jhillman

For those that don't know this, Tele Aid was removed from the list of standard equipment and became a $775 option with the 2003 C240 and C320 sedan models.

When at my dealer last weekend, I noticed two 2003 C sedans had "349: Tele Aid System" listed as optional equipment on the window sticker for $775, and then on the next line down, "092: Launch Promotion - Tele Aid System $(775)". Thus, the net price of the Tele Aid was $0.

I just ordered a 2003 C320 without Tele Aid and am wondering if the launch promo is still in effect? If it is, would Tele Aid be automatically added to my build? Or would I have to specifically order this option? I didn't want to pay for Tele Aid, but if I could get it for free, that'd be ideal.

shtatc

I guess it would depend on when you ordered your car and how far along they are in the building process.
Question? Was the first year's service free with this deal?
Even if you did get the teleaid for free - you would still have to pay for the yearly monitoring/service. It seems like most people here have discontinued their Teleaid service - I think I was one of the few who renewed after the first free year of service.

jhillman

The "first year free" on the service itself still applies. This promo is just a credit on the now optional equipment--maybe to ease the transition from being standard on the 2002s and prior to optional for the early 2003 models.

patronus

It seems that often what happens in these promotions is that they decide to make a feature optional AFTER the first cars are produced. For the first few cars that get the feature "unintentionally" the cost is rebated directly to the buyer.

My experience through observation, I am not an employee of the automotive industry in any way, so this my best guess.

shtatc

I know MB and other car manufacturers are trying to keep costs down. And, for most of us on this forum, Teleaid is not a priority option. I think we as a group are atypical MB owners - not trying to stereotype here, but if you go to the dealer, you see grandma and grandpa or mom with 2 kids waiting in the service waiting area or people who care about the "MB service", where they dont have to do anything but let the dealer take care of everything for them. At least we can work on our own cars - to a point, where most MB owners would not know where to start. That's why, removing Teleaid does not make sense, since I would think most people would order it anyways - for the added sfaety features, etc, etc. I saw a 03 C32 without Teleaid - the salesman said that it is a cost saving thing - well..if you can afford a $50,000 car - I think you can spend $775 for Teleaid. I dont think that $775 savings is going to sway someone from not buying that car.

patronus

I believe that it is both a cost and price saving thing. MB needs to save the cost to continue to offer the cars at the current price. Why, I do not know. It is called decontenting and it has happened for decades at MB and most other manufacturers.

MB-BOB

Keep the build issue and the service/pricing issue separated. There are several electronic pieces that have to be ordered and installed during build to have Tele-Aid, whether now (on delivery) or later (resale market). So you need to speak with your sales consultant and have the functionality added to the car, regardless of whether you get a promotional deal for the service.

I agree with shtatc (or what he implies). From a resale perspective, the subsequent buyer might want (or expect) the car to be Tele-Aid "ready."

Lynn

That is exactly what happened. It happened that way with the first coupes, too. The first one or two months production had Tele-Aid, but before they went on sale, MBUSA decided to make it optional and called it a promotional special and ate the cost of the Tele-Aid forthe first few hundred or thousand cars made. It was done to keep the price point where they wanted it to be.