Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sedans

maroon95

I paid MSRP for the brilliant silver mettalic
with C2 and C4 package with automatic transmission. the dealer throw in the 6-disc changer for no-cost. he tells me that it's worth $895. I suppose it's a fair deal considering that I am also trading in my Honda Accord which I got a decent price...

picking it up tomorrow...

BTW, what is the difference between the 2002 and 2001 model except for the price mark up???

johnny2000

I am sorry I could not help it but dealers now are selling certain models for as little as $500 over invoice. I got an offer to purchase the new C 240 for just $500 over invoice (2002 model that is).

I read in the ML forum some are getting the new ML (2002 ML 320 or ML 500) for $1500 off MSRP.

Thanks to the competition dealers are eager to move their cars from their lots in search for holdback and most importantly profit from service after sale.

Just my two cents...

Cheers

jrct9454

Southern Calif, where J2000 is quoting prices, may support these kinds of deals. J, I can assure you that is not the case in most of the rest of the country. You need a concentration of dealers and real competition to see that kind of pricing, and it just is not the case anywhere else, except maybe the greater NY area. Certainly, even as close as NorCal [SF Bay Area], no one is selling Cs for $500 over invoice. This is one reason I always pick up an LA Times when I am seriously shopping for a car...but this does no good if you live in Chicago or Cleveland or Dallas...

mleskovar

Drive a demo and see if it shifts the same as yours. 1st gear is definitely very low in the C automatic. You could almost leave it in winter mode year round with the 320. I agree with bankoh that the shift from 1st to 2nd is speed sensitive as well and that at lower speeds it's more noticeable.

w2p2

I took my C320 in.10,000 miles on it. The main reason was I am having trouble getting the car to start. I almost missed work Thursday. I thought it might be the starter or I thought the battery in the key was bad.
The rep said he was 99% sure it was the key. He said they are having a lot of trouble with them. It's not the battery in the key but the system itself, if that makes any sense. He said they would check it all out. They gave me a loner car. Will keep you posted on what they find out.

mtroy

I'm sure Lisa in Chico will be able to withstand the heat from her competitors. Obviously her competitors can look at this forum and see for themselves who is offering this better deal. That they typically don't read this forum is surprising to me since it's basically free marketing research to the dealers. By the way, does the extended warranty cover the scheduled maintenance?

mleskovar

Does not cover scheduled maintenance and there are some things excluded that are not on regular warranty.

quick_silver

And have had it for about 3 weeks now. We ordered in April and received in August. It's Brilliant Silver with a CD Changer ... paid MSRP. We checked the Monroney sticker and door tag to verify it was assembled in Germany, not Brazil. The car handles great and runs really well. Experienced the knocking sound that other people here have had and took it to the dealer. They installed a new bracket for the Purge Valve Line to eliminate the pulsations felt through the body of the car. Have not heard any knocking sound since and runs quiet. Overall this is a wonderful car and are amazed everyday at how nice it is. It is really a solid-feeling car and love driving it. Also the dealer has been really good about any concerns or problems we have. This Edmunds site is very informative and we found some good research here before we bought our car.

pat

From the Wall Street Journal and Edmunds.com's Public Relations Director:

We're looking into how small sport sedans are taking over the market. Seems that high fuel prices and the teetering economy have more people looking at smaller cars. But they don't want econoboxes! We're looking at the likes of the 3-Series BMW, C-Class Mercedes and Jaguar X-Type.

The ideal example for my story is someone who recently traded in a big luxury car for a smaller one--like a 7-Series for a 3-Series, or a big Jag for the new small one. Any help is much appreciated! Please post your comments in the Talk to the Press discussion or send them directly to jfallon@edmunds.com. Thanks as always.

Note - responses should be made only to the links provided above. Jeannine Fallon, the PR director, won't see them if you reply here.

Thanks!

Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board

weberamg

Hi All,

I'm very close to ordering my 2002 C240 6-Spd Sport. I'm located in the San Francisco Bay Area. I've contacted most of the region's MB dealers about pricing and all I've heard was MSRP, MSRP, and MSRP.
I tried AutobyTel and a few other Internet quoting services and got nowhere. I contacted a local broker that my brother had used successfully for his last two cars: 1999 C280 Sport and 1997 E320. The broker quoted me a price of $1000 over invoice. She explained that she has contacts down in the Los Angeles MB dealer market from which she gets them. My brother has been very happy with her.
So far, that's the best deal I've found here in SF. If anybody knows of better deals or if anyone wants to get in contact with her, let me know.
I also plan to purchase the extended warranty plan from the Chico connection.

Thanks for a very informative site.

John W.

1996 Chrysler (Daimler) Van
1987 MB 300 Diesel 6 Cylinder Turbo (230,000 miles: Just broken in!)

maroon95

i took a deliver of the car but it seems i cannot find the new car STICKER...

i recalled seeing it at the dealership, but now i cannot locate it...maybe i left it there by accident or that the salesman took it back.

is that piece of paper important?
thank you for your wonderful advice

bankoh

Can someone please post Lisa's number at Courtesy Motors in Chico?
I am interested in purchasing the extended warranty from her.

habitat1

I suspect the answer is nothing, but if you don't mind, ask your broker if she can get anything off on a 2002 C32. I am on the waiting list in the DC area. I got a call while on vacation from a competing dealer who had one immediately available. The dealer who I have my deposit with indicated I'm now #5 on the list from #9 just three weeks ago. Apparantly, a lot of people on the list are "passing" once their number is called.

I don't want to buy before late fall and am still leaning towards an M3, but I'm curious as to whether any deals might be available out West on the C32. Thanks.

jrct9454

If you enter the right zip code [namely, a SoCal one in a county with one of the right dealerships], CarsDirect will also give you a quote of about $1k over invoice. I know of no other market in the nation right now where this kind of competition is taking place, and I certainly wouldn't hesitate to travel the 350 miles from my place in the Valley to save this kind of money.

quick_silver

There should be a Parts Content Information Sticker on the rear driver's side window when you do final inspection of the car. You have to request that they give you the sticker before they prep the car. On the sticker it says "Do not remove this label prior to sale to consumer". The Monroney Sticker (different document) does not always give final point of assembly for foreign vehicles.

One interesting new aesthetic feature on the 2002 C320 is the leather around the gear shift. On the 2001 models you had to order the leather package to get that. But we did not order the leather package on our car and we got the leather wrap around the shifter. It is a visually appealling feature. Also, we received Michelins as opposed to Continentals. If possible ask for Michelins.

bwatl

Just received my new 240 Alabaster White (very little difference from old white, unfortunately). Once home, I went to remove the front license plate holder (I live in Georgia and there is no official need for it -- only a promo for the dealer). But, after unscrewing the mounting screws, I discovered four unfinished HOLES in the front plastic bumper -- very unattractive! I glanced back at the brochure and saw that none of the pictures showed cars with front plates. I plan to complain to the dealer re: this and demand a new bumper -- any thoughts? Help!

pk6

We don't have front plates either , my car had the mounting bracket and screws still in their plastic bag stored in the trunk. No holes thankfully, the only ad was the usual plastic frame around the rear plate. I'd certainly complain to the dealer about it and be prepared for some sympathy and not much else unless you press on up the ladder.

Good warning to everyone if they are concerned, to insist the dealer doesn't apply any unwanted decals, brackets, etc on your car when they get it. I hate those things

jrct9454

Yeah, the best dealers will leave the front plate mounting kit in the trunk...can't imagine disfiguring the front bumper in a state that doesn't require it. Here in CA, a front plate is required, but even our local dealer left the kit in the trunk for us to make the decision - I installed it myself, believing in following the law in these matters, but some do not...risking the wrath of the CHP, who will use this as an excuse if one is needed.

It is not impossible to fill the holes and touch it up...in a state without front plates, I would certainly talk to the dealership about it...

big_ray

Hi everyone. Been following this soiree for a few weeks. Finally decided between 2002 C320 and 2002 Jaguar X Type. Order for C320 went in August 15. Given order date, anybody know approximate date of delivery (based on past experiences) ?

Also, I am a little nervous about the problems cropping up with the SmartKey. Seen a few problems in this chat. Are the problems prevalent or scattered? Any feeling on whether Mercedes addressed the known problems with the SmartKey in the new 2002 version?

Cool site with cool folks... luck to all with your MB's

Regards,
Ray

big_ray

I noticed the discussion on manufacturing sites (Germany versus Brazil). Any reason to believe quality will suffer from vehicles made in Brazil? Would you take delivery of your vehicle if you found out it was made in Brazil? It is a Mercedes...., no?

Thanks again,
Ray

sleake

When I took my car in for an early oil change back in Dec or Jan, I asked them to install the REAR license plate. (The rear holder was already there, but the front plate holder was in the trunk as John, above, indicated that it should be.) When I was paying the bill before they brought my car up front, I noticed the repair sheet stated: "Installed FRONT license plate." I had a fit when I saw this because I did not want it installed. My service rep was agast as well, and immediately offered to replace the front bumper in the event they had erroneously drilled holes, etc. However, we both gave a sigh of relief when the car was brought up. The error was on the repair sheet, NOT the car. My point is, you should absolutely expect them to replace the front bumper.

bwatl

Thanks everyone -- I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks this is a bad situation (my wife thinks I'm being anal retentive!). I'll contact the dealer (RBM in Atlanta) on Tuesday and see what they say. Aside from the holes -- which now seem to be the only thing I see when I look at the car -- I absolutely love the new vehicle. And though the new c class design has been on the streets for a year now, people here still seem to stare (especially men driving BMWs...)

jrct9454

The fact is, at this point, no one knows the answer to your first question, which is the most important one. On the other hand, EVERYONE has an opinion about your second question, but rather than repeat the whole debate again, you should go back on this forum about a month or so, when this topic is all anyone wanted to talk about for about a week, when the first Brazilian cars started showing up.

The only fact is that it is too early for us to have any facts...there is simply no data to help answer the question. Plenty of strongly held opinions, though, most of them negative...

fuzzo

I found this post on mbworld. I thought someone would find it interesting. I am in no way affiliated with this person, so please contact the person on the web page

====================================

Original message

====================================

Some of you may remember a little over a month ago I bought a new Mercedes that had the front license plate bracket mounted at the dealer. Upon removing the bracket (as I don't care for the look of it), I was appalled that in order to mount the front license plate bracket, Mercedes needed to drill 2 holes in the front bumper !

So I set out on a search to 'remedy' this (Short of having a brand new cars bumper patched and painted). I ended up finding some plugs that I had color matched to Mercedes Brilliant Silver. The plugs have a 3/8" button head and simply insert into the terrible holes in the bumper and give a 'finished' look to it.

I had 20 sets of these plugs finished, as it cost me the same labor price as if I only did 1 set. I have a few sets left and am wanting to sell them to anyone that may be interested.

I set up a small web page with pictures and information if you are interested. See the link below to get there.

http://www.plugs.d2g.com/

genghis721

Anyone have any news?

zman46

Hello all. I have been lurking on this board for a bit and have found it very informative. My question is if Lisa in Chico is great with prices on extended warranties, has anyone used her to buy a new MB?

kenyee

Guess you haven't been here for a while. Last word is MY2004 now :-P
EMail mbusa.com if you want to complain. It's supposedly designed already.

rainers

Has anyone installed the Glovebox CD changer yet.
I bought one and want to know how it was done.

bwatl

Haven't heard back from the dealer yet, but did check out the plugs website. While I'm still aiming for the "correct" fix, the site does raise a good question about why the great engineering minds at MB couldn't design a better system to mount the front bracket other than drilling a hole into the bumper! Is this true for other MB models today or in the past?

big_ray

Thank you for your comments. Hopefully, the MB folks live up to their reputation (why I believe we all bought MB's in the first place starts with German engineering) and get the new model year problems fixed in subsequent versions (starting with 2002).

Hey, I heard that Brazil has a large population of Germans...maybe they are all working at the MB plant? I am hopelessly optimistic....no offers to sell me swampland or bridges will be accepted...

Regards,
Ray

big_ray

Folks,
Is there anyplace that known problems and suggested fixes exist on the C320/C240? I am sure MB keeps a list of known defects and customer service requests in order to track the most commonly recurring problems but I am not sure if anything is generally available to the public.
Thanks,
Ray

mleskovar

There were several posts some time (?) back that gave a site location for the W203 engineering bulletins.

lxgmb

I got a new C320 in May. I notice that on the fuel tank's cover, it suggests that the pressure for the front tires be 29, and the rear be 32. My current 4 tires' pressure are all around 29. So I want to make sure before I pump air in them. Anybody has any comments? And, the tires with 29, look like flat, is that normal?

nanky

>>><<<Experienced the knocking sound that other people here have had and took it to the dealer. They installed a new bracket for the Purge Valve Line to eliminate the pulsations felt through the body of the car.

A few weeks ago, my dealer placed a special order for what's supposed to be a recently released redesigned fuel vapor purge valve to address the knocking sound. Received a call yesterday stating the part is in. I am having it installed next Tuesday and will let those with similar problems know if it works. I have lived patiently with this noise ever since I took delivery of the car. Previous attempts by the dealer to insulate the unit proved unsuccessful so, I am hoping they are correct about the redesigned valve and didn't just place an order for a new "old" part. They tell me it has a different part number. Hopefully, this adds some credence to their claim.

weberamg

I know this topic has been discussed in detail a month or so ago and I spent a few hours reading the old posts. I'm ordering my car tomorrow and I was wondering if anybody has any new information.

The sales person said his understanding is that the Brazil factory will assembly C coupes only.

Has anybody heard that or something different?

Thanks,
John W.

paul_p

Lisa Lehrbaum of Courtesy Motors can be reached at 800-655-3535.

mbnut1

It is my recollection that the poster who had a car made in Brazil had a sedan, not a coupe.

jrct9454

Yeah, my impression is exactly the opposite from the assertion of the salesman: only sedans are being made in Brazil - these are from knock-down kits, which means the major subsystems are assembled in Germany, and then shipped to Brazil for final assembly. All of the Coupes I've seen are coming from Sindelfingen.

Tire pressures: the recommendation for the elevated pressure for the rear tires is to make sure you can handle a relatively full load [pax in back seat and full luggage] without having to adjust pressures. If you don't carry people in the back seat often, a good compromise is 30 psi all around. And all radial tires, especially lower profile designs as have become standard recently, will appear saggy from certain angles - another reason to get a good tire gauge AND USE IT regularly.

lxgmb

w2p2

I had taken my car in last week for the 10,000 mile check up and a ignition problem. This was my 2nd oil change.
The first time I had the oil change (at 3000 miles),they put too much in and the sensor went off. I almost had a wreck looking at the dash to see what all the commotion was about.
Today 30 miles from the dealership it went off again. I can only assume once the oil heated up and expanded setting the sensor off.
I had also had problems with the car not starting, that was the main reason my taking the car in. It would take forever for the ignition to catch in the mornings going to work and in the afternoons leaving from work.
The Service Rep. said the problem was the KEY. MB is having major problem with the keys. He said what was a good new innovative idea was turning into a nightmare. They have ordered me new keys. This is the second set I have had since I bought the car in Feb. It seems that the chip inside the key is not reacting with the car as it should. When I first bought my car, the salesman said they had been told that too many keys on the key chain would misalign the key in the ignition and cause problems. I only have my house key and mail box key on my key ring. MB is trying to solve this key problem.

If you are losing memory or the car won't start the first time, its probably the key. My mirrors would move just enough that I would have to readjust them weekly.

All in all I still love my car. I had a loaner car while they kept my car. No exaggeration I could tell a difference as soon as I was driving my baby home.

mbman1

Could you please clarify something for me. I drive a 2000 E320 while my sister drives a 1998 C230. Both are equiped with electronic keys which work fine. Aside from a newly designed key (smaller) and increased features are there any other differences? What I'm getting at is that the keys have worked fine in the past, what about the actual electronics of the keys have changed thus making them less reliable? The whole thing seems very strange to me.

paul_p

Yes, I am also curious about people's new keys, and why mine seem to work fine. I have a 2000 C230 and have not had one problem - car always starts. Just have to remember to point the key at the door infrared sensors when openeing the trunk, as sometimes it will not open via the radio signal. Pointing at the door works every time though.

michhala

>another reason to get a good tire gauge AND USE >IT regularly.

Any recommendations for a good tire gauge? This is a new area for me and I am a bit tentative. My service people will show me how to use.

Miki

404c

I am partial to the dial-type gauges, with an indicator needle in a round clock-like face.

The more common "sliding rod" gauges are a lot cheaper, but also more prone to wear. Plus dirt can collect on the sliding portion, affecting the accuracy of the pressure readings.

The gauge I have had for about 20 years was made by MotoMeter of Germany. It was not dirt-cheap, but it's been very faithful all these years.

I don't know if MotoMeter is still around, but anything German-made would likely be reliable ;-)

Mike

michhala

>I am partial to the dial-type gauges, with an >indicator needle in a round clock-like face.

>I don't know if MotoMeter is still around, but >anything German-made would likely be reliable ;-)

And then there is the "real" world.......LOL.

Thank you, Mike, for the info. It seems that a BMW company in Palo Alto carries MotoMeter and I contacted them, but methinks it is for a BMW motorcycle. (I don't do motorcycles Tire Rack carries an Accutire Deluxe Digital tire pressure gauge at $24.99, and other models at less.

Miki

jrct9454

The recommendations on the table are the right ones, but let me add another consideration: I look for a dial gauge that has a flexible hose attached to the puck. The fixed puck design that many have almost guarantees that you'll wind up inadvertently bleeding some air if you don't get the angle just right when applying the puck to the tire valve. Unfortunately, I note that the dial gauges I have [with about a foot of flexible hose] are pretty rare birds to find. Try Griot's Garage online, or do a Google search for tire gauges online and see what you find.

Anyway, I agree that the stick-style gauge qualifies as better-than-nothing, but they are notoriously inaccurate, and also have a tendency to bleed air accidentally unless you come at the valve exactly right every time.

And don't depend on your friendly dealer to get it right every time, either...my experience suggests this is naive...their "equipment" in this case can be inferior to your own.

diwc240

Had a nice chat with Lisa yesterday. One point: she mentioned the extended warranty price will be increasing in October approx. $100 to $300.
Had the Sunroof Control Module replaced Wed. morning, a half hour job. Tilt open would work but it would not close. Had to press slide back and then jog the slide fwd to close. Works fine now.
Test drove the C230 automatic and was very pleased with it. Hoping to test drive the Coupe in a 6 speed this weekend. I see djasonw just purchased a C 230 coupe and is impressed with it.
Noticed alot of the C320 wagons, C230 Coupes and C 240/320s are being delivered with Michelin MXV4s.

w2p2

You guessed it. my car wouldn't start this morning right away. I had to try for 2 or 3 min. before it cranked. Here I go again..............................

mbman1

Somthing's not right here. As I understand it this is your second set of keys and your still having the same problem?! After the first try, do you try a different key? If you do, then the problem is not the key. Have the techs replace the whole starter system. If the problem persists after that than there is another problem. If the service department persists that this is the problem then start looking into your states lemon laws, in CA after 3 attempts at a fix the car can be deemed as a lemon. I have a feeling the service department is not taking the time to replicate the problem and come to a proper diagnosis. Good luck.

w2p2

I will ask them to replace the starter system. I have tried all the keys with the same results.
Man I hate this. My biggest anxiety is to get stranded somewhere.