when r u going to post pics?

 

really not one touch, either way you have to hold the recirc. button or sunroof button.

 

so, one day's worth of driving later...
the 6-speed is pretty notchy going 1-2, but my downshifts were all G, no problems there. the only things that are a bother to me are-

B-pillar blind spot on the driver's side, but I probably just have to mess w/the seating pos'n to get some visibility.

looks to me like the BIX aren't aligned... left side looks a wee bit lower

headlight ctrl switch doesn't light up in the dark... I guess I could leave it on auto, but it seems odd that they don't show

other than that, she's a champ so far

 

For the headlight alignment, it's normal, coz the driverside always sits a bit lower than the passenger side. This is to prevent blinding of the oncoming traffic. It's like that for every car, every brand.

 

Sauceboy: Pics by tomorrow, assuming that the weather cooperates.

808_230k: The quality of 1-2 upshifts and 4-3 downshifts is improving the more I do, but it's still not up to my expectations. You had a VW -- how do the two compare?

As for the blind spot, I find it's relative. A key reason I chose the Coupe over an RX-8 was side visibility. Indeed, it's better in my Coupe than in the Passat, probably because of where I have to position the seat in each car to be comfortable.

 

i gotta admit, the VW's tranny felt a tick more positive going into the gates, the MB's 6-speed is quick, but vague. not entirely bad, since 'smooth' could possibly substitute for 'vague', but I know it was hard to miss a shift in the dub. w/2 days of driving, I'd still take VW's O2M 6-speed over this one...

That's good, maybe my tranny just needs a little break-in time, it's got what, 50 miles on it?

mtl-coolio, I thought I was just going crazy or something

 

You don't have to hold the recirc button - 2 seconds is all it needs, either direction.

 

808_230k: Though its' getting better, it looks as though the shifter might never become as fast or precise as on the Passat. In 3+ years, I have "missed" just 1 shift with the 2002 Passat. In 9+ years, I "missed" a total of 2 on my 1995 Golf. I each case, I made a silly mistake and still remember exactly where I was driving at the time. Because the shifts have to be more deliberate on the C, I have a feeling that I might miss more shifts with it (though I sure hope not).

vadim: thanks for the 2-second tip. I had tried to use this feature by just pressing once on the recirculation button -- no result, so I thought it had been removed from the 2005 model.

 

I suspect that the front view is what most people want to see. Rather than post pics that everyone can find elsewhere (GermanCarFans.com has a bunch here), here is a pic of the front taken from an angle that I have not seen anywhere else.

 

Here is comparison of the 2004 (black car) & 2005 (silver car) rear wheels. Notice also the front fender gaps on these cars.

 

20mm spacers fixes that problem easily!


doesnt matter really for me! i lost tunnel mode when i put in climatronic. dont know why either. i do have the rest button though, so maybe its because i have an older unit.

 

also helps that the '05s have wider rears ^_^

I tried that 2-second push today... didn't work... i gotta hold it 'til everything closes

 

yeah i know. i wish i had staggard rims, but not gonna pay the extra cash when spacers give me the look i want. i have money to burn else where right now.

my tunnel mode had to be held down as well when i had it!

 

think of it this way, at least you can rotate your tires

I'm using that as a handy excuse to get 18s as soon as the stock michelins wear down... :v

 

hmmm, never seen that angle before... j/k

 

Citron, 808: ditto here, I must hold the recirc button till everything closes (admittedly, this still beats putting a finger up in the air). Vadim?

808: I am getting winter tires this week in 17x8 all around -- Mille Miglia Bellos, to be installed at the end of the month. The choice is based on Luke's recommendation and dmatre's good experience with 16-in Bello wheels. Does anyone else have experience with 17x8 rims in general and with MM's in particular?

Saprissa: So harsh, so harsh... What I meant was that, using the MBW search engine for pics of 2005 coupes, I did not find any picture taken from that angle. Nichole's photo is closest here, but it does not come up in a search. I did not find her pics until 2 weeks ago -- i.e., after she had kindly said hello in this thread

 

If you are getting wheels dedicated for snow tires, It's better to go with a narrow tire. The wider the tire is in the snow the more you float on top of the snow causing you to lose traction quicker. I have not gotten my car yet, but when I do im going to try and find 17x7 or if possible 17x6.5 for dedicated snow wheels/tires. Its only going to be for 4 months, (Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar) so I dont care too much on looks and dry traction. Better to be safe than sorry right?! HAHA, just realized... getting my car in December makes it alot easier to stick to the break-in period!!!

 

Captain:

I want winter tires mainly because the temperatures drop below freezing quite often and for the occasional snowfall (if we get a big storm, which is once or twice a year at most, then the car will likely be stuck anyways because of front clearance issues).

Since we get rather little snow here, I am sticking to 17-in tires to stay as close as possible to the stock setup. Still, in line with your thoughts, I am (i) not buying staggered wheels for winter (I'll have 225x45R17 all around) and (ii) going with the Dunlop Winter M3's rather than the Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2 because the former apparently have better snow traction (even though the Michelins seem to handle a bit better and are quieter).

 

That makes sense! On LI, being surrounded by water, our winters vary year to year, we can have alot of snow like we had the last 2 winters, or no snow at all. So for me it makes perfect sense to go narrow if the tires are going to last 2 or 3 years. But for this car, for anyone interested, or knows better, my dealer and a few friends suggested Bridgestone Blizzak LM-22 tires. Anyway... off to the body shop! some idot rear ended me in my Triumph...

 

Have you tried (do you have?) the charcoal filter button? At least on the new ones, that is how you activate tunnel mode on climatronic.

 

I'm just playing around, as usual. :p Anyway, my Coupé is not a 2005, although you could hardly tell the difference by looking at it.
Here's a pic I took a couple of weeks ago:



Go Coupies !!!

Carlos

Saprissa@aol.com

 

Doug, I have Euro CLIMATRONIC (with EC Rest), and "Tunnel Mode" works just fine on mine. I push the RECIRC button for 2 seconds, and windows/sunroof all close automatically. Did NOT have to hold the button down the whole time either. Just 2 seconds, I let go, and everything closed.

Tried it using the Charcoal Filter button, but no "Tunnel Mode" activation. Must be like you said: on the new ones.

Carlos

Saprissa@aol.com

 

yeah you and Orlando, it works great for. Tunnel mode on mine is a no go. i havent tried the Charcoal button yet, but when i get my car back from service ill try the charcoal button. my car is in getting PTS set to present!

my climatronic is an older on, i know for sure. it has the REST button and is the 05 85 model, preceding 09 85 and 02 85.

 

maybe you should have Steve swap it out for you.

Carlos

Saprissa@aol.com

 

ill shoot him an email and ask him. maybe he can do that with the UHI, VR, 2004 armrest, and AMG goodies if he gets em.

thanks!