Originally Posted by YashaR8

1) i've read several posts about a loud,intrusive droning noise I'm hoping this was the exception rather than a more widespread issue, are there other folks on here who have to live with this?

2) Is the road/wind noise relatively muted at a steady highway cruise? There are days where being dead tired on the commute back home I would just want some peace and quiet in comfort mode, and a little road isolation

3) There have been a few posts about acceleration issues while passing someone after having slowed down. is this a widespread occurence?

4) while I'm loving the designo brown saddle interior, looks like i can't get it with the black ash trim which I also love, is it possible to have the dealer order and install one post-purchase?

Originally Posted by inhartwetrust

Is it common for the current Mercedes MF (0.00129) to have a dealer markup on it for the dealers business manager, moving the rate to 0.00169? The way the dealer has explained is they are buying the money at 0.00129 and selling it at 0.00169, I was always under the impression the rate remained flat but I admit I'm not extremely well versed in leading.

Any insight you guys have would me much appreciated.

Originally Posted by YashaR8

1) i've read several posts about a loud,intrusive droning noise I'm hoping this was the exception rather than a more widespread issue, are there other folks on here who have to live with this?

2) Is the road/wind noise relatively muted at a steady highway cruise? There are days where being dead tired on the commute back home I would just want some peace and quiet in comfort mode, and a little road isolation

3) There have been a few posts about acceleration issues while passing someone after having slowed down. is this a widespread occurence?

4) while I'm loving the designo brown saddle interior, looks like i can't get it with the black ash trim which I also love, is it possible to have the dealer order and install one post-purchase?

Again, I'm hoping these are all rare issues and I'm excited to join the C450 community! Thanks in advance.

Originally Posted by wyee99

On the C450, the manual indicates there are 2 12 volt sockets on the front console and rear console, but I couldn't find it. Anybody know where it is?

Originally Posted by inhartwetrust

Serious question, since I'm only doing a 36 month lease (and thus don't care whatsoever about the longevity of the engine life), should I just drive it like I stole it from day 1 and ignore the "break in period" I was going to follow when purchasing it?

Originally Posted by gaia

A break in period will give you a better experience for the 36 months.

Originally Posted by tan70ri

Hey all, new to the board. Working on a C450 build and have most of it figured out but torn on colors. Was leaning towards the Obsidian metallic with Cranberry interior and ash wood trim but my wife went with me today and said she likes the Designo Platinum Nappa seats. Anyone have the platinum in the non-AMG seats. If so, curious to see how they wear over time and if the white portions hold up. Any constructive feedback on the cranberry vs. Designo platinum would be appreciated.

Originally Posted by inhartwetrust

Serious question, since I'm only doing a 36 month lease (and thus don't care whatsoever about the longevity of the engine life), should I just drive it like I stole it from day 1 and ignore the "break in period" I was going to follow when purchasing it?

Originally Posted by tivoboy

I'm in the middle of a large write-up of the first two months with the car.. now at 15000 miles, I'm having a lot more fun pushing it to limits where reasonable.

But, to answer a few of your ?'s from my perspective.

1) yes there is a drone at speed. When driving at 65-80 one can hear a din coming from either the exhaust or the tips, but it can be heard in the car. Coming from a C300 and having had E', S', different C's, CLS before it's a bit more din than I would prefer to always have. I really like the C300 quiet cabin, one felt like in a vault and calm hurtling down the road at 75/80. With the C450, there is always a little background sound. I wish I could turn it off completely some times, but I think we'll get more used to it.

2) the pzero tires make noise. You can hear them touching the ground and moving over it. Some surfaces here in CA are worse than others. The grooved concrete for rapid rain removal are the worst and at first I thought I had lost a tire. It's a combination of tread pattern and grip dynamics. In the future I'm going to use a different tire. Honestly, I don't need the level of soft/grip that the PZERO offers, and would prefer something a TAD more all season and quieter.

The mirrors don't really make much noise, but there is some wind noise coming in the windows. I don't have the insulated front panes - may try and get them to comp it at some point - but I hear the more recent builds have it as standard. Probably helps for 3-5 db.

Originally Posted by *Knowledge*

I don't have either but I have sat in both. The Designo platinum is fabulous and the Cranberry isn't too bad itself. With proper maintenance either option will last a long time. The only caveat I'd like to mention is the color transfer from denim jeans. I have the Designo brown and they too get denim pollution so I wear jeans sparingly.


If I were in your position I would drive it as hard as I wanted. I did that with my other car which is a leased Audi A6. Definitely a different mindset when you know it's eventually going back.

Originally Posted by inhartwetrust

Thanks dude, I'm planning to give it a hard break in unless someone has a very compelling reason to do otherwise.

Also, very surprised to hear the Brown saddle Designo has poor denim transfer...I ordered these seats in my build and didn't even once consider that the brown would attract/show the blue. Pretty much every day Friday-Sunday I wear jeans, unless I'm heading to the club to play golf. That might be an issue for me. Is it easy to wash off?

Originally Posted by *Knowledge*

Finally got some tint a couple days ago and here's a pic I shot today. 28% all the way around. Pic may not be the best to show the tint but it looks pretty good.

Originally Posted by inhartwetrust

Serious question, since I'm only doing a 36 month lease (and thus don't care whatsoever about the longevity of the engine life), should I just drive it like I stole it from day 1 and ignore the "break in period" I was going to follow when purchasing it?

Originally Posted by YashaR8

Hi there folks, long-time lurker, first-time poster here. I've had my eye on a mercedes for quite some time, but never new what I was missing until I drove a friends S4 recently while my car was in the shop. Its finally time for a new whip, and I instantly took to the more generous torque and horsepower as well as engine noise, but the new merc interiors on the c-class line had me thinking S4-type sportiness but in MB form. So reading up on the C450 has me very excited, and I plan to take the plunge and get one in early April.

I've read most of the posts on here and did some of my own research and a few concerns have come up I was hoping i could get a few replies to:

1) i've read several posts about a loud,intrusive droning noise I'm hoping this was the exception rather than a more widespread issue, are there other folks on here who have to live with this?

2) Is the road/wind noise relatively muted at a steady highway cruise? There are days where being dead tired on the commute back home I would just want some peace and quiet in comfort mode, and a little road isolation

3) There have been a few posts about acceleration issues while passing someone after having slowed down. is this a widespread occurence?

4) while I'm loving the designo brown saddle interior, looks like i can't get it with the black ash trim which I also love, is it possible to have the dealer order and install one post-purchase?

Again, I'm hoping these are all rare issues and I'm excited to join the C450 community! Thanks in advance.

Originally Posted by autopal

I have been driving my C450 now for over 5 months and I don't understand the complaints about droning Yes, if you listen carefully, you can definitely hear the engine in the background, but it's really not that intrusive, and much quieter than the C63. It's a performance car people!! If you want a quiet ride, then get the C300, if you don't want to hear anything, there are multiple electric vehicles on the market now.

Originally Posted by *Knowledge*

Finally got some tint a couple days ago and here's a pic I shot today. 28% all the way around. Pic may not be the best to show the tint but it looks pretty good.