Apology to all I may have offended

To everyone I may have offended, especially the Britt, please accept my sincerest apology. Please appreciate my frustration with my disappointment of spending 52,000.00 on an vehicle only to discover it is not the quality I thought it be.

Bobnoxious said:

To everyone I may have offended, especially the Britt, please accept my sincerest apology. Please appreciate my frustration with my disappointment of spending 52,000.00 on an vehicle only to discover it is not the quality I thought it be.

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You obviously did not spend an adequate amount of time looking at and driving the vehicle before you bought it. No need to attack the owners on this site because you did not do your homework.

All vehicles have advantages and disadvantages. The trick is to buy one that is the best compromise. Sorry for your disappointment but you need to look in a mirror. There you will find the real problem.

Graphite Dave said:

You obviously did not spend an adequate amount of time looking at and driving the vehicle before you bought it. No need to attack the owners on this site because you did not do your homework.

All vehicles have advantages and disadvantages. The trick is to buy one that is the best compromise. Sorry for your disappointment but you need to look in a mirror. There you will find the real problem.

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Ouch!!!

I relied too much on Mercedes-Benz reputation for quality.

Bobnoxious said:

I relied too much on Mercedes-Benz reputation for quality.

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I know M Benz has great self promotion and marketing, I didn't know Consumer Reports, Epinion or similar consumers surveys gave them a reputation for high quality or reliability or service.

Perhaps if I had discovered this excellent forum before my purchase, I may have not purchased the Sprinter.

I took it in good humor. Experiences vary, some people have had horrible experiences and some have had great ones. For me, this is the best, lowest cost of operation vehicle I've ever had. Others have experienced constant breakdowns and frustration finding adequate mechanics. Like you, I was a little surprised at the lower quality of the materials on the interior, and the lack of noise insulation and other things because, like you, I thought "Mercedes" meant high quality. I know better now, and I would not expect high build quality on ANY lower priced vehicle of any make. If I was spending $75k or more, I'd expect a high build quality. Mercedes makes cheaper cars just like any other car manufacturer; and like I mentioned, the Sprinter is a light duty commercial vehicle, a plumber's van, not a luxury car.

Every car make and model will have disappointed owners.

On the subject, I'm not sure which of the tall vans would be the closest to a luxury car. I'm sure not the Promaster, which basically leaves the Transit vs the Sprinter. I know you can get leather interior and extra noise insulation in the Transit.

Bobnoxious said:

To everyone I may have offended, especially the Britt, please accept my sincerest apology. Please appreciate my frustration with my disappointment of spending 52,000.00 on an vehicle only to discover it is not the quality I thought it be.

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You never offended me, pretty good entertainment actually. Be kind to Dennis though, he is one of best allies We have on this forum. Shares his daily endeavors repairing these German POS over engineered, proprietary Yankee nut busters. I like him.

Your not alone in your frustrations, read the forum for few years. Some folks have 52,000 into just repairs on their vans.

sunnyside said:

You never offended me, pretty good entertainment actually. Be kind to Dennis though, he is one of best allies We have on this forum. Shares his daily endeavors repairing these German POS over engineered, proprietary Yankee nut busters. I like him.

Your not alone in your frustrations, read the forum for few years. Some folks have 52,000 into just repairs on their vans.

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Some under $2000 too

Bobnoxious said:

I relied too much on Mercedes-Benz reputation for quality.

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I was harsh on my post.

Now a comment to soften the blow. I also did not do my homework either and relied on my belief that Mercedes made only top of the line vehicles. Thought that a Mercedes commercial vehicle would be bullet proof particularly if I used it in a light duty application as a highway travel van. I also relied on all the positive comments from owners of the T1N. Purposely waited for a NCV3 because I wanted the added body width for an across the back bed platform and what I thought would be an improved vehicle. I outsmarted myself because the NCV3 was not an improvement over the T1N. I also was not satisfied with the support Mercedes provides for Sprinter owners.

Do not beat up myself too much because in 08 the van was the only high roof van available.

Still very impressed with their marketing ability. They do an excellent job of that.

And then there is me...


Over 8 years, ~$300 in repairs (yes that's $300), most comfortable truck I've ever owed AND live in.


But, my glass is always half full, and the van is just paint and metal.... ok, plastic too.




.

You seem keep saying - where is my $52,000 ! I paid $62,000 plus tax for mine back in 2014 and absolutely love the van ! Instead of crying for my $62,000 and pointing to plastic dipstic tube , I just enjoy it
I am Happy with my van ( in fact just drove 1512 miles non stop !)
Plastic dipstic tube ? So, what ?
Non rebuildable engine and you want Ford F250 ? How many Fords engines you will rebuild untill your MB diesel dies ? I expect 600k out of my engine , I do not need to rebuild it .
Just enjoy your van and forget about money you spend on something

Mercedes quality? I never had the illusion/delusion that German cars were hugely superior to other brands.....

My expectations were dashed some 55 years years ago when the old man got stationed in France. Needing a car, he bought a '59 Benz 190 four door sedan. A pontoon design favored by Berlin taxi drivers and the Polizi. Four cylinder OHC w/ four on the tree. Swing axle rear end. Beautiful tan leather saddles, walnut dash trim, no radio. Gesstappo BLACK. During the years he owned it, "we" replaced.the worn out engine, the generator, the clutch and transmission, and the rear diff. When it ran....it ran. It even ran wounded...a lot. We took a prize in a gymkanaha with it and travelled around France and made trips to the Fatherland many times. About half of those trips were to Stuttgart for factory rebuild bits. It even survived running out of oil when the old man was high balling into Orleans when he lofted over a hill and suckled the little bit of oil off the bottom of the pan leading to awful noises; an engine smoking like a carton of Galuoise; and a hasty pit stop to refill under the flinty gaze of several Frenchmen at the city gate. Full disclosure.... when I took it to ST. Nazaire to ship it back to the states for him.... I found out it had 13 previous owners.... All GIs.

Yes Benz pushes the engineering and designs. And sometimes those designs are fragile. But they have yet to master execution (like the old GM), QA/QC (like the old Chrysler), and the concept that a vehicle should be robust enough to run nearly forever with only minor services. Like a Toyota. And when it needs maintainance, you only need common tools and things are easy to do.

Hello again!

I think you see from this much what I was trying to say in my first response, some are happy, some are not, usually the unhappy ones are more likely to post in forums.

Most vehicle forums will contain many tales of woe, interspersed with just Ok, and somewhat exaggerated claims of perfection.

You pick your poison, and may lady luck be with you.

Latest CU reports puts Audi and Subaru top of the heap, Toyota (still tops in reliability) and MB are slipping, and anything dodge chrysler fiat is clinging to the bottom of the quality pole.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/consumer-reports-reveals-top-2016-cars-brands-audi-ford-buick/

NelsonSprinter said:

Some under $2000 too

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And the original post is posted in NCV3 talk too.

[B said:

Bobnoxious;[/B]450555]To everyone I may have offended, especially the Britt, please accept my sincerest apology. Please appreciate my frustration with my disappointment of spending 52,000.00 on an vehicle only to discover it is not the quality I thought it be.

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Bobnoxious
You haven't offended me far from it.
I come from a manufactures background and used to dealing with dissatisfied customers for 20 years.
Frankly the only time I get excited after almost 60 years wielding wrenches' & running repair businesses is listening to all the bitching and moaning about vehicles. Those that authorize a job, get a quote, then pi$$ and moan about the bill or worse refuse to pay upon completion.

As I often say, I didn't make the the bloody thing, nor did it break it . You asked me to fix it!
I have fixed it, now its time to pay money!


What I will say as a general statement is the many of you mix the word Love, from Like, or enthusiastic about a particular brand or model of vehicle.
Remember a vehicle is just a bloody consumer durable!

Few on the forum seem to appreciate one thing about an MB product.
It has an impressive crash survivability reputation when involved in a serious shunt!
It mean that your loved one(s) will more than likely walk away with superficial injuries.
There are exceptions like Lady Di on Paris "Perrifery" subway road but overall very crash worthy vehicles.
That why I am enthusiastic about MB products.
Nothing more nothing less!
Dennis
Mechanic

lindenengineering said:

What I will say as a general statement is the many of you mix the word Love, from Like, or enthusiastic about a particular brand or model of vehicle.
Remember a vehicle is just a bloody consumer durable!

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Getting emotionally involved with any material possession (except maybe a wedding ring?) rarely ends well. A vehicle cannot reciprocate your feelings of loyalty. If there is one thing we humans are terrible at, its being subjective.

If there is anything you should distrust it's marketing, especially marketing that plays on emotions in an attempt to sway you to a brand or product. Every time I see a commercial that implies emotional well-being, success, or heightened manhood from a vehicle, I think B##LSH##T. If a piece of Bent Iron (thanks Dennis) could bring a person success or happiness, the world we be a very different place. Of course those who claim absolute reliability, dominance, and loyalty from a specific brand are not much different.

/Rant

Midwestdrifter said:

... Every time I see a commercial that implies emotional well-being, success, or heightened manhood from a vehicle, I think B##LSH##T. ...

/Rant

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I agree. Those good looking women in the ads always catch my attention though. Advertising hasn't matured much because it doesn't need to. Sex sells (still). vic

Yes like this!
Has to be one of my favorites if only I was 40 years younger and know what I know now!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrdKr-p3fWc
Dennis

Offended? ... since when is somebody else's opinion so offensive that it requires an apology? Opinions and frustrations are just what they are...opinions and frustrations.

As for my Diesel MB Sprinter... I believe that it is a fine piece of machinery that is continually being forced to conform to ever increasing operating standards that are beyond our technical abilities to 'reliability' handle.

And for the 'better' gasoline option....Just wait until you're lawnmower has to get it's Cat Converter installed...and annually tested. Ha!