New to the Forum, but thrilled to be soon getting our 4th Merc

[Diapason]

Dear all,

We're about to take delivery of a new E320 CDI Elegance Estate.

It's our fourth Mercedes (I started off in 1989 with a 2nd hand E280TE W123, then swapped this in 1996 for a second hand E230TE W124 which now has nearly 200K miles on the clock, and we bought a new A170 in July last year for running around town).

I'm a complete newcomer to the Forum, but have been so impressed by the inside knowledge displayed on many of the threads that I thought I'd join. In fact, it was some of the posts on this Forum (particularly contributions from Glojo and Dieselman) that helped me select options for the new car.

I know you're going to want to know a bit more about what we're getting (in early March), so here goes:

E320 CDI Elegance Estate (with the V6 engine)
Boot badge omission
Tealite Blue, with Anthracite Leather interior
Airmatic
Keyless Go
Distronic
Bi-Xenon Headlamps with active lighting system
Luxury Climate Control
Rear-facing child seats
Integrated rear child seats
ISOFIX fittings
Electric driver and passenger seats with memory
Comfort ventilated and heated front seats
Driving Dynamic Multicontour seats
Wood and leather trimmed wheel
Parktronic
Tyre pressure monitoring
Easy pack tailgate
Easy pack fixing kit
Comand APS
Telephone prewiring
Linguatronic
Logic 7 surround sound
CD changer
Electric sunroof
Rear sunblinds
Rear airbags
Fire extinguisher
Garage door opener
Tracker

Perhaps I got a bit carried away , but as this is the first time I've ever bought a new Merc estate I thought I'd rebel against the minimalist specs I've inherited in the past, particularly as I plan to keep it for a long time as I have done with all of my vehicles. I basically took the same OTT approach with the A-class and have few regrets (except that it was basically for my wife who put her foot down and said 'no' to anything I couldn't justify on safety or child management grounds, essentially the enhanced audio and Comand - she reckoned that she could drive the 5 miles to the nursery and back without it and the salesman agreed with her!).

I'd appreciate any information or tips that you might have on the new E320 CDI.

We didn't opt for anything but the standard wheels, the appearance of the Elegance styling is to our liking, and chose options to suit our need for a child-friendly vehicle (black leather, integrated child seats - rather than heated rear, and seven seats for when grandparents need a lift). My 230TE estate is silver, and I wanted a change. Tealite Blue got the most family votes, and I think I'm happy about that, but I wonder how it will handle being slightly dirty. Wife, child and friends get first cut of my non-working time and I'm not the sort of guy who washes the car every week. Have I got my work cut out here? And whilst on this point, would any of you take the bodywork and interior chemical protection packages offered by the dealer? In both cases, having chosen the car, the salesman disappears and the Financial Services guy comes to speak to you - offering insurance and protection products - with a sort of 'Boris Karloff' air about him. I said 'no' for the A-class, but could be convinced I should take it for the E320 if you think so. Let me know what you think about this please.

Sorry for rambling on. My very best regards, and many thanks for being such an interesting group of people.

Simon

 

[C43AMG]

Wow you did get carried away, great lot of extra's. You will have to get a set of AMG wheels to finish it off. Enjoy and welcome to the FORUM.

 

[Subyland]

Welcome to the forum and I am pleased to see another toys maniac...

Please let me know when you'll be trading in your car...:bannana:

 

[glojo]

Hi Simon,
First off congratulations on the new car, the options you have are excellent and you will certainly not be disappointed.

Now in answer to your question, I'm going to go out on a limb here and be controversial. We also opted for Tealitte blue but went for the light grey leather interior. The reason we have an estate car is solely to carry 'his lordship' (a long haired German Shepherd) We opted for the protection package and I believe it is the most sensible thing I did when ordering the various options (I'm not going to mention the electric opening tailgate )

Cleaning the interior is an absolute doodle, plus it still looks immaculate. On wet days dopey dog gets a rub down, but he still lays against the side panel leaving traces of hair, but nothing sticks!!

Regarding the engine, unfortunately I have no knowledge or experience of the new V6, but Mercedes-Benz have recently set numerous records with the vehicle, so hopefully it will prove to be even better than its in-line parentage

The most important thing to do is read, read and read again all the manuals. I am still learning, (just had to reset the tyre pressure monitoring)

Good luck with the car and I look forward to seeing pictures of the Elegance.

Very kind regards,
John

 

[Rory]

Tealite Blue got the most family votes, and I think I'm happy about that, but I wonder how it will handle being slightly dirty. Wife, child and friends get first cut of my non-working time and I'm not the sort of guy who washes the car every week. Have I got my work cut out here? And whilst on this point, would any of you take the bodywork and interior chemical protection packages offered by the dealer? In both cases, having chosen the car, the salesman disappears and the Financial Services guy comes to speak to you - offering insurance and protection products - with a sort of 'Boris Karloff' air about him. I said 'no' for the A-class, but could be convinced I should take it for the E320 if you think so. Let me know what you think about this please.

I bought my C270 Estate at 6mths old from MB Direct. I agreed a price (which I was happy with) only for the paperwork to show that the price included Mercedes StarShield paint and interior protection at £299. I've never bought this kind of thing before, mainly because everyone says they're a rip-off. I also couldn't tell my car had been done.
However, it does *seem* to make the car easier to clean, and bird-poo (which has left marks on my daughter's car) washes off without a trace.
You can buy SupaGard or Diamond Brite kits on eBay for £20-£30, so you could do it yourself. Alternativey a valeter would probably do it for half the MB cost. You do have the advantage of the MB insurance with StarShield, although the T's & C's (ie you have to wash the car with preserver every so often) make me think a claim could be awkward.
I guess it may well be worthwhile if you are tardy about washing the car - however bear in mind the stuff costs next to nothing, takes a couple of hours to apply, and they'll use a valeter earning about £5.50/hr to apply it. So don't pay (anything like) full price!

 

[Shude]

...they'll use a valeter earning about £5.50/hr to apply it. So don't pay (anything like) full price!

It is applied by what looks like someone's child on a Saturday morning. The kits cost the stealership about £30 and the replenish stuff is £3 per bottle

 

[Rory]

...the replenish stuff is £3 per bottle

Is that to the trade, or can anyone obtain it for that price? Or is that eBay pricing.

 

[Shude]

Is that to the trade, or can anyone obtain it for that price? Or is that eBay pricing.

That's what MB pay for it, I was chatting with a parts bloke a while ago

I think retail it's at least a tenner!

 

[glojo]

I have owned any number of estate cars and applied all sorts of protection and have never had the results from what has been applied on our latest vehicle.. I personally don't care if it was a vertically challenged one armed martian that applied it.

A long haired german shepherd when wet is a mucky beast and we are over the moon with the ease of cleaning. When our vehicle was serviced I received a replacement valetting kit, but I must confess to not using the Supaguard polish.

I smile when I read the threads about owners having difficulty keeping their light coloured interior clean and how they have tried numerous products. clearly a case of each to their own.

Regards,
John

 

[Diapason]

Hi Simon,
First off congratulations on the new car, the options you have are excellent and you will certainly not be disappointed.

Now in answer to your question, I'm going to go out on a limb here and be controversial. We also opted for Tealitte blue but went for the light grey leather interior. The reason we have an estate car is solely to carry 'his lordship' (a long haired German Shepherd) We opted for the protection package and I believe it is the most sensible thing I did when ordering the various options (I'm not going to mention the electric opening tailgate )

Cleaning the interior is an absolute doodle, plus it still looks immaculate. On wet days dopey dog gets a rub down, but he still lays against the side panel leaving traces of hair, but nothing sticks!!

Regarding the engine, unfortunately I have no knowledge or experience of the new V6, but Mercedes-Benz have recently set numerous records with the vehicle, so hopefully it will prove to be even better than its in-line parentage

The most important thing to do is read, read and read again all the manuals. I am still learning, (just had to reset the tyre pressure monitoring)

Good luck with the car and I look forward to seeing pictures of the Elegance.

Very kind regards,
John

John,

Thanks to you and others for your responses. I appreciate the advice about the protection package, and reading your reply and the others I am inclined to take them up - perhaps negotiating a more sensible price in the process. The thing that really upset me was that the dealership only mentioned this once the deal was done - and then the salesman goes and has a coffee whilst 'Boris Karloff' from the Finance team comes in for the kill!! It really put me off to be honest, rather like the salesmen at Comet asking about the 'extended warranty'.

Also, you mention the electric tailgate option. We've definitely got this, don't worry. I carry a lot of heavy items in my car, and I absolutely hate to have to put things on the ground in order to have hands free to shut and lock the tailgate when I'm on my own, and this can result in damage to the item. This was a 'no brainer' on the option list, and I think the price is surprisingly reasonable. Do you have the extending load compartment floor too, and if so - what's it like? I wasn't so convinced about that, but in any case it wasn't possible for us to have this as we needed to have the 7 seat option to create room for grandparents in the front.

It was quite difficult getting 'sold' some of these options as the dealer hadn't ever seen a car with them, and seemed very unenthusiastic to deviate from their 'normal' option list. I felt that I had to convince him that our lifestyle meant that some of the things that they regarded as 'toys' were, in fact, really valuable to us. In the end, I gave him the list (an excel spreadsheet with all the options and costs itemised), watched his eyebrows rise and then amused myself as he had four attempts with his calculator to check the total price and fit the list of options onto his standard order form. I asked about the computer terminal on the desk, and he replied that they used to have an electronic system, but it kept on getting orders wrong and so they now do everything on order pads again..... it was the same for the A-class at a different dealer, so I assume the story is consistent. That salesman completely failed to be able to use his calculator to get the same total on three attempts (despite also having an excel spreahsheet from me) and ended up saying that he'd take it home and get his wife to check it. In this day and age, I find that completely amazing. Did you have the same problem?

Anyway, I'll keep you posted on the process, and will definitely attach some pictures when we get the car.

All the best,

Simon

 

[glojo]

John,
The thing that really upset me was that the dealership only mentioned this once the deal was done - and then the salesman goes and has a coffee whilst 'Boris Karloff' from the Finance team comes in for the kill!! It really put me off to be honest, rather like the salesmen at Comet asking about the 'extended warranty'.

I would REALLY hate that and I would tell the salesperson how unimpressed I was. Pay back is always best served cold Have you ordered mud flaps and heavy duty mats (front and back)? These are usually fitted during the PDI at the local dealers. What I always do is negotiate the deal agree a price and then, "Oh by the way, I would as usual like mud flaps fitted" They might raise their eyebrows and pull a few funny faces but get them to supply and fit for free, then when they agree, chuck in the heavy duty rubber mats, or you may prefer the matching mats instead.

Do you have the extending load compartment floor too, and if so - what's it like?

Yes we do and it is absolutely brilliant. The main use is to stop 'his lordship' from using the bumper when he jumps up into the vehicle. Our old 210 had fine scratch marks on the upper lip of the rear bumper and I threatened to pull the dogs claws off, but wife objected so..... He jumps up onto the platform, gets dried off, lays down, then at the press of a button the floor retracts into the car It is of course really handy for when you have heavy loads. You simply plonk them down onto the extended floor, so you do not have to try and manipulate the heavy object into the compartment. As you say though you have the seven seat option.

It was quite difficult getting 'sold' some of these options as the dealer hadn't ever seen a car with them, and seemed very unenthusiastic to deviate from their 'normal' option list and ended up saying that he'd take it home and get his wife to check it. In this day and age, I find that completely amazing. Did you have the same problem?

Yes In spades. I was told you could NOT have the linguatronic option for the estate. I even had the sales person query my request, but he was informed it was not available. Just days before the build date a forum member called 'Oslo' (a very knowledgeable gentleman) informed me that this option was available, but this was to late..... I went daft and was given the option of compensation, a full refund, or a new build date with a four month wait???? Hence my remarks about salespersons and their lack of knowledge. I was giving the sales person all the codes with the differing prices, but this helped for the final negotiations.

Good luck again,
John

 

[Brett]

Kitchen sink! You forgot the kitchen sink!

What a fantastic second hand buy your car is going to make for someone - pity you keep them for so long, otherwise I would have put myself down on the waiting list

 

[DieselE]

I know that it's a personal thing but why have you gone for the "boot badge omission" option? I can see that it gives you a great "Q" car but almost everyone's first thought on seeing either a Merc or BMW with no badges is that it's a bottom of the range vehicle. Of course it might just be me!

 

[Diapason]

I know that it's a personal thing but why have you gone for the "boot badge omission" option? I can see that it gives you a great "Q" car but almost everyone's first thought on seeing either a Merc or BMW with no badges is that it's a bottom of the range vehicle. Of course it might just be me!

I saw a discussion on this topic elsewhere on the Forum. It's very interesting how different people view the badge omission. Some think it's covering up a lower spec car, others think that the car speaks for itself and you don't need the advertisement of the badge. I'm in the latter category myself, to be honest. A few years ago I read that Mercedes would, in fact, mount a badge indicating the wrong engine size on a car - but only downwards in size - so that someone could suggest that their 280E was only a 200E. Apparently this was something that Germans in particular liked to do. In any case, my immediate assumption when I see a badge omitted is that the car is top of the range, not the reverse. Perhaps I'm the odd one out?

All the best,

Simon

 

[Diapason]

I would REALLY hate that and I would tell the salesperson how unimpressed I was. Pay back is always best served cold Have you ordered mud flaps and heavy duty mats (front and back)? These are usually fitted during the PDI at the local dealers. What I always do is negotiate the deal agree a price and then, "Oh by the way, I would as usual like mud flaps fitted" They might raise their eyebrows and pull a few funny faces but get them to supply and fit for free, then when they agree, chuck in the heavy duty rubber mats, or you may prefer the matching mats instead.

Mats have been ordered, yes, but only the usual ribbed ones. I have these now, and are happy, and didn't think I needed rubber ones. We don't have a dog yet!!

I saw on another thread that you had the mud flaps and was impressed at how unobtrusive these were. As a result of that thread I went to my dealer to ask. I was told they were around £150 fitted (not a problem for me, but the cost of fitting seems fairly steep as the parts aren't that much), but the dealer did everything he could to put me off the idea. In my business we sometimes refer to people like this as 'sales prevention officers'. If I'd listened to the dealer, I wouldn't have had distronic, dynamic seats, rear airbags, electric tailgate..... the list goes on and on. When I bought the A-class last year, one of the options (standard of course on the E) is that for the heated windscreeh washer. It's relatively expensive for what it is (around £90 I think), and the salesman told us it was pointless having one. I disagreed and told him to add it anyway, and I'm really glad I have.

Yes we do and it is absolutely brilliant. The main use is to stop 'his lordship' from using the bumper when he jumps up into the vehicle. Our old 210 had fine scratch marks on the upper lip of the rear bumper and I threatened to pull the dogs claws off, but wife objected so..... He jumps up onto the platform, gets dried off, lays down, then at the press of a button the floor retracts into the car It is of course really handy for when you have heavy loads. You simply plonk them down onto the extended floor, so you do not have to try and manipulate the heavy object into the compartment. As you say though you have the seven seat option.

The seven seater put an end to thoughts about this option, otherwise I'd have pushed my dealer for this too. They do, incidentally, push people to take the seven seats even if you didn't actually need them by telling you that the resale value is enhanced. But we didn't need convincing, as we have a real need.

I was very amused, when reading your response, by the thought of a similar contraption for getting grandma in and out of the car. Now there's a thought, a passenger seat that lifts out and in. Fantastic for older people, and those with disabilities etc. I'd have definitely gone for that option.

Yes In spades. I was told you could NOT have the linguatronic option for the estate. I even had the sales person query my request, but he was informed it was not available. Just days before the build date a forum member called 'Oslo' (a very knowledgeable gentleman) informed me that this option was available, but this was to late..... I went daft and was given the option of compensation, a full refund, or a new build date with a four month wait???? Hence my remarks about salespersons and their lack of knowledge. I was giving the sales person all the codes with the differing prices, but this helped for the final negotiations.

I feel for you. As I was saying above, my experience - gleaned from two purchases in the last year - is that they really aren't that interested in selling you what you want, and I am distinctly unimpressed by their willingness to explore all that they could do for you. I could tell you about my experience asking about the possibility of fitting auxiliary heaters to both the A and the E class, but I might start a thread on that topic when I get myself worked up. That's a journey that has taken me back and forwards between my dealer, Mercedes UK, Webasto and their local agents here in Surrey. Despite the fact that Mercedes approved kits are available for both cars it is proving really difficult to source and fit them, and I get the feeling that all of the parties I'd like to give money to enhance our cars would rather I just went away. If you're interested I'll tell you more.

All the best,

Simon

 

[DieselE]

There are no rights or wrongs on the topic just choices. Enjoy your car when it arrives. I've had my "in-line" version of the 320CDi for fourteen months and it still brings a smile to my face whenever I drive it.

Regards,

Peter

 

[prprandall51]

Hi Simon, welcome. Awesome spec on your car. I am quite envious. I thought I was doing well with 11 factory options, though since joining this forum, I realise it is not that many.

The one I really wanted - and could not have on a UK car - was the auxillary heater. Thereofre, any information you find on this subject would be gratefully received. It is something I definitely want in time for next winter.

Thanks in advance

Philip

 

[glojo]

I was told they were around £150 fitted (not a problem for me, but the cost of fitting seems fairly steep as the parts aren't that much), but the dealer did everything he could to put me off the idea. In my business we sometimes refer to people like this as 'sales prevention officers'.

At the very, very most it should take no more than 30 minutes for the dealer to fix them, but they should really fit them for free. I have always had mud flaps fitted to our vehicles and it is a very cheap price to pay to protect the bodywork. The flaps are very easy to fit, but why should you. I am amazed at the dealers atitude and it is not something I would appreciate.

If you're interested I'll tell you more.

All the best,

Simon

Please feel free to pm me.

Take care
John

 

[Shude]

In my business we sometimes refer to people like this as 'sales prevention officers'.

It is a wonder that they sell anything!

I go armed with part numbers, this confuses them and usually allows me to buy what I want without being talked out of it

 

[BonzoDog]

The one extra that I would like on our estate, which I think is not available, is a deflector that prevents the rear getting prematurely covered in muck. In this weather I wash the car, drive 10 miles and the back is again covered in a thick layer of black muck.