StanNH

I have a great dealer, and they have gone out of their way to make this car right for me. Still, five trips in for service in the six months I've owned the car is just too much. The last time was for the bleeding seats, and they did a great job, but were not sent the complete parts set for the rear seats so it has to go back yet again. My sunroof shade still sags ... no fix available ... and the Keyless Go is still a 90% go at best. As much as I really like the car, I have lost all confidence in my early build ... with a VIN under 3,000.

So, with some encouragement from the dealer, I placed an order for a new C300 that will be built late this month and be delivered in late April. They will take my current C300 in as a low mileage trade and have promised me a deal that will keep me happy. No deposit was asked for, and they left me the option of not taking the deal if I wasn't pleased with it. At this point MB-USA is not involved at all and the deal will be strictly between the dealer and myself.

I just hope Alabama has improved their build quality since my original August build date. If not, I'll be waiting for the all new 2016 Audi A4 to come out and will end my relationship with Mercedes on a very sour note ... in spite of having the best dealership I've ever had the pleasure of working with. (Holloway Motors in Manchester, NH.) They're the only reason I still have this car, and the only reason I'm willing to try another one. Anyway, here's my new build:

Code Description Price
C300W4 $40,400
792 Palladium Silver $720
251 Sport Black Leather
P01 P01 Premium Package: SiriusXM® Radio w/ $2,120
889 : KEYLESS-GO
810 : Burmester Surround Sound System
536 : SIRIUS Satellite Radio
234 Blind Spot Assist $550
318 318 Interior Package: Leather Upholstery $2,300
877 : Ambient Lighting
401 : Heated and Active Ventilated Front Seats
242 : Power Passenger Seat w/Memory
U25 : MB Illuminated Door Sill Panels
320 320 Multimedia Package: High-Resolution $2,690
815 : COMAND DVD CD Single
531 : COMAND w/Navigation and Voice Control
218 : Rearview Camera
U71 : DVD Coding
321 321 Sport Package: Sport Bodystyling, Sp $2,175
772 : AMG Sportline
U26 : Floormats
P31 : Sport Package Exterior
P29 : Sport Package Interior
413 Panorama Sunroof $1,480
502 Navigation Map Updates included for 3-ye
632 LED Headlamps
736 Black Ash Open Pore Wood $325
782 18-Inch AMG 5-Spoke Alloy Wheel
SUBTOTAL $52,760
DESTINATION & DELIVERY $925
TOTAL $53,685

PeterUbers

All you had to list was LEATHER... You had me at leather

Nice job man, hope this deal makes you whole

StanNH

Thanks.

Yeah, my experience with MB-Tex left something to be desired. Wears like iron, rusts like iron.

When the car comes in I'll have the service manager go through it and check the bumper alignment as well as any wind noise issues. I expect it to be perfect when I get it ... without six months of work needed to get it close to perfect.

Patentesq

Nice build Stan. That is exactly my car, except for the black leather. I really wanted the leather, but I let my dealer talk me out of it. They really push MB-tex in all the dealers I went to. Hopefully I won't regret it (I do a little, but no bleeding).

If you don't mind me asking, when all is said and done, what is this transaction going to cost you?

P.S. I love New Hampshire. I went to law school in Concord, and worked in Manchester for a year.

Jinzen

You should really get the Lighting Package if you didn't already...

BlackjackM

Stan, why no airmatic? For $1200 I think it's a steal!

StanNH

I don't have any idea of what deal I'll be offered. I have the feeling that there will be lots of behind the scenes negotiations taking place, so I don't think even the dealer knows at this point.

I based my new order on what I have now, with some changes. I'm very impressed with the LED headlights, but didn't really care about the bending beams or auto dimmer feature, so I stayed with just the LED lights.

I also am very pleased with the performance of the steel suspension with 18" tires. Just enough compliance to be comfortable, and stiff enough to offer good handling. The adjustable ride height isn't an issue for me.

So I basically went with what I know I like, based on my experience with my current C300. I also didn't want to go too deeply into my savings, since this will be a lousy deal regardless of how good the dealer treats me.

PeteInGilroy

Congratulations Stan, you really can't go wrong since you will have the option of accepting the car or not. You are more qualified than any of us to do a pre-purchase inspection and test drive as you have all the knowledge & experience necessary (more so than any dealer).

miketc

If anyone on this forum that will sniff out any imperfection before signing, that will be you. Good luck with this build and I'm sure it will meet your expectation. Bravo


BTW, We (I) don't want to see you leave this forum.

Raido31

Your build does not list any suspension. I know there has been some confusion with sports package including 486 sports suspension. You may want to confirm which your build has if you haven't already.

StanNH

I checked, and it does have the sport suspension.

Raido31

Hopefully not that much harsher than standard steel suspension

StanNH

I don't think it will be too much stiffer than the base with 18's, which is what I have now. I like the base steel setup, but also really wanted the open pore Black Ash trim, so I had to go for the Sport Package. The online configurator does show the Ash as available with any trim, but it can't actually be ordered that way. I did drive a Sport before buying my C300, and didn't find it uncomfortable at all.

Of course, my other car is a Porsche Boxster S with 30 series 20" tires, so I'm not really used to softly sprung cars.

bwoodbmw

That was going to be my one comment as well... glad you already checked Stan.

floridadriver

Good luck Stan!!! You're due some, right?!

StanNH

Now if we could only get MB-USA to agree .....

floridadriver

MBUSA couldn't care less unfortunately. BUT, sounds like you have a good dealer, and from this forum and your own experience, you know what to check for when it comes!

Plus before your current one goes, please see if you can figure out why it seems to be quieter than the others you've been in. Might help you out with the new one too.

Fingers crossed for you brother!

synaptik

Good luck Stan, if the march built car still has issues then I'm going to think twice about the C450 this year and perhaps look at the 435i GC or 340i or even consider waiting til the S4 if the new A4 delivers.

The Godfather

Stan,

When did you place your order? I went to one dealer and I was told mid May to start the build, with about July delivery....way too long!

dnice-1

I have to feel bad for the poor guy who picks your current car thinking he/ she is getting a "great deal" on a slightly used 2015 c class

Or usually the case - the car will be perfect for them and won't have any issues the entire time they own it!!

Glad you are staying with MB that just proves how much you like the car and want to like the car congrats.

mtyson227

Nice looking build. Very similar to my build except I went with Crystal Grey leather. Also got the lighting and hands-free package.

I'm hoping you are right about the current builds being better than the previous. My build date is March 31st.

StanNH

I ordered last month and was quoted three month delivery. It'll be sooner than that.

I was hesitant to mention anything about this so as not to compromise any negotiations that might take place between my dealer and MB-USA. Unless I'm told it's okay, I won't discuss any specifics about the deal or any possible MB-USA involvement.

StanNH

The car is actually running great right now. But I know how much work's been done, and I know that it's taken six months to get most of the kinks worked out. Since it still has to go back for the rear seats to be finished, and since that sunshade keeps sagging and wrinkling, and I know the fuel door and part of the fender were repainted, I simply decided that this car has not been what I wanted or expected in a new Mercedes product. I'm sure the next owner will be very happy with it, but I'm not.

StanNH

It can't be worse.

Even though MB has been very secretive about the whole QC thing, I'm sure numerous changes have been implemented on the line to deal with a majority of the issues being reported by both the dealers and the customers calling customer service. We'll never know what those changes are.

The only outstanding issue seems to be the wind noise problem, which is common but certainly not universal. Hopefully, that will be resolved with the current production run.

In another month we'll both know first hand whether or not MB has finally gotten this QC thing figured out.

solarflare

Actually, beside sagging issue, Stan car has been fixed. The next person will get a great deal. His current car does not have wind issue but other has reported the problem. Next one could be the have that problem.