Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sedans

paul_p · July 2001

ctic - I'm thinking about getting a CD changer from Clairparts for my '00 C230SE. What were the steps to installing yours in the trunk of your '99? Is the thing easy plug and play?

What about not being able to return electrical parts to Clairparts if the thing doesn't work? I fried a new radio once on a VW GTI due to someone else's improper previous wiring attempt, so am a bit apprehensive.

- Paul

diwc240 · July 2001

DaimlerChrysler Beats Expectations:
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - DaimlerChrysler AG beat market expectations with its second-quarter results on Friday helped by a stronger than expected performance at its loss-making U.S. Chrysler unit, sending the stock higher.
....
Mercedes-Benz, one of the company's main profit drivers, posted a 10 percent rise in its second-quarter adjusted operating profit to 830 million euros.

($1-1.143 Euro)

Thanks to all the new C owners !!!!

nanky · July 2001

Nanky -- would appreciate verification of your numbers, since our kids are twins.

>> Miki, I will verify the numbers tomorrow. With my wife driving the car lately, I have been relegated to a weekend C driver. Why do I have a feeling our cars were one after the other on the production line?

Tires - I saw a C320 + C6 that had 18' Lorinser wheels. The car had been lowered a tad and the wider tires gave it a more sportier look. I believe the fronts were 225/40/18 with 255/30/18 on the rears. It really looked sharp. Now, although I like the wider look, should I decide to keep my 16 wheels which are currently fitted with 225/50 tires, does anyone know if a wider size 16' would fit on them?

404c · July 2001

The Auto Bild website has a summary of this week's article in which the above-noted three cars are compared. Check it out:

www.autobild.de

I hope this doesn't spoil it for anyone, but the winner of the test is...the C 240, with the Ford, er, Jaguar in a distant third place. That is perhaps not surprising, but that the faster BMW did not best the C 240 in the ratings scheme may be a little surprising. Most car magazines tend to be into speed above all else, but I guess Auto Bild has a more realistic attitude to car assessment.

Also interesting is the fact that the BMW's "official" fuel consumption figure, some 2 L/100 km (about 20%) better than the C 240 is proven to be false in the case of the test vehicles, as the BMW actually drank slightly MORE fuel during Auto Bild's test than the C 240. Very interesting...

ctic · July 2001

It was as easy as 1-2-3. I remember that I had to buy the CD and the CD installation kit. All the connections are plug ins. The CD worked right away. There are only 2 connections! 1 for the power and 1 for the fiber optics.

If you return something to clairparts I think they charge a 10% re-stocking fee, but you better ask them.

Recently, someone in the Mercedes M-class forum (or here? these are the 2 I frequent) mentioned that he could get the OEM MB/Becker CD changer for much cheaper from another website/company. Better go there and ask.

jtouga1 · July 2001

All you European car lovers out there, please check into "European Parallel Importing" on the Smart Shopper in the Town Hall.

I really need you opinons and advice on this subject. Thanks...

Jon

spndx · July 2001

Question for those of you who have done some customizing of your MY01 C-Class (i.e., lowered springs, wider wheels/tires): did your MB dealer do the work? If not, do you know how it affects your warranty? How much did it cost?

That is my next 'want' item after the CD player. I'm not looking to cut my springs down to the ground, but lowering them to match the Sport model specs sure would be cool.

nyca · July 2001

For folks who have changed their wheel/tire setups, are you sticking with an aspect ratio that maintains the wheel height? You can find a decent tire size calculator here:

http://www.c5-corvette.com/tirecalc.htm

It's not just the speedo error, I've heard that cars with ESP don't react too well to changes in the overall wheel/tire height. Comments?

drew_ · July 2001

As long as the overall wheel diameter does not change too much (probably 1-4% is safe) from the stock diameter, you should be okay. ESP can compensate for slight differences. The problem is that if you put on a drastically larger tire, the wheel speed sensors that the ABS and ESP rely on can give false readings. Larger tires spin slower, so the ABS/ESP may activate prematurely or too slowly. If you do have a flat tire, you can use a different size spare tire as long as it is within 10% of the diameter of the stock wheel. However, you should switch back to the proper size ASAP, as 1 different size tire could wreck the differential.

Drew
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kwmb · July 2001

I'm picking up my new C320 in a few days and wanted some advice please. What should I look for when picking it up?

kenyee · July 2001

Doesn't the C have some COMAND system config for the tires like the E class does? I thought it was a COMAND feature so that's why you can't do this on the ML's MCS...
You'd think they'd be able to make it configure automagically by using the internal GPS from the TeleAid system...

drew_ · July 2001

I just learnt from MB Canada that Parktronic will be optional on the C-class for '02, at least for Canada. Designo editions will also be offered, no doubt at a lofty price. Other than that, everything else is the same.

The '02 C230K coupe will be CDN$33,950 (manual), and CDN$35,450 (automatic). The C320 wagon will be $52,850, or $2250 more than the C320 sedan. The C32 AMG is $65,900. Considering that it comes with things that are optional on the C320 Sport, the price differential is much less than I would've though. That is, below CDN$10K. Here's where it gets interesting though. The E320 sedan has an MSRP of $68,350. I bet a lot of potential E320 owners will be wondering whether they can sacrifice the larger amount of room for an AMG sedan. ;-)

On an unrelated note, the 6 disc CD changer is now standard equipment on the '02 S-class, and the '02 E55AMG. For those prices, it's about darn time! The MSRP for the S430 LWB is now CDN$101,860. The standard equipment level of the car (S-class) hasn't changed either since its debut for MY2000, and yet there is a $2K increase since then. Not impressed with their pricing structure! And the MBC president was wondering why sales are still slightly less than BMW Canada's. Ha!

Drew
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benz747 · July 2001

All,

been to dealer and saw my Silver Princess finally sitting on the dealers LOT (C240 Auto, C2) dealer said the car will ready by Monday (they need to fit FREE CD changer) and I can pick up on Tuesday.

So just a littel information for 2002 buyers that the MB has increased their prices on BASE and Color ($600 and $25 resp) and I had to pay $700 more after taking into consideration taxes etc.

I just need a few checklist from current owners as what I need to look before picking up my CAR on Tuesday

I am really thankful to all of you for contributing their views about the most beautiful entry level SEDAN; in my opinion the closest competition will be a new Q from infinity (at least there Advertisement on TV is impressive)

thanks once again

edarte · July 2001

I am interested in how long it takes between order date and pickup of MY2002 C320's.

I ordered my C320 (Illinois)end of May and I am now being told to expect delivery around Sept 21st. Previous delivery date was August 21 but apparently leather shortage is also causing slow down in building of C320's with leather.

What were/are your order and delivery dates?
TIA

fuzzo · July 2001

I ordered my 240 from the same dealership in b'more as you did. When did they give you an exact date the car would be here. I was told my Marsha B that my car just went into production and that it will take about 40 days to get here.

Also was the price increase for the color standard or just for the metallic colors?

Thanks in advance

doug110 · July 2001

I always perform the first oil change on a new car at 1,000 miles and then subsequent changes every 3,000 miles thereafter. My C320 now has about 1,000 miles and the dealer insists that I don't need to change the oil the first time until the oil service light comes on in 8,0000 - 10,000 miles!

Has anyone done any research on this? Is it really OK to wait that long?

BTW - this board has been extremely helpful. I was able to figure out a lot of the electronics on my car just from your posts.

Thanks

gregmd1 · July 2001

I hit something in the road with driver's side tire and have cracked the plastic under panel and lower painted body panel just below the front door. Does anyone have any educated estimate as to how much I should expect to repair this damage? I just want to be prepared prior to going to the dealer

404c · July 2001

I am not impressed with the admittedly minor price gouging that MB Canada has decided to unleash for 2002.

Let's see...a year ago the Deutsche Mark was worth something near 80 cents CDN and it was possible to sell a C 240 Classic for $37,450. Now the DM is around 68 cents and the C 240 Classic price......RISES by $500, with no change in equipment. That must be the new math, as practised by MB Canada ;-)

And how about the C 32, for the equivalent of $43,000 US ($65,900 CDN). That's quite a lot cheaper than the US version. I wonder if the Canadian one has rubber flooring and wicker seats, to be able to undercut the US MSRP by $7000 US.

I think MB Canada has interesting marketers working for them - the C 240 Classic customer is way more price-sensitive than the C 32 customer. And yet the C 32 customer gets a huge price break. Curious, considering how few C 32s will be sold in Canada.

Mike

paul_p · July 2001

Thanks for the CD info, ctic. Will be sure to check out the M-Class forum.

Showitt, thanks very much for the extended warranty info!

- Paul

drew_ · July 2001

Paul, Steven also the one who mentioned in the M-class topic that he used a Bekker CD changer for the sound system. No surprise there since the stock headunit is probably made by Bekker too.

Mike, I'm not too impressed either. Frankly I am surprised that they decided to raise the price at all because the C-class is already expensive compared to the BMW 3-series, even though there was no price increase from the '00 C280 to the '01 C320. Feel free to write to MB Canada's president, Ernest Lieb, to voice your complaint ;-). FWIW, he was actually down in Vancouver a few weeks ago at one of the local dealerships, having a meeting with the sales managers in the region.

Drew
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kenyee · July 2001

It's almost tempting to import one from Canada ;-)

jrct9454 · July 2001

This topic has been beaten to death on this and other forums; let me try to do this briefly but decisively:

There is absolutely no reason to dump the oil on this OR ANY OTHER CONTEMPORARY CAR at 3000 mile intervals. The primary contaminant in the oil is unburned HC, and in the era of computerized engine controls and super-clean exhausts, the oil stays much cleaner much longer. Even with so-called severe conditions and conventional oil, anything more often than 6 months or 6000 miles is wasted effort and resources. Using synthetic oil and with an average driving cycle, 8-15,000 miles is what most owners can expect. You want to be conservative? 7500 miles as an average is super-conservative, and roughly [very roughly] equivalent to the old 3k rule of thumb.

mleskovar · July 2001

Right on John. "Cheap insurance for your motor" but not for our environment. Why we think we know more than the engineers that design these cars is beyond me. Anyone driving these cars hard enough to require more frequent changes than specified is either racing it, in an extreme adverse environment (arctic, Death Valley), or a taxi.

benz747 · July 2001

Fuzzo,

I was fortunate to jump on a cancellation and my dealer had to just make minor changes like color and package requests; however that CAR has already been ordered by dealer for someone else; and was soon due for production; thats why I will get my CAR early; MB has raised their prices on almost everything - if your CAR is Black or White you only have to pay difference in base price which shoots up from $29,950 to $30,500. Will post accutae prices tomorrow after getting the CAR in hand -

nanky · July 2001

Miki - I finally had a chance to verify the temp readings. Normal driving with no traffic registered around 89/90. In bumper-to-bumper traffic, it rose to what I read as between 97-99 with the outside temp in the low 90s.

sandiegotom · July 2001

I checked out the 2002 C320 station wagon at MB of San Diego last week. Frankly, if this car had been available when I got my C320, I would have forked over the additional $1500 or so and gotten the wagon. The dealer also had a couple of the new C-Coupes; sporty and priced to sell. They had a bunch of 2001 C320s at about $1500 below sticker. 2001 E320s were almost $5000 below sticker. I suspect they're hiding the 2002 models until they can move the '01s.

Tom

edarte · July 2001

I am not a mechanic but my father was one as well as a service advisor for GM, Renault & others and he advised changing on a new car after 1000 miles. This was to clean out any possible filings, etc. that may have been left behind in the machining/assembly process. While the odds of this happening are low in modern manufacturing processes it is "extra insurance'.
Ed

garybow · July 2001

Picked up a C320, Aspen Green/Oyster at the factory and drove it 1400 miles. I loved it, but wife doesn't like bucket seats, so if you want to save some $$$, contact me at garybow@aol.com. I live in Carmel, CA and the car will arrive at the end of August.

sddlw · July 2001

The cheaper DM is actually good for MB. They get more DMs for each US or Canadian $$ spent on their cars. Just as a more expensive $$ is bad for companies who sell primarily abroad, who then get fewer $$ for every DM spent.

drew_ · July 2001

Just a reminder that the MB chat is on tonight (6-7pm Pacific/9-10 pm Eastern). Hope to see you there!

http://www.edmunds.com/chat/mercedeschat.html

404c · July 2001

I think that you may have misunderstood my earlier posting - I know that the lower DM is good for Mercedes-Benz when selling abroad. What I was questioning is why they couldn't have passed some (not all) of the savings on to their North American customers.

I am happy that Mercedes-Benz can make a buck or two extra in our markets, but the real question is why the 2002 US/CDN model has a HIGHER price than last year's, while the car is the same and the value of the DM has DECREASED during that same period. To me that is a very curious phenomenon.

Even if they had kept the same price as 2001 models, Mercedes-Benz would STILL be raking in some windfall dollars over here, due to the change in the exchange rate.

mleskovar · July 2001

For service bulletins go to:

http://www.mbworld.org/forum/w203/board/home.html

See post "Bulletins Posted" 7/24/01

Interesting reading. Some of the problems posted here show up in these bulletins.

drew_ · July 2001

...to go directly to the site with the bulletins:

http://www.mvw.net/mb/

Drew
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michhala · July 2001

Nanky -- Happy to get your temperature readings. It appears that three of us all have the same temperature readings, which means mine is O.K. I will just have to find something else to worry about.

-- but not right away as I am coming out of a computer disaster. A Dell Tech on the phone with his on-site tech succeeded in doing something that required reformatting my primary drive and secondary backup drive. GoBack was of no help, nor my Iomega 1-step backup. However,I was able to recover all my data, favorites, address book, and some set-up .exe files from my 250 zips which I also use as backup. It is so strange to be updating Year Y2K after the fact.

Miki

michhala · July 2001

Nanky -- Happy to get your temperature readings. It appears that three of us all have the same temperature readings, which means mine is O.K. I will just have to find something else to worry about.

-- but not right away as I am coming out of a computer disaster. A Dell Tech on the phone with his on-site tech succeeded in doing something that required reformatting my primary drive and secondary backup drive. GoBack was of no help, nor my Iomega 1-step backup. However,I was able to recover all my data, favorites, address book, and some set-up .exe files from my 250 zips which I also use as backup. It is so strange to be updateding Y2K after the fact.

Miki

sddlw · July 2001

Pass on savings?? Not in todays corporate world. It's true that the DM, now tied to the Euro is worth about 60% of what it was only a few years ago. You'd think there was some outrageous profits being made, and in some instances, there probably are. If you could go to an EC counrty and buy a car in Euros, and have it shipped back you would save tons of money, except for the fees and retrofit, etc. But in all fairness it is also true that the base price of an E-class has remained virtually unchanged for 10 years. (My 1992 E300 retailed at $50K.) The successful dealers and salespeople at MB make a lot of money, the cost of waranty repairs is very high, and financially, Chrysler is ruining them.

michhala · July 2001

It takes four or five attempts to achieve a successful logon. I have contacted support and I have cookies enabled. Is this just my unlucky week/month?

Miki

tarik · July 2001

I think Edmund's is having a "bad hair day" today, about twenty minutes ago TH wasn't accessible at all (at least for me). It looks like a self-healing service interruption, though.

Tarik

pat · July 2001

We've been having a few problems, lately, no doubt about that. Sorry folks. Thanks for hanging in here with us.

Pat
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ssmith701 · July 2001

Quick update: Car's been in the shop (6th time since November)since last Thursday and service manager says: "I'm hoping to have it 'fixed' by Friday. It's coming up with an error code for the controller unit. We're waiting on the part which should be here today." This would be the third controller unit the car has had. My s/m also said: "I cannot promise that this will fix the problem. That could be why the radio is arcing...because there's a short somewhere in the system and it's like peeling an onion." Hmmm. $45,000 to drive a white Saturn. (my loaner car).
FYI: production number 40,000+. Did I mention the various rattles? The lexus dealer offered to drop off a lexus for an extended test drive. I'm close to taking her up on it.

gfish49366 · July 2001

rowlandj,

I have the same am radio problem with my C class. What was the cost of replacing the amplifier?

ssmith701 · July 2001

Gfish--no cost to replace my radio--all under warranty. If they keep replacing things on this car, I'll have a completely new car soon. Someone sometime ago posted a question about "radio volume going up and down." Yes, MB radios come with the speed sensitive capability, BUT....noticeable changes in volume are NOT what's supposed to happen. Mine radio/telephone/cd (doesn't matter) will go from barely audible to ear deafening loud without moving or touching a button. That's "arcing." (sp?) Amplifiers? optic cable crimps? cable pinches? Shorts? etc....These are the reasons I've heard.

My intermittent engine ticking STOPPED after 5,000 miles (currently has 7500).

I've also had everything else posted here: sunroof switch, sunroof rattle, express open and close switches, mirrors not returning/seats not returning, and on and on. The seats have not rattled, but goodness knows, it seems at times that everything else has: glove box, right door panel (whole thing replaced), something in the b pillar driver side, dash (around the radio). Oh, and the express open and close feature only works, according to the SM if "you're standing at the car (less than a foot away) with the key pointing toward the door. That's what MB told me (sic)." So, that feature is virtually worthless for me. Oh, and the keys have been replaced.

Now, in the interest of balance...did I tell you what a great riding and driving car it is? I barely remember as I tool down the highway in my Saturn loaner. Oh, and the Saturn has 22,500 miles on it and has one small rattle, which I mention for the sake of balance.

Is my "C" a lemon or am I stuck with this thing and it's quirks for two more years while I wait for the depreciation to catch up?

The dealer offered me $36,500 (then upped it to $37,300) to get me out of the problems. It's a fully loaded sport edition; the only thing it doesn't have is Xenon headlights.

Our E-wagon is great. I'm really, really torn and so very disappointed.

benz55amg · July 2001

Go to whylifesucks.tripod.com to see tons of pictures of new Mercedes-Benz's, BMW's, Audi's, Porsche's, Ferrari's etc.

spndx · July 2001

Sounds like you got a bad one. I picked up my C240 in Stuttgart last March and have only had one minor problem: a rubbing sound from my steering column as it moved in response to my memory setting. A simple lube job fixed it.

As for the Lexus option, my recent trip to Japan just reinforced what I've always felt about the Lexus/Infiniti/Acura competitors - save your money and buy a Toyota/Nissan/Honda, because that's what you're getting. The Japanese don't have these 'luxury brands', but they are the exact same cars (i.e., there is no such thing as a Lexus in Japan).

rowlandj · July 2001

No cost change as the car is still well under the warranty period.

JR

zmeenow · July 2001

good mornin all..
18,000 trouble free miles..... ac keeping me cool on long drives up and down new jersey(keep that rear shade up.. makes a difference!.

mleskovar · July 2001

Check out the Technical bulletins...there are several for AM radio reception (loose connection at rear window, replace rear window, window tinting etc.).

sandiegotom · July 2001

mleskovar and drew:

Thanks for posting the links to the MB service bulletins. I ran across Message #508 dated 11/1/00 which precisely describes the 'whining' noise on deceleration that I reported here in post #3559 (6/25/01). It appears that some C320s display this gear noise because the differential cover comes into contact with the rear subframe on deceleration from highway speeds. The fix is the installation of two shims to gain adequate clearance. The service bulletin says that it applies to VINs below 022063; my VIN is 031373. I've contacted the dealer service rep, and while he was not familiar with the issue, he did find the Message #508 when I gave him the reference. They are ordering the shims, and should install them next week.

Another Service Bulletin of interest is the issue of hesitation on acceleration when starting up from stop. I also mentioned this minor problem on this forum a long time ago. The Service Bulletin describes this condition as associated with "two-footed" driving, i.e. driving with the left foot operating the brake and the right foot operating the gas. I habitually do this when backing out of my driveway, stopping, and then starting ahead. This is where I noticed the hesitation. Apparently, the throttle is held in idle for 1-2 seconds after the brake is released before responding to the new gas pedal position. The fix is to quit driving with two feet!

Tom

ecc1 · July 2001

I've been "lurking" here for a while and wanted to share my purchase experience. I've been driving domestic suv's for years and finally decided to take the plunge and get a "near?" luxury car. Purchased a new C-320, loved the car, drove great, handled great, etc, etc. for a day. Noticed that the key would not open all the doors and windows. Might open one of the back rear windows, or one of the front windows maybe not. Took the car to the dealer of course couldn't duplicate. Drove for another day. Key doing weird things, sometimes opens, sometimes not. Once the key would not unlock the doors, I'm getting concerned. Took back to the dealer, couldn't duplicate. Drove another day weird electrical things happening, outside hemp reading 122 when actually 84. temp gauge slowly counting 100, 101, 102 etc. Took back to the dealer, this time they could duplicate the key problem ordered another. This was when I noticed on the door sill the sticker said the car was "Made in Brazil". I calmly walked from the service kept to the sales kept and asked for my salesman, he's off and I talk to the "general manager". I express my concerns with the car and the fact that I had thought I was purchasing a "German" luxury car not a Brazilian car. He said I should have known that everyone knew they were making some in Brazil and gave me the 800 number for MBUSA and said I should complain to them (I'm not calm anymore but didn't say anything). I called MBUSA and spoke someone who assured me my car was not made in Brazil, after my insistence she put me on hold and then came back on the line and told me that I was wrong, that maybe the "sticker" on the door sill was made in Brazil. Before my purchase I read everything I could find on the CM class, nothing mentioned Brazil. The cars I test drove were made in Germany (I checked). The car I purchased was a dealer transfer and had the window stickers removed when delivered. Anyhow to make a long story short, I had to stop payment on my check and had to pay $1,200 to the dealer to take the car back (they hadn't even titled it.) Needless to say, I felt like I had been taken advantage of and my experience was not pleasant. I trade cars about every year and this was the worst experience since a 1982 S-blazer. I can't believe the arrogance of the MB dealer and this will be my last MB. Oh, I forgot to mention the hesitation when accelerating, the "rocking" chair feel of the front seat, etc.

bbilly11 · July 2001

Hello guys,

Any idea how the new C-Coupe is doing? Any glitches? problems? Any thoughts would be appreciated?

thank you

Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sedans

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