C350e owners club

[Dodgy]

After 2 1/2 months in the body shop (curtousy of an ar*e who rear ended me) I finally got the car back last week, only for it to go straight back in!!! The car was sending out an amber error message relating to the battery, requiring the car to be stopped.



I'm pleased to say I've just been told it's all sorted, though I haven't tried it yet. It is related to a relay switch. Apparently it is a known problem (sorry if it's been discussed previously), and MB have informed me that recall letters are due to be sent out to owners to have this replaced.



Has anyone else heard of, or experienced this??

Not yet!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Saxon6]

I've just seen the MB notice at the dealer.

The relay switch that I've just had replaced along with the rear wiring loom are both recall notices. It sounds like they are phasing the letters to customers for both these items.

 

[S111dpc]

^ Thanks Chris, will do.

Please let us know how you get on. It's a problem acknowledged by MB so the dealers should(!) know all about it.

Update as requested.

Dropped it of at MB Bath this morning and picked it up at 4pm all sorted. MB confirmed there was corrosion in the charging socket which they replaced with the revised part. Pleased to say all charging at home ok now.

I'm assuming it was fixed under warranty, but as it's a lease car I'm not 100% sure.

 

[Saxon6]

Well....., so much for the relay switch recall fixing the issue, I still have no access to the electric motor :fail

Even when I'm sat idle the ICE is still running and e-mode is unavailable. I'm basically driving a thirsty 2ltr turbo

So, car's going back in, again, for how long this time????. I'm deeply concerned as solving electrical issues in a car as complex as this could be like a needle in a haystack.

So far I'm now on 3 new rear charger wiring looms and the updated relay switch. As much as I want to love this car I'm now wishing I could hand the keys back

The frustration is further exacerbated by the fact that whilst I will be given a courtesy car, they are always oil burners, so I've paid a premium for a Hybrid and now I'm spending more for diesel too......

 

[TheCorm]

Well....., so much for the relay switch recall fixing the issue, I still have no access to the electric motor :fail

Even when I'm sat idle the ICE is still running and e-mode is unavailable. I'm basically driving a thirsty 2ltr turbo

So, car's going back in, again, for how long this time????. I'm deeply concerned as solving electrical issues in a car as complex as this could be like a needle in a haystack.

So far I'm now on 3 new rear charger wiring looms and the updated relay switch. As much as I want to love this car I'm now wishing I could hand the keys back

The frustration is further exacerbated by the fact that whilst I will be given a courtesy car, they are always oil burners, so I've paid a premium for a Hybrid and now I'm spending more for diesel too......

That is highly frustrating. Our MD is having massive issues with his XC90 Hybrid, They're planning to replace his entire battery pack.

The problem is that when the electric doesn't work the car does but nobody provides compensation when your fuel economy is halved.

 

[JAT350e]

Well....., so much for the relay switch recall fixing the issue, I still have no access to the electric motor :fail

Even when I'm sat idle the ICE is still running and e-mode is unavailable. I'm basically driving a thirsty 2ltr turbo

So, car's going back in, again, for how long this time????. I'm deeply concerned as solving electrical issues in a car as complex as this could be like a needle in a haystack.

So far I'm now on 3 new rear charger wiring looms and the updated relay switch. As much as I want to love this car I'm now wishing I could hand the keys back

The frustration is further exacerbated by the fact that whilst I will be given a courtesy car, they are always oil burners, so I've paid a premium for a Hybrid and now I'm spending more for diesel too......

Ah no mine came up with the E range showing 1 mile a few weeks ago even though I dont have access to a charge point no more. When I went to use E-MODE it was greyed out. Hybrid mode still works fine with battery cutting in as usual.

Hopefully not a sign an issue to come. so far 23K miles no issue expect the 3 charging cable went faulty.

 

[CaptainChaos]

Well....., so much for the relay switch recall fixing the issue, I still have no access to the electric motor :fail

Even when I'm sat idle the ICE is still running and e-mode is unavailable. I'm basically driving a thirsty 2ltr turbo

So, car's going back in, again, for how long this time????. I'm deeply concerned as solving electrical issues in a car as complex as this could be like a needle in a haystack.

So far I'm now on 3 new rear charger wiring looms and the updated relay switch. As much as I want to love this car I'm now wishing I could hand the keys back

The frustration is further exacerbated by the fact that whilst I will be given a courtesy car, they are always oil burners, so I've paid a premium for a Hybrid and now I'm spending more for diesel too......

Sorry to hear about the troubles you are having. I wonder if the battery hasn't liked being idle for all the time the car was in the bodyshop? Or maybe it was continually started and stopped as it was moved about?

One thing - on both pictures you posted there is minimal fuel and minimal electric. Maybe it's got itself in a state because it's trying to juggle power usage, with no resources? Can you fill it up and take it for a long run this weekend?

 

[Saxon6]

One thing - on both pictures you posted there is minimal fuel and minimal electric. Maybe it's got itself in a state because it's trying to juggle power usage, with no resources? Can you fill it up and take it for a long run this weekend?

Good shout, but it has been doing this at various states of charge and fuel. It just so happened that the photos I took last night where at the end of the journey rather than whilst driving, so I had rundown the fuel thanks to no electric!

However, this morning 100% charge, no e-mode (photo below). Side note - 12miles @ 100%!

Frustratingly there is no pattern, it works when it feels like it.

Having had the car now for 18 months, I know it well and I have always been able to drive in e-mode even with only 10-15% charge, and fumes in the tank.

Thanks for words of support and I'll keep you posted.

 

[KirkA]

Hard keeping it clean this time of year, weekly wash done.

 

[Weller]

Well... after coming up "malfunction" and two cogs on the dash I took it into MB Northampton and they pretty much just updated the software and nothing else. I didn't even make it out of the car park and it came up again: well done for test driving it guys!

There was no noticeable problem with the vehicle but after the 3 weeks waiting for them to look at it again as I needed a courtesy car one had developed. The battery was pretty much knackard and when moving off from standstill or putting you foot down to overtake, where the battery would normally kick in before the ICE, there was noting but a 3 second delay even as though the dash showed activity.

They've now had the car for nearly 2 weeks, downloaded the cars data and sent it to Germany, tried the recommendations (which is basically trial and error as to what might fix it) and the problem is still there. They've now sent the data to Germany again with the previous fixes attempted and are awaiting a new set of guesses to find the problem. How long this will take... no one knows!

On a plus note, I've got a brand new A200 AMG to play with and there's a couple of things I'd like on the C350e:
1. Where the phone signal is displayed on the top right of the screen it also shows the phone battery level
2. Apple Car Play - pretty good, even liking Apple Maps over the Garmin. Looks good and is responsive. The only issue is that I have an old iPhone I use as an iPod in the car. When this is plugged in and Car Play activated it uses this as the phone - but I've got no SIM in it and it turns off Bluetooth to my actual phone
3. The screen is bigger - I think it's just taller and the width is the same.

The A-Class is nice, but I miss the size and space of the C-Class. With a child seat in the back behind the passenger the front seat is almost all the way forward... good job Mrs Weller isn't tall!!

 

[Weller]

Well... after coming up "malfunction" and two cogs on the dash I took it into MB Northampton and they pretty much just updated the software and nothing else. I didn't even make it out of the car park and it came up again: well done for test driving it guys!

There was no noticeable problem with the vehicle but after the 3 weeks waiting for them to look at it again as I needed a courtesy car one had developed. The battery was pretty much knackard and when moving off from standstill or putting you foot down to overtake, where the battery would normally kick in before the ICE, there was noting but a 3 second delay even as though the dash showed activity.

They've now had the car for nearly 2 weeks, downloaded the cars data and sent it to Germany, tried the recommendations (which is basically trial and error as to what might fix it) and the problem is still there. They've now sent the data to Germany again with the previous fixes attempted and are awaiting a new set of guesses to find the problem. How long this will take... no one knows!

Ive had it 10 months and done 28k.

On a plus note, I've got a brand new A200 AMG to play with and there's a couple of things I'd like on the C350e:
1. Where the phone signal is displayed on the top right of the screen it also shows the phone battery level
2. Apple Car Play - pretty good, even liking Apple Maps over the Garmin. Looks good and is responsive. The only issue is that I have an old iPhone I use as an iPod in the car. When this is plugged in and Car Play activated it uses this as the phone - but I've got no SIM in it and it turns off Bluetooth to my actual phone
3. The screen is bigger - I think it's just taller and the width is the same.

The A-Class is nice, but I miss the size and space of the C-Class. With a child seat in the back behind the passenger the front seat is almost all the way forward... good job Mrs Weller isn't tall!!

 

[mark975scott]

Has anyone noticed a variation in the diamond cut finish on their alloys ? I have the standard 17" wheels on my 350e - both fronts are very smooth (you can hardly see the diamond cut rings) however the both rears you can see the diamond cut rings. Anyone else notice this on theirs ??

 

[Saxon6]

That's usually a sign that they've had a re-cut. I had one damaged which MB refurbished and you can see the variation and cut lines on the rim.

 

[mark975scott]

That's usually a sign that they've had a re-cut. I had one damaged which MB refurbished and you can see the variation and cut lines on the rim.

Strange how both fronts same and both rear same ... I got the car new and not been refurbished since I got it. Dealer said rears are different size (width??) and that's just the way they are

 

[Bewva]

Mine are the same front and back visually.

 

[Saxon6]

Dealer is right, front and back are different sizes, however mine were all completely indentical in finish. The only area that is now different is where they have been re-cut.

Do yours look like the finish in my photo??

 

[Deleted member 126969]

Engine sounds.

I asked this over in the 'engines' section but didn't get any views so will ask here as a last go before I shut up and just get over it!

Your C350e.......what does the ICE sound like at idle? Ours sound like a really quite impressivley quiet diesel.

It also sounds less than sweet when revving but that bothers me less as although it just kind of drones, at least it doesn't clatter.

I'm clearly at risk of obsessing over this as I dreamt I had rejected it back to MB for this 'feature' last night. Good grief.

And while I'm in this frame of mind, someone commented before on this, it really is a bit brutal in Sport+ isn't it. The shifts, especially when coming to a stop seem unnecessarily abrupt to me. I'm happy that it'll change harder when pressing on but I really don't see why it has to be quite so raw when stopping. No need to try and emulate a clutchless sequential gearshift to make us feel it's sporty.

I will say however that I am very happy with the way it performs for what it is.

TFL

 

[CaptainChaos]

Sometimes when mine is cold it sounds like it's got a really lumpy cam and is as rough as hell. It's especially noticeable if I go into Sport from cold start up. It sorts itself out after a minute or so.

I think the engine sounds "OK". It's a four cylinder turbo so it's never going to be an Alfa twin-cam, but I think when you're cracking on it sounds meaty enough and suitably undiesel like.

It's me that's not a fan of Sport+. I'm really not sure why it's as vicious as it is, especially under braking.

One thing that irks me from a mechanical sympathy point of view. Conventional cars with stop-start technology look for quite a range of factors before allowing the engine to stop. These are usually temperature based, so on a freezing morning the engine will be allowed to warm up before any stop-starting takes place. My C350e ICE will stop within seconds of a cold start and I can't believe that's good for it's long term health!

 

[Deleted member 126969]

Thanks for those thoughts CC. I don't think I've tried starting in Sport+ yet, must give that a try. Ours sounds smooth enough, it just clatters at idle. I'm pretty sure it's actually combustion noise. I think it's on the verge of detonation as it's so lean. Feature, not fault. Clearly the bias is towards achieving the desired emissions figure isn't it. I too would like it to be a bit less keen to sut down the ICE, but then it wouldn't be as economical would it.

Cannae change the laws o' Physics, as Scotty would say......

Interesting to see the thread over in the engines section about the noise other engines make as well. Seems MB don't focus on making a quiet idling engine, even an AMG V8. Then again, they sound epic on throttle so can be forgiven.

I clearly just need to get over it and enjoy the car don't I

 

[JAT350e]

I had a C200SE Petrol Hire car and it defiantly sounded smoother and quieter at idle.

Was quite rapid and obviously a lot lighter so was more agile.