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Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sedans

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Comments

  • 404c404c Member Posts: 146
    I can't speak from personal experience since neither of my local dealers has a C240 manual in stock, but I've read that it's a massive improvement over the old generation 5-speed, with shorter throws in particular. This comment is from German road tests. I can't wait to try it myself. Hey, after driving a 404 Coupé with a C3 gearbox, any shifter would be an improvement!

    The C320 is N/A with the 6 speed, which also puzzles me. Must be marketing geniuses at work.
  • cticctic Member Posts: 291
    Try www.clairparts.com. Come back and let us know!
  • mschultz2kmschultz2k Member Posts: 1
    I just ordered my CLK 320 today! Black with only one option...K3 package..sunroof. My dealer knew someone who could install an equal quality sound system for less...and had a great selection of rims...I am in the Central Jersey area and will let you all know how that goes.

    I was given a delivery date of the first week of March..however, after reading through these posts I am realistic that the wait may be longer..did anyone here actually get their car on or before projected delivery date? Just curious.

    Michelle
  • filterkingfilterking Member Posts: 9
    Did anybody buy this from a dealer ? one dealer quoted $300 for both front and rear with the installation. MB web sites says it will cost $76 total. How complicated is the install ?
  • tariktarik Member Posts: 344
    BTW, I remember those 404s, mainly sedans though, you wouldn't have a picture up on the web to see this marvel?

    Tarik
  • tariktarik Member Posts: 344
    The feel of the manual isn't anywhere close to the BMW's (forgive me the use of the "B"-word!), which I consider excellent. Whether or not its tactile impression changes after a while, I don't know, but this comment has been made before. We will have to wait and see, I guess.

    However, the MB salesman in Germany was all happy about their new six-speed. The final drive ratio in sixth gear is still about the same as with the old five, which in essence forces you to shift more often than before. One thing though, the car is "un-mercedes-ly" responsive when you "hit it", a clear benefit of the closer spread of gears.

    Why it is not available for any other 6-cylinder car than the SLK beats me, but may be it's only a question of time. OTOH, there is a good chance that this decision is based on:

    - marketing reasons (brain eclipse)
    - popularity assumptions (forgetting the more active type of buyer)
    - boneheadedness (those Germans... ;->)

    More after my December trip, where I get to drive a C 200 K rental car. It better not be too snowy then...


    Tarik
  • lwhomerlwhomer Member Posts: 13
    The front license plate is "required" in California, but failing to have one is only a fix-it ticket. I drove my M-B for 7,500 miles and was never stopped about not having a front plate. I have seen a lot of M-B's without front plates in the Sacramento area, so I assume enforcement of this requirement has a pretty low priority. I confirmed this with a visit to a highway patrol field office.

    Larry Homer
    lwhomer@cwnet.com
  • sleakesleake Member Posts: 47
    I too have seen a lot of cars (not just mbs) in Sacramento without front plates, which is why I decided to go without for as long as I can. It's so much easier washing the car when there's no plate to disrupt the smooth lines in front. ;-)
  • vfcvfc Member Posts: 1
    I'm waiting for my 320 (about 1 more month), and am considering different wheels. When you got the AMG wheels, what did you do with the originals? Was your dealer willing to give you credit for them?
  • very_likeablevery_likeable Member Posts: 5
    Tom-

    I noticed you bought your car from Hoehn in Carlsbad and I am getting ready to buy there as well. My salesman is Chuck Hardy (also Tom Brown) and he seems like a straight shooter.

    Has your experience been totally favorable? There are so many MB dealers within an hour that I can easily choose another.

    Thanks for the info.
  • dennettdennett Member Posts: 332
    Has anyone here gotten their stock rims chromed? If so were they done through the dealer or did you take them somewhere yourself? What were the costs? I saw a black C320 in Alpine CA with chromed stock rims and they looked awesome, I bet they'd look great on our red C! I talked to a friend who owns one of those little used car lots and he claims he can get them done for me, actually swap mine for chromed ones, at some place in Carlsbad Ca for $500 out the door using his retailer license. What do you think?
    PS-Our trunk still won't open!!!! It doesn't go in until Friday AM, I'll let you know how it goes.
  • dennettdennett Member Posts: 332
    I hope everyone's been out for some great Sunday drives!
  • lyovlyov Member Posts: 1
    I ordered my c320 on nevember 10. The salesman said it would take between 2 to 4 months. I got a black one with charcoal interior, Xenon, Heated seats, prem leather and glass sunroof. The dealse req a $500 dep. Im planning to change the rims when the car arrives. Im going to put Brabus type V in 18X8.5 size. Can anybody tell me what tire size i should put on the rims both front and back? My guess is 225/40 front and 245/35 in the back. Also, is lowering suspension available from AMG yet? My dealer didnt have any idea about that. Thank you.
  • sandiegotomsandiegotom Member Posts: 50
    Very Likeable:

    I actually put in two orders (and deposits) for my C320; one at Hoehn in Carlsbad, and the other at MB Of Escondido. Each knew that I had an order at the other place - I was treated courteously and fairly at both places. In the end, I went with the dealer that could provide the car I wanted in a reasonable time. Hoehn did everything they said they would do, and had the car about a month earlier than the Escondido dealer. Subsequent to the sale, Hoehn has been very good about follow-up and service. I have no reason to believe that Escondido MB would be any different. In fact, they recredited my deposit promptly and cheerfully. When I buy my next Mercedes (and I have an eye on the next-generation E-class wagon), I would have no hesitation with dealing with either dealership. While I'm at it, I also talked to MB of San Diego, and although I didn't place an order with them, I think they would have been quite satisfactory also. Perhaps we're blessed with three "straight-shooters" in our area! Having said all this, we were always talking MSRP!!!

    Tom
  • hitek777hitek777 Member Posts: 1
    I took a dealer Cee for testing yesterday and I was surprised at the sluggishness.. thinking it was the C240 I took out the C320 sport and got an even worse stalling. Has anyone noticed a hesitation from standing start, even after you stomp on the gas? My old Sebring and BMW will get up and go on demand! These cars will cough for 1-2.5sec and then begin to propel. What the hell is going on? Am I the only Mario Andretti in a MB?

    I weven tried it using the Autostick in 1st to no avail! HElp!
  • dennettdennett Member Posts: 332
    I too really noticed it at first, as have many others here. But now I don't really notice it, it only behaves that way when backing out of the garage, that's probably a good thing, and the initial shift into drive. It doesn't behave like that after those first two accelerations, or lack there of!!LOL What's everybody else think about this?
  • dennettdennett Member Posts: 332
    There's never any coughing or sputtering, it just takes its time. Seems to be by design.
  • diwc240diwc240 Member Posts: 172
    I test drove a C 240 6 speed for an hour on Saturday (2nd test drive) and love it !
    Not sluggish off the start and very impressed with
    the 177 ft-lbs torque all the way thru 4500 rpm at
    80 mph in 5th. Almost don't want to put it in 6th as the revs are then quite low. It's too bad they have not (yet) brought the 320 out in a stick. It would have been nice if the tach was a bit larger but I'm sure I will get used to it.
    This dealer's C 240 6 speed has 1200 miles on it so I did push it past 5500 rpm on a couple of shifts.
  • lhcleunglhcleung Member Posts: 24
    Hi All. I am still waiting for my C320 which I ordered back in October. Could the owners of the new C Class share with us any problems with the new cars they have already been driving? I looked at the mercedesbenzproblems.com webside, and I can find only the old C230 or C280, but no C240 or C320. Thanks.

    Louis
  • nusinknusink Member Posts: 12
    Just read an auto magazine review of the C320. There was a comment about the suspension not handling a series of bumps gracefully. For you current C240/C320 owners; How does the car handle on a freeway that has the expansion joints every few hundred feet or for that matter any road with irregularities? Thank you very much for any observations.
  • pauls6pauls6 Member Posts: 7
    Ordered on November 19 and picked up on December 2. Somebody canceled their order!!. I love this C320. Had it for two days and have put on a couple hundred miles already. People love this car. They all stop and stare. No problems so far. Great ride,(and suspension) no brake squealing, trunk opens with the button... Will keep you all posted.
    P
  • diwc240diwc240 Member Posts: 172
    What color and options did you get then on the
    one you took "early" delivery on. What State ?
    Ian - N.J.
  • johnwarnikjohnwarnik Member Posts: 3
    Greetings to all!
    I have enjoyed your many comments in this forum. for those of you who own a C240 with automatic, I'm curious about your thoughts on performance.

    Do you find that the C240 with automatic has "acceptable" acceleration?
  • johnwarnikjohnwarnik Member Posts: 3
    Just my 2 cents to add to your many stories about "the wait". I ordered a 240 with auto, silver metallic, C2, C4 from a Chicago area dealer on November 15th. Last week, the dealer got back to me with a build date: "the last decade of January" meaning delivery to me in "mid to late" February.
  • lwhomerlwhomer Member Posts: 13
    One of the reasons I soured on my 2K C280 was the miserable acceleration from 0-15 mph. Although there was no misfiring or stumbles involved, it felt like a 3-cylinder engine until about 15-mph, when it felt like the other 3 cylinders kicked in! I think M-B calibrates the drive-by-wire system to not allow WOT, perhaps to avoid wheel spin (impossible with a C280, even with the traction control de-activated). In any event, I suspect it is something you just have to learn to live with.
  • intel7778intel7778 Member Posts: 1
    lwhoemer and sleake: The State of California only sent me one license plate, so I assumed you only needed a rear one. Did you get two license plates from them?
  • sddlwsddlw Member Posts: 361
    We bought a car from Tom Brown several years ago and have come to know him over theyears. He's a good guy, and very helpful if you have any problems at the dealership.
  • ksydneyksydney Member Posts: 11
    Check carefully to make sure the two plates aren't "nesting" in each other tightly. I recall thinking the same thing when I last got new plates a couple of years ago.

    The new plates are very thin and it could be overlooked as one plate when you pull them from the DMV envelope.

    keith
  • nusinknusink Member Posts: 12
    Take a good look at your license plate. There is a VERY GOOD possibility that you have 2 plates stuck together in the envelope that they sent you. California always issues tow license plates and requires two license plates to be secured to a vehicle.
  • nusinknusink Member Posts: 12
    Re: Above post. California issued TWO license plates not TOW plates. Just my luck, tow and two are definitely in the spell check dictionary.
  • 4murphy4murphy Member Posts: 20
    The General Manager at the dealer where I purchased my vehicle is now involved with trying to fix my squeaky brakes. He gave me his BMW, they are joint dealership, to drive while they worked on my vehicle.
    I noticed that my C240 rides better and is quieter.
    The trunk opens and all other things seem to work well. If I had not had the brake problems, I would be writing rave reviews about this vehicle. For one thing I feel really safe driving it. It is a sturdy auto.
  • dennettdennett Member Posts: 332
    That's what we've got and we're more than happy with acceleration and overall performance. I drove both the 240 and 320, and I thought the difference would be more noticable. Don't get me wrong you can tell the difference, but the 240 is plenty peppy. It's about equal to the new 325 BMW, and I'm sure the new 170hp A4. It all comes down to money and how you plan to drive it, if it had been primarily for me I'd have gone for 320, but being it's mostly for the wife it's great and she loves it, if only the trunk would open!
  • newmbfannewmbfan Member Posts: 59
    Maybe Jimmy Hoffa is in your trunk. Have you noticed any strange odors??? <:-)
  • shatershater Member Posts: 1
    I'm getting my C240 in January and I'm wondering if it's worthwhile (& money) to get a 36 month extended warrenty?
    Since I have never owned a MB prior to this I'm not sure what to expect from a reliability standpoint.

    Any feedback or comments greatly appreciated.
  • mtroymtroy Member Posts: 45
    Last week I reported my luck of landing the C320 I wanted two days after leaving my deposit (with a different dealer). On arriving home, wife noticed scratch on hood. (View car under lights to check for scratches.) So I drove it back to dealer and they did a quick and completely effective buffing out of the scratch. On arrival home from work later that night, the CHECK ENGINE light went on. Only 150 miles, and no it wasn't the gas cap which I hadn't touched. I took it in to the nearby MB dealer where it sat all day Saturday. Problem code involved the fuel injection system, and they couldn't pinpoint the problem, so I had to leave until Monday. So today, they reported to me that they replaced the fuel pump and some other significant sounding parts I don't know, and they still have the car. This is my worst nightmare, shelling out a fortune for a problemed car. Dealer says there's nothing they can do - yet, but wait and see, and then if the problem can't be fixed, they;ll support me in my dealings with MB. Service dealer says, we'll find and fix the problem eventually, that it's like a computer that crashes. "My two HONDA computers have NEVER crashed!" Now, instead of enjoying my beautiful new, fricken' expensive car, I'm completely discouraged and demoralized, and frankly, I think MB should just give me a new car. Instead of convenience, I have to begin contemplating going to war. So I pose to his sharp and thoughtful group: Would you insist on getting a different new car if the check engine light went on on your way home from the dealer?
  • dennettdennett Member Posts: 332
    I hope they've at least given you an ML or some other nearly new MB to drive while you get yours staightened out! I don't know about getting a new car, it's most likely some minor problem that they'll get cleared up. Be careful and don't burn any bridges with your dealer, and give MB a chance to make it all right. If they don't, then by all means go to war! We still can't get our trunk open, but we still love the car, and we're very confident that we'll be taken care of by both MB and our dealer. If not then all the stuff they told both you and I about the experience of owning a Benz will be lies won't it! Try and think positive!! Let us know what happens with your situation, we'll be pulling for a positive resolution!!!!!!!
  • no3onno3on Member Posts: 7
    Hi all. I over heard someone saying the other day that the old C(MY2000) had more room than the new C. Is there any truth to this ?
  • nfotxnfotx Member Posts: 15
    I picked up my C320 on Friday afternoon. Currently have 415 miles of which 240 were highway driving in a thick fog. During that time I have been thinking about the extended warranty offered by Mercedes. Everything I have read in books and the internet says "No" to extended warranties. and, that's the position I took on the purchase day. In fact, what made me so suspicious was the extra emphasis they placed on the warranty. The salesman tried to sell me the warranty, one of the service writers tried to sell it to me and so did the finance manager when I signed the papers. That's three people in a two hour time period all emphasizing the extended warranty. Sounds like a racket to me. On the other hand, I have heard a MB owner thank this same service writer for talking him into buying the extended warranty. Evidently, he had a problem car and would have spent thousands trying to get the problems fixed.
    I was told I have a one year period in which to buy the MB extended warranty. With 12 months to make up my mind, I will see how the car's multiple options and functions are behaving at the six month period. Now if I was the guy above who had the engine light illuminate on the way home from the dealer . . . I would buy the extended warranty.
  • mhs7386mhs7386 Member Posts: 33
    Regarding your previous question about size: I have a 2001 C240. The 2001 C cars are one inch longer than 2000 C's. And MB slightly changed back seat angle, so that rear seat space is a little larger. I believe the only thing that's smaller on the 2001 C is the trunk, by an inch or so.
  • dustytrailsdustytrails Member Posts: 4
    I'm deciding between these cars, and I have asked the same question on a Volvo forum. The general knock on C320 is that it is not built to sturdy MB standards. 'Thin metal or thin car' stick in my mind. Have you multiple Benz owners detected a drop in quality in this latest Baby Benz? I travel rough dirt roads every month or so and don't want to shack the thing apart.
    Feel free to "discount" the S60. Neither cars have been crashed so feel free to speculate on safety, too. Thanks
  • diwc240diwc240 Member Posts: 172
    4murphy: I mentioned this to my Salesman (he started as a Technician with MB 26 years ago) that the C 240 6 speed test drive on Saturday, the brakes squeaked = better technical term = Harmonic Singing. He said this can/may occur on any MB if you lightly apply the brakes. Just like when you run your finger (after dipping it in water) around the rim of a crystal wine glass.
    A similar effect is occurring when the brake discs/calipers close on the rotor. When I applied firm brake pedal pressure it did not occur. I will be interested to read your post once the Dealer has returned your C 240 to you. Maybe the discs need a fine adjustment ?
  • cgwcgw Member Posts: 7
    I'm in the same boat, but leaning towards the C320. Safety is not the tie-breaker for me; I assume that both are safe, esp if you add the DSC to the Volvo. The Edmunds "Volvo S80 Reliability" board suggests that the geartronic has had problems; these may have been fixed, but it is hard to tell. That board also indicates that Volvo of NA has been unresponsive or hostile to owners with significant problems. Then there is the issue with toys - no rain-sensing wipers, passenger seat memory, or xenons on the Volvo. I sat in the Volvo, and while it was comfortable, it felt a bit more cramped in the drivers seat. Interior is sort of a tie - the wood on the MBZ looks better than the plastic on the Volvo, but the leather seats on the Volvo look and feel better than the standard C320 seats. In favor of the Volvo, it looks great, especially with the available 17" wheels (I think that the stock C320 wheels look cheap), I have heard nothing of the poor throttle response issues associated with the MBZ, and you can get navigation and still have a cassette player and CD changer. Also, fully loaded, it costs around $5k less than the C320. I haven't driven one yet. Nice to have such a problem.
  • ny74kny74k Member Posts: 1
    I am happyly driving my '00 C230K in NYC and taking it to Long Island for pleasure during weekends. Since WINTER is knocking at my door, I would like to ask fellow New Yorkers that what I should do on my baby for this winter. Any tips are welcome!
  • letedeletede Member Posts: 7
    I have a '99 230 and last winter we did not have snow tires on the car... that was a mistake..the car does not handle very well in the snow at all. Just put 4 snows on the car last Saturday and also have 2 50lb. bags of sand just in case it get's really deep.We are in Ct. so we share some of the same weather.... if anyone tells you one does not need snow tires on the LIE there crazy.
  • mb320mb320 Member Posts: 3
    I just ordered my C320 Saturday and will be taking delivery in approx. 2 weeks as the vechile I speced out happened to be in port! (lucky me!!)

    RE: "Possible hidden recall" on the doors:
    I spoke to a mech I know at MBZ and he said they had been alerted to rear door lock problem and that at the port they were fixing/replacing the fusebox. I'm not sure if the problems are related but it seems likely.

    Can anyone add anything to this??
  • fedssocrfedssocr Member Posts: 90
    I guess the fuses regulate the elctronics, so this might make sense. Could this also be the cause of the trunk not opening troubles? Seems like a related sort of malady.
  • mb320mb320 Member Posts: 3
    Very possible that they are related!!!! Maybe the fuse box is the real problem and these are just symptoms!!

    I drove both and, don't get me wrong the BMW is a very nice car! Very fast Very Very responsive but it was too much towards to sports car end for what I was looking for.
    The BMW standard seats, although they look great I thought they left a bit to be desired on comfort (no or uncomfortable leg support) and the drivers area was tight.
    The Tiptronic shifting was nice in the sense that you move forward and backward to manually shift (MBZ is left and right) but it slipped in and out of the Manual and auto mode too easily for my liking. Even though the MBZ doesn't even change positions to manually shift it seemed to stay in position better.
    Just an opinion, what do I know coming out of a Blazer!!! I'll never buy American again!
  • mb320mb320 Member Posts: 3
    Has anyone noticed the time is incorrect here?
  • fedssocrfedssocr Member Posts: 90
    it's Pacific Standard Time
  • 404c404c Member Posts: 146
    BMW 3s are nice cars too, but if you're concerned by problems on the C reported here, check out the E46 forum on Bimmer.org. There's some serious crap being reported there, much more menacing than the things on this forum. My conclusion is that anything posted on the Internet (including this) is not particularly reliable. Better to check the statistically significant reports (JD Power, Consumers Report), in which both cars get good reviews. Enjoy your new car!
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