Wow.

Does this mean they are taking the second screen out of any 'package' and therefore it must be a separate upgrade? Therefore, if you want it, you will need to custom order your car?

Yikes.

 

No, it means there are not enough widescreens to meet demand, thus the availability of PO2 and PO3 cars is limited for now. Personally, I think the non-widescreen dash looks pretty awful. When the production started I visited a Minnesota dealer which had about 2 dozen Eclass sedans, none had the widescreen dash. The widescreen is the main reason most reviewers rank the interior design of the car so highly. Luckily, all 43's come with it standard.

 

No, it means they are offering an additional package Q02/Q03 without the instrument cluster screen.
There is no standalone screen option.
Package P02/P03 is still in the lineup but unavailable due to supplier constraints.

That was the same setup when the '17 E Class was first offered.

 

When the E launched, it did so with a Q03 package that didn't have HUD which was in short supply

 

MMM that's what I said......... No P2 or P3 for now.......Q is simply a P2 or 3 sans widescreen

 

You hadn't posted when I started to compose my post and was interrupted by a phone call.

 

I actually prefer the traditional gauges, so works for my '18 build even better.

 

Heard part of the constraint was since the new widescreen was standard on the W222 LCI, those cars were taking priority over the P2 and P3 W213 builds.

 

What is the impact of this on new orders? I am thinking about buying an E220d Estate, near full-option, but this is scaring me. I had to wait 10 months (yes, ten months) for my current C class due to a dealer misorder, I don't want to go through that ordeal again.

The dealer says I can definitely expect the car in about 4 months time if I order now - but I doubt the thrustworthyness and do believe it due this information about the constraint.

Does anyone know if this could easily bump my order past the 4 month mark?

 

That news was for USA. Check with your local dealer to see if there's any delay.

 

Confirmed with my dealer that our 2018 E300 P3 order is affected. The worst part is I emailed them (MB of Tampa Bay) and they had no idea about this constraint. Worst CS ever. We would have waited from June 22nd to November and had a car come in with the wrong dash. ****ing bull****, we are about to cancel the order and buy a different brand. MB has **** poor planning and CS.

 

I have a UK E350e on order that has been pushed back 4 weeks because of this and should be with the dealer 12th September. I had changed the spec to include the widescreen in June and was warned it may delay. Been on order since February so a few weeks more doesn't really matter with the main delays being due to pano roof issues.

 

Of the 4 area MB dealers you picked the worst one. As a decades long MB owner, I've found that MB of Tampa is like a "wam, bam, thank you" operation with limited product knowledge and without concern for customer service or repeat business.

 

Agreed not impressed as a first time buyer, not ready to give up yet. I switched from a corporate lithia to a independent now just waiting on the web site to get the 400 so I can order.

 

I have two E43's on order. One has been sitting at the gate in Germany for seven weeks with missing parts. The second car arrived in Halifax last Monday. Toronto head office is to let me know next week when the other car will be released. These are cars ordered in late Feb. It's frustrating!!!

 

Your case is strictly MB store not in MBUSA fault . MBUSA did their job and informed every store about this delay. From what I know the majority of sales people don't have access to this kinds of updates and if they have they don't pay attention.
This is pure a manager and sales person fault because is just basic lack of communication.
I cannot even imagine what your face would have look like when the car came in without full screen.

I'm glad my post here helped you to be informed on what is going on with your order.

You should not give up and try with a different store but make sure you talk with someone that is with MB for few years and he is well informed.
Good luck

 

I highly recommend Lokey Motor Co. in Clearwater. The sales staff is highly knowledgeable and customer oriented. I've done business with them for over 40 years.

 

Do you have a point of contact thats reliable there? I need a good experience for once or we are just going to leave MB all together.

 

Wes Crane is very knowledgeable. If he doesn't have an answer, he'll get it for you.
He took the place of my long time SA Dom Salmeri who retired a few years ago.
Wes is expecting your call/email.

Wes Crane
(800) 989-1661
(727) 374 2330 direct
wcrane@lokeyautos.com

 

Can't blame you for jumping to another dealer. My colleague has had good experience with MB Tampa Bay, but he has only dealt with 'on the lot' cars, not ordering, and maybe his salesperson Mark is better than the others there. I thought they did an adequate job when I went through the pickup process with him, but the service wasn't on some other level like I would expect considering the price point. I found their tech advisor to be not as knowledgeable as expected. I sat through his tech overview and they didn't know some basic things like how to setup contacts as global favorites. But some people don't read the manual so I guess it's better than nothing.