W221´s came in with probs..given that it was the first year..

i guess they started to get used to crappy mercs..lol

When my father bought his Mercedes E320 CDI in 2005; he immediately got a 1990 Audi 80 2.0E Automatic to use it everyday, because he knows that Mercedes-Benz reliability these days, is no longer the same as used to be until the late nineties when they got into the mess of buying Chrysler.

That said, however, the Merc have been utterly (surprisingly?) reliable. My dad still likes the E. Last year he and my mother went to a trip from England all the way to Switzerland and back to England again. The Mercedes didn't show any fault at all. The Audi is just a workhorse. It's a bit sluggish and noisy, but it takes a kicking and keeps on ticking and it looks smart in black.

 

[LaArtist]

^yeah man im with you.. im just baseing that comment about crappy mercs on what ive heard from ppl ..
i had a 02 S500 ( about the time MB had the most probs) and it was so good to me.. no probs at all

 

[Gullwing]

I haven't seen any major or even minor problems sticking out on the new S

 

[SDNR]

The 221 was tested so intensively. Mercedes knew they had to get this car right -- their reputation is riding on this car after all.

Mercedes has had so much bad press over the past decade they couldn't take any risks with the W221. I am glad everything seems to be going to plan for Mercedes-Benz now.

 

[GTA45E]

^yeah man im with you.. im just baseing that comment about crappy mercs on what ive heard from ppl ..
i had a 20 S500 ( about the time MB had the most probs) and it was so good to me.. no probs at all

lOl Artist, 2002 (or better) was around the time when the W220 S was refreshed with better materials and a moderate f/l. Quality and reliability was upped as well. You just got lucky!

I remember when the W220 S was introduced in 1999, a press release mentioned MB had cut $10,000 in production costs compared to the W140 S-Class. Something in my gut said thay were going to put themselves in a rut over this cost-cutting move.

I`m so glad those days are over!

 

[LaArtist]

lol man my car was the last of the Pre Fl ones..so no i didnt have all those upgrades.. but still it worked like a charm

 

[Deutsch]

It'd be nice if NJ could come back and share some wisdom on the subject, even though he's getting (or has gotten) rid of his lovely W221.

 

[cawimmer430]

Based on the positive comments about the W211's reliability, I am eagerly awaiting the reliability ratings of the new C-Class. This car was also tested extensively so reliability I would imagine should theoretically be top notch.