Choosing my new Mercedes

[V6Matty]

you would be suprised, i was looking into having command retrofitted by Command Online and they stated they fit the additional cooling fans and ducting (inline with what is fitted at the factory) where as other companies dont bother meaning the life of a unit is shortened.

 

[Scoob]

you would be suprised, i was looking into having command retrofitted by Command Online and they stated they fit the additional cooling fans and ducting (inline with what is fitted at the factory) where as other companies dont bother meaning the life of a unit is shortened.

I didn't know that! Thanks for the information. I'll not worry so much about my "noisy hard drive" now, as it is of course the fans

Oh, btw: People on this thread (you know who you are!) thought it just fine to have three cars - i.e. for me to keep my Focus as a run around. This seemed quite excessive to me, however I enquired today about popping 30 days cover on my Focus after I swtiched the main policy to the Merc, Subaru remaining unchanged - just to give me some wiggle room re: selling it you understand. Aviva said £50 for this, which was reasonable I thought. However, while on the phone I asked on a whim, what if I decided to keep the Focus too?

Well, they first removed the Focus from my insurance, replacing it with the Merc at slightly less than the original quote to replace Forcus with Merc (how often does that happen?) then agreed to re-add my Focus as an additional vehicle for...£70! Damn, that's good! Consider, my insurance runs until March 1st 2014 and you realise how good that is

Cheers,

Scoob.

 

[Ductman]

I didn't know that! Thanks for the information. I'll not worry so much about my "noisy hard drive" now, as it is of course the fans

Oh, btw: People on this thread (you know who you are!) thought it just fine to have three cars - i.e. for me to keep my Focus as a run around. This seemed quite excessive to me, however I enquired today about popping 30 days cover on my Focus after I swtiched the main policy to the Merc, Subaru remaining unchanged - just to give me some wiggle room re: selling it you understand. Aviva said £50 for this, which was reasonable I thought. However, while on the phone I asked on a whim, what if I decided to keep the Focus too?

Well, they first removed the Focus from my insurance, replacing it with the Merc at slightly less than the original quote to replace Forcus with Merc (how often does that happen?) then agreed to re-add my Focus as an additional vehicle for...£70! Damn, that's good! Consider, my insurance runs until March 1st 2014 and you realise how good that is

Cheers,

Scoob.

Decision made for you then!

There's no such thing as too many cars.

 

[Scoob]

Decision made for you then!

There's no such thing as too many cars.

Heh, yeah... lol. However there is such a thing as not enough space. My Focus is parked up at my nan's, so it'll live there when not being used - yes, I told them all this and they were fine - as we're out of room here. Well, the extra car would fit, but we'd be forever swapping things around, which is a pain. I don't want to loose any garden just to park another car.

Scoob.

 

[S.Speed]

I have heard that with the latest firmware the COMAND will support a 32gb SD card..
Plenty of mp3's on there.. Even if recorded at top quality as I do.

 

[Scoob]

@ S.Speed: I'd assume I'd need my phone paired with the COMAND system in order for it to download any updates? As it's a firmware update you mention though, wouldn't that be a dealer job? I'd need to check which firmware I currently have of course.

I'll have to snag a 32gb SD card to test...oh, and an SD card reader/writer for the PC as I don't have one to hand...

I currently have an old 2gb USB key plugged in, works well, but cannot be used to store Personal POI's it seems.

Scoob.

 

[Scoob]

A little update.

Just got a call from my Dealer, they're going to source and fit the missing chrome strips for me. This is what they should do of course, but it's always nice when they do the right thing without any hassle.

I've also asked them to check my fitted AMG floor mats. They're apparently the correct ones from a C-Class Estate, yet they fit really poorly. They slightly foul the throttle pedal, and don't quite fit the shape of the passenger side footwell either. They said they'll check this when I'm down.

Oh, they also confirmed that my two years free servicing has been submitted to the main database, meaning that any Mercedes dealer should be able to see it, thus honour the servicing. Nice.

The only down-side is that it's a bit of a trek for me to get to the Dealership, however it's an excuse for a little road trip with the same mate who's accompanied me previously.

Cheers,

Scoob.

 

[Scoob]

Hey all,

Long day yesterday.

Got down to Merc just after lunch, car was taken to the workshop to get the missing trim fitted - they said about an hour. My friend and myself loitered during this time, enjoying the free drinks with biscuits provided by one of the lovely receptionists I'm rather shallow and easily pleased by such things lol.

Just as the hour was up, the saleman and a chap who turned out to be the body shop manager wandered up. Seems that the stock shown by the system didn't match the stock on the shelf, so they did not have the correct part in *sigh* Ah well, bit of a wasted trip there - consider that it's 100+ mile round trip for me...

Anyway, saleman was quite embarassed as you'd expect. He said he will order me some new floor mats for my car to ensure they fit 100% (that was my secondary reason for the trip) as well as get the proper trim part ordered in. As a bonus, the body shop manager mentioned that the car had previously been one of their technicians, they'd commented how the trim on the left side, along with the BlueEfficiency badge, was missing from this car when it was brand new. Technician had apparently ordered a BlueEfficiency badge but not the strip. So, car has not been painted or anything like that. Still, shame on Mercedes QC to send a car out with missing trim! Hope everything else is in order!

Btw: question: my car has the nice aluminium roof bars, but should there be any sort of accessories with this so I can fix stuff to them?

Cheers,

Scoob.

 

[Scoob]

Hey all,

Bit of an update.

Did a slightly longer drive today on roads I know. Currently averaging 44.1mpg according to the car, so not too bad considering the driving I've been doing is largely "bad" around town / villages / hills stuff. Average speed is now 33mph (up from 31mph) thanks to a little dual carriageway time today.

A couple of things I've noticed about the car, which may warrant their own thread, depending on feedback comments here...

1) Under light acceleration, I hear a slight rattle from the car. This sound exactly like the slight gearbox rattle my (and most it seems) high mileage Focus diesel have. It's louder on the Focus but it's still the same sound I get in the Merc - not what I'd expect from a 11.5k miles car!

2) I drove down one of the narrow lanes here today with my windows down for the first time. Every little bump or imperfection in the road saw a rather nasty rattle-clank noise from the rear left wheel / suspension. Really not a healthy noise at all. I did not get a similar noise from the right rear when it ran over bumps. Note: I was going slowly (<30mph) and only over mild bumps / imperfection in the road surface - no pot holes or anything severe. Did it later with friend in the car who also remarked on it.

Thinking I should flag these two to the dealer. The "gearbox rattle" if that's what it is is very subtle, but there certainly. The rear left wheel / suspension clatter is REALLY intrusive with the windows down, but I'd not hear it at all with them closed.

What do you think?

Cheers,

Scoob.

 

[Ductman]

Neither of these are noises I've experienced with mine, so I would definitely get them checked out by an MB workshop. I've owned 3 MB 6 cyl diesels now and found every one to be remarkably rattle free and (relatively) refined for a diesel.

I know the kind of rattle you mean in your first point as a friend of mine has a high miler Focus diesel that does the same. I've never heard it in my cars though, so sounds as though there is something that needs investigating.

Fuel economy sounds good so far. It does start to drop somewhat when you hoof it though! But the performance and torque from this engine can be very addictive, so not surprising really. ;-)

The suspension noise could just be something as simple as a slightly misaligned exhaust that is knocking against the underside when going over bumps, but still needs checking out.

 

[Ductman]

Should have said that, apart from the current car, I've completed a high mileage in both my other diesels and never experienced the rattle on light acceleration you say yours has.

We are doing a 600 mile (in a day) trip to France next week to stay with friends, so will be interesting to see what sort of mpg I get on such a trip. My old CLK only managed 37 on the same journey - but we weren't hanging around, so will be good to do a comparison.

 

[Scoob]

Thanks Ductman, I'll be sure to make them aware of the issues so they can check when the car is next down with them.

Interestingly, my friend with the E350 Coupe says he has the exact same wheel / suspension noise on his - he bought his new end of last year. Still, dealership can check this out as I cannot beleive it's right.

Cheers,

Scoob.

 

[Scoob]

Evenin' alll,

Still no progress on getting my missing chrome trim replaced yet, nor the other issues investigated. I'm hoping things will start moving early next week, else the Customer Satisfaction Survey I've recently been emailed will read rather differently...

On another note...

I've been thinking about getting my car properly detailed by a pro soon, basically having the full longevity treatment to keep it in tip top condition. I've been chatting (email) to a guy call Mick at GemClean who's recommended their Glass Coat Protection Detail, link to it here. I've been quoted £800 for this, along with extra protection improving things even further.

To me, this chap seems to actually provide what StarGuard claims to provide. Ok, £800 is a lot, but the guy uses the best products and really takes his time to do a proper job. Considering that this should last years, with the odd clean now and again, and I think it's fair value.

What do people think?

Cheers,

Scoob.

 

[Scoob]

Hi all,

Quick update for those still reading my chronicles of MB aspiration and ownership

I finally got a call back from my supplying dealer today - after some chasing on my part - seems the trim bits are in and they can fit them Thursday next week. Nice. A bit of a drive once again, but I'll have a mate with me so it'll be fun. I assume they'll have to clean the car prior to fitting the missing trim - it's glue on, so a good surface is critical.

My car is booked in this Thursday at a more local dealer to get the "gearbox" rattle, unhealthy suspension/bush noise and parking brake issues looked into. I'm hoping these prove to be something simple, though the warranty is there if it's not.

Finally, I'll be going for my complete car detail in August! I've decided to go for the package offerered in order to ensure the car is fully protected. I'm hoping this will ensure both interior and exterior remain in A1 condition throughout my ownership - which should be a while.

Cheers,

Scoob.

 

[Capra]

Hi all,

Quick update for those still reading my chronicles of MB aspiration and ownership

I finally got a call back from my supplying dealer today - after some chasing on my part - seems the trim bits are in and they can fit them Thursday next week. Nice. A bit of a drive once again, but I'll have a mate with me so it'll be fun. I assume they'll have to clean the car prior to fitting the missing trim - it's glue on, so a good surface is critical.

My car is booked in this Thursday at a more local dealer to get the "gearbox" rattle, unhealthy suspension/bush noise and parking brake issues looked into. I'm hoping these prove to be something simple, though the warranty is there if it's not.

Finally, I'll be going for my complete car detail in August! I've decided to go for the package offerered in order to ensure the car is fully protected. I'm hoping this will ensure both interior and exterior remain in A1 condition throughout my ownership - which should be a while.

Cheers,

Scoob.

Hi, I know this is a very old thread, but was everything ok in the end, I have an interest in buyer of your car.