Please help on selecting options for w212 to use in 3rd world

[kookoo]

I fell in love with w212 (long time MB fan) and intend to order UK spec car to use in Bangkok in the next few month.

The road condition here is bad and traffic are even worse. Weather is hot and humid. I'm practically in car around 3 hours everyday (can you believe it, it's only around 40km). Plus the tax for car here is extremely hight (200%). So I am force to choose MB with the smallest engine e200. The price of the car including tax is already over USD 120,000. And the car would not have any warranty on it since MBTH refuse to honor MB World Wide Warranty for independent imported car. (I don't want to pay another USD 10,000+ for 2 years warrantee from MBTH)

Since it is a big payment for a car, I am planing to keep the car for over 10+ years. The car will be service by independent garage that i know of since the mechanic of authorize dealer is not any better (most mechanic in Thailand cannot read English, so WIS is useless here and most of them have nerver heard of service bulletin) Hence, my objective is to have the decent looking car with minimal problem and easy to maintain. Here is what I have in mind.

Merc E200 Standard with 7G automatic
18' MB 5 spoke wheel (non AMG)
Mirror package
Sun protection package

The following options are tempted, but I am not sure whether these option will cause me trouble in the long run.

- Keyless Go (Seen too many posts complaining about the system)
- Tire pressure monitoring system
- Command online with rear camera and driver assist package including blind spot assist (But MBTH refuses to update navigator map for indy import car, so navigation function is useless here)
- Intelligent lighting system (or should I just stick with halogen lamp.)

What else should I be aware when specify option for the car?

Thanks you all in advance for your opinion.

 

[ChuckyYeager]

Definitely get the ILS. They come as standard on the sport and AG models. If you are spending that much on the car, I'll like to believe its a sport or AG. Keep the electrical options to the barest minimum i.e. forget things like keyless go, electronic boot close e.t.c.

What is the RON of the most widely available petrol in Bangkok? The CGI engines were not sold in the U S because of this and I know a car dealer who wanted to order a CGI engine to a West African country but was advised against doing this by the dealer in Germany, so he bought a standard petrol engine. I know the CGI name is no longer used but I am not sure if there are still different engines. Ask your dealer to research this

Finally, how much will you save by importing the car from the UK? If it is substantial, then it may be worth the risk otherwise just buy from a local dealer and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with the warranty. My friend bought a brand new X6 from The US to a West African country and he got a stone chip. He enquired with the only recognised official BMW dealer in the country about replacing the windscreen. Total cost was almost £6000! £4000 of that amount was a registration fee he was asked to pay because he didnt buy the car from them. It was a no brainer, he drives the car with a massive chip almost bang in the middle of his view.

Gavin would have changed the same windscreen for about £70 in the UK!

 

[wemorgan]

The road condition here is bad

18' MB 5 spoke wheel (non AMG)

Is there not the option for smaller wheels with a deeper side wall?

 

[rascalmaster]

"The price of the car including tax is already over USD 120,000."
well if you can afford that...
what you worry?!

 

[rascalmaster]

get privacy glass! (hot and humid)

get in white or silver (same reason)

get 16's- or you'll wreck your suspension on those potholes!

as you don't do big distances; a smaller engine will be well suited for you. get a petrol (naturally aspirated so no trouble with turbo et al)

 

[Deleted member 37751]

£6,000 for a windscreen!!!!

I'd rather remove the full screen and drive without one than pay that!

 

[Mr E]

Heated / Vented seats. We've regretted not speccing those, even though we don't get the temps in southern Europe that you do - cooling in the seats will keep you a little more fresh and comfortable if you're in the car for a long time.

 

[d w124]

That`s a lot of money,would something like this not be a beter option? 2010 MERCEDES-BENZ E220 BLUEF-CY AMG SPORT CDI AUTO PALLADIUM SILVER | eBay

 

[kookoo]

Thanks for all replies. Really appreciated.

About the car price here in Thailand, it is quite expensive. A local assembled Yaris which is very low spec (even without rear steel fender which I find unacceptable), it would cost around GBP 12000-14000. A basic Porsche 991 carera from authorized dealer costs well over GBP 250,000. A SLS from Mercedes Thailand costs around GBP 500,000. Im not joking. U can check the price from MBTH website. This is why a lot of Thai students in UK always drive a fancy car while study there. I myself has just sold my a124 e220 convertible which I personally brought back from UK in 1993 for GBP 50,000. That is why I am looking to buy a new MB now

About petrol here, RON is 95 with 10% ethernal. Petrol is EURO 4 standard. That's is why I'm stick with CGI. CDI Car from uk would have problem indeed.

About repair, I mostly do it myself and ordering parts directly from indy dealers in UK, Germany or Hk. The car would be my 2nd car, so I can afford to wait for the part. I find that it is cheaper by 50% than buying parts from MBTH. but in Order to do the work, I need the car to be simple.

About the wheels, I like 18' for the look. But from ur comment, Im now considering 17'. For ur info, 19' and 20' are very popular for Merc in Thailand. I don't know how they can drive it. The maximum wheel size for me would be 18'.

Thanks u all again for the input.

 

[grober]

Running a modern MB with its sophisticated electronics will be a world away from your E220 coupe. If you have problems you may well require access to the Mercedes official computerised STAR DIAGNOSIS system to trouble shoot any electronic problems and reset any error flags which prevent the car from functioning correctly. Have you access to such facilities? It's possible MB Thailand may refuse to work on a personal import- have you checked this?

 

[Dryce]

get 16's- or you'll wreck your suspension on those potholes!

And go with the comfort suspension rather than AG or sports suspension.