Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

stickguy

they didn't actually lie. I think they screwed up the calculations or some such, so got bad results. expensive lesson.

explorerx4

Hyundai/Kia got fined $100 mill and had to give up $200 mill fuel credits. How much did GM get fined for cars that have killed at least 200?

ab348

explorerx4 said:

Hyundai/Kia got fined $100 mill and had to give up $200 mill fuel credits. How much did GM get fined for cars that have killed at least 200?

Pretty strong statement there. Especially considering a lot of them were drunk, drugged, speeding or driving the wrong way. But sure, blame GM.

imidazol97

stickguy said:

they didn't actually lie. I think they screwed up the calculations or some such, so got bad results. expensive lesson.

I heard one factor was they switched wheels changing tire sizes affecting the mileage.
That certain seems deceptive.

Another was that a run would be made with a tailwind with no compensating run
into the same headwind.

"Hyundai and Kia cheated on their mileage claims by “cherry-picking data,” Mr. Holder said. Federal officials said Hyundai engineers used data collected from cars that had improper tires and while running certain tests with the benefit of a tail wind." WSJ

I hope all the folks criticizing GM's mistakes are here complaining about Kia/Hyundai's intentional frauds.

explorerx4

@ab348, Your car shouldn't kill you unless you do something that causes it. Bad driving is another issue. GM was well aware of this problem and covered it up, or at least intentionally ignored it. I only bring that up to reference the inequality to fudging fuel mileage ratings.

abacomike

imidazol97 said:

stickguy said:

they didn't actually lie. I think they screwed up the calculations or some such, so got bad results. expensive lesson.

I heard one factor was they switched wheels changing tire sizes affecting the mileage.
That certain seems deceptive.

Another was that a run would be made with a tailwind with no compensating run
into the same headwind.

I'll have to do some reading.

I hope all the folks criticizing GM's mistakes, are here complaining Kia/Hyundai's intentional frauds.

I, for one, agree that an automobile manufacturer that willfully withholds, falsifies or skews information and/or data in order to deceive or in any way entice potential buyers to purchase their vehicles based upon that withheld, falsified or skewed data is guilty of something - whether it be fraud, willful misrepresentation, deceptive practices, etc. - whether that manufacturer is Ford, Chrysler, GM, Kia, Hyundai, Jaguar, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Volvo, Toyota, Subaru, etc., etc., etc.

I blame Mercedes Benz for producing a brand new 2015 E400 Sport Sedan without standard features listed on the Monroney Sticker - however this was not done willfully because all the other E400's produced (like driver's E400) were built correctly, based upon information I have at my disposal. But I blame them just the same because quality control did not catch these missing systems anywhere along the production line in Germany and at the New Car Preparation Center in Brunswick, GA. Thus, I will be forever leery of buying a new Mercedes Benz and will take extra precautions to make sure any car I buy has what it is supposed to have prior to signing on the dotted line.

Sure, Mercedes Benz and the dealership I buy my cars from have done everything they could to make amends for this awful error. But that still does not excuse the fact that they did something wrong and they should be called upon to admit it and correct the quality control problem that allowed this car to leave Germany.

I have made it clear over and over again that when a car manufacturer errs, no matter what that error is/was, they must be cited for that error and made to correct it as well as to pay penalties for their mistakes.

ab348

explorerx4 said:

@ab348, Your car shouldn't kill you unless you do something that causes it. Bad driving is another issue. GM was well aware of this problem and covered it up, or at least intentionally ignored it. I only bring that up to reference the inequality to fudging fuel mileage ratings.

I'm not going to restart this debate again. One point you miss is that those responsible at GM from 15 years ago are now long gone. The lying/cheating/fraud artist Hyundai/Kia execs are, to our knowledge, still employed there. That is a company with a seriously flawed culture.

oldfarmer50

Michaell said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

I saw snow once in a National Geographic magazine at the dentist's office.

Yeah.

I wrecked my car during the first major snowfall after I moved to Colorado.

Learned a lot of lessons since then.

Up here in the great northeast we learned to drive on RWD cars with bald snow tires. Couldn't wait for the snow so we could head to the nearest big parking lot and do spin outs until the cops showed up.

Now I cry at the forecast of snow.

houdini1

driver, have a safe trip and enjoy the drivel. Love the dog !

explorerx4

@ab348, long gone? NO, 95% of them are still there. No auto manufacturer is faultless, but hubris seems to define GM, even now. If I was in the market for a high end GM product, I'd feel confident in buying it. It's their mainstream stuff that I don't feel as good about.

stever

Maybe the NHTSA will stay awake for a while - at least through an election cycle.

"The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Ferrari has agreed to pay a $3.5 million fine for failing to inform the agency of three fatal accidents and failing to file required reports over a three-year period."

Federal Government Fines Ferrari $3.5 Million

roadburner

Number One Son called last night; the X3 wouldn't start. AAA attempted a jump and determined it was the starter. I did some quick research and found a good indie shop nearby. The truck was ready to go with a remanufactured Bosch starter by 1:10 this afternoon. My son said that it was running great and the shop didn't find any other problems. At over 165k miles I can't complain too much...

driver100

houdini1 said:

driver, have a safe trip and enjoy the drive. Love the dog !

Thanks Houdini...and Gigi appreciates the complements. I'll let you know how it goes.

ab348

explorerx4 said:

@ab348, long gone? NO, 95% of them are still there.

Nonsense.

stickguy

Burner, I had to laugh at this week's weather. My daughter that hates being cold, and picked a southern school largely to avoid that, almost ended up in Columbia getting snowed on.

must have been a natural disaster down there.

roadburner

stickguy said:

Burner, I had to laugh at this week's weather. My daughter that hates being cold, and picked a southern school largely to avoid that, almost ended up in Columbia getting snowed on.

must have been a natural disaster down there.

My son hates the cold as well. and last year SC saw quite a bit of wintry weather- they cancelled classes more times in Columbia than they did in his senior year of high school...

Michaell

Not sure if this qualifies as good luck or bad luck - I've owned a Saturn ION that was part of the recall (son and DIL are now driving it with over 115K on the clock) and currently drive a 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT. The Monroney sticker on the Hyundai shows 27/37, so it was produced after the rolling change went into effect. Not eligible for any of the compensation I suspect many owners will receive.

@driver100 - I've got 3 doxies, all minis. Lily, Guster and Daisy.

venture

Michaell said:

Not sure if this qualifies as good luck or bad luck - I've owned a Saturn ION that was part of the recall (son and DIL are now driving it with over 115K on the clock) and currently drive a 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT. The Monroney sticker on the Hyundai shows 27/37, so it was produced after the rolling change went into effect. Not eligible for any of the compensation I suspect many owners will receive.

@driver100 - I've got 3 doxies, all minis. Lily, Guster and Daisy.

My daughter had a (supposedly mini, but he ended up being a 'tweener) long-haired wiener dog for over 13 years. After waiting a while for the kids to adjust to its demise, they got a golden retriever puppy. A cute little thing - until it started to grow. Now, 9 months later it is HUGE. What a culture shock.

driver100

Michaell said:

@driver100 - I've got 3 doxies, all minis. Lily, Guster and Daisy.

We had a friend who had a larger very old Daschund who really struggled to get up stairs...his name was David.

Lily, Guster and Daisy seem like more suitable names.

Michaell

driver100 said:

Michaell said:

@driver100 - I've got 3 doxies, all minis. Lily, Guster and Daisy.

We had a friend who had a larger very old Daschund who really struggled to get up stairs...his name was David.

Lily, Guster and Daisy seem like more suitable names.

I live in a two story house, and I dread the day where they struggle to get up the stairs.

My oldest is 11 now, but the younger two (5 and 4) keep her spry.

abacomike

Well, Dad and I went over to our clubhouse and voted this morning. With such a hotly contested Florida Governor's race, one would have expected to see crowds at the polling place, but alas, we were the only ones to show up at 7:30 AM. But then I remembered where we live - a retirement community where the residents retired 20-30 years ago, for the most part. Thus, they probably voted by absentee ballot or voted early in the last few weeks.

I don't like voting by absentee ballot or early because, for some reason, I just don't trust the voting process any longer. Too many incidences of ballot readers changing votes, tallying incorrectly, etc. I like to vote on voting day and see my ballot go through the machine - but who knows, the machine could be changing my vote as I slide the ballot in.

I have become more and more pessimistic about so many things lately. I guess I read and listen to the news every day which provides me with rationale to be wary about what goes on around me. There are so many great things that have happened in the last 25 years, but the same is true for the antitheses.

The explosion of the internet, texting, cell phones that are really computers, etc. Then there is the hacking of major corporate and government computers to extract data and info on just about everything from credit card numbers, social security numbers, bank accounts, etc. It seems that every time something great comes along which makes life either easier or more interesting, another thing comes along to destroy those great things, or at least make one think twice before using those new and great inventions and discoveries.

Then, there is the threat of terrorism that seems to be escalating almost daily. Heads being cut off, massacres, invasions, etc. It's an uneasiness that seems to dominate our lives lately. I used to feel secure living in this wonderful country, but no more. That sense of security has become more of a "when will it happen here" anxiety.

I do remember when life was more subdued and secure - but boring as well. Now, life is anything but boring. It seems we have to literally run in place just to keep up with the multitude of changes that have, are and will occur. I yearn for a middle ground where change occurs, but not so fast that it creates uncertainty, frustration and yes, even havoc.

I guess I relieved some of my frustration by orating a bit - thanks for allowing me to vent a bit without getting political.

imidazol97

The voting machines have to have been tampered with by someone with access to make them switch votes to another party's candidate. They are not connected to networks.

I watched very carefully this morning as I voted. I kept going back to see that my votes stayed the same. Our machines in Ohio print out a paper record of the ballot after showing the ballot summary on the screen, one page at a time. I watched the paper print on the side of the machine to be sure the votes were what I intended.

I did notice one thing about our brand of machine: to change a vote from one choice to another is not intuitive. I clicked line #2. Then I wanted to vote line #1, but when I clicked on #1 all I got was a light rattle snake sounder buzzing. I backed through pages to get to the instructions, and I read that you have to touch the erroneous vote to clear it, then you can press #1 to cast the new vote.

Michaell

Here in Colorado all voting is done by mail. We got our ballots a few weeks ago and I dropped them off yesterday. No more standing in line, no more faulty ballot machines.

Mike, I've stopped watching news on TV ... as you've pointed out, too negative and depressing. I can get what I need on-line, and I'm in control of the content - at least, I can choose what to read.

abacomike

Michaell said:

Here in Colorado all voting is done by mail. We got our ballots a few weeks ago and I dropped them off yesterday. No more standing in line, no more faulty ballot machines.

Mike, I've stopped watching news on TV ... as you've pointed out, too negative and depressing. I can get what I need on-line, and I'm in control of the content - at least, I can choose what to read.

If all voting is done by mail, isn't there a problem with people "stealing" ballots and mailing them in? And what about "deceased" voter ballots? There just seems to be too many ways an "all mail-in balloting system" can be fraudulently skewed. What protections are there if someone gets their hands on say 2000 ballots and then mails them in?

At least by early voting and voting on elections day, you are required to provide picture identification in the form of a driver's license or a State ID card issued by the State of Florida.

robr2

My town uses optical reading ballots. It's pretty simple to fill in an oval.

The past couple of mornings have been tough for my runs. It's in the low 30's and I start out with shorts, a fleece and a hat. By the end of my run, the hat and fleece are too much. By the end of November I will have to start adding light gloves and maybe running tights.

graphicguy

I've been trying to wrap my arms around the whole idea of these massive recalls. It started with the whole "Toyota unintended accelertation" debacle. I have owned Toyotas in the past. Not bad cars, from a reliability and longevity standpoint. Quite boring and the very definition of an automotive appliance, though. Which is why it was so shocking that they had issues with their alleged acceleration issues. So, it wasn't that they were hauled in front of regulators that surprised me. It was their incredulousness that anyone would dare try to do somthing like that which bothered me most. That was followed by the "What? Me worry?".....Alfred E Neuman act they used in front of Congress. That didn't sit well either.

So now, we're learning of Honda Airbag issues, on top of GM ignition switch issues, on top of MPG-gate with Hyundai. On top of my own personal issues with Audi and Cadillac in the past.

The question I've asked, what should be recalled? And what line has to be crossed? Certainly human death should prompt recalls (at least to determine the cause). Poor MPG? Is that cause for a recall? I know with my lead foot, I feel fortunate to get anywhere near the MSRP sticker's EPA estimate for MPG. Are there too many vairables to really make a blanket statement as far as MPG expectations? Do you live in a warm climate? A cold climate? A snowy climate? A hot climate? (prompting continuous use of A/C)? Is the air dense?

Those are all variables.

No person, no company is perfect. They've all stumbled. Mike's Mercedes issue...as he said, how many other cars leaked out of the factory with incorrect option lists? Is that worth a recall, though? Fact is, in that scenario, you can walk away from the car and the deal when that happens, as Mike rightfully did. As he said, he will never do business with Mercedes again as a result. So, they've lost a loyal customer.

While I own a GM product again, I still think the company handled the ignition switch issue much better than Toyota handled the accleration issue. GM opened their kimono and said "here's what we think happened. Here's how we plan to fix it? How big of a check should we write?"

Toyota gave us the 'ole "must be the floormats, which the owners foolishly misplaced on the floor of their cars". Really? That's all you got?

In the end, it's all about taking responsibility. Toyota sort of did, but only when forced. GM did, and knew they had to write a big check (not sure that's sufficient for loss of life, though). In Mike's case, Mercedes coporate didn't really care, giving him a song and dance. In short, they didn't really care, either. I'm sure they view it as, "it's only one customer". That is a shame.

imidazol97

graphicguy said:

GM opened their kimono and said "here's what we think happened. Here's how we plan to fix it? How big of a check should we write?"

Toyota gave us the 'ole "must be the floormats, which the owners foolishly misplaced on the floor of their cars". Really? That's all you got?

LOL. That's nailed the description of the two different manner of handling the situations.

graphicguy said:

In the end, it's all about taking responsibility. Toyota sort of did, but only when forced. GM did, and knew they had to write a big check (not sure that's sufficient for loss of life, though). In Mike's case, Mercedes coporate didn't really care, giving him a song and dance. In short, they didn't really care, either. I'm sure they view it as, "it's only one customer". That is a shame.

I'm really surprised by Mercedes' mishandling of an assembly error and appalled that a company
of premium motorcars would _have_ and assembly error of that type. They have all the money in the
world unlike some of the US companies who are counting pennies for shareholders, so I assume they have the best production computer systems set up in Germany, Belgium, or wherever they assembly that model.

stever

Michaell said:

Mike, I've stopped watching news on TV ... as you've pointed out, too negative and depressing. I can get what I need on-line, and I'm in control of the content - at least, I can choose what to read.

The rental condo we had for the last three months had a TV. I used it mostly to listen to the Sirius channels. Since killing our TV in '99, I don't really miss it, especially not the talking heads.

We were going to vote early but dilly-dallied around. Gives us an excuse to check out the Farm and Ranch Museum today - it's a close voting location to us and you can vote at any location you want to.

qbrozen

Catching up after a few days away. Wow, lot's of posts.

2015 Stang - I agree with the buddy who said it looks like a Hyundai. I been saying since the first pics came out that it appears to be late-model Tiburon from the side.

Shifty - I made that same mistake on a mazda pickup. Bought it for, IIRC, $1k. "just needed an exhaust." Well, stupid me, I found out that a bad exhaust can hide something much worse. It had a small crack in the head. I think I put about $1500 additional into that truck by the time I was done and it still wasn't right. Used it for a couple of years and let someone take it away for $500 at some point (I wasn't selling but he saw it sitting in my driveway and stopped to ask).

driver100

qbrozen said:

Catching up after a few days away. Wow, lot's of posts.

2015 Stang - I agree with the buddy who said it looks like a Hyundai. I been saying since the first pics came out that it appears to be late-model Tiburon from the side.

Shifty - I made that same mistake on a mazda pickup. Bought it for, IIRC, $1k. "just needed an exhaust." Well, stupid me, I found out that a bad exhaust can hide something much worse. It had a small crack in the head. I think I put about $1500 additional into that truck by the time I was done and it still wasn't right. Used it for a couple of years and let someone take it away for $500 at some point (I wasn't selling but he saw it sitting in my driveway and stopped to ask).

I never really thought of a 2015 Mustang looking like a Hyundai or Tiburon, but now that you mention it, there seems to be a bit of a resembance. But, the Mustang is a great looking car in it's category.


About the truck for $1k. I have never regretted paying more to get something better. I have often regretted buying something because the price seemed good at the time.

graphicguy

Car And Driver for December just hit my iPad. There's a fun article comparing a Hemi Challenger, a Camaro Ss, and a Mustang GT. Without givng too much away, they said the Challenger is a good muscle cruiser, but too heavy. Camaro was the best track car. The Mustang was the best muscle road car.

explorerx4

@oldfarmer, found this 14 vs 15 Mustang comparison while surfing around
autoweek.com/article/car-reviews/ford-mustang-gt-shootout-2014-vs-2015

roadburner

graphicguy said:

Car And Driver for December just hit my iPad. There's a fun article comparing a Hemi Challenger, a Camaro Ss, and a Mustang GT. Without givng too much away, they said the Challenger is a good muscle cruiser, but too heavy. Camaro was the best track car. The Mustang was the best muscle road car.

Don't know what it is about the Challenger, but I really do like it. I've driven the Camaro, but I can't abide the goofy interior; I want to like the Mustang, but I just don't...

nyccarguy

abacomike said:

@nyccarguy‌

Bradd, I never considered you to be SUPER MACHO but after that episode with "running on empty" I have changed my opinion of you.  Running out of gas is one of the most "macho" things a guy could do.

you say to yourself, as you look at your fuel gauge below the E in your instrument cluster, "...go ahead, make my day - I dare you to run empty on me!"  Then, low and behold, "cough, choke, splat, stall!"  

Macho, macho, macho!!!

Yup! That's me. 5'10" & 155 lbs of manliness! Argh! argh! argh!

driver100

nyccarguy said:

abacomike said:

@nyccarguy‌

Bradd, I never considered you to be SUPER MACHO but after that episode with "running on empty" I have changed my opinion of you.  Running out of gas is one of the most "macho" things a guy could do.

you say to yourself, as you look at your fuel gauge below the E in your instrument cluster, "...go ahead, make my day - I dare you to run empty on me!"  Then, low and behold, "cough, choke, splat, stall!"  

Macho, macho, macho!!!

Yup! That's me. 5'10" & 155 lbs of manliness! Argh! argh! argh!

That's me too. This is a car site right....not a dating site I hope!

How about a brief review of the Subie. Wouldn't mind hearing early impressions of the ATS and CTS X3 and others as well.

graphicguy

Well....I'm not the hunk that Bradd is, but you asked for a review.

CTS

Several things stand out. First, the Magnetic Ride Control (MRC). Cadilac has a winner on its hands. The CTS is the first car that can handle jarring bumps and broken pavement while holding a line, while not letting any reverberations hit the cabin. Yet, on the highway, you'd think you were riding on glass. Strange experience because it was totally unexpected.

It's light, and fling able, and whereas both my S4 and my TL SH AWD used trick torque vectoring around corners, their FWD roots were still felt. The CTS rotates similarly, only it's the MRC and the super rigid body structure that allows it at speeds that I really shouldn't be doing. In short, the car is easy to drive really fast, regardless of the road or their conditions. It feels light.

I have never experienced the level of build quality nor the high end materials as I've experienced with the CTS. Impressive, not only in its segment, but for any car I've ever been in. Did Cadillac really make this thing? Leather on the dash, sued on the doors, soft leather seats (that smell really good), steering wheel feels good and is just the right size. Real wood everywhere (and very nicely done) as well as real aluminum, highly sculpted touch points on the doors and the dash trim. Very well executed.

Maybe the color (grey metallic) but I've never seen a paint job like the CTS's before. I'm sure there's some orange peel, but washing it and waxing it last weekend for the upcoming winter, I certainly didn't notice any. It's smooth and glossy to a fault, and changes color a bit depending on the sun light. We'll see how durable it is, but it sure does look rich right now.

Steering is a ZF unit (again, quite surprising for big bad GM to use an outside source for their steering). The weight of the steering in my BMW, the S4 and the TL seemed heavier, but no more direct or precise.....just heavy. It's a different feel than what I'm used to. Sometimes I'll be driving along, usually in low speed driving and think how maneuverable the car is, then at other times, I'll be cruising along and think how direct and firm the steering feels....but I never feel any sort of transition from one to the other trait.

I've really taken a liking to these new(er) 4 cyl turbo motors manufacturers seem to be moving towards. This one is a gem. Don't remember the numbers but something like 275 HP and 295 lb/ft. It feels quicker than the Caddy V6, definitely torquier, and has some snarl to it, which I like, too. No turbo spooling up. Torque is always there. I'm guessing mid-high 5s 0-60 as measured by the butt-o-meter. I have the 6-speed auto. IT's ready to downshift, like right now. And it's smooth in the process. I'm using manual mode in this car more than I ever did in other cars. Put the shifter in "M" and take it up and down the 6 speeds (yeah.....little lacking in the number of gear, but it doesn't seem to matter). It won't let you over-rev. If you leave it in D, you can always down shift or upshift anytime you want. Forget the time it takes for it to go back into "D", but after a few seconds it does, unless you're in "M". Shift paddles work well, too. Shifts are quick, positive and very easy to execute. Most of my cars over the past several years have had paddle shifters. Hardly ever used them. The CTS trans encourages their use it seems. Plus, not only are the shifts done well, the magnesium paddles feel really good and substantial First full tankful out of the shoot, almost all city driving put it at 23.3 MPG according to the car's computer, or 23.6 MPG according to my hand calculations. I think I mentioned I took a little trip and got around 28 MPG. Absolutely no complaints about MPG.

Styling is subjective, I know. But, this is not a car you won't notice. It's in your face. From the great paint job, to the big Caddy crest in the grill, what stands out are the LEDs. There are a slew of them, and that's just with the DRLs on. If you've seen them on the road, you know what I mean. You'll see this car coming, and going. No worries about being a wall flower. That carries on to the inside. More aluminum, piano black high gloss and leather on the dash and shifter. The ambient lighting on the inside is impressive. It reminds me of romantic mood lighting. It uses a soft glow over the doors, the door controls, and the footwells.

CUE...a ton has been written about it, both good and bad. I see where both camps are coming from. Bottom line, if you're a technophobe, you won't like it. But, spend a day or so with it, and it becomes quite easy to understand. Touch icons that use haptic feedback (a slight pulse) to indicate your pushing of the virtual button. The much maligned touch sliders are really simple. I think Cadillac must have done some real work from the one last year and this current version. It's responsive and easy to use. Graphics on the screen are beautiful. NAV is one of those 3D maps. The screen is big, it's right in the middle of the middle dash, it's very legible, you can't miss it. Climate control is easy. Set the temp you won't on your side of the cabin and forget about it. Everyhthing else is done and comfy. GM, over the years, really knows how to do HVAC systems. No changes here.

Mine doesn't have a Heads up display, but it has a color, very well rendered screen in between the TACH and SPEEDO. You can call up MPG, song being played, radio station on the stereo, redundant directions with little arrows showing your turns and speed limits. It will toggle through the PSI in your tires. And, I'm sure it will probably display a whole lot more. All I care about are my directions and distance to empty. That's what I have displayed there.

Crazy, I know, but the glove compartment has a "power opener", and the cup holders are lined with aluminum, are lit up at night, and has a motorized cup hold cover that works when opening and closing. Really? Seriously? Yep, they're their.

Seems I got a little over the top in the review. Have to break it up......

graphicguy

CTS continued.....

Stereo....while not the equal to my ELS in the Acura, it does sound better than the Harmon Kardon in the BMW and the B&O in the Audi. Kind of a surprise. Bose doesn't have the best reputation among those of us who set up complex music and home theater applications. But, in this car, it's good. You have some DSP going on that you can use as surround modes. It's powerful. Has 14 speakers front and back. They're placed in the right locations for good sound. There's a subwoofer or two somewhere in the car. Don't know where, though. Don't care. It sounds good. It will play my iPod, my memory sticks, my iPhone, XM, AM, FM (the last two in HD, if available).. It has a CD/DVD player in the glovebox. Pretty inconvenient, but these days I don't use much in the way of CDs, and think it's dangerous to play a DVD in the car. I've heard all the protests...."I'm not watching the DVD, by passenger likes to watch while I'm driving. BS. I think anyone caught texting, having a movie playing (I don't care if it's in the front seat, the back seat, anywhere), in any moving car, should get the same sentence as someone who is driving drunk. You can not drive safely if you're looking at your phone, or being distracted by some sort of movie. You're going to look at it, no matter what you say. If you or your wife/husband/so/in-laws/kiddies, etc can't wait to get home, get to your hotel, to watch a movie, you don't deserve a driver's license. You're a danger to yourself, your family and others on the road. Rant over!

Speaking of not paying attention, this car won't let you do that. It has blind spot warnings on the sides and the rear of the vehicle. It has a backup camera that shows you how to back into any space (via colored lines) and a warning if someone is coming behind you. It will tell you if you've crossed a road line. It does all this either with a "bong" sound (bad) or a little vibration in your seat (not as bad, but I'm still getting used to it). Vibrate left cheek if you go over the left line, and do the same for the right cheek if you go over the right line. It won't let you rear end someone. It will vibrate the entire seat, throw up a bunch of red lights that reflect of the windshield and apply the brakes if it believes you're in eminent danger to rear end someone. Don't want to try out it's effectiveness, though.

Voice recognition.....best I've ever used, period. You don't even have to push bottoms. Sav "dial wife", and it recognizes and does it (after pairing your phone). Say "Navigation to 123 Main St, Anytown, OH" and boom, it recognizes your input and finds a route. Say..."play artist Led Zeppelin" and it searches your media and plays. Simple, effective, accurate. I didn't even have to memorize any commands. I just used "help" from the voice command menu a couple of times to get the hang of it.

Dealer's been great. They'll pick up my car for any work, even routine maintenance, to be done. Drop off a loaner for me to use. Return mine when it's finished, all clean. I can go for car washes when I want, except the interstate to get there is really messed up. So, I doubt I'll do that much.

In summation....the car handles great, is a great performer, is pretty, is put together very well, with materials that some luxury homes don't have. It's stout. It's safe. It's frugal. It's comfortable. It's pampering. We'll see if any untoward gremlins pop up. Right now, I'm quite pleased.

stickguy

Sounds real nice and like you made the right decision.

If I was shopping in that range would absolutely give it a look.

driver100

graphicguy said:

CTS continued.....



In summation....the car handles great, is a great performer, is pretty, is put together very well, with materials that some luxury homes don't have. It's stout. It's safe. It's frugal. It's comfortable. It's pampering. We'll see if any untoward gremlins pop up. Right now, I'm quite pleased.

Your CTS sounds just great...even if you aren't Bradd (lol).

I am so glad you are enjoying the new car. A lot of the things are the same features I am enjoying about the E400.

There doesn't seem to be any buyers remorse, in fact quite the opposite. The content of your car seems to be incredible. I think of that with my E. The car is 3 years newer than my 535, it costs about 4% more...but, it has so many features that they would add up to that difference in price alone. It seems like you have bell and whistle known to man, and you are enjoying and appreciating them.

Nice review and nice to hear you are enjoying it so much.

imidazol97

graphicguy said:

CTS continued.....

Great! It certainly seems that "when you turn your car on, your car turns you on," to paraphrase the CTS commercial from a few years back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sq6yuxxU2ro

abacomike

Well, they updated me on the date my E400 is scheduled for manufacture - November 18th. Once produced, they said the car has been prioritized for shipping to the Port of Brunswick, GA, whatever that means. My dealer told me that they expect the car sometime around December 10th, give or take a few days, which means at least another month.

Mercedes had one of their big shots examine the original car that is currently sitting in the back of the dealership. According to my sources at the dealership, they will probably "rewholesale" the car with a new MSRP Monroney sticker indicating that the car was produced without Blind Spot Monitors and Lane Tracking Assist which are standard features on the E400. They will probably discount the car significantly in order to rid themselves of it.

For someone who does not mind not having those features, they probably could steal that car. I am just too used to having those features on my cars that I do not want to do without them.

The new E400 that is scheduled to be built will have "Active Lane Tracking Assist" and "Active Blind Spot Monitors" which will self-correct movement into a lane by braking the wheels on the opposite side of the car to move the car back into its proper lane. Same with backing up the vehicle - if a pedestrian or object is sensed, it brakes the car. Also, if cross traffic is sensed, whether a pedestrian or a vehicle, it will brake to avoid hitting the object.

I just want to get my new car already and put this experience behind me. Very frustrating.

driver100

abacomike said:

Well, they updated me on the date my E400 is scheduled for manufacture - November 18th. Once produced, they said the car has been prioritized for shipping to the Port of Brunswick, GA, whatever that means. My dealer told me that they expect the car sometime around December 10th, give or take a few days, which means at least another month.

Mercedes had one of their big shots examine the original car that is currently sitting in the back of the dealership. According to my sources at the dealership, they will probably "rewholesale" the car with a new MSRP Monroney sticker indicating that the car was produced without Blind Spot Monitors and Lane Tracking Assist which are standard features on the E400. They will probably discount the car significantly in order to rid themselves of it.

For someone who does not mind not having those features, they probably could steal that car. I am just too used to having those features on my cars that I do not want to do without them.

The new E400 that is scheduled to be built will have "Active Lane Tracking Assist" and "Active Blind Spot Monitors" which will self-correct movement into a lane by braking the wheels on the opposite side of the car to move the car back into its proper lane. Same with backing up the vehicle - if a pedestrian or object is sensed, it brakes the car. Also, if cross traffic is sensed, whether a pedestrian or a vehicle, it will brake to avoid hitting the object.

I just want to get my new car already and put this experience behind me. Very frustrating.

Once again, they are doing everything they can to correct this huge mistake. It sounds like the information wasn't entered correctly at the factory, and the car was probably one of the first off the assembly line.

That car would be a steal....I could live without the lane change warning, but, I sure would want the blind spot monitoring. It may have been the last one off the line destined for a country where they wouldn't use those options.

Now, I am just trying to go by my faltering memory, so correct me if I am wrong. It seems to me you ordered the car, but, it was really for dealer inventory. The dealer thought you may like it and would sell it to you if you wanted it. Technically, at this point, you haven't put money down, and it was really the dealers car....until you took possession a few days ago, and discovered the options were missing. I know it is still frustrating and aggravating, but, if the dealer hadn't pre-ordered the car for you, the car would probably arrive in mid December. It's not nice, but not as bad as it could have been....if you had pre-ordered. They were being extra nice to you, by ordering a car they thought you would like, but, you didn't have to take it.....if I remember correctly and put that together correctly.

abacomike

@driver100‌

You are correct, driver.  I still have given them no money and they returned my CLS 550 with the title.  They provided be with a buyer's order showing the P.O. number of the new car with notations and initials indicating that my trade will still be honored at $61,500.  It shows a revised balance of $3,128 which states the balance will not be paid by the buyer - Mercedes is picking up the balance.  They are also honoring my fleet discounts of $4000.

Bottom line is that they are selling me the new car ($72,025) as an even trade with no moneys due.  I also believe Mercedes is going to offer me additional incentives (that's what I was told by Montvale, NJ) to make up for this mess, but I won't know what those will be until delivery of the new car.

I do believe the dealership and Mercedes have done everything they could possibly do to satisfy me.  After November 25th, if the dealership has a buyer for my trade, I will give them the CLS 550 since I will then have a 30 day grace period for my insurance.

But, you are correct in your statements.  

I took a look at my front tires and they only have 3000-4000 miles left on them so at least I won't have to buy new tires at $375 per tire.

you leave for Florida in a day or two.  The weather down here has been beautiful.  Have a safe trip.

houdini1

Exercise

This particular exercise has kept me fit and trim for years. Start by standing on a stable surface, take a 5 pound potato bag in each hand, and hold your hands straight out. Try to last for 1 minute. Each day try to last a little longer.

Next, move on to 10 pound potato bags, then go to 20 pound bags, then 50 pound bags. Finally you can attempt 100 pound bags ( I'm at this level). After you are comfortable at this level, try putting a potato in each bag.

thebean

houdini1 said:

Exercise This particular exercise has kept me fit and trim for years. Start by standing on a stable surface, take a 5 pound potato bag in each hand, and hold your hands straight out. Try to last for 1 minute. Each day try to last a little longer. Next, move on to 10 pound potato bags, then go to 20 pound bags, then 50 pound bags. Finally you can attempt 100 pound bags ( I'm at this level). After you are comfortable at this level, try putting a potato in each bag.

Yeah, but what the H am I going to do with 200 lbs of taters???

robr2

houdini1 said:

Exercise

This particular exercise has kept me fit and trim for years. Start by standing on a stable surface, take a 5 pound potato bag in each hand, and hold your hands straight out. Try to last for 1 minute. Each day try to last a little longer.

Next, move on to 10 pound potato bags, then go to 20 pound bags, then 50 pound bags. Finally you can attempt 100 pound bags ( I'm at this level). After you are comfortable at this level, try putting a potato in each bag.

Now trying running with those bags. That will really tone not only your body but improve your heart and lung health.

imidazol97

thebean said:

Yeah, but what the H am I going to do with 200 lbs of taters???

If I eat that much potato I'm going to NEED the exercise!

Michaell

I think everyone is missing the point.  He is suggesting that you just lift the bags – empty. Then add just one potato to each bag

abacomike

That Audi recall of 180,000+ 2013-2015 A4's and S4's (also one other model) due to improperly programmed air-bag deployment systems is a big one for Audi.  

Driver, you should check the recall out to see if yours is included before you leave for Florida.

imidazol97

Michaell said:

I think everyone is missing the point.  He is suggesting that you just lift the bags – empty. Then add just one potato to each bag

I was suckered right along and then got the punch line. That was my belly laugh for the day.
I needed that...