One Year Of Ownership
11-24-2008, 10:59 AM
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C-300, XC70, Wrangler
One Year Of Ownership
Nov 24th is the anniversary of this car. New in 2007. How has it been?
Year 1:
- It took several months to assimilate that this car is mine, that it replaced the previous car. That I keep my cars for about a decade plays a role in that, but so does the newness of this car. Today, I just hop in and go/do what I will, but in those first few months, I was much more cautious. Sometimes I had a tinge of "buyer's remorse" when the car was somehow not quite what I expected, or I had to learn something new. I think I'm over all of that now.
- That damn stalk for cruise control still gets me from time to time. It's because I switch back and forth from other cars and this is the only one with the really oddball approach to cruise control. I would be tempted to just have the damn thing physically removed if it was any worse than it is. Maybe one day I'll regret I didn't yank it out (ugh, does that mean an accident is in my future?). I think that Mercedes is smarter than what this stalk illustrates. God I hope so.
- The seats are fine. I'm almost to a point where the closeness to the floor is acceptable. I cannot raise the seat too much because my head scrapes the ceiling. So, my preferred habit of pulling up my left leg to rest my left hand on while holding the wheel just doesn't work for more than about 1/2 hour at a time. It feels real awkward to stretch that leg out. Otherwise, I am a bit concerned about how the right leg feels after an hour of steady pressure on the gas pedal, but then there is that damn cruise stalk, eh? Hm. Can't win for losing on this one. Seat feels great. I guess that's a bonus.
- Shake, rattle, and roll. Nope, nada. This car is solid. I really like that. Even up on the broken road called I-90 on the east side of the pass where the road really, really needs to be rebuilt from the bed on up, the car doesn't rattle. The ride up there is rough, but it doesn't rattle. The only things I've ever felt have easily and quickly been tracked down.
- Road noise. Okay, It's not a Rolls Royce. It is loud. Why? I'm thinking it's that plastic pan under the car where the spare sits. Maybe a noise blanket under the trunk floor would help? Dunno. As the car goes faster, the wheels/tires make lots more noise. On our rough roads (WA is notorious for loud roadways), the car is as noisy as any other of its size. Nothing luxurious about that. Better tires would help, eh? Yeah, there is some wind noise. It's only noticeable when the weather plays along and the winds reach 40+ mph.
- Dealer. Well, the dealer is a ... dealer. What should I expect? I've sent a grand total of 3 emails to them. One got me a service appointment, and two were totally ignored. The service appointment was messed up: they actually expected me to sit for about 5 hours in their waiting room. Um, I did get a loaner, but not because they wanted to give me one. That the other emails have gone unanswered is only par for the course. What did I expect? Customer service? Hmm. My original salesman didn't last six months after I bought the car. I was told that there's a lot of turn around in auto sales. Hmm. I guess I expected better than that. I mean, if you pay this much for a car, don't you expect Kidd Glove treatments?
- Tires. Wheels and tires are a huge disappointment. That they wear unevenly is understood when you realize that they are staggered. I will be rectifying that when I replace this set. Meanwhile, the ride suffers a bit because the sidewalls are so thin/short. The inability to properly rotate tires adds to wear and tear. And tire noise from the stock Michelin Pilots is way too much.
- Fit and finish are phenomenal. Absolutely wonderful. Cannot complain. Interior and exterior are nearly perfect. Even when it's got a coating of dirt from the rains, the car just shines. Some bits are totally unexpected, like how you still can see behind through the rear-view mirror when the trunk lid is up. I added the chrome "trunk handle" to protect the paint, and it was worth it. My clear bra also covers the insides of the door handles, and that's worth it too. I haven't yet tried to unlock the rear doors from inside, and I suspect I should before too many more months go by, just to break the pins and then to get them replaced. Ah, warranty.
- Tools. The car didn't come with enough tools, so I spent some time buying a tool bag and stuffing it with the tools that I discovered a need for. I'm still in that mode, now looking for fuse pullers ... Why didn't MB provide a sufficient supply of tools? Well, what cars do? Ah, but there is one place where MB could stand to be more common. What other manufacturer uses lug bolts instead of lug nuts? What reason does MB put forward for this decision? Of course it causes owners to either always use the tire service folk to mount tires, or to go and buy their own tool to hold a wheel on while the bolts are being installed. This is dumb.
- Fuel economy. I've often reported getting over 30 mpg on a trip, reaching over 32 on occasion. Sometimes I can do that consistently. But at other times, it's really hard to do. If it's raining, the mileage slips (possibly due to the braking action, drying the rotors and pads). I suspect that the air filter plays a role in fuel economy, and that it's not being changed frequently enough, but I haven't opened it up to find out. Burning 92 octane is somewhat expensive, but if the mileage is better, then that's okay. All too often, though, my tank mileage hits about 27.5 because the car does not do very well in city driving. It's marked at 19, and I can get 22 if all the lights agree with me, but I've also seen 13 on a particularly bad, bad commute one morning. On balance it's as good as what I had before, but it's no stellar performer.
- Lookenspeepers. Yeah, people do look. Just a week ago I got passed by two guys who had to spin around in their seats to look at my car as they went by. People do turn and look, even when the car is not very clean. There are several around, but not all that many, and even after a year it draws stares. Cool. I guess.
- Reliability of this car has been great. It starts when I turn the key. It goes until I turn the key off. I've had none of the glitches people have reported. I feel that I need a car I can trust, and this car is fully trustworthy. For me, that's a minimum level of satisfaction, and a deal-breaker if it cannot be reliable. So far, this is a great experience.
On balance, this car is everything I thought it would be and more. I had carefully checked out the market for a new car when my old one was getting a bit long in the tooth. I studied the C Class and discovered the very long lead time for development and thought that it would be a good car to have. And it is!
I may not be the world's best MB salesman, but this car has not turned me into a BMW salesman!
Year 1:
- It took several months to assimilate that this car is mine, that it replaced the previous car. That I keep my cars for about a decade plays a role in that, but so does the newness of this car. Today, I just hop in and go/do what I will, but in those first few months, I was much more cautious. Sometimes I had a tinge of "buyer's remorse" when the car was somehow not quite what I expected, or I had to learn something new. I think I'm over all of that now.
- That damn stalk for cruise control still gets me from time to time. It's because I switch back and forth from other cars and this is the only one with the really oddball approach to cruise control. I would be tempted to just have the damn thing physically removed if it was any worse than it is. Maybe one day I'll regret I didn't yank it out (ugh, does that mean an accident is in my future?). I think that Mercedes is smarter than what this stalk illustrates. God I hope so.
- The seats are fine. I'm almost to a point where the closeness to the floor is acceptable. I cannot raise the seat too much because my head scrapes the ceiling. So, my preferred habit of pulling up my left leg to rest my left hand on while holding the wheel just doesn't work for more than about 1/2 hour at a time. It feels real awkward to stretch that leg out. Otherwise, I am a bit concerned about how the right leg feels after an hour of steady pressure on the gas pedal, but then there is that damn cruise stalk, eh? Hm. Can't win for losing on this one. Seat feels great. I guess that's a bonus.
- Shake, rattle, and roll. Nope, nada. This car is solid. I really like that. Even up on the broken road called I-90 on the east side of the pass where the road really, really needs to be rebuilt from the bed on up, the car doesn't rattle. The ride up there is rough, but it doesn't rattle. The only things I've ever felt have easily and quickly been tracked down.
- Road noise. Okay, It's not a Rolls Royce. It is loud. Why? I'm thinking it's that plastic pan under the car where the spare sits. Maybe a noise blanket under the trunk floor would help? Dunno. As the car goes faster, the wheels/tires make lots more noise. On our rough roads (WA is notorious for loud roadways), the car is as noisy as any other of its size. Nothing luxurious about that. Better tires would help, eh? Yeah, there is some wind noise. It's only noticeable when the weather plays along and the winds reach 40+ mph.
- Dealer. Well, the dealer is a ... dealer. What should I expect? I've sent a grand total of 3 emails to them. One got me a service appointment, and two were totally ignored. The service appointment was messed up: they actually expected me to sit for about 5 hours in their waiting room. Um, I did get a loaner, but not because they wanted to give me one. That the other emails have gone unanswered is only par for the course. What did I expect? Customer service? Hmm. My original salesman didn't last six months after I bought the car. I was told that there's a lot of turn around in auto sales. Hmm. I guess I expected better than that. I mean, if you pay this much for a car, don't you expect Kidd Glove treatments?
- Tires. Wheels and tires are a huge disappointment. That they wear unevenly is understood when you realize that they are staggered. I will be rectifying that when I replace this set. Meanwhile, the ride suffers a bit because the sidewalls are so thin/short. The inability to properly rotate tires adds to wear and tear. And tire noise from the stock Michelin Pilots is way too much.
- Fit and finish are phenomenal. Absolutely wonderful. Cannot complain. Interior and exterior are nearly perfect. Even when it's got a coating of dirt from the rains, the car just shines. Some bits are totally unexpected, like how you still can see behind through the rear-view mirror when the trunk lid is up. I added the chrome "trunk handle" to protect the paint, and it was worth it. My clear bra also covers the insides of the door handles, and that's worth it too. I haven't yet tried to unlock the rear doors from inside, and I suspect I should before too many more months go by, just to break the pins and then to get them replaced. Ah, warranty.
- Tools. The car didn't come with enough tools, so I spent some time buying a tool bag and stuffing it with the tools that I discovered a need for. I'm still in that mode, now looking for fuse pullers ... Why didn't MB provide a sufficient supply of tools? Well, what cars do? Ah, but there is one place where MB could stand to be more common. What other manufacturer uses lug bolts instead of lug nuts? What reason does MB put forward for this decision? Of course it causes owners to either always use the tire service folk to mount tires, or to go and buy their own tool to hold a wheel on while the bolts are being installed. This is dumb.
- Fuel economy. I've often reported getting over 30 mpg on a trip, reaching over 32 on occasion. Sometimes I can do that consistently. But at other times, it's really hard to do. If it's raining, the mileage slips (possibly due to the braking action, drying the rotors and pads). I suspect that the air filter plays a role in fuel economy, and that it's not being changed frequently enough, but I haven't opened it up to find out. Burning 92 octane is somewhat expensive, but if the mileage is better, then that's okay. All too often, though, my tank mileage hits about 27.5 because the car does not do very well in city driving. It's marked at 19, and I can get 22 if all the lights agree with me, but I've also seen 13 on a particularly bad, bad commute one morning. On balance it's as good as what I had before, but it's no stellar performer.
- Lookenspeepers. Yeah, people do look. Just a week ago I got passed by two guys who had to spin around in their seats to look at my car as they went by. People do turn and look, even when the car is not very clean. There are several around, but not all that many, and even after a year it draws stares. Cool. I guess.
- Reliability of this car has been great. It starts when I turn the key. It goes until I turn the key off. I've had none of the glitches people have reported. I feel that I need a car I can trust, and this car is fully trustworthy. For me, that's a minimum level of satisfaction, and a deal-breaker if it cannot be reliable. So far, this is a great experience.
On balance, this car is everything I thought it would be and more. I had carefully checked out the market for a new car when my old one was getting a bit long in the tooth. I studied the C Class and discovered the very long lead time for development and thought that it would be a good car to have. And it is!
I may not be the world's best MB salesman, but this car has not turned me into a BMW salesman!
11-24-2008, 12:31 PM
#2
Super Member
wow...nice write up! im almost there too, well almost to 10,000 and 3 months away from 1 year.... i do agree with what you wrote. i too have had none of the other gremlins people are talking about from electronics to engine not starting. this is a solid but heavy car. while its no sports car its quite the compromise between both sedan and sporty feel.
I feel that there is room for improvements MB can make without having to up the cost on us. as this is an entry Merc, other car manufactures are putting the same if not more tech into their cars for cheaper. (example: Multi-Media system is the same and built by Mitsubishi motors) On the contrary we are not paying for a Mitsubishi we are driving Mercedes Benz, i think theres a certain pride and prestige that comes with it! thanks again for the write up!
I feel that there is room for improvements MB can make without having to up the cost on us. as this is an entry Merc, other car manufactures are putting the same if not more tech into their cars for cheaper. (example: Multi-Media system is the same and built by Mitsubishi motors) On the contrary we are not paying for a Mitsubishi we are driving Mercedes Benz, i think theres a certain pride and prestige that comes with it! thanks again for the write up!
11-24-2008, 03:16 PM
#3
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2009 C350W on EDP
Good car, and getting better...
Yeah, I am into about 3 months with my 2009 C350 and I would agree with most of your observations. The 2009 is very quiet now, with MB having had a few years to tune-up the wind noise, underpan sound shorts, and offer the quieter non-Conti tires on more models.
Last edited by TRauppius; 11-24-2008 at 03:19 PM.
11-26-2008, 02:56 PM
#4
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'14 GLK250 Diesel
Well, I have a couple of reactions [we're at 12.5k miles and 15+ months]:
-Cruise control: I've been so used to the MB system for so long [and yes, I've owned 40 other cars that do it other ways] that I find it intuitive and easy.
-Road noise: It's higher than it should be, but that is at least partly because of the decision to go with such wide tires. We have the Lux, so don't have to deal with the staggered tire issue [225/45x17s all around], but the OEM Contis are not ideal in any respect except pure wear. I'm thinking of going back to 16s [which are OEM everywhere else in the world except here] with Michelin Primacy MXV4s, which are widely praised on the Tire Rack site for both ride and noise. We had a set on our '06 Prius, and they were excellent in all respects. As an aside, I'll note that road noise is no worse than in our '02 C240 - with 16" Contis as OEM. And yes, road surfaces in both WA and OR are uniformly awful, because of the widespread, mostly unnecessary, use of studded tires. These things should be illegal - good, modern winter tires are as good without studs as with.
Generally, I feel our car is a close to ideal as it can get without being the twin-turbo 4 cyl diesel. Hopefully coming in 2010 as a 2011 model.
-On dealers...."your experience will vary". In both Sacramento CA, and now in Portland OR, I am quite happy with our dealer support and service for the last four MBs [since 1994]. Before that, the dealer in Walnut Creek CA was a disaster for service, and recent postings on this site suggest nothing has changed in the past 20 years. Before that, the dealer in Redwood City CA [now in Belmont] was a delight. It's the luck of the draw.
-Cruise control: I've been so used to the MB system for so long [and yes, I've owned 40 other cars that do it other ways] that I find it intuitive and easy.
-Road noise: It's higher than it should be, but that is at least partly because of the decision to go with such wide tires. We have the Lux, so don't have to deal with the staggered tire issue [225/45x17s all around], but the OEM Contis are not ideal in any respect except pure wear. I'm thinking of going back to 16s [which are OEM everywhere else in the world except here] with Michelin Primacy MXV4s, which are widely praised on the Tire Rack site for both ride and noise. We had a set on our '06 Prius, and they were excellent in all respects. As an aside, I'll note that road noise is no worse than in our '02 C240 - with 16" Contis as OEM. And yes, road surfaces in both WA and OR are uniformly awful, because of the widespread, mostly unnecessary, use of studded tires. These things should be illegal - good, modern winter tires are as good without studs as with.
Generally, I feel our car is a close to ideal as it can get without being the twin-turbo 4 cyl diesel. Hopefully coming in 2010 as a 2011 model.
-On dealers...."your experience will vary". In both Sacramento CA, and now in Portland OR, I am quite happy with our dealer support and service for the last four MBs [since 1994]. Before that, the dealer in Walnut Creek CA was a disaster for service, and recent postings on this site suggest nothing has changed in the past 20 years. Before that, the dealer in Redwood City CA [now in Belmont] was a delight. It's the luck of the draw.
Last edited by jrct9454; 11-26-2008 at 03:06 PM.
11-26-2008, 03:37 PM
#5
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Join Date: Oct 2007
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2008 R350 & 2008 C300
Cruise Control - Not a problem here, both my cars are Mercedes so that might have something to do with it. Some have mentioned that they think the C stalk is lower than a normal Benz, but I don't see any difference between it and the R.
Seats - They work, that's about all I can say about them. They don't fit very well, they are very thin, and I'm with you on the hitting your head on the ceiling if your not careful with the adjustments. But then, the C class seats have always sucked (exception being the AMG models) so I knew what I was getting when I bought it.
My car has the shakes, rattles, and rolls. The fit and finish aren't quite up to par either. If the average person rode in my car they would assume it was at least five to six years old. I will say that after looking at the 2009 in the show room the fit and finish has improved.
Road Noise - Don't really notice anything out of the ordinary. Tires and wheels seem to be just fine as well. Although I will complain that the stock C300 Sport wheels are quite the pain to clean. Might add that I drove a Luxury loaner and it rode a lot better than my Sport, stupid me got caught up in the looks of the Sport and should have given the Luxury a longer look.
Dealer - I have the best dealer I have had in my life, including my salesman. No complaints what so ever in that department. I have notice that MB salesmen do have a big turn over, but only if you get the new guy. MB buyers tend to go back to the same person over and over, so that doesn't leave much clientele for the new salesmen.
Fuel Economy has been great, about what you can expect from a car in this class.
Reliability - I've had the gremlin, it was bad, it sat in the shop, it got fixed and I'm happy now. I only had one, it was some what major, but the warranty and the exceptional service department took care of it.
Over all its a good car, its not great, but just good. If someone were in the market for a new car it would be tough for me to recommend the C class though. With the added price increase for 2009 my car a C300 Sport 4matic Metallic Paint P1 car would run $39,945! That is quite insane for a car with less interior room than a Honda Civic, yes I realize most of you here spent over $40k for your cars and that's all your choice, but for this car that's not for me.
The new GLK350 which starts at $38k, a ML350 which can be had for around $40k with some dealing, or even a E350 that is getting heavily discounted at the moment would be a better choice for that sort of money. That said, if someone could get $5k - $6k off the M.S.R.P. of a C300 then it's not a bad choice, that's easily the same price as a loaded Honda Accord. I have a feeling with the economy taking a turn like it has, the euro and dollar are getting closer together and Benz will have to take away the price increase, from 2008 they have increased the price almost a full $2k.
Seats - They work, that's about all I can say about them. They don't fit very well, they are very thin, and I'm with you on the hitting your head on the ceiling if your not careful with the adjustments. But then, the C class seats have always sucked (exception being the AMG models) so I knew what I was getting when I bought it.
My car has the shakes, rattles, and rolls. The fit and finish aren't quite up to par either. If the average person rode in my car they would assume it was at least five to six years old. I will say that after looking at the 2009 in the show room the fit and finish has improved.
Road Noise - Don't really notice anything out of the ordinary. Tires and wheels seem to be just fine as well. Although I will complain that the stock C300 Sport wheels are quite the pain to clean. Might add that I drove a Luxury loaner and it rode a lot better than my Sport, stupid me got caught up in the looks of the Sport and should have given the Luxury a longer look.
Dealer - I have the best dealer I have had in my life, including my salesman. No complaints what so ever in that department. I have notice that MB salesmen do have a big turn over, but only if you get the new guy. MB buyers tend to go back to the same person over and over, so that doesn't leave much clientele for the new salesmen.
Fuel Economy has been great, about what you can expect from a car in this class.
Reliability - I've had the gremlin, it was bad, it sat in the shop, it got fixed and I'm happy now. I only had one, it was some what major, but the warranty and the exceptional service department took care of it.
Over all its a good car, its not great, but just good. If someone were in the market for a new car it would be tough for me to recommend the C class though. With the added price increase for 2009 my car a C300 Sport 4matic Metallic Paint P1 car would run $39,945! That is quite insane for a car with less interior room than a Honda Civic, yes I realize most of you here spent over $40k for your cars and that's all your choice, but for this car that's not for me.
The new GLK350 which starts at $38k, a ML350 which can be had for around $40k with some dealing, or even a E350 that is getting heavily discounted at the moment would be a better choice for that sort of money. That said, if someone could get $5k - $6k off the M.S.R.P. of a C300 then it's not a bad choice, that's easily the same price as a loaded Honda Accord. I have a feeling with the economy taking a turn like it has, the euro and dollar are getting closer together and Benz will have to take away the price increase, from 2008 they have increased the price almost a full $2k.
Last edited by chilledbenz; 11-26-2008 at 03:42 PM.
11-28-2008, 03:16 PM
#6
Super Moderator
Nov 24th is the anniversary of this car. New in 2007. How has it been?
Year 1:
- It took several months to assimilate that this car is mine, that it replaced the previous car. That I keep my cars for about a decade plays a role in that, but so does the newness of this car. Today, I just hop in and go/do what I will, but in those first few months, I was much more cautious. Sometimes I had a tinge of "buyer's remorse" when the car was somehow not quite what I expected, or I had to learn something new. I think I'm over all of that now.
- That damn stalk for cruise control still gets me from time to time. It's because I switch back and forth from other cars and this is the only one with the really oddball approach to cruise control. I would be tempted to just have the damn thing physically removed if it was any worse than it is. Maybe one day I'll regret I didn't yank it out (ugh, does that mean an accident is in my future?). I think that Mercedes is smarter than what this stalk illustrates. God I hope so.
- The seats are fine. I'm almost to a point where the closeness to the floor is acceptable. I cannot raise the seat too much because my head scrapes the ceiling. So, my preferred habit of pulling up my left leg to rest my left hand on while holding the wheel just doesn't work for more than about 1/2 hour at a time. It feels real awkward to stretch that leg out. Otherwise, I am a bit concerned about how the right leg feels after an hour of steady pressure on the gas pedal, but then there is that damn cruise stalk, eh? Hm. Can't win for losing on this one. Seat feels great. I guess that's a bonus.
- Shake, rattle, and roll. Nope, nada. This car is solid. I really like that. Even up on the broken road called I-90 on the east side of the pass where the road really, really needs to be rebuilt from the bed on up, the car doesn't rattle. The ride up there is rough, but it doesn't rattle. The only things I've ever felt have easily and quickly been tracked down.
- Road noise. Okay, It's not a Rolls Royce. It is loud. Why? I'm thinking it's that plastic pan under the car where the spare sits. Maybe a noise blanket under the trunk floor would help? Dunno. As the car goes faster, the wheels/tires make lots more noise. On our rough roads (WA is notorious for loud roadways), the car is as noisy as any other of its size. Nothing luxurious about that. Better tires would help, eh? Yeah, there is some wind noise. It's only noticeable when the weather plays along and the winds reach 40+ mph.
- Dealer. Well, the dealer is a ... dealer. What should I expect? I've sent a grand total of 3 emails to them. One got me a service appointment, and two were totally ignored. The service appointment was messed up: they actually expected me to sit for about 5 hours in their waiting room. Um, I did get a loaner, but not because they wanted to give me one. That the other emails have gone unanswered is only par for the course. What did I expect? Customer service? Hmm. My original salesman didn't last six months after I bought the car. I was told that there's a lot of turn around in auto sales. Hmm. I guess I expected better than that. I mean, if you pay this much for a car, don't you expect Kidd Glove treatments?
- Tires. Wheels and tires are a huge disappointment. That they wear unevenly is understood when you realize that they are staggered. I will be rectifying that when I replace this set. Meanwhile, the ride suffers a bit because the sidewalls are so thin/short. The inability to properly rotate tires adds to wear and tear. And tire noise from the stock Michelin Pilots is way too much.
- Fit and finish are phenomenal. Absolutely wonderful. Cannot complain. Interior and exterior are nearly perfect. Even when it's got a coating of dirt from the rains, the car just shines. Some bits are totally unexpected, like how you still can see behind through the rear-view mirror when the trunk lid is up. I added the chrome "trunk handle" to protect the paint, and it was worth it. My clear bra also covers the insides of the door handles, and that's worth it too. I haven't yet tried to unlock the rear doors from inside, and I suspect I should before too many more months go by, just to break the pins and then to get them replaced. Ah, warranty.
- Tools. The car didn't come with enough tools, so I spent some time buying a tool bag and stuffing it with the tools that I discovered a need for. I'm still in that mode, now looking for fuse pullers ... Why didn't MB provide a sufficient supply of tools? Well, what cars do? Ah, but there is one place where MB could stand to be more common. What other manufacturer uses lug bolts instead of lug nuts? What reason does MB put forward for this decision? Of course it causes owners to either always use the tire service folk to mount tires, or to go and buy their own tool to hold a wheel on while the bolts are being installed. This is dumb.
- Fuel economy. I've often reported getting over 30 mpg on a trip, reaching over 32 on occasion. Sometimes I can do that consistently. But at other times, it's really hard to do. If it's raining, the mileage slips (possibly due to the braking action, drying the rotors and pads). I suspect that the air filter plays a role in fuel economy, and that it's not being changed frequently enough, but I haven't opened it up to find out. Burning 92 octane is somewhat expensive, but if the mileage is better, then that's okay. All too often, though, my tank mileage hits about 27.5 because the car does not do very well in city driving. It's marked at 19, and I can get 22 if all the lights agree with me, but I've also seen 13 on a particularly bad, bad commute one morning. On balance it's as good as what I had before, but it's no stellar performer.
- Lookenspeepers. Yeah, people do look. Just a week ago I got passed by two guys who had to spin around in their seats to look at my car as they went by. People do turn and look, even when the car is not very clean. There are several around, but not all that many, and even after a year it draws stares. Cool. I guess.
- Reliability of this car has been great. It starts when I turn the key. It goes until I turn the key off. I've had none of the glitches people have reported. I feel that I need a car I can trust, and this car is fully trustworthy. For me, that's a minimum level of satisfaction, and a deal-breaker if it cannot be reliable. So far, this is a great experience.
On balance, this car is everything I thought it would be and more. I had carefully checked out the market for a new car when my old one was getting a bit long in the tooth. I studied the C Class and discovered the very long lead time for development and thought that it would be a good car to have. And it is!
I may not be the world's best MB salesman, but this car has not turned me into a BMW salesman!
Year 1:
- It took several months to assimilate that this car is mine, that it replaced the previous car. That I keep my cars for about a decade plays a role in that, but so does the newness of this car. Today, I just hop in and go/do what I will, but in those first few months, I was much more cautious. Sometimes I had a tinge of "buyer's remorse" when the car was somehow not quite what I expected, or I had to learn something new. I think I'm over all of that now.
- That damn stalk for cruise control still gets me from time to time. It's because I switch back and forth from other cars and this is the only one with the really oddball approach to cruise control. I would be tempted to just have the damn thing physically removed if it was any worse than it is. Maybe one day I'll regret I didn't yank it out (ugh, does that mean an accident is in my future?). I think that Mercedes is smarter than what this stalk illustrates. God I hope so.
- The seats are fine. I'm almost to a point where the closeness to the floor is acceptable. I cannot raise the seat too much because my head scrapes the ceiling. So, my preferred habit of pulling up my left leg to rest my left hand on while holding the wheel just doesn't work for more than about 1/2 hour at a time. It feels real awkward to stretch that leg out. Otherwise, I am a bit concerned about how the right leg feels after an hour of steady pressure on the gas pedal, but then there is that damn cruise stalk, eh? Hm. Can't win for losing on this one. Seat feels great. I guess that's a bonus.
- Shake, rattle, and roll. Nope, nada. This car is solid. I really like that. Even up on the broken road called I-90 on the east side of the pass where the road really, really needs to be rebuilt from the bed on up, the car doesn't rattle. The ride up there is rough, but it doesn't rattle. The only things I've ever felt have easily and quickly been tracked down.
- Road noise. Okay, It's not a Rolls Royce. It is loud. Why? I'm thinking it's that plastic pan under the car where the spare sits. Maybe a noise blanket under the trunk floor would help? Dunno. As the car goes faster, the wheels/tires make lots more noise. On our rough roads (WA is notorious for loud roadways), the car is as noisy as any other of its size. Nothing luxurious about that. Better tires would help, eh? Yeah, there is some wind noise. It's only noticeable when the weather plays along and the winds reach 40+ mph.
- Dealer. Well, the dealer is a ... dealer. What should I expect? I've sent a grand total of 3 emails to them. One got me a service appointment, and two were totally ignored. The service appointment was messed up: they actually expected me to sit for about 5 hours in their waiting room. Um, I did get a loaner, but not because they wanted to give me one. That the other emails have gone unanswered is only par for the course. What did I expect? Customer service? Hmm. My original salesman didn't last six months after I bought the car. I was told that there's a lot of turn around in auto sales. Hmm. I guess I expected better than that. I mean, if you pay this much for a car, don't you expect Kidd Glove treatments?
- Tires. Wheels and tires are a huge disappointment. That they wear unevenly is understood when you realize that they are staggered. I will be rectifying that when I replace this set. Meanwhile, the ride suffers a bit because the sidewalls are so thin/short. The inability to properly rotate tires adds to wear and tear. And tire noise from the stock Michelin Pilots is way too much.
- Fit and finish are phenomenal. Absolutely wonderful. Cannot complain. Interior and exterior are nearly perfect. Even when it's got a coating of dirt from the rains, the car just shines. Some bits are totally unexpected, like how you still can see behind through the rear-view mirror when the trunk lid is up. I added the chrome "trunk handle" to protect the paint, and it was worth it. My clear bra also covers the insides of the door handles, and that's worth it too. I haven't yet tried to unlock the rear doors from inside, and I suspect I should before too many more months go by, just to break the pins and then to get them replaced. Ah, warranty.
- Tools. The car didn't come with enough tools, so I spent some time buying a tool bag and stuffing it with the tools that I discovered a need for. I'm still in that mode, now looking for fuse pullers ... Why didn't MB provide a sufficient supply of tools? Well, what cars do? Ah, but there is one place where MB could stand to be more common. What other manufacturer uses lug bolts instead of lug nuts? What reason does MB put forward for this decision? Of course it causes owners to either always use the tire service folk to mount tires, or to go and buy their own tool to hold a wheel on while the bolts are being installed. This is dumb.
- Fuel economy. I've often reported getting over 30 mpg on a trip, reaching over 32 on occasion. Sometimes I can do that consistently. But at other times, it's really hard to do. If it's raining, the mileage slips (possibly due to the braking action, drying the rotors and pads). I suspect that the air filter plays a role in fuel economy, and that it's not being changed frequently enough, but I haven't opened it up to find out. Burning 92 octane is somewhat expensive, but if the mileage is better, then that's okay. All too often, though, my tank mileage hits about 27.5 because the car does not do very well in city driving. It's marked at 19, and I can get 22 if all the lights agree with me, but I've also seen 13 on a particularly bad, bad commute one morning. On balance it's as good as what I had before, but it's no stellar performer.
- Lookenspeepers. Yeah, people do look. Just a week ago I got passed by two guys who had to spin around in their seats to look at my car as they went by. People do turn and look, even when the car is not very clean. There are several around, but not all that many, and even after a year it draws stares. Cool. I guess.
- Reliability of this car has been great. It starts when I turn the key. It goes until I turn the key off. I've had none of the glitches people have reported. I feel that I need a car I can trust, and this car is fully trustworthy. For me, that's a minimum level of satisfaction, and a deal-breaker if it cannot be reliable. So far, this is a great experience.
On balance, this car is everything I thought it would be and more. I had carefully checked out the market for a new car when my old one was getting a bit long in the tooth. I studied the C Class and discovered the very long lead time for development and thought that it would be a good car to have. And it is!
I may not be the world's best MB salesman, but this car has not turned me into a BMW salesman!
11-29-2008, 08:33 PM
#7
Super Member
My car has the shakes, rattles, and rolls. The fit and finish aren't quite up to par either. If the average person rode in my car they would assume it was at least five to six years old. I will say that after looking at the 2009 in the show room the fit and finish has improved.
Reliability - I've had the gremlin, it was bad, it sat in the shop, it got fixed and I'm happy now. I only had one, it was some what major, but the warranty and the exceptional service department took care of it.
.
Reliability - I've had the gremlin, it was bad, it sat in the shop, it got fixed and I'm happy now. I only had one, it was some what major, but the warranty and the exceptional service department took care of it.
.
What gremlin did you have?
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11-30-2008, 12:27 AM
#8
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2008 R350 & 2008 C300
The 2009 cars I looked over in the show room had much tighter panel gaps, but this is to be expected as they have had a full year to work out the manufacturing process and get things correct.
My gremlin was a a/c drain plug that wasn't installed correctly and caused all that water that normally runs out the bottom of your car....to run into my back seat foot well. If you have ever parked your car on a hot day in the middle of summer and then moved it, you notice quite a bit of water under neath dripping out, now imagine that dripping into your back seat and you have a good idea what happened to mine. They took out the drivers seat and replace the sound insulation from the front to the back and then professionally cleaned the carpets, all is well now and I haven't had anything else pop up since.
11-30-2008, 12:37 AM
#9
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C-300, XC70, Wrangler
Where was your car built? The new Michelin Pilot Sport 2 (not 1 which has directional tread) with the same tread pattern as the Exalto PE2 will fix your noise problem. It has continuous bands of tread with sipes & no blocks. It's no longer directional - most sensible so that you can rotate the tyres every 10,000 Kms across the same axle. This at least changes the direction of rotation & keeps the tyres from feathering & becoming noisy.
The plan for noise reduction (current plan) is to (a) pack some kind of noise blanket into the spare tire recess, then (b) when the tires need changing, swap to 4 wheels of the same width. That will allow better rotations, and if non-directional tred is available, then the full pattern is a good idea.
11-30-2008, 01:03 AM
#10
Super Member
I picked my car up in the first month of builds for 4matics, a few months after regular U.S. production cars started hitting show rooms. At the time the cars that were coming in (mine included) have below average (for MB) panel gaps and some of my interior parts aren't quite perfect, resulting in some minor rattling and squeaking. I can't say that all the cars had the interior issues as I didn't open all of them up or ride in them, but seeing other posts on this board rear shelf noises seem to be quite common for some of the earlier builds.
My gremlin was a a/c drain plug that wasn't installed correctly and caused all that water that normally runs out the bottom of your car....to run into my back seat foot well.
My gremlin was a a/c drain plug that wasn't installed correctly and caused all that water that normally runs out the bottom of your car....to run into my back seat foot well.
I'm reading other posts about the engine rattles and grittiness. I really think MB should take a page out of Lexus on refinement. Granted, they made some big strive with c300, its was the first MB I ever considered (of the ones that I could afford that is.) It even made me swtich from a bmw!
sigh...
11-30-2008, 01:50 AM
#11
Super Moderator
"F" in the 11th character of the VIN - Bremen
The plan for noise reduction (current plan) is to (a) pack some kind of noise blanket into the spare tire recess, then (b) when the tires need changing, swap to 4 wheels of the same width. That will allow better rotations, and if non-directional tred is available, then the full pattern is a good idea.
The plan for noise reduction (current plan) is to (a) pack some kind of noise blanket into the spare tire recess, then (b) when the tires need changing, swap to 4 wheels of the same width. That will allow better rotations, and if non-directional tred is available, then the full pattern is a good idea.
You should look into the 2009 model measures to quieten the car. Benz claim to have done quite a lot.
