MB-Tex and bumper fix pictures ... DONE!!!!
Here's what the front seats look like ... the rear are the same but my wife had already put her "stuff" there before I could take any pictures. There are no signs of any work having been done at all. The seats did have to come out for the repair, but the dealer had the whole car covered so there wouldn't be any damage during the process. Everything looks exactly as it did before, except for the lack of "bleeding."
The work they did on the rear bumper was simply incredible. They got it as close to perfect as is humanly possible. It needed new clips and some shims to fix it. We used a new 550 rear bumper as a comparison, and they match up well as far as the fit.
They also did a software update while they had the car. My salesman introduced me to the sales manager, and she was very gracious and apologized for all the trouble I've had. The service manager, whom I dealt with through all of this, told me they haven't had a single complaint about the MB-Tex or bumper alignment. That's not to say the problems aren't there, just that people don't seem to notice. They just got one in for routine service with horribly bleeding seats .... and the customer never said a word. They ordered a repair kit for it and are doing the repair anyway.
The car felt great on the two hour drive back ... just like a new C300 should.
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Your new MBTex seat covers look as good as original factory assembled ones. Your dealer's technician did a first class job.
Wishing you many trouble-free years with your C300 !
Your new MBTex seat covers look as good as original factory assembled ones. Your dealer's technician did a first class job.
Wishing you many trouble-free years with your C300 !
Now I can finally get back to just driving this car!
Last edited by Rone803; Feb 6, 2015 at 09:43 PM.
That's all that was noted on the work sheet. I asked my dealer to check for any available updates, which is something they should do anyway.
Last edited by StanNH; Feb 6, 2015 at 10:15 PM.
The bumper repair was classified as a 98SP, Paint and Finish work. It included 2 rivets, 2 spreader rivets, 2 treenails (?), and a "shimmed and reinstalled" notation.
BTW, I talked to MBUSA today about the seats and the rear bumper. They reaffirmed that they will change the MBTex for any car built prior to 1/5/15 at the owners request, bleeding or not. Also, unlike the last time I talked to them they are now acknowledging a problem with the rear bumper alignment, although no technical bulletin has been issued - yet.
Sounds and looks like progress is being made. Now if they can find a fix for wind noise and key issues, there can be much joy in W205-land.
I've had many new cars over the years, and I don't think I've ever come across any dealership that was this obsessed with customer satisfaction. My wife and I were greeted like old friends when we got there, and given fresh coffee and snacks. Then the service manager and my salesman spent time with us, and brought over the sales manager as well. They apologized because we had to wait for the car. Why did we have to wait? Because we just had a snow storm and the car got covered with snow. They brought it back into the shop so they could wash and wax it again before we took it. The service manager insisted the car look brand new before we saw it. She showed us the work on the bumper, proudly opened all the doors so we could see our new seats, then went over the entire work sheet and explained everything that had been done. She also pointed out that all the work on my car was handled by one person ... the shop foreman who has years of MB experience.
The two hour drive home felt wonderful, and I remembered why I chose the new W205 in the first place. I also noticed for the first time that my car has a total absence of any wind noise. I could hear some wind noise in my C300 Luxury loaner but, even at speeds up to 80 mph, this car was dead quiet. Coming back is an uphill drive, since I live in the White Mountains at an elevation of 1,000'. Even on snow tires, I still clocked 27.6 mpg ... on our winter blend gas.
When we got home and were back in our house, both my wife and I had the same reaction. We felt that this car has finally been finished and was now complete. That only took four months.

I have yet to discuss compensation with MB-USA, but I know I'll get at least the service coupons they originally mentioned. I will not ask for a new car now ... I have my custom built and hand finished C300 and don't want to give that up any more.
Last edited by StanNH; Feb 7, 2015 at 08:33 AM.
Here's what the front seats look like ... the rear are the same but my wife had already put her "stuff" there before I could take any pictures. There are no signs of any work having been done at all. The seats did have to come out for the repair, but the dealer had the whole car covered so there wouldn't be any damage during the process. Everything looks exactly as it did before, except for the lack of "bleeding."
The work they did on the rear bumper was simply incredible. They got it as close to perfect as is humanly possible. It needed new clips and some shims to fix it. We used a new 550 rear bumper as a comparison, and they match up well as far as the fit.
They also did a software update while they had the car. My salesman introduced me to the sales manager, and she was very gracious and apologized for all the trouble I've had. The service manager, whom I dealt with through all of this, told me they haven't had a single complaint about the MB-Tex or bumper alignment. That's not to say the problems aren't there, just that people don't seem to notice. They just got one in for routine service with horribly bleeding seats .... and the customer never said a word. They ordered a repair kit for it and are doing the repair anyway.
The car felt great on the two hour drive back ... just like a new C300 should.
The car looks amazing! I'm so happy for you Stan. Mine was supposed to be fixed Feb 11 but 2 of the 10 parts have not arrived. I'm bringing the car in anyways & they are going to look at tail light fitment and wash the seats which they say is a temporary fix to enable me to drive the car.From other posts I know this is not true but am co-operating with them. I purchased the car Dec 8 & am still on the original tank of gas due to the seats. I question how we can be told the chemical is safe when Mercedes cannot even tell us the name of the chemical.



