I have my car at the dealer for a variety of reasons right now, but most importantly, over about 60-65 MPH and up on the highway the car lacks confidence. I have complete control of the car but it feels, soft. Does anyone else notice this? This is my 3rd E-Class.

After dropping the car off yesterday the service advisor called me today and said it is because the tire pressure was too high, the car will feel bumpy if the tire pressure is too high. FYI - I never used the word bumpy, I said it lacks confidence and feels soft, slightly unstable at times.

I replied - The gas cap says 32 PSI and I keep the tires cold at about 30-31 PSI. What pressure do you suggest I keep them at? He said, the gas cap is what we go by. I replied - Ok, so the tires were not over inflated. He replied that he will have his QC guys drive the car tomorrow and see what they think as they drive these all of the times.

My concern is that he suggested a problem that I am 100% certain doesn't exist, the tires are not over inflated. In fact, I would argue that if we increased the tire pressure it might add some stability. Now I wonder, did they actually think the car drove odd and they are wrong about the issue or was the tire pressure comment just an excuse to get me to go away.

As a side note, when I test drove the car the steering wheel wasn't perfectly straight. They did an alignment and a toe adjustment before I took delivery of the car - said it was no big deal. Now I am questioning everything like, why wasn't that caught in PDI?

I had another E-300 for about half a day before I took delivery of my car and loved the way it drove, it was the reason I wanted the car. I have never felt like my car drove as well as the one I had for a half a day. I read a thread on here over the weekend where a member mentioned how stable the car felt in excess of even 100 MPH.

Having had several Mercedes in the past, I assumed all E's would drive the same and didn't drive mine near as long as the other one I had- my mistake, however, not my fault is the car has something wrong with it - I just don't think Merc is taking responsibility.

Now I am really concerned about the competence of the service team looking at my car.

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

 

That's not sounding good. Badly adjusted tyres certainly change the feel but a couple psi here and there makes next to no difference. My e is stable at high speeds with no float or soft wallow. I've got 19 inch tyres so there isn't a lot of sidewall to float on (!) but I'd be surprised if smaller tyres caused the sensation you describe. During high winds i have changed suspension​ to sport as cross winds moved the car more than l liked.i didn't feel unsafe, i just wanted it to feel a bit more solid in those conditions (wind high enough to start pushing lorries around their lanes).

So it could well be down to suspension on yours and i think you need a back to back test with their tech present in yours and an identical model to see if there really is a difference. Good luck.

 

Does your car have the Air Body Control option?

 

No, it does not.

 

I don't have this problem either. Very solid, stable, and even nimble at full highway speeds.

 

Having problems with my new E. It drives a bit like how you describe. They've been giving me a 2016 E (old body style) to drive while it's been in the shop. 500 miles total on car. This is the fourth time in the shop.

I love how the older e drives. My new car - not so much!

 

Rick, any idea what is causing this?

i'll be curious to know what response they give you compared to what they tell me.

 

I haven't noticed anything weird with mine. I have the 19" AMG wheels and I drive on I-4 all the time going anywhere from 30-85MPH (construction and traffic really suck) and I haven't noticed any abnormalities with my E.

The only thing I did notice was when it was very windy a few months back, I think the crosswind assist was kicking in because I kept feeling my car getting pushed around in my lane. Not serving much but I kept feeling it pull to one side and then another a little bit.

 

I've had other issues they have been needing to look into so I haven't really pushed hard on this...yet. I will, soon, though.

My car seems to 'bottom out' on moderate to big bumps in the road. It seems to porpoise a bit on acceleration. It just seems soft. Changing to sport or sport + doesn't seem to help with that. My current 2016 E loaner 'floats' over bumps while the tires bounce up and down underneath me.

I was going to take a different E out for a test drive this last time I left mine at the shop but got too disgruntled over what they were telling me when I asked about how a return process (or I should say switch for a working car) works on a new car.

Anyway, I will investigate further as I get further into the process of having them review my car for buy back. If they turn me down, I will start pressing hard on the driving characteristics of this particular car and keep you updated.