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Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sedans
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This was not the usual remote key malfunction; however, it was an electronic problem. He told me they had new keys and when I bring the car in to make sure they check the number on my remote key (241 1155)as a precautionary measure.
Miki
While I cannot definitively comment on your service advisors statement about “that the front tires spread when driving at high speed” on both BMWs and MB by design, I do feel qualified to point out a few things:
I currently own a 1999 BMW 328i that will be three years old pretty soon and has almost 32,000 miles. Not only have my tires not developed an “uneven/wavy wear pattern”, they look so good that I suspect that they will last another 20 to 30 thousand miles.
Back in 1996, I wrote the new “Customer Assistance” software for MBUSA here in Montvale, NJ, as a result, I worked with all of the Customer Assistance Reps and A LOT of live data. I never heard of your problem, ever.
As for your problem, it sounds to me like you have an alignment problem and/or a wheel (or wheels) that is/are out of true (somewhat unlikely).
I hope this helps.
Best Regards,
Shipo
It's too late now - given the description of the tires you have, I would throw them away and start over: a new set of MXV4s and a complete alignment, with regular rotations at much shorter intervals than called for in the book.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Key 1
Steering Column only.
Key 2
Steering Column and seat easy exit.
If I put key 1 in the ignition, the seat returns to the last setting from the last time that key was used even if key 2 had been used in between.
The seat only pulls back after key 2 is removed from the ignition. The steering column moves out of the way if either key is removed.
I now have 3 different seating positions in memory for each key. I also have my key set to unlock all the doors with 1 click but my wifes key only unlocks the drivers door on the first click and the rest of the doors on the second click.
This is how I understood it was supposed to work but it took three sets of keys before everything worked right.
BTW my key number is 221 1411
This has all been only slightly irritating. 15,000 miles and overall, I am very pleased with the car.
Mercedes is going to pay for both during the first 4 years or 50k miles, whichever comes first. After that, you are on your own, unless you purchase one of the extended warranties...those from MB can take you out to 8 years and 100k miles, for costs that range from $1400-$2200, depending on who's doing the quoting and which program you pick. But the extended warranty won't cover preventative mtc, just repairs.
Compared with anything Japanese, I would generalize that routine preventative mtc costs are more or less on a par, or even slightly lower than premium Japanese brands from Toyota, Honda, and Nissan. But repair costs out to the ten year and 120000 mile mark [or beyond] are going to be much higher with anything German in general, and MBs in particular.
There is nothing peculiar about the C in this regard vis-a-vis any other Benz model, though its relative simplicity compared to an S or a CL works in its favor. Basic drivetrain components are pretty robust, the new [since '98] V6s being better than their iron-block, straight 6 predecessors for reliability; most of the issues with the 5 spd automatic were worked out several model years ago. It is the electronics and aux components [water pumps, AC systems, etc.] that drive owners of older cars crazy with writing checks...and these things are always more expensive to fix than their Japanese counterparts.
Great driving cars, high on the nosy-neighbor factor, excellent resale value, good long-distance comfort, safety, etc...but never inexpensive to own for the long pull.
Would someone who has had an oil change before the FSS 10K and lives in Southern CA please advise which Mobil 1 they used. Service advisor told me that weather had a lot to do with choice. Or if you don't
live in Southern CA and can give me advice, I would appreciate. My service dept. is still using the contracted Penzoil synthetic, but agrees with me that Mobil 1 is preferable.
My thanks.
Miki
Thank you
Miki
Changed the oil at 3-4 thousand miles. Brought my own oil to the dealer and I used Mobil 1 15-50 as that was the only recommended weight I could get over the counter. No raised eyebrows at the dealer and no problems with the cars either.
I use 31 in the fronts and 33 in the rears for my tires. I find this the best compromise for ride and handling. It has worked out fine and again it is well within the recommended pressures. I found that higher pressure in the front led to a harsher ride.
JR
I find the heavy marketing of Mobil1 to be something I just ignore; we have used Castrol Syntec 5w50 on all our cars for the past 8 years or so. It's the oil that BMW is using at all their dealerships now. The viscosity range is ideal for us, given the Sacramento area's wide range of temps [20s and 30s in winter to 110 in summer].
You really can't make a mistake with oil these days, though for best fuel economy and quick warmups, most car makers want you to use something with a cold viscosity of 5 or less. In LA, the 15w50 is a reasonable choice, just not an ideal one. Mobil's viscosity choices have always left me scratching my head a little...they seem to require you to make a choice between cold weather climates and warm, a choice I prefer to avoid by picking another synthetic.
Oil choice is like gasoline, though - everybody has some story to tell that convinces them that Brand A is great and Brand B is awful...I believe all synthetics are fine, so make my choice based on our needs. Conventional oils that meet all of the SAE standards for your car are equally interchangeable, a statement that will no doubt get the religious zealots in the group up in arms...oh well...
>either.
Appreciate your input on both posts. After posting here, I discovered that Mobil 1 has an excellent website I asked my question there, and recd a reply this morning telling me the 0W-40 is not available in the US. Their E-mail also states that some foreign car dealers import small quantities for servicing purposes for their new customers. I, personally, doubt if Mercedes does this because I am told they are still under contract to Penzoil.
>I use 31 in the fronts and 33 in the rears for >my tires. I find this the best compromise for >ride and handling. It has worked out fine and >again it is well within the recommended >pressures. I found that higher pressure in the >front led to a harsher ride.
According to my dealer service area and the independent West Coast Tire dealer here, anything lower than 33 is not recommended. Both also recommend the same pressure in all four tires. I only drove a short time after the change from 32/28 to 33 all tires and the ride seemed smoother.
Miki
Since I just discovered that the 0-40 is not available in the US (see my post #4814), I have no choice other than the 15-50. The C320 shipped with Mobil 1 synthetic and I am wondering which weight they used. Castro is also on MB list of approved engine oils.
Your advice is well-taken in that I will not go wrong going with the 15-50. I have an 800 number to call at Mobil 1 technical, and if I find out anything valuable I will post it.
I am always confused when I find so many variables within an industry.
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply.
Miki
I spoke to a tech at Mobil 1. He told me that my 320 should have 0-40 and this is what it had at delivery. However, the 0-40 is not available to the public but should be available at my dealer, because they use 0-40 for the AMG. My service advisor told me Mercedes was still under contract to Penzoil -- the Mobil 1 tech told me that contract ended approx the end of 2000 or beginning of 2001. He suggested that if I cannot get the 0-40 from my dealer I should try another one. I remember so many posts here re 3K or 4K oil change that mentioned bringing their own oil to the dealer. If the 0-40 was what was needed and the dealer had the oil for the AMG, there was no need to bring their own oil, so why did they do so?
Summary: Approved MB engine oil in the booklet with the 320 manual: OW-30 (not available in US); 15W-50 (available but not what is needed). Not listed in booklet is 0-40, which is what came with the car and is what I should use -- except it is only available from my dealer who tells me they are under contract to use Penzoil.
Miki
Miki
Now, my understanding is that MB has advised all of its dealers to start using synthetic oil on all FSS-equipped cars, period. Which synthetic, no matter what you hear, is mostly irrelevant. Pennzoil, Quaker, Castrol, Mobil and others all make synthetics that pass all of the relevant technical specs and are just fine for this or any other car.
IF, and this is a big IF, it matters to you, then purchase the oil from an independent source and take it to the dealer for the oil change. I have always [for all of our cars since the purchase of our '94 C220] brought the appropriate amounts of Castrol Syntec 5w50 to the dealership. They cheerfully put it in the crankcase, and credit me for the equivalent of whatever they charge for whatever they are using at the time. I have had techs tell me they think the Syntec is an excellent choice, but I think any synthetic will do just fine.
For SoCal, if you absolutely HAVE to have Mobil1, then I would recommend 5w30 or 10w30, which should be available at all of the usual sources [discounters and auto supply places]. Nothing wrong with the 15w50, either, though I personally prefer a cold viscosity of 10 or less. Castrol Syntec can be had from discounters in 5w50 viscosity for around $3.75-4.00 a quart, depending on sales...I buy it whenever the price is right to use in our cars.
What the dealer is telling you, in a fashion that is less than straightforward, is that any SAE approved oil with an appropriate viscosity range for your climate is fine...which is completely true, but counter-intuitive to a lot of people who have strong beliefs on this topic. Mercedes doesn't care whose label is on the bottle as long as it is SJ and a reasonable viscosity for the ambient temps.
This generalization DOES NOT apply to a lot of other fluids for their cars - they have extremely specific and short lists of providers of differential oil, ATF, coolant, PS fluid, brake fluid, etc. But we were told they no longer try to make lists of approved crankcase oils because it takes too much effort to try to keep up to date.
Interesting that for my 1993 Toyota truck, using anything less than premium gas causes the engine to ping horribly on acceleration. I've checked the timing - and retarding it to eliminate the knock would put it out of specs. All I can figure is that the truck must be jealous of the MB, and is demanding the same preferential treatment. After all, they do share the same garage! :-)
Miki
Oh, John, it is more than "mild" LOL. Thanks for the great overview and education on the subject. I appreciate this very much.
>Now, my understanding is that MB has advised all >of its dealers to start using synthetic oil on>all FSS-equipped cars, period.
The MB Service and Parts Operations Manager told me in January that all dealers would be using Mobil 1 Synthetic. That said, my dealership's Parts manager orders only Pennzoil.
>or SoCal, if you absolutely HAVE to have Mobil1, >then I would recommend 5w30 or 10w30, >nothing wrong with the 15w50, either, though I >
personally prefer a cold viscosity of 10 or less
Now I am down to three weights I can use and armed with
the knowledge that it is a personal choice -- lotsa lessons learned here -- I don't have to go by the book, since the dealer does not -- and maybe I should lighten up a bit, except one can only do that when they have the experience of trial and error. Incidentally, why do you like a cold viscosity of 10 or less (C or F?) Do you play in the snow?
Thanks again for your patience with me past and present.
Miki
Gasoline: Virtually all cars these days [but not the early 90's Toyota truck engines] have knock sensors and electronic engine controls that assure the engine is protected if you have to use a lower octane fuel. The computer detects the knock, and dials back the ignition timing to compensate for the lower octane. The price you pay for this behavior is a slight loss of power, and a slight increase in fuel consumption.
You can't hurt any modern MB by occasionally using lower octane fuel - but it is NOT a good habit to get into. Don't confuse the octane recommendation with the fact that in high altitude locations [most mountain states], it is often true that the highest octane available is 89. This is fine to use in any car with a low altitude requirement of 91, since higher altitude reduces the octane requirement for the engine to behave as designed.
Generalization: Use the highest octane fuel available at any given time in these cars. But occasional use of something less than optimum will do no harm - the engine electronics will compensate.
You also might want to ask your dealer for a copy of the notice. Everyone got one...
Best Regards,
Shipo
Thanks,
Bill
1. It is a safety feature that the seat will not move too much forward when the key is inserted -- it never moves all the way to my wife's position. My wife is not unusually short (same as michhala, according to a previous post), so maybe my wife drives in an unusual position with her legs curled up. I will try if she can set the seat further back and also move the steering wheel back.
2. If the easy entry/exit is set to steering column only, the seat will not move back to the last position of that key, even if the other key has been used in between.
That contradicts newmbfan (post 4806). I wonder if he has an especially lucky car, or if it also works that way in other cars? I put the same setting as newmbfan in both my car and the 2002 I tried at the dealer, and in neither did the seat move to the last setting for key 1. What is the experience of others? Also, newmbfan I wonder if you have go out of the car and unlock/lock for it to work? Or does it also work if you just switch the keys while you sit in the car? Thanks.
It could be that the easy exit feature that is enabled for my wife just happens to move back to my normal driving position??? IE: a lucky car?
I do know that the seat back and mirrors adjust to my key and my last setting. I did not lock or unlock the car. I just switch the keys.
Oh well, I need a little luck because my drivers window has now quit working for the third time. Maybe it will stay broken long enough for the dealer to figure out why it will just quit for 2 to 4 days and then start working again.
It will not operate with the window switch or the key, so I suspect it is in the motor and not the switch.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Another update on my new C320 (about 500 miles): I really enjoy driving it and noticing how the Capri Blue changes color under different lighting conditions!!!!! Last Sunday the sun was out, went for a drive and opened the sunroof, let the cool, crisp air in, listening to smooth jazz. Ahhh .....
As for the small bumps on the road to ownership that I mentioned in my first post - the spare key problem (the spare key stopped working a few days after I picked my car up) was resolved by swapping the batteries out, which initially didn't work, but then the mechanic used the main key to open the doors, and re-synchronized the spare key by using it to start the car, after which the spare worked. BTW, although I was initially told that a "special tool" and "a trained mechanic" were required to disassemble the $175 smartkey in order to change the batteries, you can actually use the metal key that comes with the smartkey to remove and replace the batteries, as follows:
1. Remove the metal key by pushing back the ridged latch on the smartkey and lifting the metal key up
2. Insert the metal key into the hole in the smartkey, positioning it on top of the plastic piece that can be moved to the side
3. Use your fingernails to grip on the plastic mold parting lines on each side of the top of the smartkey
4. Simultaneously push the plastic piece to the side (using the metal key) and steadily pull up on the top of the smartkey with your fingernails -the top of the smartkey will lift out along with the batteries
5. Check/replace the batteries, push the top back down into the other half of the smartkey, and replace the metal key
On the Tele-Aid issue: MB apparently "lost" my Tele-Aid application, so I had to re-fax it and I activated it last week.
I also noticed and had the mechanic verify an alignment problem (the car tended to drift to the right) which was fixed overnight. While the alignment issue was being fixed, I received a Volvo loaner as no MB's were available. Worked for me.
I experienced two apparent memory one-off's last week: the passenger side mirror failed to return to the regular position after going from reverse to drive, and the driver seat memory failed once when I got into my car.
All in all, not a perfect experience, but one which doesn't surprise me given the high level of the C320 product complexity ... being in software I can appreciate that bugs/escapes are always an issue and not easy to fix.
Earlier I asked whether anyone had any recommendations on bike racks and hardened alloy wheels ... I seem to recall reading somewhere that the standard alloy wheels aren't as resistant to dings and potholes as hardened allloy wheels. Can someone help? Thanks!
I broke the metal ring off of one of my smart keys (trying to open trunk) thus, losing the "key ring" feature. Decided not to get a new key to replace one of the two smart keys that came with our 1999 C280.
Did your dealer say anything about how long batteries should last on these smart keys? Thanks
I was concerned if it would cause any problems. They advertise the disc brakes get plenty of air for cooling.
Anyone use them before.
1. Am I safe driving around until the 5th - it drove home wonderfully.
2. Evem if the light does go out, shouldn't they look at it?
3. Have any of you had this problem.
Have 7000 miles now and up to now only had the key problem and that seems OK. Hate the brake dust on the front wheels but guess I hav to live with it. Also, My Mercedes star is at 12:05 - should I have them fix that if I need to bring it in on the fifth.
Hope you all had a wonderful holiday.
Keep your svc appointment for peace of mind, but bear in mind that several people (myself included on my BMW) have had the light come on and disappear in a few days, due to the gas cap not being tightened competely.
Hope this helps.
P.S. I have also heard that a local dealer can ship cars anywhere in the states for a small fee ($300) unless it is Alaska or Hawaii ($900). The catch is they are only allowed a small quota to sell outside their allocated area per month. Thus, if you are interested and you don't mind the wait contact me and I will be glad to be of some assistance to you.
Cheers
Johnny2k
http://www.ebc-brakes.com/autopads.htm
First or all,logically,as upset as so many people have been about the dust for so many years,if it could be addressed by the companies,it certainly would have been years ago. (Those "Kleen Feet" were sold in the back of Road&Track back in the seventies.
My feeling is that the performance oriented,speed crazy even environment of Germany these pads must be necessary. I imagine other,cleaner pads must seriously compromise braking,or they would have been specified years ago.
In the US we do drive slower,no Alpine switchbacks,etc. we probably could use cleaner pads. But I don't want to compromise braking distances,so I have resigned myself to cleaning the wheels on both my German cars often.
I have not heard any comments on the EBC pads, good or bad; however, I have heard good things about Repco/PBR pads in two different incarnations (Deluxe and Metalmaster). Given that many folks who race replace their OEM pads with these pads, one would assume that they are at least the equal of the OEM pads as far as stopping power. In fact, from what I have heard, the Metalmaster pads are quite superior in stopping power; however, they do have a tendency to squeal (which can be addressed during installation in a number of different ways).
Hope this helps.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Mike T.
Best Regards,
Shipo