Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sedans

kenyee

It doesn't work like that. Higher volume dealers get higher allocations.
You should be able to get a build# and build date as soon as you put a down payment down (assuming you're not ordering next year's model); dealers have a list of incoming cars in various states (unallocated, configured, in build, built, being delivered, etc.). Your car's build config locks down 1 month before it begins being built. You can change it at any point before that. Once it gets built, you can call and get your VIN# (to make sure they don't switch it on you).
Hope that helps. If you're close to Houston, stop by Star Motors and talk to Curt Rich. He's a straight shooter and won't yank your chain...

zmeenow

which bulbs would you recommend for the c?

re zaino/. looks like you have the right starter package.. though i do take my car to the(GASP) car wash... hand wash though

dennett

My dealer, MB of San Diego, told us that the silver cars have the longest wait list. When I think about it however it makes no sense that you should have to wait longer for one, unless the dealers only get so many of a certain color. I don't believe that's the case, maybe you should call MB and talk to them about it, or try calling all the dealers within say 200 miles of you and see what they have to say. Let us know what you find out, and good luck! It will be worth the wait!

patscar

I think lst gear does rev up very quickly and will take getting used to. I will have to shift quicker than I do now. That will probably only take a couple of days to get used to. You just don't expect an MB to come engine screaming out of a red light. The emergency brake will be fine too. Again a few days to get used to and some safety practice like mentioned earlier. My dealer assures me that when I order the car it will be delivered in 8wks and that was standard practice for their dealership. I don't know what to think after reading all these posts. I hate being told one thing and being delivered another. This is a small dealership, I don't know if that makes any difference.

mbnut1

Drew,

What is Mercedes Canadian preowned warranty plan in terms of max years and mileage?
Thanks in advance.

dennett

My dealer, MB of San Diego, told us that the silver cars have the longest wait list. When I think about it however it makes no sense that you should have to wait longer for one, unless the dealers only get so many of a certain color. I don't believe that's the case, maybe you should call MB and talk to them about it, or try calling all the dealers within say 200 miles of you and see what they have to say. Let us know what you find out, and good luck! It will be worth the wait!

tsm123

Kimj1--I ordered my C240 from Mercedes of Austin back in September. I was told it would be late early January if I was lucky, maybe later before it arrived. Then, in mid December I was told they had a car close to my order (Desert Silver, sunroof, auto, leather) become available--someone else had cancelled that order. The only thing it didn't have was the Bose radio. So I decided to take it. Got the car Dec 19th. Think this has happened to several others that you may be reading about, and it may happen to you. . . seems to with some degree of regularity. Don't think Mercedes of Austin has a huge volume, so they may not get the allotments of big city dealers, etc.

I'm happy with my decision, glad to have had the car for several weeks, 2000 miles, and no big problems. No squealing brakes, just some wind noise around the drivers window. They replaced the seal, but now there's a rattle sound over rough roads coming from that window. sigh. Next time I have it in for service I'll ask them to check that. Anyway, other than that, the car is beautiful, quiet, solid, and everything I expected it to be. You'll love yours when you get it, I'm sure.

Don't know if it applies, but be careful with the finance guy at the dealership, Don something--he really pushes the balloon option if you're financing. I didn't want to do that. Once I had outside financing that was better than the 10% he initially quoted me for a 5 year loan, he suddenly "discovered" he could get an 8.5% rate from a couple sources for me. Not what I'd expect from a Mercedes dealer. . . and not at all how I've been treated by the rest of the dealership (Tim McAdams was my salesman, super nice guy & very patient throughout the process), and thankfully, the service department has been great so far as well.

drew_

I think that the Signature class pre-owned MB vehicles get the remainder of the new car warranty + maybe an extra year? I'll try to remember to find out the next time I'm at the dealership. I actually picked up a brochure with details of the Signature class vehicles, but can't find it right now. Grrr...

Hope this helps

waylou

I've seen where people are questioning the length of time to receive their car. I ordered my C320 the week before Thanksgiving. It is en route and may be at the dealer today. They had told me that it might be the end of February. We are in a smaller market, so I don't know why it would take so long in Austin. Anyway, I am picking my car up on Wednesday. Can't wait!

drew_

Errr...I don't know if your dealership is telling you the entire truth. The best thing to do would be to go to the parts department directly and ask them how much the parts cost. Since you're replacing them with MB parts, the warranty should not be affected at all. Installation + parts may be pricey though. Besides, for the dealership to be able to void your warranty, they have to prove that the parts (if aftermarket) caused something to fail. AFAIK, the VIN usually only require when ordering parts for warranty replacements.

Good luck!

Drew
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waylou

I've seen where people are questioning the length of time to receive their car. I ordered my C320 the week before Thanksgiving. It is en route and may be at the dealer today. They had told me that it might be the end of February. We are in a smaller market, so I don't know why it would take so long in Austin. Anyway, I am picking my car up on Wednesday. Can't wait!

zmeenow

re past post about trans shifting... i think that may have been because i had it in winter mode due to the bad weather... been back in summer mode last week or so, and the shifting has been quick,and fine

drew_

Ah, that would make sense. Keep my previous post in mind though. :-)


Drew
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fedssocr

Well, I picked up my car this morning. I was terrified at first to drive it, but after going 50 miles or so driving around town I'm more comfortable.

I got the pitch for the extended warranty, and decided to go ahead and buy one year extra. They also gave me the spiel about how important the MB survey is and how I need to rate them excellent in everything. Yeah, whatever. Basically they asked me to lie so that they would get the highest possible rating and thus get more cars and more advertising money from MB. He claimed that he reason I got my car ahead of schedule was because they have done so well on the survey. They say they'll bend over backwards for me and hope that I'll give them the highest rating.

When I got to finance guy's office he did give me a hard time about using Eloan, and claimed that they would not accept the Eloan draft. Eventually they relented because I was only using it for $23000. I hope they follow through sending Eloan all of the stuff they need. They told me that if there's a problem with Eloan they'll give me a call to make other arrangements.

As for the car itself, it is great. Very smooth. I have not experienced any sort of throttle lag, maybe it's just my driving style. I think it has just about a perfect ride, smooth but not floaty. And the steering has enough feedback, unlike many cars that don't let you feel the road at all. The Aspen green is very pretty, and the Oyster is a light gray with a hint of brown or beige to it. The salesman agreed that this interior was the perfect choice for the green exterior. I'll take a bunch of photos.

I just got the plain old standard 240 seats and I didn't realize they had so few power adjustments. The giant handle under the front of the seat to make it go forward and backward feels kind of in the way down there.

And I've already been cut off more times in my few hours driving the 240 than I probably have in a whole year with the old Accord. I guess people don't like Mercedes...or they're just jealous!

drew_

Congrats on the new car!

FYI, the MBUSA extended warranty can be purchased within the first year of ownership. So, if you decide to extend it, make sure you do it within this first year. Ordinarily though, I'd recommend that you save your money till just before the first year then take the plunge for the extended warranty. MB Canada owners (don't know if there are many or any in this topic), you can purchase the extended warranty as long as it's within the 4 year/80K kms bumper-to-bumper warranty. I'm hanging on till 3 years, 10 or 11 months :-) That means it won't be till about August or September of 2003 for the ML.

I'm glad that you didn't budge on the survey. Many dealers have offered bribes to get the (unfilled) survey from their customers. If the sales or service department (seperate survey for the latter, BTW) is not performing to your expectations, make sure that you let them and MBUSA know. The MB Canada dealerships around here send letters (with an amusing "very satisfied" watermark) just before the surveys, saying that if one can't give them a "very satisfied" on any of the question, to let them know and they'll do the best to rectify the situation.


Drew
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diwc240

Great reading your first impressions, I'm jealous, but only 2 more weeks. I spent a couple hours at the NJ Dealer today. Think I may have convinced another potential buyer on a C 240. The salesmen were so busy today it was ridiculous, opening show room doors for SLK to go out on a test drive etc...

MB Computer gave me my VIN# today. C 240 6MT Desert Silver/Charcoal, C1,C2,C3,C4 + Bose upgrade
I ordered (put $500 deposit down) on Nov. 8th.
Build / Production Date = 01/19/01
Ship departed Hamburg = 01/25
ETA Baltimore = 02/07
ETA at Dealer hopefully max. 10 days or less after arrival in Baltimore.

There is a C 320 Capri Blue with Navigation available in their showroom. The person that ordered it had to leave the USA.
The Capri Blue looks very sharp !!!

fedssocr

One other thing I forgot to mention, when we were writing up the final bill of sale my salesman decided out of the blue to give me another $100 off the price of the CD changer, "because you've been so patient". So, I paid $800 for it. Of course then they talked me into spending another $1100 on the extended warranty. They indicated to me that I could buy more time for the warranty later, but that it would be more expensive at a later date and much cheaper (by about 40%) if I made it part of the initial transaction. They also said I could get a prorated rebate on the extra warranty if I trade the car in before it expires.

I also asked about cargo nets for the trunk and was told they are on backorder. It was kind of nebulous as to whether he will provide them to me for free when they become available or if I will need to pay for them. Maybe that's my leverage with the survey. :-)

jonorato

...and I'm getting antsy. Thinking hard about upgrading the rims...saw one on the road, finally, a couple of days ago...you get the idea.

Ordered 11-10; build date 3-1. Thanks for the information on the VIN #; I will certainly find out what mine is. Do I call my dealer or is there a way around getting it from them?

C240, silver met./ash, C1, C2, C3, C4, K2, Bose, auto.

I'm getting the impression from this board that those who have picked their car up recently are experiencing fewer nagging problems. But perhaps the problems just haven't turned up yet, or I'm just engaging in wishful thinking. *G*

lperakis

If you jump to my posting of last week - Message 774 - you'll get my impressions on my similarly configured C320. Since then, I have figured out the Nav system and voice activation controls. Its a wonderful car currently sitting in the garage receiving its 2nd coat of Zaino polish. Only nagging problem is the trunk not closing easily. Pretty minor.

drew_

I'd recommend the cargo tray/organiser as well (if it's available for the new C). FWIW, since the ML was only available at MSRP in October of '99, my salesman gave me the side cargo nets, cargo tray/organiser, as well as the all-season rubber floormats free of charge. I also got the side steps, trailer hitch and brushguard at a fair discount off MSRP. All made up for the lack of discount off the vehicle's MSRP. Even today, I get at least a 15% discount off MSRP for anything from the parts counter. With the 14% sales tax, I'll take what I can get! :-)


Drew
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zmeenow

..was out and about yesterday... pushing the engine and trans... i really MUST have been the winter mode..the smaller 6 really is very peppy.. sometimes surprises me... someone made the comment as to pickup at 60+.. really!!
fun car to drive.. admired by other drivers... hope those with annoying(and more than just annoying)problems get them straightened out... makes owning it that much more enjoyable...
i dont have a garage ;(( so im waiting for the warmer weather to re-do my zaino treatment for the remainder of the yr.

newmbfan

I could not be happier after the first few days.

No hassels at the dealership when I picked the car up. I used a home equity loan and the bank called to tell me that they were not going to release the funds until this Monday. I told the salesman I would have to wait till then to pick up the car but he said No Problem, He would just hold the check. I couldn't believe that one. I never even saw a finance guy, let alone get pressured into anything. The salesman explained the owners survey to me and just asked that I treat him fairly!

Had a chance to hand wash the car yesterday and really inspect the car inside and out. It is flawless! Fit and Finish is beyond my expectation. (Keep in mind that this is my first MB, but I have owned about 20 new cars both American and Japanese.)

I have not expierenced any of the various issues posted here during the last 3 months other than the TICK, TICK, and that is not really a problem but a design issue that does not bother me at all.

To: diwc240 Hang in there. The 3 month wait was killing me but I am glad I did. Gotta Go. Road trip today!

btw: looks like the pinstipe is going to stay. I might post a pic and get votes. :-)

dennett

Glad to hear all is going so well with the car! When our car came in we were still working on the home equity loan and the dealer let us take the car without giving them one cent, in fact we never gave them a cent for over 2 weeks!! They just said they trusted us and knew where we lived! I still can't believe they did it. It's things like that that really make you want to go back! Maybe they'll let me have a CLK Cab and not pay for a year or two!!

zmeenow- Have you heard the latest issue? Apparently none of the early cars, those with VINs that end with something less than ...59000 don't have the remote unlock feature, so everyone had better check their VINS, mine's ...35127, so I'm a loser!:( There's a bunch of people at the MBworld site talking about it, and this isn't just a rumor, it has been confirmed. Call MB yourselves if you'd like. We all know we were told we had the feature, and it says all Cs have it in any piece of literature MB has ever put out. MB says they're working on a fix and that owners will be notified when it is figured out. So don't go trying to impress your friends by locking your keys in the car and calling MB to unlock it!!LOL If you or anyone does contact MB or your dealer on this issue please post here and let us know, and I'll keep everybody up on what I hear.

nil88

diwc240
how did you get the info on you car. I placed my order on dec 8th and have not heard a thing. did you keep bugging the salesperson.

diwc240

The MB Computer system will get a VIN# inputted once the car finishes Build / Production in Bremen. Your salesman should be able to bring up the computer screen that shows all this info.

My VIN ends in 77335 (last 5 digits). So I will call the auto insurance co. with that info tomorrow.
Hope you had a great Roadtrip today newmbfan !!
Photos photos photos, post digital photos, I'm sure people would love to seem them !!
Drew, is it easy to add a jpeg photo in this TH format ? Just attach or copy & paste ?

Nil88, about a month after I ordered (Nov.8th) the Dealer told me which "Decade" the car would be built.
i.e. 1st, 2nd or 3rd decade. They split each month into 3 decades. So I was told approx. 2nd decade of January. Once the car had come off the assembly line, it takes Bremen a few days / a week to update the info in the computer database.
Next date is received usually after the ship sails, meaning they have already departed Hamburg when 01/25 shows up in the database. Based on that it is approx. 10 days crossing (4200 NM) to Baltimore,
ETA Baltimore 02/07. Hope the weather Gods are smiling across the Atlantic...

zmeenow

what feature re unlock are you referring to?

fedssocr

This morning I was out for a short errand and when I was pulling back into the garage I noticed the brake squeal. With the windows up and the radio on I didn't hear it, but with the window down it is very noticeable. The salesman yesterday ran through a few "idosyncracies" of the car, one of which included the squeaky brakes. He claims that it should go away after a few hundred miles as the glaze wears off. So I am willing to wait and see if it clears up.

Now my question. Is it possible to unlock the doors from inside the car with the key in the ignition other than pulling up on the lock button thingies? I often drive my friends places and it would be nice to be able to power unlock the doors when I drop them off rather than have my passengers have to turn awkwardly and reach back to pull up the lever? Or can they just pull on the opening handle and the lock pops on its own? I think that the driver side may operate that way now that I think about it. Maybe this is a dumb question... I know that with the key in the ignition the unlock button on the key does not operate the locks.

dennett

The remote unlock via tele-aid. Really makes you want to renew it doesn't it, not!

dennett

It's in the center of dash next to the rear headrest and rear sunshade buttons. These cars are complicated aren't they, but you've got to love them!!

lperakis

I tested it this morning... you know... made the call and told them I was testing the auto door open feature.

On teh line was a Tech from MB plus another person from the
company that actually initiates the communications with the satellite. The tech from MB reiterated the fact that if your VIN # is less than 59000, the auto door unlock does not work.

louie57

I am expecting delivery of my C240 in
late Feb or early March. I ordered Desert Silver with Java interior. I am second
guessing my choice. Is the Java colour
too light a shade...that will easily get
dirty and stain in winter? Will the
leather seats be difficult to keep clean.
Does anybody have experience with this
colour? The colour combination looked
good in the showroom! It was too late to
change colour, but the dealer is offering
me a car that was ordered as a
replacement for their demo. It is Silver
with Ash interior. But I think the Ash
colour would be just as light a shade.
Any thoughts?

dennett

I'd say take the ash. I've seen several silver cars with ash, and it really seems a perfect match. I like the java also, but with silver? It'll probably look fine, and be a very rare combo. As far as keeping it clean, I'd say it'll be equally easy. You're going to have to make the call, I'd imagine your dealer has a silver/ash E,S,CLK,ML,or SLK, check those out. I doubt they have any silver/java combos in any other car, but that may not be a bad thing. Let us know what you decide, I don't think you can really go wrong either way. White looks great with java, so why wouldn't silver?

dennett

Wait, I saw that combo on a CL600 at my dealer, java for sure!!! I thought you said just silver, when I reread I realized my mistake. That $115k CL looked AWESOME with the very combo you've ordered. The desert silver is sort of a champagne or light tan metallic right? Java would be the only choice in my mind.

fedssocr

I agree. I think your only real choice with a desert silver exterior is the java interior. It's actually a sort of sand color. It shouldn't show dirt any worse than ash or oyster. I worried a bit about this after ordering Oyster, but I manage to keep things pretty clean so I figure it will be OK. You may want to invest in the rubber floor mats if you spend lots of time tromping around in snow.

drew_

Desert Silver with Oyster actually looks very nice as well. Personally, my choice would be for Smoke Silver and Oyster. I saw a Smoke silver (more subtle gold than Desert Silver) S600 with the Java and it looked rather yellowish to me. I took a few pictures (digital camera) of that S600 and a couple of the closeups turned out Silver! See posts below.

drew_

My '00 ML320 Elegance is Silver/Ash, and the combination looks nice, IMHO. The gray does hide the dirt better than the lighter Java colour as far as I can tell. Silver/Java is an interesting combination (I've seen it a couple of times before). Wouldn't be my first choice though.

Here's a picture of Silver/Ash:

drew_

Smoke Silver/Java:





Drew
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dennett

Those S class cars sure are nice aren't they!! I've heard the upcoming E class will look a lot like the S. What have you heard about the new E? Know any good web sites that have pics?

kenyee

I assumed those were desert silver pics when I first saw them. Smoke silver does look a lot better than desert to me. Color is a very personal decision though :-)

4murphy

It has been two weeks since the dealer replaced the pads and rotors on my c240 for the second time. The brakes have not squealed once. They did something with the disks to stop the squeal. I am almost afraid to write that the brakes are OK because tomorrow they may squeal again.
Of course I have a car with the Vin # less than 5900. I have been having trouble with the drivers power window losing memory after every shutdown. The drivers side mirror has a mind of it own. Sometimes when I get in the car the mirror has adjusted itself to face the sky. Once I heard this noise in the garage and it was the sound of the mirror adjusting itself. I jiggled the window button and it stopped.
God help me if I ever again buy a new model car in its first year of production.
To those of you lucky enough to have a problem free car, I wish that I could exchange cars with you. Anybody want to trade?

ronmendel

Louie-

When I saw the Desert Silver W/Java in the showroom, I thought it was quite stunning and would be my first choice if I could do it again. My C320 has the Black w/ Ash leather and it looks very stately, but is EXTREMELY hard to keep clean looking.

I put on a set of Toyo Proxes T1S 225/50ZR16 tires, which improve the cornering immensely. I also tried a set of Dunlop SP8000, but they were a real problem tracking in So.Cal. freeway's rain grooves.

Two months old and still zero problems with the car, knock on wood (not a sport!). Totally pleased.

-Ron

diwc240

O.K. what's the trick. Copy & paste did not work for me, and could not find anywhere to Attach a jpeg. Do you have the digital photos at www.photopoint.com and then use a "Link" to your site there ?
I went with Desert Silver = light Gold plus Charcoal interior (does not show the dirt) Think an E Class at the Dealer had that combo.

ceccon

I am a Lexus owner and am considering purchasing a used 280 with approx 30,000-40,000 miles. I anticipate owning the car until at least 150,000 miles. My main concern is I have heard rumors from non-MBZ owners that MBZs are expensive to maintain after 100k miles. Can anyone provide information concerning the cost of maintenance after 100,000 miles? Any input on this subject is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

dennett

Ian, you're going to love the desert silver. Like I said, I was at my dealer and they had a CL600 and it looked awesome. Man I'd love to have some sort of high end MB or an AMG version, E55 in particular. I've been watching the classifieds, thinking maybe some fool might be selling a C43 for say 20-25k, I'd snap it up in a heartbeat!!!

Drew- was there really ever a C55? I've heard of them, but are they real? I really enjoy the Friday Freeway Chat. Any chance we could ever have an MB only chat, maybe even include some MB trivia. I'm sure you'd really kick some A on that trivia. I'm not saying to replace the Friday deal, maybe a Thursday evening MB chat, or "Monday MB" I'm sure we could find enough regulars here and at the E and ML forums, plus the others although they're not as busy as these three. I'm sure Ian and I would be there, and I'd bet we could get at least 5-8 other regulars here. Any possibility?

diwc240

Just seeing if this works...

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1508702&a=11393668&p=40094828&Sequence=0&r

An MB Chat session would be an excellent plan !

zmeenow

..count me in!

re:stately black..yes takes more work to keep clean... but when it is... how it does shine!. silver just doesnt have the same look... clean or not

dennett

I figured we could count on you! You need to join us on Fridays! Did you check the VIN on your car regarding the remote unlock nonfeature!LOL I'm sure MB will get it straightened out.

louie57

Thank you all for your input. I feel better after reading your postings. I think the Desert Silver with Java interior will work out after all. I will be sure to get the rubber mats and maybe spray the carpet with Scotch Guard to protect against stains and make for easier clean=up. Up to now I had not had to worry about dirt or stains since my interiors were black. Thanks again.

drew_

Yes, as a matter of fact there was a C55 (previous generation C-class though). It had the 5.5L AMG-tuned V8 engine with 354hp from the E55 and S55. However, it was only for the last year of production and was a special-order only MB AMG vehicle; not available outside of Europe. Needless to say, it was a rocket! The '02 Supercharged V6 C32 AMG will be interesting though. You can count on that!

Interesting idea about the MB chat. Thanks! I was thinking the same thing myself. I'll suggest that to Dana, the manager of Townhall, and see what she thinks of the idea.


Drew
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zmeenow

34,732...so you mean to tell me that if i get locked out,mb cant open it by remote?

too bad we dont all live closer... might be fun to have a summer picnic rallye.. line em all up and drool together... hahah lol