greengoose

I bought this car unseen from a dealer in CA. I flew into LAX and picked it up last night. Too bad I was so jet lagged from Germany to get the full excitement, but it was much better in person then I had expected.

2 things I have noticed that Im not totally sure are working correctly.

1.) Vented seats. I turned them on but dont think I felt anything. Heated seats work great.

2.) Cargo cover: On my 2001 wagon the cover would rise into the tracks whenI open the rear hatch. On this 2005 the cover just sits in the semi locking area where you first lock it before you close the rear hatch. Shouldnt it auto-retract a bit when opening the rear door?

3.) Previous owner has installed mOnbridge (ipod and Bluetooth) modules. Still havent figured it out. It sort of worked on my iPhone 4.


Initial impressions:

In Sport mode 2 I am shocked at how the car has virtually no Roll in it.

Sound system with ipod music is quite good.

Dynamic seats are more of a gadget I think.

Ambient lighting on the ceiling of both the front and back are very cool.

Im still trying to figure out everything.

*Who uses the C/S button? Which do you usually prefer? Gadget or useful?

jnash

The MB vented seats by design are there to move some air off your butt and back and what air you dont feel is normal. Some of us have/will be upgrading to higher rate fans and there is a DIY on this if you search. Those who have done this mod love how better the cooling is.
Before I got a Eurocharged ECU/TCU tune, I preferred Comfort mode for general driving since it takes off from second gear. After the tune, most def Sport mode.

NorseWagon

The vented seats works great, but it takes a few minutes to feel it in yer tush. (Is the blue lights in the switch on..?)

Not sure about the cargo cover, I threw that and the 3rd seat away: More space, less weight.

C/S = Comfort or Sport, I always use the Comfort mode anyways, not sporty driving in my part of the country: Either high speed straight ahead on I-95, or stuck in traffic..

Using the high/low button quite a bit as some roads flood here in Florida and it helps to raise the car a few inches. Same when ya park, raise it up so ya won't hit the curb or barrier in front of the car.

I love my E-500 Wagon, just what the doctor ordered except the gas milage: Averaging about 14.5 on premium fuel, but I could use less with a Prius..

greengoose

Weather got up to 93. The vented seats DO work. :-)

Still havent figured out how the automatic track for the cargo cover is supposed to activate. Owners manual didnt talk about it. Or at least the few parts I did read.

The SOS cover keeps popping open, wont stay shut. Tried clicking it with a pen but it still wont grab the "t" pin on the cover.

I did notice the S mode made the car seem like the e-brake was dragging. Its because it actually drops into 1st gear and not just 2nd.

Road noise is worse than I expected. (However I am comparing the German Autobahns to the CA roads and highways. Not a fair comparison.)

Didnt realize how much I rested my right elbow on the center console. I now can say I dislike the rolling top center compared to the pop top center console.

The car has sand damage on the front glass areas. Lights, windshield. Only noticeable when the sun is low in the sky.

Its a used 05 with over 100k on it, so its to be expected.

I can wait till I can afford a new one. Do the AMGs have the 3rd row option?

THe dealer gave me a folder from the original owner. The car was a one owner vehicle. He 5-6 pages of notes about what options he wanted and which ones not. Had priced shopped from numerous CA dealers. Kept quite a few documents regarding the maintenance on it. About 85% complete book. Original windows sticker. Im really hoping this turns out to be a really good car. I did purchase a 24month.24k power train PLUS extras.

NorseWagon

Got road noise as well, but I keep the tires pumped up more than the book recommends: 36 psi in the front versus 29...Seems too low for a big heavy V8 in the front, and I drive pretty fast, sometimes 100 mph +

Got new Potenzas, good tires, the stick to the road like chewing gum, but the AMG crowd says the Michelins are better...

How much?

I shopped for renewal yesterday on my service plan..The price tripled
Either going naked, or finding a better deal.

desired_speeds

I love potenzas. Very stiff sidewall for turns, but maybe not the best for straight line traction.

WEBSRFR

Yes but unfortunately with the AMG you get no 4MATIC. So not the best to drive in bad weather and personally I think it is silly to own a wagon without AWD...

Congrats on your car! I think you have the most powerful AWD wagon Mercedes ever made

charliele729

I know this has been probably been beat down to death, but being in C mode, over time, would it damaged the transmission in any way by not using the 1st gear? I am always boggled by this.

SmashF15C

Green,

Did you resolve either of these two issues? If not, I can help.

Smash

ozusa

"S" is where it ought to be left most of the time.

This thread about sums up the debates:

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...s-dilemma.html

Remember that a car with an auto transmission has a torque convertor and unless you are doing seriously silly things, the mode you run in is not going to make all that much difference to the loads on other components (like axles).

People should spend more time thinking about whether their transmission filter and fluid need changing than on C/S mode, especially if you have no idea if these items have ever been changed.

NorseWagon

Good point and it is different on the wagon than the sedan...?

All the E-500 Wagons had 4-Matic and therefore the 5 speed tranny.

My S.A. at the MB dealer says the 5 spped only need tranny service at 100K miles. (flush, fluid and filter)
The 7 speed needs it every 40K miles.

Is the above true statements?
He quoted me $400.00 for the job.
How much at a indy shop?

(Got 96K miles right now and not quite due if he was right about the 5 speed, if not I am overdue..)

konigstiger

Not so, MB requirement for 722.6 & 722.9 is once @ 39000 and I strongly recommend every 40000 thereafter for both. Check MY05-08 should be no different for MY03-04 https://mbworld.org/forums/3294991-post83.html

NorseWagon

No mention of 4-Matic, same tranny as all 03-04: 5 speed?

So my SA was wrong, better get that done as my warranty is about to expire and I'll be driving naked. Is $400.00 the best price out there...?

greengoose

SOS cover still wont latch and the rear track for the cover doesnt engage either. (Just moved the family back to the US so I havent had time to update my posts. Sorry for the delay.

Long Islander

Ours had stopped working not that long after we bought the car. The problem turned out to be the activation switch. The cargo area cover is a bit finicky. The side tabs have to be in just the right spot on the tracks to get it to work right. Try removing it from the tracks and the re-attaching and open-close a few times. Sometimes I have to do that when I remove the cargo cover.