NuBenz

Interesting info from my dealer:

1. The white faced gauges offered in the sport package for 2003 will not be in the appearance package for 2004. The white gauges will apparently be reserved for the E55 AMG. The appearance package gauges will be black.

2. My order was accepted with packages 322 (appearance) AND 319 (lighting). This tells me that the cornering bi-xenon headlamps are NOT offered in the appearance package. I assume this means that the appearance package has straight bi-xenon lamps that are not of the cornering type.

akmal31

I hope what u said about the white gauges isnt true for the U.K.!

HizzleDizzle

I really hope that maybe you misheard him or that isnt true, cuz thats the whole reason i got the appearance package. It looks alot better with the white faced gauges and esp. if the inside if black. damn i will be pissed if they changed that. they should have kept it the same. maybe they only changed it for the E320 and not the E500. keeping my fingers crossed.

sf49ers79

one of the reason i buy the appearance to get the white gauges man.. For me it's better than the black...

silverEEE

No white gauges? Say it ain't so!

akmal31

here is a pic of the normal dash......and the second pic is of the appearance package/avantgarde.......the appearance package/avantgarde should definately have the white gauges

akmal31

the white gaudes with the blue lights....

akmal31

wooops....lolz......forgot to post the pic lolz
here ya go....

alewifebp

Oh PLEASE, say it isn't so! After having white gauges in my current car, the look of "normal" gauges is so blah.

And in terms of the headlamp option, if you look at the materials off the dealer ordering guide web site, you see that they do in fact mention that both the Lighting AND Premium packages contain the cornerning headlamps, but it does not specify it for the Appearance. Same info goes for the E-Class ordering guide that I got a copy of from my dealer. Here is to hoping that the person typing the information in just forgot to change it for the Appearance package, since both of those other packages are new.

NuBenz

I love the white gauges. I have them on my '03 E500 (which I haven't seen in 7 weeks ). However, my dealer has confirmed that the Appearance Package will have non-white gauges.

That doesn't make me happy at all. I get out of my '03 into an '04 because MB made me a sham car AND I lose the white gauges and sport badging so the E55 can be a little more elite..

Everyone else should confirm this with their respective dealers and post the information here.

NuBenz

I love the white gauges. I have them on my '03 E500 (which I haven't seen in 7 weeks ). However, my dealer has confirmed that the Appearance Package will have non-white gauges.

That doesn't make me happy at all. I get out of my '03 into an '04 because MB made me a sham car AND I lose the white gauges and sport badging so the E55 can be a little more elite..

Everyone else should confirm this with their respective dealers and post the information here.

NuBenz

akmal,

Is that dash pic from your car with the appearance package? What year is your car? Apparently, the change from white to regular gauges is for MY2004.

HizzleDizzle

What the F*ck is the problem with MB? why did they take out the white gauges that everyone likes. thats the whole point of getting the appearance (sport) package. I'm very upset at this whole ordeal as you can see. My car is supposed to get here in a couple of weeks and i'm hoping that it will come with the white gauges and maybe your guys info is wrong. I just hope that they come with the white gauges cuz i wouldnt understand why they would remove it. dumb dumb dumb.

Oslo

Then there must be some changes that are only done on US cars. I saw several MY2004 Avantgarde models at my dealer’s showroom here in Norway, and they all have white gauges.

NuBenz

HizzleDizzle,

Did you order an '04 E500? I'm really curious about the gauges. Let us know how your car shows up! All I know is that my dealer told me the gauges would be black on my appearance package...

HizzleDizzle

Yeah I ordered an 04 E500 and it should be here within a couple of weeks. I will be very very upset if it doesnt come with the white gauges. I'm a bit more hopeful since Oslo said that he saw some 04 with the white gauges and i dont see why they would change that to the US. It would be very dumb. I just hope that it comes with the white gauges cuz thats the whole reason most of us got it, and plus i got black on the inside just to contrast with the white and chrome on the inside. If it didnt come like that i would have gotten ash for the inside. Oh well if anyone else has any word on this let me know please. thank you and i hope the gauges come in WHITE.

akmal31

really? i sure hope this is just a u.s. change....although i feel sorry for ppl who really wanted ther white gauges and hopefully mercedes can do soemthing abt it.....

i sure hope wht oslo said is true abt the european avantgarde still getting the white gauges (hope)

Tezta

I can't really tell from the first pic but do the numbers on the standard gauges illuminate blue at night? it sort of looks.

alewifebp

As has been said, one of the major incentives to getting the Appearance package was to get the white and aluminum/chrome accents on the inside. If it does not have it, geez, considering my options, I probably should have gotten the Premium Package.

BoughtaBenz

So, let me get this right, you order the appearance package (which we did) in order to get the white gauges, and you don't get the white gauges. Why did they do this, as if having 450+ freaking horses under the hood isn't a big enough difference for the E55? Having a pair of garbage can lid size Brembo brakes isn't enough? Having a 0-60 time that would rival almost anything on the road isn't enough? Why'd they have to take the white gauges from us? In the words of Chris Rock....."That ain't right!"

NRealm

I'm rolling out of my lease in Nov and have my eye on the E320-Sport. Was originally thinking of getting an 03 but after 2 dealers told me that they dont lease out as well, I figured I would wait for the 04.

I couldnt believe my eyes when I read that the white gages were not going to be part of the 04 Sport Package ! I hope this is not true.

I just called my dealer and he assured me that there is no difference and this rumor was not true. Who knows ?

What is your thought on 03 vs. 04 leasing option ? Even if the 03 was the right decision, Id probably have a difficult finding silver, black interior and a pan roof at this point.

Confused...

alewifebp

nrealm, you are right. Unless your dealer can dig up a model you want at another dealer, your chaces of an 03 with the options you want are dwindling fast. 04 will be a higher price, but should be a higher residual. I also just received word today from my friend who is getting a C class at the same time as my E, and his residuals for September are good, the money factor is also almost a good quarter point lower, and the 39 month lease program is back. Mind you this is for the C, but I can assume that the programs will be very similiar for all of the other cars as well.

Rob E.

d. I have 2004 mb e320 4matuc I want white gIAGES I FOIND SOME ON EBAY THEY SAID THEY WILL FIT.