C350e owners club

[wivenhoe]

Glad that overall you are enjoying it. Like you, initially I missed the headlamp washer but after 2 full winters I can say the car doesn't need it.
Unfortunately you need the Premium Pack for full electric seats with memory.
Only raised the car twice - it is so small it is hard to think when it would be useful !
Mine is Black and keeps the local hand car wash employed
Get to know the Favourites - e.g. I initially found it very retrograde not to have the radio station preselects as buttons as in previous Merc's - once you set your radio presets it's very easy to access them in any screen plus you can set favourite destinations etc.
I have had my car 2 years and it hasn't let me down in 20k miles.
I am trading up to E350e only because I miss the bigger car - the C350e has been a great car for me - I hope you enjoy yours as much as I have mine.
I downloaded the MB Guides app and found that to be the most user friendly manual - forgive me if you already have found it !

http://www.mercedes-benz.co.uk/cont.../mercedes-benz-apps/mercedes-benz-guides.html

 

[TheCorm]

Hi,
Two months of ownership and the good and the bad.
Good
Not yet run in but sport+ is powerful. Well if you've come from a Golf GTD.
There's a bit of a challenge trying to be economical.
The hepatic foot pedal is err nice.
The gearbox almost shifts seamlessly.
Fake leather as standard.
Brilliant blue with the night pack looks darker and meaner.
I have Gtechniq detailing by DDB https://www.facebook.com/DDBDetailing/
LED headlights as standard.
Electric seats as standard.
Cheaper than a Golf GTD to lease.

Bad.
You need Bill Gates to figure out the computer.
Stephen Hawking to work out the modes.
If the electric seats move the back rest and seat height why not fore and aft.
Has anyone seen the car raise its self with fandabbydosy suspension.
Why doesn't the car just hold rather than the double press of the brake.
Almost seamless gear changes.
Does any one use the gear changing paddles?
No headlight washers.
Mercedes should be in security as getting through the Mercedes me initiation would foil the most determined of terrorists.
I haven't washed it yet!
Does any one know Bill Gates and Stephen Hawking.

Just a few observations. Great car even with the minor traits.
Thanks

I found the haptic pedal much more annoying and a gimmick than something useful, it used to tap at me when I was accelerating moderately on the motorway.

The modes take a while but you'll get there, the computer and in car entertainment is poor and complicated.

I agree on the electric seats.

I have used the suspension riser a few times, you don't feel much difference inside but get out and look at the arches, it stays up after you turn the car off.

I hardly ever use the paddles changes because the 7Gtronic is so good I don't see the point.

I've never had headlight washers so don't miss them

Jamie

 

[350e]

My Rolec Chargepod has stopped functioning and I wonder if anyone has a view about the difficultly of repairing it.

Looking at the image below I am suspicious of the discolouration of the socket face.
Do they all look like that after a couple of years or is it an indication of a surge perhaps which has left permanent damage to wiring within ?

I have an electrician calling on Monday and I wonder if the Pod is damaged if it can be easily repaired by an electrician. Sadly Rolec told me that the warranty is for just a year but on a brighter note they said that there are no moving parts so there is little that can go wrong.

 

[350e]

I found the haptic pedal much more annoying and a gimmick than something useful, it used to tap at me when I was accelerating moderately on the motorway.

The modes take a while but you'll get there, the computer and in car entertainment is poor and complicated.

I agree on the electric seats.

I have used the suspension riser a few times, you don't feel much difference inside but get out and look at the arches, it stays up after you turn the car off.

I hardly ever use the paddles changes because the 7Gtronic is so good I don't see the point.

I've never had headlight washers so don't miss them

Jamie

I think the Haptic pedal is of great value if economy is important.
Plainly if the intention is to pass traffic in front when your car comes in range of the traffic in front the system will function.
However isn’t the case that the feature is only available when driving in E Mode ?

 

[derekthetree]

I think the Haptic pedal is of great value if economy is important.
Plainly if the intention is to pass traffic in front when your car comes in range of the traffic in front the system will function.
However isn’t the case that the feature is only available when driving in E Mode ?

You can set it to be active via individual mode

 

[mknight1701]

So my windscreen cracked. Not a big deal, of course, ring Autoglass direct which is connected to the insurance, brill.
Did it online and included details of ensuring the original manufacturers is installed. Got a follow-up call confirming the appointment and so begins the inconveniences.
The only center that can perform the replacement for the C class, due to the features on the windscreen, is 40 miles away and it's this center that can perform the calibrations. The job is also advised to take 1.5 to 2 hrs.
So I take the car and the technician was confident and reckoned it would be done within 1.5hrs. Great!

2.5hr later I start to see a gathering around the car and 5 minutes later the technician comes to chat with me. There's a problem. The glass is faulty and for this reason, he can't get the left side (when in the car) of the box which sits against the glass, flush against the glass. He said because of this the lane assist isn't functioning.
So this is disappointing news and I'm advised that Autoglass will reorder the glass and arrange a new appointment. Off I go, 40 miles home.

On route, I discover that the following features also don't work. The technician didn't scroll through the errors.
Lane Assist
Steering Assist
Presafe
Intelligent LED (High beam control)
Traffic Sign Assist

After more than a week and 2 calls to Autoglass, I discover that no additional appointment has been made for me, so I'd have never been called back!
More interestingly, Mercedes have been providing a batch of faulty glass and Autoglass are awaiting a resolution by Mercedes following which I'll get my callback.

Meanwhile, and only after a few months of owning the car, I really miss my broken features. I just hope I don't have a reason to miss PreSafe too. I've no idea how long I'll be waiting.

So for those also needing glass, I suggest getting the glass repairer to double check the glass he has before changing it unless of course your glass isn't legal with the current damage.

tl;dr - From inside the car, the left sensor on the windscreen is for Lane Assist, Steering Assist, Presafe, Intelligent LED (High beam control) & Traffic Sign Assist.
Autoglass have a batch of faulty glass and are awaiting a resolution and new glass to be delivered.

 

[TheCorm]

So my windscreen cracked. Not a big deal, of course, ring Autoglass direct which is connected to the insurance, brill.
Did it online and included details of ensuring the original manufacturers is installed. Got a follow-up call confirming the appointment and so begins the inconveniences.
The only center that can perform the replacement for the C class, due to the features on the windscreen, is 40 miles away and it's this center that can perform the calibrations. The job is also advised to take 1.5 to 2 hrs.
So I take the car and the technician was confident and reckoned it would be done within 1.5hrs. Great!

2.5hr later I start to see a gathering around the car and 5 minutes later the technician comes to chat with me. There's a problem. The glass is faulty and for this reason, he can't get the left side (when in the car) of the box which sits against the glass, flush against the glass. He said because of this the lane assist isn't functioning.
So this is disappointing news and I'm advised that Autoglass will reorder the glass and arrange a new appointment. Off I go, 40 miles home.

On route, I discover that the following features also don't work. The technician didn't scroll through the errors.
Lane Assist
Steering Assist
Presafe
Intelligent LED (High beam control)
Traffic Sign Assist

After more than a week and 2 calls to Autoglass, I discover that no additional appointment has been made for me, so I'd have never been called back!
More interestingly, Mercedes have been providing a batch of faulty glass and Autoglass are awaiting a resolution by Mercedes following which I'll get my callback.

Meanwhile, and only after a few months of owning the car, I really miss my broken features. I just hope I don't have a reason to miss PreSafe too. I've no idea how long I'll be waiting.

So for those also needing glass, I suggest getting the glass repairer to double check the glass he has before changing it unless of course your glass isn't legal with the current damage.

tl;dr - From inside the car, the left sensor on the windscreen is for Lane Assist, Steering Assist, Presafe, Intelligent LED (High beam control) & Traffic Sign Assist.
Autoglass have a batch of faulty glass and are awaiting a resolution and new glass to be delivered.

When my screen got cracked I had to take mine to an Autoglass centre because of calibration.

I am in the weird situation where despite not having any of those assist features you have, I have two sensor triangles in my screen that seem to serve no purpose on my vehicle and Mercedes can't explain why.

When I took it to the centre he said it didn't need that level of calibration because it didn't have anything in the triangles on the screen.

Did you ask for proper Mercedes glass, most insurance companies will happily cover this but if you don't ask you'll get compatible glass without the Carl Benz signature.....some lease companies will consider this an unacceptable repair (only relevant if leasing of course).

Hope it gets sorted soon, that must be annoying losing features!

 

[mknight1701]

When my screen got cracked I had to take mine to an Autoglass centre because of calibration.



I am in the weird situation where despite not having any of those assist features you have, I have two sensor triangles in my screen that seem to serve no purpose on my vehicle and Mercedes can't explain why.



When I took it to the centre he said it didn't need that level of calibration because it didn't have anything in the triangles on the screen.



Did you ask for proper Mercedes glass, most insurance companies will happily cover this but if you don't ask you'll get compatible glass without the Carl Benz signature.....some lease companies will consider this an unacceptable repair (only relevant if leasing of course).



Hope it gets sorted soon, that must be annoying losing features!

It's odd that Merc can't explain it. My only logic is the car was set up for the features maybe on a different order but the car became yours for some reason.

Because of this thread, I specifically asked for the Merc glass.
It is annoying to not have the features. I miss the steering assist the most and the intelligent LEDs second.


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[Joe Blank]

I don't use the manual paddles in regular driving, but they will let you choose a higher gear in eg snow so you can get some traction.

(Beside the point, but a friend of mine once loaded up the boot of his BMW Z3 with bags of gravel "to get some traction" in the snow and turned it into a pendulum with, of course, hilarious consequences the first time he touched the brakes.)

 

[mknight1701]

Has anyone assessed the impact on fuel to charge when driving specifically on the motorway cruising at the speed limit?


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[Dodgy]

Has anyone assessed the impact on fuel to charge when driving specifically on the motorway cruising at the speed limit?


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I was doing 70mph on a dual carriageway on Monday using e-save for the first time ever. I've had the car for over a year and I've used park assist once and e-save once. What am I playing at?

With e-save on I was doing roughly 35mpg. It's not easy to see precisely on the fuel monitor, but it wasn't 40mpg. I noticed that the battery charge was slowly increasing to 65% then it stopped. Straight away I was doing about 55mpg.

I was really surprised the difference could be that big. Not sure when I'll get a chance to try it again, but I need to know if it's normal.


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[CaptainChaos]

Are you sure that was under E-SAVE and not CHARGE?

 

[Dodgy]

Are you sure that was under E-SAVE and not CHARGE?

Yes, but I had to double-check. I assume that CHARGE works much faster than E-SAVE and can take the battery level above 65%.

From the name of the mode, I'd expected it to stay at the same battery level, but when I check online there's conflicting information available, including: "e-save still uses the engine and the electric motor together, but puts a priority on keeping the battery at full charge". It seems that keeping the battery at full charge might also mean moving the battery slowly towards full charge.

I'd be interested to hear if it does something else in other people's cars.


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[CaptainChaos]

I'll have a look as I use E-SAVE quite a bit, but as you, I'd assumed it simply kept the battery for later use.

 

[Rassiloth]

I'll have a look as I use E-SAVE quite a bit, but as you, I'd assumed it simply kept the battery for later use.

I think that's the main purpose. However, any braking etc will trickle more charge in via regenerative braking.



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[Dodgy]

I think that's the main purpose. However, any braking etc will trickle more charge in via regenerative braking.



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I was at a constant 70mpg, with the economy display on the main screen and the energy flow indicator on the smaller screen.

At first, the charge very slowly increased to 65%, with the energy flow screen confirming that it was charging. Then it stopped and held steady at 65%, which is when the economy improved.

I need to see if it does the same thing next time I get the chance, because it's not what I expected. Should be able to do that on Sunday.


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[mknight1701]

I think that's the main purpose. However, any braking etc will trickle more charge in via regenerative braking.



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I use E-save and see a charge but agree it's from the regenerative charging. It's not enough to provide a full charge under the same circumstances below.

When I use Charge, it can go from 20-100% in 30miles or so at 70+ mph and I tried to monitor the mpg gauge on the dash and revs as I switched from hybrid to charge and couldn't distinguish a difference on the mpg bar or revs.
I'm wondering, when cruising, the cars alternator has all the revs it needs. I have seen an increase in revs when standing still or moving slow.



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[mknight1701]

I've still not had a replacement screen or my sensors repaired, 3 weeks after the original replacement! Autoglass informed me again its due to faulty glass by Mercedes and I've been informed I have to go to Merc for them to review the calibration.


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[Rassiloth]

I use E-save and see a charge but agree it's from the regenerative charging. It's not enough to provide a full charge under the same circumstances below.

When I use Charge, it can go from 20-100% in 30miles or so at 70+ mph and I tried to monitor the mpg gauge on the dash and revs as I switched from hybrid to charge and couldn't distinguish a difference on the mpg bar or revs.
I'm wondering, when cruising, the cars alternator has all the revs it needs. I have seen an increase in revs when standing still or moving slow.



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From what I've read, the main difference is that in 'charge' the electric is not available at all. Thus you are driving purely on the ICE.

On E-Save it's still a hybrid, albeit one that is minimising electric use.


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[Brollyman]

I took delivery of my C350e Estate yesterday so no doubt I'll be able to say more about it over the coming weeks and months however a couple of observations from me:

The colour is superb - I ordered Diamond Silver having never actually seen this colour in the flesh (or at least I didn't know I had). I'm now arguing with my better half about whether it is blue or silver. I vote blue! It really stands out against the silver rep mobiles out there that seem so ubiquitous on the roads. Hopefully it won't show the dust too much.

On the subject of dust - that centre console...... I went for the basic sport model (for P11D reasons) so it has the fingerprint magnet shiny black finish. I've invested in a soft microfibre cloth to keep in the glovebox as I can't stand seeing the fine coating of dust that's already showing up! Who on earth thought that glossy surfaces in areas that are going to be touched on a daily basis was a good idea?

Disappointed that the car was delivered with the 4 metre home charging cable instead of the 8 metre cable that I specified. Nationwide Vehicle Contracts tell me they are sorting this and have raised a complaint with their supplier. The had better get it sorted as I had my outside plug socket fitted based on it being an 8m model.

I'm coming from an E350 saloon so any economy figures better than 30mpg would be a bonus and the circa £250 a month saving on benefit in kind tax will be much appreciated.

I've only driven about 30 miles so far but I'll be taking it out for the day today. Let's see if it is as good as I think it will be.