jrct9454

We took delivery of our C300 Lux last Thursday [first delivery in the area, I'm told]. White, black tex, P1, MSRP $35k.

First impressions are that the car has a ride quality that reminds me very much of our W210 E320; I thought the W203 C was a great road trip car, but the new one is just better in every way. Very quiet, bigger trunk, a little more room inside, and the new dynamics are noticeable from the first turn - lighter steering, quicker turn-in, without losing any sense of that great high-speed stability that you always expect. What stands out, though, at least with the Luxury package, is that the ride is truly luxurious, no matter what reasonable level of tire inflation one uses. The book calls for 28/33 psi, and I've been running 34/34, but it just swallows everything the road dishes out.

I looked long and hard at the current BMW 3er, because I really wanted a wagon, but this car is quieter, rides better, has a spare tire [I refuse to buy a car with run-flat tires], and has a bit more room all around.

Unlike many of you, I'm completely uninterested in a "sports sedan"; I want a comfortable long distance touring car. I did all that sporty stuff years ago, and just don't need it any more. For what I want, this one sure looks like a winner.

Incidentally, this is my 15th Mercedes since 1968 [55th car overall since 1962] - feels like the best one so far.

ScottW911

Uhh, cool. But this thread kind of sucks without pics of the new ride. Everyone and their brother has posted pics of the sport model. I'd sure like to see your Lux online here. Please...?

Shake

Any pictures?

jrct9454

One other thing, for those of you who have a history on this issue....the dipstick is back! No more having to dig deeply into the computer service menus to find the semi-secret oil level display - you can check it the old-fashioned way.

But there now is no tool kit at all - not even the essential "tire hanger", the aluminum tube designed to screw into a bolt hole to allow you to easily locate a wheel on the hub when you're changing or rotating. This is so silly that I called the dealer parts dept and ordered one, which he said he'll cover at no charge. In the 40 years I've been buying these cars, this is the first one without this essential thingee....which at the manufacturing level couldn't cost them more than $1-$2, if that. I guess everyone is supposed to call roadside assistance or have someone else deal with their tires/ wheels....but I do my own tire rotations at much shorter intervals than the book, so I have to have the ability to make this easy.

I'll work on the picture issue - I agree that there aren't very many images of the Lux, though the pix from Europe on the sticky thread are right on, except the wheels. Essentially, our Luxury version is the EU Elegance, with 17" wheels from the Avantgarde instead of the 16" that are standard there. I would really prefer the 16" wheels with the 205/55x16s that are standard on the EU C280,, and which also appear on the Canadian C230, but MBUSA is responding to marketing pressures that come from the car magazines and, to a lesser extent, the competition. The 225/45x17s are fine, especially since the Contis that most Lux cars are carrying right now are good for 40-50K miles if taken care of, but these are big suckers and heavy to boot.

MBNUT1

John,

It was great to read one of your posts again. I'm still driving my '98 A4. It has 134K miles on it. I recently put a new set of Michelin Pilots Altos on it and it has never driven better. I never could convince myself that the W203 justified the additional outlay particularly given its somewhat claustrophobic cabin. That said, I turned 50 last year and promised myself a new car as a present. I have been waiting for the new C and the Lux in particular. Given our likeminded values relative to suspension tuning, I am very encouraged by your post. I drove the sport and found it as not well balanced in the ride / handling trade as my A4 with sport package. Furthermore the interior didn't say Mercedes to me. So I remain hopeful that the Lux package will address these issues. Again it's great to see you are still around these forums.

Fred van Alen

RLE

<<One other thing, for those of you who have a history on this issue....the dipstick is back! No more having to dig deeply into the computer service menus to find the semi-secret oil level display - you can check it the old-fashioned way.>>

Glad you brought this up. My dealer brought their C300 demo to the MB Club's car show today (same one I drove a week ago) and out in the daylight we looked high and low for the dipstick and the oil filter.

The yellow handled trans dipstick is visible at the back of the engine but that's it. Is the oil filter under the engine cover?

BTW, my car's build date is this week.

dion

Congratulations! I truly believe white is the best color for this car!

RLE

<<But there now is no tool kit at all>>

What's behind that little trap door on the left wall of the trunk?

PUMes

I never saw a dipstick....

jrct9454

The dipstick is the yellow guy in the back near the firewall - it is NOT the transmission, it is the engine crankcase dipstick [I'd tell you to look in the manual, but of course I'm the only one in this discussion with a manual ! ].

I can assure you this is for the engine oil- I've already checked ours a couple of times since we got the car.

I assume the filter is upright in the usual cannister location under the plastic engine cover, but I haven't taken our cover off yet to look.

And speaking of the transmission, no more "lifetime fill" nonsense - the book calls for a one-time change of trans fluid at 39k miles, which makes sense to me.

On the interior quality - no one currently driving any Audi product is going to be impressed by the interior. It's good without being great. Doesn't matter to me, but then a lot of things that have popped up as issues [like the memory seats] don't matter to me, either. For me, it's all about comfort and safety and a bit of fun on 10-hour driving days. [And I respect the notion that everyone has different ideas about what "comfort" and "fun" mean to them - vive la difference.]

What's hiding in the left side of the trunk is the first aid kit. On our car, without Nav, there is no cover there - it's an open niche with a parcel net, which is a good thing from my perspective. The tools are simply nowhere to be found, again, confirmed by the owner's manual - there is no longer a reference to the wheel hanging tool in the section about changing a tire - you're supposed to magically "position the wheel on the hub" - how to do that on a car that uses wheel bolts instead of nuts is, of course, left to your imagination.

More observations as I get more experience - fire away with your questions in the meantime....

ScottW911

I've owned several cars that used wheel bolts instead of nuts. I've also never seen a "wheel hanging tool". When I needed to change a wheel/tire, I found that the wheel would, very carefully, hang on a lip from the rotor or axle just long enough for me to insert one or two bolts. Never even gave it a moments grumbling, it just worked for me.

By the way, any pics yet?

jrct9454

Well, your W203 C has the tool. It makes wheel changing vastly easier. You can't just hang these wheels on the hub - they won't stay in place. You basically need three hands....or maybe you're younger and in better shape than I am, which is entirely likely.

Anyway, it's hardly a show-stopper - just an observation. So far, everything else has been positive from my perspective...finally got the satellite radio working today, and like it very much.

abqhudson

Thanks for your comments.

Jim

ScottW911

John,

I am not trying to impugn your abilities to mount the tire. It sounds like you may have a few years on me but I'm no spring chicken. I should have said my trick is to sit in front of the axle with my feet under the tire. I lift it with my toes/tops of my feet to the correct level, if it won't hang on its own. I guess the feet serve as my 3rd and 4th hands. I swear it seems to stay there just long enough to put the bolt in though.

I'll bet you have a nice looking car (hint, hint).

RLE

<<I should have said my trick is to sit in front of the axle with my feet under the tire. I lift it with my toes/tops of my feet to the correct level, if it won't hang on its own. I guess the feet serve as my 3rd and 4th hands. I swear it seems to stay there just long enough to put the bolt in though.>>

The so called "tool" is simply a threaded aluminum rod that screws into one of the wheel bolt holes and is almost a necessity when changing a front wheel since the hub will rotate when you are trying to line up the wheel with the holes on the hub. I've had the 17" AMG C36 monoblocks off and on my C320 enough times to know what a pain in the *** it is in my garage.

I am trying to picture you sitting on the wet ground alongside the Interstate at 2AM trying to lift a wheel onto the hub with your toes.

As to the oil filter location, it is not in the same location as my M112 engine's filter.

ScottW911

Yeah, sounds pretty laughable. Fortunately, I've yet to be stranded on the side of any road with a flat. Usually, I'm in the garage, doing the brakes. It works though.

MBNUT1

I'm so dumb I changed many a tire before it occurred to me what the threaded rod was for. Life got mucho better after I used it. I had to use similar tricks to position the tire. After a while I got lazier and began to basically allign the hub height with the lug height to get things started and reraise the car.

jrct9454

I have a lot on my plate right now - we are preparing for a nearly 6000 mile road trip, something I've never attempted with a brand-new car before, plus we need to get tax and title and plates, car cover, and a lot of pre-trip details done. If time and energy permit, I'll work on the picture question.

I'll see if the owner's manual offers any clue on the oil filter question. One way or another, MB has been using the same general approach on this for at least 25 years - the cannister that sits upright somewhere high, that is designed to be replaced from above. I suppose it's possible they've changed that, though I can't imagine why. I'll look into it as time permits.

LAZARU5

John - I think the W204 engines are the same as the one used in the SLKs. Pop off the front engine cover and the filter location should be obvious. The covers can have sharp edges so I recommend wearing leather gloves.

- Fred

jrct9454

Yeah, this is the same engine used in the W203 C280/C350, so I don't see any real differences. Somebody earlier implied otherwise - I was just trying to put this to rest.

Incidentally, the owner's manual has some amusing inclusions and exclusions - one of the latter is any reference to doing anything to the car except adding fluids - clearly the dealers are anxious that you not do anything yourself you "should" be paying them to do. And while we have reacquired a crankcase engine oil dipstick, there is now no external way of checking transmission fluid levels...."if you suspect transmission fluid loss, see your MB service center"....or words to that effect. As I mentioned before, there is now a requirement to replace the trans fluid once at 39k miles, which I regard as a good thing.

Got my plates and reg. taken care of today....waiting to hear from the parts guy about my wheel changing tool.