Mercedes-Benz Reliability Guide
Mercedes-Benz is one of the most recognized luxury car brands. As a German car brand, they have a reputation for making great premium cars. But is Mercedes-Benz reliable?
No matter how popular Mercedes-Benz is, they are fairly reliable. Mercedes cars offer an appealing taste, attractive and a standard of elegance. As a Mercedes driver, you are sure of the latest technology. This is because the Mercedes brand is fond of adding new technology packages to its cars.
While this sounds like good news, it doesn’t mean that the “new” systems are tested and proven. Mercedes scores an average reliability rating on most reliability surveys because of their systems’ instability and ease of breakdown. The cost of maintenance for Mercedes cars is high, and you might have to struggle hard to sustain their electrical systems.
But, if Mercedes cars are fairly reliable, why do people love them so much? Read on to learn more about Mercedes-Benz’s reliability and what you should consider before getting one.
Table of Contents
Are Mercedes-Benz Reliable?
Mercedes-Benz is a fairly reliable brand. There is no need to sugar-coat the words. We understand that Mercedes produces some of the best engines in the market.
They are durable, with great power and performance. If you can sustain a good maintenance habit, your Mercedes car will last up to the end of the world for you. However, the brand seems to be doing the same thing wrongly and expecting a different result.
The Mercedes-Benz brand is fond of loading up its cars with new tech, and fancy yet complex infotainment systems.
It gradually looks like the Mercedes brand is less concerned about introducing technologies that work but just concerned about being the first to introduce these systems to the market.
This technology always messes up the car’s overall performance, driving in negative reviews from unsatisfied users.
According to RepairPal, Mercedes-Benz has a reliability rating of 3.0/5.0, placing it in the 27th position out of 32 car brands.
These cars have a high cost of repairs and maintenance, and you will have a higher tendency to regularly book a Mercedes car for repairs on electrical and tech-related issues.
The reliability ratings for all Mercedes models vary. For instance, according to JD Power, you will get a 5/5 reliability on the 2009 Mercedes E-class but a 4.5/5 rating on the 2014 C-class. These cars battle faulty sensors, cables, tailgate malfunctions, or even airbag defects.
Mercedes is not the type of car that we will describe as fuel-efficient. This is because there have been accusations that Mercedes manipulates the fuel ratings advertised to the public. The Mercedes C-class is believed to consume 54% more fuel than the Mercedes-Benz brand advertised.
Why Mercedes-Benz Is Considered Fairly Reliable
1. Engine and Performance
Mercedes scores an increase in reliability with its engine and the performance that it delivers. Over the years, Mercedes hasn’t maintained a consistent record in its engineering process. They are either overdoing it or doing it worse.
We believe this flaw existed because of the need to save costs and drive profits. Mercedes experimented on their lower-end engines by introducing single-row timing chains, instead of the normal double-row. This resulted in snaps and multiple failures.
Mercedes cars are riddled with transmission faults, poor power steering systems, leaks, and even rust. This was evident when they tried using aluminum engine blocks.
If there’s one bad thing about the Mercedes brand, it is that they are always releasing systems and engines that have not been thoroughly tested for efficiency.
The problem of Mercedes started when its engineering culture prioritized saving costs over delivering efficient systems. If you are looking for good Mercedes engines, you should stick with the Mercedes M113K engine, 2.6 R6, 2.0, and 4.2 V8 Engines.
2. Fuel Economy
When it comes to a close comparison with other luxury brands, Mercedes cars are not the best choice for fuel economy. Even BMWs are better than Mercedes in terms of fuel economy. The worst thing about Mercedes’s fuel efficiency is its manipulation saga.
It is believed that the Mercedes brand fakes the EU fuel consumption test by fine-tuning its laboratories to accommodate the flaws and loopholes of its systems.
This ends in the sales of less fuel-efficient cars than the company said—most Mercedes cars battle with bad fuel injection systems and emission control.
If you need the most fuel-efficient Mercedes-Benz cars, you should settle for the Mercedes-Benz C-class, GLA, CLA, E, and A classes.
The average gas mileage achieved by these Mercedes cars runs between 49.6 MPG to 67 MPG ranges. The E-class has a petrol and diesel plug-in hybrid for you to choose from.
3. Repair and Maintenance Cost
It costs an average of $908 to repair/maintain a Mercedes car annually. Mercedes offers a warranty period that handles most of your repair needs, but when the period is over, the maintenance cost becomes costly.
Even though RepairPal indicates that Mercedes has a 13% probability of major damages and 0.8 average visits to the mechanic, you might be lucky to choose one of the “near-perfect” models.
The truth is that Mercedes parts are very expensive, but the frequency of repairs depends on how well you maintain these cars. Your Mercedes will only require frequent maintenance if you choose a car from the less reliable years or don’t sustain a consistent maintenance culture.
4. Technology Packages
The technology of Mercedes cars tends to break down frequently. This is because Mercedes seems to always be in a hurry to release “new technology” without verifying the durability of the new system. When these systems end up failing, it affects the totality.
Most Mercedes cars battled bad air suspension systems, brake systems, or even wheel gear problems. Mercedes is more concerned about being the first to use new tech without thoroughly testing and improving the technology.
5. Safety
There are no arguments that Mercedes are extremely safe cars. The Mercedes brand has high safety ratings and awards on different platforms. They have many cars earning the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award, with great ratings on NHTSA.
Mercedes invests heavily in the overall safety of its cars that some accidents that you will survive in a Mercedes car, you will hardly make it out alive in other cars. There are over 120 safety features on every Mercedes car.
If you’ve had a rough experience on the road with a Mercedes car, you will believe that these cars are not just luxury but a safety component.
The safety belt tensioner, door looks, ABS systems, ESP, the array of sensors, and headrest adjust are many systems embedded in the Mercedes to give you a high survival rate in the course of accidents.
Some new Mercedes cars are designed to emit pink noise to protect your hearing in the event of a collision. Courtesy of the Mercedes Pre-safe technology, Mercedes is seen as the safest car in the world, followed by Volvo.
We must reiterate that no matter how safe Mercedes cars appear, you have a great role to play in keeping yourself safe.
6. Durability
Aside from the numerous problems that Mercedes cars come with, as a result of untested systems, they are quite durable. There is a thin difference between reliability and durability. Mercedes cars can last long, but this doesn’t mean they are generally durable.
You can expect your Mercedes car to last up to 200,000 miles if maintained properly. Moreover, some of the oldest cars on the road are Mercedes.
Mercedes-Benz Reliability: Pros
- Extremely safe
- Great designs
- Great technology
- Great handling
- Impressive engines
- Cool for long journeys
Mercedes-Benz Reliability: Cons
- Technology prone to fail
- Less Reliable
- High cost of ownership and maintenance
Most common problems with Mercedes-Benz
Like any other luxury brand, the Mercedes brand has issues with most of its models. Some of the common problems with the Mercedes-Benz are:
- Rust in older models
- Engine mounts fail
- Failures in suspension and steering components
- Transmission problems
- Noisy struts in the E-class model
- Air suspension bags/relays failure
- Oil and differential leaks
Verdict
Even though Mercedes cars are fairly reliable, it is surprising to find out that people still love them. The popularity of Mercedes cars is because of the degree of safety that they offer.
Nevertheless, it would be best if you looked out for your choice to ensure that you don’t fall into the problematic models.
