Something Has Snapped in Italy’s Stormy Relationship With Europe

[ZBZB]

We see that in the Formula 1 where Mercedes is already for many years unbeatable. Thanks to German engineering.

Mercedes F1 team and engine are British as is the world champion driver. Ferrari only one F1 with a British team manager and chief engineer, South African designer and German driver.

 

[bone]

Ferrari really sux this year in F1.

 

[bone]

My father bought a brand new E-class in 2003, a few years later that thing left him on the side of the road. Estimate by Mercedes was that it needed an engine rebuild...

Mercedes quality really dropped from 1998 on. It's been well documented and the CEO of Daimler admitted as much in 2005. Many people fault the Chrysler acquisition but the problems were also prevalent in the legacy class vehicles manufactured in Germany.

Supposedly Mercedes has gotten better, but not where it once was. They haven't gotten better than mid-pack the past two decades when it comes to quality ratings. Getting worse the past few years.

The 2020 JD Power Initial Quality Study ranks them near the bottom, at 202 problems reported by owners during the first 90 days of ownership for every 100 cars sold.

 

[d08]

Mercedes quality really dropped from 1998 on. It's been well documented and the CEO of Daimler admitted as much in 2005. Many people fault the Chrysler acquisition but the problems were also prevalent in the legacy class vehicles manufactured in Germany.

Supposedly Mercedes has gotten better, but not where it once was. They haven't gotten better than mid-pack the past two decades when it comes to quality ratings. Getting worse the past few years.

The 2020 JD Power Initial Quality Study ranks them near the bottom, at 202 problems reported by owners during the first 90 days of ownership for every 100 cars sold.

They are extremely pleasing to drive but like most Germans, fantastic when everything works but a nightmare otherwise.

 

[piezoe]

Merkel wants to fund a 750M Euro Covid recovery fund with EU issued debt - whatever that means. She actually used the term "EU-issued debt". Germany will have to change it's tone about EU austerity given post-COVID reality if they truly want to keep the EU intact.

I couldn't agree more. The problem of course is that they don't have a common bond, but rather each nation in the EU has a separate bond at a different interest rate. These would be the equivalent of State bonds in the U.S., but we have Treasuries as well. The EU monetary union is missing the equivalent of Treasuries; thus they lack a true monetary union.

 

[piezoe]

Ferrari really sux this year in F1.

But they somehow pulled out a small miracle, a second place finish, ahead of the second Mercedes entry in the Austrian Gran Prix. This tells me they are not going away without a fight.

 

[piezoe]

My assessment of German cars (I own a Porsche) is they are over-engineered in the extreme. Just because you can do something does not mean you should. And let me add that it might a good idea to use some of their engineering prowess to figure out how to insulate wires without attracting every rodent within miles.

 

[themickey]

My assessment of German cars (I own a Porsche) is they are over-engineered in the extreme. Just because you can do something does not mean you should. And let me add that it might a good idea to use some of their engineering prowess to figure out how to insulate wires without attracting every rodent within miles.

I'm a rodent and I own a Merc, must have been the wiring I fell in love with.