st4
Banned
Following on from this thread
http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/general-discussion/100573-mercedes-melt-down-man-aa-4.html
Mobilo (Mercedes breakdown) as they are known operated by Mondial have recovered my car. The job of retrieving my car to MB Glasgow (they said they only would take it to the nearest MB dealer) was subcontracted to a local garage/tow firm.
The service was absolutely fantastic that I got on Friday
12:15 – phone call to say car was broken down. They’d say they’d call back within the hour. They did. They also arrange a Mercedes car through Enterprise
14:00 Tow truck arrives. No merc technician but the car was low loadered away.
15:00 Enterprise calls, we have a Mercedes E220cdi for you, because you live far away and we cannot deliver to you, can we collect you. A very nice woman comes and picks me up at 4pm and drives me there.
16:30 She arrives.
17:30 I am at the wheel of a 59 Reg plate E220cdi Sports 212 with every option bar memory seats on it.
Anyway, although there is a dealer bashing nature to a lot of threads and this rubs off on Mercedes, the service I have had has been nothing short of exceptional, and an inspiration I will take with me in my employment for a lifetime. The service I have received is really making me reconsider the merits of a specialist service my car as I would not get this and would have to organize a hire car, and it would be a right crapper in comparison to this. The dealer may be gash, and if I had a more reliable car a specialist the way to go, but that’s 2 breakdowns in 5 months. If this becomes a trend, I will stick with the dealers to get this Mobilo. Its world class.
The car itself.
The 212 possesses a far nicer ride quality whilst retaining at least the level of poise, grip as my car. The steering is better, and I would say its handling is better than my car whilst riding a lot better.
The steering is very positive and direct. Much more so than my car and a different level altogether than a non sports 211.
The engine is the 170bhp blue efficiency unit. The accelerator pedal has a lot shorter travel than the 211 which is a plus, it feels more direct to drive. However there is a reluctance when moving off, and it will be that de-coupling device which disengages the drivetrain when stationary to save a drop of fuel. Livable with for sure but not as good.
The engine is night and day superior to my old 220cdi. The power is ample, not merely sufficient and is fine for pretty much everyone. Its only at higher speeds will you notice it to be slower. I would be satisfied with it 95% of the time, but never thrilled with it like my 320cdi does.
The gearbox is the 5spd box one. One drive of this car highlights everything that is wrong with the 7g box. The biggest lasting impression is that this box is infinitely superior to the newer 7g box. I for that reason alone would be inclined to discount 6 and 8 cylinder models purely for the fact that this transmission is marvelous and a real credit to Mercedes. It also has flappy paddles and these are a godsend.
The specification. It has COMAND. The nav is nice to have in the main screen but compared to a Tom Tom inputting details is slow, awkward and highly irritating. The integrated nature is all that it has in its favour. The sound system, it’s cracking. Fabulous. Parktronic, it works and is good to have on a large car.
The cabin itself, more modern than the 211 and at the moment its someways better and someways merely a lateral move. The instrumentation is fine but the way I sit means the steering wheel blocks some of it, and the worrying bit is the flashers in the speedo display are not visable as the thick wheel blocks this and the stop of the speedo. I also think the “bars” for the speedtronic display are too small, the 211 was more intuitive.
The biggest failing, and the only real one for the 212 is the seating and to an extent the driving position that follows. For me to get my wrists to rest on top of the wheel I need to have the wheel very low and that blocks the view of some of the display. This is a direct consequence of the seat not being able to be lowered. Its set far far to high, a lot higher than the 211. The other major failing of the seating is that the seat base is too short and does not support the thighs well enough or along them. The design of the headrests are better, less intrusive on the neck. I will attempt to fine tune the driving position of the 212 but on first impressions is not as good as a 211.
http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/general-discussion/100573-mercedes-melt-down-man-aa-4.html
Mobilo (Mercedes breakdown) as they are known operated by Mondial have recovered my car. The job of retrieving my car to MB Glasgow (they said they only would take it to the nearest MB dealer) was subcontracted to a local garage/tow firm.
The service was absolutely fantastic that I got on Friday
12:15 – phone call to say car was broken down. They’d say they’d call back within the hour. They did. They also arrange a Mercedes car through Enterprise
14:00 Tow truck arrives. No merc technician but the car was low loadered away.
15:00 Enterprise calls, we have a Mercedes E220cdi for you, because you live far away and we cannot deliver to you, can we collect you. A very nice woman comes and picks me up at 4pm and drives me there.
16:30 She arrives.
17:30 I am at the wheel of a 59 Reg plate E220cdi Sports 212 with every option bar memory seats on it.
Anyway, although there is a dealer bashing nature to a lot of threads and this rubs off on Mercedes, the service I have had has been nothing short of exceptional, and an inspiration I will take with me in my employment for a lifetime. The service I have received is really making me reconsider the merits of a specialist service my car as I would not get this and would have to organize a hire car, and it would be a right crapper in comparison to this. The dealer may be gash, and if I had a more reliable car a specialist the way to go, but that’s 2 breakdowns in 5 months. If this becomes a trend, I will stick with the dealers to get this Mobilo. Its world class.
The car itself.
The 212 possesses a far nicer ride quality whilst retaining at least the level of poise, grip as my car. The steering is better, and I would say its handling is better than my car whilst riding a lot better.
The steering is very positive and direct. Much more so than my car and a different level altogether than a non sports 211.
The engine is the 170bhp blue efficiency unit. The accelerator pedal has a lot shorter travel than the 211 which is a plus, it feels more direct to drive. However there is a reluctance when moving off, and it will be that de-coupling device which disengages the drivetrain when stationary to save a drop of fuel. Livable with for sure but not as good.
The engine is night and day superior to my old 220cdi. The power is ample, not merely sufficient and is fine for pretty much everyone. Its only at higher speeds will you notice it to be slower. I would be satisfied with it 95% of the time, but never thrilled with it like my 320cdi does.
The gearbox is the 5spd box one. One drive of this car highlights everything that is wrong with the 7g box. The biggest lasting impression is that this box is infinitely superior to the newer 7g box. I for that reason alone would be inclined to discount 6 and 8 cylinder models purely for the fact that this transmission is marvelous and a real credit to Mercedes. It also has flappy paddles and these are a godsend.
The specification. It has COMAND. The nav is nice to have in the main screen but compared to a Tom Tom inputting details is slow, awkward and highly irritating. The integrated nature is all that it has in its favour. The sound system, it’s cracking. Fabulous. Parktronic, it works and is good to have on a large car.
The cabin itself, more modern than the 211 and at the moment its someways better and someways merely a lateral move. The instrumentation is fine but the way I sit means the steering wheel blocks some of it, and the worrying bit is the flashers in the speedo display are not visable as the thick wheel blocks this and the stop of the speedo. I also think the “bars” for the speedtronic display are too small, the 211 was more intuitive.
The biggest failing, and the only real one for the 212 is the seating and to an extent the driving position that follows. For me to get my wrists to rest on top of the wheel I need to have the wheel very low and that blocks the view of some of the display. This is a direct consequence of the seat not being able to be lowered. Its set far far to high, a lot higher than the 211. The other major failing of the seating is that the seat base is too short and does not support the thighs well enough or along them. The design of the headrests are better, less intrusive on the neck. I will attempt to fine tune the driving position of the 212 but on first impressions is not as good as a 211.
