Mercedes-Benz E-Class Problems

There hasn’t been a move by Mercedes-Benz Australia to fix this problem, which is not to say it hasn’t been noted by owners. But, really, a carmaker will only issue a recall for a fault or problem that represents a safety issue, which peeling door cards does not.

Sometimes, a manufacturer will issue what’s called a technical service bulletin which is like a recall but for non-safety related problems. Again, though, a floppy door card is unlikely to elicit that response. If you still have the trim pieces in question, a motor trimmer should be able to reattach them for you in a way that means they won’t come adrift again.

Traditionally, Mercedes-Benz has taken the entirely logical step of printing a legend of the fuses and what circuits they relate to on the inside of the fuse box cover. By referencing this, you can quickly identify what each fuse does while you’re in there checking whether they’re blown or not.

For some reason, however, sometimes Mercedes placed a paper diagram of the fuse layout in the boot with the jack and tools. So check there as well. The owner’s manual should also offer this information in the electrical section. If none of that works, you can Google the make and model and ask for fuse box information.

Don’t forget, either, that there are often two fuse boxes in many modern cars; one under the bonnet and one under the dashboard or inside the glovebox.

At the first sign of a fuel pump that has started to play up, the advice is to replace it as soon as you can. These electric pumps can start to have intermittent faults where they will not pump fast enough or not at all, and then the next time you start the car, they'll work perfectly.

Don't be fooled into thinking it's all okay, however, as the pump will progressively get worse and worse until it won't work at all. Trust us, these things do not fix themselves. And since a fuel pump will leave a modern fuel-injected car absolutely high and dry, you're way better off fixing it now (by replacing the pump) than finding yourself stuck on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.

A trimmer would probably repair it cheaper than Mercedes; the cheapest option would be to fit some seat covers.

We contacted Mercedes-Benz hoping they might be able to throw some light on the problem, but without being able to see the car they couldn’t offer any help. Their suggestion, one I endorse, is to take the car back to your dealer and ask them to contact the Mercedes-Benz technical people for help.

That’s a tough one given that the traditional chauffeur cars are no longer made. If you are aiming at business type clients and want to impress them consider a BMW 5-Series or a Mercedes-Benz E-class.