pmb600

I think the biggest problem with the W204 seats is lateral support. My W203 has much better grip when corning. I was suprised that the W204 sport sedan didn't have more griping seats than the luxury, both are pretty bad.

Btw, as a side note, my 2005 C240 now has about 42K miles and the drivers seat cushion is starting to get slightly mushed in where my legs are. You can sort of see in the middle of the seat that it looks higher like the foam is less condensed. Have any of you ever experienced this? And do you think this is something they would fix under warranty? I know that is kind of "wear and tear" but at 42K miles I don't think it should be doing this.

JimPap

Still sounds like you have the lumbar support in the wrong position. All the way down isn't the neutral position. That's what I was saying in my other post.

I've also found that tire inflation is critical on my 17s. A little over or under and the car rides rougher.

delirium

only issue I have with my seats is that sometimes i feel like they are loose or that they move. when i get into my car & plop onto the seat (im only 150 lbs) the seat makes a clunk noise which makes it sounds like its loose.

Then on the highway, if i go over a big bump quickly, sometimes it feels like the botom portion of the seat moved up as if its loose... weird.

other than those complaints, the seats feel fine to me. However I liked my BMW E46 sport steats and my 996 sport seats better, the C350 has the least sporty seats of my last 5 cars.

BTW, i cant stand lexus/toyota seats.

mac911

I have loved the seats in the W204. Really been happy, but that is just me.

Rick Hunter

The only complaint I have is that the seats aren't bolstered enough.

jrct9454

This whole string of posts illustrates my point perfectly: NOTHING works for everybody.

As for Honda / Acura, I thought the seats in our '96 RL were perhaps the best of any car we've ever owned. We had two of the previous generation Accords ['98 and '01], and they were OK without being anything special. Toyotas in general, including most Lexus [except the LS], have seat bottom cushions that tend to be too short for me....the last Toyota with really great seats was the second generation Camry ['87-'91] - big, supportive, fully adjustable, even on the base car. The seat cushion kept shrinking with each succeeding generation on the Camry, and I need more thigh support.

The defining characteristic of MB seats has always been firmness - I find this best for long trips, but can understand those who don't. All the rest of it - size, shape, adjustments, materials - has been fine for me, whether we're talking about Cs, Es, or S-class. [I'm in reasonable shape, average weight, longer legs, but have had back spasm problems for over 30 years - muscles that I now know how to exercise to prevent the worst problems - and I have never felt anything but good about Mercedes' seats.]

norcal5

Not doubting you at all Ryan. Speaking for myself, I do not have the same problem with the seats as you have reported. I do hope you can find an adjustment that works for you.

trial0r

ive been running the seat heaters every time i sit in the car...it seems to cancel out any back pain. i'll even run it at the lowest setting on a hot day. works pretty good.

speedye500

I have a 2006 FORD F150 for every day driving and a C300 for my weekend car and boy oh boy is the C300 much better then the ford. If i spend more then 20 min in the F150 I start getting uncomfortable. But as for the C so far no problems but Im only 23.

Savage c-300

the seats are fine for me. i love the heated seats as well. maybe you just have to find a comfortable setting, or you can buy some extra padding.

pmb600

I will have to see what I think over a longer period of time. I just picked up a C300 Luxury loaner this afternoon. I still think the dash plastic looks very cheap, but I like the way it looks at night and I like the ambient lighting in the footwells and door pulls. Sorry for being off topic.

havacgar

Well I have to admit, I just climbed out of my 06 ML350 into my new 08 C300 and there is a world of difference....I spend about 3.5 hours a day commute, and what I noticed is that the seats in the C300 are obviously much lower to the floor panels....and the seats are by far of lesser quality in build than the ML seats.....

jstaneff

I have also noticed that these seats are far closer to the floor than other seats in other cars. Notwithstanding race cars, especially formula cars, these are very low seats.

I have the habit of drawing my left leg up to rest at the base of the seat while I drive. Been doing that for over 40 years. The C may kill that habit since it's very uncomfortable. So keeping the leg outstretched is the only comfortable thing, and with my "restless legs" that makes that position "uncomfortable." Can't win!

What I don't know is why those seats are so close to the floor. There's plenty of height inside the car, and the car is taller that other cars with a more normal seating position. Strange.

What I won't do is sit in the seat with the back laying down so things "fit better". I demand the ability to see things around me, and that works best for me when I'm sitting upright.

Can't win. On balance it's acceptable, if different.

wingless

My suggestion would be to raise this issue with MBUSA. My expectation is the response would be the problem is your butt, not the seats.

jrct9454

I always drive with the seat bottom raised as high as it will go, on every car I've ever owned. Set this way, I can't say I see any difference between the W204 and the W203, or any other MB sedan I can remember [except the S-class, where the seats are just plain bigger, and more adjustable]. No doubt you can get higher in one of the SUVs,

Still very happy with ours.

JimPap

Hey, I'm 5'6" and this car (and airline seats) fit me just fine.

HistoryGirl

I have the same issue...and I only weigh 110 lbs. I can feel the seat "clunk" when I hit a bump...and the seats are way worse than my 93' lexus ::;sigh::: I am just so ticked with this car...seat heaters don't work and I got the car at 53 miles =(

C300Sport

Wow, HistoryGirl is a great screen name as you have been finding some really old posts...lol.
Just kidding, people are usually giving Newbies a hard time for not searching for posts so I commend you!
You shouldn't be feeling a clunk in your seat so I am guessing the failure of the seat heaters and the "clunk" may be related. Be sure to tell your service advisor (SA) all those little details as it is sometimes like the cops trying to recreate a crime and the smallest seemingly unrelated detail could hold the key.

HistoryGirl

C300, Thanks!!! I was a history major - research is my favorite =) I didn't even look at the date - I will in the future. Thanks so much for all the great advice!!! I just thought I had my seat too low, as I'm 5'7 and like to ride low (like a go-cart style...hah. Probably because my first car at 16 was a manual saturn...and it truly felt like a go-cart with a lid.

I have an appt. on the 21st and I will make a note of all of the things you mentioned and get it resolved!

You're a lifesaver! Thanks =)

ETA: I have made some really silly mistakes with this car...I was so embarrassed when I asked why the passenger airbag was off..I hadn't had a passenger in it yet and had no idea it automatically used the weight sensor to determine if the airbag should be on or off. I almost died of mortification when the SA told me it was supposed to be like that. I usually pride myself on reading everything, etc., but I hadn't gotten through the manual yet. LOL! I still can't figure out how to get my interior light to come on at night when I open the door. Thank goodness for the illuminated door sills. Gawd. Will crack the manual today. At least I can laugh at myself, but I'm so grateful for this forum! lol

OzC36

I bought mt C300 with the AMG upgrade option. The seats are firm and wonderfully supportive. They have good side bolstering and adjustable in every direction for just about any body requirement.

The only way to fully appreciate the wonderful engineering of the Mercedes seats is to drive the car for 4 to 8 hours...then you realize that firm supportive seats are leagues ahead of mushy soft non-supportive seats in providing a fatigue minimizing ride and vastly superior comfort.

No engineering detail in a Mercedes car is an accident...every little detail is debated, agonized over, tested and planned. If something seems sub-optimal, just wait a little while and you will find that you are not even asking the right questions.

C300Sport

Manual Saturn = Go Kart...sounds about right...lol

Yea, if you were in an early 90s Lexus I guess a lot of this stuff would be new.

As far as your interior light, try to "off" button in the center of the "button cluster" on the front overhead light panel. That should do it...Oh God I hope that's not broken to....

JimPap

The early 2008 C300 seats aren't that good. They improved them on the 2009s.

I suspect the AMGs given the cost have even better seats.

fattysnax

The seats could really use some side bolsters. Too bad the C63 seats aren't an option and are really expensive in the aftermarket, otherwise I'd be all over those.

I've taken multiple 8hr road trips between NY/CT and Canada over the past year and the lumbar support is fine. I have it pushed out to max and I have no back pain whatsoever.

Strfry

Definitely, or the new E-class cabriolet seats with the vents by the neck

fattysnax

Those look fantastic too! Love the shape and it's actually got thigh bolstering.

I don't want to wish harm on any one, but can someone "safely" total their C63 and let me salvage their seats from the scrap yard? Anyone on the east coast will do ... kthx PM me