Scrappage scheme

[RoadworkUK]

  Cavette said:

To be honest I can't remember a time Merc's didn't rust. From the heady days of such stuff as 450SEL/SL models, quite a few before them and plenty (all) after I do sometimes wonder if Merc's 'well built' reputation is actually a myth.

They do seem to have that 'Rover' reputation as well where anyone who owns a Merc will tell you it's the last properly built one.

 

I never really understood the mystique the three pointed star commands, but the customers keep coming back so I keep my mouth shut.

[504GL]

  RoadworkUK said:

  Cavette said:

To be honest I can't remember a time Merc's didn't rust. From the heady days of such stuff as 450SEL/SL models, quite a few before them and plenty (all) after I do sometimes wonder if Merc's 'well built' reputation is actually a myth.

They do seem to have that 'Rover' reputation as well where anyone who owns a Merc will tell you it's the last properly built one.

 

I never really understood the mystique the three pointed star commands, but the customers keep coming back so I keep my mouth shut.

 

Speaking as someone who's only lived in the UK for just over 5 years, it's a class thing. People honestly wouldn't care if it wasn't well built, it's the feeling that get from showing the world that they can afford to spend 2 or 3 times what everyone does on a car that justifies it for them.

[warren t claim]

  504GL said:

  Cavette said:

To be honest I can't remember a time Merc's didn't rust. From the heady days of such stuff as 450SEL/SL models, quite a few before them and plenty (all) after I do sometimes wonder if Merc's 'well built' reputation is actually a myth.

They do seem to have that 'Rover' reputation as well where anyone who owns a Merc will tell you it's the last properly built one.

 

It's all about perceived quality. How many people will close the door to their Merc with a reassuring thud and tell you how it's built like a tank just because of the sound the door makes when it closes.

 

Jaguar and Land Rover seem to use the same theory but in reverse.

 

They're always saying that the cars they build today are better screwed together than the poorly built stuff of ten years ago. They've been repeating that line for the last 35 years or so. They'll be apologising for the shoddy build quality of the XF/Evora in 2020.

[RoadworkUK]

  504GL said:

Speaking as someone who's only lived in the UK for just over 5 years, it's a class thing. People honestly wouldn't care if it wasn't well built, it's the feeling that get from showing the world that they can afford to spend 2 or 3 times what everyone does on a car that justifies it for them.

 

I understand that it happens, I just don't understand why it happens. I guess I'm not very good at dealing with the human condition.

 

When I came out of the company car scheme one of the chaps asked me a few months later if I missed my CLK. I said no, not in the least. He said that, surely, you must have enjoyed being seen driving a nice car, and you must have loved having it on your driveway? I said sure, but who's looking at me? People who will never see me again. Those people who know me, and know that I have a new CLK on my drive, also know it isn't mine.

 

And every time I drove the CLK I saw dozens of identical cars, all bought by people who spent 40k on a car to impress people they don't know.

[504GL]

  RoadworkUK said:

  504GL said:

Speaking as someone who's only lived in the UK for just over 5 years, it's a class thing. People honestly wouldn't care if it wasn't well built, it's the feeling that get from showing the world that they can afford to spend 2 or 3 times what everyone does on a car that justifies it for them.

 

I understand that it happens, I just don't understand why it happens. I guess I'm not very good at dealing with the human condition.

 

When I came out of the company car scheme one of the chaps asked me a few months later if I missed my CLK. I said no, not in the least. He said that, surely, you must have enjoyed being seen driving a nice car, and you must have loved having it on your driveway? I said sure, but who's looking at me? People who will never see me again. Those people who know me, and know that I have a new CLK on my drive, also know it isn't mine.

 

And every time I drove the CLK I saw dozens of identical cars, all bought by people who spent 40k on a car to impress people they don't know.

 

Yeah, that's a completely ****ed up attitude Why spend money to impress people you don't even know?

 

Whatever happened to just doing stuff because you want to and because you yourself like it?

 

At the last place I worked some people made fun of me for the car I drove and said it was girly. But the thing for me is that it's a reliable car, gives good MPG, is cheap to tax, cheap to insure and I like it, so who cares what others think? I buy stuff for me, not to impress anyone else

[Lankytim]

From what I've seen most new Mercs are leased anyway.

[RoadworkUK]

  Lankytim said:

From what I've seen most new Mercs are leased anyway.

 

And for suprisingly reasonable rates!

 

[Lankytim]

But you get dry bummed when you hand it back after 3 years and have to pay for thousands of pounds of "repair" work. I used to collect Mercs after the lease period and what the customers got stung for was unbelievable.

[504GL]

  Lankytim said:

From what I've seen most new Mercs are leased anyway.

 

That's another thing I don't get!!!!! Why the fock would you essentially rent a car for 3 or 4 years and then give it back having spent a sizeable amount of money?

 

Now I understand for businesses there are tax breaks and so on, but for the average person in the street it's far cheaper just to buy something you really like once every 6-10 years and you actually own it. Some people seem to think "I can only afford to spend x pounds per month on a car, what can I get" rather than the sensible thing which is just to buy a cheap car outright, buy a car on straight finance or buy a 3 year old car where some idiot has paid for the depreciation and reap the rewards.

[504GL]

  Lankytim said:

But you get dry bummed when you hand it back after 3 years and have to pay for thousands of pounds of "repair" work. I used to collect Mercs after the lease period and what the customers got stung for was unbelievable.

 

I would have thought (perhaps stupidly) that any repairs would be done under warranty other than if you've damaged the car or the brakes or tyres need replacing?

 

Not that I'll ever buy a car on PCP other than if I was planning to pay the balloon payment at the end.

[Lankytim]

  504GL said:

  Lankytim said:

But you get dry bummed when you hand it back after 3 years and have to pay for thousands of pounds of "repair" work. I used to collect Mercs after the lease period and what the customers got stung for was unbelievable.

 

I would have thought (perhaps stupidly) that any repairs would be done under warranty other than if you've damaged the car or the brakes or tyres need replacing?

 

Not that I'll ever buy a car on PCP other than if I was planning to pay the balloon payment at the end.

 

I guess that some repair work is covered under warranty, but any kind of damage, no matter how small is chargable. Slightly scuffed tyre walls mean a whole new tyre is fitted, slighty kerbed alloys mean they get refurbed, any minor bleb or dent on the bodywork means that an expensive repair is made and charged to the customer. The vehicles are inspected in a special well lit bay by several trained technicians who look for anything they can sting the customer for. Even immaculate cars have something they can find, all repairs are at an incredibly inflated price too. A missing service booklet can cost the customer £250 odd whereas a new one from Mercedes is £12.

 

Basically the Mercedes lease thing is a huge racket designed to forcibly extract lots of money from the customer.

[504GL]

  Lankytim said:

  504GL said:

  Lankytim said:

But you get dry bummed when you hand it back after 3 years and have to pay for thousands of pounds of "repair" work. I used to collect Mercs after the lease period and what the customers got stung for was unbelievable.

 

I would have thought (perhaps stupidly) that any repairs would be done under warranty other than if you've damaged the car or the brakes or tyres need replacing?

 

Not that I'll ever buy a car on PCP other than if I was planning to pay the balloon payment at the end.

 

I guess that some repair work is covered under warranty, but any kind of damage, no matter how small is chargable. Slightly scuffed tyre walls mean a whole new tyre is fitted, slighty kerbed alloys mean they get refurbed, any minor bleb or dent on the bodywork means that an expensive repair is made and charged to the customer. The vehicles are inspected in a special well lit bay by several trained technicians who look for anything they can sting the customer for. Even immaculate cars have something they can find, all repairs are at an incredibly inflated price too. A missing service booklet can cost the customer £250 odd whereas a new one from Mercedes is £12.

 

Basically the Mercedes lease thing is a huge racket designed to forcibly extract lots of money from the customer.

 

Ouch!

 

Yet another reason why I'm happy we bought our car on HP rather than doing the dippy thing and handing it back in next year and getting a new one.....

[Pete-M]

  warren t claim said:

Jaguar and Land Rover seem to use the same theory but in reverse.

 

They're always saying that the cars they build today are better screwed together than the poorly built stuff of ten years ago. They've been repeating that line for the last 35 years or so. They'll be apologising for the shoddy build quality of the XF/Evora in 2020.

 

Jag build kwality was indeed pretty bloody shoddy until around 1991, when Ford took over and finally had a go at building them properly. The Ford influenced X300 is far better than the XJ40 when it comes to actually working properly, and the X350 is much better again - and alloy, so finally shouldn't end up with scabby wheelarches when it's 18 years old.

 

 

Land Rover... same again, Ford showed them how to nearly build them properly, but too many weird and wonderful owners does cock things up a bit. BMW trying to keep LR out of their territory whilst simultaneously nicking / bodging stuff doesn't help.

[Guest Len H]

RoadworkUK is a poor man's fiatdaft. Probably because he's not a blinkered idiot.

[warren t claim]

  Pete-M said:

  warren t claim said:

Jaguar and Land Rover seem to use the same theory but in reverse.

 

They're always saying that the cars they build today are better screwed together than the poorly built stuff of ten years ago. They've been repeating that line for the last 35 years or so. They'll be apologising for the shoddy build quality of the XF/Evora in 2020.

 

Jag build kwality was indeed pretty bloody shoddy until around 1991, when Ford took over and finally had a go at building them properly. The Ford influenced X300 is far better than the XJ40 when it comes to actually working properly, and the X350 is much better again - and alloy, so finally shouldn't end up with scabby wheelarches when it's 18 years old.

 

 

Land Rover... same again, Ford showed them how to nearly build them properly, but too many weird and wonderful owners does cock things up a bit. BMW trying to keep LR out of their territory whilst simultaneously nicking / bodging stuff doesn't help.

 

I can distinctly remember John Egan trotting out the massivlyimprovedovertheshitwemade10yearsago line back in 1984. I had to weigh in a 1984 XJ12 due to massive corrosion issues on the day of the 1997 General Election. 13 years isn't a very long life for a car that was probably cosseted for the first 5 years of its life by a moneyed owner. Didn't stop me buying another one within a year though...

[RoadworkUK]

  Len H said:

RoadworkUK is a poor man's fiatdaft. Probably because he's not a blinkered idiot.

 

That's the nicest thing anyones said to me for a while. And anyway, I've sold over a million cars this week.

[RoadworkUK]

  Tayne said:

I think you may be beating Liz Taylor this week.

 

Nah. Exclusion zone. Electronic tag.

[fiatdaft]

  Len H said:

RoadworkUK is a poor man's fiatdaft. Probably because he's not a blinkered idiot.

 

Back to being a jealous keyboard warrior prick eh.

[Guest]

  fiatdaft said:

  Len H said:

RoadworkUK is a poor man's fiatdaft. Probably because he's not a blinkered idiot.

 

Back to being a jealous keyboard warrior prick eh.

 

Len is always at one's service.

[overheadvalve]

  Lankytim said:

But you get dry bummed when you hand it back after 3 years and have to pay for thousands of pounds of "repair" work. I used to collect Mercs after the lease period and what the customers got stung for was unbelievable.

I work in a transport department of a private company and we have the suppliying dealer write into the contract fair wear and tear accepted, at our transport managers insistence. Fair enough damage like dents and scratches need repairing but not the odd stonechip, scuffed tyre. With damaged Alloys (curbed) we usually get them refurbed for £20 each, the last one was for example a 16" or 17" wheel on a Passat.

 

Which reminds me, i wouldn't have a company car, it's all image and advertising. VW for instance.......

[CIH]

I'd like to know why alloy wheels corrode so badly nowadays too. One time it was just crappy wheels on cheap cars ie; Favourites and the odd Lada alloy. Now everthing corrodes and bubbles away under the lacquer.

Especially when wheels have rusted themselves onto the hub an have to be hammred off, FFS.

[Polystratus]

  CIH said:

I'd like to know why alloy wheels corrode so badly nowadays too. One time it was just crappy wheels on cheap cars ie; Favourites and the odd Lada alloy. Now everthing corrodes and bubbles away under the lacquer.

Especially when wheels have rusted themselves onto the hub an have to be hammred off, FFS.

 

 

Same with engines , was looking at a 3 year old VW Polo in one of these car supermarkets, the engine and alternator looked like it came from a 40 year old car. (I know they valet the outside and inside but they never touch the engine bay, presume that Mr & Mrs Public don't want to know what's under the bonnet).

[504GL]

  CIH said:

I'd like to know why alloy wheels corrode so badly nowadays too. One time it was just crappy wheels on cheap cars ie; Favourites and the odd Lada alloy. Now everthing corrodes and bubbles away under the lacquer.

Especially when wheels have rusted themselves onto the hub an have to be hammred off, FFS.

 

Might be something to do with pad material? I've kept the wheels on the 500 very clean and so far they're not showing any signs of doing anything nasty.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

  Polystratus said:

Same with engines , was looking at a 3 year old VW Polo in one of these car supermarkets, the engine and alternator looked like it came from a 40 year old car. (I know they valet the outside and inside but they never touch the engine bay, presume that Mr & Mrs Public don't want to know what's under the bonnet).

 

My sister recently bought an older Polo from a VW main dealer - it wasn't cheap by any means, but they'd done an astonishing job valeting it. Aside from a little corrosion on one of the alloys the thing looked brand new, including under the bonnet. I don't know if they replace things like the expansion tank or what, I don't know how they could make everything look so clean.

[Polystratus]

  Peter said:

[

My sister recently bought an older Polo from a VW main dealer - it wasn't cheap by any means, but they'd done an astonishing job valeting it. Aside from a little corrosion on one of the alloys the thing looked brand new, including under the bonnet. I don't know if they replace things like the expansion tank or what, I don't know how they could make everything look so clean.

 

Depends if the previous owner actually cleaned the engine bay - think they may have gave it a good clean beforehand with a hose and engine cleaner