ahr69

My wife has her C250 '13 since March 10, 2013. She hates the car. She complains: The car surges forward when she accelerates from a stop, like at a light, which has made her fearful of driving it. The car only has 900 miles on it and is 3 and a half months old. It sits in the garage; she won’t even drive it, for fear of an impending accident. She almost hit a car before at a light last week and subsequent times before in traffic. She also can't stand the tinny feel from the door closing on the driver’s side. Which makes her feel un-safe driving the car? The seats are giving her headaches from the non-padding of the seat backs. We've been in touch with chef mechanics regarding the surge problem and have been told this one: The car is too big for the engine and the turbo's software needs to be changed to accommodate for that problem. We feel that is why it surges from a stop. The car is trying to build up enough power for the transmission to engage. Does anyone have any helpful ideas to fix this problem, or to get MB to take back the car for a credit towards, let's say the E 350 class?

ilumunus

Actually, I believe that if you had a C300 Luxury, then it would feel a lot better. This is because the ride is a lot smoother, and the seats are far more comfortable in my opinion. Also, the car must still be in warranty, so if you feel like it is a problem with the car and not the style of it, you should probably take it in. The E350 is also very nice, but I think the problem might be that your specific car has issues that the dealer could fix, or just that your wife isn't used to having a sports-tuned car.

makeinu0

I've never had that problem, nor heard of it in this forum, so assuming its the software. Try taking it in to the dealership and drive around with a tech to identify the problem.

fireline43

You posted this exact same thing in the other thread about the c250. But Let like it was said to you in the other thread, to say the car is unsafe and the doors feel tiny is crazy. That's your wife being crazy, don't take offense, my wife says crazy stuff alot.

With the engine, it's something you have to learn with this car. It's how you use the throttle. I've learned to be kind of easy on the throttle and I can make a nice smooth power band. You can't just smash on the gas and go, or you will get what you said where it hesitates then flys. I think it's mostly due to the turbo being set to high to kick in. If you ease into it, it drives smooth. It's a turbo car, so it's gonna get that boost when the turbo kicks in and you have to learn to drive it. Also when its in E mode it's starting in second gear, which if you do that with any car it's slow on the start then gets moving. Put it in S mode and you'll get an easier throttle.

But all in all, if your not happy with the car, i'd bring it back. Mind me asking what car you owned before this and what other cars you have now?

ahr69

Thanks a lot for your input. The wife had: Jaguar S type 4.0, then BMW 528i, then the 335i, now this C250. I personally owned the BMW Z4 ‘13, now presently SL550 ’11. I still believe the problem is a factory defect regarding this model. We are going to pursue it as a lemon law problem. And get back to you all on the outcome. The doors are without a doubt tinny and thin as compared to other car doors. I will admit it’s not a $115k car either. But, it’s supposed to give the driver a feeling of safety.

Sportstick

The "feeling of safety" is ephemeral and subjective. Here is the reality of how well the side of the vehicle, essentially the door and b-pillars, are constructed. This is a more challenging test than Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.a...2&seriesId=464

The powertrain is a different issue and worth pursuing.

fireline43

Your previous cars are what I suspected. You downgraded with the c250. I wouldn't doubt that you bought it thinking it was a cheap car already in your mind. Go from a lower tier car like a honda accord to the c250 and you'd think it was a space ship. Like sportstick posted with the link, the cars are very safe.

LILBENZ230

Maybe it is that I don't come from six-figure cars, rather from Japanese brands. Ever slammed a door on an Acura TSX? Now that is tinny. The Benz doors are not at all tinny. Despite the TSX's tinny doors, though, the car is stout and safe. And so is the Benz. It's this sort of unreasonable attitude - I don't like the way the door sounds = the car is unsafe - that makes me doubt the validity of next issue...

And as I told you in the other thread, I don't buy into the surge thing. It does not have perfectly linear power delivery. Coming from a 335i, I can understand the initial frustration at the power delivery of the C250. The turbo does make the car surge with power off the line, but there is a slight delay in it. I experienced the same thing with the loaner. She may not like this, and that is a valid point. But I really doubt there's some sort of problem other than being overly dramatic about the whole thing.

Acapulco Bill

While the SA checks out error codes and looks for software updates, plus adjust the door, mine was mal-adjusted on delivery. While waiting, maybe your wife should take a C350 Luxury for some "normal" driving, then an E350 (the 2014 if they have one). Then see if the dealer improved the C250's erratic performance. Then decide.

C300Sport

Your wife wouldn't happen to be a "two footed driver" would she? It surprises me how many people use their left foot on the brake and right foot on the gas.
If she is, the non linear power delivery when the turbo spools up could magnify the surging feeling compared to a car with a normally aspirated engine...even a more powerful one.
Could just be a simple matter of lightly resting her foot on the gas pedal while coming to and at a stop has the car jumping all over the place.

Acapulco Bill

Safety, lets get to the facts: the later models of the BMW 3 series had about triple the fatality rate as the former C-Class. Unfortunately the lastest report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety published in 2011, did not include the C-Class, only the CLK Convertible. It might be assumed that the W204 sedan would be safer than a CLK convertible.

An older survey showed the C-Class to have only 23 deaths per million vehicles, much lower than the latest figures for the 3-Series at 63 deaths per million. The 335i perhaps has three to five times the fatality risk than the C250. (Lowest variation factor of "44" for 3-Series vs. "8" for the C.Class).

This safety report was a main decision in my purchase of the C300 vs. BMW and Audi.

The E-Class is one of the safest vehicles, period. Some models had yet to report a single fatality. The Audi A6 also has an excellent record. Graphs and latest report annexed:

Sportstick

Data from FARS or IIHS fatality rates are inherently biased due to the role of the different psychographics of the drivers and their behavior. Insurance companies make good use of this data because they have to account for driver behavior in assessing likely loss exposure. However, for any one given driver, IIHS's impact tests are far more meaningful in making a decision. The MB vs BMW difference is highly inflated with regard to the actual structural and impact capabilities, but do reflect the different populations who buy and differently drive these two brands.

Carlos.33193

Have you driven the car yourself to verify what your wife sees?

The doors on mine feel super heavy and strong :S, i have to always slam them twice. As for the car surging forward maybe shes gunning the throttle too hard, i came from a 3.7L V6 so the car actually feels slow to me but i don't have any problems with the car being unsafe due to surging forward at stops.

Have it driven or checked by someone thats familiar with these vehicles and get their opinion.

Acapulco Bill

@Sportstick: Agree entirely that the average profile of how a BMW owner drives can be radically different from a C or E Class, and distort safety figures. Even so, the Mercedes PreSafe system and the quality of construction of the passenger and crumple zones, make the W204 a much safer car than the E90/F30 IMO.

Note how the BMW safety record deteriorated between the E46 and the E90. Having a few of them in the family garage, IMO the E46 was a much more solid vehicle.

Sportstick

Your comment raises an interesting point. I've heard respondents in prior market research refer to a feeling of "solid", and associating that with safety. In actuality, the "solidity" or rigidity of the body has a sweet spot and more is not always better, as being too "solid" may result in excessive HIC (head impact criteria) and Chest G's. The goal is not to be as solid as possible, but to strategically use "softness" in the appropriate areas to allow deformation to dissipate energy before it's transferred to the passenger compartment and occupants. That subjective sense of solidity actually does not correlate with real world outcomes of human bodies in impact. In the case of the cars we are comparing, IIHS (in laboratory settings, not quite real-world but helpful for comparisons) found that the C and the 3 are both "Top Picks". One cannot now predict a different outcome for passengers between these two vehicles based on the most recent data. Within vehicle weights of 500 lbs, vehicles they consider Top Picks are as comparable as science allows us to assess at this point.

MDMercedesGuy

It sounds to me like a proper test drive would have solidified that this isn't the car for you.

Mercedes is known for making solid cars, and one of the things damn near every review points out about the C is a bank vault like solidity - particularly when closing doors. The feeling of the doors would be something that would have been found out during a proper test drive.

The line that the engine is too small is just that, a line. The surge she is feeling is turbo lag, and it's not uncommon with turbocharged vehicles. This is again, something that would have been sorted out during a proper test drive.

Your car isn't a lemon based on anything you have said here... If you want an E, suck up the losses and trade this car for one after test driving it.

Acapulco Bill

@Sportstick - Actually the weights of the C Class and the BMW 3 Series is surprisingly similar, within 70 lbs. Wasnt true for the E46 however, which was about 200 lbs lighter.

A question @ ahr69: Does the C250 have Stop-Start (7G Tronic Plus) and is the system activated?

MDMercedesGuy

US C250s don't get start/stop, only the V6 models.

2006_C350

How is this car a lemon? Did the dealer try fixing the problem 4 times? Did the repair take more than 30 days. Let me know...I want to pursue lemon law on my car too

2006_C350

It also depends on the type of drivers who buy the type of cars. 335i drivers might be more risky because they think they are driving the ultimate driving machine!