pa28pilot

Well, we made it to Stuttgart, for our European Delivery tomorrow. Thanks to all of the folks on this forum who helped me with the selection process.

I'll try to post some pictures if I have connectivity along the rest of the route.

I think the plan today is to go to the museum in Unterturkheim, as I think it's closed on Mondays.

etenn

Too bad you can't hook up with TPAnz who posted today that he was there at the same time.

https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...624#post941624

Check out his story.

pa28pilot

Thanks. I've been watching his progress with some interest. I thought for a moment I might be the only person odd enough to want to drive a 0-day old car in European Winter weather.

TPAbnz

Any updates on your trip?

pa28pilot

Sorry for the delay. The wireless Internet access at my hotel in Strasbourg didn't work, and the one in Paris needed a cable, so I'm a little behind.

Sleeping a straight 16 hours when I got back slowed me down a little as well...


Well we did it. We did some shopping in Stüttgart in the morning, and went to Sindelfingen late in the morning to take delivery of the E320CDI. We managed to catch the 12 noon factory tour, and were the only two English speakers in our group. Our tour guide was excellent, and did a great job of explaining things to us and answering questions. We only caught the tail end of the movie, but from what little I saw, I'd probably be pledging allegience to Mercedes-Benz every morning if I had watched the whole thing. It was very carefully produced to engender confidence in the brand.

Our tour bus arrived at a factory building just as an 80-ton coil of sheet metal feedstock was being changed out in the machine that cuts blanks for the robots that stamp out the panel for the E-class back seat rest. They used gigantic dies (about the size of a pool table, stacked in pairs), that our guide said could be changed out in only 20 minutes. A robot arm grabbed the sheet metal panel after each station and handed the part from one stamping station to another. After all of the stamping, one sheet became two cars' rear seatbacks. The guide mentioned that there was 100% visual inspection at the end of the process, and samples were pulled for testing every 10 minutes.

I have to say the "ballet" of the robot that installed the entire dashboard assembly was my favorite. The CLK line we watched had a robot arm that would pick up an entire dashboard assembly, insert it lengthwise through the doorway, gently reposition itself about 2 inches back and down, and slap the whole thing forward into the right place while tightening all of the screws at the same time. I couldn't help but wonder how they do the initial "choreography" for each particular car's robot programming. I'm guessing it's something like recording macros.

We didn't go too crazy in the gift shop. I did pick up a belt with a really subtle logo, and a small silver model of the E. I noticed that the touch up paint they sold in the store came with a clearcoat tube as well. We've never received those when we ordered kits in the U.S. for our other MB cars.

We had a very nice and huge lunch at the restaurant. When we went to pay,the gentleman there noticed we had some credit left on our voucher and gave us two bottles of water and a box of chocolates to round it out, which was a nice gesture.

Between the restaurant and the rest of the Kundencenter is a large display. It contained a bullet-riddled "S-Guard", [1] which is an armored S-class, and the Popemobile, which is a variant of the "G-guard." [2]

After lunch, we signed all of the paperwork, and asked whether we still had time to go to Harms. The lady there said not to worry, and that as of 3 months ago, it is no longer necessary to go to Harms after delivery to make the arrangements. [I did later email and call the gentleman at TT car transit (the Parisian drop-off agent), and he said just to bring the paperwork from Mercedes-Benz and a passport.] She then took us over to the delivery area and we waited about 5 minutes until our techician came out to introduce us to our new car. I took a picture of the first view I had of it...[3]

The technician who walked us through the car's functions was very thorough, and quite apologetic when the car stopped recognizing any of the Keyless Go smart keys. It had squawked a low battery warning, and I suppose it meant it, because the car would not accept either key for outside locking/unlocking despite their having been previously enrolled. She took it to have the battery changed, and we waited in the MB lounge, which had one of the spiffiest superautomatic coffee machines I have had the pleasure of using. [4]

I took a picture of the entryway to the Kundencenter from the lounge window while I waited. The lounge looks out over the delivery floor, which was full of about 10 or 12 cars initially, but only 2 by the time we left at about 5PM. I got a picture just as we drove out of the building. [5]

Our technician indicated that they normally give you manuals upon final delivery, but gave us a set upon request. I figured I'd need them, and I did wind up having to look something up at least once.

It was misty and rainy as we left, and stayed that way pretty much all of the way to Baden-Baden.

The NAV system did lie to us as TPAbnz warned. I drove straight at that point and wound up at the bottom of the mountain at a gas station, where the attendant indicated that if I had turned right, rather than left and off of the mountain as the NAV system indicated, I would have been taken to the right place. Someone needs to tell Navtech (or whatever their name is now) to change that turn from a "left" to a "right" in the database.

My wife and I both really enjoyed the Schlosshotel Bühlerhöhe, which is one of the Mercedes-Benz hotels. I think there were only about 11 couples in the whole hotel at the time, but I hear it fills up for Christmas and New Year's. Being on the top of the mountain was interesting. It was generally cloudy except for one day when there was fog in the valley below us, and sun up above. We spent two days there and tooled on to Strasbourg. The spa was nice, but husbands be forewarned: they sell beauty products that cost as though they're made from things harvested only under a full moon.

The car performed well. I actually had to press it a little on the long drive from Strasbourg to Paris, as we were a little pressed for time in order to make it to the drop-off on Friday. It was clearly at home in the higher speed ranges.

The French autoroute rest stops put the ones in the U.S. to shame. We stopped at one on the A4 that had both a buffet, a little cafeteria, and a sit-down restaurant. The menu carried admonitions that they only served drinks with an alcohol content above 18º with a full hot meal. Otherwise I suppose one would have to settle for champagne. (folks from Europe may not appreciate how unusual this seems to people from the prohibitionist U.S.) The food was quite decent for a highway stop. The worst I can say is that the frites (fries) were a little greasy.

The factory Michelin MXV4 tires were what I was hoping for as I currently use V-rated ones on my W124. I didn't find them to be all that noisy. I'm interested in knowing if there's really that much of a different between these and others in terms of noise. I fortunately didn't feel any of the pulling to the right that some folks have mentioned.

The NAV system performed well, and didn't harangue me every 4 miles as my Alpine NVA-N751A does in the 300E. I had to prompt it with the RPT key a couple of times to make sure it was actually working before I realized that it just isn't as chatty as my other one. I saw in the book there's some way to

The cruise control is leagues better than the one in my 300E. My other one might just be old or have a vacuum leak somewhere, but this cruise control was fairly smooth when I adjusted the speed with the control stalk, particularly on acceleration.

We dropped the car off in Paris. The TT car transit company that Mercedes-Benz uses seems to do a few different things. They arrange tax-free car rentals in the EU for non-EU citizens, they rent cell phones, and they ship vehicles. The myriad of paperwork I filled out still indicated Harms as the shipper, so I think that TT simply transfers cars to Harms for further shipment. They indicated that they provide the drop-off service for BMW, Saab, and Volvo as well as Mercedes-Benz.

On the phone I was told that if the car was particularly dirty I should wash it at the gas station on the way into Charles de Gaulle airport. I trembled at the thought of running it through a car wash, but didn't have to in the end.

All in all, it was a great way to pick up a car, offset some of the cost of a vacation, and visit some really nice hotels. They really do make the logistics easy. Other than an annoying U.S. Customs requirement to give out one's SSN on import documents, it was painless.

Now I have to bite my nails waiting, and find someone who can install a smaller Sirius antenna than the factory one.

Ormond2004

Thanks for updating us on your exciting experience and posting the photos.

johna1

Yes, a great story and photos, thanks for making the effort.

marcos

Been twice now on the factory tours, always brings back good memorys.

PDT816

Pilot,

If you’re back from your trip, I’d appreciate it if you would indulge me with a few answers.

How long did they tell you to expect for your car to arrive state-side? I just found myself in the market for a new MB after someone broadsided me the other day and totaled my car.

My dealer has located a car already in the ED pool that I can pick up as early as next week and was told to expect it to be at the local dealer within 4 weeks of dropping it off at a port. Now I’m a little skeptical of the duration of getting it shipped back after reading posts by some here that it takes considerable longer.

How would you evaluate your experience in picking the car up in mid-winter? And if you don’t mind be butting into your travel plans, can you extrapolate on what you did/where you went?

TPAbnz

Welcome to MBWorld! Having recently returned, I'd like to offer some comments.

First, if you are a car enthusiast, definitely go. Do a search and read my description of delivery and the tour. Likewise, search for postings by khaug.

At this time of year, the main problem for me was the short daylight time - 8:00A to 4:15P and getting shorter. So, rather than chase from place to place, I'd pick one location and tour from there (khaug's suggestion). Stuttgart is very close to many nice sights, including Strausbourg, France. If you want to stay in Stuttgart, you may want to consider the Marriott which is very close to the Autobahn and factory. It's substantially less than the Graf Zeppelin (which is very nice indeed and in town). Make sure you visit other than a Monday. The fabulous MB museum is closed on that day. The MB navigation system is essential for finding your way.

If you can, go before Xmas. Air fares are still low and you can enjoy the various Christmas festivals available in all towns.

I'm not sure of your travel experiences, but I find the people of southern Germany to be very friendly and they are willing to speak English with you. Stuttgart has the lowest crime rate in Germany (which is low to begin with). FYI, I accidently dropped my First Class Lufthansa transatlantic tickets and some cash in our Stuttgart hotel room. They found it and sent everything (yes cash too) via DHL to my last hotel.

The regional cuisine (Swabian) and local wines are great too. Below is a copy of the salmon salad course served at the factory restaurant (the food is supurb and gratis as part of your factory delivery).

On a practical level, did you beat your dealer up for a few extra per cent off ED? They'll protest but will give you an additional discount beyond the 7%.

Best wishes with your decision. Feel free to post any additional questions.

khaug

[QUOTE=PDT816]Pilot,

How long did they tell you to expect for your car to arrive state-side? I just found myself in the market for a new MB after someone broadsided me the other day and totaled my car.

QUOTE]

Not to jump into pilot's reply, but we did ED on 9/27/04. We dropped the car at Harms in Sindelfingen on 10/8. It arrived at the POE (Baltimore) on 10/31 and got to our dealer's on 11/7. We picked it up on 11/9.

If you are on the west coast, expect a significantly longer delay.

If you go for this deal, recommend you search on "European Delivery". There's lots of worthwhile information available.

Good luck.

pa28pilot

Wow. sorry to hear that, but it sounds like a good reason for a new MB. The European Delivery Program info says 4-6 weeks. I'm pretty close to the port, and my dealer seems to have some mechanisms for moving things along, so we'll see what the holidays do to the delivery time.

We had a great experience, and I was a little nervous about the weather. We only saw snow just as we were leaving Baden-Baden. I think the E will be a solid platform for Winter driving, but I did pass on the Alps Rally tour given the time of year.

If you do what I did and order the Michelin road atlases and maps for Germany, you'll find that there are roads marked on the map that you should assume will be closed in Winter. Some are marked in the maps in white.

With regard to travel, I too, tried a different hotel in Stuttgart than the Graf Zeppelin. We stayed at the Hotel Am Schlossgarten, right across the street from the train station, and on a neat little shopping plaza. We picked up the tab for the first night, and used our Mercedes-Benz hotel voucher at the Bühlerhöhe, which is really exceptional, on the second, so there's some flexibility there. We stayed an extra night there (the MB travel people in New Jersey can add extra nights for you at a decent rate).

The factory tour is absolutely worth the trip. It's pretty cool, and they're good about answering questions.

After Baden-Baden, we drove the 90 minutes to Strasbourg and spent 2 days checking out the Christmas markets. Strasbourg is sort of the Christmas capital of Europe, and has about 6 different open-air Christmas markets with all kinds of people selling handmade items. The smell of hot spiced wine and roasting chestnuts is everywhere. I don't think I had ever actually smelled roasting chestnuts before, despite always reading about it.

We then drove the 4 hours to Paris to drop off the car on a Friday at Charles de Gaulle, and to have a nice dinner in Paris before returning home on a Saturday. I think I missed having the chance to have free plastic explosive inserted in my luggage by only one day. [Check out the news if you don't catch the reference - some Parisian cops just got canned for losing a brick of plastique inserted in the luggage stream for testing. Oops.]

I was too jet-lagged to catch the Mercedes museum on the Sunday we arrived, which is a real bummer. I definitely would suggest trying to visit it, and perhaps also the Classic Center, which is located in a different part of the suburbs than the museum.

The MBUSA web site has a lot of info on the European Delivery Program. It sounds like you have a pretty good dealer, because it takes some work to snag a slot that late.

If you are at all interested in Alsace, check out ABC of France, which is a pretty good catalog of things to do in Alsace, Burgundy or Champagne.

Stuttgart has a few Christmas markets as well, which we didn't have time to hit. It looks like a pretty nice city.

I hope that helps a little.

cbh2

How do most MB owners taking European Delivery react to the manufacturer's recommendation of avoiding high RPMs and high speeds for the first 1000 miles?

High speeds on the autobahn must be a thrilling way to test out a new vehicle, but I was wondering if there were any concerns on overworking the vehicle too early in its lifespan?

Chris

PDT816

Thanks for the answers.

Been browsing the net trying to locate a good site with some doable itineraries of Europe by car; but to no avail. Figured you can’t go wrong by just picking the car up, leisurely making our way to and then spending a few days in Paris.

Regarding pushing the car in the first 1,000 miles, I’m not sure that still applies to newer engines and their more meticulous manufacturing processes. If it still holds true, there’s going to be some very unhappy owners for some of the cars I’ve been test driving as I’ve driven them all like a bat out of hell.

levind

The technician who "presented" my car to me in Sindelfingen (Euro delivery)said to keep the speed under 135kph (85mph) for the first 1000km (600miles). It is easy to put that many miles on a car in two weeks of sightseeing, especially if you choose the black forest rally. I kept the speeds to 80mph or less for the first thousand miles, constantly varying the speed. After that I took it up to 125mph (and higher). It is beautifully broken in. It just takes off like a race horse. Today I punched it on the freeway going 60, and it effortlessly went over 100 in just seconds!

TPAbnz

I left the car in Munich on Nov. 26 which was then trucked to Bremerhaven. The dealer called yesterday and said that the car will be at the Port of Jacksonville Dec. 17 and that they should have it within 7 days of that. All in all, that seems pretty quick.

pa28pilot

Did you get a mailing from Harms yet? My dealer told me they'd likely send one a week before it arrives, and that I should take the paperwork over to the dealership ASAP.

Just wondering if you've seen it yet, or if that's how your dealer knew when your car will arrive?

TPAbnz

No one mentioned anything about a letter. My dealer said that they received a fax from MBUSA with the info. They will send me a copy.

Meanwhile, I callled MBUSA ED department - they show no record on the car being shipped. And Harms said they show no ship arriving JAX on the referenced date. I'll take a look at the fax and go from there.

Not that there's any antipation of getting the car soon!

Flitzer

The best bet is to get the shipping line or vessel name, respectively, from the local E.H. Harms agent. Harms seems to prefer "Wallenius Wilhelmsen Lines, whose URL is www.2wglobal.com. Go to cargo tracking, plug in your VIN, and presto, you're up-to-date.
My CDI made it from Antwerp to the Midwest in three weeks.

pa28pilot

Excellent resource. Thanks!

I was just informed that my CDI has been put on the ship for a January 8 arrival in Baltimore. I dropped it off with TT Car Transit at Charles de Gaulle airport on 12/3. The web site says it was loaded on the 29th.

Now I just have to get my option and mod installs planned...Woo hoo.

TPAbnz

I hope that you don't have to wait too long. My car arrived 12 days ago and still hasn't cleared US Customs to the VPC.

pa28pilot

Thanks, I hope yours gets "sprung" soon.

Is your car coming straight into a Florida port, rather than Baltimore?

I've been given to understand that there may be some labor issues (of the organized variety) at Baltimore, and that things there may be running slow.

I've been told that Customs does a walk-on "survey" while they're on the ship, and then they go into a bonded storage lot for closer inspection. I would hope clearance is basically a FIFO process.

Conventional wisdom is that if you pester them, it takes longer. (Friends importing consumer electronics have told me that as well.)

Despite the U.S. Dollar's wane, it doesn't seem there's any lack of cars coming in.

TPAbnz

Well, here's the schedule of events. The car arrived at JAX on 12/24/04, 5:00 PM.

On January 4, I called MBUSA who said the car was held up by customs. I called customs and the shipper and learned that the car was released on December 29 and taken by MB. I called MB back who said they did not have the car. They called back the next morning and "found" it.

The car was placed on the truck on January 6 and delivered to the dealer in St. Petersburg and ready for pick up on January 7.

The car IS phenomenal.

pa28pilot

WOO HOO!

My car arrived in Baltimore on January 10th. Apparently the Port of Baltimore is pretty backed up right now. (I heard there are two whole ships that can't unload cars because there's no room.)

My dealer enlisted the aid of someone to get my car out today, and I am happy to report that I drove it home today.

Interestingly enough, it appears they installed the handsfree with VCS while it was on the dock in Germany. There's apparently a VPC at the port now.

I still have to (install/have installed) the Sirius and a few gewgaws like the shifter knob, but I'm stoked.

Now to get to the Zaino before everything freezes out here. I'll probably have to set up heaters in my garage.

My earnest thanks to all of you who helped with my research!

(P.S. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do about the center console.)

Barry45RPM

You'll keep it get used to it & love it, of course.