Slight clunking noise in rear of 2001 E320

I have this same issue, although much worse than what you describe as car is much older. I have seen this in several other cars and always thought it was play in the differential. A little play in the differential is supposedly normal for many cars. Be sure to write back on what the dealer does (if anything) to cure this.

-Kent

I purchased a 2001 E320 wagon (non-4Matic) last April from a Mercedes dealer. It was still under factory warranty with an additional one year Starmark.

I literally drove the car off the lot and noted a "clunking" in the rear. I didn't pay it too much attention thinking it was a loose car jack or spare tire. When I got home (75 miles later) I checked those items and they were not the problem. After several more days of clunking I took the car to my local dealer (5 miles away) and they diagnosed a defective hydropneumatic suspension system. It took 5 days to get the parts from Germany and fortunately the parts and labor ($1500) were covered by warranty. I was quite peaved that a "Starmark certified" car could be driven off the dealer lot with a MAJOR suspension defect. I wrote a letter to the General Manager of the dealership. Several days later I had a message from a junior salesman left on my answering machine. That was the extent of the response from the dealer to my problem.

So much for customer satisfaction............

Other then fixing it under the warranty. What did you want? and engraved apology?

Engraved..........no

Apology.........yes

1. The dealership which sold me the "Starmark Certified" car was not the dealership which did the diagnosis and repairs.

1. Do YOU consider it perfectly acceptable that a "Starmark Certified" car (you know, the program which meticulously goes through 128 inspections to make sure you have a good-as-new car) allows a car to leave the lot with a major suspension defect?

2. Isn't customer satisfaction one of the PRIMARY responsibilities of a General Manager? Is he TOO BUSY to call me on the phone?

Sorry, if MB adapts your attitude, their J.D. Powers ratings, consumer satisfaction and sales will continue to plummet.

No, making money is his only reponsibility.

Yes, see above.

I am not affiliated with DC, and any attitude expressed by me is purely my issue...

I am not saying that they didn't have a problem, but fixing it was there responsibility (which they did).

Unfortunately, people who buy expensive fancy stuff (like MB's) also seem to like to have there ass kissed, which they failed to do.

Marty

PS I bought a Used certified 2 year old Volvo for my wife, and had similar experiences, where the warranty clearly spelled out certain criteria, I still had to bring several items to there attention (emphatically) to get them resolved.

"Making money is his only responsibility"

As a small business owner I'm intimately familiar with "making money" and "responsibility". One must ask......"how is that done...?" Business owners know they live and die by their reputation. MB has over 100 years of good will based upon superior engineering, flawless execution, meticulous service and dedication to customer satisfaction. What they aren't about is "making money" by cutting corners, avoiding responsibility, and looking to the fine print in the warranty to justify sloppy, inattentive service. Sure, a company can live on it's past glory for a period of time but eventually the chickens come home to roost. When Hyundai soundly spanks Mercedes in the J.D. Powers Customer Satisfaction survey, something is seriously amiss. All one has to do is follow the newsgroups, read The Star magazine and talk to mechanics to know the precipitous decline in MB quality. I'm not a Mercedes basher....I own three and have owned a total of eight Mercedes in the past 22 years. I'm saddened that a once-glorious company has fallen into the pit of mediocrity.

I own a 1995 E320 wagon, 2001 E320 wagon and a 2002 SL500. The execution, fit and finish and solidity of my 95 is better than my 2001, and the service advisor at my local MB dealer agrees. I bought my MB's for superior engineering, not because I like to have my "ass kissed".

The old saying applies: "fool me once, shame on you.....fool me twice, shame on me". If my 2001 E320 has the problems many other owners report, my next car is likely to be a Lexus.

Happy motor>