rkao

Well, it's official: my dealer isn't able to get me a RWD with all the goodies, especially ABC, here in the northeast for the foreseeable future, so with me needing a car by April, I have to resort to Plan B - except I didn't have a Plan B!

So, I'm going to go test drive a 4matic today, it's a demo that also has the AMG package on it so I can get a sense of the car that I would order. The dealer has a March production slot in A4 status that I can have, which means I can delete but not add options - luckily, it has MOST of the options that I'd wanted. The difference being the car in question has pano roof, but is without the multi-contour front seats or the dynamic rear view monitor (both due to parts shortage).

I can compromise on the options, but the test drive will make it or break it for me. So I guess the 4matic is Plan B, and if that doesn't work, the 750Li is Plan B2 as BMW NA is offering a great lease package now, even for the 24 months term that I want from them, and I can have a car ordered to my exact spec and delivered in 8 weeks.

However, I must note that NEITHER option is the the car I REALLY wanted and I am in a state of slight disbelief that MBUSA is not able to supply me with a car that I want by April since I placed my order on 28 November! Sounds like a crazy concept in today's world of advanced production scheduling and and planning doesn't it??!!

whoover

I suggest you adequately test drive a 4matic and an ABC car (even if the latter is not available without waiting). ABC makes such a difference in the driving experience (flat and relatively crisp handling versus kind of boat-like) that it's a different car. Yes, if you're going to drive in snow a lot 4matic may be important enough to sacrifice that experience, but you will be doing just that and should do it consciously. I'd try another dealer.

Kar don

rkao, tell prestige MB to get the market manager involved. That is ridiculous. BTW A4 status is still changeable and they can add options to the vehicle... unless this is something specific just for the S-class. MBUSA really screwed up this time.

Nevada Jack

Sorry to hear your plight.

Don't forego the Multi-contour seat option...it is the top interior option you can get. Unreal comfort on long trips!

Have you tried calling Greg Weiler in Denver. I don't think he can help on the ABC problem but he has a huge selection of 4matics as well as RWD cars. His phone # is 303-410-7800...some good pricing too.

eddietr

I'm in the same boat as rkao. And I'm hearing the same things about multicontour not being available for the forseeable future. Likewise with distronic plus. My dealer was able to get an allocation (finally!) with ABC, but he can't add the seats or the distronic to it.

Bottom line is to get multicontour seats which I really need I would have to buy off the lot. My wife is way too small for these seats and she's not willing to give up the adjustable bolsters, which btw are standard on the 750Li. She's also not willing to give up heated seats when she sits in the back with our son. Again, heated rear seats are much easier to find in a 7-series, as is a pretty decent anti-roll system, albeit not as cool as ABC. And rear side shades don't take a presidential order to get either.

So, last ditch effort, I drove the 4matic this morning on roads I'm very familiar with. It's not going to do the trick for me. I also tried to pay a lot extra for a designo car with ABC and most of the other stuff I wanted, but that was sold the day before.

So the local BMW dealer is all set to modify a car in the pipeline. Crazy thing is that when BMW says something is an option, they actually mean it, so this car can be modified exactly to my spec with no drama. Why is that so f'ing hard for Mercedes? (Sorry, I'm really frustrated because I really am not that excited about my new $90k car. I would have preferred the S550 with ABC)

eddietr

The two cars my dealer tried to modify are also in A4, but when you try to add the seats it says they've exceeded the availability of that option for this cycle. Same with distronic.

Meanwhile, they allowed some dealer in CA to order about 15-20 of these cars in March alone with every thing I want. Some allocation system they have. If you're on the east coast, you're just SOL. On the other hand, there are dozens and dozens of available cars in the DC area with one or two options on them. Lightly optioned cars around $90k or less, many of which I've been seeing sitting here for weeks. Go figure.

WSH

Keep hearing MBUSA is decreasing US allocs/desired options availability on S550/CL550 to move cars/components to mkts w/better FX pricing (China, etc)...also plausible that w/increased quality ctrls (thankfully) reject rates on components are higher than before...thus, components shortage...

Until recently, MB struggled to produce enough S65s for US mkt b/c of shortage of 20" tires....and know a pal who ordered an S65 for limo duty..after waiting many mths rcvd new car w/all options but MB decided to ship car w/o std power rear sunshades, as they had parts shortage....apparently, MB didn't bother telling MBUSA/dealer about this missing component....the excellent MB salesguy discovered it before deliv....and got him another 65 a mth later....

Don't know how S600 does on winter tires in NYC region...but may want to consider getting 600 on a 24 mo lease....600's being disctd $5Kish in LA/SF, has all options std, great tq, better brakes, much more elegant leather/Alcantara headliner than S550, etc.....

Kar don

did they call MBUSA or their market team to add the options?

eddietr

Definitely. I was there for a couple of the phone calls. Official answer is lack of availability. Although some cars scheduled for March and April do have them. MBUSA tried to broker a deal between our dealer and the mega dealer in CA who owns all the orders with multicontour and ABC and they basically said go to hell. They wanted a car my dealer doesn't even have. So they tried a three way trade between 3 dealers and that fell apart also.

Anyway, I put a deposit down with BMW today. They are modifying a car in the pipeline with precisely the options I want. Car will be here in 8-9 weeks. Whole process took less than an hour.

It's not an S550, but my wife will have her warm, reclined seat in the back when she's sitting with my son and a good fitting driver's seat when she drives it. My son will have the shades he wants. And we'll all enjoy a pretty good anti-roll system for a stable ride. And I'll enjoy pretty good handling for a car this size. And all for a very reasonable $90k.

Unfortunately the car looks like hell, but we'll be inside it mostly anyway.

velvet fog

Looks like everything but distronic +.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Merce...QQcmdZViewItem

They also have an S65 with everything.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Merce...QQcmdZViewItem

eddietr

I think that car doesn't have ABC

Yeah, unfortunately I'd probably have to downsize the GT3 to justify that to my wife.

This is meant to be a big, comforable, stretch out luxury car for the traffic infested roads around here. To be honest, even the V8 is overkill for what we intend to use this car for.

We thought about the S600 also, but given that the 550 engine is already overkill for the application, the only reason we'd be stepping up would be to get around the Mercedes ordering/supply problems. That's a lot of money to spend to overcome the fact that Mercedes doesn't understand what "option" means.

rkao

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions, in the end I ordered a 4matic.

For all the heroic efforts Prestige MB in Paramus, NJ put in to get me a RWD production slot with ABC and other options, MBUSA and its ordering system ultimately frustrated their efforts and I had to be the one to compromise. Even when a production slot was available through a southern CA dealer, the dealer in question asked for a king's ransom in the form of a production slot for a CL63 in exchange for my S550 and my dealer could not justify it - can't blame them, they can get at least full MSRP for a CL63 and they gave me a decent discount on an S550.

This particular dealer in question seems to have figured out a way to manipulate MBUSA's ordering system and cornered the productions slots for RWD cars with ABC and other desirable options; one figure I'd heard was that 60% of the March production of this combination for the U.S. were headed to this one dealer. Crazy eh?

I did visit my local BMW dealer (also part of the Prestige family!) and they could get me a 750Li with the exact configuration I'd want and deliver it in 8 weeks (as noted also by eddietr), and BMWNA is offering some very tempting leasing deals, even in the 24 months term I wanted, and the combination gave me serious pause to move away from an S550. Plus that 4.8 litre motor sounds seriously fruity at full throttle and the typically excellent BMW driver feedback through steering and throttle are ever present.

So today, I borrowed my parents' '06 750Li to do back to back comparison with the S550 and three factors ultimately swayed me away from the 750Li: iDrive (usable, but menu system still illogically designed and the human/machine interface still awkward compared to the MMI and 2nd Gen COMAND), the exterior design (led the revolution for the high trunk shut line design direction and admittedly much better resolved than the 745Li, but IMHO still clumsy and awkward from some angles), and the interior design (material not up to par compared to my current A8L or the S550, and the ancillary controls are again poorly laid out compared to the Audi and the MB).

And after driving the 4matic this afternoon, I found the ride to be taut and controlled in the best Teutonic traditions, while still at a high level of comfort. And while not offering the same level of sporting response as the 750Li or a car equipped with ABC, the car nevertheless felt confident and was confidence inspiring behind the wheel; and on the on/off ramps to/from the highways, the car responded well to steering and throttle inputs, even if the responses were somewhat muted and filtered. And it's important to note that the 4matic is some 170 lbs. more portly than its RWD sibling, but coupled with the 19" wheels/tires as offered with the AMG sport package (which I orderded), it still offered itself as a great driving luxury car.

So in the end, I ordered a 4matic that was A4 status for March D2 production with the following specs:

Black Opal on Savanna/Cashmere premium leather
P2
AMG sport pkg
iPod integration
Wood/leather wheel
Power rear side sunblinds
Pano sunroof
Heated steering wheel
Electronic trunk closer

The two options I had to give up were the multi-contour front seats (sorry NJ!) and the dynamic rear view monitor - BOTH due to parts shortage. And I was told that we were a little lucky that the particular car I took already had the 297 sunblinds option - MB's ordering system is apparently no longer accepting new orders with this option code due again to parts shortage! How is this possible?!

Through this whole experience (ordeal?), I must commend my rep from whom I've now ordered my second MB (and 5th if you include my family). He ws professional and up front, and to Prestige MB's credit, they never processed my credit card for the deposit without having secured a production slot in these two months since I placed my initial order.

Plus at the showroom today, my wife gave the GL450 a serious look and it looks like a GL will replace her Lexus LX470 in 14 months' time when the lease ends. The 7,500 lbs. towing capacity of the GL will be fantastic to tow my trailer and track car with.

In the end, I am satisfied with my choice given my options of two very fine German luxury saloons and am, in the greater scheme of the universe, fortunate to be able to enjoy such a well engineering, fast, safe, and comfortable luxury automobile.

But, the choice is still a COMPROMISED choice - I didn't get the exact car I wanted from MBUSA, even when giving them a 4+ months leadtime having placed my initial order on 28 November. In today's world of automobile market, this is just unacceptable for any manufacturer; especially one that is still a mass market manufacturer relative to more bespoke manufacturers like Ferrari or Aston Martin.

Maybe next time I'll just bite the bullet and get that S65 - assuming of course that by 2010, MBUSA would have gotten its act together and improved their ordering process and system so that I am PRIVILEGED enough to actually order the car I want instead of the car they'll give me!

eddietr

Congrats!

There is light at the end of the tunnel. We should both have our cars in April.

velvet fog

Good luck, hope you enjoy it.

Can Drive 55

Congrats on finally having a car on the way. I hope the compromise does not result in buyers remorse. I have all the options that I could get and I would hate to be without any of them.

davidegai

What really baffles me is the fact that here in Switzerland you can order all Mercedes Benzes that you want with any options you might desire, and you just get them in 2 to 4 months. No dealer is allowed to charge a premium over MSRP (he would loose his license if he did), and that's it.

No one ever talks about one particular option not being available because of parts shortage. I only learned about this problem by reading the forum.

Does this have to do with the fact that prices without taxes are in Switzerland 25% higher than in the United States? Furthermore transportation costs are a joke: I live in Lugano, at the southern tip of the country; yet we are only five hours away by truck from the Mercedes Factory in Sindelfingen.

MB is full of mysteries!

Kar don

rkao that really bugs me that you couldn't get the car. i think a 4matic is better in NJ anyway tho.

rkao

Thanks! Don't you get worried sometimes though that the light at the end of that tunnel is an oncoming express train?!

I appreciate what you're saying, but am comfortable with the choice after my test drive. Besides, it's a 39 months lease so there's always the next one to look forward to and if I am REALLY disappointed, I think the dealer owes me one to help me jump into the lease for an S63!

The franchise system in the U.S. is probably what makes the difference, as very, very few corporate dealers are around; and some of the corporate dealers are the worst of the lot! I've heard some rather bad sales and customer service stories from BMW Manhattan, for example. The over MSRP phenomenon is also partly due to the franchises not having to answer much to the corporation when it comes to maximizing their profits - but some of the blame must also go to the consumers who are willing to pay the exorbitant prices above MSRP in order to be at the head of the line with products like the E60 M5 or the upcoming CL63.

As for the parts shortage, I think it's mostly due to MBUSA's allocation system. If it was able to better distribute production slots to the regions and the dealers, then really we here in the northeastern U.S. should not have had any issues with getting cars optioned with multi-contour seats, sunblinds and the rearview monitor. But when a dealer in southern CA seems to have cornered such options by hammering the allocation system, then it creates the problems I've just experienced.

Thanks Kar Don, appreciate your sympathetic response. It's true, it bugs me too, but in the grand scheme of things, it's a small thing in a big station (as my wife is very fond of saying).

And yes, after having had the security of the Quattro in my A8L for the past 3 years, I must admit to a certain sense of security knowing that when there's inclement weather and my wife is driving the car instead of her SUV, the 4matic system with winter tires will give her and our daughter an added layer of protection on the roads. And there are some seriously baaaaad drivers here in the Garden State!

iBenz

So from this thread I reckon that one can not have a 4matic and ABC options in the same car... why?

eddietr

That seems to be the case, 4matic is not compatible with ABC. Maybe they can't fit all the components for both in the front end?

eddietr

Right, it seems to me if one isn't getting ABC, one might as well get 4matic.

whoover

The W220 4MATIC front suspension was totally different than the RWD version (double wishbone versus independent 4-link), and was the reason that ABC could not be fitted. In the W221, the 4MATIC shares the 4-link geometry with the RWD. This should make it possible for them to produce a 4MATIC with ABC, although they have made no announcements to this effect.

eddietr

So my local dealer that I've been working with called to throw an interesting twist into this. He says they pulled off a three way trade and now have a March production car with everything I wanted except distronic.

He faxed me the print out from netstar and it does have a PO number assigned and it is assigned to this dealership. He seems confident that this car will get built with these options. Now before I cancel that BMW order, what do you guys think?

If the car has a PO assigned and is in the system with Multi-contour seats, ABC, Rear seat package, rear side window blinds, etc., what are the chances they will come back later and say they can't do this option or that?

The car also had pano roof which I deleted (my wife and son would just keep the shade closed most of the time anyway), and the wood/leather steering wheel (don't like the feel). I'm keeping the iPod integration (I have an extra mini now that I might as well just put in the car), and the night view assist. And then the car has everything else I wanted except distronic, which is a disappointment. But on the other hand, the 7-series doesn't have the updated start/stop active cruise control yet either so that's not much of a loss in the swap.

So what do you guys think? I can live without the distronic. But if I cancel this BMW order, I don't want to find out later that Mercedes isn't going to do this. The BMW dealer is cool about this, I've bought other cars from him and he knows I really wanted the S550. But for his sake, I want to cancel soon so he can re-configure the car for another customer.

Nevada Jack

If he has the March production slot with a PO then chances are pretty strong that the car will be built as ordered. I had to give up Distronic also but have not really missed it since I have never experienced it. I would go for it...get the car you really wanted with the ABC and other goodies...:-)

Kar don

I also say go for it. The Distronic Plus for the USA is not as good as the one for europe. What time period in march is it for? It will probably get locked out very soon.