E-Class (W212) 2010 - 2016: E 350, E 550

New (Wagon) Owner Questions

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Old 12-12-2020, 05:50 PM
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2014 E350 Wagon, 2009 C300 4Matic (wife's car)
New (Wagon) Owner Questions

Hello, all! I just picked up a 2014 4Matic wagon in Tenorite grey (with Distronic Plus!) and have a few questions I was unable to answer via search that I'm hoping you guys can assist me with:
  1. My car came with heated/ventilated/dynamic luxury leather seats that are really uncomfortable, no matter how I adjust them. Where my butt hits them is way too soft, causing my hips to rest on the side bolsters that are pretty hard - it's like sitting on rails. I'm by no means wide (32" waist), so it's not that. Any ideas how to fix this? Should I look into replacing the foam pad? It's making me far less excited about this purchase than I'd like.
  2. There's no sound from my Parktronic sensors when I'm reversing. The indicator lights are illuminated, so I can assume the sensor works, any tips on how to turn the sound on?
  3. Can anyone recommend a chrome delete package for this car?
Thanks, all! Looking forward to being part of forum.
Old 12-12-2020, 05:56 PM
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The seats are a tough thing.. @nc211 had some success modifying his, I believe. I find the seats acceptable at best. I feel like someone else made almost this same post, again about a wagon with dynamic seats, just recently. He had a chance to return the car and back out which was what I recommended. If you don't, I'm sure there are things you can try.
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pierrejoliat (12-13-2020)
Old 12-12-2020, 06:15 PM
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Thanks. His thread on seats is very helpful. Unfortunately, mine are cooled, so may be a little trickier to fix. I'm perplexed that a company with this level of resources could miss on something so simple.

I can't return mine, but bought it well enough that I can likely sell it at a profit if I need to (hopefully not).
Old 12-12-2020, 09:25 PM
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Parktonic will not start to make sound until you're nearly contacting the object. Not sure why MB chose to do it this way...
Old 12-12-2020, 10:42 PM
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Originally Posted by onceover
Parktonic will not start to make sound until you're nearly contacting the object. Not sure why MB chose to do it this way...
I think it's better that way. It's perfect the way it's set up. You only get noise when the last two dots light up and you're too close. Otherwise it automatically comes on whenever you're below a certain speed limit, like a tad over double digits. So when you're creeping along in traffic, it doesn't know if you're going to park or if you're just driving. Would be annoying if it came on while you were driving. I play with it sometime too when I'm driving, I get close to the guy's bumper in front of me, especially if I see someone next to me that's 2-3 car lengths behind the car in front of them.
Old 12-12-2020, 11:24 PM
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You make a valid point, for the reverse sensors I feel like it could be audible earlier as it’s harder to see where you are and you’re hardly ever in reverse, so not really annoying. That’s how it is on my A4 and I got used to that before buying the E400
Old 12-13-2020, 12:42 AM
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Originally Posted by onceover
Parktonic will not start to make sound until you're nearly contacting the object. Not sure why MB chose to do it this way...
Good to know, thanks. I got within 3 feet of my garage door with no sound, so assumed something wasn't right. My car has automatic braking, though, so in theory it wouldn't let me collide with it anyway.

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Old 12-13-2020, 06:57 AM
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Originally Posted by LILBENZ230
The seats are a tough thing.. @nc211 had some success modifying his, I believe. I find the seats acceptable at best. I feel like someone else made almost this same post, again about a wagon with dynamic seats, just recently. He had a chance to return the car and back out which was what I recommended. If you don't, I'm sure there are things you can try.
On balance, I'm starting to wonder if the "heated/ventilated/dynamic luxury leather seat" is a case of MORE equals LESS... Time and again I read of people with the top of the line seats complaining about comfort.

My car has heated, non-dynamically adjusted, MB-Tex seats, pretty much the standard. Yet, my 6-foot, 80 pound overweight frame can drive comfortably for hours on end with nary any drama or complaint. Some of the most comfortable seats I'm ever experienced to be blunt. Maybe the MB-Tex material is slightly stiffer, while the leather is so supple that it is less supportive?

My conclusion is that the infinite variety of human ***** means that Mercedes-Benz can't please everyone. I feel it incumbent on me to speak up for those with no complaints.


As others have posted, I feel the Parktronic feedback beeps to be just right.
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Old 12-13-2020, 07:33 AM
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Old 12-13-2020, 07:47 AM
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Originally Posted by DFWdude
On balance, I'm starting to wonder if the "heated/ventilated/dynamic luxury leather seat" is a case of MORE equals LESS... Time and again I read of people with the top of the line seats complaining about comfort.

My car has heated, non-dynamically adjusted, MB-Tex seats, pretty much the standard. Yet, my 6-foot, 80 pound overweight frame can drive comfortably for hours on end with nary any drama or complaint. Some of the most comfortable seats I'm ever experienced to be blunt. Maybe the MB-Tex material is slightly stiffer, while the leather is so supple that it is less supportive?
I know we have talked about this before but the standard MB-Tex seats are absolutely more comfortable than the heated/ventilated leather ones. Spent quite a bit of seat time in both. I didn't even think of this when I bought my car with the real vented leather seats.. I assumed that they were at minimum the same, but probably superior. Wrong.
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Old 12-13-2020, 10:47 AM
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Originally Posted by XJLFTW
Hello, all! I just picked up a 2014 4Matic wagon in Tenorite grey (with Distronic Plus!) and have a few questions I was unable to answer via search that I'm hoping you guys can assist me with:
  1. My car came with heated/ventilated/dynamic luxury leather seats that are really uncomfortable, no matter how I adjust them. Where my butt hits them is way too soft, causing my hips to rest on the side bolsters that are pretty hard - it's like sitting on rails. I'm by no means wide (32" waist), so it's not that. Any ideas how to fix this? Should I look into replacing the foam pad? It's making me far less excited about this purchase than I'd like.
  2. There's no sound from my Parktronic sensors when I'm reversing. The indicator lights are illuminated, so I can assume the sensor works, any tips on how to turn the sound on?
  3. Can anyone recommend a chrome delete package for this car?
Thanks, all! Looking forward to being part of forum.
There are aftermarket programmers who can make the parktronic start beeping at the second yellow light, I have always been fine with it being the first red one. My wife said the same thing about the dynamic seats, we ended up without that option which she found fine. try placing a hand towel folded in between the bolsters at the back, if this helps you might know then if the seat modification will help you. I have the "blackout package" on my '13 sport, came with my not an AMG "AMG package" but I have yet to figure out what that means exactly, my dash is the same as my "12 luxury. I have much less exterior chrome than the '12 but I think all the sports do, they are different front and rear clips, and no aero on the lower valance/rocker panels. your parking sensors beep on the first red light?

Last edited by pierrejoliat; 12-13-2020 at 11:46 AM.
Old 12-13-2020, 11:44 AM
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Originally Posted by pierrejoliat
There are aftermarket programmers who can make the parktronic start beeping at the second yellow light, I have always been fine with it being the first red one. My wife said the same thing about the dynamic seats, we ended up without that option which she found fine. try placing a hand towel folded in between the bolsters at the back, if this helps you might know then if the seat modification will help you. I have the "blackout package" on my '13 sport, came with my not an AMG "AMG package" but I have yet to figure out what that means exactly, my dash is the same as my "12 luxury. I have much less exterior chrome than the '12 but I think all the sports do, they are different front and rear clips, and no aero on the lower valance/rocker panels. your parking sensors beep on the first red light? If not I believe you turn that on in the lighting menu.
I just ran to the pharmacy and I was wrong, there does not appear to be a way to turn off the beeps, I also had time to read the manual on parktronic in the drive through line, it also did not indicate a way to silence the beeping or turn it on.
Old 12-13-2020, 11:56 AM
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Originally Posted by DFWdude
On balance, I'm starting to wonder if the "heated/ventilated/dynamic luxury leather seat" is a case of MORE equals LESS... Time and again I read of people with the top of the line seats complaining about comfort.

My car has heated, non-dynamically adjusted, MB-Tex seats, pretty much the standard. Yet, my 6-foot, 80 pound overweight frame can drive comfortably for hours on end with nary any drama or complaint. Some of the most comfortable seats I'm ever experienced to be blunt. Maybe the MB-Tex material is slightly stiffer, while the leather is so supple that it is less supportive?

My conclusion is that the infinite variety of human ***** means that Mercedes-Benz can't please everyone. I feel it incumbent on me to speak up for those with no complaints.


As others have posted, I feel the Parktronic feedback beeps to be just right.
I test drove a sedan with MB-Tex before buying this car (there were no wagons near me) and it was comfortable.

I didn't expect my first weekend of MB ownership to include learning how to tear down and rebuild a seat base, but here we are. I've done the bend method from this thread and it's much better. I'm going to add some high density foam to reinforce it, with cutouts for the vent fans (the only tricky part).

If anyone else is struggling with these seats, feel free to PM me.
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Old 12-14-2020, 05:29 PM
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I have the same seat and I find that if I inflate the bottom cushion to max, it helps. May want to give it a try.

Last edited by bzcat; 12-14-2020 at 05:31 PM.
Old 12-14-2020, 05:38 PM
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I have settings for the side bolsters, lumbar, dynamic seats, massage and the thigh rest (at the front of the seat). What do you mean by bottom cushion?

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