Some people deal with smoke pouring out of an engine by taking it directly to a mechanic. Some, content to take matters into their own hands, go to AutoZone.
But it can be quite the picture to roll up to an AutoZone in that state, as at least one TikTok creator found by sharing it to her account.
Lory (@malsofunny) posted the short video of a man in that very dilemma on Saturday, getting more than 208,000 views as of Wednesday morning.
In the video, taken from the driver’s point of view, the man stops the car—which looks to be a more vintage-model Mercedes—in front of an AutoZone store.
Just as the man is getting out of the car to assess the situation, which looks like it will involve some significant repair, an AutoZone employee opens the front door to the store, pointing and laughing at the car with visible glee.
How reliable is a Mercedes-Benz?
While the comments section was alight with accusations that Mercedes-Benz is an unreliable brand, Car and Driver begs to differ, at least with recent models. Its reviews of recent models include a 7.5 out of 10 for an EQS that will set you back $105,000, while the E-Class, at a more reasonably priced $63,600, earned a sterling 10 out of 10.
In a Reddit post four years ago to the r/mercedes_benz forum, one person observed, “People say all the time that Mercedes cars are less reliable than a Honda or a Toyota, require more maintenance and break down more often. Is it actually true, or just a popular myth? Especially if I’m not too keen about off-roading and racing, do I need to be concerned about maintenance in a Merc?”
That solicited a number of answers, including one who assessed, “They are not cheap to maintain and of course things go wrong. But I would not call them unreliable. In fact some of the most reliable vehicles ever produced have been produced by Mercedes-Benz.”
But someone disdainfully responded, “No one wants a 1995 Mercedes brick. And the world has changed.”
“Totally depends on the model and year. As a company they range from the most reliable to less than average reliability,” said another. “They’re not as cheap to maintain as the Japanese cars, but generally they’re a hell of a lot more durable over the long haul.”
What viewers thought
The video brought additional opinions from those who checked in.
“Bro thought AutoZone was gonna help but they just pointed and laughed,” one said.
“It’s like going to urgent care and you be needing a hospital,” another observed.
“I know the type of driver,” someone else offered. “‘Specially with the Benz like that.”
@malsofunny I can’t stop laughing
♬ original sound – LORY
The Daily Dot has reached out to Lory via TikTok comment and to Mercedes-Benz and AutoZone via email.
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