e400c

New member here. I was at a dealership today to put together a build-to-order E400 Coupe, and after almost 2 hours of multiple people fumbling around to figure out what options could or not be ordered, I was told the order could not be placed because the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster is currently unavailable for package 2 cars, allegedly due to current scarcity of that component at the factory in Germany... They say they will call me when that option is available again. I was very surprised by this as that seems to be one of the most common options in all W213 E-classes...
Since not having the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster is a deal-breaker for me, I was seeking advice on what to do. Is it worth waiting for the call? Did it happen to any of you that you could not place a build-to-order due to parts availability that later became available? Instead, is this some weird way of the dealer avoiding selling me a build-to-order because they are too much hassle for them? Does it help to talk to other MB dealers?
I have no problem waiting a few weeks, but my trade-in value is going down with every month that passes, plus whatever number of months it takes to go from placing order to receiving the car (6-8 weeks according to the dealer, but looking through posts in this forum, it looks like it could be substantially longer), so it would be good to know if I am just waiting for Godot...

Thanks in advance for any ideas!

fvc

Not sure if I would take the dealers word, considering how long it took them to decide on this. I know the displays were delayed when the car was released, and there is a note in red font in the ordering guide about the digital cluster being "option constrained" on the P2 package, whatever that means. I suspect this is old news, and your dealer might be clueless. However, the ordering system is quite cryptic. You could try contacting MBUSA to get clarification. It would be close to a deal breaker for me as well.

petee1997

Why not search large dealers' inventory to locate a car close to your specs. The coupes are not flying off the shelf. It should be quite easy to find a car in stock.

e400c

Thanks, I'll try to contact MBUSA, though I am already dreading the first 30 minutes of trying to explain what is going on to a customer representative that has no idea what I'm talking about...

e400c

I did quite a bit of inventory search before going the build-to-order route. There are virtually no US cars available with the 3D Surround Burmester sound system, which is the third reason for me to want to buy the car (after the elegant exterior design, and the very pretty interior design), and the few that exist are full-option cars near $100k, which is outside of my price range (and I have very little interest in the package 3 drive assist options).

ua549

The real hard to find option in existing inventory is the 3D sound system. I'd find another dealer and sales rep who are actually interested in your business and willing to place a factory order.

4MaticCoupe

Seems odd the P02 package was specifically called out, as the same would apply to the P03 package (unless the conversation was absolutely specific to the P02 option). I recently asked a dealership in Maryland (a Forum Vendor sponsor at that) the status of the global constraint. As of 6 days ago, I was told "... E400 has no instrument panel restraints for digital gauges. Q02 package was filler until P02 could be delivered so now it no longer exists.". This is for the E400C4. I would suggest checking with another dealer in your area to see if the stories sync.

NFAREVIEW

Welcome to my world. We custom ordered a E300 with P3 package on June 22nd…..yes June 22nd and it JUST NOW got a build date of Nov 30th. Because the dual screens where out of stock and now you are saying you were are out of stock again?! I swear to god they better have a screen for my ****ing car. The first time it happened my dealer didn't event catch it and they built a P3 car with the lower end dash cluster! MB better get their suppliers in check! Who runs a ****ing company like this? Can you tell I'm pissed?!?

Wassaby

Please attached the specs you're looking for. I can try to help you.

NFAREVIEW

I SECOND THIS! Wassaby has been a HUGE help to us! Much better than my local dealer I bought the dang car from!

4MaticCoupe

your information ... coupled with what I quoted in an earlier post ... added to having received the same information from a second dealer a couple of day ago ... tend to make me believe 1) the global restraint no longer exists, and b) the dealership the OP dealt with is either misinformed or clueless

e400c

That sounds like a nightmare! And it could very well have happened to me. After we had defined all the options and I had carefully checked them in some preliminary printout, they disappeared for 5 minutes to enter it all in the computer (because only one person in the dealership was qualified to do it) and then came back with a final print-out of what they were going to order and for me to check and sign it. Thankfully, I noticed that the price of package 2 had gone down from $5750 to $5020 (the MBUSA online configurator lists P2 at $6600, go figure), and that the small print said "w/o the 12.3" digital cluster", only then they told me the option was not available, and if really wanted the digital cluster, the order could not be placed, so after almost 2 hours I left the dealership empty-handed.
Had I not noticed, I would now be happily waiting for a car I would have to refuse to buy, which seems to be what happened to you!
They may be only out of stock for P2, as I would guess P3s have priority, so hopefully your car will be correctly manufactured very soon, fingers crossed!

e400c

This is incredibly gracious of you, thanks in advance!
Here's the list of specifications with a couple of annotations. Do let me know if you need any further details.

Model: E400C (RWD)
Paint: 988 - Diamond Silver Metallic (I know this is rare, they first said it was not available, then they said it was, so not sure if it is a problem. I might consider Iridium Silver or Selenite Grey if this is a real sticky point)
Upholstery: 951 Designo Black/Titanium Grey Pearl Nappa Leather
Options:
P02: Premium 2 package including 12.3" Widescreen Instrument Cluster (only Q02 without the digital cluster is available according to the dealer, and they have no idea when P02 will become available)
P62: Designo Black/Titanium Grey Pearl Interior Package
321: AMG-Line Package
RTD: 19" AMG Twin 5-Spoke Wheels with staggered width rear and front (they said that this option is also not available, only RTK with equal wheel widths, I might reluctantly go for that and get the wider rear wheels capable of accommodating the 275/40R19 tires as aftermarket or something)
R01: High-Performance Tires (I would prefer all-seasons, but was told "R02: All-Season Tires" will force the RTK equal-width wheel option)
068: Wheel locks
218: Rearview Camera
401: Heated and Ventilated Front Seats
677: Lowered Suspension with Selective Damping
736: Natural Grain Black Ash Wood
737: Center Console in Natural Grain Black Ash Wood
811: Burmester High End 3D Surround Sound System
883: Soft-Close doors
L5C: Multifunction Sport Steering Wheel

Thanks again!

mickhoog

The update will have the Audio 20 with the bigger screen so there must be supplies coming shortly

Read it here. http://media.daimler.com/marsMediaSi...ZGV4PTU!&rs=11

W213Sal

Hi There. I'm in Ireland and I ordered mid Oct, first dealer said the following are out of stock. Digital instrument cluster, Brown nappa leather, Heads-up Display. I went to a different dealer and he took the order on, he said the standard Exclusive (luxury) wheels are out of stock, and the ash-wood is out of stock so he changed me to different wheels and gloss walnut for free.

Hope the fking car comes in with everything, I'm scared, I never saw any paperwork. Obviously, not going to take delivery if anything is missing. Delivery is for mid January (around the 20th)

Wassaby

The only 400C available in the country on the lot with 3D sound is this: nothing available (in coming, on the water, production, schedule to be produced) . If i take the 3D sound out i see available 7 in Selenite Grey and one in Iridium price range $74-$76.

If you want to order the way you want 100% I can have a built on 12/20/2017 or 01/10/2018

E400C $58,900
197 Obsidian Black Metallic $720
951 designo Black/ Titanium Grey Pearl Nappa Leather
P02 P02 Premium 2 Package: Active Parking Assist, Inductive Wireless $5,750
P62 P62 designo Black/ Titanium Grey Pearl Interior Package: Black / $4,200
RTD 19" AMG Twin 5-Spoke Wheels $500
R01 High-Performance Tires
U25 Illuminated Door Sills with Mercedes-Benz Lettering $350
068 Wheel Locks $150
104 Rear Deck Spoiler $350
19A Rear Chrome Trim $200
321 321 AMG Line: AMG Body Styling, Aluminum Sport Pedals w/ Rubber Stud $2,500
399 Multicontour Front Seats w/ Massage Feature $950
401 Heated and Ventilated Front Seats $450
6P5 Factory Code
677 Lowered Suspension with Selective Damping
736 Natural Grain Black Ash Wood $150
737 Center Console in Natural Grain Black Ash Wood
811 Burmester® High End 3D Surround Sound System $5,400
883 Soft-Close Doors $550

SUBTOTAL $81,120
DESTINATION & DELIVERY $995
TOTAL $82,115

BeachBunny

CALL A DIFFERENT DEALER. I feel your pain... I went through this a few months ago when I ordered my E300 (which supposedly is being built as I write this). I had some dealerships say they couldn't get my car made and instead were pushing me to take whatever they could get in a dealer swap. No thanks. If I'm buying a brand new car, it's going to be exactly what I want. Compromise is for used cars.

The extra screen was to blame. The real problem with my config is that the extra screen was required for P3 at the time, so there was no way to get an E-Class with DrivePilot/Distronic on it, which is the only reason I'd even consider a Mercedes.

Lots of frantic phone calls were made by myself to my MB corporate case manager, and the dealer called many people, including to Germany. After a few hours, it was arranged. Lots of things transpired which made it happen. It's my understanding that the dealer is delaying shipment of a couple of S-Classes to free up parts for my P3 E300. Even then, November was the first month which had an opening. IIRC, I think I ordered this car in August.

My problem was that I'm replacing a defective 2015 E350, and I was coming up on running out of warranty. My car STILL doesn't work right and is getting worse, to the point that I don't feel safe driving it, so it's been parked and I'm borrowing an S-Class until my replacement E300 arrives.

mickhoog

Don’t be scared mate :-). I’m sure it will all work out. YOu can always email them and asks them for a copy of the order.

e400c

Well, this may well be the solution. Thanks to the extremely helpful message above from Wassaby (thanks again!), it became clear the problems with the build-to-order mentioned by the dealer I talked to last week were not general MB USA restrictions. So I contacted a dealer just 20 miles away from the other one today and they ordered the car to the exact specifications I wanted without so much as a blink... The claimed expected delivery is some time in February, so I can imagine all kinds of things may go wrong between now and then, but it is miles better than the "we will call you when the digital cluster becomes available again" from the original dealer.
Big thank you to all who weighed in on this thread, I was seriously considering giving up on the car... And for those waiting for their build-to-orders, fingers crossed they will arrive very soon!

petee1997

Make sure you get a build sheet from the ordering dealer. That will show all the options and the BUILD DATE. Any dealer can put in an order but the allocation for the car and equipment is what is important. Good luck.

Wassaby

I love when I see how the Mercedes Benz community is all for helping each other.

BeachBunny

If you're spending this kind of money on ANY car, don't settle for anything less than EXACTLY what you want. Compromise is for used cars, or one hell of a sweet deal on a new car which has been rotting on the lot for months. IF the dealership did indeed put the order into NetStar, then it's as good as built. Barring some recall-worthy action, your car will be built on-time. The system won't let a dealer order a car unless the parts will be available.

As an aside, my E300's made it to the port in Germany on Friday, waiting to be put on a ship. The dealership's going to let me know when it's on the ship AND which ship it'll be on so I can track the ship as it makes its way to the USA.

W213Sal

Hope mine got in put correctly. I never saw the order slip or anything, dealer was playing stupid, but obviously if I don't get what I want I'm not taking delivery. Was told my car is in Stage 1, and will be arriving in the country (Ireland) on 20th December, going to have to guess which ship it's on, any idea which port Mercs are shipped from? I'll be taking delivery in January.

BeachBunny

I forgot to ask which port my car was at, but I'm assuming it's Bremerhaven, like last time. From there, my car went to Southampton, some place in Ireland (sorry, can't remember where), Halifax, NJ, then finally Brunswick, GA. As soon as I find out what ship my car will be heading over on, I'll let you know which Irish port (if any) it stops at.

W213Sal

Ah that'd be great, I'm thinking mine will be on the same ship when it makes the next trip, I assume mine is supposed to be on a ship around 15-18th of Dec or so