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C350e owners club

Inconclusive results. Used Eco but had no charge in the battery. There was less traffic and the run was faster too. I did notice that the coasting was less smooth and seemed to be entering regen more aggressively. Was still happy given those conditions to top 40mpg
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The regen aggression is due to the battery charge level, not the hybrid mode.

At equal levels of charge above roughly 20%, Eco will regen less aggressively than Comfort, usually without any significant regen. Eco is slightly more efficient than comfort, especially if you coast and manage to avoid some throttle.


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Maybe go for another test drive and put it into Sport mode (it's normal for the engine to be on all the time) and then see if the suspension firms up. In Comfort mode the suspension is quite soft - great for cruising, but not good for going around corners fast. Also if you have a concern about the suspension, try raising the suspension (button in the centre console) and make sure no warnings come on. It will go down again once you go above a certain speed if you don't lower it yourself. IIRC the warranty on the air suspension is quite long.
To me the range drop from 11 to 8 so quickly does seem odd, again, maybe on the next test drive put the display on battery %, check it is close to 100% and see how quickly it drops, but to be fair it does drop fairly fast, but I'd not expect it to drop too fast until you get on the road. Someone here had a gadget you could plug in which gave the voltages of all the cells, MB must have access to the same too, so maybe worth asking about that and check for any low cells. There is a 5 year warranty on the battery I believe, but you don't want to have to try and enforce it.
If you're happy with everything else, you can easily turn around and say that you'll buy the car subject to them fixing the rattles to your satisfaction and another test drive (they may want a deposit, up to you if you do). You could do likewise with the swirl marks, or just accept them or get someone to fix it after you buy the car.

Two ways to look at it, there are plenty of other cars out there or every car is going to have it's minor faults / niggles.

That's one thing I hate, car dealers who don't prepare cars until after you've put a deposit down and it's too late to back out.

Thanks. I did test drive another model at another MB dealer, and it had NO rattles, and drove much better than the first car I drove. However, the dealer won't even give one penny off the sticker price. Is this normal at main dealers? I haven't bought a used car in over 10 years (always leased) and I remember that I used to get good discounts for cash many years ago.
 
Thanks. I did test drive another model at another MB dealer, and it had NO rattles, and drove much better than the first car I drove. However, the dealer won't even give one penny off the sticker price. Is this normal at main dealers? I haven't bought a used car in over 10 years (always leased) and I remember that I used to get good discounts for cash many years ago.
I think that petrol plug-in hybrid residuals have firmed up in the last 6 months -I achieved almost the same residual for my C350e in March 18 as originally secured for a Sept 17 px. The residuals will also be helped by the road tax being £ 0 for older cars against £ 450 / year on new
 
I think that petrol plug-in hybrid residuals have firmed up in the last 6 months -I achieved almost the same residual for my C350e in March 18 as originally secured for a Sept 17 px. The residuals will also be helped by the road tax being £ 0 for older cars against £ 450 / year on new

That's fascinating. Good point on road tax.
 
The regen aggression is due to the battery charge level, not the hybrid mode.

At equal levels of charge above roughly 20%, Eco will regen less aggressively than Comfort, usually without any significant regen. Eco is slightly more efficient than comfort, especially if you coast and manage to avoid some throttle.


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Thanks for that, Dodgy. I'll try that on the commute to work in the morning.

I took it on its first long run today. Yorkshire to Bedfordshire and back. 314 miles in total, 85 miles with the engine off, and averaged 42.1mpg and 42mph (a combination of motorways and A roads mostly). I said before I set off that 40+ mpg would be a win, so pretty happy with that.
 
However, the dealer won't even give one penny off the sticker price. Is this normal at main dealers?

Yes. People search for cars online within a price range, so cars now tend to be priced at their lowest level already. Only think you can do is wait for a month end and see if it drops then, but in the meantime someone else might have bought it...
 
Yes, makes sense. I'd keep an eye out for a 330e or 350e and then you still get your travelling into London benefit. I think you were unlucky with the one you got. They do have their foibles, but overall they're a good car.
Well I settled to a diesel for now.

We went to our Lexus dealer looking for a Lexus and we came across to a 2016 BMW 640d Gran Coupe in Ruby Black with 25k on the clock and loads of Individual specs.

Will be picking it up on Tuesday.
Apparently combined it will do the same as the C350e .... Need to check on that lol :-)

Needless to say that the whole purchase experience with the Lexus dealer cannot be compared at all to the Mercedes dealer. Totally day to night.

Lexus would call us twice a day to update with the progress etc.
Mercedes would go past a day without an update and no call back.

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I wasn’t impressed with the MB treatment after I’d signed on the line. All smiles up to that point but afterwards, it was just kicked out of bed and not even cab fare home.....
 
Had the latest reply from MB on the hybrid warranty thing while I was away on holiday. They are refusing to include the power electronics in the extended 6 year term despite it being clearly stated in that document as being covered. I’ll have a moan at them about it, as it still seems dishonest to me. The argument that it was “an internal document” doesn’t wash with me. Also not at all impressed by how slow this process has been to date, they clearly don’t want to acknowledge their commitment on this. Leaves a bad taste TBH and makes me more certain than ever that I truly hope I never have to make a warranty claim on this car for anything, let alone a hybrid problem.

In other news, received the invitation letter for the clockspring recall so booked it in for next week.
 
Had the latest reply from MB on the hybrid warranty thing while I was away on holiday. They are refusing to include the power electronics in the extended 6 year term despite it being clearly stated in that document as being covered. I’ll have a moan at them about it, as it still seems dishonest to me. The argument that it was “an internal document” doesn’t wash with me. Also not at all impressed by how slow this process has been to date, they clearly don’t want to acknowledge their commitment on this. Leaves a bad taste TBH and makes me more certain than ever that I truly hope I never have to make a warranty claim on this car for anything, let alone a hybrid problem.

In other news, received the invitation letter for the clockspring recall so booked it in for next week.
This is Mercedes at it worst - I clearly remember the salesman confirming to me during 2015 that the whole hybrid system was covered - we even discussed that the mileage cap was less than the normal 12k / year.
I’ll start a similar discussion with the salesman who sold me my E350e this year and see what he says.
I think that if something major fails after 3 years and normal mileage and MB refuse to cover it under warranty, it could be worth pursuing under ‘not fit for purpose’ as major components that are not consumables should last significantly longer than 3 years
 
Had the latest reply from MB on the hybrid warranty thing while I was away on holiday. They are refusing to include the power electronics in the extended 6 year term despite it being clearly stated in that document as being covered. I’ll have a moan at them about it, as it still seems dishonest to me. The argument that it was “an internal document” doesn’t wash with me. Also not at all impressed by how slow this process has been to date, they clearly don’t want to acknowledge their commitment on this. Leaves a bad taste TBH and makes me more certain than ever that I truly hope I never have to make a warranty claim on this car for anything, let alone a hybrid problem.

I think there are a couple of things going on here:
1. MB believe their customers are privileged to own an MB, they’re rich and willing to pay for anything
2. MB staff are much more highly incentivised to maximise margin than to have satisfied customers. The charging cable that fell apart on me last year was clearly sub-standard quality, but they took months to finally give me a replacement “as a goodwill gesture” rather than because they were obliged to. And they only did that much because the lease company told them to.


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I confess that they are starting to piss me off a bit now. This was the latest reply:

"
Thank you for contacting Mercedes-Benz Customer Service.

As confirmed by my colleague Andrew, the document you are referring to regarding the HVB warranty is in fact for internal use only. The "Power Electronics" wouldn't be covered under the drive train warranty, the document itself, on the pages previously quoted, is advising about new and additional equipment and doesn't concern the warranty.

I apologise that you feel you've seen documents giving you contradictory information however our stance on this stays the same.

Should you have any further requirements please do not hesitate to contact me or any of my colleagues."

and my response:

"I have to say, I am truly disappointing with Mercedes Benz. It has taken over two months to reach this point, and still you refuse to acknowledge your responsibility as detailed in your own publication. A publication that informed my purchase. You assert that this document was purely for internal use. There is nothing on it to indicate that, so a reasonable person would have no way to know that what they are reading may in fact be meaningless. It looks to me like a product guide brochure, the sort of thing a customer might reasonably look at to make an informed decision about a purchase in fact.

It is quite clear what it means - ALL hybrid components, battery, motor and power electronics have a 6 year/62000m warranty. The specific page is making a comparison between equipment included as standard on the C350e Sport vs. the C220 BlueTEC Sport. How you can claim that the hybrid components of a hybrid car are "additional equipment" and that the document "doesn't concern the warranty", when the words "HVB Certificate (Warranty) for all Plug-In hybrid components" are used explicitly, is beyond me.

I simply do not accept that you can pick and choose what you will honor like this.

I'd be grateful if you would escalate this matter to someone with some authority please."


See what they try next......

Be very interested to hear how you get on with your enquiry @wivenhoe. Please keep us posted.
 
I confess that they are starting to piss me off a bit now. This was the latest reply:

"
Thank you for contacting Mercedes-Benz Customer Service.

As confirmed by my colleague Andrew, the document you are referring to regarding the HVB warranty is in fact for internal use only. The "Power Electronics" wouldn't be covered under the drive train warranty, the document itself, on the pages previously quoted, is advising about new and additional equipment and doesn't concern the warranty.

I apologise that you feel you've seen documents giving you contradictory information however our stance on this stays the same.

Should you have any further requirements please do not hesitate to contact me or any of my colleagues."

and my response:

"I have to say, I am truly disappointing with Mercedes Benz. It has taken over two months to reach this point, and still you refuse to acknowledge your responsibility as detailed in your own publication. A publication that informed my purchase. You assert that this document was purely for internal use. There is nothing on it to indicate that, so a reasonable person would have no way to know that what they are reading may in fact be meaningless. It looks to me like a product guide brochure, the sort of thing a customer might reasonably look at to make an informed decision about a purchase in fact.

It is quite clear what it means - ALL hybrid components, battery, motor and power electronics have a 6 year/62000m warranty. The specific page is making a comparison between equipment included as standard on the C350e Sport vs. the C220 BlueTEC Sport. How you can claim that the hybrid components of a hybrid car are "additional equipment" and that the document "doesn't concern the warranty", when the words "HVB Certificate (Warranty) for all Plug-In hybrid components" are used explicitly, is beyond me.

I simply do not accept that you can pick and choose what you will honor like this.

I'd be grateful if you would escalate this matter to someone with some authority please."


See what they try next......

Be very interested to hear how you get on with your enquiry @wivenhoe. Please keep us posted.

One point that may be worth making - As MB acknowledges that it is an official document, even if it was restricted to internal use, then surely it means that the sales teams were briefed to make sales on the basis of all hybrid components being covered.
 
One point that may be worth making - As MB acknowledges that it is an official document, even if it was restricted to internal use, then surely it means that the sales teams were briefed to make sales on the basis of all hybrid components being covered.

Absolutely, I’ll see what they come back with and save that one for the next riposte.
 
Yes. People search for cars online within a price range, so cars now tend to be priced at their lowest level already. Only think you can do is wait for a month end and see if it drops then, but in the meantime someone else might have bought it...

Well, I've put a deposit down on the 2nd c350e I looked at. I'll be joining you lot shortly and waving bye bye to my Prius (I got 100mpg pootling around London today. It's ridiculously economical)

I'm used to tech like HUD, blind spot monitoring, and adaptive cruise with the Prius, so I'm happy that I've chosen a c350e that also has these features and more. Thanks for the advice chaps. I had no idea the condition of used c350e cars would have varied so much between dealers.
 
I've asked the dealer if they can throw in an 8m charging cable that connects to UK 3 pin plug as the car comes with a 4m coiled one. If they can't throw one in and charge me for one, would it be better to source a non MB cable? Any tips?

Thanks!
 
Ordered my C350e Estate last November. Finally have a delivery estimate of last week of May. Anyone had any experience getting the grant to fit a charger to the outside of the house? It’s a company car leased via Arval.
 
Ordered my C350e Estate last November. Finally have a delivery estimate of last week of May. Anyone had any experience getting the grant to fit a charger to the outside of the house? It’s a company car leased via Arval.

It's quite generous. Its up to 75% up to £ 500 (including VAT) but you must use a registered installer. I had mine installed back in 2015 and it was £ 750. The installer claims the grant so you only pay the cost above the grant. The other conditions and how company cars are also covered is here :-

Grant schemes for electric vehicle charging infrastructure
 
Ordered my C350e Estate last November. Finally have a delivery estimate of last week of May. Anyone had any experience getting the grant to fit a charger to the outside of the house? It’s a company car leased via Arval.

Yes. There’s a load of forms the installers will need including proof of ownership that your employer will need to provide and sign. With a bit of luck, your employer will have done a few of them before. You can find it all on the government website - I think it’s the OLEV section.


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Yes. There’s a load of forms the installers will need including proof of ownership that your employer will need to provide and sign. With a bit of luck, your employer will have done a few of them before. You can find it all on the government website - I think it’s the OLEV section.


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What @wivenhoe said...


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