New ownership and pics of the 2011 C220 Sport

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Thanks. :thumb:
The snowfoam lance and snowfoam itelf were from Mark at Autobryte Direct within a Detailing World discounted group buy.
The Lance is a Karcher fitment to suit my powerwash. The snowfoam was their own, which has proved excellent. I mix it with warm water as it ensures you get a very good 'foam'.
I went on to buy a lot of other products through them as I found the service and advice to be very good, plus they gave me a discount which was nice. :D
This is the company: Autobrite Direct - Home

Sounds great! This the stuff? Autobrite Super Snow Foam Concentrate
 

I think it is.
My deal was lance and two tubs of snowfoam so it's lasted ages (you only use a small amount per wash) so the labelling is different but I think they have just revamped that a little since I bought as the description looks the same.
The product you linked to is what I'll be buying soon (or the Magifoam as looking on DW that appears to be very good too) as I will need to buy some more and I'm happy to stick with Autobrite. :)

Magifoam in use (pics) : http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=257014
 
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I think it is.
My deal was lance and two tubs of snowfoam so it's lasted ages (you only use a small amount per wash) so the labelling is different but I think they have just revamped that a little since I bought as the description looks the same.
The product you linked to is what I'll be buying soon (or the Magifoam as looking on DW that appears to be very good too) as I will need to buy some more and I'm happy to stick with Autobrite. :)

Magifoam in use (pics) : Nissan GTR V's MAGIFOAM - Detailing World

Just had a look at the pics it's actually this stuff MagiFoam - The Ultimate Pre Wash Foam read loads of reviews on it and it sounds great. How did you come about a group buy?
 
Just had a look at the pics it's actually this stuff MagiFoam - The Ultimate Pre Wash Foam read loads of reviews on it and it sounds great. How did you come about a group buy?

Yes, thats the alternative I'm thinking of trying. A little more £ but looks like it might be worth it. The group buy was just a thread listed on the DW forum which I tagged onto but it was a fair time ago.
 
Yes, thats the alternative I'm thinking of trying. A little more £ but looks like it might be worth it. The group buy was just a thread listed on the DW forum which I tagged onto but it was a fair time ago.

Did a litre last you long?
 
Did a litre last you long?

I got 10 litres in total (x2 5L) and once I'd stopped being giddy and properly sorted out how much to use its lasted years!
When I replenish I'll buy 5L as the cost saving compared with 1L(and then time it lasts) will make it worthwhile.
 
I got 10 litres in total (x2 5L) and once I'd stopped being giddy and properly sorted out how much to use its lasted years!
When I replenish I'll buy 5L as the cost saving compared with 1L(and then time it lasts) will make it worthwhile.

Thanks very much, i'll definitely be purchasing some of the magifoam (most likely the 5L). There is a guy on ebay selling it cheaper and it's down the road from my work.
 
Just spoke to the guy near work and he can do the 5L at £17 a tub if I get 5+ if you are interested?

Is that delivered and with a dispenser? Or is carriage to me (SK13) on top?
Only ask as, now I've looked Autobrite also have a group buy on magifoam at £25 delivered (5L) with a dispenser.
Detailing World
That said, I'm not in any immediate rush for it as I'm a month or two away from using the snowfoam up.
 
delivery is £7.14 and it doesn't include the dispenser.

So thats £17 + £7.14 = £24.14 from your ebay chap or £25 from Autobrite with 5L applicator.
I'll have a think, but, from experience of the 5 litre tubs without applicators (what I've currently got) the applicator is worth 86p as I've spilt a fair bit of snowfoam being too lazy to use a funnell when putting snow foam into the lance bottle. :doh:
 
So thats £17 + £7.14 = £24.14 from your ebay chap or £25 from Autobrite with 5L applicator.
I'll have a think, but, from experience of the 5 litre tubs without applicators (what I've currently got) the applicator is worth 86p as I've spilt a fair bit of snowfoam being too lazy to use a funnell when putting snow foam into the lance bottle. :doh:

Ok no problem. It's turning into a bit of a ball ache tbh. I'll just go and pick one up for £20
 
Bit of an update/summary as we approach two years of ownership and just over 20k miles covered. The car has just had its second service (B) and its been fine. No issues at all.


Pros.

Its a comfy mile muncher. When you first sit in the seat it feels awkward (always has) but after a few minutes you get comfy. I've always found this a little odd, but feeling fresh after a four hour drive tells it's own story.

Economy has been good. Averaging late 40's with our mix of use which is what we had expected. It's never reached the acclaimed figures, but we never thought they were achievable in (our) real life.

Looks. Personal, but I think the Sport with 7 spoke alloys is still the best looking C Class Saloon.

Command. Just works. Very very impressive piece of kit. Always thought they were too expensive, but now I've had one I'd prefer to not be without in my next car. Fortunately it was a 'free upgrade' this time (125 edition) or I wouldn't have found out just how good it is and how much it adds to the driving experience.

7 Speed Auto box. It can sometimes feel to be hunting for a second when in 'E' mode in certain conditions (I didn't initially notice this), but overall its been impressive. In 'S' its good fun and kickdown gives it a reasonable turn of pace. I've nerver felt the need to use the manual paddle shift and if I've tried I've got bored quickly. Overall so far I've been impressed with the auto box.

Auto lights / Xenons. Even driving around narrower backroads in the Peaks I've never once reached for the 'light stalk'. They work very well and auto high beam on/off use is pretty much flawless.

Parktronic. Brilliant, simple system. Far superior to the annoying BMW intrusive beeping system.

No warranty issues. I've just driven it and had it serviced. Which is nice. :D


Cons.

With luggage - too small for a family of four. I've tried to work around it but this is a biggie and the reason I won't be keeping the car past 3 years or having another C Class saloon.
Trips to the airport for family holidays with two suitcases and assorted small luggage is a nightmare. As are jaunts over to relatives in Ireland. Took my mother with us a couple of months ago - so five people with luggage for a week (one suitcase and hand luggage) and it was an experience I'll never repeat.
We made the mistake of testing the boot for large suitcase and crew bag (my wife is cabin crew) before we bought. It seemed fine, but got found out as soon as I tried to get two large suitcases in (after we bought! :wallbash:). The boot is not very deep and has an area that drops down (under rear parcel shelf) that limits the depth further. I just managed to get two suitcases in but at the expense of most hand luggage/bags which were stacked ontop/around the kids in the back.

18" wheels and low profiles are a kerb/pothole delight. Despite parking inches from any kerb to avoid issues, wheels end up kerbed just by driving through (unavoidable) pot holes in the road. Won't be having this combination again regardless of marque.

Should have specced electronic memory seats. Have never seen the need, but the Merc drivers seat (as mentioned in first pro comment ^^) needs to be set up just right. My wife is smaller than I am so if she drives it I spend 10 mins trying to get it back to the perfect position. Minor gripe, but it's the first car I've found this to be an issue with.

Rear Wheel Drive in the Peaks. We have another car so can leave the Merc parked up in winter snow. I bought the Merc with my eyes wide open (my father has an older C Class Estate which is equally useless in snow/ice) but even so it has surprised me. With traction control on or off the car cannot get off the drive (very slight incline only) if it snows.

Auto Wipers. Other marques are similarly as bad. I leave switched off and use as required manually. Otherwise the auto setting just seems to get confused and either overcompensate in light rain (smeared screen) or undercompensate in heavy rain.

Cornering lights. Not a criticism of the car, but these are a nuisance because of other road users who see a light come on and assume you have just flashed them or put main beam on. It's not often, but I occasionally get drivers coming towards me flashing lights and going mad with gesticulations all because there is a bend in the road and the 'cornering light' has come on. :doh:


Conclusion.

I still love the car. I look forward to driving it and think the balance of performance and comfort is perfect for what I want. It's been a really positive ownership experience so far, but the achilles heal is that the boot is too small for our needs. Its fine in normal use, but when we travel as a family of four it's too small. Shame and annoying as with hindsight we should have checked this out more thoroughly before buying.

Would I get a C Class again?
No.
Reason: Saloon is too small and I don't like the estate variant.

Would I get a Mercedes again?
Unlikely.
Reason: Mercedes Dealerships (worst dealerships I've ever had the misfortune of dealing with so thanks to Mercedes Stockport for that), 12 month/15k service schedule (I prefer BMW's system) and central telephone number for arranging services to try and eliminate price competition between dealerships.
 
Tnx for the latest update, I am looking for a car at the moment and it's very difficult to decide. Would you care to say what you might buy next time?

I was concerned that the 220 especially in the E class might be underpowered.
I normally buy second hand and drive them to the knackers yard... Mind you our last buy the E320 is gone.... Waay before her time, not happy with the constant costs involved in keeping her on the road.

Does the c220 have any PDF issues? Or any issues to speak of? I do like the look of the Volvo xc60 haven't had a drive in one yet, but like DW says, it's not a merc! Tia
 
Nice update. I've had my C350 Sport saloon for slightly less time (18 months) and less miles (11k) but was interested to compare. I agree with most of your pros (especially the COMAND), although of course my 306hp petrol guzzler isn't anything like as economical - but it's now averaging 32mpg overall which isn't bad. I prefer the looks of my 5 twin-spoke 18" wheels, but would prefer yours when it comes to cleaning time!

I have the Dynamic Handling Package so can't compare ride too much, but out of Sport mode it's more than comfortable enough for us and still handles well. Press the Sport button and everything tightens up nicely for more enthusiastic driving. That's when I make a point of not checking the fuel consumption!

I haven't been too concerned with the boot space, which gets even better when I fold down the rear seats (an option that was worth it). Perhaps we take less with us, but even when 5 adults went on a week's tour of the West Country we managed to fit everything in, albeit very carefully!

I'd be lost without the memory package. My wife is a lot smaller than me (in all directions!) so transferring from one to the other (as we regularly do - it's our only car) at just the push of a button is wonderful - seat, steering and external mirrors all set. The only minor irritant is having to adjust the rearview mirror that isn't electric.

We've been lucky enough to MOSTLY avoid kerbing the wheels, the one and only time being a slight brush with a tight chicane when SWMBO was leaving a car park. But I polished it out fairly well and it still looks OK a year later. We may be less inflicted with wheel-eating pot holes around here, we just have speed humps instead. I do worry about the diamond cut wheels though.

Interestingly, I haven't encountered any noticeable objection to the lights from other road users. Or perhaps I've just been oblivious to them as I sit there in comfort! But I've certainly got used to how well they light up my route. I was in Nevada earlier this month and hired a Chevvy Camaro for a week; when I was driving it at night I kept checking the lights to ensure they were on because they barely seemed to have a single candle power by comparison to the C's bi-xenons.

I've not been too disappointed with the auto wipers. There are occasions when I'll override them if I feel they're not doing exactly what I want, but mostly they're fine. They're particularly favoured by Mrs KE.

I have the pano roof, which is wonderful for making the car even lighter inside (I have Alpaca Grey leather because I don't like dreary black interiors). But other than that it's a very expensive option that I rarely open, but still quite pleased that I have.

The comfort ventilated seats are an option I could have got by without. Apart from when driving in Italy last June they've had little or no use. It took a while to get over the fact that they don't actually blow cold air, instead just taking heat away from your back and bum. So when it's really hot there's no problem with getting sweaty. BUT, and this is a big BUT, when I ordered the car I wasn't aware that you can't have sports seats with this option. So it arrived with standard seats. Now don't get me wrong, these are VERY comfortable, but they're not what I was expecting.

I'm still delighted with mine and plan to keep it for a very long time. I've taken out a four-year service plan which seems to be excellent value at £27 per month. With 6 pots to look after some services could have been very expensive. My local dealership (within walking distance from home!) has been excellent so no problems there either.
 
I was concerned that the 220 especially in the E class might be underpowered.
A friend of mine has a new E220 that feels fine for most driving. I must admit I am quite impressed. Of course it's not as powerful as my C-350 but he's more than happy with it.
 
Great write up and update! Wish I had the patience to do it! :)

I know what you mean about the dealerships, but I'm trying not to let the low standard of the MB dealers put me off the cars. From my personal experience only Volvo and Toyota dealers seem to know how to treat customers! But, I love my MBs (yes, even the bad ones!) and so reluctantly (with the new cars) tolerate the dealers...:doh:
 
Thanks for the comments. :thumb:

Tnx for the latest update, I am looking for a car at the moment and it's very difficult to decide. Would you care to say what you might buy next time?
I was concerned that the 220 especially in the E class might be underpowered.
I normally buy second hand and drive them to the knackers yard... Mind you our last buy the E320 is gone.... Waay before her time, not happy with the constant costs involved in keeping her on the road.
Does the c220 have any PDF issues? Or any issues to speak of? I do like the look of the Volvo xc60 haven't had a drive in one yet, but like DW says, it's not a merc! Tia

I honestly wouldn't class the 220 as 'underpowered'. It wants pushing to really get a shift on, but this is positive for me as it makes me feel more involved in driving the car. In all general driving conditions it has plenty of power to get you out of (or into ;)) as much trouble as you like!

DPF wise, I've had no issues, but the car is only two years old and it gets at least four return trips to London every other month (400 mile round trip) so I wouldn't expect any. I've had no other problems that would trigger a call under warranty. I've read about one chaps long documented 'dash rattle' which he posted all over the internet, but mine is rattle free.

Cars I'm considering looking at. Hmm. I've got twelve months, but ideas so far are, and in no particular order: BMW 3 Series Touring, BMW X3, Volvo XC60, Mazda CX5 and last but not least Merc E series. I know I said another Merc was unlikely, but I do love this C Class so I feel I can't just close the door on another Merc ... and the 'E' may solve the luggage problem we have with the 'C'!


I've taken out a four-year service plan which seems to be excellent value at £27 per month. With 6 pots to look after some services could have been very expensive. My local dealership (within walking distance from home!) has been excellent so no problems there either.

I've got the 3 year service plan. I must confess that I took it out belatedley (just before first service) because my plan of phoning around for service prices (as I'd done previously with BMW and Landrover) got me identical quotes with no competition at all. That added to my grudge against Mercedes Stockport saw me take a service plan just so the car was collected and returned without me having to have any interaction with a Mercedes dealer. Childish I know, but it's worked for me. :D

Great write up and update! Wish I had the patience to do it! :)

Thanks. I promised myself I'd add the odd post here after starting the thread to give some longterm feedback on our personal ownership. Like you I'm no fan of the Mercedes dealers (or Landrover but thats another story), but I can't fault the car.
I'm off to London with my brother early Saturday morning for the football at Fulham. My brother loves it as I'm happy to volunteer to drive for any of the away games since buying the C Class! :D
Speaking of dealerships - Must say one dealership I would say has been very good (sales and service) is Mazda. Thats the main reason we will look at a CX-5.
 
I've been meaning to add this post for a while now. I'm a big fan of the Command system. I think it is brilliant as I've mentioned in this thread. The integration with the phone works very well. Having moved from Apple to Android a while back one thing that I would have liked, but was never available was for Command to display and read out text messages.

I changed my phone a few months ago (Google Nexus 4 to Nexus 5). The Nexus 5 came with the latest android o/s (Kitkat 4.4) and lo and behold, Command suddenly started to notify me of incoming texts. Select the text and you can have the efficient sounding lady read them out to you. May not be something many people are bothered about, but its a big plus to me as I like the way the system makes touching your phone whilst in the car redundant. :thumb:

Oh, and I didn't mention earlier that I bought an SD card and installed the safety cameras as per this thread. With SD card in the slot in the dash camera locations are displayed on the Navigation screen. Worked perfectly first time (which will probably have been Jan/Feb last year) and have been useful when in unknown areas and over the water.
http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/general-discussion/143676-tool-import-speedcams-comand.html
 

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