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Comments
Please talk me out of it. It drove very nice and has lots of features, but it aint the E.
of these infomercials?
IMO Audi's look kinda non descript, sort of blend in with every other car. An E class is a work of art and beauty. Makes you feel good just being in it. Consider yourself "talked out of it". Buy the E Class.
point where I need a lumbar support in the lower
seat back. I want it to fit properly in the MB
bucket seat. (Suffice it to say its not worth
griping about why a $45000 luxury car does not
even
OFFER lumbar support.....) Any help would be
greatly appreciated.
We do seem to agree on everything regarding Zaino -- except the need to clay! I guess I was just lucky that my dealer had done a fantastic job in detailing my new brilliant silver E320. It's now more slick than any car I've ever owned (and it's my first experience with Zaino). I know that Sal Zaino advocates clay for a new car, but I'm happy as can be with the results without claying.
ctic - I can tell that you haven't tried Zaino. The seven coats of Z-2 did not require 10 hours of back breaking work. Just wipe it on, let it dry, and wipe it off! No buffing, no rubbing and there's no leftover residue. That's one of the many advantages of using Zaino -- it's unbelievably easy to use. And each coat just adds to the shine, reflectiveness and protection. It even provides UV protection!
slotown - Your reaction to Zaino users is not unusual; we really don't own stock or represent the company. We're just enthusiasts about a product that's the best of its kind that I've ever tried in many years of car care. Actually, if Zaino were traded publicly, I'd buy a ton of stock. But it's a privately owned firm. Try their web site at www.zainobros.com -- or better yet, visit the Zaino forum on Edmunds Town Hall; it's topic #1319 under "Maintenance." If you try Zaino, you'll understand!
Drew, how do you like the Zymol product? I plan on detailing me '00 E430 for the first time since delivery (02/00). I wash the car weekly and use a Meguire's polish to remove embedded dirt, etc
I am not interested at this time in a product that requires multiple coats and hours to apply.
My Brilliant silver E looks great with "just" the Meguire's polish. Drew, is the Zymol a little better? M-B recommends a good wax like Meguire.
Polymer products are my preferred potectant because of ease of application and "wet look."
Again, I want a single application product.
As for Zymol being the "best" I will wait for Consumer Reports to make that claim. Those of you with dark colored E's may have more to gain with multiple coats of Sal's "wonder' product.
I had to special order my '00 E430 because very few E cars come with these seats. Like the Xenon lights, heated seats, etc. Mercedes considers these things "options" where most of us think they should be standard equipment on all E320's and E430's. Similarly, my sport package should be standard on the E430.
I like Zymol just fine. The complaints centre around the fact that it is difficult to buff off if dried completely on the surface. I too experienced this problem when using Zymol for the first time. To get around this issue, simply do small areas at a time (2 feet by 2 feet) and buff it off before it dries, just as the instructions state.
I usually do only one coat (I'm not that fanatical unlike Zaino fans :-)), and it provides enough gloss for me. One thing that I do recommend is that you use a clay bar (such as the one sold by Mothers) to remove the contaminants from the paint prior to waxing. I didn't have time to do it the last time when I waxed the car and I could see the dirt on the rocker panels being covered by the polish.
WRT Zaino, even its fans admit that it is not really very obvious with a light coloured vehicle (Silver, Desert Silver, Smoke Silver, White, Sky Blue, etc.). I might consider it if I had an Azure Blue or Black vehicle, but not with my current colour choices.
Hope this helps!
Drew/aling
Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference
Its been some time since I last had one. The last one I had did get me in a little trouble. Nothing that a few bucks to a counsler of law could not remove. I beleive we pleaded "malfunctioning equipment", which has some truth in the detector did not functin properly in order to detect Smokey.
So with this astute group of people, what is your detector of choice? Can you trust it? How fast over are you comfortable driving over the limit. Staying 9 mph over has kept me out of trouble, but with a detector, I was wondering what others thought.
Cauwfee tawk amung>>>>>>>
Noticed cupholder/armrest appeared redesigned from 2000 Impala, but other than that, any problem areas with these cars? What is the 3.4's top speed? Thanks for all the help..
Must be a Palm Beach County voter.
to answer any questions you might have. I have not endorsed any products because I am not paid to
do so!!!!!
However, detailers make money on repeat business, and NO detailer is going to recommend a polish that you can do yourself in 20 minutes that looks as good as anything he can do, and that only needs to be done only once or twice a year.
Attn: Drew. I was driving home late last night from a meeting, and all of a sudden my entire dash board went dark. Not the LED displays mind you, just all the lights behind the dials...so I wasn't able to see how fast I was going (think a cop would have believed me??) LOL. I called the SOS/wrench @ MB and they said that they had never heard of this happening. Does this sound like a fuse problem to you or what??? I also got an error message which said lamp failure, check lamps. My radio also does not get softer anymore when I slow down and stop. Do you think that I am starting to have electrical problems?? Would appreciate your input. I have a Y2K E320 with 7300 miles.
Thanks so much for all your help Drew,
Wenfen
rojieh - I have COMAND in my Y2K E320, and it's a joy! It does, indeed, provide vocal prompts including warnings such as "Prepare to turn left," Turn left after 800 feet" (or 900 or 400 or whatever), "Make the next left turn," etc. And you can't get it lost or confused -- it's gotten me out of some confusing circumstances. It also provides an in-dash CD capability (at the expense of losing the nav -- you can't use both simultaneously). I'd strongly recommend it!
bargamon2 - Are you pulling our chain wondering if you should opt for a Chevy Impala over a Y2K E320? Get serious -- the two cars aren't even remotely similar or in the same league! Would you prefer a Big Mac to a prime New York steak? Some people might, but then it takes all kinds! Go for the MB! You won't regret it!
You’ve already seen the answer from mbdriver. Yes, COMAND gives verbal prompts and recomputes routing if you take a different turn that it was expecting, etc. It may tell you to do a U-turn, but once it decides you’re not going to comply, it recomutes the route. There is a Detour function that I haven’t used much. I just drive if I know the way, and finally COMAND will recompute the route. A very nice touch is that the “prepare to turn” and turning directions, elapsed-distant-to-turn indicator, and distance to next navigation action is all available on the little screen below the speedometer in graphic form. It even shows little tick marks for streets where you should not turn. This means you can actually put the regular map up on the console screen, see the routing and still get the verbal and visual prompts. The verbal prompts are mute-able if you don't want the music interrupted. On the main screen, you can also scroll into a text-oriented routing page. And, you can save waypoints that you use often. A great little system.
What you give up with COMAND is the in-dash cassette tape player. But, that input, called AUX, is still available as a receptacle inside the glove box. For the few times I want to listen to a cassette tape, I just put a portable in there, use the AUX input of the audio system, and listen to the tape. I used this to review the VOX-actuated phone controls also in my car.
For ACD7 and others.
There seems to be some confusion about the rain-sensor system. This is basically an improved alternative to the interval (delay) wiper function on other cars. Rather than having to guess at the time between sweeps based on what you’re seeing coming at you, the rain sensor is a through-the-windshield optical sensor that watches what’s being deposited there and then, when it judges the accumulation to be deserving of a “wipe”, cycles a single wiper sweep. The sensor is in the top black crosshatched area on the WS behind the RV mirror. Have your dealer show you. The sweeps are done at one of the regular sweeping speeds. The rain sensor is determining WHEN to do a sweep - - not adjusting the speed of the wiper during a single sweep. I would be surprised if there were an adjustment that changes the sensitivity of this sensor, but a dealer might be able to change it. Mine works like a champ and I think it far superior to the driver switch-settable alternative found on most U.S. cars.
I'd like to know what mileage I can expect with this car. What have you been averaging? Also, is it necessary to put in premium gas, or will regular suffice? I thought if I put in regular gas performance might drop a bit as the computer retards the timing to prevent knocking, but otherwise there should not be any problems. What has your experience been?
I was just about to order the H7 bulbs and decided to check the owner's manual, just in case. And it says the BOTH hi and lo beams use the H7 bulb. Is htere any rational reason NOT to use the Xenon bulbs in both the hi & lo housings?
Thanks,
Fred
FOr those whom will drive no other, for those whom understand you need never apologize for driving a MB, I thank you in advance. For those whom are visiting and love your lexus, audi, BMW, then you understand.
The website reference was so you could draw your own conclusions about the risks of ordering now vs. waiting. The styling is one issue, of course, but the bells and whistles features grow year by year, e.g. improvements to COMAND (or it’s inclusion as standard), the telephone system, etc. Something new will come out every year.
Re: mileage. I get basically what the sticker says (17/23 - 19 +/- for most of my driving which is short to medium trips - - I’ve yet to take a long trip with it). It seems to be best on the highway using the electric foot. Mid 20's there, but mine has only 6k miles on it and for the first couple of months the mileage wasn’t good at all. It’s still getting better. While V8 and 4matic both reduce mileage, I think the tradeoff is worth it both for the performance and traction, and I've yet to go thru a winter with it. Figure your annual mileage driven, the number of gallons you’d use in each case and then what the incremental cost of the gas would be. If you can afford to buy this car, it is unlikely the cost differential of the gas should be a deterrent for the thirstier options.
Re: use of regular gas. The owners manual is unequivocal on this: use of less than 91 octane results in no warranty on engine failures along with a dire risk of having such failures. I’m not sure there’d be an issue, since detonation margins vary with temperature, weather, and a whole bunch of other stuff, but you don’t necessarily know how this engine's computer “thinks”. If it’s a cost of gas you’re worried about, I’d either buy one that gets the best possible mileage or buy a brand of car that doesn’t require 91 octane. I sure wouldn’t want to experiment only to discover that the owner’s manual is correct.
Hjborn re: the little yellow light at the lower edge of the inside RV mirror.
This light is pointing in the wrong direction (down) for any sensing. The little round unsilvered circle at the upper right of the RV mirror does this. I think the little yellow light is for slight illumination of the console when it’s real dark out. Go in your garage some evening and check it out! Cool!
Good luck.
Drew/aling
Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference
Thank you for your input.
Regarding radar detectors, I'm quite happy with the Valentine One. It is sensitive giving me enough warning for even photo radars. The directional indicator is also a big plus helping me to look for the threat.
The downside of the V1 is its high cost, US$400, and its hard to hide size.
If you're serious into this anti-speed-trap game, I suppose in addition to the V1, you can install the laser diffuser (K40 makes one) and also possibly the police radio scanner detector for highway use (made by Uniden, against highway patrol using instant-on as well as aircrafts. It simply beeps whenever it picks up Police radio activity within 5 miles).
Does anyone have any experience with these ?
Are there any aftermarket manufacturers ?
I want a seat that can fit into a stroller and my wife's Lexus also - will MBZ's do this ?
please feel free to e-mail me a response since I suspect this question is too specific for most on this forum.
The LS430 has the luxurious option (rear power seats, massage, etc.). Overall, I find the car way too soft compared to the current S class or the BMW 7 series. It reminded me of an old limo having so much lateral movement making the ride uncomfortable. I actually got a bit car sick in the back when an associate was test driving. Acceleration was not bad but I find the brakes a bit weak with poor brake feel. Car was very quite especially when idling.
GS430 is a different story, its performance is much better as expected. Good handling with less body row than a BMW 5 series. Acceleration was a bit disappointing, I expected the car to be much faster with its 300 horsepower and relative light weight; there seems to be very little low end torque. Car did not feel as solid as a Mercedes or a BMW. Biggest complaint - little front headroom and serious lack of room in the back.
Perhaps I'm being too critical but I do not find the switches and ergonomics impressive in the Lexus line. Buttons are all over the place with little logic to their locations.
Also had a quick look at the IS300 and was shocked to see Lexus having completely different dash designs for the LS, GS, & IS cars.
You can place the seats anywhere in the car, but I prefer putting mine in the front seat so I can see my kid.
You can put the car seats in any other car, but they won't deactivate the front airbags.
Regarding the stroller, do you mean in the stroller or underneath it?
This color does show up in the 2000 model year.
Thank you
My rear seat ventilation vent seems to be putting out very weak air flow, even when all the front vents are closed. I wonder if this is typical?