C350e owners club

[blaze591]

No, not really. I eventually just gave up, and put up with it. I think the OEM tyres are quite sensitive to less than perfect road surfaces, which is unfortunate as the A52 near where I live is such a surface. Nothing either i did or the dealer said they did made the slightest difference.


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[wrighty senior]

Always enjoyed your posts Wrighty, especially your ability to rip up the rear tyres every 8,000 miles! How did your battery last and did you recharge it frequently?

If you have around 300BHP and loads of torque it seems daft not to use it. I charged the battery most nights but never charged it unless I was at home. The pure EV distance stayed the same throughout ownership (obviously better in summer than winter)

 

[Deleted member 126969]

To my shame, I have rarely used the performance it offers. I'm honestly not quite sure why though - probably just obsess too much over consumption, now it's there shouting at me all the time. That's and, have I mentioned it, but I don't like the noise the ICE makes...... I'm certainly not shy of the throttle when driving the Jeep (5.7 V8 petrol) nor the Westfield (2l petrol) and fully expect to give my next project (3l V6 petrol) plenty of stick as well.

Good to know that the EV range was consistent for you too.

 

[wrighty senior]

To my shame, I have rarely used the performance it offers. I'm honestly not quite sure why though - probably just obsess too much over consumption, now it's there shouting at me all the time. That's and, have I mentioned it, but I don't like the noise the ICE makes...... I'm certainly not shy of the throttle when driving the Jeep (5.7 V8 petrol) nor the Westfield (2l petrol) and fully expect to give my next project (3l V6 petrol) plenty of stick as well.

Good to know that the EV range was consistent for you too.

You own a 5.7litre V8 and worry about the consumption of your Merc
Like you, I also have a performance toy in the garage that can provide a 0-60mph sprint in just over 4seconds but to do that I need perfect road conditions; incredible clutch control and a bit of luck. To get the Merc to its 5.9second sprint I pushed a button to Sport+ and hit the load pedal - the car did the rest.

Also the Merc does very good roundabout drifts! All that torque could throw the very heavy tail out and keep it there easily (not something I try in my Sunday toy because it would probably kill me!).

 

[TheCorm]

@Belda our usage profile pretty much matches what you are planning most of the time. Current tank of fuel shows 316 miles with 64% left, an average of just over 85mpg. There are a few trips beyond electric range in there or it would be much better. We’ve had over 1000 miles out of a tank before.....and it’s not a big tank.

We charge it at home after every trip and find we generally drive more economically than we used to with our previous cars. Wafting along in silence is quite addictive, but once you are on a longer trip and using the ICE, the performance can be quite tempting too.

Pretty sure the battery was not changed during the production of the car - just the 6.2kWh. If a facelift C appears it’ll likely get the same power train etc that the new E has, with the 12kWh battery.

Our experience with the range matches @Dodgy lucky to get 7 or 8 miles in winter, summer about 12 to 14 depending on journey and driving style, as well as if you use E mode and run the battery down flat rather than leaving it in hybrid where it’ll always retain around 16% or so but switch to ICE.

Worst mpg so far was a round trip of about 300 miles, mostly motorway, starting on full charge. Gave low 50s IIRC

To add my comments to Dodgy and Chris-S....

the c350e is one of those cars where things like mpg can vary hugely depending on your journey lengths.

My main drive is a 20 mile commute with charging at home and at work, in the summer I only use about 3 miles of engine for this journey. in typical winter it's more like 8-10 miles on electric overall.

I found on the some 250 mile runs I did with no charging (starting with 100% battery) I saw around 42-45mpg....not bad for a near 300bhp vehicle.

I am on my second battery pack as my 1000+ charges took it's toll on the first ones and my capacity had reduced by about 20%....some kind of memory effect. The battery pack has changed design apparently however the capacity is the same 6.2kwh.

I have a Nissan Leaf on order, simply because they are the only ones who seem to be able to offer a fully electric vehicle that you can actually order and get delivered in less than 6 months....plus it's EV from the ground up....usually I can't wait to get a new car but I don't want to let go of my c350e....lovely car....classy, feel happy and confident behind the wheel.

 

[wivenhoe]

To add my comments to Dodgy and Chris-S....

the c350e is one of those cars where things like mpg can vary hugely depending on your journey lengths.

My main drive is a 20 mile commute with charging at home and at work, in the summer I only use about 3 miles of engine for this journey. in typical winter it's more like 8-10 miles on electric overall.

I found on the some 250 mile runs I did with no charging (starting with 100% battery) I saw around 42-45mpg....not bad for a near 300bhp vehicle.

I am on my second battery pack as my 1000+ charges took it's toll on the first ones and my capacity had reduced by about 20%....some kind of memory effect. The battery pack has changed design apparently however the capacity is the same 6.2kwh.

I have a Nissan Leaf on order, simply because they are the only ones who seem to be able to offer a fully electric vehicle that you can actually order and get delivered in less than 6 months....plus it's EV from the ground up....usually I can't wait to get a new car but I don't want to let go of my c350e....lovely car....classy, feel happy and confident behind the wheel.

The Corm - How did you convince MB to swap the battery pack - did they give you any indication of the cost ?

 

[TheCorm]

The Corm - How did you convince MB to swap the battery pack - did they give you any indication of the cost ?

As you can imagine it took a lot of effort and nagging, not giving up, diagrams, explanations, evidence etc etc.

Worse than that i once arranged for them to take it for a week and sort that plus a couple of other niggles, they wasted most of the time while I drove around in a Fiat 500 (with my wife laughing at me in it)....they couldn't give me a loan car as I wanted it to go straight in one of the reasons being the home charge pack had broken....

But a month or so later MB finally gave in, they never told me the cost but I suspect at least a few thousand...

 

[wivenhoe]

As you can imagine it took a lot of effort and nagging, not giving up, diagrams, explanations, evidence etc etc.

Worse than that i once arranged for them to take it for a week and sort that plus a couple of other niggles, they wasted most of the time while I drove around in a Fiat 500 (with my wife laughing at me in it)....they couldn't give me a loan car as I wanted it to go straight in one of the reasons being the home charge pack had broken....

But a month or so later MB finally gave in, they never told me the cost but I suspect at least a few thousand...

I feared that it was a battle for you. The HVB warranty stipulates minimum power output from the battery for the B Class and Smart but not for the C or E. I intend (or I should say the wife is insisting) that I keep the E350e for years rather than in the past when I have chopped the car in after 18 months or so. I bought the car so wondering how much to set aside for when the battery fails when the car has done 62,001 miles or is 6 years and 1 day old !

 

[NickPlymouth]

Hello All - Happy New Year!

I knew it would happen eventually – I broke the charging flap. It was my own fault, I closed it but it must not have caught correctly and it popped open as I moved away and I knocked it. The flap broke near to the hinge, so the hinge and bumper are fine.

So, I went into my dealer and they quoted £260. I dropped the car in today for it to be done and I’ve just had a phone call to say they made a mistake and quoted for the wrong part (i.e. fuel filler flap, not charger flap) despite me taking the part and showing them and saying “it’s the charger flap”. The cost has now risen to £650!

This seems a lot more than has been discussed in the past – they say they have to remove and refit the bumper (not replace it), which is fair enough. They also say they cannot reuse the coloured cover, which is not the impression I got from others on here. I get the distinct feeling I’m being taken for a ride. Can anybody on here confirm how much they paid (and how long ago) and what exactly they had replaced?

I assume I am able to go to a local independent and get it done without any warranty repercussions?

Thanks.

Nick.

 

[TheCorm]

Hello All - Happy New Year!

I knew it would happen eventually – I broke the charging flap. It was my own fault, I closed it but it must not have caught correctly and it popped open as I moved away and I knocked it. The flap broke near to the hinge, so the hinge and bumper are fine.

So, I went into my dealer and they quoted £260. I dropped the car in today for it to be done and I’ve just had a phone call to say they made a mistake and quoted for the wrong part (i.e. fuel filler flap, not charger flap) despite me taking the part and showing them and saying “it’s the charger flap”. The cost has now risen to £650!

This seems a lot more than has been discussed in the past – they say they have to remove and refit the bumper (not replace it), which is fair enough. They also say they cannot reuse the coloured cover, which is not the impression I got from others on here. I get the distinct feeling I’m being taken for a ride. Can anybody on here confirm how much they paid (and how long ago) and what exactly they had replaced?

I assume I am able to go to a local independent and get it done without any warranty repercussions?

Thanks.

Nick.

I've never done this on mine though on the estate it feels more likely as it's so close to the corner....but surely if the hinge is good they can just replace the cover....or is there more damage....do you have a photo?

 

[Deleted member 126969]

That sounds expensive, but I suppose there is a pretty big labour cost in there as well with the bumper needing to come off. Any chance you can put it on insurance? Even domestic cover maybe?? It was an accident after all.

Always paranoid about the charge flap - such a poor design. The fuel flap isn't much better, but at least it's less prone to being caught by a leg.

 

[raspy]

Hello All - Happy New Year!

I knew it would happen eventually – I broke the charging flap. It was my own fault, I closed it but it must not have caught correctly and it popped open as I moved away and I knocked it. The flap broke near to the hinge, so the hinge and bumper are fine.

So, I went into my dealer and they quoted £260. I dropped the car in today for it to be done and I’ve just had a phone call to say they made a mistake and quoted for the wrong part (i.e. fuel filler flap, not charger flap) despite me taking the part and showing them and saying “it’s the charger flap”. The cost has now risen to £650!

This seems a lot more than has been discussed in the past – they say they have to remove and refit the bumper (not replace it), which is fair enough. They also say they cannot reuse the coloured cover, which is not the impression I got from others on here. I get the distinct feeling I’m being taken for a ride. Can anybody on here confirm how much they paid (and how long ago) and what exactly they had replaced?

I assume I am able to go to a local independent and get it done without any warranty repercussions?

Thanks.

Nick.

@NickPlymouth Oh dear. The flap is very poorly designed from a customer's perspective.

The £620 sounds like a scam to me. Yes, usually the existing coloured cover can be re-used, but the bumper needs to be removed, and they would need to plug into STAR diagnostics as sometimes some codes need to be reset once a bumper is removed and all the electronics reconnected.

I would just find a Mercedes approved bodyshop, who would probably be much closer to the £260 (or even lower) - Consider yourself lucky you don't have an E350e. If you break the charging flap/hinge, I hear it actually requires a brand new bumper. Not cheap at all!

 

[raspy]

I was thinking of upgrading later this year to an E350e. I rented a 2018 model today and tried it out. It had about 2,000 miles and was pretty much base spec AMG Line. It didn't seem any quieter than my C350e (maybe because I have acoustic side glass now?), nor more economical (I thought the 9 speed gearbox might help), and it felt slower too. Battery when charged was showing 14 miles, my C shows 13 miles.

The interior and widescreen dash were lovely, especially the ambient lighting. It came with fab looking AMG sports seats, which sadly triggered knee pain for me. Whilst the ride seemed to be more cushioned at times, there were other occasions when the steering felt very fidgety, with noticeable tramlining, and the tyre roar was very intrusive. I reckon it's because of the 19 inch 35 profile fat tyres. My C has 17s.

 

[wivenhoe]

I was thinking of upgrading later this year to an E350e. I rented a 2018 model today and tried it out. It had about 2,000 miles and was pretty much base spec AMG Line. It didn't seem any quieter than my C350e (maybe because I have acoustic side glass now?), nor more economical (I thought the 9 speed gearbox might help), and it felt slower too. Battery when charged was showing 14 miles, my C shows 13 miles.

The interior and widescreen dash were lovely, especially the ambient lighting. It came with fab looking AMG sports seats, which sadly triggered knee pain for me. Whilst the ride seemed to be more cushioned at times, there were other occasions when the steering felt very fidgety, with noticeable tramlining, and the tyre roar was very intrusive. I reckon it's because of the 19 inch 35 profile fat tyres. My C has 17s.

Try an SE - real leather and 18" 40 tyres. I think it is quieter than my C350e and I don't find any tramlining. I have had Continental winter tyres put on 17" winter alloys and haven't noticed any improvement in noise over the 18". I have the massage seats which they have stopped offering, still sport-like but the bolsters and everything else is adjustable and the bolsters 'blow up' to support when cornering ! The tech is much greater than my 65 C350e but that may all be available on the C now

 

[raspy]

Try an SE - real leather and 18" 40 tyres. I think it is quieter than my C350e and I don't find any tramlining. I have had Continental winter tyres put on 17" winter alloys and haven't noticed any improvement in noise over the 18". I have the massage seats which they have stopped offering, still sport-like but the bolsters and everything else is adjustable and the bolsters 'blow up' to support when cornering ! The tech is much greater than my 65 C350e but that may all be available on the C now

Cool. I might do that.

 

[raspy]

So I was browsing the pages of a Mercedes magazine today and I read a piece about residual values in the year ahead. This part caught my eye, which should appeal to us lot - I read somewhere else that Nottingham is adding ULEV cars to a bus lane in the city, which would enable C350e drivers to use the bus lane instead of having to sit in traffic (ULEV for Nottingham is under 75g/km of CO2 and at least 10 miles of zero emission range)

Alas, it turns out, we will no longer be eligible for exemption from London's congestion charge from April this year, only cars that are officially rated as 20 miles or more of zero emissions range can qualify, and our cars are rated at 19! I drive into London most days, and thought that buying this car would future proof me for a while.

 

[wivenhoe]

So I was browsing the pages of a Mercedes magazine today and I read a piece about residual values in the year ahead. This part caught my eye, which should appeal to us lot - I read somewhere else that Nottingham is adding ULEV cars to a bus lane in the city, which would enable C350e drivers to use the bus lane instead of having to sit in traffic (ULEV for Nottingham is under 75g/km of CO2 and at least 10 miles of zero emission range)

Alas, it turns out, we will no longer be eligible for exemption from London's congestion charge from April this year, only cars that are officially rated as 20 miles or more of zero emissions range can qualify, and our cars are rated at 19! I drive into London most days, and thought that buying this car would future proof me for a while.

View attachment 82470

This is really strange. I went to the congestion charge site and this took me to Select a search : Directgov - Car fuel data, CO2 and vehicle tax tools
I put in my 2018 E350e and on the details it says electric range is 21 certified. I put in a 2017 C350e and as you say, the electric range is 19 but I thought both cars had the same electric system ! Not complaining but puzzled.
I think residuals on plug in’s are much stronger than petrols & diesels. I think I got an excellent px on my C350e back last March. I bought it new for £ 35k in Sept 2015 (with virtually every option and list of £ 45k before Grant), put 25k on it over 30 months and got £ 22k = £ 430 / month and 63% residual. The px was not inflated as I got £ 10k off list on the E350e.

 

[raspy]

This is really strange. I went to the congestion charge site and this took me to Select a search : Directgov - Car fuel data, CO2 and vehicle tax tools
I put in my 2018 E350e and on the details it says electric range is 21 certified. I put in a 2017 C350e and as you say, the electric range is 19 but I thought both cars had the same electric system ! Not complaining but puzzled.
I think residuals on plug in’s are much stronger than petrols & diesels. I think I got an excellent px on my C350e back last March. I bought it new for £ 35k in Sept 2015 (with virtually every option and list of £ 45k before Grant), put 25k on it over 30 months and got £ 22k = £ 430 / month and 63% residual. The px was not inflated as I got £ 10k off list on the E350e.

I suspect it's the difference in aerodynamics that gives your car 2 miles extra range on the NEDC test.
E350e 0.23Cd, C350e 0.24Cd (to give you an idea how aerodynamic both cars are, Tesla's Model 3 is rated at 0.23Cd, and the latest Prius is 0.26Cd)

Another difference is your 9 speed box vs my 7 speed box.

Gosh, you did well on both the discount and the px.

 

[wivenhoe]

I suspect it's the difference in aerodynamics that gives your car 2 miles extra range on the NEDC test.
E350e 0.23Cd, C350e 0.24Cd (to give you an idea how aerodynamic both cars are, Tesla's Model 3 is rated at 0.23Cd, and the latest Prius is 0.26Cd)

Another difference is your 9 speed box vs my 7 speed box.

Gosh, you did well on both the discount and the px.

The px was helped by the embarrassment of the dealer as the E350e was originally promised for Sept but wasn’t delivered until March. That said, the used car guy did say that residuals had strengthened in 2017 and they shifted the car very quickly no doubt at a profit.
As I bought both cars through my Limited Company and at only 49gm I could offset 100% of the purchase against corporation tax so the actual cost was minimal. The £ 35k saved £ 7k so really cost £ 28k with £ 22k residual = £ 6k + £ 2k personal tax so including tax only £ 266 / month. That’s why so many businesses are happy to pay more for a plug-in, the tax saving is enormous compared to even a petrol. Whereas 100% of the purchase price of a plug-in can be offset, for a petrol with up to 135g/km then only 18% per year and above 135gm/km only 8%. Admittedly I should pay Corp tax on the residual but as I px’d against a new E350e I could then offset the difference this year

 

[NickPlymouth]

Hi all.
I'm going to need new tyres on the rear soon. I'm quite happy with the ones on there (bridegstone iirc) , but I wondered what others have fitted and would recommend.
Thanks .