ronf

After eliminating SUV's made by BMW, Lexus, Acura and Audi because of various things about them that we didn't like, the ML350 was the last one standing. Actually, it was my choice from when I first looked at it and drove it but it took awhile for my wife to come over from the Lexus toward which she was leaning. We've been evaluating and considering cars for about two months and I've used this forum to help in picking our ML options after we(I) decided on the 350. For example, I hadn't even considered the Ambient Lighting until I saw the praise for it in this forum. I was already considering the Lighting Package but enthusiasm for it in this forum helped me decide for sure. The harmon/kardon was a choice I'd already made but, once again, it was nice to read of the enthusiasm for the system from those who already had it. So thanks for all the forum help I've received as a lurker for the last 6 weeks or so. Our ML is scheduled to be built in November and delivered sometime in mid-December. The one option we wanted but were told was unavailable was the Wood/leather Steering Wheel. Go figure.

The price we agreed to was $58,395. Not a terrific price but I wasn't interested in trying to wring the last dollar out of the dealer.

This is the configuration we ordered:

Diamond White Metallic
Almond Beige MB-Tex
4MATIC Package
P01 Package
19" Twin 5-spoke Wheel
PARKTRONIC with Active Parking Assist
Lighting Package: Bi-Xenon Headlamps
Trailer Hitch
Eucalyptus Wood Trim
harmon/kardon LOGIC7 Surround Sound Syst
Brushed Aluminum Running Boards
Multi-Color Ambient Lighting w/Illumina
KEYLESS-GO
Lane Tracking Package: Blind Spot A

ronf

I just got an e-mail from our SA. She said our car will start to get built the first week in November and would arrive here two months later, at the most. Her manager thinks the last week of December or first week in January at the latest. Is this a typical wait at this time? It seems excessively long to me but I know others have waited even longer. I know leather makes for a longer wait but we're not going with leather. Any thoughts on why it would take two months from start of build to delivery? I live in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Thanks.

stas2007

Congrats!
As far as the wait goes 2 months is about right if there are no delays. But with the high demand you ll be lucky if you end up waiting only 2 months.
Good call on not getting the leather as it would set you back way over 2 months of wait time!

ronf

Thanks very much for the comment, stas2007. I'm trying to convince myself that 2 months is not so long but still hoping for the best(soonest). However, I'd prefer they take the full two months and build it right rather than have it delivered sooner and then discover sloppy workmanship. I need to lower my excitement level considerably. :-)

NCMike

The good news is you at least have a build date and estimated arrival. I'm still waiting on any info from the SA and we ordered the day before you did. I think the delay for us is the Driver Assistance Package, but I'm really not sure since the SA hasn't contacted us.

katiesdad7

The wood leather wheel is nice.

shortspark

Your car is not an unusual build with one or two exceptions - Parktronic and Lighting Package. In fact, it is very similar to the one I received in May. With the 2012, I had to have the Package 2 if I wanted the HK audio system (which I did), lighting package (a must), blind spot assist (nice to have), Keyless Go (another must have) and Diamond White/Almond Beige (essential in the heat of Texas). In addition to these things (which I was not flexible on), it also came with running boards, heated steering wheel and wheel locks, none of which I would have ordered but I can live with them. They found it for me fairly quickly and I had it delivered within a month of the time I started my search. I searched all the dealers around within a couple hundred miles of me via the internet and this particular dealer said they could get what I wanted at the price I wanted to pay. I bought the car without ever leaving home and the first time I even saw the dealership was the day I picked it up.

If you ordered the Pano roof, special leather colors and wood trims and a couple other hard to get options, I can see a long wait but some dealer in California surely must have a car very similar or just like what you want on the showroom floor right now. Or, coming off line at any time. The ML350 my dealer found for me was just being built and going to a Boston dealer but they traded cars and the one that was suppose to go to Boston was sent to Texas for me and the one being built for my dealer was instead sent to Boston. I would think a build such as yours would be easy to find and would not have to be special ordered with a possible wait until next year - but of course I might be wrong about that.

At the least, have them look around for you with a list of the options you MUST have. They will probably find one right away that is very similar with maybe an option or two in addition that you can live with. I have to believe there must be several hundred MLs in California right now and more coming off line soon for the dealer stock. Surely they can find one to suit you now if you are a little flexible. And by all means search the inventory of all the dealers around the area you are willing to drive to. They all have websites with their current inventory listed. You might be surprised what you could find on your own.

ronf

Well, you're right, NCMIKE. And I AM glad to have a build-week estimate and an estimated arrival. But I called the SA twice before I got her to pursue it with the manager. I can't be sure we would have heard anything if I didn't "bug" her a little. You may want to give your SA a call and remind him information regarding build and delivery would be appreciated. I'm sure you're as anxious as we are to have a date to anticipate getting your new vehicle. Good luck.

ronf

I'm sure it is which is why we were hoping to get that option. I think that wheel looks great. Unfortunately it wasn't available for our build and we were willing to forgo that option as long as we got the others. Some of the options would have been deal killers if we couldn't get them but we were just unwilling to wait until that became available. I'm glad you like it...but I wish you would have told me it was not that great.

ronf

Thanks for the suggestions, shortspark. I'm really glad you have almost the same vehicle we ordered and can vouch for the lighting package, blind spot assist, Keyless Go and the paint/upholstery selections we chose. I learned on this forum that leather was almost certainly going to cause a delay so it was easy to go with the MB-Tex even though there seems to be many folks on this forum and others that bad mouth MB-Tex. Oh, well. We'll soon find out. Is your upholstery leather or MB-Tex? And is the HK audio living up to your expectations?

As to finding a vehicle at other MB dealers in CA, we didn't use the internet to find a vehicle or get bids from several dealers. We went to a specific local dealer and basically went though agreeing on the price before having the manager try to locate "our" vehicle at a different location. In fact, he was able to locate a vehicle that matched our requirements but found that the dealer was using the ML as his personal vehicle. Bummer. Our dealer then found a vehicle that was on order and arranged with the dealer that had ordered it to "trade" orders so that the vehicle could be modified with our options prior to build. So we went from getting the vehicle in a week or so to waiting a couple of months.
Next time, maybe we'll go your route and use the internet to search before going to a dealer. Glad to hear it worked out so well for you.

shortspark

Yes, mine is in MB-Tex. That was one thing I did not really care about and if the car came with leather that would have been okay too - as long as it was Almond/Beige. I researched the forums as you have done and found that most people were happy with MB-Tex because it is more durable and easier to care for than leather. There is no cracking or sagging and I am tough on seats! And lets face it, "leather" in cars these days is vinyl coated, not natural leather and I assume even MB uses coated leather. I have had "leather" before in cars and in comparison I must say that I have been very happy with the MB-Tex. Just take a damp sponge and wipe them down every so often - that is all you have to do. If you park in the sun for long periods, a spray of Protectant 303 once in a while will help with UV protection. Basically, MB-Tex is bullet proof.

I have also been happy with the HK sound system you asked about. I do not hear well and the best sound is essential for me even though I can no longer detect all the subtle sound characteristics like I once could. Nonetheless, even I can attest to the excellent sound reproduction and my passengers who hear very well rave about it. Good luck and let us know when your ride is delivered.

iankayem

"MBTex" or "Artico leather" as called here, is Artificial leather or Vinyl by its traditional name.
"Leather" is true cowshide and does not have a vinyl coating.

Leather breathes, vinyl does not. So vinyl sweats in hot weather.
Leather absorbs your heat quicker so there is no real need for ventilated seats in summer, but a preference for heating in winter.
Vinyl could be affected by seat heaters.
Suitable cleaners/wipes are available to keep the leather clean, whereas vinyl is content with soapy water.
Leather has proven itself as durable lasting the test of time in seats, coats, saddles and manyother goods. Sure it may come with some marks where the cow found barbed wire or another beasts horns, but that just adds to the natural flavour.

If I was limited to the price of a Hyundai, I might settle for vinyl. But for a premium price, it must be leather.

shortspark

Does MB leather have a vinyl coating or not?

tjg0024

It is my understanding that all of the MB leather except for the Nappa and the Designo has a plastic coating.

shortspark

That is what I assumed and the point I was trying to make to lankayem is that MB-Tex is not that far removed and different from most MB leather seats, those being vinyl coated leather. Many of the attributes of leather are negated by the vinyl coating used to protect it, although I do like the smell, at least for the first few months. The feeling of most car manufacturers is that treated leather is better, overall, than non coated leather. That is why you will find virtually every "leather" seated car in America having vinyl coating over it.

With natural, untreated leather you can "feed" it with a good balm (such as Leatherique or Lexol) to condition, soften and keep it from cracking. Vinyl coated leather, by definition, has a protective layer over the leather to prevent the leather from being absorbed by anything foreign, including balm and conditioner. If the coating is working like it should, the conditioner will never make it through to be effective. The balm can't hurt I suppose and might aid a bit in softening but it does nothing for the leather itself.

I still think the best thing to use on this type of "leather" seats is something like Protectant 303. Leather balm, which as I said before is virtually useless on vinyl coated leather, has virtually no UV protection whereas 303 has more UV protection in it than almost anything on the planet. Protection from the sun is probably the most important care factor for vinyl coated leather (and MB-Tex).

tjg0024

Great info. Thanks!