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I've a year and 27k miles on my 2019. Sedan, hecho en Alabama.
Ordered August 2018, promised early October, showed up late December. Black package with Emerald Green paint. If you order, please get an actual color.....
Overall, love the car. For all the ragging about real AMG, you have proven Benz running gear, nothing is too exotic, and mine at least has been " a good one ". I've had to buy, I clearly drive too much to lease. I didn't buy the tire package. If you drive in pothole land, go with the 18's....19's only if you live where it doesn't freeze much.
The c43 is a willing accomplice, if you want to be "there"....bang, you are !
Runflats....if you lease, remove them immediately, put in garage. DWS or A/S 3+ first week. The RFT transmit a lot of NVH into the car, and as many have noted, don't absorb road impacts and transfer the forces up to the rims, which then bend. I had no tire issues, the horrid RFT wore evenly at least, but all four of my wheels needed to be trued before I installed a set of normal Michelins. The car is much smoother, less noise, and drives better sans runflats. Why Benz kneecaps the cars this way is a mystery. Do they save THAT much money on each spare tire they don't have to make ???
You'll appreciate the active suspension more when you get real tires on the car. Brakes are huge, you'll never tax them on a public road, even your favorite Reference Roads....
I did buy the 100k extended warranty, be sure to negotiate it, the ask vs. buy price spread was pretty big on my deal.
You want the uprated lighting and active headlights. Burmeister is very good for normal folks, there are always those who want more. Active Headlights are amazing if you do much night driving on unlit roads.
Surprisingly good gas mileage for a very fast car. I specifically ordered dark green-black trim for a low profile look, and de-badged the car. In my area, a C class doesn't really stand out, and I like having supercar performance in a plain wrapper-giveaways are the grille and the back clip/exhausts, but only geeks will know what you are rocking.... You can, of course, option yours to be quite showy, it's up to you....
In that vein, I have the PE, which I bought because it's a true dual with an H pipe and regular is a two into one back to two. I DO wish I could shut off all burbles and pops, because when you finally pass that row of brain dead minivans, it's not very stealth to pop pop pop on overrun...but it is fun when you finally get enough road to be rid of the guy with the WRX who is tailing you. PE doesn't change the overall notes, just the volume of the exhaust.
One quibble. I didn't get the full distronic system, as I didn't care about active cruise control, lane departure warning or having the car auto-park. This is the only way to get those small ultrasonic parking sensors on the car. Bundling this minor item with a package full of things I'd immediately shut off is a poke in the eye....thanks marketers. I still would have passed on the Distronic....but at 60 plus K, those sensors could be included. I got a GLS loaner, and in the big truck, same electronics, no distronic...but they had the beepers....
I'd do it again....
Last edited by speedlaw; 01-14-2020 at 11:35 PM.
Reason: werds r hard
I have a 2017 C43 Cabriolet built in Germany. The car is amazing and has been trouble free. The only change or complaint is the run flat tires which I replaced with Michelin Pilot 3’s.
All sedans in the US and Canada are built in Alabama.
I also notice a typo from my previous post so I do want to apologize, you need a 21mm socket for the engine filter, not 27mm. The oil filter torque spec is 25mm
OR better yet, Here is the thread that I used: https://mbworld.org/forums/c450-c43-...-tutorial.html
Keep in mind this thread applies to pre-facelifted models I am not sure if Mercedes changed things for the facelifted MY19 and beyond models.
Just as a heads-up, some of the US-bound '20 sedans are built in South Africa.
When looking to replace my '18 C43 lemon, I passed on a '20 sedan that was coming from South Africa because I know little about the build quality associated with that facility.
I can't speak for the LCI/facelifted C43s, but my '18 Alabama-built car has been a disappointment.
1) Brake pads and rotors replaced in first month of ownership due to irremovable rust, corrosion, and pitting on the rotor hats and on the face of the rotors themselves. All the damage occurred while the car was parked on the dealer lot, waiting to be sold.
2) Reading light buttons haven't worked correctly since day 1. Sometimes pressing the buttons turns the light on, sometimes it doesn't. Guessing it's a wiring gremlin. Never had it addressed because the dealer already tore up enough of my interior, which leads me to #3 . . .
3) Steering wheel and column had to be replaced in first month of ownership due to faulty injection molding; dark, greasy stains were leeching out of the steering wheel airbag cover.
4) Windshield wipers had to be adjusted because they were over-travellng in heavy rain and striking the windshield-side of the A-pillar.
5) White stains that looked like sweat stains on a baseball cap started oozing from all of the leather door panels on the car. Never had it addressed because they would have had to tear out all of the door upholstery. I just have to wipe the stains off every few months with a damp microfiber .
6) Whining noise from differential resulted in car being at the dealership for over 1 month. 3 replacement differentials were installed to no avail. Special case was opened with Germany; MB ended up installing "diff dampers" (aka cheap rubber bushings) to help soften the noise. Basically, it was a band-aid solution.
7) Steering wheel violently intermittently pulses/vibrates when driving at speeds of 70+ mph on the interstate. Feels like driving over rumble strips. Good triceps massage though.
8) Residual moisture freezes on the weather-stripping at the top of the windshield, and around the sunroof, in cold weather. This causes loud cracking and popping noises when driving.
9) Random squeaks and rattles from the interior, particularly the center console. Gloss black trim is so loose in several spots that it can be moved by blowing on it.
Other than that, the car runs. Which is a nice bonus.
3 weeks in with my new 2020 C43 Coupe Canadian car.
I have most of the packages except driver assistant and heads up display.
First off, I test drove 2020 S5 coupe and BMW M440i before deciding on the C43. The C43 just felt like a better sport car, probably because it's a real AMG tune.
Performance exhaust is a must have for me and it sounds incredibly exciting. Drive unit on the steering wheel is also a must have, it looks really sporty and make changing drive mode easy. For the looks alone, it's worth the extra few hundred.
So far I've only driven 800km and still breaking in the car, no sport mode yet until 1500km (recommended break in sticker on my windshield). I purchased this car, not lease, so I intend to follow all break in procedures to the T. So far the car engine is becoming more and more efficient. I noticed mpg have improved significantly and expect it to get even better. For a V6 biturbo, this engine is really efficient. City driving so far I'm getting around 11km per liter in comfort mode after 500km of driving. I followed the same break in procedure with my GLC 300 and my fuel consumption is around 20% less than what is posted by MB for that car.
I did noticed a rattle on driver side probably around the rear speaker area. This might be a common rattle and dealers have lots of experience fixing. Very minor and will have fix soon. I also own a 2018 GLC 300 built in Finland and my C43 built in Germany does feel significantly better built (car just feel tighter).
Being a 2020, I believe alot of kinks has now been fixed already. So far very happy with my C43. The Audi S5 and BMW 440i just feels like a step down compared my C43. I could be bias but the engine is significantly better, exhaust sounds much better and the front end of the C43 just grips the road so much better as well.
Just replaced my E350 Sport with a 2018 AMG C43. Sorting out the owner's manual, a lot is the same with some new stuff, especially the audio component. Had a Harmon Kardon Logic 7 and now have the Burmester Surround system. Whereas, the Harmon Kardon held 6 CDs it appears that the Burmester in the 2018 C43 only holds 1? Is that correct? The monitor graphically displays 3 CDs but see no way to add more than 1. Any input would be appreciated as I try to "dial in" this C43. Thanks.
Corvette Grand Sport, Mercedes C43 sedan, Jeep Grand Cherokee
So not sure I ever updated this thread, but I finally got my C43 back in late December. Built in south Africa and the car is fantastic. Build quality is excellent. My only gripes are they obviously had a parts shortage as I got the drive unit but it doesn't work as in no lights and does nothing. Dealer says they're still trying to figure it out but think they'll eventually be able to get it to work. I bought 19"wheels later with ps4 tires. Car noise on 19s is louder above 70 but the toe was slightly it causing feathering and that may account for some of the noise. Here's what she looks like.
I also researched the BMW and Audi. But only test drove the M340. Test drives are useless because the things you’re buying a car to do, you can’t. My first impression though was, this car is ugly. And the S4 takes understated a little too far. IMO Mercedes makes the most beautiful cars.
Corvette Grand Sport, Mercedes C43 sedan, Jeep Grand Cherokee
Originally Posted by EDDY2001
I also researched the BMW and Audi. But only test drove the M340. Test drives are useless because the things you’re buying a car to do, you can’t. My first impression though was, this car is ugly. And the S4 takes understated a little too far. IMO Mercedes makes the most beautiful cars.
I wouldn't waste my time with an s4, but instead go with the s5. I really like the looks of the s5 but ended up with the c43. After owning the car for 4 months, here's my feedback. The South African build quality is excellent, at least so far. I did have a rattle that popped up in the overhead console but I eventually figured that out and fixed it. The car rides firm so if you want a smooth ride get the 18 inch wheels and then get rid of the runflats. I bought it with the 18 inch and then bought a set of factory 19 inch with PS4 tires from someone. I love the 19 inch but the noise at 70 + is pretty bad. I added some sound deadening and it helped a bit. I'll be doing a long trip in July so I'll see how it turns out. Just curious, do dealers still have the 21 C43 in stock? I thought they'd be out by now considering the new model is coming out soon
I’ve yet to find anything about the C43 I don’t like. Not the run flats or such. I knew that going in. I find myself coming up with every reason to drive it. And isn’t that what we want for this kind of money?
I’ve yet to find anything about the C43 I don’t like. Not the run flats or such. I knew that going in. I find myself coming up with every reason to drive it. And isn’t that what we want for this kind of money?
For me it was just the opposite. I hated almost everything about it and couldn’t wait to get rid of it. Tolerated it almost a year and finally sold it. Every drive I would get angry with it, and that isn’t a good sign. The only thing I really miss is the extremely clear and undistorted 360 camera and the brakes were good. I can’t think of anything else I really liked.
I’ve yet to find anything about the C43 I don’t like. Not the run flats or such. I knew that going in. I find myself coming up with every reason to drive it. And isn’t that what we want for this kind of money?
Originally Posted by TModelle
For me it was just the opposite. I hated almost everything about it and couldn’t wait to get rid of it. Tolerated it almost a year and finally sold it. Every drive I would get angry with it, and that isn’t a good sign. The only thing I really miss is the extremely clear and undistorted 360 camera and the brakes were good. I can’t think of anything else I really liked.
I'm with EDDY2001's camp. I really, really like the car. Nothing about it that I don't like, even the run-flats aren't anywhere near as bad as I thought they would be.
As for TModello's dislike of the car, then you did the right thing by selling it. No disrespect intended, but at the Ricky Nelson song goes, "You see, ya can't please everyone, So ya got to please yourself"
What did you purchase to replace it?
I'm with EDDY2001's camp. I really, really like the car. Nothing about it that I don't like, even the run-flats aren't anywhere near as bad as I thought they would be.
As for TModello's dislike of the car, then you did the right thing by selling it. No disrespect intended, but at the Ricky Nelson song goes, "You see, ya can't please everyone, So ya got to please yourself"
What did you purchase to replace it?
I really really wanted to like the 2019 C43, but just couldn’t, and as you said, did the right thing and sold it. I paid 250k for it over here and lost 50k after a year (so you have to realise how determined I was try to like it). I bought an 2020 RS4, it’s been 6 months and it’s happy days everyday.
If you watch enough videos you pretty much know the pros and cons and you then make the judgement call. My decision was guided a lot by circumstance. I needed a car now. No S4’s near me to test drive, BMW let me test drive a 330 and M340, but neither moved me. TLX too expensive for what you get. The C43 sounded great and I called a dealer and he hit me with a loaded car at a great price in less than two minutes. Oh, and my wife loves it. That means a lot cause even after all these years she hasn’t forgiven me for letting the C32 go. Lol
I would ask why you bought the car in the first place, but I’ve owned enough cars to understand where you are coming from.
No test drives for cars like the C43 where I’m from. You just have to take a leap. A 250k leap. One would assume at the C43 price point and the brand in question, that it would be a well sorted car. Anyway, as you mentioned, I too have owned enough cars to know what works for me and what doesn’t.
As I really put some miles on the car I am finding the seat comfort one of the things i like most. Also, being able to dial in my preferences for so many things. I had been taking comfort mode trips to the local store, then with great weather a couple days ago I put it in sport+ and performance exhaust and we drove up the mountain through the twisties.
Just got my car 2 weeks ago but will give you what I know so far and hope it helps.
1. On the transmission I have read posts that what people thought were problems are not but related to a 9 speed that just doesn’t like feathering so slightly jerky at times. Haven’t heard and specific issues otherwise. Internet searches give it good reliability.
2. On the rims I can’t answer. Not sure if pot holes are playing a part. Maybe someone else can answer.
3. Got the premium sound system and agreed with the forum that the mids are non existent. Bass was ok for me. But I don’t think it’s as bad as some of the other systems I have heard like in BMW. I thought that sounded worse. There is a fix to change the factory amp with a specific aftermarket one for $1000 that maintains factory functions. Not decided on it yet.
4. Maintenance does not seem any worse than any other car. In fact the oil filter is changed from top of the engine in this car which is easier.
5. I don’t think the dealer can void your warranty if you do maintenance unless they can prove you broke something. I picked up the 4 year maintained package after he gave me at 50% off. Will do myself post that.
6. Seems some posts with others having rattles but not me. Yes if I run over those speed bumps you will hear things but I go slow on them and it’s fine. Otherwise no problems for me so far. Time may tell me different though it feels solid.
7. I wound up just getting it fully loaded as it really only added another 5k from want you have. But you have the most important for looks and functions. Get the digital cluster also. And make sure you have the package that gives you the upgraded console screen size.
But I love it when a stupid Tesla pulls up next to me and he can’t get in front of me. Don’t get me wrong, Tesla is fast due to electric but this car is fast enough to keep up...
01-14-2020, 11:18 PM
