I collected my wife?s C-Class Avantgarde SE estate last Friday, and we have spent a few days with the car. It is our first M-B, and here are our first impressions:
DEALER
-Very professional vehicle handover-no rushing. 10/10
-Vehicle preparation very good-but see below. 8/10
-Dealer workshop very grubby; worse than Ford dealers. 3/10
CAR-FIRST DRIVE
-That new car smell!! 11/10
-Car is the quietest I have ever driven. But see below. 9/10
-Gearshift smoothness is untouchable 10/10
-Orion grey interior not as good as VW/Audi, but definitely not low-rent 9/10.
-Amethyst Violet looks amazing in direct sunlight. 10/10.
-Overall: The Dogs pink fluffy dice.
THINGS I LIKE
-Bi-Xenon headlights ?sparking up? and the beam moving to its home position. I know it is sad but I just can?t stop playing with the headlight switch?.!!10/10
-It is sooooo quiet!! But see below. 9/10
THINGS I DO NOT LIKE
-Body panel stamping not 100%; area around door handles is very slightly ?creased?; shows up as small dent when looking along side of car from front. Whilst this may not be a big deal to some people it is really not acceptable in this premium brand. I noticed it when I got home; no doubt M-B would argue that it is ?within spec? but even a black Citroen Saxo has no such fault. 5/10.
-Body panel alignment on bonnet not 100%; body panels (?fangs?)either side of radiator grille are not level. RHS panel protrudes 0.5 inch more than left. This sounds petty, but my wife noticed this obvious misalignment and was furious. Needs to be adjusted by the dealer; should never have left the factory like this. 2/10.
-Wind noise. Although the car is very very quiet there is an annoying buzz of wind from around the driver?s door, at around eye-level, at 60MPH. Passenger side is OK. This sort of thing really gets on my nerves so it is going to be a trip to the dealer to fix.9/10.
OVERALL
-Mechanically very good, very refined and smooth, but really should have been better in the bodywork department.
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er! there seems to be more dislikes than likes!!
but not to be petty, i agree that body panel alignment should not even feature as a *noticable* fault on a new car,
in fact,i was once told a story about how three different manufacturers tested for this!.....(R.R..V.W... SKODA)
each manufacturer left a budgie in one of their cars overnight...
in the morning the budgie in the roller had suffocated..
the budgie in the v.w was quite happy, sat on a headrest singing..
the budgie in the skoda.. was found to have escaped!!
billy.
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Good to hear you were treated well by the MB dealer. We bought our smart from the local MB dealer, even after reading horror stories from other smart purchasers about how they were treated i.e. 'a smart's not a proper car, why don't you try an A class'!!
Our experience was similar to yours, car prepared fully, proper handover and we had contact following the purchase from the sales staff.
Unlike your C class though our smart was (and still is ) faultless.
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I've always found MB dealers pretty good - especially on parts supply etc. Certainly a cut above BMW who seem to object to supplying parts unless they fit them! Having said that, one or two MB dealers have changed hands recently (basically been taken back by MB) and their attitude is not so good.
I'm not sure how curable the wind noise you refer to is. Most C-class seem to make a bit of wind noise and in my opinion it comes from the A-post (where the windscreen joins it).
As to build quality - well, they are made in SA, not Germany.
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Aprilia,
I though C-Class saloons were built in SA and the wagons in Germany?
As for quality, nothing beats my father's 1991 Honda Accord. Nothing has ever gone wrong that has cost money to repair. Still going and driving like new.
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(snip) Certainly a cut above BMW who seem to object to supplying parts unless they fit them! >>
Aprilia, where on earth did you get that idea from?! I bought several genuine BMW parts for the 1992 5-Series that I recently sold and the local dealer's Parts Dept people were always very helpful and very patient. There was *never* any hesitation to supply even the most minor of items for D-I-Y fitment.
The parts:
# An exhaust part-system for which I was given a 15% discount and the offer of free delivery to my home next day.
# Two tailgate glass gas struts at around £17.50 each.
# Four brake bleed nipples complete with dust covers.
# A plastic filler cap for the rear washer bottle (50p!)
# New water pump and thermostat
# A battery which the dealer voluntarily price-matched against an inferior offering from Halfords.
# A new speedometer head (a competitive £95 + VAT)
# A touch-up paint kit (about £5 I think)
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>> (snip) Certainly a cut above BMW who seem to object to supplying parts unless they fit them! >> Aprilia, where on earth did you get that idea from?! I bought several genuine BMW parts for the 1992 5-Series that I recently sold and the local dealer's Parts Dept people were always very helpful and very patient. There was *never* any hesitation to supply even the most minor of items for D-I-Y fitment. The parts: # An exhaust part-system for which I was given a 15% discount and the offer of free delivery to my home next day. # Two tailgate glass gas struts at around £17.50 each. # Four brake bleed nipples complete with dust covers. # A plastic filler cap for the rear washer bottle (50p!) # New water pump and thermostat # A battery which the dealer voluntarily price-matched against an inferior offering from Halfords. # A new speedometer head (a competitive £95 + VAT) # A touch-up paint kit (about £5 I think)
Think yourself lucky. My local dealer is part of a major national (maybe international..) group. Their parts supply is atrocious. They have vast premises but parts are supplied from a small desk in one corner of the showroom. The young lad who was given the job of manning the desk seemed to have little mechanical apptitude and even less facility with his PC. Rather a joke really.
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Slight change here, Aprilia. You were condemning BMW as a whole but it now looks as though your complaint relates only to your local dealer.
BMW main dealers in general haven't left a very good impression on me but I've nothing but praise for the Peterborough and Faringdon dealership Parts Depts. BMW Peterborough is (was) my local outlet that I have already praised and BMW Faringdon were of great help when I suffered a leaking multi-way coolant hose miles from home last year.
BMW Faringdon couldn't supply a hose from stock but they helped effect a temporary repair and they ordered a hose for me to pick up from Peterborough next day. There was nothing in it for them because I paid for the hose on collection.
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Slight change here, Aprilia. You were condemning BMW as a whole but it now looks as though your complaint relates only to your local dealer. BMW main dealers in general haven't left a very good impression on me but I've nothing but praise for the Peterborough and Faringdon dealership Parts Depts. BMW Peterborough is (was) my local outlet that I have already praised and BMW Faringdon were of great help when I suffered a leaking multi-way coolant hose miles from home last year.
Yes, problem is largely with a poor local dealer. Note though that I do a fair bit of work for BMW in Germany so I have some idea of their corporate policies. Their parts supply as a whole is not that good. They try to maintain 100% parts supply up to 8 years. They do not have OOS parts manufactured after that time. Contrast this policy with that of Mercedes Benz - they can supply parts off-the-shelf for cars 25 years + old and will have OOS parts manufactured.
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Aprilia, thanks for that.
I assume "OOS" means "out of stock"? I've not heard of any supply problems after 8 years; everything I wanted was there next day, even the obscure things like the washer bottle cap, so I assume that BMW have a good stockholding.
Incidentally, I praised BMW Faringdon when what I meant was BMW *Hungerford*. Senility is setting in.
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It seems a very long time ago since Mercedes-Benz cars were well made. I would never consider a new C-Class on my shortlist nowadays; there is just no comparision between the C-Class and rivals like the Audi A4 for build quality.
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Has anyone any feedback on the build quality etc of the (new model) E Class? I'm close to ordering a 320cdi but am beginning to have doubts; after all it's a lot of dough and I would have a wobbler if e.g. the panels weren't perfect. Any info/opinions gratefully received. In anticipation, thanks v much.
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8 ball,
That car is a huge amount of money. Great engine, but isn't the BMW530d better? Save money get a Volvo S80 D5. much more comforatable!!less risk of getting it nicked.
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GTLK: The 530d is the other option. It too is an awful lot of money. But it will be my retirement present and be owned for at least 10 years. Have tested 'em both and report the seat adjustment in the BMW is such that my better half feels she needs a cushion to see over the instrument binnacle - the seat won't raise enough. The Merc is noisier under heavy load but both are really quick and similar mpg. The BM iDrive will be seen as being really crude in 3 years' time, I reckon. The Merc interior and looks are nicer IOHO. Swings & roundabouts. But I won't accept poor build quality. However, we're trying a BM again next week to be absolutely sure.
Volvo? What's a Volvo?
Cheers
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A Volvo??
just some very comfortable machine that has limited image, but actually I prefer to my last Merc.
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I saw an R reg E class "Elegance" estate the other day (97 not 77) that had rust bubbling all over it's fuel filler door. Reminded me of an old Cortina or Capri as they used to do the same. The hinges will no doubt dissolve next and it will fall off. Very elegant.
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Father in law has current shape E220CDI - very nice quality inside and out - seems like MB have improved vastly over previous E class
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Daryld,
You posted this on the MB-Club site too didn't you?
I would definately get the alignment sorted out. My first C-Class had a similair problem and when I pointed it out to them they were so apologetic and sorted it out straight away and gave me a free bottle of bubbly. The dealers are certainly better than BMW dealers as my freind has found out with his new shape 530d. An absolute dog of a car with a dealer to match is how my freind puts it. Two turbos in 4 weeks is not good for any car, and when you find out they use reconditioned units as spares in a 4 week old car you begin to worry.
In reply to Dizzy, my MB dealer gives you the touch up paint, no charge.
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Paint on E-class (W210) is poor. It is very thinly applied and so rust seems to sprout on corners (eg number plate plateau, fuel filler, edge of boot lid etc.). This is well recognised in Germany. Additionally they used 'stretch metal technology' and this seems to encourage corrosion. I think the jury is still oout on the latest E-class - too new to tell yet.
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Surely if you value build quality,reliability and owner satisfaction without any worries you would buy Lexus,and you don't have to worry about filling up with lorry fuel.
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Surely if you value build quality,reliability and owner satisfaction without any worries you would buy Lexus,and you don't have to worry about filling up with lorry fuel.
That is very true and its precisely what BMW/Audi/MB are worried about - particularly as cars are becoming more defined by their electronics content and the Japanese have a commanding lead in electronic technology.
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Surely if you value build quality,reliability and owner satisfaction without any worries you would buy Lexus,and you don't have to worry about filling up with lorry fuel.
Yes, but according to my research you'll be filling up a lot more often. Lexus seem to do between 16 and 20 mpg urban cycle 22 - 29 combined and 27 - 36 extra urban depending on model; the big German oil burners do 30 urban; 41 combined and 52 extra urban respectively. Lexus' CO2 emissions are also sky high. I don't doubt Lexus' build quality etc but they're gas guzzlers in a modern context.
8 ball (just off to hug a tree).
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Does it matter at that end of the market? Cost of fuel (of whichever type) is a drop in the ocean compared to depreciation and other running costs.
Additionally, the Japanese are not fools and know that they need a good Diesel to compete head-on with the Euro prestige brands. Expect to see some excellent Diesels coming out of Japan over the next couple of years.
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I think the German manufacturers will be filling their Lederhosen when they see the next generation of Far East oil burners.
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re Lexus, I have a 200 (auto) which does 25-26mpg locally, 30ish on m'way run, but get into any rush-hour traffic and the consummption drops dramatically to 20-21. Bear in mind the rather sluggish, disappointing mid-range performance ... yes, I'm getting rid of mine after 2 years to go back to front wheel drive with a 2 litre hatchback that has some decent acceleration under the bonnet.
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