C350e owners club

[DubMerc]

Thanks @seekay. Yes apart from the split tailgate feature, which my daughter thinks is the best thing ever, there isn't really anything else I would wish to have on my car from the 5 series touring. They are a nice looking car from the outside but the interior is only ok.
I know you were also looking at the 330e like myself. Again the finish on those is way behind the C350e

 

[DubMerc]

Thanks @JOSEPHPAUL Mine is similiar to Seekay's. It is just gone 80k and is January 2017.

 

[MercPassion]

Thanks @JOSEPHPAUL Mine is similiar to Seekay's. It is just gone 80k and is January 2017.

Thanks for that,much appreciated.So I would say overall from comments on this forum this car is great, the best economic C class.

 

[Deleted member 126969]

Apropos of not much, the car got petrol today after it kept bleating. It still had a good gallon left in it. I started keeping records a while back. Here are the results so far. Reinforces the basic question... why do I have a car at all?

 

[DubMerc]

Apropos of not much, the car got petrol today after it kept bleating. It still had a good gallon left in it. I started keeping records a while back. Here are the results so far. Reinforces the basic question... why do I have a car at all?

View attachment 110397

An EV would definitely suit you best based on those figures. Do you have another car Chris or is that you don't need to do much driving?

 

[Deleted member 126969]

An EV would definitely suit you best based on those figures. Do you have another car Chris or is that you don't need to do much driving?

I quite agree. I wanted a Tesla but just couldn’t bring myself to spend that much on a car at the time. I have 3 other cars too.....one I am hoping to sell soon, the other two are 2 seat fun cars, one of which I only recently finished building.

If I’d been buying the car more recently, I have no doubt I’d have bought a Tesla Model 3

 

[DubMerc]

@Chris-S That is interesting. Plenty to keep you busy there!! Would you ever consider converting one of your 2 seaters to EV? (provided of course that it could be converted).

 

[Deleted member 126969]

@Chris-S That is interesting. Plenty to keep you busy there!! Would you ever consider converting one of your 2 seaters to EV? (provided of course that it could be converted).

Not saying I won’t ever consider it, but in the fun cars, the sounds and smells of an ICE are part of the package for an old fossil like me. At the moment, any worthwhile EV conversion in terms of performance or range is an extremely expensive proposition, although that may improve over time as more EVs get scrapped.

 

[seekay]

I see the E350e now has a very reasonable price tag on the used market. What made you guys to choose the C-Class over the E-Class? The availability of the estate body type, khhmmm I mean T-Model as option? They’re both around similar price.

 

[DubMerc]

We were originally looking at the E-Class. Herself made me go for the C-Class! Being serious, we both really liked the E-Class but we felt it was that bit too big for getting in and out the driveway, going narrow streets with parked cars on both sides etc. and most of our driving is within 10-15km of home. If we were to spend more time on the motorway the E-Class would have made a bit more sense for us but probably not enough to sway it away from the C-Class.

 

[DubMerc]

I see the E350e now has a very reasonable price tag on the used market. What made you guys to choose the C-Class over the E-Class? The availability of the estate body type, khhmmm I mean T-Model as option? They’re both around similar price.

It is also striking that the E350e does not have the same popularity on here as the C350e. Is it that not very many were sold in the first place? Were there not the same level of BIK incentives?
I can see how a petrol phev would be less attractive for many than diesel in this size car. I see the new version also have diesel PHEV.

 

[bollidear]

A couple of thoughts on the C350e. Yes, it's been a good car for 2 years but not a great car. It's pretty damning on the build quality when the starter motor gives up at 45k and you have a £700 bill to sort it. There is clearly no point to the EV other than tax dodging, as the fuel economy at best, is poor. The App is the single worse thing ever produced by MB. Mine won't function as it says the battery is critically low. That's fine, except the car has no warnings, the Star is clear and the latest firmware installed - oh, and the error has been there for a year with no issues with the battery. Having to pay for virtually every function of the App is also a rip-off. My final issue is that the front discs need changing, but does anyone know if the hybrid discs are special in any way, other than being bigger - presumably to house the regen units?? I've not taken them off, but looking for any tips on replacements and how much of a task it is. I've done plenty before - but as I say, wasn't sure how the regen affected the disc type and replacement.

 

[Deleted member 126969]

Nothing special about the C350e brakes at the wheels - totally conventional. The regen is handled by the electric motor. The blending of mechanical braking and regeneration braking is another matter, but that doesn't impact the actual wheel brakes as I say.

This Brembo part number will get you a front disc. 09.D529.23 Matches the OEM part number A 000 421 22 12

Front discs are fine but don't forget, you need a suitable diagnostic box to wind back the rear calipers before doing those.

I agree that MB are certainly milking the app for all it's worth as far as monetising it goes, and I also agree it's pretty iffy. The only thing I want mine for is pre-entry climate control and every time it actually works is a surprise.

I was always a bit concerned about start motor life given the frequency with which the car starts and stops the ICE as you nimble along.

 

[seekay]

I was always a bit concerned about start motor life given the frequency with which the car starts and stops the ICE as you nimble along.

@Chris-S Did a little digging and the 330e also had lots of issues with the starter... the only difference is there was a recall and BMW replaced those starters for free of charge. Who knows, maybe MB will follow the same path eventually.

 

[Deleted member 126969]

@Chris-S Did a little digging and the 330e also had lots of issues with the starter... the only difference is there was a recall and BMW replaced those starters for free of charge. Who knows, maybe MB will follow the same path eventually.

Good job I wasn’t drinking when I read this.....I’d have choked. MB doing the right thing? Not going to happen.

Interesting but not surprising the 330e had issues too. It’s a fundamentally flawed design IMO. Clearly MB agree as they've eliminated the starter on the newer cars. A half hour journey can see the engine stop & start dozens of times. Hard to imagine MB didn’t have issue with this when they tested the cars during development.

 

[seekay]

Good job I wasn’t drinking when I read this.....I’d have choked. MB doing the right thing? Not going to happen.

Interesting but not surprising the 330e had issues too. It’s a fundamentally flawed design IMO. Clearly MB agree as they've eliminated the starter on the newer cars. A half hour journey can see the engine stop & start dozens of times. Hard to imagine MB didn’t have issue with this when they tested the cars during development.

Just wondering how many previously reported issues and angry customers need to be prior to a global recall campaign?
After owning two BMWs in the past 6 years and knowing a few colleagues as BMW-addicts, it’s just hard to imagine they would do ‘better’ customer aftercare than MB, however the 330e was recalled in this regard for some reason.

ahh...about recalls. I remember @Chris-S you mentioned your car had a few recalls, can you please elaborate this a little bit? My car is a 66 plate (registered Jan 2017), am just trying to find out if my car was also affected in those recalls and whether the recall job was actually done or not.

 

[Deleted member 126969]

Clockspring was one, 12V battery cable routing another. Try this site to see if yours is up to date. Check if a vehicle, part or accessory has been recalled

I’ll check the car folder later for the formal notices and report back.

My old Jeep is pretty good, I can put the VIN into a Chrysler website and it lists everything in full detail. No idea if MB offer the same.

.....here you go. How can I verify if my vehicle is involved in a recall?

A, scratch that, that link takes you to a US site that won’t accept a UK VIN. I’ll try again later

This one. Current measures

It only shows if anything is outstanding though, not any previous recalls. Not very transparent IMO

 

[grober]

Put petrol in the car last March in readiness for a trip to the airport....well, we all know what happened next......anyhoo, getting close to having to go and get some more now.

Yes, this is 1 years use on the same tank of fuel.

View attachment 110187


As you can probably guess, we don't use it much and we don't go very far......which further contributes to my ire at my decision to buy it in the first place.

 

[grober]

I would caution against leaving todays alcohol containing fuel for almost a year in a car's tank and fuel system. While its good for the wallet and local environment most car fuel systems benefit from regular use as designed.- rough rule of thumb might be one journey in 5/7 done on fuel alone despite the penalty and if this EV only driving became a regular pattern a half tank fill to keep things fresh?

 

[Deleted member 126969]

I would caution against leaving todays alcohol containing fuel for almost a year in a car's tank and fuel system. While its good for the wallet and local environment most car fuel systems benefit from regular use as designed.- rough rule of thumb might be one journey in 5/7 done on fuel alone despite the penalty and if this EV only driving became a regular pattern a half tank fill to keep things fresh?

Only use premium now, to avoid just this problem. Worst case it can have 5% but usually less or zero.

The engine gets used often enough, just not for very long, and yes, that’s not ideal either.