2005 vs 2006 model - some observations
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2005 vs 2006 model - some observations
Had my car in for a service last Friday and they gave me a 2006 c230 loaner. I drive a 2005 c230 komp. and noticed some differences in performance between the two.
First think i noticed was that the steering on the 06 model was a lot easier/looser than my 05. Could this be because the 05 model is more of a sport edition than the 06? i don't know. if anyone knows please advise.
2nd off, accelation on the 06 was a lot more power from a complete stop than the 05 i guess due to the 6 cylinder engine on the 06. but i like the performance on my 05 better when i step on the gas and you notice that there's more power on the 05 when the car is in motion. BTW, both cars are automatic transmission.
And 3rd, the suspension on the 06 was a bit smoother than the 05 models.
Has anybody else driven the two models and had the same experience as i did?
This might be an old topic here, but this was the first time i've had a chance to actually drive an 06 model. Thanks guys....
First think i noticed was that the steering on the 06 model was a lot easier/looser than my 05. Could this be because the 05 model is more of a sport edition than the 06? i don't know. if anyone knows please advise.
2nd off, accelation on the 06 was a lot more power from a complete stop than the 05 i guess due to the 6 cylinder engine on the 06. but i like the performance on my 05 better when i step on the gas and you notice that there's more power on the 05 when the car is in motion. BTW, both cars are automatic transmission.
And 3rd, the suspension on the 06 was a bit smoother than the 05 models.
Has anybody else driven the two models and had the same experience as i did?
This might be an old topic here, but this was the first time i've had a chance to actually drive an 06 model. Thanks guys....
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From: 40.83-74.05 - Bergen County, NJ
'04 C230K
some like observations
Well I had my ’04 C-Coupe in for service last week and got a ’05 C-350 4-matic as a loaner – It moved! Felt a lot quicker than my Coupe.
I was thinking after I returned it that I should have gotten a C320 Coupe!
I was thinking after I returned it that I should have gotten a C320 Coupe!
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From: NorCal
2006 C230
Originally Posted by Chedeng_05
First think i noticed was that the steering on the 06 model was a lot easier/looser than my 05. Could this be because the 05 model is more of a sport edition than the 06? i don't know. if anyone knows please advise.
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Originally Posted by 06C230
the reason for this is because mecedes went with a speed sensetive steering setup. So it's really easy to turn the wheel at low speeds but once the car is up to speed the steering stiffens and feels the same. BTW there are some 06's out there with the same steering as the 05's.
Is there some adjustment that the dealer can do to loosen the steering up? My wife complains about the 05 steering and how hard it is for her to make turns at low speeds.
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From: NorCal
2006 C230
Originally Posted by Chedeng_05
Really? Was this an option? Or was this another one of MB's screw ups.
Is there some adjustment that the dealer can do to loosen the steering up? My wife complains about the 05 steering and how hard it is for her to make turns at low speeds.
Is there some adjustment that the dealer can do to loosen the steering up? My wife complains about the 05 steering and how hard it is for her to make turns at low speeds.
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Originally Posted by 06C230
why would it be a screw up? It wasn't an option, it was a change that MB decided to make and no there is nothing you can do about it.
Second, i've compared 2 different MY 05, and the buttons on the console look different from another car of the same year. I've never heard of a quality control screw up than MB. For a big car manuf like them, you would think that they would only have one design for the console buttons, but no.
Third, why in the middle of a model year would you change something like steering? If anything, this change should be done at the beginning of a model year.
Fourth, fifth, the lists could go on and on....but you get the pix.
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2005 C320wz
Originally Posted by Chedeng_05
Really? Was this an option? Or was this another one of MB's screw ups.
Is there some adjustment that the dealer can do to loosen the steering up? My wife complains about the 05 steering and how hard it is for her to make turns at low speeds.
Is there some adjustment that the dealer can do to loosen the steering up? My wife complains about the 05 steering and how hard it is for her to make turns at low speeds.
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From: asdfasdf
One with 4 wheels
Originally Posted by Chedeng_05
I call it a screw up because of a lot of things that they've screwed us up. First thing, they took out the free service plan that came with a new car up to MY 04. BMW even replaces brake pads...
Second, i've compared 2 different MY 05, and the buttons on the console look different from another car of the same year. I've never heard of a quality control screw up than MB. For a big car manuf like them, you would think that they would only have one design for the console buttons, but no.
Third, why in the middle of a model year would you change something like steering? If anything, this change should be done at the beginning of a model year.
Fourth, fifth, the lists could go on and on....but you get the pix.
Second, i've compared 2 different MY 05, and the buttons on the console look different from another car of the same year. I've never heard of a quality control screw up than MB. For a big car manuf like them, you would think that they would only have one design for the console buttons, but no.
Third, why in the middle of a model year would you change something like steering? If anything, this change should be done at the beginning of a model year.
Fourth, fifth, the lists could go on and on....but you get the pix.
Drive an ugly *** E90 and get "free stuff" (the cost of that free maint. is all added into the price btw, nothing's ever free), or drive my W203 and pay for maintenance like every car owner expects to? (with the exception of BangleMotorWerken of course)
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From: OC
a quarter mile at a time
Originally Posted by Chedeng_05
I call it a screw up because of a lot of things that they've screwed us up. First thing, they took out the free service plan that came with a new car up to MY 04. BMW even replaces brake pads...
Second, i've compared 2 different MY 05, and the buttons on the console look different from another car of the same year. I've never heard of a quality control screw up than MB. For a big car manuf like them, you would think that they would only have one design for the console buttons, but no.
Third, why in the middle of a model year would you change something like steering? If anything, this change should be done at the beginning of a model year.
Fourth, fifth, the lists could go on and on....but you get the pix.
Second, i've compared 2 different MY 05, and the buttons on the console look different from another car of the same year. I've never heard of a quality control screw up than MB. For a big car manuf like them, you would think that they would only have one design for the console buttons, but no.
Third, why in the middle of a model year would you change something like steering? If anything, this change should be done at the beginning of a model year.
Fourth, fifth, the lists could go on and on....but you get the pix.
all the 05's should look the same. the 04's changed halfway through. the luxury and sport models are a bit different also, but that's pretty easy to remember.
the steering was changed for almost all of th 06's. there's nothing that says a car company can't make minor improvements to a car during a production run. Especially companies like MB that have long model life cycles which means that if improvements aren't made during a model run, sales can really start to slump.
I'm actually really happy that they decided to put the 3.5L in the 2006 instead of waiting for the release of the W204 chasis. Why? Even Lexus/Toyota can be seen to have significantly more problems during the first year of a particular model. This way, I get the mature W203 platform, with the new, more powerfull 3.5L engine.
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Originally Posted by e1000
free service - ok, so you have to get an oil change once a year and brake pads once maybe twice during your first 50k. not a huge difference for me.
all the 05's should look the same. the 04's changed halfway through. the luxury and sport models are a bit different also, but that's pretty easy to remember.
the steering was changed for almost all of th 06's. there's nothing that says a car company can't make minor improvements to a car during a production run. Especially companies like MB that have long model life cycles which means that if improvements aren't made during a model run, sales can really start to slump.
I'm actually really happy that they decided to put the 3.5L in the 2006 instead of waiting for the release of the W204 chasis. Why? Even Lexus/Toyota can be seen to have significantly more problems during the first year of a particular model. This way, I get the mature W203 platform, with the new, more powerfull 3.5L engine.
all the 05's should look the same. the 04's changed halfway through. the luxury and sport models are a bit different also, but that's pretty easy to remember.
the steering was changed for almost all of th 06's. there's nothing that says a car company can't make minor improvements to a car during a production run. Especially companies like MB that have long model life cycles which means that if improvements aren't made during a model run, sales can really start to slump.
I'm actually really happy that they decided to put the 3.5L in the 2006 instead of waiting for the release of the W204 chasis. Why? Even Lexus/Toyota can be seen to have significantly more problems during the first year of a particular model. This way, I get the mature W203 platform, with the new, more powerfull 3.5L engine.
I don't disagree with you on that, most car manuf test their engines a year before they release a completely new body style just to work out the kinks. But to change something in the middle of a production year is suspect to me. Why would something like changing the steering configuration mean more sales? If it's not something physical that people can see it's not going to affect sales that much, exception would be more horsepower. That's the reason why the 07 model comes with all the extras like dual tail pipe/rear spoilers just to entice people to buy.
Don't get me wrong i like the tighter steering on my 05, it just that it was a really noticeable when i drove the 06 model.
BTW getting free stuff isn't that bad. One of the main reasons that MB took it out was because they were loosing money cause of all the problems they have with their fleet. Other car manuf offer this free service because they are confident of the product they are selling to the public. MB ranks low when it comes to customer satisfaction.
Complain? Of course i am. I didn't pay all this money to be going back and forth to my dealer and have something fixed. To date, i've had my car in the shop now for at least 8 times in less than 2 years. What a waste of my time. My Toyota has only been in the shop once and i've had it now for 6 years.
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From: NorCal
2006 C230
Originally Posted by Chedeng_05
I don't disagree with you on that, most car manuf test their engines a year before they release a completely new body style just to work out the kinks. But to change something in the middle of a production year is suspect to me. Why would something like changing the steering configuration mean more sales? If it's not something physical that people can see it's not going to affect sales that much, exception would be more horsepower. That's the reason why the 07 model comes with all the extras like dual tail pipe/rear spoilers just to entice people to buy.
Don't get me wrong i like the tighter steering on my 05, it just that it was a really noticeable when i drove the 06 model.
BTW getting free stuff isn't that bad. One of the main reasons that MB took it out was because they were loosing money cause of all the problems they have with their fleet. Other car manuf offer this free service because they are confident of the product they are selling to the public. MB ranks low when it comes to customer satisfaction.
Complain? Of course i am. I didn't pay all this money to be going back and forth to my dealer and have something fixed. To date, i've had my car in the shop now for at least 8 times in less than 2 years. What a waste of my time. My Toyota has only been in the shop once and i've had it now for 6 years.
Don't get me wrong i like the tighter steering on my 05, it just that it was a really noticeable when i drove the 06 model.
BTW getting free stuff isn't that bad. One of the main reasons that MB took it out was because they were loosing money cause of all the problems they have with their fleet. Other car manuf offer this free service because they are confident of the product they are selling to the public. MB ranks low when it comes to customer satisfaction.
Complain? Of course i am. I didn't pay all this money to be going back and forth to my dealer and have something fixed. To date, i've had my car in the shop now for at least 8 times in less than 2 years. What a waste of my time. My Toyota has only been in the shop once and i've had it now for 6 years.
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Originally Posted by 06C230
I understand that whenever you have problems with your car or anything else for that matter, it can sometimes leave a bitter taste in your mouth. However don't kid yourself into thinking that you wouldn't have had these problems with another company. Lets take Audi for example. My brother in law bought a new S4 back in 2004. With in the first week it had to be towed back to the dealer because the tranny would not go into reverse. So he had a loaner car for a month while they fixed the problem. It took so long because that model just hit the market. Minus all the other little problems he had with it, lets skip forward to just a few months ago. The S4 had around 35k miles and they had to replace the motor after the car died on him on his way home from work. BTW he gets free service. The point is no matter who you go with there is someone out there that has had major issues. You say that because a company offers free service that it's because they are confident, well it could also be view as they offer it because to many people complained about all the problems they were having and the companies offer this to make them feel better. It sucks that you're having problems but it is what it is. It's under warrenty so be happy you don't have to pay anything.
It's under warranty and i should be happy? Screw that, my time is more valuable and i would rather spend my days doing something else than taking a day off work just to bring my car to the dealer. And what car do they give you as a loaner? A frikkin' Hyundai... i was just lucky that they had a MB available that day.
I'll admit it, we are all suckers for buying MB and we all knew about all these problems, but never really sunk in until it happens to you. Don't get me wrong, i love my car, but would i buy another MB? I would probably look somewhere else.
Last edited by Chedeng_05; Jun 13, 2006 at 05:15 PM.
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From: OC
a quarter mile at a time
Originally Posted by Chedeng_05
Audi's problems are isolated cases. Of course not all products are perfect, but MB problems are very very well documented. Just look at consumer reports, JD Power, even on this site and you'll educate yourself about all the problems that we are having and they are all the same issue....from car steering to the right, to radios that don't work, to rattling speakers, rattling trunk button, oil leaks, bad smelling A/C, etc... These issues are not isolated cases, they are very very common here. Do a search and you'll see that all these issues keep coming up.
It's under warranty and i should be happy? Screw that, my time is more valuable and i would rather spend my days doing something else than taking a day off work just to bring my car to the dealer. And what car do they give you as a loaner? A frikkin' Hyundai... i was just lucky that they had a MB available that day.
I'll admit it, we are all suckers for buying MB and we all knew about all these problems, but never really sunk in until it happens to you. Don't get me wrong, i love my car, but would i buy another MB? I would probably look somewhere else.
It's under warranty and i should be happy? Screw that, my time is more valuable and i would rather spend my days doing something else than taking a day off work just to bring my car to the dealer. And what car do they give you as a loaner? A frikkin' Hyundai... i was just lucky that they had a MB available that day.
I'll admit it, we are all suckers for buying MB and we all knew about all these problems, but never really sunk in until it happens to you. Don't get me wrong, i love my car, but would i buy another MB? I would probably look somewhere else.
Audi - lookup "coil packs"
Honda - Well documented issues with alternators and V6 transmissions failing. Recalls and TSB's have been issued for a large amount of cars. Replacements are not uncommon.
BMW - Just off the top of my head they had a large amount of actual engine failures with the E46 M3's (S54 motor) when they came out. There are other widespread issues if you like me to look them up as well.
Toyota/Lexus - (I like to pick on them because they are ranked very high in reliablilty) - The Avalon has seen an assortment of problems. The new Camry and Lexus IS, GS models have been recalled for transmission problems as well.
I'm not saying MB is perfect. All I am trying to point out is that EVERY modern car manufacturer has models with sweeping problems. A lot of these car companies don't even attempt to provide a loaner car while they are fixing issues.
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Originally Posted by e1000
Isolated cases?
Audi - lookup "coil packs"
Honda - Well documented issues with alternators and V6 transmissions failing. Recalls and TSB's have been issued for a large amount of cars. Replacements are not uncommon.
BMW - Just off the top of my head they had a large amount of actual engine failures with the E46 M3's (S54 motor) when they came out. There are other widespread issues if you like me to look them up as well.
Toyota/Lexus - (I like to pick on them because they are ranked very high in reliablilty) - The Avalon has seen an assortment of problems. The new Camry and Lexus IS, GS models have been recalled for transmission problems as well.
I'm not saying MB is perfect. All I am trying to point out is that EVERY modern car manufacturer has models with sweeping problems. A lot of these car companies don't even attempt to provide a loaner car while they are fixing issues.
Audi - lookup "coil packs"
Honda - Well documented issues with alternators and V6 transmissions failing. Recalls and TSB's have been issued for a large amount of cars. Replacements are not uncommon.
BMW - Just off the top of my head they had a large amount of actual engine failures with the E46 M3's (S54 motor) when they came out. There are other widespread issues if you like me to look them up as well.
Toyota/Lexus - (I like to pick on them because they are ranked very high in reliablilty) - The Avalon has seen an assortment of problems. The new Camry and Lexus IS, GS models have been recalled for transmission problems as well.
I'm not saying MB is perfect. All I am trying to point out is that EVERY modern car manufacturer has models with sweeping problems. A lot of these car companies don't even attempt to provide a loaner car while they are fixing issues.
You're right about other car manuf not providing loaner cars, that's because they are lower end car makers. We bought a brand and expect high quality in return.
Bottom line is ever since Chrysler bought MB, the quality was never the same. End of story.
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From: NorCal
2006 C230
Originally Posted by Chedeng_05
Audi's problems are isolated cases. Of course not all products are perfect, but MB problems are very very well documented. Just look at consumer reports, JD Power, even on this site and you'll educate yourself about all the problems that we are having and they are all the same issue....from car steering to the right, to radios that don't work, to rattling speakers, rattling trunk button, oil leaks, bad smelling A/C, etc... These issues are not isolated cases, they are very very common here. Do a search and you'll see that all these issues keep coming up.
It's under warranty and i should be happy? Screw that, my time is more valuable and i would rather spend my days doing something else than taking a day off work just to bring my car to the dealer. And what car do they give you as a loaner? A frikkin' Hyundai... i was just lucky that they had a MB available that day.
I'll admit it, we are all suckers for buying MB and we all knew about all these problems, but never really sunk in until it happens to you. Don't get me wrong, i love my car, but would i buy another MB? I would probably look somewhere else.
It's under warranty and i should be happy? Screw that, my time is more valuable and i would rather spend my days doing something else than taking a day off work just to bring my car to the dealer. And what car do they give you as a loaner? A frikkin' Hyundai... i was just lucky that they had a MB available that day.
I'll admit it, we are all suckers for buying MB and we all knew about all these problems, but never really sunk in until it happens to you. Don't get me wrong, i love my car, but would i buy another MB? I would probably look somewhere else.
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From: NorCal
2006 C230
Originally Posted by Chedeng_05
I've had BMW's & Audi's before and never had as much problems as i'm having with MB. Like i said before i still my Toyota and is very reliable. I have friends that drive BMW's & Audi's and i never hear any complaints from these owners.
You're right about other car manuf not providing loaner cars, that's because they are lower end car makers. We bought a brand and expect high quality in return.
You're right about other car manuf not providing loaner cars, that's because they are lower end car makers. We bought a brand and expect high quality in return.
BTW it's up to each dealer to decide if they want to give out loaner cars, not MB so if you're having issues with that go to another dealer.
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From: OC
a quarter mile at a time
Originally Posted by Chedeng_05
Bottom line is ever since Chrysler bought MB, the quality was never the same. End of story.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3305249.stm
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From: NorCal
2006 C230
BTW i'm not trying to be rude with what I said in case it comes across that way. You can find people that have good and bad experiences with any car company out there just remember that but if it's that bad for you right now then just cut your losses and buy something else.
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From: Orange County
2005 C Wagon (No snickering please!)
Mercedes had some terrible quality problems to MY 2004 that were a drag on the bottom line. An engineer was dispatched to fix it, and he did a good job in my opinion. Neither of my 2005 cars has seen a workshop for a problem caused by Mercedes, only service A, and one had a $12,000 accident. In 18 months of ownership I am quite satisfied with the cars. I did have one warranty claim, for the siren, that was replaced during service A. It was not loud enough.
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From: asdfasdf
One with 4 wheels
Originally Posted by Chedeng_05
I've had BMW's & Audi's before and never had as much problems as i'm having with MB. Like i said before i still my Toyota and is very reliable. I have friends that drive BMW's & Audi's and i never hear any complaints from these owners.
You're right about other car manuf not providing loaner cars, that's because they are lower end car makers. We bought a brand and expect high quality in return.
Bottom line is ever since Chrysler bought MB, the quality was never the same. End of story.
You're right about other car manuf not providing loaner cars, that's because they are lower end car makers. We bought a brand and expect high quality in return.
Bottom line is ever since Chrysler bought MB, the quality was never the same. End of story.
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Originally Posted by 06C230
BTW i'm not trying to be rude with what I said in case it comes across that way. You can find people that have good and bad experiences with any car company out there just remember that but if it's that bad for you right now then just cut your losses and buy something else.
I won't trade my car (yet) cause i love it. We bought it cause it was a MB, plain and simple.
One thing i don't understand is why some of you guys are not up and arms about MB taking out the free service? It's like getting free maintenance is such a bad thing. Hey, if it means saving me $300 - $600 per 13k miles on my wallet then i'd take it.
Another thing, the Chrysler/MB merger was/and still is a mystery as to who took over, we will never know the real story (with unions/stockholder issues). But my point is, MB seems to be taking some notes as to how to build cheap/crappy cars from it's american company.
