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I recently embarked on a road trip in my C43 from southeastern LA to San Fransisco and back. Just wanted to share my thoughts on a few things I observed while I got to know my car better. I bought the car in January and then was out of the country for a while so it really had very few miles on it. So.. I decided to put some miles on it and smiles on me .
Here's how my car is equipped: C43 sedan, polar while, pano roof, P2 package, PE, night package, 19 inch AMG wheels, AMG carbon fiber exterior package, Black leather with red stitching and red seat belts, Black ash wood trim, Garmin SD card nav, Thinkware F770 front and rear dashcam, llumar ceramic tint ( Medium on all windows, clear on windshield and pano roof ), blacked out badges on trunk
Ride quality: RTFs.. hmmm what can I say. They are one of the worst inventions in the history of mankind. Let's leave it at that. Unlike many of you who switched them out for the pilots, I bought the car and not leased it. So I will just wait for them to wear out before switching to all seasons. Apart from that, the ride was fairly comfortable in comfort mode. The standard non-performance seats provided good back support. I felt they were softer than the seats in my G35 coupe and firmer than those in my friend's accord.
Rattles: This is one of the things I was worried about. I saw many people complaining but never spent decent time in my car to be bothered by it. Sure enough, they caught up to me during the trip. Most annoying was a constant, faint rattle from around the rear seat on the passenger side. No matter what I did, it wouldn't go away. And then there were some intermittent rattles around the dash. Maybe I can blame it on the RFTs as well. Hoping they go away once I switch to all seasons.
Transmission: Definitely experienced the rocking back and forth issue on more than one occasion. Seems like it is more prominent when you are approaching the red light, your foot is on the brake, the light turns green before you come to a complete stop, you take your foot off the brake and press down the accelerator and the car just hesitates and rocks back and forth. As some people have mentioned, you just need to wait an extra second or so after taking your foot off the brake and allow the car to glide before depressing the accelerator. It is annoying at first but once I got used to it, it never happened again. I believe MB should release a software update to address this.
Burmester: Meh.. the bose system in my 14 year old G35 coupe blows it out the water. Not an audiophile by any means but the difference was pretty clear. All in all, I was able to enjoy some good music during the long drive so not too many complaints there.
Road noise: Again .. blame it on the RFTs for the most part. MB probably should've done a better job with the insulation though. At highway speeds on cruise control (boring) it gets annoying after a while.
Engine and Transmission temp:
Cruising on flat roads: Engine - 200 to 206 F, Transmission - 170 F.
On winding mountain side roads: Engine - 212 to 216 F, Transmission - 181 F.
Driving for a while in Sport+: Engine - 220 F, Transmission - 186 F.
Sport+: Fantastic noise with the PE. Driving in town, some people turn around and look, some are oblivious, some appreciate, some look annoyed. Nothing new. Nice adrenaline rush. Pops and crackles are the best part.
Parking: Boy this was the most difficult part. It was the July 4th weekend. Parking was scarce everywhere I went. Finding a spot between 2 monster trucks was a challenge, let alone finding a corner spot. I am sure people thought I was an idiot coz I gave up so many spots while I waited for a corner spot to open up. But hey it was worth it. I am proud to say I emerged from all of it unscathed *knock on wood*.
All in all I had a blast. I enjoy long drives. I usually get a rental car which I can just trash around and care less about where it is parked. Apart from the anxiety, it was totally amazing. I think the blacked out badges really pop on a white car. And more people started noticing that it is an AMG. Llumar ceramic tint is great at keeping the heat out. Could certainly tell the difference from before. Got the garmin SD nav on ebay for around $150 and it is great. Does its job. If Nav is the only reason to upgrade to P3, I would say you don't need to. The thinkware F770 2 channel dashcam is amazing. The videos are crisp and clear both in the day and at night.
Regrets: White is great but all too common. I just bought the car from the dealer lot. I would've gone with selenite grey if I had special ordered.
Would've gone with the cranberry red interior.
Would've NOT chosen the carbon fiber exterior package. $1700 is ridiculous. Can get the spoiler and mirror caps aftermarket for a lot cheaper.
Would've NOT taken the wife if I knew she would bring potato chips to eat in the car .
Great write-up I enjoyed reading it. As a new owner of a C43 I share the same grief with the RFT. I will be changing them once I wear them out. I'm also annoyed at the rattles I hear. The rocking in Sport+ still catches me by surprise sometimes lol Overall I'm tying to not pay attention too much to these annoyance and to just enjoy the car.
Can't agree more on the RFT.. and even more specifically the p-zero - consider yourself lucky if you got a set that can be properly balanced. Dealer went through 4 tires on my car before I shelved them and my mom in her x6 had the exact problem. She had all 4 exchanged and she still has vibration in the car from improper balance.
Rattles: This is one of the things I was worried about. I saw many people complaining but never spent decent time in my car to be bothered by it. Sure enough, they caught up to me during the trip. Most annoying was a constant, faint rattle from around the rear seat on the passenger side. No matter what I did, it wouldn't go away. And then there were some intermittent rattles around the dash. Maybe I can blame it on the RFTs as well. Hoping they go away once I switch to all seasons.
I have that same passenger side rattle in my car - just put the rear seats down and it gets much worse.
Transmission: Definitely experienced the rocking back and forth issue on more than one occasion. Seems like it is more prominent when you are approaching the red light, your foot is on the brake, the light turns green before you come to a complete stop, you take your foot off the brake and press down the accelerator and the car just hesitates and rocks back and forth. As some people have mentioned, you just need to wait an extra second or so after taking your foot off the brake and allow the car to glide before depressing the accelerator. It is annoying at first but once I got used to it, it never happened again. I believe MB should release a software update to address this.
I think the car wants to get into first gear before taking off again and this is why you experience this sensation. If you manually downshift you will avoid this hiccup.
I recently embarked on a road trip in my C43 from southeastern LA to San Fransisco and back. Just wanted to share my thoughts on a few things I observed while I got to know my car better. I bought the car in January and then was out of the country for a while so it really had very few miles on it. So.. I decided to put some miles on it and smiles on me .
Here's how my car is equipped: C43 sedan, polar while, pano roof, P2 package, PE, night package, 19 inch AMG wheels, AMG carbon fiber exterior package, Black leather with red stitching and red seat belts, Black ash wood trim, Garmin SD card nav, Thinkware F770 front and rear dashcam, llumar ceramic tint ( Medium on all windows, clear on windshield and pano roof ), blacked out badges on trunk
Ride quality: RTFs.. hmmm what can I say. They are one of the worst inventions in the history of mankind. Let's leave it at that. Unlike many of you who switched them out for the pilots, I bought the car and not leased it. So I will just wait for them to wear out before switching to all seasons. Apart from that, the ride was fairly comfortable in comfort mode. The standard non-performance seats provided good back support. I felt they were softer than the seats in my G35 coupe and firmer than those in my friend's accord.
Rattles: This is one of the things I was worried about. I saw many people complaining but never spent decent time in my car to be bothered by it. Sure enough, they caught up to me during the trip. Most annoying was a constant, faint rattle from around the rear seat on the passenger side. No matter what I did, it wouldn't go away. And then there were some intermittent rattles around the dash. Maybe I can blame it on the RFTs as well. Hoping they go away once I switch to all seasons.
Transmission: Definitely experienced the rocking back and forth issue on more than one occasion. Seems like it is more prominent when you are approaching the red light, your foot is on the brake, the light turns green before you come to a complete stop, you take your foot off the brake and press down the accelerator and the car just hesitates and rocks back and forth. As some people have mentioned, you just need to wait an extra second or so after taking your foot off the brake and allow the car to glide before depressing the accelerator. It is annoying at first but once I got used to it, it never happened again. I believe MB should release a software update to address this.
Burmester: Meh.. the bose system in my 14 year old G35 coupe blows it out the water. Not an audiophile by any means but the difference was pretty clear. All in all, I was able to enjoy some good music during the long drive so not too many complaints there.
Road noise: Again .. blame it on the RFTs for the most part. MB probably should've done a better job with the insulation though. At highway speeds on cruise control (boring) it gets annoying after a while.
Engine and Transmission temp:
Cruising on flat roads: Engine - 200 to 206 F, Transmission - 170 F.
On winding mountain side roads: Engine - 212 to 216 F, Transmission - 181 F.
Driving for a while in Sport+: Engine - 220 F, Transmission - 186 F.
Sport+: Fantastic noise with the PE. Driving in town, some people turn around and look, some are oblivious, some appreciate, some look annoyed. Nothing new. Nice adrenaline rush. Pops and crackles are the best part.
Parking: Boy this was the most difficult part. It was the July 4th weekend. Parking was scarce everywhere I went. Finding a spot between 2 monster trucks was a challenge, let alone finding a corner spot. I am sure people thought I was an idiot coz I gave up so many spots while I waited for a corner spot to open up. But hey it was worth it. I am proud to say I emerged from all of it unscathed *knock on wood*.
All in all I had a blast. I enjoy long drives. I usually get a rental car which I can just trash around and care less about where it is parked. Apart from the anxiety, it was totally amazing. I think the blacked out badges really pop on a white car. And more people started noticing that it is an AMG. Llumar ceramic tint is great at keeping the heat out. Could certainly tell the difference from before. Got the garmin SD nav on ebay for around $150 and it is great. Does its job. If Nav is the only reason to upgrade to P3, I would say you don't need to. The thinkware F770 2 channel dashcam is amazing. The videos are crisp and clear both in the day and at night.
Regrets: White is great but all too common. I just bought the car from the dealer lot. I would've gone with selenite grey if I had special ordered.
Would've gone with the cranberry red interior.
Would've NOT chosen the carbon fiber exterior package. $1700 is ridiculous. Can get the spoiler and mirror caps aftermarket for a lot cheaper.
Would've NOT taken the wife if I knew she would bring potato chips to eat in the car .
What did you use to black out the badges in the rear?
Nice report. Pretty much matches my experience except for the S+ jerkiness. I don't drive around town much using S+. I don't like stoplights spoiling my fun.
+1 on the RFTs and the P0 balancing problems
Awesome write up. Sounds like a blast. I'm going to be doing a very long distance trip toward the end of August ( driving 10 hours or so to go see the Solar Eclipse).
I recently switched out the tires for non RFTs. But this is the first car I've owned without a spare or at least a donut. What do the rest of you do to prepare for the possibility of a flat? Roadside Assistance? (Sorry if I'm hijacking the thread, just seemed like a good place to ask.)
Awesome write up. Sounds like a blast. I'm going to be doing a very long distance trip toward the end of August ( driving 10 hours or so to go see the Solar Eclipse).
I recently switched out the tires for non RFTs. But this is the first car I've owned without a spare or at least a donut. What do the rest of you do to prepare for the possibility of a flat? Roadside Assistance? (Sorry if I'm hijacking the thread, just seemed like a good place to ask.)
I just monitor my vehicle. The only way you're going to end up stranded is if you have a blow out.
I've never had a flat in a car from a nail, etc. because I always end up catching it before it's a real problem.
Awesome write up. Sounds like a blast. I'm going to be doing a very long distance trip toward the end of August ( driving 10 hours or so to go see the Solar Eclipse).
I recently switched out the tires for non RFTs. But this is the first car I've owned without a spare or at least a donut. What do the rest of you do to prepare for the possibility of a flat? Roadside Assistance? (Sorry if I'm hijacking the thread, just seemed like a good place to ask.)
Tire goop, plug kit and a compressor in the trunk bin. Anything that can't be temporarily fixed with the goop/plug will require roadside anyway. Wouldn't hurt to have a mini spray bottle of soapy water to help find punctures as well.
Thanks for the feedback. Its basically what I expected (patches for small issues, roadside assistance for larger ones). But just wanted to see if there were any options that others were doing that I was overlooking.
Thanks for the feedback. Its basically what I expected (patches for small issues, roadside assistance for larger ones). But just wanted to see if there were any options that others were doing that I was overlooking.
The other option is to get a spare wheel--but the setup is lousy for the W205. You'll be stuck with a compact spare strapped down in your trunk that takes up almost all your cargo space.
Glad you took the time to write such a good report.
I have a new C43 Coupe that I ordered in picked it up 6 weeks ago, Selenite Grey Performance Ergonomic and Night Package etc.
I still can't make my mind up if I am happy with the car.
The performance of the car is great and the sound is also good with the sports exhaust but for the money you have to pay to get one of these I expected the finish to be a hell of a lot better.
Unfortunately this car is not without its issues.
The road noise from the tyres is ridiculous, just a constant din no matter what type of road surface you are on, the rattles from the back seat that others have mentioned appears to be the rear parcel shelf and I have another vibration somewhere under the dash near the glove compartment.
Reversing out of my garage or a parking spot the graunching noises I get from the suspension and steering make it sound like a Sherman tank not a Mercedes. Some of the looks I get are priceless.
The HUD is not a sharp image its a bit blurry.
The ECO mode which I cannot stand or ever want to use is set to turn on by default every time the car is started and there is no way I can find to disable itso I am constantly turning it off.
I also got the jerking back and forward when using Sport+ at low speed (we call this a kangaroo here in Australia) until I learned to be a bit more gentle with the right foot.
I have brought these issues to the attention of Mercedes here in Australia and the have sent me a letter saying that the sales manager from the dealership will call me to discuss it. We will see what happened from there.
I have a new C43 Coupe that I ordered in picked it up 6 weeks ago,
I still can't make my mind up if I am happy with the car.
Unfortunately this car is not without its issues.
The road noise from the tyres is ridiculous,
The HUD is not a sharp image its a bit blurry.
The ECO mode which I cannot stand or ever want to use is set to turn on by default every time the car is started and there is no way I can find to disable itso I am constantly turning it off.
I also got the jerking back and forward when using Sport+ at low speed
I have brought these issues to the attention of Mercedes here in Australia and the have sent me a letter saying that the sales manager from the dealership will call me to discuss it. We will see what happened from there.
Regarding road noise, hope you don't have 18 " or 19" run flats. If you do, change them. That's the source of the noise.
Regarding HUD, get your eyes checked out to make sure you've got the right prescription. Also make sure the projector lenses is clean and clear.
The only thing you can do about the echo mode is search this forum for the add-on module fix. ECO doesn't bother me as in London UK, with the traffic we have, that soon becomes the standard driving mode whether you like it or not.
Regarding Sport+, if you haven't done a thousand miles don't use it and certainly don't drive slow in it. The car hasn't learnt your driving style yet and needs time to adjust. Sport+ is for spirited driving, not for stop-start and slow traffic.
Glad you took the time to write such a good report.
I have a new C43 Coupe that I ordered in picked it up 6 weeks ago, Selenite Grey Performance Ergonomic and Night Package etc.
I still can't make my mind up if I am happy with the car.
The performance of the car is great and the sound is also good with the sports exhaust but for the money you have to pay to get one of these I expected the finish to be a hell of a lot better.
Unfortunately this car is not without its issues.
The road noise from the tyres is ridiculous, just a constant din no matter what type of road surface you are on, the rattles from the back seat that others have mentioned appears to be the rear parcel shelf and I have another vibration somewhere under the dash near the glove compartment.
Reversing out of my garage or a parking spot the graunching noises I get from the suspension and steering make it sound like a Sherman tank not a Mercedes. Some of the looks I get are priceless.
The HUD is not a sharp image its a bit blurry.
The ECO mode which I cannot stand or ever want to use is set to turn on by default every time the car is started and there is no way I can find to disable itso I am constantly turning it off.
I also got the jerking back and forward when using Sport+ at low speed (we call this a kangaroo here in Australia) until I learned to be a bit more gentle with the right foot.
I have brought these issues to the attention of Mercedes here in Australia and the have sent me a letter saying that the sales manager from the dealership will call me to discuss it. We will see what happened from there.
In a C450 but have EXACTLY all the same issues. Literally. Road noise was a bit better with the new wheels and tires I threw on, but otherwise. I have those EXACT two rattles. Rear parcel shelf, and front dash.
Seems like the chassis like to twist a bit and make it's on noises too backing out of drives too.
Glad you took the time to write such a good report.
I have a new C43 Coupe that I ordered in picked it up 6 weeks ago, Selenite Grey Performance Ergonomic and Night Package etc.
I still can't make my mind up if I am happy with the car.
The performance of the car is great and the sound is also good with the sports exhaust but for the money you have to pay to get one of these I expected the finish to be a hell of a lot better.
Unfortunately this car is not without its issues.
The road noise from the tyres is ridiculous, just a constant din no matter what type of road surface you are on, the rattles from the back seat that others have mentioned appears to be the rear parcel shelf and I have another vibration somewhere under the dash near the glove compartment.
Reversing out of my garage or a parking spot the graunching noises I get from the suspension and steering make it sound like a Sherman tank not a Mercedes. Some of the looks I get are priceless.
The HUD is not a sharp image its a bit blurry.
The ECO mode which I cannot stand or ever want to use is set to turn on by default every time the car is started and there is no way I can find to disable itso I am constantly turning it off.
I also got the jerking back and forward when using Sport+ at low speed (we call this a kangaroo here in Australia) until I learned to be a bit more gentle with the right foot.
I have brought these issues to the attention of Mercedes here in Australia and the have sent me a letter saying that the sales manager from the dealership will call me to discuss it. We will see what happened from there.
I do agree that for the price we pay for these cars, the fit and finish could be a lot better. However, to me, the thrills the car provides far outweigh these minor annoyances. Nothing is perfect. Atleast we do not have any major issues.. YET. Hope we never will. The good thing is some of these issues can be fixed either by ourselves (RFTs) or by MB (software update). Hopefully you can look past these issues and get to truly enjoy the car soon.
Regarding road noise, hope you don't have 18 " or 19" run flats. If you do, change them. That's the source of the noise.
Regarding HUD, get your eyes checked out to make sure you've got the right prescription. Also make sure the projector lenses is clean and clear.
The only thing you can do about the echo mode is search this forum for the add-on module fix. ECO doesn't bother me as in London UK, with the traffic we have, that soon becomes the standard driving mode whether you like it or not.
Regarding Sport+, if you haven't done a thousand miles don't use it and certainly don't drive slow in it. The car hasn't learnt your driving style yet and needs time to adjust. Sport+ is for spirited driving, not for stop-start and slow traffic.
HTH and enjoy the car...
Get my eyes checked, LOL
I don't know if these Continental ContisportContact 5p tyres are Run Flats or not, there is no SSR marked on them. There is an MO which I think stands for Mercedes Original.
I found a little work around with the ECO mode by creating an Individual mode using all the comfort mode settings which I usually drive in and with the ECO off. Not sure that I want to be plugging in after market mods on a brand new vehicle.
I get your point about Sport + but eventually you are going to have to slow down and stop somewhere so driving at low speeds in this mode is unavoidable unless you want to be continually playing with the attitude switch which I don't.
I recently embarked on a road trip in my C43 from southeastern LA to San Fransisco and back. Just wanted to share my thoughts on a few things I observed while I got to know my car better. I bought the car in January and then was out of the country for a while so it really had very few miles on it. So.. I decided to put some miles on it and smiles on me .
Here's how my car is equipped: C43 sedan, polar while, pano roof, P2 package, PE, night package, 19 inch AMG wheels, AMG carbon fiber exterior package, Black leather with red stitching and red seat belts, Black ash wood trim, Garmin SD card nav, Thinkware F770 front and rear dashcam, llumar ceramic tint ( Medium on all windows, clear on windshield and pano roof ), blacked out badges on trunk
Ride quality: RTFs.. hmmm what can I say. They are one of the worst inventions in the history of mankind. Let's leave it at that. Unlike many of you who switched them out for the pilots, I bought the car and not leased it. So I will just wait for them to wear out before switching to all seasons. Apart from that, the ride was fairly comfortable in comfort mode. The standard non-performance seats provided good back support. I felt they were softer than the seats in my G35 coupe and firmer than those in my friend's accord.
Rattles: This is one of the things I was worried about. I saw many people complaining but never spent decent time in my car to be bothered by it. Sure enough, they caught up to me during the trip. Most annoying was a constant, faint rattle from around the rear seat on the passenger side. No matter what I did, it wouldn't go away. And then there were some intermittent rattles around the dash. Maybe I can blame it on the RFTs as well. Hoping they go away once I switch to all seasons.
Transmission: Definitely experienced the rocking back and forth issue on more than one occasion. Seems like it is more prominent when you are approaching the red light, your foot is on the brake, the light turns green before you come to a complete stop, you take your foot off the brake and press down the accelerator and the car just hesitates and rocks back and forth. As some people have mentioned, you just need to wait an extra second or so after taking your foot off the brake and allow the car to glide before depressing the accelerator. It is annoying at first but once I got used to it, it never happened again. I believe MB should release a software update to address this.
Burmester: Meh.. the bose system in my 14 year old G35 coupe blows it out the water. Not an audiophile by any means but the difference was pretty clear. All in all, I was able to enjoy some good music during the long drive so not too many complaints there.
Road noise: Again .. blame it on the RFTs for the most part. MB probably should've done a better job with the insulation though. At highway speeds on cruise control (boring) it gets annoying after a while.
Engine and Transmission temp:
Cruising on flat roads: Engine - 200 to 206 F, Transmission - 170 F.
On winding mountain side roads: Engine - 212 to 216 F, Transmission - 181 F.
Driving for a while in Sport+: Engine - 220 F, Transmission - 186 F.
Sport+: Fantastic noise with the PE. Driving in town, some people turn around and look, some are oblivious, some appreciate, some look annoyed. Nothing new. Nice adrenaline rush. Pops and crackles are the best part.
Parking: Boy this was the most difficult part. It was the July 4th weekend. Parking was scarce everywhere I went. Finding a spot between 2 monster trucks was a challenge, let alone finding a corner spot. I am sure people thought I was an idiot coz I gave up so many spots while I waited for a corner spot to open up. But hey it was worth it. I am proud to say I emerged from all of it unscathed *knock on wood*.
All in all I had a blast. I enjoy long drives. I usually get a rental car which I can just trash around and care less about where it is parked. Apart from the anxiety, it was totally amazing. I think the blacked out badges really pop on a white car. And more people started noticing that it is an AMG. Llumar ceramic tint is great at keeping the heat out. Could certainly tell the difference from before. Got the garmin SD nav on ebay for around $150 and it is great. Does its job. If Nav is the only reason to upgrade to P3, I would say you don't need to. The thinkware F770 2 channel dashcam is amazing. The videos are crisp and clear both in the day and at night.
Regrets: White is great but all too common. I just bought the car from the dealer lot. I would've gone with selenite grey if I had special ordered.
Would've gone with the cranberry red interior.
Would've NOT chosen the carbon fiber exterior package. $1700 is ridiculous. Can get the spoiler and mirror caps aftermarket for a lot cheaper.
Would've NOT taken the wife if I knew she would bring potato chips to eat in the car .
Great write up...
I have the C63S and notice the exact same problems....
The rattle in the rear: Try researching the back seat by folding it down and slamming back into place...
Other rattles are a long road with the dealer to fix...
And, train your wife better!!! LOL
my wife already knows to not come within 10 feet of the car with food, liquid that won't fit properly in the cup holder and jeans with rivets or decorative items on the ***...
Great write up...
I have the C63S and notice the exact same problems....
The rattle in the rear: Try researching the back seat by folding it down and slamming back into place...
Other rattles are a long road with the dealer to fix...
And, train your wife better!!! LOL
my wife already knows to not come within 10 feet of the car with food, liquid that won't fit properly in the cup holder and jeans with rivets or decorative items on the ***...
You must be in a different universe. Good for you.
When I said "I would've NOT taken the wife.." did you really think it was up to me?
When I bought the car I told my wife this is one of the very few things in life (well the only thing actually) where I get to dictate the terms. She nodded. End of story.
You must be in a different universe. Good for you.
When I said "I would've NOT taken the wife.." did you really think it was up to me?
When I bought the car I told my wife this is one of the very few things in life (well the only thing actually) where I get to dictate the terms. She nodded. End of story.
When I bought the car I told my wife this is one of the very few things in life (well the only thing actually) where I get to dictate the terms. She nodded. End of story.
Must be a wife thing. Mine also nodded just after she told me what options she wanted on the car.
At least we are allowed the illusion of control.
07-13-2017, 11:29 AM
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