ctouhey

My follow up this morning with my sales person and the GM indicate that the MB of Greenway dealership here in Houston has not yet received the letter that the California dealership received, nor have they received a similar e-mail.

They tell me the MBUSA will typically send a distribution fax or e-mail to all dealerships at the same time, but will order them by sales volume. This is a pretty large dealership for Texas, but perhaps the one California was larger. Still, you'd think that if the notices were sent out late in the day or even overnight, my dealership would have received it by now. Perhaps Legacy's salesperson has access to advance information. Like everyone else, I'm still waiting for something in writing addressed to me....

drb

Another data point....My sales rep called this morning reporting an MBUSA letter has been received explaining the options for those involved with the nav fiasco, as he calls it. He wants to discuss the details with me Monday.

rhahn

My dealer and MBUSA have confirmed that all dealerships will receive a fax at 9AM on Monday outlining the options for those who have pre-ordered NAV. The MBUSA rep said that she was not at liberty to discuss the contents of the fax however did mention that NAV was not going to be retrofittable to any "pre-wired" E. If indeed the choices are a $2000 refund or a new car, I think the choice will be pretty easy. I wonder if the terms or options they are presenting are negotiable.

wesam

A quick poll....who thinks what is being offered by MB is fair? Also, what are you planning on taking, the 2k, or the new car?

CLK430_ew

rhahn

what dealerships did u go to

my dealerships said that they didn't know anything about nav .....

is that the dealership try to lie to me or what ??
the dealership is in California LA rusnak

drb

The new car of course. I will also try to add a couple options like keyless go and parktronic. Maybe change color to capri.

bmms8

of course i will go for a new car, but damn, what the hell is this, a 03?? when i get this 03, all the 04's will come out....and that means a year w/o nav...so basically, we all could have waited for an 04.......they should give us an 04, i can't believe they are offereing a 03....how sad from MB

drb

We do not know the details as of yet. No harm in asking for the 04 option.

bmms8

true, but in the statement it doess say 03. i can't believe MB would give us an 03. it took them this long to decide what they would do

drb

Why is an 03 replacement a problem?

Why does'nt the replacement make the deal whole?

How does the replacement put you at a disadvantage?

I understand the 04 is next in the que.

Clearly this is the end of the model year.

Depreciation is already built in to the replacement vehicle.

I'm trying to understand.

Legacy

Not yet known are M-B USA's position on handling of such items as:

Sales tax paid on current E-Class and due on replacement
Registration fee paid on current E-Class and due on replacement
Extended Warranty purchased for current car and how it would be transferred to replacement car
How any loan on current car would be paid off and reset on replacement?

Also unknown is whether or not any changes will be permitted to the configuration of the replacement car. My reading of the letter is that none will be. M-B knows the configuration of every car in the potential replacement pool. They can easily re-cycle this list through their factory. The introduction of changes would add a complication to the process from their view point.

I presume (hope) that all will be addressed in the details to the dealers next week.

Legacy

drb

Those are good points, and a useful checklist when we all talk to the dealership. There are supposed to be about 1,000 cars in the pool. Maybe there would/could/should be a fee to change the existing configuration. The building process is automated. Computers can handle changes, I think.

ctouhey

5. The $1,000 gas guzzler tax the government won't want to pass up
6. Dealer-supplied options purchased (I'm thinking about the LoJack option - in addition to the 3 yr. extended warranty - I purchased)
7. Will mileage figure into the equation, and if so, how? (I've got just under 4,000 miles despite an Oct. delivery)

wesam

Drb,

What it comes down to is this. I bought this car thinking I would have NAV by March '03 at the latest. I'm not one of those guys that got NAV just for kicks; I really, really need it. Now, MB should assume all of the people that choose this option need it, not just want it. Making someone that needs such an option wait until August or later simply isn’t fair. I would have NOT bought this car if I knew this in October. This is why I want to know who is in my shoes, and needs their NAV....and can’t wait 4-5 more months. I intend to fight this and get a refund of my money.

It seems that MB is going down the drain, it’s sad...but in my eyes true. I just read about the new Chrysler Crossfire in the paper today (uses 40% of MB parts, including engine and tranny)....I'm sorry if I digressed, but in my mind the NAV and Crossfire tie in to what seems like a deterioration of the MB brand.

monakh

I would get a new car, of course. Would have loved an '04 though. I don't know how they are gonna make this work. Also, have no idea what they are gonna do about stuff like 'Auto Butler'--The detailing service that covers my car for the next five years. And the tax is an issue, hell, there is a personal property tax issue here in VA. You pay close to three grand for an E500 a year.

This will get real complicated, real fast.

drb

I have the same nav requirement as you. I have been in MBs all my life, and believe me the build quality has deteriorated but some of the conveniences are welcome and improved. I started using nav in 1994 (Street Atlas on a laptop with a GPS antenna), and never want to be without it, ever. Right now I use a Magellan 750M, it works ok, but there is nothing like integrated nav.

My questions represent my effort to probe the MB deal not question the car itself. I am trying to discern what the compelling reason for me, the customer, might be to take this deal. If it truly is unfavorable, what grounds are there to to press for something more equitable. The argument for an 04 seems weak as it will not be a direct comparison to the 03, considering the depreciation level alone.

If I had nav at the outset, racked up the miles and wanted to trade the car for an 04, I would eat the depreciation. Taking a replacement car now, and turning it in for an 04 will still have the depreciation locked in, but the milege will be very low by October. I have turned in my car every 2 years with low miles, and I always pick up a premium on the trade in. This time it will be no different.

pat a.

My perspective:

Assuming I get my NAV-less car replaced with a new 03 car with NAV and with exactly the same equipment and with absolutely $0 cash exchanged either way to facilitate the exchange. Assume also that the lease allowed miles are reduced by the amount of miles I have on my current car when I turn it in.

This would seem to be an even exchange from everyone's standpoint. But, as others on this board have insinuated, how does that compensate me for the fact that instead of having NAV in March, I will get it in July/August?

I agree with previous opinions - a third option should be to simply allow you to terminate your lease immediately upon receiving news that they can not retrofit. We should have had this option when March 31 came along and they did not have retrofit kits to the dealers.

I personally believe I could drop my lease payment on an identical car by $75 if I bought the same car now instead of the price I paid in december of 2002. This is what I will attempt to do.

e500

Your compensation is the $500 discount you got when you purchased/leased the car.

e500

Your compensation is the $500 discount you got when you purchased/leased the car.

BillP

For those who are considering the replacement car, is there any estimate on delivery time? It took them three months to make my car the first time; am I looking at another three months?

drb

My letter from MBUSA says:

The retrofit is not feasible. MBUSA is offering, in full resolution of any concerns regarding their inability to provide a retrofit navigation system, the following:
$3250 New Vehicle Sales Voucher

Valid through December 31, 2003 on the purchase of any new C/E/M/S/SLK Class vehicle. AMG moels are excluded with the exception of C32, ML55 and SLK32. Dealer has details of the offer.

This letter differs from the earlier one offering $2k reimbursement or vehicle exchange.

What do you think?

pat a.

e500, your comment is incorrect.

$500 was compensation for the delay in receiving the NAV system from the time I began my lease until the promised delivery date of "early spring 03". The situation as it stands now will mean i get the NAV system in mid-August - some 5 months later than the date represented by the $500 discount.

drb

I am told my replacement vehicle will require 10 weeks from order to delivery.

CLK430_ew

Can anyone sean the letter and post it in here like the letter from Australia one
the letter from australia said can be retro-fit the command system then why not the E-class in the usa?

CLK430_ew

I am sorry to told u to do that
but can u post the letter that u got
not a type form in computer
i want to see the actual letter itself
thx !