I think you are referring to these wheels which are 22":

The ones in the post above are 19".

 

We ordered the load sill protector from the factory also, but it was silently dropped from the delivered vehicle (they did not charge us, but offered no explanation either).

 

I would love those wheels in the 20" but I can't find them for a 53AMG SUV

 

Just got word that there is now NO eta for my build. It is sitting at the factory, already built, and they cannot provide my dealership with any kind of eta on when it’ll arrive. It could come next week, it could come next month, could come in 3 months. Who knows

At this point I’m ready to throw in the towel and explore other SUVs because these delays are getting ridiculous and I am about to be without a car. The only silver lining out of this is that MB Financial waived the turn in fee from my previous E300 lease and they already closed out the account.

I apologize for sounding so negative but this experience has been awful (except for the turn in fee for my previous lease), especially since it’s the first time I’ve done a custom build with Mercedes.

 

Before you cancel and start a new order for another brand, check their forums to see if their delays are better or worse than M-B's.
The next round of delays will be over chips - next month for most automakers.

I wish M-B would get their communications with dealers up to speed.

 

I haven't canceled it yet but I am starting to get numbers from other dealerships for in-stock units and exploring my other options while keeping the GLE open just in case it does happen to come early. I would much rather get the GLE I built but I do need something soon because I won't have a car to use.

I agree I wish they would communicate better with the dealerships on the status of the builds or at least let the customer call/email for a status update. The factory didn't even tell my dealership WHY the car is still sitting at the factory.

Update:
I decided to email my complaint to MBUSA. I found a few emails for customer service including the VP of customer service and decided to give that a try. If I do not hear from them I will call their main customer service line and go from there.

 

I've bought two GLE450's a 2020 and a 2021 and had the car a few days after deciding what I want from dealer stock. The 2021 I bought last week, I had a choice of about 25 different cars and options and found like 4 with the options I wanted. I'm in the Philadelphia area. Seems everyone that orders custom is not getting what they wanted if they get anything at all.

 

Yeah that 360 configurator is so buggy even until today the 19" multispoke wheel selection actually shows the 20" twin 5-spoke. So horrible.

 

It also completely dropped tartufo/black leather...

 

This!!!!!! This would go a long way and help everyone that wants to buy and sell an MB. Plus with tech today it wouldn’t be that hard to do.

 

You and me both!

 

Sad day today. I was forced to cancel my GLE53 order and forfeit my deposit when they pushed back the deliver time again. I am so upset. I'm not sure what I will do next but I have talked with BMW and they have a guaranteed two month delivery timeframe, so will likely go that route since the vehicle has similar features and specs we need.

 

Why forfeit your deposit? They didn't deliver, get it back.

 

I wish this was the case. Sadly the deposit (mine anyhow) is non-refundable as stated in the contract, and they will not return it. They will return the "no-export $15K security deposit" though.

 

Not trying to be too mean here but why do people sign these contracts. If I was forced to sign, which I’ve never been asked to do (7 previous special orders), I would insist on an exit clause of some sort. What’s to keep them from taking your money and just never delivering the car!!! I’m afraid to ask how much you are going to lose.
How about doing this. Go buy something else and never tell the dealership. Then when it comes in and they call you, delay them as long as you can and never go buy it.

 

I'm out $5k deposit. The situation sucks as I would love to keep my order, but I do not have unlimited patience so time vs money - the loss of the deposit is sad but still works out cheaper than losing my sanity.

 

OUCH!

 

5k! Please tell me that translate very poorly to dollars and your in Vancouver BC.

 

Didn't you just place your order less than a month ago? And they told you delivery late June or early July? I'm curious because my order was placed around the same time and I was also told late June for delivery. You say they pushed back the delivery time _again_ - what do you mean by that?

I also placed a deposit (less than yours) which isn't something I have been used to with Lincoln, but the agreement states the deposit is refundable if I don't take possession within 90 days of the order. I will see what happens with mine - I might have gone a different route if I had known of two things: the fake tailpipes on a $100K Mercedes (yes, I'm fixated on that rediculousness) and the fact that BMW put the 3.0L turbo six in the X5 plug-in hybrid for '21.

Edit to add that I also wish people on this board would realize that many of us (probably non-Americans) are forced to order our vehicles. In many parts of the Country the dealers just don't stock many at all, especially the high end, more customized, ones. We simply don't have the mega-dealers that exist in the States. In my case, there wasn't a 450 even close to my spec in all of the country.

 

So sorry to hear of the cancellation. It seems that in Canada dealer can refuse to refund deposit. Do you have any legal recourse here since they were unable to deliver product? I know that whenever I ordered a vehicle in US, deposit was refundable. When living in Toronto, any cars we bought were from inventory so that was not an issue.

 

It's not just Canada, either, that keep low stock: of all the huge MB dealers in Phoenix only two had 580s when we were shopping last fall. We had to custom order, anyway, it's impossible to find dealers that stock colors other than black, white, or silver (for reasons that I can understand). Our $5k deposit was fully refundable.

By the way: can you elaborate on the fake tailpipe comment, is that something just with the 350 and 450 engines? I just looked at my 580 and the two pipes coming from the final muffler / resonator both have pipes behind them and appear to be valved.

 

I just don’t know how to respond to this........

 

I think they mean that the actual exhaust does not connect to the out bumper exhaust area. There is a gap between the two.

 

It's your money, your decision...but that sounds like a knee jerk reaction to me. You sure you want to do that, it would be less expensive to lease a car from Mercedes while you wait?

What are the contractual details of BMW's guarantee -- you need to be sure you understand the fine print of the contract? My guess is there are exceptions...like production delays due to COVID.

 

Oh?

Maybe I read more into it than some, but I get the impression at times when someone posts of a negative aspect of the factory order process that the response from others is akin to “well, you should have just taken one off the dealer’s lot”. For many, that just simply isn’t an option. Even for run-of-the-mill 450s.