I guess BMW's aren't the only ones with rattles (MBZ quality problems)...
I wonder how BMW did on this same survey???...:dunno:
MERCEDES RACKS UP PROBLEMS IN QUALITY SURVEY
By David Kiley, USA TODAY
SUV and C-Class models have raised quality issues for Mercedes. Wind noise and rattles have caused complaints.
DETROIT - A new survey places Mercedes-Benz 31st out of 35 brands for quality, just slightly ahead of South Korea's Hyundai and General Motors' soon-to-die Oldsmobile.
It's the latest quality question for the German luxury brand, driven by concerns about its M-Class sport-utility vehicle and entry-level C-Class car.
In the survey by Strategic Vision, which measures problems reported in the first three months of ownership, 14% of Mercedes owners said they experienced problems, vs. 6% for Infiniti and 7% for Lexus, also luxury brands.
"The gap is widening between Mercedes and its biggest competitors in quality," says Dan Gorrell, author of the study.
"The good news for Mercedes, though, is that it has such deep brand equity that its other qualities offset the gap."
Earlier this month, Mercedes chief Jürgen Hubbert admitted to mounting problems that could cause Mercedes to worsen before it improves. Some suppliers, he said, had changed designs of Mercedes components without running them by Mercedes quality control.
"There is no higher priority at Mercedes than quality," says Klaus Ulkann, vice president of customer service at Mercedes-Benz of North America. He said he couldn't elaborate on Hubbert's comments or specify models affected.
But he admits that a C-Class redesigned for 2000 and the M-Class have had problems, and that a proliferation of new models over the last five years has been challenging.
The M-Class ranked seventh out of nine luxury SUVs surveyed for problems by Strategic Vision. C-Class ranked 21st out of 24 near-luxury cars. The pricier S-Class and E-Class rank among the highest-quality vehicles in their categories.
"The M-Class is the first time we went with a completely new line outside of Germany, and there we had some challenges," says Ulkann. M-Class is built at Mercedes' plant in Vance, Ala., its only U.S. factory. Wind noise, rattles and a higher plastic content than other Mercedes models have drawn the most complaints.
Brian Walters, director of product research with J.D. Power and Associates, says that in his firm's surveys, M-Class and C-Class rate better than competitors for engine performance, braking and transmission but "significantly worse" in interior controls, electronics and heating and cooling systems.
Ulkann says Mercedes has fixed some problems cited in surveys, such as window glass in the M-Class that was binding in the door, and a windshield in the C-Class that fogged in the middle. "We are confident our scores will improve this year," he says.
The quality problems in Strategic Vision's survey are mirrored in the J.D. Power initial quality survey, which measures problems in the first three months, and in its vehicle dependability survey, which measures problems over five years.
In the initial quality survey last year, M-Class had 163 problems per 100 cars, while the Lexus RX 300 had 85 per 100, and the Lexus LX 470 had 102.
In the dependability index, Mercedes has fallen from third to 10th over the last three years.
If not for Mercedes' position as a standard-bearer among automobiles, slipping quality scores wouldn't be so closely scrutinized.
"There is no question that Mercedes gets looked at more closely than Jaguar, Cadillac or even BMW for quality," says marketing consultant Dennis Keene. "The fact that Lexus is so out of control on quality puts enormous heat on Mercedes when they backslide."
"I agree we are on a pedestal, and the expectations are very high," Ulkann says.
What Mercedes has going for it, though, is love of its 100-year-old brand, Gorrell says. In a study he does of total quality experience, which measures how satisfied customers are overall, Mercedes ranked sixth but statistically very close to luxury rivals BMW, Porsche, Lexus, Jaguar and Audi.
"How people feel about your brand, how much they like you, can make up for a lot," says Gorrell.
Mercedes this week starts a new ad campaign designed to remind luxury car buyers that Mercedes is still the car to aspire to. Each of the 11 TV ads ends with the same new line: "Unlike Any Other." The ads play up Mercedes' heritage, plus individual model qualities, such as the "security" of the M-Class, the "value" of the C-Class and the "soul" of the SL coupe.
link to article
I wonder how BMW did on this same survey???...:dunno:
MERCEDES RACKS UP PROBLEMS IN QUALITY SURVEY
By David Kiley, USA TODAY
SUV and C-Class models have raised quality issues for Mercedes. Wind noise and rattles have caused complaints.
DETROIT - A new survey places Mercedes-Benz 31st out of 35 brands for quality, just slightly ahead of South Korea's Hyundai and General Motors' soon-to-die Oldsmobile.
It's the latest quality question for the German luxury brand, driven by concerns about its M-Class sport-utility vehicle and entry-level C-Class car.
In the survey by Strategic Vision, which measures problems reported in the first three months of ownership, 14% of Mercedes owners said they experienced problems, vs. 6% for Infiniti and 7% for Lexus, also luxury brands.
"The gap is widening between Mercedes and its biggest competitors in quality," says Dan Gorrell, author of the study.
"The good news for Mercedes, though, is that it has such deep brand equity that its other qualities offset the gap."
Earlier this month, Mercedes chief Jürgen Hubbert admitted to mounting problems that could cause Mercedes to worsen before it improves. Some suppliers, he said, had changed designs of Mercedes components without running them by Mercedes quality control.
"There is no higher priority at Mercedes than quality," says Klaus Ulkann, vice president of customer service at Mercedes-Benz of North America. He said he couldn't elaborate on Hubbert's comments or specify models affected.
But he admits that a C-Class redesigned for 2000 and the M-Class have had problems, and that a proliferation of new models over the last five years has been challenging.
The M-Class ranked seventh out of nine luxury SUVs surveyed for problems by Strategic Vision. C-Class ranked 21st out of 24 near-luxury cars. The pricier S-Class and E-Class rank among the highest-quality vehicles in their categories.
"The M-Class is the first time we went with a completely new line outside of Germany, and there we had some challenges," says Ulkann. M-Class is built at Mercedes' plant in Vance, Ala., its only U.S. factory. Wind noise, rattles and a higher plastic content than other Mercedes models have drawn the most complaints.
Brian Walters, director of product research with J.D. Power and Associates, says that in his firm's surveys, M-Class and C-Class rate better than competitors for engine performance, braking and transmission but "significantly worse" in interior controls, electronics and heating and cooling systems.
Ulkann says Mercedes has fixed some problems cited in surveys, such as window glass in the M-Class that was binding in the door, and a windshield in the C-Class that fogged in the middle. "We are confident our scores will improve this year," he says.
The quality problems in Strategic Vision's survey are mirrored in the J.D. Power initial quality survey, which measures problems in the first three months, and in its vehicle dependability survey, which measures problems over five years.
In the initial quality survey last year, M-Class had 163 problems per 100 cars, while the Lexus RX 300 had 85 per 100, and the Lexus LX 470 had 102.
In the dependability index, Mercedes has fallen from third to 10th over the last three years.
If not for Mercedes' position as a standard-bearer among automobiles, slipping quality scores wouldn't be so closely scrutinized.
"There is no question that Mercedes gets looked at more closely than Jaguar, Cadillac or even BMW for quality," says marketing consultant Dennis Keene. "The fact that Lexus is so out of control on quality puts enormous heat on Mercedes when they backslide."
"I agree we are on a pedestal, and the expectations are very high," Ulkann says.
What Mercedes has going for it, though, is love of its 100-year-old brand, Gorrell says. In a study he does of total quality experience, which measures how satisfied customers are overall, Mercedes ranked sixth but statistically very close to luxury rivals BMW, Porsche, Lexus, Jaguar and Audi.
"How people feel about your brand, how much they like you, can make up for a lot," says Gorrell.
Mercedes this week starts a new ad campaign designed to remind luxury car buyers that Mercedes is still the car to aspire to. Each of the 11 TV ads ends with the same new line: "Unlike Any Other." The ads play up Mercedes' heritage, plus individual model qualities, such as the "security" of the M-Class, the "value" of the C-Class and the "soul" of the SL coupe.
link to article
