Just because something has a “luxury” brand name and costs a lot of money doesn’t mean it’s well made. In the world of fashion, analysts have argued that popular, chic names are “lowering quality and getting away with it.”
The same could be said of auto manufacturers that charge a hefty premium. According to TikToker @menjicar, a luxury brand once renowned for its quality has dipped—at least when it comes to its air conditioning system.
In a viral video that’s accrued over 820,000 views, he shows off a “cheap plastic” part under a Mercedes-Benz’s hood. The component, he states, does little to filter out debris from entering the vehicle’s air conditioning.
Benz A/C trouble
“Yeah, get a Mercedes-Benz, they said,” the TikToker says at the beginning of his video. He sits in the driver’s seat of the German car as he narrates his gripe with it. “Lady came in because her A/C is making a really weird noise.” Next, he begins toggling a button in the center dash, pressing it ‘up’ several times.
“It literally sounds like a lawn mower when we turn it up,” he continues. After increasing the force with which the air conditioner blows, the loud noise he’s referring to can be heard. In fact, it’s so loud that it seems as if there are components in the vehicle that are vibrating.
“The dealership wanted to charge hundreds just to check this out,” he states, pointing to the glovebox. Next, his clip transitions to him looking under the hood of the vehicle. He points to a collection of dead, dried leaves that have collected in an area. “This is giving me a clue what it could be. Honestly, this is a really poor design ’cause, like, look at this.”
The TikToker begins lifting a plastic cover piece that is a part of the air conditioning system. It easily comes off, which he says was a poor manufacturing decision on Mercedes’ part. “This plastic piece comes off, and all those leaves you see here go into here and into the blower motor.”
He points to where the blower motor is, showing where several leaves have gathered. “I’m gonna turn it on so you guys can see how it looks,” he says, demonstrating the blower in action. The tech turns up the air conditioning inside of the car, then heads back out to under the hood.
Leaf it alone
The blower motor can then be seen rotating consistently, free from leaves and the “lawn mower” sound. “All clean now, but that’s how it looks when it spins. Obviously, some leaves can fall in there and then just get jammed.”
He then grabs the plastic cover piece meant to stop debris from entering the blower motor area. “Time to put this cheap plastic back on. But pretty bad design, like I said. ‘Cause anything can just fall in here, and there’s no filter or nothing like that to catch anything.”
Back inside the car, @menjicar turns up the vehicle’s air conditioning system to test if the problem is fixed. “But now let’s see if that fixed her issue,” he says, clicking up the A/C system’s fan intensity toggle. “And sure enough, we’re full blast, and I don’t hear any more random noises,” he states.
In a caption for the video, he further expressed his disbelief that there wasn’t a filter in the vehicle to catch debris.
“I dont know how it doesnt have a filter or screen to prevent that,” he wrote.
@menjicar I dont know how it doesnt have a filter or screen to prevent that. #mechanic #automotive #goodmechanics #honestmechanic #honestmechanicsdoexsist #mercedes #bmw #luxury ♬ original sound – Menjicar
Benz drivers reply
Some commenters thought it was wild that there wasn’t a cabin filter in the car to prevent this from happening. However, others responded that their own Mercedes vehicles were equipped with screens.
“Missing the filter there. My E class has a filter there and in the cabin,” one said. Another replied, “mine has a filter.”
Still, there were others who shared @menjicar’s incredulity at the manufacturer’s design decisions. “Needs at least a mesh screen, crazy,” one penned.
Some people replied that Mercedes vehicles today aren’t technically the Benzes of old. “Most Mercedes engine now adays are being manufactured by Renault and interior being manufactured by infinity(Nissan),” one viewer wrote.
Another viewer thought assembly location plays a huge part in a vehicle’s overall quality. “People dont realize that these Mercedes were manufactured in US,” they commented.
This commenter doesn’t seem impressed with Mercedes’ build quality as of late: “bro all the mercedes these days are meant to look Luxury and feel like it but half of it is cheap tacky plastic with major issues with so much cut costs for more money the car is not worth its price.”
Is it really a design flaw?
However, there was a commenter who seemed to think that there was something else going on with the car. “Man we both kno that’s not because of the design,” they wrote.
Another commenter stated there is a retrofit solution available for Mercedes vehicles that aren’t outfitted with screens, filters, or mesh. “There’s a retrofit kit with fine mesh for the drain and sealing parts for the trim pieces at Mercedes,” one wrote.
The sentiment seems to be echoed by another TikToker who responded to @menjicar’s video. “I work at Mercedes in germany, and the customers test the cars nowadays. It is sad. But we Upgrade the mesh under warranty,” they remarked.
It does seem that Mercedes has produced some models of cars without air cabin filters. That is, according to posters in this BenzWorld forum who responded to one concerned owner’s query. They stated that while servicing their car’s “wiper mechanism,” they noticed “there was no filter at all.”
One person replied that in earlier w124 models (which ran from 1984 to 1997), cabin filters weren’t used at all. However, it’s clear from the interior of the vehicle featured in @menjicar’s video that it’s a newer model.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Mercedes and @menjicar via email for more information.
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