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However, I have had a few problems with the car and it is now in the shop. Noticed some brake squealing, also the sun roof stopped working and the left speaker produces static (intermittently). Also the convenience seat move-back feature would not activate. Oh, and they forgotten to tighten the door bolts when I received the car, so they began to squeak.
Even given all of this, I still love the car!
re radio..when i gotmy car.. and had the cd player installed... the radio was intemittantly static... as was cd play.. they repaced the radio in an hour.. and since then no problem
as to small side views/ gas tank... yes these are definately the idiosynchracies of this car... but it still is a joy to drive... push around corners without the least bit roll or sway.. pass cars at 85(shh!)with the least bit effort!!
I can't take it anymore!! I just picked it up again and they are now saying that it must be my cell phone. I am disgusted with MB and the service I have gotten. This is now my third stereo. Any ideas out there??
Fuel tank capacity of the C-class is 62 litres. Note that a portion of this is used as a reserve, so you actually have more than your fuel gauge shows. For the M-class (tank size of 72 litres), 12 litres is for the reserve (orange warning light comes on when you're on the reserve).
Gary, why don't you try those little (2" diameter) convex mirrors? I have them and they not only eliminate blindspots, but allow me to see the lines when pulling/backing into a parking stall.
Drew
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Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
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300-400 miles on one tank seems plenty to me, especially since I usually stay within the towns and there are always gas stations near by. FWIW, my AWD Grand Voyager LE minivan can only go about 285 kms before it requires a fillup. All of the hill climing that I have to do really kills the fuel economy, even when I take it easy on the throttle pedal.
Drew
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Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
Drew, which Robert was in yesterday, do you know?
Tarik
Robert = the Robert in the ML topic...I was in a private chat with him for a short period as well. That's why my answers to you were delayed :-)
Drew
Host
Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
Mongo, I too have that rocking drivers seat; kind of a slow dampened pivot from to rear when going over a bump or around a corner. Thanks to the other reader for the seat comment for my drivers seat also does not work on the convenience entry /exit mode.
My repair list for the dealer this week goes like this:
SOS malfunction issue
Rocking front drivers seat
convenience entry /exit mode doesn't work.
Steering wheel off center
As for the comments on squealing brakes; you don't have to live with it, this is not acceptable in this or any other car.
Best wishes to all
Ian aka diwc240
Ian, thanks for your suggestions. I will mention them to the appropriate persons. Wth the Web Touring option "checked", your browser will automatically open a URL when someone enters it in the chat. It can be helpful, but somewhat annoying as well since the browser will suddenly open and load up a webpage.
Drew
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Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
I do have a professionally made sign on my car that reads "If you hate squealing brakes, don't buy a C Class." I parked the car near the North American Auto Show in Detroit last week and had numerous individuals ask me what was wrong with my car.
I informed everyone who stopped of the problems that I was having with the vehicle and the lousy service I was getting from MB.
I plan to park there again this week. I doubt if it will get my car fixed any sooner, but it sure feels better than sitting around feeling hopeless.
I would never buy this car if I had it to do over.
I sold an Avalon that was in perfect condition for the C240. What a mistake
It was a lemon. He wasn't getting anyhere with the dealer in getting things fixed.
Then, one day, he had a sign painter paint yellow lemons all over the car. The paint was removable and did not harm the cars finish. Anyway, every day on the way to work, he parked the lemon right in front of the dealership - who was powerless to stop it. He continued on to work on the bus. In short order, he got his money back.
This might work for you if get mad enough. Good luck.
My new C should be in the process of being built right now. I'm looking forward to delivery, but must admit to some trepidation after reading about the trouble so many of you are having. But then again I guess that's the way these sorts of forums work...they're a place for people to talk about their problems. Which is a good thing. I just wonder, however, how big a percentage of people who have the car are having the trouble. Is it just a few bad samples, or a real design flaw of some sort. As so many have said, when paying this much for a car you expect it to be flawless, and anything less than that is very disappointing. My Accord has been totally trouble-free for 5+ years...and I sure hope the new C is too.
I can't BELIEVE any reputable manufacture would not have someone monitoring boards like this. Wouldn't cost much at all, and they would get a heads-up on a lot of issues from which they could head off future problems at the pass. I'm coming from 2 straight Nissan Sentras, so this is a big step up, only I never had ANY problems with either Sentra, and will be disappointed if I have any with the MB.
On principle, I bought my car from a dealer located about 90 miles away from home (they were the only ones who would come down from sticker--$400), so getting it serviced there will be inconvenient, at best. Has anyone out there tried to get their car serviced by a dealer they didn't buy it from? From the sound of it, unless I get lucky, it will need some at least for the first few months, as I will NOT be tolerating these "minor" annoyances given the price and reputation of the car.
Thanks to any who respond.
Delivery for me not scheduled until April, so I'm hoping some of this stuff is worked out by then.
For other folks w/ Japanese cars, I'd expect the C to have more problems. I made that decision when I got my ML. The tradeoff was extra safety and durability for less (hopefully only a little) reliability. You have to decide whether it's worth it for you...
I love what you've done so far, and I wouldn't hesitate to inform them you plan on posting your problems on the internet in every car forum you can find, even if you don't plan on doing it. If you can dissuade 10 people from buying one, you've done some damage. If some of those 10 talk to some others...
Sure hope mine works OK.
Being the weekend, I called the salesperson that sold me the car and told him I was filling out the dealer survey and providing the lowest marks possible for the dealership and their service. This is in addition to escalating it to Client Assistance. Within an hour he called back to apologize and to offer his assistance in getting satisfactory service. I don't know if it will really help or not, but I can't just sit back.
I drove a Mustang for 6 years and never had a single problem. Since getting the C240 in October, I have already been in the shop 5 times. Talk about disappointment! Especially since I really do love driving the car. If you are planning to buy, I suggest that you hold off until the kinks are worked out.
On an informative note, if you are planning to talk to Client Assistance, you can expect 3-5 full business days before getting a response. FYI -- Monday is a holiday for MB Client Assistance.
Regards to all.
So far, the salesman has been OK but I am a little nervous about the service issues that have been discussed. I only live 4 miles from the dealership and my office is about a mile so it will not be a big deal to bring the car in but I have no idea as to how good a job they do.
I can barely hear my wife squeaking so I am not to worried about the brakes but she will kill me if I fork out 36 large for a car with a lot of problems. I am also getting out of an Avalon that has been almost bullet proof. (Rear struts failed and it took 3 trips and 2 months to the dealership to get them replaced.)
One other question. Have the lease rates come down since the Fed, reduced the interest rate?
Thanks in advance for any information.
Do shop the service around. You will not BELIEVE the price differences. When I was in houston amidst a plethora of dealers, competition was stiff. A "B" service would vary as much as 40%. I only went to my dealer (who gave me $1,500 off MSRP) on my 280 sport, for the first scheduled maint.which was free. Although I guess it's moot on the newer models on which maint. is included.
afn,
rob
I just got through with round 2 on C240 squealing brakes. To make a long story short, service advisor #2 hit a nerve by suggesting that the squeal only occurred when I forced it to make the noise! Duh. If I can't duplicate the condition, they won't have a clue either. Two service advisors, a manager, and a shop foreman all tried convincing me that this noise was a "feature" on MB brakes. I was born in the day but not yesterday. When I had to make another trip down to the dealer to duplicate, of course it wouldn't make a peep. After discussing it to my satisfaction with the shop foreman, I agreed to take it out and put a couple of weeks on it to see if it changes with some mileage.
I learned a lesson with my Lincoln LS: be patient, be persistent, mind the chain of command, and take lots of notes. You will eventually reach someone that can make a change in your favor. With the LS, that point happened to be a marketing executive. In my favor, several Lincoln staffers also follow the Edmunds forum and offered assistance outside of the normal channels. I even had a nice website running that was a chronicle of my efforts! After getting things taken care of, I changed the "gripe site" to an enthusiast site, burying the chronicle within a link specific to my car. Following that, someone who really wanted to do an LS site started another and mine turned into a cobweb of sorts.
My experience seems to mirror several others. The salesman has gone above and beyond expectations, being an advocate for me in the service area. The service department is the opposite, making me feel like they are doing me a favor by looking at it. The funny part was when my salesman asked what would I do if they were unable to repair the noise. I told him that I would start with the dealer management and keep stepping up until someone agreed to correct the problem or the car got bought back through the Georgia lemon law (something like 30 days out of service is the qualification). Not to mention that every time that car made a peep I would be back in his service department every single time without fail. Stick with it and try not to get too nasty too quick. Given time and patience you will get satisfaction eventually.
This is Mike in northern California. Late last year I sold my SLK and ordered a C320. I will be starting a daily 70 mile round trip commute in April. I also traded my Ford Ranger for a Toyota Solara. Here is my situation. The Solara has 1,200 on it already. No brake dust, squealing brakes, radio or electrical problems, trips to the service department for anything, or complaints. The car rides smoothly and quietly while getting 28 MPG on regular gas. All this plus a CD player and pass through back seat that I did not order on my C320 for $24,000.00 less!! With all the C Class problems I am reading about, I am seriously thinking about holding off on the C Class for a year or two until the bugs get worked out. The closest MBZ dealership is over an hour away from my house. I don't enjoy spending my days off in automotive service departments. Any thoughts from current C Class owners?
Thanks
Drew
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Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
as to questions from potential c buyers..i can only answer for myself... my car has performed according to specs.. no brake squeak... yes a radio gaff when the cd player was installed.. but that was solved in one afternoon by installation of a new radio.. other than that.. the car is just plain fun... i had an acura 3.2tl before this..never had a single problem..major or minor..and i guess japanese cars just are that flawless for the most part..nobody told me that an mb would have the same low incedence of problems..and having been a car owner for 35yrs+i just feel that to expect every car to be flawless
may bnot be realistic..no matter what the price range.but that having been said... id be burning too if my dealership came up with lame excuses for a problem.
4murphy, is your 240 a bordeaux red one by any chance. if it is, i drove yours in ann arbor before deciding on a 320.
After discussions with Sprint PCS, they said digital phones don't emit strong enough signals but am wondering if there are similar experiences out there.
I was just about sold on the 3.2TL, and was all ready to pull the trigger when the new C came out. Like most guys, I fell in love with how it looked, and the appearance of the TL had NEVER done anything for me but make me yawn. "Is that an Accord, no!, it's a TL!" I found myself saying whenever I passed one heading the other direction. The Japanese must all get together every year and agree not to take any styling risks, though I will say that Lexus has stepped out on a limb a little lately.
My car isn't supposed to be built until March. To those who claim that MB hasn't "heard" these complaints or aren't doing anything about them, I say, I doubt it. I work for a large corporation and getting even the smallest thing "fixed" is a bureacratic struggle of epic proportions. My guess is that they're working on these things, but production demands are keeping them from attacking the issues with all their resources. My only hope is that by March they have most or all of the issues being discussed out here resolved, or that I get lucky anyway. I got the K2A package, so I don't expect any electrical problems as a result of aftermarket wiring and/or installation of the CD changer or phone.
I still can't wait to get the car, because, as I said, I think it is beautiful. :-)
incidentally... i have NOTHING bad at all to say about my last car 3.2tl.. it was powerful.. comfortable reliable..but i was ready for a benz
Just thinking out loud, hope I'm not boring anyone, or pissing anybody off!!LOL!! Our C is still great, trunk continues to open when asked, no squealing brakes, no problems at all! Knock on wood! Oh, I noticed our forum passed the ML forum today, maybe we'll take it to the top of the list!! Take that Drew!LOL!!!!!
The center fill speaker is located on top of the dash. The center speaker is the 9 inch diameter vent in the middle of the dash with the thumb wheel to control air flow. The vent is both a air vent and speaker.
To take advantage of cars cell phone equipment, e.g. address book, dialing pad on the radio, steering wheel controls, etc... do you have to purchase the service from MB and purchase one of their phones. I'm curious as to what extend your using your own cell phones ?? What does the $1500 cost for the MB cell phone include ??
I appreciate any info.
While I don't have the MB phone, my Lincoln LS has the factory phone. I had it activated with a cheap plan and free weekends, since the weekend is when I use it most. The option price was comparible to the MB phone. At first I didn't see the value in the factory phone, but after some use I am glad I have it. I agree that they are too pricey in the option list, but consider that the portables that you get with a service package are subsidized by the contract and are very low power transmitters. The analog phone in the LS never drops calls and always has a strong signal and clear sound. Besides, with voice activated dial, my eyes stay on the road and hands on the wheel. Much safer than juggling the 8860. By the way, I'm one of the few who will actually drop the phone mid-call to deal with driving events - if the other party doesn't like it, they can call back later when I'm not in the car.
I have a Qualcomm phone with service through Sprint PCS. Unfortunately, the static and intermittent radio signals have no apparent connection to the phone. Each time I have experienced the problem, the phone was on, but just sitting either under the radio, in the door panel, or in my purse in the backseat. Once the troubles start, they don't stop until I reach my destination and stop driving for awhile.
They have my car for the 4th time now and the general manager of the dealership, Smythe European in San Jose, CA, has gotten involved. I've asked for a new car if this attempt doesn't solve the problem.
For new C-drivers, I really do love the car otherwise, but this is becoming a nightmare of an experience and taking up so much time that it's beginning to interfere with my workday.
BTW, I just took my wife into the dealership and had the salesman resell her on the car. Even though the car is due in 2-3 weeks, he still took an hour and a half to go through all the features again and a half hour test drive. (No squeaky brakes) She is now "sold" and looking foreword to our first benz.
the more u use it.. the wetter it looks..of course the new benz is clear coat.
believe it or not,they reccomend washing the car lightly the 1st time with dishwasher detergent.. to remove excess wax build up... i didnt... just gave me the willies to think of that... non the less.. it looks great///