Quote:
I hope Mercedes can solve all your problems RC, the E 55 AMG is the best in the class, I'm sure you're not a single case regarding reliability problems, but within one year from now they must have all these bugs solved, otherwise their image might be compromised. BMW with the 7 series is also having very big reliability problems, all related to the electronics.

J.Seven



Well, at least my dealer is really dedicated in helping me.
I told them that this is the last chance to fix the problems because I'm fed up with driving to them once a week.
Don't get me wrong, the E55 is a fine car and it hadn't let me down. But it is pretty annoying to watch these electronics problems happen and even more to hear the mechanic saying that he can't promise to find the cause.
I also went through some emberassment when I left the Ferrari Days in Baden-Baden. A guy from the Ferrari Club wanted to see the interior of my car, especially the DVD based COMAND system. When I turned it on, it turned off itself and I had to remove the 40 A fuse and put it back to make it work again (as of the instructions of my mechanic for the trouble I had with the APS 50). The guy from the Ferrari Club started to make fun of my car and told me that even his 13 years old Ferrari is more reliable. Ouch.

Is it really that hard for car manufacturers to test their cars before they release them to the markets?
How is testing done? I drove more than 300 km on the Autobahn with speeds between 220 and 280 kph at an outside temperature of more than 33*C. Car was fully loaded and I always pushed the engine hard, doing the Aichelberg near Stuttgart (direction to Munich) at 280 kph, even in the curve. The problem with the oil level warning light appeared after this fast ride.
I'm sure that DC test drivers test the cars on the track but I'm not sure that there is a track where you can drive 300 km at speeds between 220-280 kph, with wide curves and even a serious hill going up (Aichelberg), not to forget about the acceleration and braking which is needed all the time because of traffic.

Maybe car manufacturers should start putting their prototypes into the hands of normal customers to see how these cars behave under "real life" driving conditions.