Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sedans

zmeenow · March 2001

dennet..please if you could give a detailed accounting as to how the bulb installation goes for you? listening to your experience will determine 1)if i buy the bulbs and 2) if i install them myself.
mikki..i too enjoy the elegance of a black car.. the plus of a color like obsidian.. is the surprise of the depth of the color up close and personal! but at a casual glance.. it just comes across as a"black beauty"

raylaubu · March 2001

Do you know what differences 2002 C240 will have?
Is the msrp going to be the same?
When will the first patch of 2002 C240 arrive in the US east coast? Early July?

Thank you for all the info

mb_a_must · March 2001

Thanks for the great info on the 2002 stuff. I would also be interested in finding out a bit more, especially on the c and e class. Isn't the e class going to be redesigned for 2002?
Thanks again for posting to the group!

greg@thedailydonut.com

sargent4 · March 2001

Hi, I picked up my C320 Tuesday and within hours the key did not work - I posted this. The programming was not something I wanted to do. Well, today, I got a fixed key. Prestige, NJ service manager sait 35 new keys have come in for the entire country and they got 2. I guess since I just got the car and kept saying how nothing ever went wrong with my last 2 Lexus GS300(also threw in my Acura) they gave me the new key. Must say the people at Prestige are top notch plus I LOVE driving this car.

zmeenow · March 2001

..is back on da road!..prestige in paramus took care of several minor problms.squeaky seat.. intermittant express sunroof(needed to be "resynched").and a cracked piece of plastic on the door lock mechanism. all at no charge.. handshakes all around.. personal and friendly service... the service"greeter" even cameback one last time to dry my windows which had some water droplets on them from being washed.... nice dealer so far as im concerned!

mbnut1 · March 2001

How does driving the C320 compare with your former GS300? I'm assuming your last one was a '98 or newer. Also did you ever experience a vibration problems with it?

drew_ · March 2001

Friday Freeways chat is on now! (5-6pm Pacific/8-9pm Eastern). Hope to see you there!

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

dennett · March 2001

Gary, you've got to do it yourself! If I were to do it again, I could do both sides in less than 2 minutes! The instructions are in your manual, the only problem I had was undoing the little metal clips that hold the bulb in place. It was really hard to see and I was very afraid I'd break something. Just push it in and then towards the passenger side for both headlights, they're the same, not mirror images of each other. I did wear surgical gloves and I did clean the bulbs with alcohol first. I installed the passenger side first, Drew recommended this as there is a little more room, and then went for a drive. It's not a huge difference but it is definitely noticable. It is much more crisp at the edges and it's more xenon like, maybe wishful thinking!, in front and for the first 25-30 degrees from center. At the more periferral edges it is nothing like xenons. When I got home it took about 3-4 minutes to install the driver's side. The first bulb took me about 10 minutes. All in all, I'd say they are definitely worth the $32 bucks and I really felt like an MB technician while installing them! LOL!! If anybody in the San Diego area needs help or even wants me to install theirs I'd be happy to do so, seriously!

Ian, have you gotten yours yet? Installed them? If so what do you think? Sorry I missed Friday Freeway! I thought about you guys! Who won? Not harryO again!!! LOL

tomsky3 · March 2001

I'm sorry to hear that someone did that to your new car. Won't insurance cover the vandalism damage (up to a deductible) under your comprehensive policy?

Jack

lperakis · March 2001

Is anyone else experiencing this? It is a repeatable issue: CD playing a song...I apply the breaks and come to a complete stop...the sound get MUCH lower...then I accellerate...the sound gets louder...

Any suggestions?

zmeenow · March 2001

sorry to hear of the vandalism.... i doubt tha touchup paint will be good... will be very noticable.. i thik best to allow your mb dealer to hande it... better match of paint..hopefully your insurance will cover a good part of the cost.

scottie10 · March 2001

Matt - Sorry to hear that your car got scratched, but to wish death upon the person who did it??? It's a just a car - put it into perspective.

djasonw · March 2001

I am NOT a psychologist but I took some classes in college. There are TWO reasons someone will key a car. Anger and jealousy. The individual could have been angry because of the way you parked (not squarely in your assigned spot, taking two spots, parking too closely to their car). The person might have been simply jealous that he couldn't afford such a nice car. I have never had the misfortune of being keyed but I have had people open their doors inconsiderately and cause a scratch etc. Another reason could be because you accidentally cut off the person and they saw where you parked. I find that I like to keep myself BELOW the radar. I NEVER park AWAY from cars in a parking lot. That tells the potential "keyer" that you are protectful of your car and he wants to prove the fact that he can still ruin your car. I will look for a spot and go front in (the back of the car is somewhat generic regardless of what other people may say). If you can, try to park in a private garage when going to a metropolitan area. I know the guys that park your car can be inconsiderate, but most of the time it's safer. Other than that, I don't know what else to say. I feel your pain.

About two month ago I was at a busy shopping mall and some [non-permissible content removed] parked his E300 Wagon squarley in FOUR parking spots. I wrote a nasty note and left it on his windshield. NOW those are the idiots that I have NO sympathy for.

zmeenow · March 2001

random acts of violence.. sadly have become a common place occurance these days... i wouldnt want to speculate as to whether it was road rage(inexcusable)jealouy... or whatever..
ive seen old ugly cars wih key scratches..
just no figuring..
lets all hope we can enjoy the things,and the people we love... with no random violence against us.

lepin · March 2001

I still can't believe it!
Last night when I was waiting to turn left, a Ford Expedition hit my C320 from behind!!! When I went out to check my car, she didn't go out to check her car and didn't say a word to me. Fortunately, my car is fine. Just a little scratch on the bumper. So I let her go. I will check my car again today

kenyee · March 2001

lepin:
You should have gotten the person's insurance info in case there is damage you can't see. That happened to me on an old car. The bumper one-use "shocks" were used and needed replacing.

xtc707:
My condolences. It happens to all cars...even my 1988 Integra when it was a year old. People just don't understand responsibility and respect any more. They only understand "it's ok as long as I don't get caught" (worked into an art form by a former president :-)
If it went through the primer, you'll have to get a body shop to fix it...

ctic · March 2001

lepin: Regardless of whether you see visual damage you should always try and get the other's insurance information. Like kenyee said, you might have sustained unseen damage or develop neck pain or headaches later. That the woman didn't say anything is strange. Maybe she was carjacked with the carjacker behind her and she bumped your car to try and send a message.

xtc707: As far as I'm concerned, there is no fire hot enough in hell for vandals like that. scottie10 has obviously never experienced anything like that to his car. Do you know if you did anything to provoke this?

pat · March 2001

Folks, I've had to remove several posts because they were in violation of the TOU's prohibition against profanity. Please keep in mind that you agreed to post no profanity when you joined Town Hall. See the link to the TOU on the left sidebar.

Also keep in mind that substituting symbols for letters in what is obviously a profane term is not acceptable either.

Thanks.

Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards

lperakis · March 2001

spndx · March 2001

I had a letter from MB waiting for me when I returned home from a week-long trip last night. Seems that the boat carrying my car is due into Baltimore next Tuesday the 3rd. They even told me the name of the ship (the 'Abata'). Pretty amazing considering that I dropped it off in Munich on the 19th. I'm hoping the fact that I'm only one hour away from the port will expedite things (probably 2 more weeks). It sure will be nice to have the car that matches the key in my desk drawer...

dennett · March 2001

What in the world did I say that wasn't clean and civil? A guy's car gets keyed, I voice a little support for him and gave him some advice and then get deleted? Whatever, I think anybody here will say that I've never been anything but clean and supportive. I'll take a break for a while,I'm out of here, you can have it Leon! Peace everyone!!

spndx · March 2001

anthonyv1 - I just noticed your post from last week with the question/comment about European Delivery. I've been out of town and have just gotten around to reading some of the older posts.

European Delivery is definitely worth it if you can take the time. The two free nights of hotel are worth around $600. Definitely 5-star accomodations. The Schlosshotel Buhlerhohe was my favorite, a castle overlooking Baden-Baden. The only trouble was finding the gosh-darned (civil enough?;>) place after 32 hours of no sleep and trying to learn the new car.

You also get a voucher worth DM 100 for lunch/dinner in the MB executive dining room, as well as a taxi transfer to the Delivery Center from the Stuttgart airport or train station. They even have small hotel rooms available on site if you want to nap after your trip. They really treat you in a first class manner. The $700 I saved on the inland freight pretty much paid for my one week of on-the-ground expenses (March was pretty cheap, hotel-wise). My guess is that MB gives this free stuff because they avoid the export duties on 'used' cars.

The delivery center is definitely an experience. There's about 40 cars parked in a huge, glass-walled garage about the size of a large high school gymnasium, carpeted and spotless (of course), with a new car coming in about every minute or so. Ya' gotta' see it to believe it. Taking the factory tour while they prep your car builds the anticipation up to almost the breaking point!

Bottom line: all things considered, you're not going to 'save' any real money, but you will get a once-in-a-lifetime experience very cheap.

Also, to all those considering it, note a couple of things:

1. The financing must be complete 4 weeks before you go to Sindelfingen.
2. Leasing is a practical impossibility because you don't get your VIN until you actually pick up the car (FYI, mine is #81,154). My credit union was very accomodating when financing, however. My dealer told me he's had one leased vehicle in the 200 European deliveries he's handled.

Finally, note my earlier post: I just received a letter saying that my car will be in Baltimore on Tuesday. I'm hoping that means I'll have my car about 4 weeks after I turned it over to MB's freight forwarder in Munich (2 weeks transit plus 2 weeks U.S. prep and delivery).

Two words: Do it!

w2p2 · March 2001

I know someone posted this before, but of course I forgot. I want to treat my leather seats every 3 months. I had read some reviews on which products are best, could someone direct me to that post or tell me which are best? My radio does the same thing so I think it must be a volume control like on a motorcycle.

rainers · March 2001

I agree with Dennett. Nothing was said or pointed to anyone one on this board that I found offensive. There was no profanity used. If we can not support ourselves as a group then why have one. This board has always remained clean and friendly not like the Mercedes newsgroup, which is a non-suportive group. I must also boycott this board for a while. Good Luck all

michhala · March 2001

My day began with attending a funeral of someone who was very special to me; and after just now signing on here, I feel as if I have attended another one. I am not sure what happened today on this forum other than someone was keyed and Dennett wrote a supportive post that received an X.-rating and it was deleted. Am I correct so far? I think deleting a post from a regular contributor and supporter to this forum should be given very careful consideration and thought.

Who decides what is profanity? The word "[non-permissible content removed]" was used in a few posts ago -- where I come from that is very profane!

I have had a car keyed --both passenger front and back. My BMW was parked in the handicap zone in a department store parking area -- it had a handicap card and was carrying a handicapped passenger. It was also very shiny. My husband gave me this car just before he died, and I felt stunned when I saw what had been done to it. This, after all, was not an accident. Like many criminal acts of cowardice, keying a car is mean and malicious.

Miki

zmeenow · April 2001

we have several rather enthusiastic and exhubrent room members.. i really feel that a short discussion and "warning"..would be more appropriate in this adult forum..rather than outright deleting of a posting..after all no real profanity was used (in defferece to room rules)

sshowitt · April 2001

I too was deleted for trying to answer a contributor's question about information on saving money on the MB extended warranty on another Edmund's discussion. I had saved a substantial amount on my vehicle. Previously I have posted this with no repercussions.

jures · April 2001

had my 2 month old e class keyed on both rear quarter panels, found a great body shop that does mb's exclusively, they had car 10 days, the bottom line it came out perfect in all way. my insurance covered all but the 100 deductible. only problem is i have become increasingly perinoid on where i park my car,

pat · April 2001

I'll be happy to discuss this off-line with anyone who wants to talk about it.

For now, let me just explain that we have been given a list of unacceptable terms and instructed to delete posts that contain any of these terms whether the term is spelled out clearly, or whether it is "masked" with symbols, hyphens, whatever substituted for letters, yet leaving the intent of the unacceptable term clear.

Yes, this is a somewhat new development - it is an effort by Town Hall management to consistently apply the rules across all boards.

Now please, let's not continue this discussion here - email me, or if you'd rather, use the Online Support link on the left sidebar.

You folks are a good group of people and this is a fascinating and well-behaved conversation. I am sorry for the interruption.

Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards

mga3 · April 2001

I just recently had to move the car forward a short distance with my front passenger door open and my trunk open, to let a friend step around a huge puddle, and immediately the status display indicator showed me the car outline with right frnt door and trunk opened. With a warning text stating they were opened. So obviously, there is a sensor that activates when the car is in motion. I post this, because I remember someone earlier said the manual indicated this, but could not find it in the display.

Also,can anyone remember if the top center dashboard diffuser knob lights up at night? All the front dashboard vent controls light up. But I can't remember when I first took delivery of this 320 3 weeks ago if the top control lit up as well during my first night time driving experience. Because, it is definitely not lighting up now.
Would appreciate any replys. Thank you.

zmeenow · April 2001

which president?nixon? kennedy?reagan?clinton?(only god knows who else?!)...
THEY... are a reflection... of who WE.. the road rage warriors... the 4 parking spot hogs.. the key 'em when ya see 'em populace, are ....not the other way around..

zmeenow · April 2001

dont think it lights up..if i recollect... might not want it to... possibly nightime reflection on windshield.ya know?

mga3 · April 2001

That makes sense. Thanks for the quick reply.

michhala · April 2001

Speaking for myself, I am very grateful you were allowed to share your experience with warranties with this forum via private E-mail.

Miki

wabends · April 2001

Let me echo Miki's comment. One of the major benefits of this board is to share information. Sshowitt's information on extended warranties was very helpful to me after I bought my car and I am sure others have benefited from it too. Our MB sales person did not even mention the extended warranties to me when I purchased the car. However, through this board, I have saved money on getting the extended warranty. Thanks Steve.

xtc707 · April 2001

Well I guess i was so wrong to express my state of anger by using some profane languege that it deserves to be deleted. I never meant to offend any of the regurlar posters whom i always appreciate for their informative posts (Zmee, dennett, keynee etc^^)And thank you all for kind words on my unlucky incident. I always try to beleive that people are all good in nature and personally hate to curse anybody. Ok Scottie that i was wrong to curse someone to die because that person keyed my car. I don't know about you, but i personally consider my cars as part of my life and family. I still drive 92 Honda prelude which i got that year and still love it. And the car still looks like a brand new car. Wouldn't you be sad or hurtful if someone in your family was attacked by some random people? Someone also mentioned about insurance company do the job. Sure, they can do it for me. But the point is that I don't care how much it would cost to fix the car, I just HATE HATE the fact that 2 month old brand new car has to go through the repainting job. It hurts. Well, enough of me now.
Matt
2001 C320 Blk
Charcoal
xenon
c2,c3,c4

wabends · April 2001

Let me echo Miki's comment. One of the major benefits of this board is to share information. Sshowitt's information on extended warranties was very helpful to me after I bought my car and I am sure others have benefited from it too. Our MB sales person did not even mention the extended warranties to me when I purchased the car. However, through this board, I have saved money on getting the extended warranty. Thanks Steve.

xtc707 · April 2001

@ keyed my car by xtc707 Mar 30, 2001 (09:41 pm)

@ to die in a tragic accident or whatever... I am just so mad. I hope you understand my language. So I took it to the dealer and they quoted me $1000 estimate. I am asking some experts here any good way to bring my C to the original condition? I was wondering if i do touch-up paint on the area and then buff it. Will it work? I just don't like the idea of repainting the whole right side panel on a new car. I'll really appreciate your input. Thanks.
Matt

I'm very sorry to hear what happened to your car and I hope you can get it fixed to your satisfaction.

We appreciate you understanding our desire to ensure Town Hall is a pleasurable and enjoyable experience for all of our members. We value all of our Town Hall Community members, and appreciate your future adherence to the Terms of Use Agreement. Thank you for your participation and happy posting!

zmeenow · April 2001

personally.. i wasnt offended at all by your comments. your anger and frustration are entirely appropriate,,but i guess rules are rules!
hope that dennett pokes his head back in to offer more of his advice and comments!

michhala · April 2001

>hope that dennett pokes his head back in to >offer more of his advice and comments

me, too.

Miki

wabends · April 2001

Let me echo Miki's comment. One of the major benefits of this board is to share information. Sshowitt's information on extended warranties was very helpful to me after I bought my car and I am sure others have benefited from it too. Our MB sales person did not even mention the extended warranties to me when I purchased the car. However, through this board, I have saved money on getting the extended warranty. Thanks Steve.

michhala · April 2001

It would hurt me down to the bone to have my new car keyed and then have to repaint.

My current black w//charcoal 320 was delivered poorly detailed. As I have posted before but in the event you did not see the post, one of the defects was a "pimple" on the paint, which the dealer picked off. This left a hollow spot in the paint. It was only about 1/16" but in a spot I could see every time I entered the car. It made me "crazy". They told me it could be touched up; but after a color specialist looked at it, I was told it could not be touched up. They offered to paint the whole door, but the thought of having to paint a new car was offensive to me. In the end, I did not have it painted, but my previous black BMW had doors painted in its lifetime more times than I can remember. The paint always looked good, matched and seemed to age with the rest of the car. Perhaps, black repaints better than other colors.

I tried to tell myself a car was only an object and it was not worth being upset about. I tried to tell myself life was short and I had my health and my friends. Sorry to say, none of this worked.
Miki

diwc240 · April 2001

Matt, I missed the orginal posts but Dennett told me the mark is about six feet long. It really is unfortunate that there are people in this World that "still" do that sort of thing. It would be nice if a "stranger" witnessed the act and somehow might contact you. Since your Black C 320 is two months "young" I would go for a repaint of both doors (and right rear panel ?). I think the shops are very good at matching the color and doing an excellent job, just my opinion.
And you certainly have 110 % support from this Forum !!!

pat · April 2001

You know, I really do understand how upsetting it is to have a car keyed. It has happened to me.

But I guess I wish that we could find a way to express our anger within the terms of use. There is nothing wrong with calling the vandal a jerk, inconsiderate, selfish, despicable, disgusting, not fit to live freely in this world, or any other of a host of other terms that do not carry any implication of profanity.

As I posted previously profanity, or hidden profanity (i.e. characters or symbols in place of certain letters) is not allowed in accordance with your Terms of Use. Town Hall strives to be a family friendly site, a place into which your young children can stumble and not find "adult" sorts of terms that have nothing to do with discussing vehicles.

Can't we find a way to express ourselves without using or implying profanity?

Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards

diwc240 · April 2001

Congrats David Coulthard and McLaren Mercedes.
Finally upsetting Ferrari's six race winning streak of Michael Schumacher.

Formula One Brazilian Grand Prix results

David Coulthard of Scotland won Sunday's 71-lap Formula One
Brazilian Grand Prix at the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paolo.
The following are the results:

1. David Coulthard (Scotland), McLaren, 1 hr, 39 min
(185.387 kph/114.754 mph)
2. Michael Schumacher (Germany), Ferrari, +16.164 seconds
3. Nick Heidfeld (Germany), Sauber, 1 lap behind
4. Olivier Panis (France), BAR, 1 lap
5. Jarno Trulli (Italy), Jordan, 1 lap
6. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy), Benetton, 1 lap
7. Jacques Villeneuve (Canada), BAR, 1 lap

kenyee · April 2001

Sorry about using the D word for those of you who saw the post. That and the A word are the only way I know of to express "super duper humungous massive jerk". The profanity was never directed at another user of this forum.

Anyways, vandals should always be hung up by their thumbs because they broke moral and legal laws. Trashing someone's property is not right, no matter what world you grew up in. "Provoking" a road rager or anyone else should not be reason for them to break a law to get back at you.

nyca · April 2001

Regarding leather care, get Lexol, 2 or 3 applications a year (they have a cleaner and conditioner) will be fine.

To that fellow whose car was tragically keyed, where did it happen (or did I miss that post)?

Also, don't fear having your car repainted, if it's done by a quality shop, it will match just fine.

ctic · April 2001

Gosh, dang it. I was going to complain about micropolicing, but I thought about it, it's like going into someone's home. If they say don't use the F word, then don't use it. But what is this list of unacceptable words? We have to know what words not to use. Otherwise it's like sudden death, no warning on what words not to use. Say the wrong word, trigger the hidden alarm and suddenly your backside's on the street.

Back to this family friendly and child thing. I would be very surprised if I found 7 and 8 year olds perusing the "How to figure your beacon score", the "Best deal on a Honda Civic", or even the "How to add 50HP to my Miata" topics. And if I ever found my 15 year old nephews checking out the "C-class" topic in preparation to investigating 0-60 times on my C-class next year, I would pre-suspend their car borrowing privileges.

Besides have you ever been to a junior high or high school? Most of these kids swear more than I do. Thinking about it, yeah, I swore a lot as a kid too. Part of the growing up, exploring your boundaries process.

If I told my 13 year old nephew about this, he'd probably say...... Oops, better not say it. I might get exiled, then I wouldn't know where to spend my extra 2 hours a day.

ctic · April 2001

I submited my post here because I felt that this is not a topic which should be kept hidden from the participants.

Basically, you are setting certain boundaries. But we, as participants need to know what these boundaries are in order to effectively participate.

We all know that the F word is prohibited, but what about words like H E double hockeysticks which are in the bible? What each person finds profane is relative. Should you wish us to adhere to your standards, you should at least let us know what the standards are.

zmeenow · April 2001

can we talk about the cars?

Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sedans

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