I sometimes have similar sentiments about my vehicle; it would be nice to use it for over a month without encountering mechanical failures or the illumination of the engine management light. Typically minor issues that do not impede the vehicle's movement, unlike the original poster's situation; yet, they are irritating. One would assert that this is typical for a 15-year-old vehicle with 100,000 miles; however, it is not consistent with my experience. Even my earlier ALFA, which lacks a service history and has almost twice the mileage, was more dependable and had much fewer breakdowns.I have owned other vehicles with far more mileage, yet so far, the Mercedes ranks prominently on the components failure list. It is to be hoped that she is OK with being unfavorable for a while. My three previous Mercedes-Benz models (R170 SLK, 200 CLK200, and W169 A170) have shown far greater reliability.