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Mercedes-Benz C-300 2008+

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Comments

  • avatar1avatar1 Member Posts: 32
    I just spoke to my ins company. They will actually pay off the lease and pay 100% of your down payment in the 1st two years of the lease. After that, it's prorated, but this is a new program with Liberty Mutual. 604doc is right about the Money Factor, the higher your upfront payment, the lower the money factor is with Mercedes. The deal I just wrote reflects that.

    As an aside, I told the salesman I liked the grille from the sport model better than the luxury model, but I liked the lux model overall better than the sport. He offered to swap the grille and now I have a lux C300 with a sport grille. This is what I wanted. I personally felt the sport version's ride was harsh compared to the lux version.
  • ghstudioghstudio Member Posts: 972
    Once again...there are two types of upfront payments. One is a capital cost reduction which does not reduce the Money Factor and exposes you to loss of your money if you total the car. The other is to make multiple security deposits which you get back at the end of the lease and do reduce your money factor as well. I assume that avatar1 used multiple security deposits.

    Warning...many dealers (and most sales people) don't even know that they offer an option for multiple security deposits. If you run into one of those dealers, find the finance manager and have him pull out his literature and learn about the program.
  • jamieh1jamieh1 Member Posts: 1
    Hello avatar1,
    BUY the C300 and NOT 328xi.
    In terms of style and sophistication, you can't beat Mercedes. BMW is nice but the style is outdated and "square" meaning it looks hard and not sophisticated.
    I bought the c300 6 months ago and I have to say I am very impressed with the car and I LOVE IT. No regrets whatsoever. I got one with the paranoma sunroof, 6-disc CD changer and the multimedia package with the 7-inch screen navigation for only $37,000 OUT THE DOOR including taxes and license fees.
    So you should try to bargain yours down to around that range. $40,000 is a bit too high.
    Good Luck.
  • avatar1avatar1 Member Posts: 32
    I picked up the C-300 tonight and I have to tell you I am more than impressed. This car has every option and I am still slogging my way through the NAV manual. The ipod interface is better than I thought and better than the salesman said it was, he didn't know how to work it. I am so glad I didn't get the BMW but I am glad I test drove it. I think the deal I got was good, I neglected to mention they handed me a check for $2325 to pay off my lease on the Acura I drove in with. So all in all, I am quite happy with the car, the dealer and the finances. I am saving over $175 a month over my last lease and this is by far a superior car.
  • sawyercsawyerc Member Posts: 13
    for the stereo system there is a memory board that acts as an adaptor for a memory card. I have been to several electronics stores AND asked the MB service department about how/where to get the board. No one seems to have a clue as to what exactly or where I can buy one from. Can anyone give me more details like an exact description of what I need and where to buy from?
  • sawyercsawyerc Member Posts: 13
    Can anyone lead me to a forums that discusses some of the more technical aspects of the Mercedes C300 class? I have question about the navigation system and other audio file type questions. For example I would like to change the voice on my nav system and maybe "adjust" my voice command system. Thanks
  • avatar1avatar1 Member Posts: 32
    The dealer told me that the voice cannot be changed. What other questions do you have, I will try to answer them if I can. I have the C300 and have been getting deep into the manuals and systems.
  • sawyercsawyerc Member Posts: 13
    How about the memory board question in #209?
  • papadoc33papadoc33 Member Posts: 13
    CAN ANY ONE TELL ME HOW TO USE THE VOICE COMMAND TO DIAL NUMBERS ON MY PAIRED RAZR PHONE THAT IS ABLE TO DO IT NORMALLY
    MERCEDES IS NO HELP.
  • avatar1avatar1 Member Posts: 32
    press the voice button, say "dial number" and then it should let you say the number you want to dial. You can save numbers in the car's address book and assign voice tags to those numbers and then you can say "dial name" and it will.
  • sawyercsawyerc Member Posts: 13
    Who is the name brand or manufacture on the C300 sterio system? I have some parts questions that I think need to be asnwered by the maker. Thanks
  • lbunnylbunny Member Posts: 4
    Looking at both..any opinions on which is better if considering long term ownership.
  • sawyercsawyerc Member Posts: 13
    This is a close one. Volvo used to have a reputation of lasting forever, even longer than Mercedes although I know owners of both with several 100K miles. I have always thought that Mercedes was ahead on the Engineering curve, and Volvo takes what works and makes it work better. I get an average of 21.7 mpg in my C300, and I do not always get premium. I usually get the mid grade. Both cars are in the $40K range I think although I thought the S80 was a little more expensive. I am betting that when the new and improved fuel add ons come out, Mercedes will be more likely to have the retrofit sooner and it will be more efficient. This may never happen but I like I said I believe that Mercedes has the better engineering. The test for me would be which on fits you better. Both are good to great cars. Does the S80 have AWD? This was a biggie for me. I was going to get rear wheel or AWD. I have a real problem with front wheel only. I love the way rear wheel performs and pushes rather than pulls.
  • papadoc33papadoc33 Member Posts: 13
    VOLVO IS A PIECE OF S***
    HAD ONE AND LEASED IT AND COULD NOT WAIT TO GET RID OF IT..BULBS KEPT BLOWING OUT AND UNIMAGINABLE BS
    C300 2008 4 MATIC IS ONE OF THE BEST MB I HAVE OWNED
  • papadoc33papadoc33 Member Posts: 13
    Can not figure out to to make calls with voice command ( no navig) but my phone has the ability to make the voice calls .
    HELP dealer and mbusa is useless. : :confuse:
  • cdnpinheadcdnpinhead Member Posts: 5,499
    a well presented argument.

    You know you should listen when it's in ALL CAPS.

    Such a breath of fresh air and cogent thought.

    I own neither car, but based on this post alone, I'd certainly give the Volvo a harder look.
    '08 Acura TSX, '17 Subaru Forester
  • 604doc604doc Member Posts: 182
    Good one CD! ;)
  • sawyercsawyerc Member Posts: 13
    I will take your WORDS for it on the Volvo as I have never owned one. Test drove alot of them and then chose something else. I will say that I love my C300 Lux 4 matic with the nav and sunroof. I'm still trying to figure out all of the features and options but that is part of the fun. I recommend the Nav system with a 4 gig hard drive. I'm old enough to remember when a 20 meg HD was huge. I play some of my DVD concerts on the way to work. the picture does not show but the music is great.
    My only question, almost a complaint is I would like more torque at the lower speeds, BUT I can use the the gear selection for that . I spend alot of city traffic in 3-5 gear. Also, the BLuetooth takes over my phone sometimes after I have turned off the feature in the car. It seems to have a mind and search mode of its own sometimes. :)
  • lbunnylbunny Member Posts: 4
    I have test driven the volvo a lot also. Am convinced that it is a better quality vehicle, at least on the interior, than the C300, but it has absolutely no personality.
    Looks so much like a "senior citizen" car.
  • annakongannakong Member Posts: 14
    When I start my brand new 08 c300 sport, the temperature gauge whizzes and has trouble going to the proper temperature.

    I've taken it to the dealer and they couldn't duplicate it. It happens 99% of the time. It starts when I start the car and continues throughout the entire car ride. Sometimes the sound dulls or gets worse (like it has been lately).

    Its as if there is a little motor to get the temperature gauge going but it's stuck so it makes that sound whiiiizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

    have you had this problem? my car is only 3 weeks old. :confuse:
  • avatar1avatar1 Member Posts: 32
    I have not experienced this problem. You may need to let them have the car overnight, if it's as noticeable as you say, they will catch it pretty quickly.
  • papadoc33papadoc33 Member Posts: 13
    You can look harder at the volvo but please don't throw your money away..I have had 6 mb and 3 bmw..the c300 2008 beats all of them. Only other car I really liked was the :) bmw 528 xi.
  • cdnpinheadcdnpinhead Member Posts: 5,499
    Thanks for the heads-up, but my post was more a comment on yours than it was on the cars themselves.
    '08 Acura TSX, '17 Subaru Forester
  • suzyssuzys Member Posts: 1
    c300/2008- fiddling around I stumbled across an option to change the gender of the voice. I actually saw the option of either "Barbara" or "Simon". I can't seem to locate how to do this again and change the voice. It's drivin me nuts!!
    Antone have a clue??
    Thanks-Suzy
  • be325be325 Member Posts: 91
    Side mirror on our 2008 C-300 makes noise when it closes (after you lock the car) and then when you unlock and open the door.
    Anyone having similar experience? This does not happen often ... once a week and usually in the morning. It should not happen to German engineering. Hans forgot to grease moving parts!
    How do you get in to do it? This kind of stuff should be permanently lubricated. I have been inviited to bring the car in. I don't want to spend an hour to get to the dealer and waste another hour after the repair is done.
    Little things have a great capacity for annoyance.
  • dennydenny Member Posts: 17
    With the onset of colder weather my 2008 C-300 side mirrors have begun to intermittently make noise. The left one makes a screeching sound when closing and the right one makes a clicking sound. Both sound like a gear or something still trying to turn..
    I also have a rapid rat-a-tat noise coming from the engine compartment that is very noticeable when stopped a traffic light.
    Will have these noises checked when I take car in next month and post what their diagnosis is. I find this stuff very annoying also because it has been my experience that things like this rarely get fixed and you end up living with them for the time you have the car.
  • maximafanmaximafan Member Posts: 592
    I need a little clarification. Are you saying that the side mirrors on the C300 automatically fold once you turn the car off, or am I
    misunderstanding something? If the car does have this, do you get power-folding mirrors in a certain package on the C300?
    I was curious, as I rented a Mercedes Benz C300 over the weekend a couple of weeks ago, and the model I drove did not have power-folding mirrors.
  • dennydenny Member Posts: 17
    The power folding mirrors can be driver-programmed to either fold automatically when you turn off the car, or when you push a button on the dashboard. The power folding mirrors were part of the P-1 package on my 2008.
  • papadoc33papadoc33 Member Posts: 13
    i have a c300 2008 the folding mirrors came with my car
  • lewis3lewis3 Member Posts: 25
    Have any of you tried using mid grade fuel versus the premium? We just bought the C300 for my wife and it requires premium fuel. I have an Acura that also requires the premium fuel but I have always put in mid grade and have never had a problem. I was just wondering if I could do the same with this car. Thanks.
  • papadoc33papadoc33 Member Posts: 13
    I have used mid grade fuel with my c300 2008 since the gas went off the wall..i did not find any problem andavg 23-25 mpg. now that hi test is down i use hi test every other fill up
    i also have a lexus suv 350 and use only regular..no problems
  • be325be325 Member Posts: 91
    We used regular .... yes ..regular for 4 years in our E and for almost a year (since 12/22/2007) ...regular in our 2008 C-300 Lux. No problems of any kind.
    When we went some years ago (from Florida) to North Carolina, we experimented first with regular (and when the tank was almost empty), we put midgrade. Then we filled up with premium. We didn't notice any difference. Again....WE didn't notice any difference but perhaps an expert driver would. We are old folks and never drive faster than the speed limit. Perhaps climbing a steep hill would make a difference. We climbed those too and didn't notice any difference..... it is true, we don't hear as good as we used to.
    Our service people never asked us about the gas we use so we think that their 'smart analyzer' at the service department could not tell the difference and the plugs and all the stuff works. .....by the way, our E was flawless for more than 4 years and the C had no mechanical problems ... except little comfort annoyances that have nothing to do with the operation of the engine.

    From time to time, people post this question in the forum and there are many people for and against .... and they have their own reasons.
    Mercedes exports cars all over the world. I wonder if all these foreign driver have access to premium or midgrade gas.
  • sawyercsawyerc Member Posts: 13
    I have a C300 for a about 6 months. I have used all three grades and have noticed very little difference. When I do the math on the $$/mile it cost me, the more expensive the gas gets, ($3.50+ / gal) the more premium is worth the extra cost. But with gas prices down to $1.49 in Indianapolis, I am going with regular. The miles per gallon difference in my C300 is not significant enough to pay for premium. The manufacture "recommends" premium. I had a heart to heart talk with an old timer who buys gas for Sam's Club and he told me that most of the dealers in my area get their gas from the same location. He stated that Shell, BP, and Sam's gas were the same delivered to the pumps. Not sure what to believe about this, but I did fill up on Sam's Premium and found no difference. Regardless of the car, (unless it is high performance) it should have a robust fuel system to handle about anything sold today.
  • sawyercsawyerc Member Posts: 13
    I have a C300 and as the weather gets colder my mirrors are getting "cranky" like me and making the same noise you are describing... I'm wondering what will happen when it really starts to get cold. I planned on talking to the dealer about it on my next visit considering it sounds so bad like it is going to break.
  • annakongannakong Member Posts: 14
    after multiple times of taking it the dealer, I decided to go to another dealership and they fixed the problem right away. something was wrong with my auxillary hose.
  • annakongannakong Member Posts: 14
    I have been advised to not do it. I don't plan on keeping the car forever so I don't want the person who gets it after me to not have any problems that could arise due to this. I'd rather be proactive and use premium than pay for any expensive repair because I was too cheap to pay an extra 50 cents or so for gas.

    I have told nothing major will happen if you do not drive your car hard. The car is made somewhat fool proof. I don't know if this could affect your warranty if you still have it.

    If you do, it will automatically turn the timing on the engine down. You won't get full power.

    I wouldn't advise it. If you paid that much for a Mercedes, you might as well take the best care for it.

    Random things happen to me, especially with technology things so I won't take a chance on my new baby.
  • georgiaguy1georgiaguy1 Member Posts: 16
    sarah17

    Were you ever able to circumvent the C300's DVD system?. Just purchased a 2009 C350 and would like to do the same. Any advice would be appreciated.
  • tunisjstunisjs Member Posts: 5
    In reviewing the owner's manual for my 2006 C280 I found that it requires 91 octane gas. Most U.S. premium fuel is 93 octane, therefore I time my refills to use about 1/3 regular (87 octane) and 2/3 premium (93 octane) gas to stay above 91 octane per tank. I get 19 mpg city and 33 mpg highway at no more than 5mph over the speed limit. This car is a dream on wheels.
  • sawyercsawyerc Member Posts: 13
    Great idea on the mixing of gas. My wife has a c280 4 matic and does something similar. With gas prices at their current level she makes sure she buys a good brand and 87 octane most of the time.
  • be325be325 Member Posts: 91
    Our 2008 C300 Lux is 13 months old and has 5300 miles.
    I see a message about service ....and I believe ..it is time to put a new batch of synthetic oil and new filter.
    The fact is that the car has been running flawlesly all this time ... yes on regular gas since we bought it ...and I see no need to take time, spend money.. because I think is not necessary at this point.
    Synthetic oil in my car should last 10,000 miles according to the manual.... and I know people who change oil at 15,000 becouse that is how much they drive in 10 months. I am sure there 2 schools (1) change oil often (3k) as it is a good for the engine; (2) go by the milleage.
    Who came up with that magic number of changing every 12 months ..no matter how much you drive?
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    Well, you're stuck:

    -If you want to keep the warranty in effect, you need to get the oil changed now....period.

    -In the "olden days", e.g. through about the 2005 model year, MB used the FSS computer [Flexible Service System] in the US market [ and still does in many other areas of the world ]. Under the FSS, you could go 24 mos or about 10-16k miles, depending on usage - number of cold starts, avg speed, coolant temps, etc. These factors were calculated by the onboard computer, and decided when to get the oil changed. Many car makers use a similar system. Our 2002 C-class generally went 18-24 mos. and 12-14k miles under the FSS.

    MBUSA opted to discontinue the FSS and go back to fixed service intervals, claiming customers were "confused" by the FSS. Magically, at the same time, they also stopped paying for all service during the warranty period [BMW still does, VW has a 3-year program, Volvo stopped and will apparently now start their prgm again. Audi dropped their paid svc pgm.].

    Translation: dealers complained they weren't getting to see the customer enough in the service dept....so now you show up for an oil change once a year, whether you need it or not. This is about dealer revenue, not about the health of the engine.

    In our case, 1 year for our '08 C300 Lux coincided with about 8500 miles - doesn't matter - get the oil and filter changed and the service book updated, or you run the risk of having the warranty voided.
  • murphydogmurphydog Member Posts: 735
    OK -

    Question for everybody - my 08 does not have child safety locks on the rear doors. There is a hole for the lever to engage locks, but the lever is not there. The 09 models have the same hole and there is a lever to engage the child safety lock.

    So - is this missing from my car, or did MB not include it on the 08 models?

    Thanks everybody!
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    Far as I know, it was not a feature on the '08s. Doesn't matter to me, but others have commented on the child-lock issue, so I'm pretty sure all of the '08s were as you describe.

    I'd have to check my owner's manual - did you?
  • sawyercsawyerc Member Posts: 13
    I just checked my C300 and it has the slot but no lever for the child lock. It is like they forgot to add it. I'm really surprised that the slot would be there without the lever.
  • be325be325 Member Posts: 91
    I informed my 'service advisor' at the dealer via email about the service message. In his response, he tried to tell me how important this service was ... and that there were other things involved beside changing oil & filter, however, he NEVER mentioned that magic word: warranty .... and that failure to service the car right now would be detrimental to the car's warranty. Isn't he paid for being well-informed?

    I realize that if the engine broke down due to lack of proper lubrication, it would be my neglect.
    You wonder how in the past could MB let the car out of sight for 18-24 months and still honor the warranty?
  • murphydogmurphydog Member Posts: 735
    my 08 is the same, and no mention of it in the owners manual. The 09s do have the lever.

    Not a big deal, I will ask if I can have it installed, and yes I have a 3 year old with very busy fingers! :shades:
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    Well, my experience is that dealer SAs vary in both skills and experience, so nothing they tell [or don't tell] customers surprises me any more.

    Here in Portland OR, the Service A cost $170 [I told them not to rotate the tires, since I do that myself at much shorter intervals than the book calls for]. I think you have to regard that as the cost of ownership, and just get on with it.

    Of course, the potential risk to your warranty might not ever manifest itself - it really depends on how confident you are in your ability to fight with MBUSA in the unlikely event the engine has an internal problem in the first 4 years of ownership. You can be sure though, that IF something happened, they would use the oil change interval as a reason to deny a claim; it's up to you as to how important that risk is against the extra $300-400 you might spend in the next 4 years on oil changes that are probably not necessary.
  • omerjr59omerjr59 Member Posts: 3
    I own a 2008 C300 4matic Sport....the manual states that you "DO NOT" rotate tires if your vehicle is AWD.

    As for the oil change, its Mobil 1 a "synthetic" oil, when does Mobil recommend you change oil?

    My Benz is 14 months old and I have yet to break 5,000 miles.

    Do miles come before the 1 year time frame?

    Synthetic oils do not break down as fast as standard motor oils.

    Plus I have 2 brothers that are ASE certified mechanics, that can do work on my car...for FREE. Why go to a dealership?

    As long as I keep a record and receipts, I believe at MBUSA has to honor its warranty. :shades:

    best to all

    Billi :)
  • MBvaMBva Member Posts: 1
    1. Normally when we brake, the car slows down and eventually stops. However, when we lift our foot off the brake slightly, the car accelerates faster instead of slowing down after driving for 20-30 min. This has happened on a few occasions and is unacceptable. My husband and I get anxiety when we drive because of this issue. It's unsafe and if we are ever behind a car when this happens, there could be an accident.

    2. We STILL hear squeaking sounds when we brake. We started to hear it maybe a few weeks after purchasing the car. The car is only a little over a year old.

    3. Another issue we are having is the parking brake light appearing when the parking brake is not in use. Even while we are driving, the parking brake light comes on. This occured 5-6 times while my husband and I drove the car. One time, the parking brake light came on when we were parked. The strange thing is, we never touched the parking brake once since we bought the car in Sept. 2008.

    4. Soon after we bought our car a year ago, we tried to park the car and the engine suddenly stopped running before we stopped and parked. This happened once.

    We have gone to the dealership in person and have called them on multiple occasions and the answer is always the same: they can't find any problems. If there are any problems, it would show up on the computer, or there would be a warning light.

    Did we get a lemon? Any advice on what to do next?
  • papadoc33papadoc33 Member Posts: 13
    WHAT ARE THE PROS AND CONS OF DRIVING IN C COMFORT OR S SPORT
    IS GAS MPG DIFFERENT
    THANKS
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