No HUDs or widescreen cockpit 'for the forseeable future' - S213

[Participant]

Hi all

Back in early September I placed an order for a new E-Class estate, the latest one so S213. The engine was fairly unremarkable (220D) but the spec was fairly heavy...premium plus, heated front windscreen, dark ash dash, beige leather, HUD, widescreen, and a few other bits and bobs.

Anyway fast forward two months and I've exchanged some emails with my dealer. The most they can establish at the moment is that my order is on hold because two of my options are out of stock at the factory 'for the foreseeable future'.

I understand supply chain issues can happen, but is this a widespread problem with the latest E-Class? I can't find much in the way of press articles, or people complaining on forums (like me!), so I'm a bit confused about whether I'm actually going to get this car before the end of March, after which the 'diesel changeover bonus' will lapse from what I understand.

Any advice and thoughts gratefully received. I suppose my main question is - should I wait it out and hope HUDs and cockpits come back into stock soon, or assume that this problem will go on for a while, so cancel and order from a marque that can actually supply the stuff on its configurator ? Maybe this is happening with BMWs and Audis too??!

Thanks.

 

[grober]

Head-Up Display currently not available across all 2017 W205 C-class models - MBWorld.org Forums
Its a world wide phenomenon evidently due to problems with the supplier in Japan----their warehouse/production facility supposedly damaged by the last big earthquake-----
quote
" it's plate tectonics mate nufink we can do"

[ please substitute you own natural disaster of choice- tsunami, hurricane *****, plague of boils, cholera outbreak, leaves on the line etc etc ]

 

[grober]

ONE POST FROM THAT THREAD
Only 5 companies completely dominate this space right now.
http://press.ihs.com/press-release/c...threats-new-en

Continental must be either the primary or secondary source for MB HUD units since they already have MB units in the marketplace.
Continental Head-up Display Augmented Reality HUD

Nippon Seiki would be the either the alternate or the primary source depending on cost and delivery against attainment targets. I suspect they are the RC of the current shortage.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/201.../#.V1nqRigrJhF
that link no longer works but a little research will reveal a history of earthquake damage in the area their production facilities are based.


And on a note of cheer??
Nippon Seiki to Extend HUD Production to UK in 2018

 

[Participant]

Ah, damn...thanks for the links. It all sounds like I could be waiting a very long time then! Think I'll wait it out until January then re-assess. I really want HUD, but no widescreen cockpit is a deal breaker.

 

[Ozboy]

Sorry to hear about the delay - I believe they has same issue about a year ago which I read somewhere on this forum. IMO you should not see the lack of LCD screen in the instrument panel as a deal breaker - it’s too good a car to walk away from. I love the 220d having upgraded from the s212 e250 estate. The engine is superb in comparison and sufficient power, great auto gearbox and also fuel economy - I get just below 50mpg on a motorway run and aroind 30+mpg on short trips in London Traffic. The safety tech, reversing camera and the overhead view is amazing - especially living in central London. I have discovered that you can have a split screen on the main center LCD panel - to show radio or media on 2/3 and satnav on 1/3 or vice versa.

 

[Participant]

Sorry to hear about the delay - I believe they has same issue about a year ago which I read somewhere on this forum. IMO you should not see the lack of LCD screen in the instrument panel as a deal breaker - it’s too good a car to walk away from.

Agree the car is otherwise great, but the full digital widescreen cockpit transforms the interior imo and makes it feel almost like an S-Class. I'll bide my time for a bit and keep my eye on developments.

 

[Bluegnomes]

I had the “no definitive delivery date if you want 360 view” conversation with my dealer a couple of months ago - so I took it off spec. HUD (I didn’t order - so I can obviously live without) but the widescreen cockpit provides the eclass it’s interior with its key component. I’d definitely wait for that.

 

[wivenhoe]

I ordered a paid my deposit on a E350e (virtually every option) in May with a ‘non binding’ delivery of late September. Every month it’s been excuse after excuse - engine availability, battery availailability etc etc. Latest is Jan / Feb delivery with then talk of waiting for new reg.

I have such a great deal (I think) that it pays me to wait - a similar spec 530e is £ 7k more and their delivery times keep going out. The upside is that even WeBuyAnyCar is offering more for my C350e in Nov than the dealer did for a Sept px !

 

[Aamir]

Hiya,

E63S going into build on Friday with HUD and 360. I believe my car was initially delayed due to the shortages as well, unfortunately. They appear to have sorted it out, now, however. Or, that's the information I was given, anyway.

 

[Bluegnomes]

Good to hear that Mercedes have their act together. I suspect that if it annoys me sufficiently I'll get 360 retro fitted but at the moment I'm fine with the reversing camera and the all around warnings.

 

[Steveml63]

Hiya,

E63S going into build on Friday with HUD and 360. I believe my car was initially delayed due to the shortages as well, unfortunately. They appear to have sorted it out, now, however. Or, that's the information I was given, anyway.

Hi,
I am sure they use whatever stock is available for the likes of your E63S - rather than the cheaper E220Ds!
Parts rationing proportional to car selling price!
Cheers
Steve

 

[clk320x]

Hi,
I am sure they use whatever stock is available for the likes of your E63S - rather than the cheaper E220Ds!
Parts rationing proportional to car selling price!
Cheers
Steve

Every engine should be treated equal

 

[Participant]

Hi,
I am sure they use whatever stock is available for the likes of your E63S - rather than the cheaper E220Ds!
Parts rationing proportional to car selling price!
Cheers
Steve

Sadly (for me) I fear that this is very true!
Anyway the dealer are still optimistic for a delivery by March, 'shortage won't go on that long' etc., but we'll see.

 

[JBD]

Your order isn’t on hold with the factory, they just can’t place the order until they have a build slot that already has those restricted options specified. You’re misinformed if they’re saying there’s none available for the foreseeable future, it’s just that existing orders in those build months have already taken up capacity. They clearly need to be quicker when their allocation comes through for each build month


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[Participant]

Your order isn’t on hold with the factory, they just can’t place the order until they have a build slot that already has those restricted options specified. You’re misinformed if they’re saying there’s none available for the foreseeable future, it’s just that existing orders in those build months have already taken up capacity. They clearly need to be quicker when their allocation comes through for each build month

Thanks for this JBD. I'm trying to arm myself with more information for round 2, and I'm not sure I quite understand the above.

The dealership is saying they've submitted the order to the factory yet you seem to be saying the dealership can't place an order until they have a build slot from MB first. Surely build slots aren't allocated before the order is placed, otherwise how does MB know how many slots of each type to allocate to each dealership?

Are you saying MB send through slots with HUD and wide-screen each month but my dealership is too slow to fill those? Are you saying that parts availability doesn't influence the quantity of those build slots issued?

 

[Aamir]

As I understand it from my ordering process (I was relatively disconnected from the nitty gritty, so take it with a grain of salt), I was given a build slot for a car due for build and registration in November, in July. So, I had my build "slot", because MBUK's (who I purchased the car direct from) next available allocation for an E63S was in November. I'm sure if I shopped around at other dealers I could've gotten the car quicker if any of them had allocations for earlier builds.

They're effectively selling you cars that are already going to be built, effectively. Production is pre-planned and not on a BTO basis. That was my understanding, anyway.

 

[JBD]

Thanks for this JBD. I'm trying to arm myself with more information for round 2, and I'm not sure I quite understand the above.

The dealership is saying they've submitted the order to the factory yet you seem to be saying the dealership can't place an order until they have a build slot from MB first. Surely build slots aren't allocated before the order is placed, otherwise how does MB know how many slots of each type to allocate to each dealership?

Are you saying MB send through slots with HUD and wide-screen each month but my dealership is too slow to fill those? Are you saying that parts availability doesn't influence the quantity of those build slots issued?

Ok, I’ll try and break it down. Let’s just say there are 100 build slots for one month for the whole of the uk. Let’s also assume that there are only 10 dealerships and each dealership is allocated 10 slots. The factory will have a specific amount of some options available, so let’s say 40 HUD. When the allocation of that months build slots soles through, if your dealer doesn’t put that option on one of theirs before 40 are used up by other dealers, they can’t have HUD. They’d either have to wait until the next allocation comes through, swap a build slot with another dealer, or keep trying to spec the car and hope that another dealer takes that option of one of their cars, making one HUD free and available

Unless they’re boutique cars like an AMG GT, S Coupe, Maybach, we get allocated all models regardless of whether we have sold them or not. If we don’t sell an allocated car, it’ll just come through from the factory and will go into stock or in the showroom.

MB don’t issue build slots when an order is placed, each dealer group already has its allocation of each model. If we don’t have a slot available because we’ve sold them all, we just swap with other dealers, who may require something we have in return


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[JBD]

As I understand it from my ordering process (I was relatively disconnected from the nitty gritty, so take it with a grain of salt), I was given a build slot for a car due for build and registration in November, in July. So, I had my build "slot", because MBUK's (who I purchased the car direct from) next available allocation for an E63S was in November. I'm sure if I shopped around at other dealers I could've gotten the car quicker if any of them had allocations for earlier builds.

They're effectively selling you cars that are already going to be built, effectively. Production is pre-planned and not on a BTO basis. That was my understanding, anyway.

Correct. Which is why a dealer is generally able to give you an approximate ETA on the day of order, because they’ll be able to see their next build slot that’s available


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[Participant]

Well I finally had update during the week. MB have allocated a build date of mid Feb for my car, expected mid-late March!

The salesman said they'd had to do a lot of flipping of car slots and negotiation with other dealerships. No idea how true this is, but anyway I'm not that fussed because it looks like we'll finally be getting the car with the spec I wanted.

It'll be 6.5 months from placement of deposit. They said they'd honour the diesel changeover bonus even if it's delivered >31st March, and they've written off the ~£800 price increase (which is offset by the fact that we paid ~£500 for the widescreen cockpit, which for MY18 cars is now included in the price of COMAND online [quite right too!!!]).

Means we get a nice '18' plate too!

The only change in spec that I'm aware of from when we ordered, is that the central console is now trimmed in dark ash to match the dash and door trims, whereas before it was delivered with gloss black (which has received lots of complaints from customers unhappy about the ease with which it scratches and shows finger prints, and that it looks cheap).

Not saying I agree as I thought the contrast looked really good, but I'm happy with wood instead for lower maintenance.