dead_eye

Alright I may be making a 1200-mile trip with my '03 SC. Now, the furthest I've ever driven in it was 200 miles two ways (400 total). In my manual, it says to make some checks to the car (oil, visual of engine, etc). Does this mean is won't perform well if I were to drive it long distances or wasn't designed to go long distances? I know that all modern cars are able to make long trips, but I just want to know about your experiences.
Yeah, and I plan to put some oil in before the trip, is there anything else I can do? Also, no, a flight won't be an option because especiall on such a short notice, flights will be prohibitevely expensive.

Rick

I drive from central NJ to Montreal Quebec and back every June, making only one stop in Saratoga, NY or Lake George, NY for lunch and fuel (depending on direction). The car does very well, the cabin is comfortable and fuel consumption isn't a problem (I was averaging 34mpg...and even saw the MFD readout hit 42mpg with the a/c off and windows closed).
I'd recommend bringing a stash of CD's or your iPod for the entertainment value, and take a bottle of water or two.
Conversely, my E320 gets much lower mileage on the same trip (about 28 - thanks to 4matic). While it's a smooth cruise, you can't "feel" the car so it's not as much of "drive"...more like sitting in a mobile living room. Eh...so I take my coupe instead.

Buellwinkle

It's a Mercedes so make sure you know all the MB dealers along the route just in case as the local Elmos Garage don't know much about them foreign jobs. Also take Mobile 1 as many roadside stations don't have them fancy synthetics.

I've driven my Coupe from "The O.C." to Sonoma (Wine Country) and back in 24-36 hour period, 1,000 miles round trip, to take my kid and pick her up from school and not once have I had an issue.

breastroker

Your coupe is not the same as the General Motors X cars that had 3 quarts of oil to cool a V6.

I have gone 34,000 miles without adding any oil between free dealer visits.

You do know you can check the oil level from inside the car?

mbny

shouldn't be a problem. i drove my bmw down to my house in royal palm beach florida (from Long Island, NY) twice. alittle under 1,100 miles one way and the only thing i did was check my oil and tire pressure. i'm taking the C-class down there in June and looking forward to it

like others suggested however, definitely bring lots of CD's, a few bottles of water and i keep a bottle of fix-a-flat in the trunk just in case, and a quart of Mobil 1. for long trips, i bring my portable air compressor. real small, plugs into your cigarette lighter and works well. cost me about $30 to buy and is about the size of a shoe box.

Narcissus

Exactly, I wouldn't be worried about the car, but more about yourself, make sure you stay hydrated and take a 5-10 min pitstop every 3 hour drives to air out and stretch a bit, this will help you keep focus

The seats are extremely comfortable for long trip, the Volvo S80 seats might seems cozier but thrust me your body will ache after a 5 hour drive... I'm happy with the harder W203 seats. I drive 40-50k a year and these seats will be my new standard for future cars

fasteddie

You are joking right?

Ed.

dead_eye

^^
No, I'm not joking as I'm a relatively inexperienced driver, at least in this respect. Please, if you don't have anything to add to the thread then don't post.

dead_eye

Yes, I knew that, but I thought I'd add some anyway just to be safe.

Anyways, thanks all for your responses. I know it may sound silly to some, but I've personally never driven more than ~750 miles (back and forth). It seems quite daunting to drive more than that for one way.

fasteddie

Do not Add unless the the computer tells you to when you check your oil. You do not want to overfill on the oil.

Ed.

PacificIslander

davis449

Most of my driving is in TX usually round trips to most of the places I go result in 600+ miles total. I make sure I know where all the MB dealers are along the way. I have my dealer in my cell phone so I can call them if anything happens. I keep a quart of Castrol Syntec High Mileage (I have an older car) in the trunk and don't really worry about fix a flat cause I have a full size H rated spare w/ rim. I always make sure the tires are balanced, the pressure is correct, and the alignment is good before I make any kind of trip over 50 miles. My car has over 86,000 on it and I wouldn't hesitate for one second to drive it 1200+ miles tomorrow.

dead_eye

I don't see how topping off the oil before a trip would be bad, or even doing an oil change. If the engine is designed to hold X quarts of oil, then replacing some of the oil lost since my service A doesn't seem like a bad idea.

Incendiary

Topping off is okay, but I think the point was you don't want to overfill. Just keep in between the lines on the dipstick, preferably closer to the top than the bottom line, and you'll be fine.

Your car will be okay. Bring a quart of oil and check your tire pressure. Bring CDs to listen to and water just in case. Maybe bring an empty gas can just in case. Bring your (charged) cell phone in case you have to call roadside assistance. Stay awake and alert and you'll be okay. You're more likely to crash from boredom/sleepiness than your car is to fail you.