Viano seating woes

[47p2]

I bought a 05 plate Viano with FMBSH and 29k on the clock to replace my aging V-Class which I have had since new and covered 190k. Contrary to popular belief the V-Class has been very dependable and apart from the air suspension letting me down once before changing over to springs I cannot fault the vehicle. Yes the build quality could be better, the interior better thought out etc etc but overall I have been happy with it.

This time I decided to buy a low mileage used vehicle and upon reading the MB official website it seemed a no brainer to go for one of the many 6 seat vehicles that are for sale and order an extra seat from my friendly M-B dealership.............

According to the M-B website I can easily change from a 6 seat vehicle to an 8 seat vehicle by simply purchasing different seats. This quote is direct from their site.

In addition, the standard 6-seater Viano can be fitted with an extra seat or two if so desired, offering space for up to eight people. Multi-adjustable memory seats for the driver and front-passenger are also optionally available.

also

Along with space for luggage of all shapes and sizes, the standard 6-seater Viano can also accommodate up to eight people, as extra seats are available as an option

.

'An extra seat or two' now that really does sound like it is a simple upgrade which made me bite the bullet, after all I only require an extra one seat. Yes I know I need to loose two single seats and buy a bench which makes it a little more clumsy than the V-Class but hey ho, you can't have everything. So upon this information I went ahead and took delivery of my latest M-B vehicle.

I contacted my dealership to order an extra seat which would make the vehicle a 7 seater the same as the V-Class (why cram 8 when 7 will suffice)....

After several days I contacted the dealership to enquire about the seat only to be told Milton Keynes will not "part number it" because the vehicle has a GVW of 2.77 tonnes (code XA0) and not the 2.94 tonnes (code XA2) required to have extra seats(where did it say that on their webpages) (no doubt hidden in some obscure place where it will seldom be seen)

Upon further investigation I require an XA2 upgrade to my vehicle.....whatever that is. Nobody at my dealership knows or can get answers from Milton Keynes.

Doing a few sums and I am no mathematician but I cannot see what Milton Keynes are on about.
The kerb weight of the Viano ................................................2090
6 average passengers at 75kg ................................................450
Difference in weight of extra bench seat compared to two singles....20

Total weight........................................................................2560

GVW = 2770
- total weight 2560
leaving a massive 210 kg for sundries etc before maxing out at 2.77 tonnes

Am I missing something here? has anyone else had problems buying a bench for their Viano?

 

[stumpy]

Sorry to hear your plight. Like you I recently bought a Viano. I too looked at all the used ones but most of the 3.0 cars were 5/6 seaters and I needed 7. When I spoke to one salesman about this he said it was quite common to buy a 6 seat and convert it to 2 benches for about 2 grand. He said nothing about gross weights etc. But then salesmen never lie do they?

In the end I went brand new with an 8 seat v6. I will have a look for that coding on mine.

 

[47p2]

Thanks stumpy, I suspect you have an XA2 code

What I can't understand is why they have on their website that it is a simple upgrade then refuse to part number it. As I have stated the sums add up that the vehicle is still under the GVW with a full load

I suspect some potato head at Milton Keynes can't be bothered

 

[47p2]

I've emailed M-B UK from their website at 12.37 today and await their reply.

It will of course be interesting to hear what they say, assuming they do actually reply, but I have my doubts.

I've been dealing with Mercedes for over 15 years, my father for about 20 years before me and I have to say that the level of customer care is not what it used to be. I can remember when Mercedes-Benz would bend over backwards to assist in any way they could. Today however unless you are a large corporate company buying 100s of vehicles from them ever year, then they just don't seem to care.

 

[stumpy]

Just checked and mine is XA2 as you say. Will be interested where you get to with this.

 

[47p2]

Well nowhere fast as i am still waiting for M-B UK to reply to my email.

Thanks for the info stumpy, I'll let you know how things progress.....if they ever do

 

[stumpy]

Does yours say XA0 on the code label inside the front passenger door? I wonder if being STD, long or extra long makes any difference?

 

[47p2]

I have a printout from my dealership which gives all the options of the vehicle and it states it's code XA0, long wheelbase, but this shouldn't make the slightest difference to the GVW

This is the vehicle in question, one owner 29k and FMBSH last service 300 miles before I bought it

 

[Rinehart]

Possible Conversion option

Have you thought about contacting a "Breaking Yard"? (Not totally familar with your term for "wrecking yard") for the seats that you require??? It would seem to me to be a bit less expensive, and from reading the threads there should be plenty available.:idea:

 

[47p2]

I have looked into it Rinehart, the seats are not easy to come by though, unless anyone knows where a Viano is being broken!!!!!

 

[47p2]

I've emailed M-B UK from their website at 12.37 today and await their reply.

It will of course be interesting to hear what they say, assuming they do actually reply, but I have my doubts.

Well it is now some 21.5 hours since I emailed M-B UK and I still await a reply

I did expect that but it would have been nice to hear something from them

 

[47p2]

Surprize surprize, I did get an email from M-B UK asking for more details.
Shame it has taken them 26 hours to reply.

I wonder how long it will take them to reply to my reply:???:

 

[47p2]

Well I never did receive any more emails from Milton Keynes

I did however get a phonecall from local dealership 1.5 weeks ago saying I could buy a seat but had to pay for it up front and delivery time was 6+ weeks, so in I went and by the time I arrived they had changed their minds. The parts manager was going to a meeting with the director because I emailed Milton Keynes and they wanted answers......I had a call from the parts manager that evening saying he would be in work on the Saturday morning to try and sort it out.

I had a call on Monday saying I could now buy the seat but had to sign a waiver that if anything went wrong (whatever that means) I couldn't blame M-B. I ordered the seat on Monday and was told there was one in Germany which would arrive within 5 working days. Today I received a call to say the seat was now in..........So I went straight to the stealership and collected it before they changed their minds.

I never signed any waiver, I wasn't asked to when I collected the seat, but no doubt I will the next time I'm in.

So what was all the fuss about, I honestly don't know. All I can think is someone has fitted an extra seat and something has happened, and M-B has been blamed.

A word of warning to anyone who is thinking of buying a Viano and looking to fit extra seats. Make sure you get a vehicle with a GVW of 2.94 tonnes and has the code XA2 Your dealership will supply this information if you give them the VIN number

 

[manta356]

Digging up an old thread here.:Oops:
I don't suppose anyone knows of where I could get hold of a Bench seat for a Viano in two tone Grey Leather just like the one in the above photo.

 

[47p2]

Digging up an old thread here.:Oops:
I don't suppose anyone knows of where I could get hold of a Bench seat for a Viano in two tone Grey Leather just like the one in the above photo.

Well I never was asked to sign any waiver, makes one wonder what that was all about....

To answer the above question....
You could try contacting MB and ask if they will supply a bench, sadly the part costs in excess of £3.5k for the 3 seat bench so I would advise buying a 7 or 8 seat vehicle to save yourself the aggro.