Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sedans

tblountman · February 2001

We have re-synced until we're blue in the face. I just spoke to the service manager a couple of minutes ago and he said they have a bulletin on this and they are working on a software "fix". I told them I would put up with it through the weekend but after that I wanted a loaner.

rainers · February 2001

I own a C240 with the standard radio configuration. I have tried to set the tone level as described on page 174 of the handbook but I have no "EXT" key after going into the AUD menu. Has anyone else noticed this?

mga3 · February 2001

Fedssocr,
Definitely write a letter. GM's do want to know what's going on, so they can correct problems they are usually not aware of. I guarantee, if you voice your displeasure with them, you will be treated like a King when you come back for servicing or any other needs.

Also,let Mercedes know what happened. As they keep a sharp watch over dealerships, to make sure they are following guidelines in customer relations, support and servicing. And,they have been known to yank dealerships from folks who misrepresent their product.

fedssocr · February 2001

Thanks for the input. Has anyone actually applied and gotten a draft from People First? I wonder who the lender/lienholder is on their drafts. In Eloan's case it's Bank of America, so obviously they've got the money. If I had gone to my local BoA branch and arranged a loan from them, certainly they would also require these documents the same way Elaon did. I can't be the first person to buy a car with my own financing arranged.

The kicker is that when I got home there was a letter from my salesman in the mail. It's about the survey and it's extremely insulting. "If for any reason you cannot answer "Completely Satisfied" to any of the questions, please call me immediately and let me know what I can do to correct the problem. I am enclosing a sample questionnaire with the appropriate answers highlighted for your convenience." THE APPROPRIATE ANSWERS! For my CONVENIENCE! Gag! How patronizing is that? How insulting to my intelligence is that?

I think I will stop by the dealership tomorrow and have a little talk with him. I'll talk about how his failure to communicate has caused me frustration. And I will indicate to him how insulted I am by this letter. He already stressed all of this when I picked up the car. Did he think I would forget? The way they're telling me what to say and do really makes me mad.

mga3 · February 2001

How many miles is the break in period?
Growing up, one always heard five hundred miles,before you can open her up. Ofcourse, now with the new engines being so efficient and smooth. I wonder if that rule still applies? Especially to a high-end car like a Mercedes.

drew_ · February 2001

It's 1500kms or 1000 miles, I think. I've heard of MB engineers absolutely trashing the engines right from the start with no ill effects, but I wouldn't want to try that myself! :-)

Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket and Accessories message boards

mhsiung_00 · February 2001

Hi,

I bought a C320 in Nov last year. The power steering stoped working suddently last week. According to my service advicer, a pump needs to be replaced. Also I have them fix the tele-aid malfunction problem.

It's been 6 days since the dealership took my car in for service and their excuse is the tele-aid problem is hard to fix. My question is are those common problems to C320? Is it normal to take a week to fix those problems?

Thanks,
Michelle

mga3 · February 2001

I stopped by the "Factory Owned" (as the Mercedes salesmen like to call it) dealership here in Mahattan on 41st and Eleventh Avenue,and,asked about reports that Mercedes is planning to stop that feature. He said that is not true. All new cars have that feature and will continue to have that feature. He then went on, and confirmed, that earlier cars from the first run donot have that feature. We all know what VIN# that starts with.

Apparently,according to him, Mercedes had a problem with the satellite network involving Motorola. Have since corrected the problem,but only applies to newer cars. He did not mention if their will be any correction to earlier cars.

leeyx · February 2001

Does anyone know if I can put an after market CD player to 2001 C240?

I cannot justify the charge that the dealers are charging for a CD changer (950 dollars in Oakland CA)plus I want to put in an indash CD not a changer. The dealer is telling me that there is no way I can put in an after market CD player since the system is all wired in a fiber optical wires, etc.

Did anyone tried putting one in?

dennett · February 2001

Have you guys seen the post in the E-class forum of the new E? Man if that's what it'll really look like we'd better start putting down deposits, if you haven't seen it go check it out, I think it's post 969

CD changers, I haven't done this, but I'd imagine you could put one of those cheap, $150, FM modulator changers in the trunk. They're operated by remote and apparently broadcast an FM signal to your radio. Anybody know more about this?

nyca · February 2001

No way, nobody makes aftermarket radio stuff for this car. They've got you over a barrel with this fiber optic stuff. I wonder if the spec has been released by MB? If it has been, maybe someday there is a chance for Blaupunkt to clone it. A car like this should have a head unit with a single CD player in it, hell a $17K Accord does.

diwc240 · February 2001

Arrived at Millennium MB, N.J. at 5:30 PM and drove away with my New C 240 at about 8:30 PM after activating Tele Aid with a person in Dallas.

I am in a "state of shock"....

Breezeway Delivery:

Charcoal Interior:

Glacier White:

What a Day !!!

See you at Friday Freeway !!! Ian

dennett · February 2001

Your car looks awesome!! I really do like the desert silver!!! I can't wait to hear all about it tomorrow at Friday Freeway!! Enjoy!

sleake · February 2001

Congratulations, and I really enjoyed the photos. (The Glacier white, minus the license
plate holder, is what mine looks like.) Enjoy!
Sherrill

sleake · February 2001

My radio has the "EXT" so I don't know what to tell you. Maybe someone else can answer the question you posed in #1252

bubba3007 · February 2001

My radio does not have the "EXT" and the "service dept. guy" at the dealership said that it wasn't on all radios!!! I'd like to know why, but wont loose any sleep over it.

Bubba

lperakis · February 2001

MB USA sends out a questionnaire about 2 weeks after the purchase of a car. [Please note that the dealer may send out its own, as well, but the questionnaire from MB USA is important.] It asks what you thought of the dealership, the salesman, the finance manager, the condition of the car upon delivery, what you like and dislike about the car and several other questions. Your salesman's commission on your car is linked DIRECTLY to your responses on this questionnaire. If it was a good experience and you respond 'excellent', then he or she will get the full commission. But if the responses are not 'excellent' especially in the area of the sales experience, then the commission amount declines. MB USA takes your responses very, very seriously and the dealerships know this. My recommendation to you is to be honest, fair and factual in your responses.

lxgmb · February 2001

What fees do we have to pay in NJ? And how much are they?

Plate fee, document fee, advertisement fee, etc?
Thank you.

elmb · February 2001

Congratulations!!! The color is awesome. Good Luck!

maab · February 2001

I bought a MB StarTAC phone, and it came with an thin (~3in) antenna for the truck. I've seen MLs on the road with ~2in antenna with a square base(?). Is square-base-antenna for NAV system?

maab · February 2001

Sorry, wrong forum. A thousand pardons.

drew_ · February 2001

Have been busy. Will finally be able to post more in this topic tonight and this weekend. The Friday's Freeways is starting in under an hour's time. Hope to see you there!

http://www.edmunds.com/chat/freewaychat.htm

Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket and Accessories message boards

drew_ · February 2001

OOps, I just realised that I left out the "l". Here it is again: http://www.edmunds.com/chat/freewaychat.html

Chat starts at 5pm Pacific, for those of you who are newbies. I'm sure Ian (diwc240) and Bill (dennett) will show up :-)

diwc240 · February 2001

Edgar, thanks! Are you in Jersey or Chicago ?
If N.J. think we will organize a MB C Rallye get together in June / July, Liberty State Park.
Ian

dennett · February 2001

Was awesome as usual, if you haven't checked it out you've got to come by next Friday! Ian is so excited about his new car, and he should be right?!!! I'm sure he'll have a huge smiled glued on all weekend as he's cruising around NJ! We're planning on doing some serious cruising in the C this holiday weekend as well!

wagner3 · February 2001

Love the C240( sport 6MT) BUT have had the trunk that opened every time the turn signal was activiated (fixed with a new rear computer box) and now an "internal failure" of the power steering pump.. The original replacement is back ordered for a few weeks (is that a message), and a temporary non conforming replacement has been inserted that sounds as if a jet is about to take off. At least the vehicle is driveable with all of its 2600 miles on the odometer. Also had the teleaid malefunction which was corrected.. Isn't beta testing fun...

mschoon · February 2001

Picked up the new C320 tonight, Bril. Silver with charcoal leather. Car drives fabulous and looks great. Only problem was that there is a thin stress crack in the windshield, center of passenger side at bottom. I certainly would not have seen it but sales rep pointed it out and already had the replacement windshield on order. Said that 3 new C's that had come in this week all had this crack. Thought I heard a slight brake squeak on the way home so will have to check that out as well.

Even with this, no regrets on the purchase.

jonorato · February 2001

...two weeks. How long has it been, on average, between build and delivery? Just curious...ordered 11-10, so getting anxious.

I won't take delivery at night, either. I want to go over the finish during the day.

C240, C1-4, K2, Bose, Brilliant Silver met/Ash. Should look awesome.

At this stage I'm just PRAYING they have all these glitches out by March 1. I again thank those out here who have posted their problems and joys, as I will be ready to do a close inspection upon delivery.

nyca · February 2001

Let me get this straight, the dealer admitted to you that 3 new Cs had come in with cracked windshields and they deliviered the car to you in that condition anyway? Aren't these cars inspected at the port. Sounds like something that happened to these cars either at that particular dealer, or in transit to him. I don't see any other posts about people reporting that they picked up their cars with cracked windshields, like they do with trunk problems, etc. I'm starting to feel glad I'm waiting until 2002 to buy mine.

rainers · February 2001

I had my C240 in the shop today for the squealing Brakes. They said the chemically cleaned the rotors. It has stopped for now. Wish me luck.

The EXT button on the radio is also not on the showroom C240. Can people let me know if they have it on their C240 with regular radio. This can be referenced on page 174 of your handbook.

lperakis · February 2001

I wish to remove the ugly, yellow airbag warning labels posted inside my C320. Any suggestions on the best way to remove them without damaging the interior?
Before the 'advocates' in the forum start screaming, my kids are in their 20s and I don't transport any babies (unless you count BMW owners in this catagory <:) ).
Thanks!

mschoon · February 2001

I could see how this could have been missed at port inspection. It is a hairline crack about 6 inches long, down at the base so it is out of your line of sight. The crack is internal in the glass so running your hand or cloth over it does not detect it.

All that said, I might agree that it could have been crappy transportation to Chicago, but the odd thing is that the cracks were all roughly in the same area.

Anyway, time to go order some zaino.

fedssocr · February 2001

The airbag labels should just peel right off. My salesman actually removed some of them. I pulled one off of the back of the driver's side visor. I left the ones on the front of the visors in place for now.

I sent my letter off to the dealership's GM today. It was 2.5 pages long! I included pretty much all of my dealings with them good and bad in chronological order. I also sent a copy of it to MB USA along with a cover letter and a copy of the salesman's letter to me re: the survey.

bigbaddad · February 2001

I went and checked the radio in my car yesterday, a C240 w/ C2. I dont have the EXT button. I think this may be a case of the manual being poorly written. My manual does not mention EXT on p 174, but on 166. On p 166 it is refering to tone level settings such as "driver", "speech", "ambience". I am guessing this is a feature of, but see no refernece to, the BOSE system, which I do not have. With mine, when I press the AUD button, I can adjust the usual Bass, Trebel, Balance... It is nice that the Bass and Treble settings are stored seperately for CD/RADIO/TAPE (not that I use tapes).

drew_ · February 2001

Try using a hair dryer. The heat from the hair dryer should make the glue easier to work with.

drew_ · February 2001

Regarding the upcoming MB chat on Tuesday, March the 6th, I was given the incorrect time. It's not 5-6pm Pacific, but 4-5pm Pacific. How does this work out for everyone? The reason for the earlier time is that we have another chat at 5-6pm, and this will clash with it.

drew_ · February 2001

Hi Gary,

For legal reasons, it is highly unlikely that MB will disable the front passenger airbag for you. Why worry though? Unless your wife is sitting only about 11 inches or under from the passenger airbag, this is really not a problem. It's only if she is sitting really close to the driver's airbag (under 11 inches) that it could be cause for some concern. Also remember that the C-class has dual stage/dual threshold airbags. At lower speed impacts, they may not deploy at all, or at a reduced level.

WRT how the MB Babysmart child seats work, there is a transponder inside the child seat. When it is placed within a certain proximity of the centre console, passenger seat, the sensors detect this and hence disables the airbag (a warning light "Airbag off" will be illuminated to show you this). Note that only the front passenger airbag is disabled, not the side airbag. Side airbags are not a problem for child seats.

Hope this helps!

Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket and Accessories message boards

pk6 · February 2001

Drew... all us Pacific and Mountain timers are either at work or trying to get home.

nil88 · February 2001

this is for current c240 owners. one think i forgot to do during my test drive was to test passing speed. does the car have enough pickup speed for passing when going 70 mph.

diwc240 · February 2001

I am awestruck by this automobile!! but I'm coming from Mazdas and a Subaru Outback.

I upgraded the stereo to Bose AudioPilot and I have the EXT button after pressing AUD. Factory delivery had whatever mode "OFF" at EXT. I pressed it and it displayed "AMBIENTE" and the stereo changed to a phenomenal Concert Hall / Surround Sound, absolutely amazing !!!

Squealing Brakes - just a little when they are cold and only when I apply the brakes lightly.
No noise if I apply firm brake pressure.

Stickers just peeled off, no residue.

6MT is incredibly SMOOTH ! The clutch is so easy to press (vs. the Outback very hard). Stick shift is a Dream - I love it. Only revved to 4500 - 5000 RPM so far.

First chance to read thru the Manual tonight.

I am impressed to the Max.!! Dealer (Ed Carlock at Millennium was EXCELLENT) and the rest of the Staff also, financing, reception, other salespeople - just a real pleasure, I cannot say enough...

Ordered Nov. 8th,
Built Jan. 19th (2nd decade of Jan.)
Shipped Jan. 25th
Arrive Baltimore Feb. 7th
Took Delivery Feb. 15th

Can't wait till tomorrow !!! Ian

pk6 · February 2001

I haven't seen anyone posting yet about how great the braking is in these cars. That was the clincher that sold me on my 99 and I will assume the 2001 is on par. My test drive back then included gravel and paved roads, the salesman insisted I slam them on from about 30 mph to see how well the car stopped on both and it does very smoothly and stable.

dennett · February 2001

Glad to hear you're loving the car! Has the weather been cooperating? I finally made it to the SD autoshow, no C32. In fact the idiot MB reps there claimed to know nothing of the car and insisted I'd heard wrong, it's the C43, I told them that's the old C and long gone, they seemed a bit skeptical. Can you believe that? MB ought to hire some of us to rep all the local shows!! They did have an S55, man what a car, but the thing had designio eggshell interior, it was kind of a light yellow! And the seats were filthy from everybody sitting in the car! The Cs were very popular as was a CLK430 Cab. The Benz area was packed! Keep us (me) posted on how the car's doing!!

nyca · February 2001

Well, if the numbers are true:

http://www.edmunds.com/roadtests/roadtest/2001/mercedesbenz/c320/44348/page004.html

it's one of the best cars in the world for 60-0 braking. This test car had the sport package, so I would guess the normal car has a bit longer distance. But in any case, even in the low 120s, this is stellar performance. I'd be interested to see posts from owners who have driven sports cars, and know what it means to have a car that stops 60-0 in the 110ft range, and could compare that to their new C. This is one of the major reasons I'd like to dump my B5 Passat for the C, the Passat brakes aren't that great.

elmb · February 2001

C rallye sounds like a great idea. I'm from Manalapan and work in NYC.
I wish the C320 came in w/ MT. Would the C32 have one?
Has anybody seen a C with Mud Flaps? How do they look? It rained Friday and it just makes such a mess on white finish

I love the rain sensor feature.

tsm123 · February 2001

I have a 2001 C240. With one exception I love the car & I'm about to go for a long drive this sunny Sunday afternoon here in Texas and enjoy the day and the car. But first, a quick gripe.
Got a letter from MB yesterday. On the envelope it said "Important Information concerning your Mercedes-Benz Tele Aid system." Since I'm one of the lucky owners of a pre 59000 VIN model, I thought at long last here's notification/admission of the problem from MB, & maybe even an offer of a solution. Instead, it was telling me that expriation date on my credit card on file was about to expire and to contact them right away to update! Thought that was adding insult to injury, so I took advantage of this opportunity to call the number and inquire re: the tele aid remote unlocking problem.

Was transferred to Carol at the Client Assistance center (& I use the term loosely) who said yes there is a problem on early C classes and even SL models as well, it's a hardware not a software problem, and the engineers were "looking into" it but she couldn't promise they would have a fix, and they might never have a fix. I explained that it seems to me that whatever solution they came up with for later models needed to be retrofitted; however the problem was solved now needs to be applied to earlier models. She waffled in her response saying that if I wanted to call back during the week and speak with a technician I could as she wasn't familiar with all the "technical stuff involved." I'll do that, but doubt I'll get any satisfactory answers. She did admit that she herself was an owner of an early VIN model C240 and that my dealer should have notified me of this problem. Have any of the rest of you been notified by anyone? I haven't. I've gotten all my info from this board--and I'm thankful for it.

In the absence of any info from MB, I'm forced to speculate--& MB invites this speculation by their silence--that most likely the cost to retrofit the fix is prohibitive so they're hoping this problem will just go away and be forgotten. And that annoys me. I know the world won't have much sympathy for a new Mercedes owner whining about some high-tech feature that doesn't work & won't be used that often. To me, that isn't the point--or the principle. The point is they advertised it, I bought it, and I ain't got it.

What if it were the abs that didn't work? One might counter--well, you still have all the other features and regular braking. True, but it wouldn't be a braking system that's as technologically advanced. And that's why I bought this manufacturer's model. Another quick example. What if one of the rear windows didn't work on all of your cars? Would you use it all the time? No. Would you be annoyed it didn't work when you wanted it to? I bet the answer is yes.

And finally, for those of you still with me on this long diatribe. . . if Mercedes can do this to us, a relatively small set of customers, the unfortunate beta-testers of this car, what happens the next time? What if down the road we find out there's some other problem that affects all 2001 C class cars but doesn't appear until a certain amount of time/mileage has passed? Do you think it's possible Mercedes will once again adopt a corporate policy of stonewalling, not communicating, recognizing, or admitting a problem, owning up to it and solving it to everyone's satisfaction? They will if we all--and that's *all* of us--don't communicate our dissatisfaction to Mercedes at every opportunity available to us--surveys, letters, phone calls, one-on-one interactions, whatever. Even if you're not affected by this problem, you should be sorely troubled by Mercedes lack of response to it and constantly communicate that dissatisfaction to them.

As for me, I'm going to the Autoweek site to email them. . . hopefully in their upcoming report on the C320 they'll report this problem--and other media will pick up on it as well. Perhaps the threat of bad publicity will prompt some action. . . though it didn't do much to prompt Ford or Firestone to be proactive in that recent debacle, did it? You might say that's an extreme analogy. I'd say only in degree, not principle.

dennett · February 2001

I've called MB twice about the issue, and I've also recently e-mailed them. Each time I've told them that this feature was one of the reasons I chose the Benz over the BMW and Lexus offerings. We'll see what happens, I sure won't renew the tel-aide without this feature working! There must be about 59000 of us with this problem, and like you said, we wouldn't know of it if it weren't for sites like this, I've never heard a word of it from my dealer but I will be talking to them about it because they're the ones that first told me of the feature! We need to keep the pressure on MB about this, otherwise they probably will just blow us off.

Everytime you see or talk to another C owner tell them about it and tell them to call/write/e-mail MB and to talk to their dealers about it!

louie57 · February 2001

I own a C240 and noticed yesterday when driving perfectly straight down the road, the steering wheel is not perfectly centered. In other words, to use a clock analogy, the steering is at 11:55 as oppesed to 12. If I turn it to 12, the car no longer is steering straight but turns slightly to the right. My question is whether there is a problem here...should it line up at 12 noon. I propose to bring this to the dealer's attention, but wanted to make sure the question was not dismissed. Would this be related to the alignment?

lxgmb · February 2001

Louie,

I remember a guy posted the same problem as you several days ago and got it fixed at the dealership. Instead of 11:55, his is 12:10.
Both of you are C240.

Good luck.

dennett · February 2001

Your dealer will get it properly aligned. Is your car one of the early Cs? Vin less than ...059000?
If so talk to your dealer about the remote unlock feature not working on your car. If you have a newer one, ask them about it anyways, if you just ask about it, it'll make the service guys realize that owners are concerned and want this feature in their cars! Thanks!!

drew_ · February 2001

Sounds like your steering wheel needs to be centered. The alignment is not necessarily out of spec.

Best of luck!

Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket and Accessories message boards

Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sedans

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles