kasendorf

Ordered my E450 Cab last month and was told today that it probably wouldn’t be delivered until March 2019. Anyone else heard of or experiencing this.

dtl919

We ordered our E450 4M Coupe last month too but delivery was confirmed in December. Not sure if it's only because it's a coupe, but I know there's several options that may delay an order (445 warmth & comfort package, 443 Heated steering wheel, 463 HUD, 464 Digital instrument cluster, L3D Wood/leather steering wheel, 15A LED logo projectors)

kasendorf

I do have some of those options but dealer is telling me it is because of demand. Sounds strange.

guhvies

It also depends on whether your dealer has an allocation for what you want. If they don't have one that is due to be built soon, you're going to have to wait or find a dealer that does if you want the car sooner.

AllenPGA

drbeck13

several of them showing up at LA dealerships

lensjack

I'm preparing to order. Dealer says there's no HUD available "for the foreseeable future." Anyone know what the issue is? Japan seems to have no trouble delivering HUDs, and at much lower cost, too.

Also LED Logo Projectors are not a coupe/cab option, right? Sedan only, no?

guhvies

MB have serious problems with their JIT ordering system. This is one area where the could learn a lot from the Japanese.

lensjack

Thanks. It's truly head-scratching that a world-class car maker such as MB offers this option but cannot deliver it. It's something I really want (after driving a Lexus that has it). Can't decide: Should I order the car and hope HUD becomes available to add in before the build date, accept a car without it and maybe have regrets, or just wait god-knows-how-long until HUDs are back in stock. Ugh.

BenzC400

Has anyone ordered an E53 Coupe or Cabriolet and heard that it's in the US being held by US authorities for release? I ordered an E53 Coupe scheduled to be built around November 3rd. I was wondering what the chances are the E53 will be released in the US by the time mine arrives in a port.

Bfgslkman

dtl919

It's available for the coupe. We couldn't order it when we ordered our E450 4M coupe (due to supply issues), but the dealer said he can purchase the part and install it after we take delivery.

lensjack

Yikes.

Not2Tall4Cab

I want to order an E450 cabriolet, completely custom, with four items that have the "!" next to them in the latest DOG I have. I called my dealer this past weekend and asked if we needed to "step things up," at least in terms of doing a test drive, because of things I've read in this forum and how I'm not going to buy a car I haven't test driven. I emailed them the list I share, below, but they came back after conferring for about ten minutes and said not to worry, that it would only take 1-2 months from order to delivery with the list I provided. I've marked the "!" items with an asterisk (*).

I'm a bit scared that they're not doing proper due diligence, can anyone else please confirm this? I'm targeting first week in February as my "ideal" delivery date range because it'll be near when a bunch of things hit financially for us so it'll cushion the final payment. The basic question I'm asking is - should I be worried and ask an alternative dealership in the area (Raleigh/Durham, NC) to corroborate, or should I trust the guy with whom I've already been working?

Incidentally, they don't have any E450 cab's coming in any time soon (though I was able to sit in one that someone had bought and they were awaiting delivery on, key for me since I'm 6'8" tall), and they said, "Well, we have a 2019 E53 cab coming in the first week in November, you want to test drive that one?" Umm, yes, please.

First Merc for this household and I'd really love to have it go as smoothly as possible, so any input would be appreciated.

BUILD:
A238 4MATIC E-Class Cabriolet
992 Selenite Grey
720 Black Top
22R 18" Twin 5-Spoke Wheels
P62 Designo Black/Titanium Grey Pearl
H06 Brown Ash wood trim
656 Center Console in Brown Ash wood
P01 Premium Package
995 Parking Assistance Package
445 Warmth and Comfort Package *
401 Heated and Ventilated Front Seats
464 12.3" Digital Instrument Cluster *
463 Head-Up Display *
883 Soft-Close Doors
068 Wheel Locking Bolts
319 Exterior Lighting Package
U25 Illuminated Door Sills with "Mercedes-Benz" Lettering
15A LED Logo Projectors *

lensjack

Last week I ordered a coupe with some of the same options from a Southern California MB dealer referred to me by Costco. The dealer has been very responsive and transparent. He was able to order the 12.3" Digital Instrument Cluster and the Illuminated Door Sills but not the HUD or the LED Logo Projectors. He said neither of those two will be available in the current build cycle; MB didn't order enough to meet demand, so even if we wanted to add them at the last minute, MB won't have them. I've found no information to contradict this, and have no reason to doubt him. My build is scheduled for the first week in December, delivery mid-to-late January.

You fit comfortably in a cabriolet at 6-8? I'm just under 6-2; felt like I had about an inch clearance above my head in the coupe. But a 6-4 friend has an E 400 coupe and fits fine. May be just a matter of how tall or short we are from the waist up, and where we set seat height. I believe the coupe has fractionally more headroom than the cab.

Like you, I wouldn't buy a car without driving it. Personally, I loved the way it rode and handled. As much as anything, the test drive sealed the deal for me.

Good luck!

Not2Tall4Cab

Thanks for such a quick reply... yeah I'm a big un but it's mostly legs. I actually have a friend who is 6'6" and when we stand next to each other I am obviously taller, but when seated he is taller. Freaky. The Merc seats have so much play it's fantastic, I had plenty of headroom. Nobody can sit behind me rho.

Would be a real bummer if I missed those two options, when you say current build cycle, does that mean in a few months it might be okay again? Or does current build cycle mean MY19?

Thanks again, I'm hoping that if the test drive happens first week of November that I will be on track for early February delivery, based on your schedule that seems reasonable.

BenzC400

lensjack

My (admittedly imperfect) understanding of "current build cycle" meant as it applied to my order - so not available for any 2019 cars built between now and at least the end of the first week in December. Whether it extends beyond that, I can't say. Let's hope you can score those options by building a little later than me.

At least one MB owner on these forums told me he wouldn't order the logo projectors again. He thought they weren't worth the money. Not getting the HUD bums me out more. My wife's Lexus has one, and the 2019 coupe I test drove had it (which suggests MB ran out very recently). I loved the HUD on both cars. And if I'd been told I also couldn't get the Digital Instrument Cluster, I would not have ordered. Really did not like the analog in 2019 coupes I looked at.

This is a first Merc for me, too. Maybe experienced MB owners can shed let on the build cycles.

lensjack

Sounds like you're in for a very merry holiday season. Enjoy! I'll be listening to Elvis singing "Blue Christmas." And once I shake off the New Years hangover, I'll probably start stalking my dealer, shouting: "Is it here yet? Is it here yet?" :-)

BenzC400

Not2Tall4Cab

That's awesome, brownie points in store for you for sure...

Been talking about getting a convertible i fit in for a while, and two weekends ago my wife and i drive by a dealership and she nonchalantly asks, "Want to go see if you fit in that convrrtible you want?" She thought I wanted an SL or roadster, something in the 125,000 range, and when she heard that a maxed out E450 was "only" mid 80s, she started musing about all the places she could take it when I'm not using it as a daily driver.

I don't know if I'll be adamant about HUD or not but I'm flexible on the logo projectors. Hope that, given the later build for mine, they get them in on time...

4MaticCoupe

I'd be very leery of any dealer who would tell me "not to worry" regarding the availability of any vehicle whos option list includes items currently identified in the most recent DOG as "limited availability/delayed availability" etc. Waaaay to many horror stories about deadlines not being met/promises being broken just so the dealer can get ahold of your deposit.

Not2Tall4Cab

Since this is my first experience with the process, what is the deposit process like? I was assuming (I know, shame on me) that at deposit time, everything is entered into a system and based on MB's supply chain, production schedules, etc... they should be able to give me a date (within reason, of course)... wouldn't any shortages be readily apparent then?
While I'm not technically in a rush to get the car, i dont exactly want to be deliberately misled...

4MaticCoupe

best advice I could give is to spend some time reviewing some of the older W213 threads. while one would hope that everything you've cited would be standard sop, it just doesn't appear to be that way for this product. just look at the fact that - even though the C238's are starting to find their way on to dealers lots - MBUSA still won't update their configurator to reflect MY '19 vehicles. and since we're not talking port installed options, one would probably want to be as informed as possible … even though it may be through others experience(s). I couldn't even get MBUSA to give me an honest answer to the availability of Rubellite Red paint and 20" wheels for the U.S. market 19's a few months ago, even though they were shown on configurators for foreign countries.

lensjack

First Benz for me, too, so I'm no expert. Can only tell you that my dealer did not ask for a deposit, gave me a build date (first week in December), gave me an approximate delivery date (mid-to-late January), and told me that when he ordered the car, the system would not allow him to input HUD or Logo Projectors because none are currently available, but all other requested options were accepted.