Mine is that, shifting from D to S requires you push in the detent button, but no detent is required for shifting from D to N? How stupid is that? This is on a 2005 - I don't know if they changed it on later model years.

Secondly, on models with advance key why is the stop engine button right next to the start engine button? I think they should be separated from each other.

My peeve is that they expect you to pay a lot of money to replace a timing belt on a very expensive car. I buy my cars to drive a lot of miles in and I'm not fond of $2000 maintenance services. The upfront cost on the car is high which I can manage to scrape up. An $80k car should not require a new timing belt at 75,000 miles. No such requirement on Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

why not? ;)

and they must work on PR which is sorely lacking.

Don't ever buy a Jaguar, geordie. As bad as Audi's depreciation is (which is to say, really, really bad), Jaguar's depreciation is horrific enough to make Audi's depreciation look very good by comparison.

Don't you ever buy a Jaguar either, LE Audi. As I told geordie just now, as bad as Audi's depreciation is (which, again, is to say, really, really bad), Jaguar's depreciation, is, again, horrific enough to make Audi's depreciation look very good by comparison.

If Consumer Reports is any indication, Mercedes Benz quality and reliability is now significantly worse than the quality and reliability of any Audi, old and especially new.

So your "no such requirement" on Mercedes Benz vehicles" comment only applies to MBs from 1999 and prior, not to MBs from 2000 and later, Mister Bally.

You're saying that 2000 and newer Mercedes Benz cars require timing belt replacements at specified intervals? I did not know that. There were a few cut-away engines at a recent auto show and they had timing chains, not belts. Maybe they were for future products. If so, I stand corrected.

By the way, I have never owned a Mercedes, I have owned three Audi's and six VW's. I agree that Audi has fine quality & reliability. I never meant to imply that they didn't.

Now, I don't agree with much of what Consumer Reportssays. But I agree with what you pointed out.

Having just traded a 2001 Mercedes S500 for my A8, I can second this comment. Try paying $20,000 in maintenance in a 1-year period for a $103,000 auto--makes a $2,000 bill seem like a bargain. The Benz seemed like a solid car, but I had little confidence in its electronics.

I agree that the seatbelt chime should turn off in park, but my biggest pet peeve is the stinking lawyer screen. I have yet to actually read it out of protest.

I also wish the screen would stay down if it was manually put away when the car was turned off. I've got the most frequent MMI key combos memorized, so I really don't need to use the screen that much, especially to acknowledge a stupid lawyer's disclaimer. Maybe that disclaimer should just be engraved into the keys instead--isn't driving what's really dangerous?

Selling cars with obsolete cell phones would be one other peeve. I think all the high-end brands are guilty of that one. Mine's less than 3 years old and I can't get a Cingular contract renewal for it. BMW and Mercedes at least have simple bluetooth adapters--why doesn't Audi?

My final peeve would be a management team that prevents software upgrades for improved functionality (including eliminating the lawyer screen) unless there's something else wrong with the system.

Why not help bolster resale values by continuing to offer software upgrades? Apple is doing it free with my iPod and I'm very happy about it. My iPod does more now than when I bought it. I doubt I'll consider any other brand when it wears out. Maybe AoA could learn something about that kind of business model.

The depreciation makes it sweet for off lease purchase. But all the cars get hit about the same way check out the values on the big body sedans. My friend just purchased a 2006 S430 Sport with less then 13K for $46K...this car was $80+ newand is in rock solid shape. Personally I hope the masses never appreciate Audi and those in the know will remain in the know.

In no particular order (mine is MY2006 SWB):

- "massage seat" is software only and is really a joke. I seriously want my money back.

- defroster ONLY starts at max fan speed when car is started, regardless of fan speed setting when car was stopped

- STOP BEEPING. CHRIST. My wife doesn't even want to be in the car anymore because she can't stand the car beeping incessantly. Is there some market research somewhere that suggests that affluent, full-sized car owners want to be constantly annoyed (not to mention lame MMI warning every time you start the car)

- digital audio support through a card/usb slot. You know, like the a3 has ? Like $15k vws and toyotas and ford focuses have ? Or how about mp3 cd reading - like the Ford ranger had in 1997. Just a thought.

Forget it. I posted a long list of software bugs and problems a year ago. Honestly, you people have very low expectations of 90k cars, and their product reflects that.

The sad thing is, it's the best thing on the market right now :)

I have found for the massage function to be effective, you should have the lumbar set as far forward as possible. (pressing tightly against your back) If there are 3 or less drivers for your car; consider using one of the presets with the lumbar adjustment as far forward as possible. Keeping all other settings normal.

On days when I have to work for my money by doing heavy lifting, the massage during the drive home is priceless.

Yes, I have the lumbar blown up all the way.

It's not so much that the massage function is poorly done - it's that it is _software only_. You (and I) paid whatever X thousand dollars for them to add a button and some logic that moves the lumbar support up and down. That's pretty lame.

It's also baffling that the lumbar support is as weak and shallow as it is. Why does my friends M3 seat blow up like a pool toy but my $90k car has a relatively small balloon in the seat ?

Some shortage of balloon materials ?

The answer is inattention to detail. It costs roughly zero dollars to just put a big enough balloon in there to make everyone happy, and there are no tradeoffs - performance or designwise - to doing so.

Again - the sad thing is, this is the best car on the market, overall.