2008 Mercedes-Benz C Class Pros and Cons

1mbfan1

The new C is a beautiful car outside and in. But as one of MB's biggest fan I have to say there are a few hicups. First, the entry level C300 could use a bit more power. Second, what happened to options like 'keyless go, parktronic, and seat memory switched in the doors'? And third, more wood is needed in the dash (the control panel looks Japanese in design). I believe MB may have a supplier problem and rushing the C to the American market. I will not purchase my C until these options are offered (they are offered in Europe and Canada). Picky, picky, picky, but this is suppose to be a luxury car.

falvor88

I couldn't agree more. Keyless go would of been nice and the seat memory is definitly necessary especially if you have multiple drivers. THey do however offer parktronic (called quick park) and is a dealer installed item. I'm having those put on in the next few days by the dealer.

I must say though.. .even without those items.. its a great car!

1mbfan1

Quick park eh? That's what it's called also in Canada. Well thanks for the info...one down and two more to go (options). Now the C is 'near' luxury (smile). Maybe the C63 will provide. Thanks again.

abqhudson

Same for me - no memory seats means no sale. I'll wait until MB offers them.

oberpfallz

Hello all, I used to be a Product specialist for BMW but just switched to Mercedes. Any questions regarding the New 2008 C or any of the other models, please feel free to direct to me. I can also answer availability concerns in the North Georgia Area starting October 1 2007..
I used to post on the boards as KandG and have written stuff in the LR3 forums, 300zx z32, and for the BMW E46 3 series,

Thanks,

Regards,

Greg (uberfallz)

electrician

hey greg, i got a question for you, I just purchased the 08 C300 sport with the multi medida package, and wanted to know where the pcmcia card slot was located? also do u know anything about the new google maps feature where u can send the address to the car via your computer?

toybenz

Not only are memory seats lacking, but the power tilt/telescopic wheel as well. Also, the front seat headrests (I believe) are no longer power-adjustable. What I would miss most are the old "fold down" headrests in the rear seat...

be325

I took the headrests out and put them in the trunk on my other car. When we have passenger(s) (once a month or less), we put them back in.
Someone suggested that and we noticed that the visibility has greately improved.

1mbfan1

I understand your wait 'abqhudson', afterall you can wait @ a year or be unhappy for several years with options we wish you had waited for. Thanks for replying.

1mbfan1

Nice to hear from you Greg. Can you please address the issues of my orginal post (re: cons) on the new C Class. Particularly why are those options not offered and when might they be? Thanks for replying.

1mbfan1

Yes 'toybenz' that is so true. This is another cost saving design which so-calls cheapens the car. Now the headrests blocks your rearward visibility...I thought the new C was design around 'safety'. As for power front headrests, those would have been tied in with the power memory till/telescopic steering wheel package (hence: switches afixed to the doors).

1mbfan1

This maybe a quick-fix but come on now, this is suppose to be a luxury sport sedan. My friend does the same thing in his Kia. Smile. Thanks for replying.

1mbfan1

P.s. Thanks for replying 'toybenz'.

toybenz

As fate would have it, my 2000 C is in today for a "B" service, and I have an '07 C280 4MATIC rental. I do like all of the features mentioned in post #7. I was also curious if you know the answer to this: there is a large hump on the left side of the driver's footwell. Is this due to the catalytic converter, or rather is it related to 4MATIC hardware? (My apologies to the board for veering off topic).

jurisdr

Hi Greg,
I have a few questions regarding the steering wheel controls and the ipod accessory kit on a C300 Sport. Is there a voice-activated bluetooth feature with the C300? If the iphone is docked in the ipod station in the glove compartment, can the phone functions be used via the steering wheel controls?

Thanks,
Michelle

1mbfan1

Hi Michelle. Until Greg answers I can give you my two cents worth (smile). First, Bluetooth interface is standard on all C classes. Second, I'm not sure of your iphone question but I believe if you link your iphone with the car you can use the steering wheel functions...then dock the iphone with the ipod dock for use with your audio system. To be certain, ask your dealer.

1mbfan1

Interesting. I would ask/call the service department. Let us know. Thanks.

spazzo

Hi Everybody
i got C280 and there is that memory slot, and im wondering if anyone can help me abt what type of memory card is that ???
is it PCMCIA memory card or what exactly ??
and how it works ??
thanx in advance

1mbfan1

I believe the memory slot 'they' are referring to in only on the new 2008 C Class. It's a slot that allows you to retrieve music from your computer and store them on a hard drive that is inserted into the slot - so you can play music in your car. It's becoming prevalent on more
automobiles.

be325

We never bought a car in its first year of production. I think the new C was being sold in Europe for some time and hope that any flaws that surfaced have been corrected. MB needs to get to the 'Average' or 'Above Average' level in reliability.
We like the new C-class and so far, we heard nothing negative from the new C-owners in the forum...... perhaps they are still in the infatuation period?

nedzel

"I think the new C was being sold in Europe for some time and hope that any flaws that surfaced have been corrected."

Nope, it's new over in Europe as well.

be325

I thought that MB started selling the new C several months before they arrived here in the US.

nedzel

Then I guess we have a different definition of "some time."

VW models have often lagged two years between Euro and US launch. And still there were major bugs...

I doubt that you'd see any significant quality difference in a couple months. It takes a while for most problems to appear, for them to be realized as a trend, for them to be solved, and new parts get to the factory.

We've got a 2002 C240 -- second year of production -- and it still had some significant teething problems.

jrct9454

Our '08 C300 Lux has 5000 miles on it [a long road trip soon after delivery, which was just over 2 months ago]. It was built in Bremen in June, and carries a 17xxx serial number. So far, there have been no issues at all....everything works, and this is probably the best of 54 cars I've owned since 1962 [including 14 other Mercedes, AND an '02 C240].

The difference in the way this car feels, how solid it is, how really well put-together, vs. our W203 C240 is hard to explain, but it is noticeable and notable. This car makes me believe Daimler may have its act together again.

It's quick, quiet, very comfortable, and solid as a rock - we couldn't be happier.

At this point in its life, our C240 had a couple of annoyances, including wheel alignment and a leaking differential, that had come up and been fixed. We never had any of the electrical gremlins that plagued the early cars, but then we avoided things like memory seats and the CD changer that were big sources of trouble. Before it was sold, the only other thing on our '02 was the failure of the horn, replaced twice. I liked that car, but the new one is on another level altogether.

cdnpinhead

Thanks for the report. Keep us posted as the miles pile up.

be325

Very reasuring comments for all of us thinking of getting into new C. Don't get options you don't need is a good rule.
How the MB-Tex seats feel after a long ride?

1mbfan1

Yes, I would have to agree with 'be325'. For the most part both European and US models were introduced at the same time.

1mbfan1

My apology, I meant "nedzel" NOT be325.

jrct9454

The seats in the C300 are as good as any we've had - no problems with 8-10 hour days in the saddle....but then, all of our MBs have had good seats for long touring days. I consider this a strength not just for MB, but for all of the German manufacturers.

Anyway, under no circumstances would I pay extra for leather seats...no one I know can tell the difference, and I'm very happy that MB has gone back to MB-Tex as standard. Easy to take care of, no difference in comfort, much more durable...

be325

Good news on all fronts!
Ah, one more question, ... someone wrote that the back headrests obstruct the rear view (they can't be folded with the push of a button). I was planning to take them out (and put in the trunk)... we rarely have passengers.
Any problem with the back head-rests?
Thanks again.

1mbfan1

For it was I, re: the read headrests. The headrests being able to fold down was a convenient and safety feature offered only by MB. All I was saying is that it should have carried over into the new C Class.

In addition, MB text is the way to go.

swells1

I just sold my C240 this past weekend. The new owner called and said the CD Changer is not being recognized and will obviously not work. Anyone else have this happen, and how was it resolved?

1mbfan1

My new 2006 C280 (owned only 6 months) did the same thing intermittingly and each time I brought it into the dealer, the CD worked well. It really irritated me. Have the dealer look into it. All the best.

mbc300

Can someone confirm if passenger side tilting mirrors are included in the 2008 C class? I can't seem to find anything on this feature on the mbusa website.

falvor88, you mentioned you are getting the parktronic feature installed. How much did this feature cost and which model benz do you own? I presume its available for the C300 or C350?

jrct9454

No, the mirror does not tilt.

cpking

I'd love to know if there is any way to adapt the COMAND system to actually control an iPod, rather than having to use the steering wheel controls.

cpking

The memory slot uses a PCMCIA flash card adapter. I use a Compact Flash (the same one used in Canon digital cameras). You can copy MP3 files to it and the car treats it like a cd. A suggestion is to organize your files in folders because if, for example, you use the track names iTunes assigns to songs, you get a lot of 01 Song Title, 01 Song2 Title, etc. It can make it difficult to navigate. Otherwise, it's great!

surface

mbc300, I got the quickpark feature for $618 (parts & labor). It's a dealer installed option that we got with our '08 C300 Luxury model. They sent the parts to the paint shop to be matched to the car's color (Palladium Silver), and then installed it the next day... it doesn't have the visual warning like I believe the "parktronic" feature (available in the U.K. on C class) does, the "quickpark" (U.S. C class version) does one quick "beep" when you put it in reverse and then if you start to get close to something it starts beeping with the beeps coming closer together until it becomes a solid tone. Unlike "parktronic", "quickpark" is only available for the rear. Unless you do a lot of parallel parking, it may not be much use. I got it for my wife who has trouble turning around to look when backing up. I did note that in one parking lot, it didn't go off when I came mighty close to a lifted pickup. Perhaps because of the jacked-up bed of the truck and the angle, it was too high for the quickpark to register... but had I gone any further, my quickpark bumper would have been fine, but the top of my trunk would have gotten crunched. So, I wouldn't rely on it entirely... but it is helpful in some situations, like if a little kid is behind you or something.

novacouple

Hummm, I rented a new style C-Class, exactly like the one in the U.S. now, earlier this year (2007) while visiting Stuttgart, Germany long before they went on sale here. It was a diesel and it was wonderful! Damn thing seemed to never run out of fuel! I hear they may offer the C-class diesel her in 2009. If so, I'm buying!
jmc

cpking

I purchased my C300 Lux in October. In general, I love the car, with a few notable exceptions, the greatest being the iPod control. I had thought I could actually control and navigate the iPod using the COMAND system, but discovered I could control it ONLY through the steering wheel - a very arcane and difficult system. With 80GB of music, this is not practical.

I have found myself using the PCMCIA slot, copying mp3 files to it and using it instead of the iPod - not my ideal solution, but one I like better than using the sterring wheel.

If there is ever a software/hardware upgrade that allows COMAND control of the iPod, I'll be buying it!

rick92

fuel system.. there is something wrong with it. The fuel pump schematics. They dont know yet. Unacceptable. Inplain english... it means the car can die on you without any warning.- :sick: