Hello all-

First post here.

I just purchased a black 2008 E350 4Matic Sport with 27,000 miles...absolutely love it so far. It's in perfect condition and drives beautifully.

I upgraded from a 2003 Infiniti G35 and am new to the Mercedes brand, so I'm looking for any and all information about the car. Are there any FAQ sections or tips/tricks that anyone can pass along?

Thanks!
John

 

Congrats! Just read through the forum and use the search feature. Almost everything you can possibly ask has been asked before.

 

Cars from 07 forward have been superb cars. You're really going to enjoy the car. Sit down take your shoes off and read the manuals a little each night. The car is not like Japanese cars which are very intuitively designed. Once you wrap your head around the German logic, you'll understand WHY the car was made that way, but its not intuitive to us Americans. The features are waaaaay overthought, and work a certain way because "they should to the German mind" but they add layers of complexity to execute.

There are features in the car that aren't clearly mentioned in the manual. Little gems you'll discover along the way.

 

What do you mean german cars features are way overthough? Every builder has their own way of designing cars. I love my car, but I just wanted your piont of view on it.

 

I think he means that through ownership of this car you'll discover that no one puts as much thought into the design, especially in terms of safety and comfort as the Germans do. No one.

Because of this, some features or intricacies of the car will seem strange to you until you begin to see things the way they do.

Once this happens, you'll be a believer. That is what separates the German car buyer from the one who'll buy the "equivalent" in a Japanese car. The German car buyer sees no equivalent.

 

Thanks for the info. I've only had it a week now and this is an unbelievable piece of machinery. I absolutely love the ride...quiet and smooth!

One quick question about the bluetooth module that wasn't 100% clear to me when searching the forum. I have a couple different phones and do not want to buy two cradles, so I'm assuming that I want to buy part # B67876131. However, I see others using #B67875878. Can anyone explain the difference?

Appreciate it. Thanks.

 

I, too, bought an '08 E350 last July, and later on I emerged from the confusion and sometimes misinformation about which bluetooth puck to buy.
Simply put, there is no functional difference between the ..5878 and the ...6131. The 6131 is new and looks a little different than the previous 5878 model - that's the complete difference. I believed/reasoned that there has to be something more different between the two pucks than this, but that's it; ain't no more.
I bought a new 5878 from a forum member, and it took only about 30 seconds to get it up and running and a few minutes later my Blackberry 8830's phonebook listings were fully downloaded. My wife's BB Curve 8530 also works fine.

That said, you still need to closely examine the MB site and this forum (audio & electronics forum) to get a better handle on whether your current phones will work with the MB pucks. Good luck and congrats on getting the E350!

 

Here's my overthought reply:

Is it necessary for instance to be able to move the seats when you open the door? (Yes... maybe to get in after a short driver.) Is it necessary for the seat NOT to be able to move after you close the door without putting the key in & switching on the accessories? (Needless complexity)

Is it necessary for the radio to power up & play for anyone without having a key for the car on you? Is it necessary for the rainsense wipers not to work when the car is in park idling? You can't click the wipers on, get out of the car & spray the glass with a hose to clean the windshield. (No, but they do work that way because someone THOUGHT about including that in the programming).

Is it necessary for only the front dome light to go on when only a front door is opened at night? ...and only a rear dome light when a rear door is opened at night. And NO dome lights when any door is opened in broad daylight? Who would care if the light went on with the door in daylight.

There are tons of features that you will discover that may bring a smile to your face when you discover them... they're not even mentioned in the manuals in many cases, and because they can be done, doesn't mean that they needed to be done to have a luxury/sporty car.

Do we really need delicate fiber optic cables in a car with a (relatively) short-ish lifespan, sub ect to collisions and other damage? Copper is more than sufficient, cheaper, less prone to damage AND simpler.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind that they're there, its ust amazing that people thought and thought about how many different ways different people MIGHT use the car & its toys, and engineered layer upon layer of programming and modules to accomplish things that could have done their obs in a much simpler fashion. (Look how complicated it is to input a destination into an MB NAV unit compared to any cheap-o Garmin apanese unit. The logic of inputting style escapes the average guy until you teach yourself the German logic. (For example... some destination types such as Northbrook Drive has to be put in sometimes as Brook Drive N... NW 23rd ave as 23rd Ave NW, no zip code 1st entry... why not? Its much quicker than pecking in "Hallandale Beach" <List>, ust peck in 33009 instead.)

The cars wouldn't require so much time to understand and operate & repair without so many layers.

Overthought. But you'll love the car even with its eccentricities.

 

Barry, sometimes you make my head hurt .

But, of course, and as usual, you're absolutely right.

 

Thank you very much for the help. I'm a gadget guy, so all of these details fascinate me. Appreciate the info.

 

...and you WILL love the car. Its a real quality vehicle, and nothing else rides like an MB.

 

That's so right. It isn't very intuitive. To make matters worse for me I didn't have the manual right away (it actually took almost 3 weeks to get it) so I was really in the dark. But slowly and surely I've been figuring this car out.

Actually when you find a little gem it's great. It's almost like when I was a kid and every Christmas had a Nativity calendar. Every day a new surprise.