First ever Mercedes

[MSG2004]

In Central Scotland I'd suggest you either fit all season tyres if available in your sizes, or source a set of winter wheels and tyres and swop them at the appropriate time each year. My C class estates were/are useless in snow on summer tyres, winter wheels and tyres transformed them - but down here we normally get little snow so I've gone all seasons on the S204.

I bought my first MB in 2003 and have had a couple of C classes and a brand new GLE in 2016

Re tyres. We moved house about 14/15 years ago. One day ret from work, there was a massive snowstorm, unexpected amounts.
Cars were stuck all over the place. The 20 min trip took me two hours. Got to our close and I thought I'd stop and drive in slow as I did not want to slip into the hedge.
It was a C class, petrol saloon. There is a slight gradient and the car would just not move from the spot - two others tried to push the car made no difference.

My son recommended at the time, winter contact tyres/Contis - luckily the next day rang around and Kiwifit about 10 miles from where we lived had a pair of tyres - wheels were staggered sizes. Got those on the back of the car. Drove out of K/fit, went up a slight hill and decided to stop and go, the car moved, the car manage easily compacted snow and hills, stop/start - I'm not joking when I say, it drove better on snow than my current 4x4 gle. The tyres make a massive difference

Re warranty - they will play you around and at your mileage - put a certain amount away each month is what I recommend
Good luck with your new car

 

[CamThomson]

Hi,

I just wanted to write a quick post to say I've had the E280 for 9 months now and thoroughly enjoying it. Entirely subjective but I'd still argue that the Volvo seats have superior comfort but the overall driving experience is on another level, especially on longer journeys. This car does everything. As a large family we regularly use the rear facing boot seats. I have also carried bulky and heavy loads to the skip and love watching the self levelling suspension work it's magic. The car performs extremely well even when fully loaded. I was also very impressed with how quiet and smooth it is with bikes and a roofbox attached. I have serviced the gearbox and replaced the rear air pillows but that's about it. What a machine. I can't seem to get the auto retracting parcel shelf to work but that's about it. If anyone has any tips

 

[sidehustleveteran]

Hi All,

I have just purchased my first Merc. As I live in central Scotland I have always been put off by the RWD in winter, however I couldn't turn down a 2009 E-Class 280 CDI (211) sport with 7 seats and 90k miles, 1 lady owner and full Mercedes service history for a good price. These cars in my opinion are stunning to look at and drive superbly compared to what I'm used to.....Skoda's and VW's. The car has had superb maintenance and the bodywork is great. I am a little nervous about the cost of maintenance going forward so really wanted to know if there are any tried and tested warranty companies that the enthusiasts can recommend to me? Struggling to find any that provide warranty for the car.

Regards

Cameron

I've had an E220 for 13 years with 171k on the clock and personally wouldn't bother with a warranty. I've just kept mine serviced and when things have broken/worn out, it's never been extortionate to repair

 

[CamThomson]

I bought my first MB in 2003 and have had a couple of C classes and a brand new GLE in 2016

Re tyres. We moved house about 14/15 years ago. One day ret from work, there was a massive snowstorm, unexpected amounts.
Cars were stuck all over the place. The 20 min trip took me two hours. Got to our close and I thought I'd stop and drive in slow as I did not want to slip into the hedge.
It was a C class, petrol saloon. There is a slight gradient and the car would just not move from the spot - two others tried to push the car made no difference.

My son recommended at the time, winter contact tyres/Contis - luckily the next day rang around and Kiwifit about 10 miles from where we lived had a pair of tyres - wheels were staggered sizes. Got those on the back of the car. Drove out of K/fit, went up a slight hill and decided to stop and go, the car moved, the car manage easily compacted snow and hills, stop/start - I'm not joking when I say, it drove better on snow than my current 4x4 gle. The tyres make a massive difference

Re warranty - they will play you around and at your mileage - put a certain amount away each month is what I recommend
Good luck with your new car

Great advice, thanks for the post. Sold, set of winter tyres it is then. They're not cheap for this beast though. I've read a lot of positive reviews on various all season tyres too. Michelin crossclimates seem rank highly for snow and mud grip aswell as durability.

 

[CamThomson]

I've had an E220 for 13 years with 171k on the clock and personally wouldn't bother with a warranty. I've just kept mine serviced and when things have broken/worn out, it's never been extortionate to repair

13 years, wow that's rare now for people to keep their car for that long so testament to the E220! Sorry, I forgot to mention that I ended up getting a 2 year warranty included with the car. Probably not very good but a lot of parts are covered including steering rack, wheel bearing, auto gear box failure, turbo changer etc. I agree with you about putting a little away each month for maintenance though. Good idea.