The new smooth E320 CDi that isn't! Help!

[colvic37]

Every article you read, describes the new V6 E320 as having a "top notch" drive. At £40K+ with extras, one would hope so! My 6 month old car has got increasingly bumpy and juddery especially at speed. I love the car except it is hateful to drive!! I've paid independantly to have wheels and tyres checked and balanced, so not this. The car has been back to MB to check but of course they say it seems fine - you get the impression they are already thinking this when you bring the car in! Six weeks ago I had the sales person and chief mechanic test drive it - both agreed it was awful - wooden wheels, driving on a race track just two of the comments.

But - how do you get things sorted? Six weeks on I am waiting for the MB E Class expert (from apparently Milton Keynes) to drive the vehicle. I have offered to take it to Milton Keynes to speed matters along. I phoned Milton Keynes who transferred me to Holland who Emailed the dealership! 5 phonecalls and 4 Emails to the dealership, still no progress. Promises of progress but nothing ever happens and calls/messages just ignored.

The warranty appears worthless. The dealership worse. Has anyone had this problem either with a E320 or MB service (or lack of it). Reluctantly I have conceded I must offload the vehicle and change brands but trying this forum as a last hope of achieving something and avoiding a £10K loss in 6 months.

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

Hi,
Sorry to hear about your bad experience with your new car. To be so frustrated after just six months says little for MB aftersales care in your area. Some MB franchised dealers just don't seem to care, the reasons for which lie somewhere between arrogance and incomptetence.

The problem you are suffering may be due to tyres, without swopping them for a new set this cannot be discounted (I have known tyres to create vibration especilally at speed). I know you don't feel like forking out x hundred pounds on a try and see basis, so I would recommend that the dealer changes them from a car in stock to see if this proves a solution.

If this fails the fault presumable lies with the suspension damping, bushes or tracking, which should all be thoroughly checked over.

Hope you find the solution, although thats the dealers job if they really cared. Have you thought about taking the car to a good independant for a once over. I know it may cost you a few pounds but it would give you an unbiast second opinion.

Hope this helps.

 

[stumpy]

I feel sorry for you, this is unacceptable. Is yours a face lift or the last of the 'old' shape? We're about to order a new 320cdi, but I am anxious about putting 50 grand into a problem car.

 

[Blobcat]

What wheels / tyres and suspension are fitted?

 

[Donk]

As others have mentioned I wonder if its the wheel / tyre combination or bad tyres on the car. The reason I say that is that before I bought my current W211 E320 Avantgarde, I had a W211 E200K Classic with standard 16 inch alloys for 4 weeks. The ride was great, very smooth and supple. My new (to me) car has the 17 inch alloys, and although it also has Airmatic DC, the ride is definately firmer and lumpier with the bigger wheels and fatter tyres with a tendancy to tramline. I knew this before I bought it so its not an issue for me, but maybe its worth looking there for a simple fix? You mention its got worse since you have had it, but maybe (if you are like me) the longer you drive a car the more you notice the small annoyances that you tend to overlook when the car is new, but then again the dealer agrees its not right though, so maybe you should just ignore me

Anyway, just a thought or two before you go ahead and change it and lose the money

 

[jberks]

I'm inclined to agree with Donk - I had an elegance with 16'' wheels and it was far smoother my my Avantgarde with 17''. Didn't handle as well though.

My advice is the same as always - sit down with the service manager and agree a plan. Off the top of my head,

1)Have them lend you another 211 for a couple of days. That long, as you often can't really tell in a 30 min test drive. Are they the same? If not, perhaps use if for option 3.

2) Over that period, have them go through it again thoroughly. I know they say its ok - but 4 wheel re-balance and a full geometry setup to confirm it. They may argue as this is charged at £300 but its worth asking.

3) Do some research on the tyres currently fitted. Some are noisier than others, some harsher etc. MB swap and change brands all the time so don't be fooled into thinking that they are fully MB evaluated - they were just the best (read cheapest) on offer the week it was built. I've had Mercs with Pirellis, Bridgestones, continentals etc - they all felt different. It would explain why everything looks ok.

If this is a possibility, have the dealer swap the wheels from another car (something off the used forecourt) that are fitted with different tyres and allow you to do another road test. There was a chap with a CLS recently who complained that it was noisy. Following suggestions on this forum, he got the dealer to replace the tyres for another make and there was a vast improvement.

Remember 1 and 3 cost the dealer virtually nothing so they should be happy to give them a go. I also find the dealers to be unhelpful and useless but I remind myself that these are lowly paid receptionists who are 'just following orders'. If I want anything complicated or unusual then I need someone between the service manager and the dealer principal. These people are rarely available over the phone but if you sit yourself in the showroom for 1/2 an hour and they can normally find someone who can help! Use the "you need their help" approach and they are normally quite accomodating. They are human after all - no honestly! Shout the odds though and they often put the walls up and run away.