My E350 D6 Cabriolet

[RJC]

Originally Posted by BenzMan369 Heavy sigh. Thanks RJC. Yes, if I move on ordering right now, I too feel less than confident it will only be a month to delivery. If I don’t do it though, it’ll just be that much longer. As much as I’d like a quick delivery, my “old” CLK is running like new or better. How do you feel about the car getting here in September or there abouts if ordered now? Here’s what the salesman and the new car sales manager both are saying: the dealership has one “ordering slot” for a 2012 E coupe/cab available in June and 2 more in July. Delivery approx. one month after filling the order slots. This dealership does not move a great many coupes/cabs. Further, they state they already have a black 2012 E350 coupe “on the boat.” They say they don’t know for sure if MB will release it for sale upon arrival or hold it at the port, due to the need to move 2011 inventory. For the same reason, they don’t have pricing yet for the 2012’s, but we can negotiate a percentage discount, trade value, etc. Believe me, I am always skeptical dealing with car sales people, no matter how wonderful the overall dealership experience has been (and these guys in service have been the best!). As I mentioned elsewhere, when I ordered my CLK they were hard to get and I was told 90 days delivery. I had the car seven months later. Don't know what to say Al. I know as of 2 weeks ago the 550 cabs were Sept build Oct delivery. I have also heard the 350's may be out sooner but cannot confirm it. Both of the dealerships I spoke with talked directly to their respective MBUSA Reps (two completely different zones)and told me the same thing, but that was for the 550 cab. Even though there could be a car on the boat the cars still have to be authorized by MBUSA for release. I was told the new CLS 550 was sitting at the ports for quite sometime before their authorized US release. There's a real simple way to know what's up with the car on the boat, have them get you a written copy of an email to their MBUSA rep for confirmation the car is on the boat and will be for sale/delivery shortly after it arrives here. If they are willing to do this then you're golden.

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[BenzMan369]

Originally Posted by Dr-Nab

Thanks Al, I couldn't believe it when I saw it on Monday morning - I took it for granted when I picked it up on Friday there would be no damage, took it home then garaged it over the weekend only to find the damage on Monday, to be fair they're being reasonable about it so far as they want to see pictures of it to see how they can resolve it - they could have just turned around and said sorry you should have inspected your car when you picked it up.

No you're understanding it the same way as I am!! A lot of dealers do just order cars with pre specified options, so for me it seems odd that you could have a car delivered in roughly a month where you can still change the specification plus it be built and then shipped over?? Fair enough my car did turn up around about 3 weeks earlier than the delivery date but then it had to sit there for three weeks as the weather didn't allow me to safely take delivery of it, so I guess they could make it happen for you!

Very true Nab re your service dept. being reasonable. Nevertheless, darn shame it happened at all. Has it been resolved yet?

As for my understanding of how the ordering process works well.....it's all clear to me now. I sat down with my salesman yesterday and I did the dirty deed - I ordered the car!!!!!! Sorry, but it does feel like a 6 exclamation mark statement to me, after driving the same Benz for 11 years. I'm a bit giddy.

Thank you so much Nab, for your patience and help, not to mention the great pictures you've provided for me and others. Those pix sealed the deal with me for red/black leather.

The salesman seemed as excited as I am about seeing that interior in person for the first time stateside on the E-coupe. Exterior color black. Mine will be the first or close to the first with that combo to dock stateside.

He also heartily agreed that the new (new on the coupe at least) black ash interior wood trim would be the best choice, given the red leather and door panel inserts. It's a whole different direction from the white exterior/black interior I had been considering for months. It also holds a special significance for me (see my post to RJC).

Mbworld is the best and the folks posting here are the greatest. You and RJC are at the top of my list. I cannot thank you enough.

Al

[BenzMan369]

Originally Posted by RJC

Don't know what to say Al. I know as of 2 weeks ago the 550 cabs were Sept build Oct delivery. I have also heard the 350's may be out sooner but cannot confirm it. Both of the dealerships I spoke with talked directly to their respective MBUSA Reps (two completely different zones)and told me the same thing, but that was for the 550 cab. Even though there could be a car on the boat the cars still have to be authorized by MBUSA for release. I was told the new CLS 550 was sitting at the ports for quite sometime before their authorized US release. There's a real simple way to know what's up with the car on the boat, have them get you a written copy of an email to their MBUSA rep for confirmation the car is on the boat and will be for sale/delivery shortly after it arrives here. If they are willing to do this then you're golden.

RJC:

I may have misled you. I didn’t want the black car supposedly already on the way - wrong interior.

I ordered the car I want yesterday:

E350C
Black with red leather interior.
P2
Appearance Package (with the AMG rims you and I both like).
Black ash interior wood trim – special order.
End of story – finally!

Vehicle should be built during the first ten days of July. Delivery anticipated no later than mid-August. Salesman will provide VIN when the car hits the water – in a manner of speaking.

I agree with you that the timeline is tenuous at best. There’s wiggle room, since MB has not released the 2012 E350C’s for distribution as of yesterday. Also, the salesman didn’t think the special order black ash trim would delay things, but he didn’t know for sure. Also didn’t know if it would add to the price. No MSRP information whatsoever was available as of yesterday. I’m OK with waiting a bit longer, if necessary. Hey, I’ve been waiting since April, 2010!

As you may recall from all of your helping me over the past two months, this is not the car I had originally configured. The availability of red leather changed that.

As for all of my moanings, groanings and trepidations re the 17” vs. 18” wheels and suspension ride quality, well, I just couldn’t put 17” rims on this car. So yes, my butt may be sore, but my ego will soar – at least until my first PA Pothole experience and tow away. If it ships with the Michelin Primacy MXM4’s instead of P Zero Neros, ride quality may be less of a concern.

Finally, the clincher is that this car will represent my 50th Anniversary of car ownership. The first car that I could really call my own was a shiny new black 1962 Olds Starfire hardtop coupe with solid red faux leather interior. (I was a spoiled rotten kid). So, this E350 coupe configuration seems fitting.

Attached is a picture of my first-owned car, not my actual car, but an exact duplicate of it.

My great thanks for all of your patience and assistance over the past two months. This forum is great and, as I said to Nab, you are right at the top of my list of those who make it so. I’ll be watching for word that your testosterone machine has arrived and waiting for pix.

This is the first time I’ve ever had the feeling when buying a new car that I was not merely buying it for myself, but was “bringing it into the family” of Benz drivers, as represented on this forum. Yet another reason for ultimately deciding on the Appearance Package, I guess. How the #$%!! could I post pix of my new love on this website without those pretty AMG rims – at the very least!

Al

[Dr-Nab]

Good news all round then Al! It has all but been resolved, had a phone call today asking for the tire make and size and when they get a delivery date on the tire they'll book it in to have the alloy repaired and fit the new tire plus have it realigned etc!

Congratulations on placing the order, I'm pretty sure you'll be having many sleepless nights now It will be well worth the wait, I'm very much looking forward to seeing some pictures of it!!

Not a problem with regards to any help you've needed in swaying you towards making the order I could have done with being in a Coupe today on the ride home from work, had the roof down and a huge bumble bee landed on my arm - looked so cool jumping out my seat flicking it off my arm trying to stamp on it (whilst stuck in traffic!) haha

[BenzMan369]

Originally Posted by Dr-Nab

Good news all round then Al! It has all but been resolved, had a phone call today asking for the tire make and size and when they get a delivery date on the tire they'll book it in to have the alloy repaired and fit the new tire plus have it realigned etc!

Congratulations on placing the order, I'm pretty sure you'll be having many sleepless nights now It will be well worth the wait, I'm very much looking forward to seeing some pictures of it!!

Not a problem with regards to any help you've needed in swaying you towards making the order I could have done with being in a Coupe today on the ride home from work, had the roof down and a huge bumble bee landed on my arm - looked so cool jumping out my seat flicking it off my arm trying to stamp on it (whilst stuck in traffic!) haha

That's fantastic Nab! Sounds like you have a first class dealer to work with. It's always a pleasure when a service dept. gives the customer the benefit of any doubt.

I must say it's the same here. Don't tell anyone, but I didn't even bother to shop around for the new car. I'm only about 15 minutes and 7 miles from the closest MB dealer, but the first time I stopped in there to price a car was the last time. I walked out feeling as though I needed a long, hot shower to clean off the sleeze.

So, I drive an extra 30 minutes and 17 miles to get a fair deal and the best service experience I've ever had with any car.

Sorry, my posts always seem to wind up being about ME.

I'll definitely bring out the photo shoot gear for the new arrival.

As for that bumble bee, you can always ship them over to me. They're great for keeping the ol' tomato garden blooming. For once, a traffic jam came in handy! Or dare I say, "Arm-ey?" No, I better not.

[RJC]

Glad you got a '12 and the black wood etc
Nice cruiser too, they don't build 'em like that anymore!

[BenzMan369]

"2012 Jaguar XKR Convertible Ordered
Expecting Sept delivery
Metallic Black/blk/blk w/Ivory Stitching and Black Piano Wood Trim, Red Calipers, Jet Black Suede Headliner"

Way to go, RJC! Congratulations on doing the deal. Now comes the hard part, as the clock advances more and more slowly each day.

Love the black. Hate to deal with it, but the E coupe will be car #4 in black, so I'm used to it.

Al

[RJC]

Thank you Al. The cars just look too good in black to get any other color; just something about a triple black cab. The wait is killing me, I can still feel the pull of the 510 HP and the smell of those hides. Tic toc, tic toc , tic toc geez...

[HK33]

Not long now, picking up my e350 cdi cab this Friday afternoon

A message to Dr Nab , im collecting the car from JCT600 in Chesterfield which i notice isnt far from you, if your around maybe we can meet up as id love to see the mods on your fantastic looking car and maybe you could also show me how to install the new grill ive got. Let me know

[Dr-Nab]

My car may well be there then - it will be going back to have the alloy repaired/tyre replaced at some point this week, I'm not so sure exactly how busy I will be on friday so I might not be able to get there but that is my local dealership where I got my car from too, great service and they will always look after you but do check your car over for any marks etc!!

I'll let you know if I can make it but either way if my car's in feel free to have a look around it

[HK33]

Thanks for the advice, will give the car a thorough inspection and may well put the grill on whilst im there. I have an ETA of around 4pm and will be there till around 5.30 , hope you can make it , if not i will look out for your car.

[Dr-Nab]

Hey there, I'm afraid I won't be in on Friday - will be in Sheffield until around 6pm, my car won't be there either had a phone call this morning to ask to take it in on Monday for the repair work to be carried out. One other thing, look over your roof very carefully for bobbles where it may or may not have been caught when removing the plastic wrap that the car comes with from the factory.

Few pics that I took the other day, looking to get the Piecha RS diffuser & exhaust when I return from Las Vegas in a couple of weeks so the rear of the car will be transformed!

[BenzMan369]

HK33: Good luck Friday! I know it'll be a great day for you.

Nab: I hope that gash wasn't too deep. I'm thinking about safety problems, had you not discovered it. Perhaps the rim damage is what led you to spot the tire damage?

There are only a few things I hate more than driving a car with unresolved cosmetic problems. I'm sure you're the same way. You'll feel "whole" again on Monday.

[Dr-Nab]

Yeah the rim damage I noticed like wtffffff!!!! then stood in despair as I noticed the ripped tire!

Well the time came and passed, dropped my car off and figured it would be fixed by today as I'm heading state side to Las Vegas tomorrow, no contact from the dealer despite them saying that it would be done for today... when I rang no body knew anything!

After waiting around for a phone call I eventually got one a few hours later saying that the car would be ready tomorrow (no good and they know it as I'm away).. after a bit of (frustrated) shouting they agreed to bring my car back to my home and take the courtesy car back so I can have the car locked in storage whilst I'm away, so it's sat on the space saver spare!!

After giving it a quick wash, noticed that on the passenger side rear alloy there is a nice 1" scratch on the alloy, so straight back on the phone to tell them, sent pictures etc.... starting to lose patience now

[BenzMan369]

Well, so much for my attempts at upbeat posts (#88). That's just awful.

How about, "By the time you return home it'll all be taken care of!"

Or, "by this time next year it'll all be just a bad memory!"

Yes I know - lame, very lame.

At least I hope your trip over here goes well Nab.

[kostas86]

Looks nice! I like the color combos!

[Dr-Nab]

Thanks kostas, I still love the combination, first time I've seen it in a couple of weeks today and it still makes me smile

Yeah Al hopefully it will be finished soon! Had a great time in Vegas - there is some money out there !!!! still having a nightmare getting the car sorted, the front wheel has been repaired and has a new tyre on which is great but the repair is just a repair not re polished etc so it has a blemish on it now, MB dealer are waiting to hear from a specialist company to re polish it to match the finish to the rest of the wheel but they're waiting all the same, if it can't be done then I guess I'll be getting a new alloy out of it, either that or I'll make them refurb all the lips white!!

Will get a picture of the alloy up later on to show you what I mean about how the wheel looks blemished now, still way better than having a chunk missing though!

[Dr-Nab]

Quick one.. what do we all think to tyre paint? Yay or nay??



(apologies for how dirty the car looks, keeps raining here nothing much I can do about it!)

[Dr-Nab]

Few more shots of the car, had to have the wheels removed to be repaired courtesy of MB, if they can't get the finish right then I'll be getting a brand new front rim!

Here's how it looks on the stock AMG 5-Twin spoke 18s w/ conti's *shudders* The ride really does suffer on those tires!

Also got a couple of shots of a C-Coupe for Ryan as I know he's interested in one of these!

[BenzMan369]

Glad to see you're making progress with the repair Nab.

I must say, a white cab with a closed black top looks almost as good as it does with that red leather fully exposed to the world. The top adds attractive contrast, while the white makes the striking lines of the lower AMG trim readily apparent.

Your modded wheels make quite a difference in the overall appearance of the car, but as I look at it with the OEM AMG 18" wheels, if I had to choose a stock wheel for the car, that would surely be it. Which I did, of course.

MB was supplying a different 18" OEM wheel for the U.S. "Appearance Package" when the car was first released in 2010. These are so much better looking.

Looking forward to your getting the whole nasty wheel and tire business behind you, as I know you are.

[Dr-Nab]

Thanks Al, yeah it's taking a bit of getting used to seeing it with the stock wheels! Quite fancy getting the 19" 7-twin spokes, but finished black as my "winter" wheels, just need to sell the 18s!

[Ryan9095]

Nab,

Glad to know they are taking care of you with those wheels. Are you planning on keeping the new stock rims? Or are you getting new ones/finishing them black again? The car is still gorgeous whatever you choose just curious, but finishing them black really added that extra "umph" to the overall appearance!

BTW thanks for thinking of me when you saw the C Coupe. That's the first I've seen pictures of one in "real life". I appreciate it! Even though I think it looks great and I prefer the size, the "E" really looks substantially more luxurious/of higher quality for the extra $$$.

[Dr-Nab]

Thanks, nah as soon as my wheels are repaired to my satisfaction they'll be going back on straight away! Until the winter months at least, by which time I hope to have the AMGs that I'm on now refinished in a nice gloss black (unless I can get hold of a set of the 19" AMGs), may make them look small in black but it will look nice/hide the dirt better!

I'll take some more pictures of a C-Coupe for you when I go back there, they've got a red one and a silver one but I think they just look a little too small in comparison to the E, the E looks just right

[Ryan9095]

Oh good! I was worried you had decided to keep the new stock ones. Glad to know the black is back! Hopefully they will finish them to your satisfaction. Regarding the wheels I think if you refinish them in a black gloss they will look fine for your second set... I don't think they will necessarily look to small the contrast holds your eye so you won't notice.

When you go back PLEASE! take lots of pictures of that C Coupe including the interior. I'm so happy you took a few for me so thank you again. They are a little small (but I'm used to a small'ish car atm), but I must admit the E just looks like it's on another level. Who knows :P

[Dr-Nab]

I hope they do, missing the rims already! I'll probably not do anything else to my car until I get back from my vacation/holidays in a few weeks. Hopefully will have the wheels back before then but I'll get a load of shots from a C-Coupe for you when I go back... they may well have one with red leather by then, but the only ones they've got in right now are with black or grey leather.