2011 Mercedes-benz E350 4matic on 2040-cars

Auto blog

The 10 car brands most expensive to maintain over 10 years

Car maintenance has got to be one of the least fun things you can do with your free time, right behind going to the dentist and filing your taxes. However, depending on the brand you buy, your time spent at the shop could be much more than you bargained for. Consumer Reports’ new study on the most- and least-expensive-to-maintain car brands found that European car companies are most likely to break your wallet with costs nearly five times that of the automakers at the other end of the spectrum. Land Rover had the highest ten-year maintenance costs, at an average of $19,250. Porsche was second worst with $14,090 in costs. 10 car brands most expensive to maintain over 10 years: Land Rover: $19,250 Porsche: $14,090 Mercedes-Benz: $10,525 Audi: $9,890 BMW: $9,500 Volvo: $9,285 Infiniti: $8,500 Acura: $7,800 Mini: $7,625 Subaru: $7,200 The Euro brands at the “top” of this list arenÂ’t all that surprising. Land Rover has consistently landed as one of the most expensive vehicle brands to maintain for years now, though Porsche is generally viewed as being one of the more solid performance brands. That could suggest that some models donÂ’t always require more repairs, but the fixes they do need are significantly more expensive. Tesla, Buick, and Toyota were the three cheapest to maintain car brands, with 10-year maintenance costs of $4,035, $4,900, and $4,900, respectively. Consumer Reports noted that these numbers could be slightly skewed due to the fact that some automakers offer free maintenance for the first few years of ownership, and all companies cover their new vehicles for at least a few years after the purchase. Routine maintenance is a great way to avoid costly repairs over time, as itÂ’s much cheaper to catch a problem before it starts causing other issues. Check your oil, rotate your tires, and avoid driving like a wild person, and youÂ’ll likely fare much better than others, even if you own one of the scarier-to-maintain brands.

2015 Malaysian F1 GP springs hot, humid surprises [spoilers]

In the two weeks since Australia both Mercedes and Ferrari spoke of the improved performance from their respective cars. In Malaysia, Ferrari showed it. Lewis Hamilton still put his Mercedes-AMG Petronas on pole position, but Sebastian Vettel got within two whiskers of the Brit, lining up second just 0.074 behind. Afterward, Vettel said Ferrari could win the race if everything went well. But in qualifying we didn't know how much of Ferrari's performance was truly down to the car and how much was down to the wet weather that struck near the beginning of Q2. The rain didn't hamper Nico Rosberg's run – the German said "I just didn't drive good enough" – and he took third spot in the second Mercedes-AMG Petronas. Showing what the Infiniti Red Bull Racing chassis can do when the power unit is working properly, teammates Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat grabbed fourth and fifth. Whippersnapper Max Verstappen, in his second race, qualified in sixth with an excellent drive through the rain; just 0.030 behind Kvyat, he said he could have got fifth if he hadn't had a running problem with his brakes. Williams head of vehicle performance Rob Smedley said he wouldn't complain about Mercedes' advantage, but Felipe Massa has spent the whole season so far banging the alarm about Ferrari's pace. He says Williams has lost its straight-line advantage, part of the reason the first Grove car is back in seventh, while Valtteri Bottas is in eighth. Between them was Romain Grosjean in the Lotus, but he got dropped two positions for a pit-lane infraction in Q2, so he'll be tenth. Ahead of him is Marcus Ericsson in the Sauber, who would lead the charge to turn in another surprise for the Swiss team. But the real surprise came from the Scuderia Ferrari, who, on a bright, sunny day proved that they don't need to add water for race-winning pace. While Hamilton got made usual awesome start at the lights, Vettel channeled that other famous German Ferrari driver and immediately cut across the track to intimidate Rosberg, maintaining his second place position into the first turn. Arguably the race-winning move came three laps later at that same turn, when Ericsson plunged in too fast and swapped ends, beaching the rear of his Sauber in the gravel trap. The safety car came out when the recovery truck emerged to retrieve the Sauber, and nearly all of the front-runners took to the pits to swap out of the medium tires. Vettel, however, didn't.

Mercedes-Benz C-Class 'bleeding seat' problem resurfaces [UPDATE]

UPDATE: We received the following statement from Mercedes-Benz: "In rare instances, we incorrectly ordered some of the replacement parts for the seating surfaces. The approved replacement parts will not demonstrate the previous symptoms." It appears Mercedes-Benz has another problem with "bleeding seats" in 2015 C-Class sedans. As we reported in January, an oily residue has been appearing on some versions of the C-Class with man-made MB Tex upholstery, making it look as though the seats were grimy or "bleeding." Mercedes issued a technical service bulletin to its dealers to remedy the problem, but now we're hearing the fix isn't complete. Small parts of the seats – the rear bolsters and a piece below the center armrest – weren't replaced during service and then developed the oily reside again, a source tells us. This occurred within a few days of their service appointment. The dealer followed Mercedes' instructions, our source said, and their C-Class appears to have been one of the first cars fixed. "I'm absolutely flabbergasted at this point ... The new C-Class is such a good car. This is just a shame," they told Autoblog. The bleeding seat issue appears to affect US-built C-Class models with the MB Tex vinyl and possibly other interiors. The bleeding often occurs when a car has been sitting in the cold and then heats up quickly. The number of cars affected is unclear, though the C-Class owners have been vocal in the MBWorld.org forum. At the time of our original report, Daimler AG, parent of Mercedes-Benz USA, said it was aware of the issue and that no injuries had been reported. The residue usually washes off with soap and water. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had no recalls, complaints or investigations recorded about the issue as of Wednesday. The fix at the dealer involves changing out the headrest and seat covers, except for a part of the passenger seat that needs to be calibrated by the factory, according to the bulletin. The C-Class is a critical car for Mercedes as it battles BMW, Lexus and others for supremacy in the ultra-competitive luxury segment. The C-Class, which launched last fall, is moving upmarket as Mercedes reshuffles its lineup with the addition of the CLA sedan. The C-Class was the company's best-selling model in January with volume of 6,236 units.