SierraMikeHotel's chod: SMH goes above plodding pace SHOCK

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

It is indeed: a C220 CDI.

 

Petrol or diesel is not an easy decision to make at the moment.

 

If I were buying a new car I'd struggle to choose a diesel.  The current evidence all seems to say that they are more harmful than we were led to believe... however during all that time petrol technology was neglected, with the outcome that was rightly pointed out above - the C180 and C200 petrol Kompressors of this era were both thirsty and slow, which is obviously unacceptable.

 

 

 

Good shout on the CDI.

 

But the C180K and 200K weren't slow or bad on fuel - I ran one a daily for 6 months. Trouble is, the M271 engine is a bit rubbish with reliability due to MB reducing the granite content. 

[SierraMikeHotel]

Followers of Dave Hedgehog's collection thread will know that I waved goodbye to the big fast Saab late last night.

 

There are always mixed feelings when I sell a car, and on a nearly-empty motorway on the way to Gatwick I did find myself enjoying that rush of power. However it's just the wrong car for us and I'm pleased it's gone to someone who will enjoy it more than I would.

[SierraMikeHotel]

I've still barely driven my new acquisition, but I thought I'd post some more detailed thoughts and a comparison with its younger brother, my wife's company 2017 C220D AMG-Line.

 

 

The new arrival came with a few niggles thrown in for free - even though to me it's an expensive car, I do have to remind myself that it's 11 years old with 97k miles on it so there will be some faults.

 

The parking brake very occasionally doesn't disengage when you pull the lever.  If this happens you can then pull the pedal up with your toe, so I'm guessing there's a return spring that's lost some of its tension with age.  If you drive off when this has happened you get a warning noise and the instrument panel goes all red in a pleasing Star Trek Red Alert manner.

 

Speaking of buggered springs I thought the same thing had happened to the rear wiper arm, as the blade didn't touch the screen at all at first.  However applying WD40 and articulating it fully a few times has solved this.

 

The electric door mirrors generally work but they're a little temperamental.  I'm hoping this is down to a dirty switch (mind you, I said that about the Saab and never got round to cleaning it).

 

There are a couple of tiny tears here and there in the pleather seats, and the aluminium trim on the doors, centre console and steering wheel shows quite a lot of scratches.  Previous owners presumably liked wearing big heavy rings and clothes with rivets in.  I am being pretty picky here, given the general tone of my previous cars, but I sat in a few of these and I think the combination of wood and cloth on lower-spec cars wears better than the aluminium and pleather (unless mine was just owned by heavy-handed people).  This is just a grump, not something I'm intending to fuss over.

 

One of the rear doors has been opened into something and a chunk of paint has come off.  I noticed this when I viewed the car and thought it was just the top layer of paint however it has started to rust in the intervening week so it must have happened really recently.  This needs sorting straight away - we all know what happens when paint damage on a Merc of this era isn't attended to.

 

Today:

 

 

Next week:

 

 

There's also a very minor dent in the tailgate - too shallow for me to photograph, you just couldn't see it in the picture - but the paint hasn't broken so that's less of a worry.

 

It pulls to the left a bit and although the tyres are all in good condition they're an odd mix of brands ranging from Michelin to Jinyo.

 

The service is overdue by 300 days however it's only done 5,000 miles in the last 18 months so I'm not too worried about that.  I'm guessing it's been knocking around the trade for a while as the numbers in the trip computer were weird too - lots of hours, very few miles and low 20s MPG, suggesting in and out of garages and on and off of car transporters.

 

There's a really professional* bodywork repair to the rear quarter.  When we viewed it my dad thought the paint didn't match but I don't see it.  He didn't think the door was properly hung either but again I'm not convinced - it opens and closes easily and while the panel gap looks big compared to a brand-new car it's just the same on the other side.  I do want to replace this bit of missing trim though.

 

 

One of the front fogs has a broken lens.  Can anyone point me to a step-by-step guide to accessing these to replace it?

 

 

The load cover doesn't - the little tab that fits into the runner to keep it closed is broken.  Others that I looked at were broken in the same way so I guess they all do that Sir.  There are plenty of replacements available on eBay.

 

As I write this all down it looks like a long list but it's just all very minor things, and all stuff that can be fixed with a minimal investment of time and/or money.

 

The drive home from the dealership is a real mix - a little bit of London traffic, then a bit of motorway, then some mixed town and country A-road stuff.  The conditions were poor that day with heavy rain interspersed with really bright sunshine, with the winter sun low in the sky.  It hadn't rained for a while so I'd expect the roads to be slippery.  It wasn't an easy drive and it's normally a little stressful getting used to a new car but the Merc just dealt with the whole lot - apart from the little pull to the left, which is only apparent on motorway/dual carriageway stuff, it has no bad habits and handles just as nicely and neutrally as its younger brother (although I'm sure the newer car has more sophisticated traction control).  I love the big glass area and the clear, uncluttered dash with very clear and obvious minor controls.  The auto-dipping mirrors work incredibly well - I've had cars with them before, but never working as well as these ones.  The front seats are incredibly comfortable and although these are the povvo semi-manual ones (bizarrely they're also semi-manual on the newer car despite it's high-end badge) they're incredibly comfortable and the range of adjustment means that almost anyone should be able to get comfortable.  It's nowhere near as fast as the departed Saab - obviously - but it's no slouch, apart from a little hesitation off the line.

 

It's one of those cars that you can waft about in, in a really relaxed state.  That is, to me, the highest compliment I can pay.

 

It would be nice if it had come with a few more of the modern gadgets but to be honest I don't miss them (apart from a modern sound system, which I will be sorting anyway) and at this age it probably is just more to go wrong (as my mum would say).  Most of the gadgets on the new car were available on the older one (heated seats, parking sensors, sat nav etc) but the first owner of mine was obviously a mid-range stinge-bag.  He paid for an Avantgarde with the bigger engine but very few extras on it!

 

The toys that it does have are the really useful ones: I love climate control and cruise control, which this has, and the cruise is the same as on the sophisticated modern car - that is it applies the brakes downhill rather than letting the car run away and get you a ticket off that awkward camera.  It also has a limiter that actually limits the speed of the car rather than just sounding a warning, which is ace around town.

 

Speaking of which...  I do really like the modern C-Class (I'm going to have to come up with names or something to distinguish the two cars) but it's definitely the loser in terms of ergonomics.  Modern Mercs are a bit blingy and I think the cleaner design of the older car's dash is classier (although that is just my personal preference).  What can't be argued is that the telephone dial control on the new car is a fucking stupid idea - it just takes forever to get to where you want to be in the system.  Who here is old enough to remember using dial telephones, and how long it took you to enter a number?  Yeah.  We switched to a keypad, and then a touchscreen, for a very good reason.

 

 

What surprised me is how similar the two cars are in driving feel.  The steering on both is positive with lots of feel, and a fairly fast rack (certainly compared to the 9-5, which needed a lot of twirling of the helm).  The ride is compliant and comfortable but the handling is positive.  Like I said I haven't driven the estate far yet, and the conditions were poor, but I did pile it into a couple of roundabouts to see how it would respond and I couldn't unsettle it.  The modern car has fancy adjustable suspension (which is left in Comfort at all times) and the older one rides in a very similar way.

 

So I was quite surprised to learn that it has the optional Sports suspension when I entered the VIN into a decoder that gives me all the options and build details!  If this had been mentioned in the advert I wouldn't have even gone to see it.  I've been praising the car as having a ride/handling compromise able to challenge hydraulic Citroëns - high praise from me - and it was fooling me with the sports pack all along.  I'd love to ride in an unmolested one but I doubt I'll get the chance now.

 

So what separates the two?  The trick suspension on the new one is really cool but only in a show-off sort of way.  Sport+ mode makes it ride low and firm and the rev counter needle zips up the gauge in a most un-diesel like way.  But, honestly, most of your driving is either motorway drudge or traffic so really it's in Comfort all the time.  I've played with the sports modes but my wife, who drives it every day, has never troubled them.  Why should she?  She's a very good driver but she just wants to get to where she's going in safety and comfort.  The new one claims to be cleaner, and while my judgement is reserved in the wake of VAG-gate I haven't seen any suspicion fall on Mercedes yet.  It is, so far, slightly less thirsty but then I don't think we have enough miles under the older car's belt to be sure of that.  Plus she does a lot of motorway miles while my driving tends to be more town and country.

 

The new car has far, far better connectivity and I guess this is the biggest change in the technology world at large between the two cars (2007 and 2017).  Personally I don't want to be available for a phone call when I'm driving, but it has been useful on occasion and it's vital to my wife in her job.  The question I ask of any car stereo is: "How many hours of music can you play before I have to take my eyes off the road?" which is why I was an early adopter of Minidisc and then USB (first seen in my BX in about 2006).  I will be updating the ICE in my car for this reason.

If I had the choice of the old and new cars, at the same price and with the same spec, which one would I choose?

That's not an easy question.  The new one is bigger, but not much more spacious on the inside.  It has better toys but worse ergonomics.  The dash is blingier in line with current fashion but personally I prefer the classier, more minimalist dash of the older car.  I think I prefer the looks of the new one (I never liked that fried-egg look to the 2000s Mercs).  It has nearly twice as many gears but a "normal" driver rather than a car enthusiast would never notice the difference.  The older car has a better view out, but the newer car has a reversing camera to make up for it.

 

At the moment I prefer mine but that's clearly the honeymoon period talking.  It's true to say though that it offers its younger brother a fair fight.

[SierraMikeHotel]

Having read the manual, that hesitation off the line is intentional in Comfort mode. Using S (for Standard, apparently, not Sport) is absolutely fine.

 

I noticed today one of the rear seats doesn't clip into place securely - the lock mechanism is jammed open so it doesn't grip the latch. This is a safety issue and needs sorting.

 

Still really pleased with it despite all the trim niggles, it's a very pleasant drive indeed!

[They_all_do_that_sir]

Good shout on the CDI.

 

But the C180K and 200K weren't slow or bad on fuel - I ran one a daily for 6 months. Trouble is, the M271 engine is a bit rubbish with reliability due to MB reducing the granite content.

Seconded, obviously compared to the 272bhp SAAB the C200K would seem slower but mine can fairly pile on the speed, and can put some serious distance between you and the car beside you at the lights.

 

And also seconded on the M271 engines being wank, mine is currently in bits

 

As silly as it sounds I like using the three pointed swastika to aim where I'm going. There's something very wanky but satisfying about catching a glimpse of it down that long bonnet.

 

I also like how the wheels are so far forward, there is very little front overhang and these cars do handle very well indeed. Disappointingly prone to understeer mind.

 

Sent from my TA-1012 using Tapatalk

[SierraMikeHotel]

I reckon the C180K I test drove was in C mode, which does make them slow - mine is much nicer in S.  I haven't really figured out what C is for.  Apols for maligning them unfairly.

[mercrocker]

An excellent write-up there, Mr Hotel....Good insight into what I might expect should I ever venture into the murky world of 10 year old modern MBs.   

[davehedgehog31]

I reckon the C180K I test drove was in C mode, which does make them slow - mine is much nicer in S.  I haven't really figured out what C is for.  Apols for maligning them unfairly.

I've found myself driving the Saab with the gearbag in sports mode when pottering around at low speeds, it seems to take a bit of the slack out when pulling away from a stop.

[SierraMikeHotel]

One thing I forgot to mention: apart from the obvious differences of gear selector and parking brake, the minor controls are the same in both cars which will make life easier as we both use each other's cars on occasion.

 

There is, however, one really irritating difference - the indicator/wiper stalk and the cruise control stalk are opposite ways around in each car (mine has cruise above the indicator, hers has it below).

 

This is a guarantee that we're both going to indicate right when we want to go faster every time we borrow the other's car...

 

 

I've found myself driving the Saab with the gearbag in sports mode when pottering around at low speeds, it seems to take a bit of the slack out when pulling away from a stop.

 

I rarely used Sports mode because it seemed to want to run away!  Sorry if this is patronising but it is hidden behind the stick - have you clocked the Winter mode button?  It sets off in second and lets the box slip for snow and ice... the Merc in C mode isn't quite that bad, but it'll give you an idea.

[SierraMikeHotel]

Big thanks to forum member rusty998 who saw my post in the parts for sale/wanted thread - the car looks so much better now!

 

 

Now I just need to figure out how to get to the driver's side washer jet so I can unblock it.

[SierraMikeHotel]

I alluded to this in the News 24 thread yesterday, so here's the full story.

 

I took the Merc in to a nearby bodyshop for a quote on that bit of damage to the rear door.  It has started to pockmark so it really needs sorting sooner rather than later.  They gave me a very decent quote so I'm going to get that done, and the little dent in the tailgate too.  That could be left, but it annoys me - I want this car to be nice, plus I park it where I can see the rear end from the front window of the house and it bothers me every time I catch sight of it.  If it was an old shitter I'd leave it alone but I really want this car to be at its best.  That's booked in for next week.

 

Upthread, David reminisced about a bodyshop pricing themselves out of a job on my old BX, which wanted a replacement door from a scrappy tidying up.  They quoted, IIRC, £500 for that.  After about 10 years of inflation the quote for the door on the Merc is £150.  For that, they'll sort the rust and spray the top half of the door above the rubbing strip.

 

There's a Mercedes main dealer on the same industrial estate as the bodyshop and I must have had a sudden rush of blood to the wallet so I decided to pop in and see if they could quote me for the most urgent jobs on the car - that is the rear seat that doesn't clip into place, the blocked washer nozzle (I did have a go at it but couldn't figure out how to get at the thing, it's buried inside the bonnet) and the sticky parking brake.

 

The workshop was quiet so they took the car in straight away, leaving me to ponder my finances in glitzy luxury.  Speccing up a modern C-Class to how I'd like it would set me back £44,000 so I'll stick with the old one at £3,000 thankyouverymuch.  The coffee and biscuits are very nice.  The reception desk is wider than my entire office.  Oddly there were fewer new cars on display than the much smaller Mazda dealership I was in at the weekend - just a C saloon, a 4x4 and a van.  I considered buying an official keyring but they're £42 so I didn't.

 

A very posh lady came in to get the washer fluid topped up and the tyre pressures checked on her Smart.

 

When I mentioned the parking brake the mechanic said straight away that it would need a new pedal assembly and had the price in his head (£400) so I'm going to assume this is a common problem with these.  It's fine though: all they had to do was get it apart and lube it up.  This cost me one hour of your finest Mercedes-Benz labour at £165 (maybe they should have lubed me up).

 

The rear seat will need stripping down and the mechanism repaired or replaced.  They got the washer nozzle unblocked but it blocked itself up again immediately so it's fucked and will need replacing; unfortunately they didn't have one in stock.

 

Every car that comes in is entitled to a free* visual health check.  They even send you a free* video!  They even offered to wash it for free* but I wanted to get home so declined.

 

It does need a bit of work.  That's fine though: I wasn't expecting perfection at this price point and I'm willing to get it done because I want this car to be good.

 

It wants:

Rear seat fixed

Washer jet

A prop coupling

A cross strut

Some bushes

A pair of tyres

A pair of brake discs

A pair of rear lamp units (indicators are showing white)

 

Doesn't sound like much, does it?

 

At MB labour rates the grand total will be £1790.  That's one thousand, seven hundred and ninety pounds.

 

There are no really big nasties: this is all stuff that will wear out in time and when it's done the car will be tip-top.  However I'm not willing to have the piss taken, so I dropped into my local garage on the way home.  As an example, they can do me a pair of Continentals for £250 rather than £366.  I've left a photocopy of the estimate with them and I'm waiting for them to get back to me with a quote for the rest of the work.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

....At MB labour rates the grand total will be £1790.  That's one thousand, seven hundred and ninety pounds....

 

You could buy a lot more chod for that. 

[SierraMikeHotel]

You could buy a lot more chod for that. 

 

You could, and I bet you had this conversation with yourself when your gearbag fell apart.  Your CX is worth fixing though, even if the job costs the value of the car.

 

I could have spent £5k on one of these and I still wouldn't have known what it was like underneath from a test drive.

 

I'm not too distraught at the list of jobs, but I'm not paying MB rates to get them done.  When I dropped the list off at my local garage they also pointed out that main dealers tend to be very over-cautious - for example the front discs are indeed well-worn, but the car stops perfectly well so it makes more sense to wait until the (obviously brand-new) pads are worn out and then do the job in one go.  It's the leisure car so this might take a couple of years.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

You could, and I bet you had this conversation with yourself when your gearbag fell apart.  Your CX is worth fixing though, even if the job costs the value of the car....

 

The conversation did indeed include such amusing questions as "will I find a spare automatic gearbox lying about somewhere in the North?" followed by "can we not sling that in there instead?"

 

In the end, though, the rest of the car is still in such a good state that I committed to spending on repairs almost what I paid for the whole thing last year. And I still aim to convert as many of the old bulbs to LEDs.

 

I wonder if I should try to find a spare automatic box and have that similarly rebuilt in readiness for the next failure? Hmmm....

[SierraMikeHotel]

Mine was a C-Matic. It didn't go wrong in the time I had it, but I did wake up every morning with my bum firmly clenched.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Main Dealer will Main Dealer.  At least they actually show you what they think needs doing!

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Mine was a C-Matic. It didn't go wrong in the time I had it, but I did wake up every morning with my bum firmly clenched.

The automatic workshop boss said he ran a Series 1 C-Matic for a while, and also had the clenched arse, mainly because the car would only go a certain - entirely random - distance before experiencing a FTP and refusing to restart until properly cold again.

[Zelandeth]

At least MB will still get you parts, this has been a huge revelation to me with my T1. While their labour prices will make your eyes water, I've found parts to be actually very reasonable. Consumables actually cheaper than eBay for many things.

 

Their parts system is epic too, managed to find a few things even based on some very vague descriptions from me.

 

...still haven't quite got over them being able to source me a replacement lens for the indicator light on the instrument panel. They were very apologetic that they had to order it in and didn't have it there and then at the dealer.

[SierraMikeHotel]

Mine was a C-Matic. It didn't go wrong in the time I had it, but I did wake up every morning with my bum firmly clenched.

 

I should quality this: the gearbox didn't break but every other component of the car did.

 

Today gave the OldMerc a service and a pair of tyres on the rear.  Anyone who clicked through to the video will know that the existing rears were well and truly fucked - as well as being made by Jinyo (nope, me neither) - and I did mildly amuse myself by getting the rear stepping very slightly out on a damp roundabout this morning.  It felt very safe and controlled and I'm sure the ESP was probably doing something but it didn't wet itself in panic like more primitive traction control systems.  I also got the chance to test the ABS, unintentionally this time, when someone pulled out in front of me with zero warning.  I felt that working (the really characteristic fast on/off/on/off) but it did its job bloody well, even on worn discs.

 

It is happier on new Continentals (Mercedes recommend them and I have no problem with them so shrugged and agreed) and they did the alignment too so it no longer pulls to the left.

 

I feel like I'm spending a lot of money on a car that I spent a lot of money for, but it was "only" £3k... it'll be more like £5k by the time I've got it really spruce, but you can still pay that much for one of these and there would be no guarantee that it would be any better underneath.  Plus I like it an awful lot and - whisper it - I'm actually intending to keep it for some period of time.

 

Financial advice corner: does anyone else bank with the Halifax?  They give you random cashback and ATS Euromaster is on there at the moment, so if your chod is waiting for a service or a tyre now's the time.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

At least MB will still get you parts, this has been a huge revelation to me with my T1. While their labour prices will make your eyes water, I've found parts to be actually very reasonable. Consumables actually cheaper than eBay for many things.

Their parts system is epic too, managed to find a few things even based on some very vague descriptions from me.

...still haven't quite got over them being able to source me a replacement lens for the indicator light on the instrument panel. They were very apologetic that they had to order it in and didn't have it there and then at the dealer.

The Mercedes parts archive is legendary - you can still order parts going way back to the 1960s - and BMW ran a similar service for its old models, though there were long waits for some bits as they were only produced in batches when there sufficient orders.

 

VW Heritage are doing something similar.

[New POD]

The Mercedes parts archive is legendary - you can still order parts going way back to the 1960s - and BMW ran a similar service for its old models, though there were long waits for some bits as they were only produced in batches when there sufficient orders.

 

VW Heritage are doing something similar.

Whereas Vauxhall?MEH

[Shep Shepherd]

The same goes for Volvo, as long as you don't own one the Dutch-made models.

[SierraMikeHotel]

Bills continue to accrue.

 

My local garage never got back to me with a quote so I decided to go back to the Mercedes place for all the suspension work to be done, as well as the seat mechanism and the fucked washer nozzle.  ATS also mentioned them so they will need doing before the next MoT:  I might as well do it now as later.

 

It's also booked into a bodywork place for that bit of damage to the rear door, and the dent in the boot.

 

Oh, and I'm updating the ICE with a Kenwood unit that's Android Auto capable - that's my indulgence though, and I can't wait!  I can't put up with a car that has just a single CD player.  Music is essential, and built in sat nav is increasingly so.

 

Now this is not like me.  However I do have some budget at the moment, and I do want this car to be nice and last for some period of time.  Will I take it over 20 years, or 200k miles, from it's current 10/95k?

 

All this has turned my £3.3k car into something like a £5.5k car so tonight I've been on Autotrader to ask myself if I've done the right thing... and I think I have.  There are a couple of the next-gen models up for under £5k, but you have to ask yourself what they've done to deserve it.  And honestly... I like the W203 better.  The stereo is less built-in, so cheaper to upgrade, I like the bigger glass area and simpler dash design...  Despite all the money I'm spending on this car I still think I've done the right thing.  Ask me again in a few years - I do intend this to be a keeper.

[davehedgehog31]

You'll have a nice, well sorted car to your specifications by the end of it, I don't think that's an obscene amount of money to pay for that. Once it's all done you can get down to just driving it and get it paying itself back.

 

If you do keep it for as long as you're talking about your initial expenditure will quickly be forgotten.

[SierraMikeHotel]

OldMerc went into a local(ish) bodyshop to have that chip in the paint on the rear door sorted, plus the little dent in the tailgate - I never did manage to photograph it but it was really bugging me and it was worth the extra £150 to get rid of it.  The courtesy car was a Citroen C1 automatic which I've mentioned a couple of times in other threads, mostly in the modern section, but it's worth mentioning here for posterity that I've driven loads of them and they're utterly ruined by the terrible, terrible automatic gearbox that Citroen chose to saddle this one with.  Shamies.

 

The next job was to update the In Car Entertainment, which was done at a local car audio specialist in Shoreham.  It was a pretty big bill but worth it: I intend to keep this car for a fair time, so it needs to be really usable.  The Kenwood head unit that I've chosen is top quality and includes Android Auto, which means I can plug my phone into it and have access to whatever music player and sat nav apps I want.  It's also added DAB and hands free phone calls, which I don't intend to use everyday but may well come in handy in unexpected circumstances.  For example: the combo means that if there's really unexpected traffic and I'm going to be massively late home I can merely say "Hey Google, phone my wife" and I can reassure her that I wasn't killed in the accident but I am going to be late.  Without taking my hands off the wheel or my eyes off the road.  Nice.

 

Having access to Google maps also means that my sat nav won't ever go out of date: I may have spent a lot of money on the head unit, but I won't have to spend £300 every two years to keep it up to date (that is a genuine VAG price).

 

The car is currently at the Mercedes main dealer in Eastbourne having some jobs done to its underbobs, plus obvious MoT failures (and stuff that you really need to be working) washer nozzles and that rear seat that doesn't lock into place.

 

They issued me with a courtesy car that seemed very reasonable until I saw it in daylight.

 

 

What a colour!

 

I have to say, the B-Class is a really brilliant car.  This one is pretty base, as befits a courtesy car, and I was a bit upset at having to listen to FM radio on the way home, but you can spec them up with pretty much anything you can think of.  As a car, though, it goes very well, the computer says 47mpg even though I've only driven it in traffic (my wife regularly sees 55 on her C, she does a lot of motorway miles), it's spacious, lots of people like the high-up driving position and best of all - the ride quality is sublime.  It's BX level good.  If I had a big lottery win and I was looking for a new car I'd probably get a C estate because I have a big dog, but the B would probably be Enough Car for almost anyone.  I'm not a fan of the looks but it does work very, very well.

 

Which is nice, because I've spent some quality time with it.

 

My car should have been ready yesterday, so I drove over - during the rush hour - to get it.  The Service Manager met me and talked me through the work: they've done all the suspension bushes that needed doing, and the prop coupling, and the washer nozzle.  What about the back seat (that doesn't lock into place)? sez I.  Let's go and look at the car.  It hadn't been done.

 

Carl the Service Manager was mortified - honestly, I've never seen anyone look so embarrassed.  The workshop had the job sheet and they'd booked the parts out, they'd obviously just forgotten to do it.  He was furious.  He totally acknowledged that I'd wasted three hours of my life driving back and forth to a car that wasn't ready and sent me home again in the courtesy car (did I mention it's a really good car?) with a promise to deliver my car home the following day and do something about the bill.

 

Just imagine how much he didn't want to call me this morning... I recognised the number when I picked up, but the call wasn't to tell me that the car was ready: it was to tell me that the parts had arrived broken so they need another day.  Fingers crossed my car will be ready tomorrow, finally, and delivered back here.

 

If it's not, the new courtesy car will get to know the indignity of the weekend tip run!

 

You'll have a nice, well sorted car to your specifications by the end of it, I don't think that's an obscene amount of money to pay for that. Once it's all done you can get down to just driving it and get it paying itself back.

If you do keep it for as long as you're talking about your initial expenditure will quickly be forgotten.

 

When I get it home form the main dealer tomorrow I hope that it will be in this state.  I like the car more the more I drive it, so fingers crossed...

[Pillock]

Aye, the B class is proper nice. I hate getting back into my BMW after a day out in ours.

 

I'd have loved to have got one in that colour though, it's ace!

[SierraMikeHotel]

 

 

I'd have loved to have got one in that colour though, it's ace!

It really divides opinion! I don't think I like it, but I'd love a bright orange one.

[The_Equalizer]

It really divides opinion! I don't think I like it, but I'd love a bright orange one.

There was a bright orange CLK430 for sale in Scotland for an awfully long time (about £1300) and I really, really had to sit on my hands as I thought it looked lovely.

 

Most impressed with the write up and it all sounds familiar as I had a W202 C230K for five years and now the W208 CLK230 for two and a bit. Two quick tips that might be of use. Firstly go and buy yourself the Merc workshop manual from the 'bay of delights - anything like this:

Merc Manual - eBay

 

Plug in your chassis number and it is a whole world of usefulness. The best bit is the access to all part numbers specific to your car which means you can shop about for the best price/quality for parts.

 

Second thing is do not write off Merc dealerships, at least for parts. A lot are competitively priced and guarantee the quality. In addition, you normally can get a 10% discount if you ask - thank you Mercedes Benz Belfast! I normally mutter about it being an older car, but if you join the Owners’' Club you will automatically get it. Not that I have, but the old man is a member and the magazine is quite a good read.

[SierraMikeHotel]

I'm not really cross with the main dealer, mistakes do happen and I always judge a business by how they deal with them. Offering to deliver the car and knock a bit off the bill makes up for it! It was well worth taking it elsewhere for the tyres though.

[The_Equalizer]

I'm not really cross with the main dealer, mistakes do happen and I always judge a business by how they deal with them. Offering to deliver the car and knock a bit off the bill makes up for it! It was well worth taking it elsewhere for the tyres though.

 

I see you went with Continentals. I have got them on the CLK and would love to know how you get on with them. I like them on the whole and they are great when new. However, they can be a little noisy and once they start to wear - say with half the remaining tread onwards - I have found the steering crabs on tight turns at low speed. When I replaced them last time this crabbing totally disappeared (about three years' ago). It now seems to have recently reappeared. I am running them on 17" AMG monos which should not be a problem.