mercedes benz a class a140 review

Have a picture of Mercedes Benz A Class A140?, please send it to us.
Picture courtesy of mparsons.

Average Ratings
Performance6/10 Based on 15 ratings
Practicality7.9/10 Based on 15 ratings
Reliability6.6/10 Based on 13 ratings
Value for Money5/10
Reviewer Rating5.6/10
Overall Rating5.8/10 Based on 32 ratings
33% Recommended6 out of 18 Reviews

Review of Mercedes Benz A Class A140

By Andrew Popkin. on 10th May 2003

Andrew Popkin.'s Ratings
Performance10/10
Practicality9/10
Reliability1/10
Value for money3/10
Overall value3/10
no Andrew Popkin.'s recommendation

Good Points

Large interior, taught ride, versatile seat positions - it's a Mercedes.

Bad Points

Common as muck, poor build quality, awful service from Mercedes - just check that service invoice!

General Comments

I had a 160 AvantGarde for nearly a year, and it was the most fault prone car I have ever owned.
List of faults - stunk of petrol (never fixed by Mercedes, sunroof failed (interior damaged on replacement), windows failed (three times), anti-roll bar fixings failed, car came back from servicing minus stereo and full of broken glass (replaced by MB), Paint scratched during servicing - not corrected, dash not put back together correctly, electrics failed due to inept servicing again, battery failed, paint very prone to staining.
Having said that, I did like the car when it worked, but oh dear, the service from MB was absolutely abysmal. Reliance of Chingford has since closed and moved elsewhere (with the same staff)Avoid themlike the plague, their inability to fix a fault ridden car was beyond belief - and when I tried to trade it in for a facelift model, they offered me 30% less than I paid for it less than a year before USED -dont be fooled by so called residual values! Great to drive though, and lively performance, with a a very comfortable driving position. 'A' pillars intrude on vision when cornering.

Respect given for Andrew Popkin.'s review.
Helpful Unhelpful Agree Disagree
3 0 1 0

Total Respect: +4

How have you found this review?


5 Comments on Review by Andrew Popkin. for Mercedes Benz A Class A140

  1. Dom. on 17th Jun 2003

    You are right, the petrol stink comes and goes. The MB service center here claims that it is the fule clip that is bad. I had it changed. Guess what, the smell is back. If someone could really tell me what is the problem would be helpful.
    On the bright side, it is a fantastic car to drive. Easy to park in the city. My wife love it so much she started driving!!

  2. krolfe on 31st Aug 2003

    My 1999 A190 Avantgarde also smells of petrol and I have just read an article in the Sunday Times of an owner complaining about the same thing. I am worried it will make my car difficult to sell on.

  3. hayashbra Rank: Lance Corporal on 13th Sep 2003

    My 1999 A140 Avandgarde has the dreaded petrol smell. Have had the fuel pipe clip replaced twice but it still smells. Other common faults are, rear suspension arm bushes, seats colapse on early models(square holes in the runners type)though seats secretly changed on later ones. The fancy sunroof breaks after 3years, £1200 for a new one which as you might guess has been modified, now with aluminium rummers insted of plastic. Not a design fault ? Bet you've all had these !

  4. dsck Rank: Lance Corporal on 15th Sep 2003

    Went for 2 weeks break and left my A160 in a shaded protected carpark. When I got back, the aircon blows hot air instead of cold air. Took it into the Singapore dealer for servicing. They could not tell what the problem is. They could not even tell if the coolant is leaking after injecting some dye into the system. They therefore claim that the leak is from within the pessenger cabin blower and needs to remove the dashboard to repair. The cost US$2000. I also feel that the transmission is not smooth. Again, they don't know what to do but to recommend an overhaul of the transmission. Cost of overhaul US$3500.
    Do you think I will pay this amount of money for incompetant technical service? I would be nuts to do so. I am going to cut my losses by selling the car and buying a more reliable Japanese car. I would strongly recommend anyone who wants the A160 to look beyond the 3 pointed star in Singapore. The worst that could happen to buying a poor quality car is have worst technical support.

  5. apopkin on 15th Sep 2003

    I couldn't agree more - most of the faults on my A160 occurred during the warranty period, and I shudder to think how much it would have cost me. Notwithstanding the fact that EVERY time my car went in to the garage, it came back with another fault, and they never managed to cure the petrol smell. Also, on a few occasions, the fault had been caused by the negligence and gross ineptitude of the staff working on my car. The reason I bought my A160 was because the Mercedes I owned several years ago (a 190E) was a paragon of reliability. I was incredulous that a new Mercedes should have to be sent back to the supplier 7 or 8 times in less than one year.
    I did exactly what you are contemplating, and took a 30% loss and traded my Merc in for a Toyota RAV4 - If you want reliability, you cannot go wrong with a Toyota. Mercedes would do well to realise that I am currently looking at a Lexus RX300 rather than an M Class, and it is because of the awful product and service that they gave me with my A160.



Top Brands

Hot Stuff in Family Cars
Family Cars
  1. Ford Focus 1.8 Zetec
  2. Honda Civic 1.6 Vtec
Web Results
Auto Trader UK - Buy& Sell New& Used Cars, Car Loans, Car ...
The UK's #1 site to buy and sell new and used cars, bikes, vans, trucks and caravans with over 350,000 vehicles online. Car insurance, car loans, news, reviews, parts, accessories and more.
www.autotrader.co.uk
Buy used cars | New cars | Second hand cars - exchangeandmart.co.uk
Search around 100,000 new and used cars for sale in the UK, find your ideal second hand car online with Exchange& Mart.
www. exchangeandmart .co.uk
fish4 cars - Search for used cars, second hand cars and new cars
Used cars, second hand cars and new cars from fish4 cars. Buy a car today...
www.fish4.co.uk
Used Cars, New Cars, Buy a Car, Sell a Car, Car Dealers - ...
Search over 3 million new and used cars, find new and used car dealers, sell a car, and research your car purchase. More people buy cars at AutoTrader.com.
www.autotrader.com
USED CAR SALES - UK USED CARS FOR SALE Ford Vauxhall BMW Mercedes ...
Used Cars For Sale Search UK - fast fully searchable used car database of 1000's of motor vehicles including Ford BMW Audi Vauxhall Mercedes VW Volkswagen Toyota Saab Volvo...
www.autoseek.co.uk
Parker's
Got a car in mind? Find reviews, pricing, cars for sale and more
www.parkers.co.uk
Used cars from car-supermarkets.com - find your nearest car ...
If you are looking for used car prices then forget the car price guide! To find the actual best prices in the UK then check the cars for sale at your nearest car supermarket / car hypermarket. Car ...
www. car-supermarkets .com
Used Cars for Sale, Buy Used Autos, Find Dealers- UsedCars.com
Searchable database of used cars for sale online by owner and by dealer.
www.usedcars.com
Welcome To Used Car Co - Used Car Dealer Directory
Vehicle Details User Settings Sort By Results ... Please enter your postcode to search (you can also use NG9 1EF).
usedcarco.autoexposure.co.uk
Used car - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A used car, also known as a pre-owned vehicle and second hand car, is a vehicle that has previously had one or more owners. Used cars are sold through a variety of outlets, which include franchise and independent dealers, rental car companies, leasing companies, and used car superstores. Some car...
en.wikipedia.org