Discussion
So..........
on the Saturday after my last post I almost had an accident pulling on to a roundabout when the petrol engine failed to kick in on acceleration. (it wasn't really that close in truth, but it did upset the other guy as he followed me with his hand on his horn for about a minute afterwards)
So I called MB, was attended by their breakdown service (I made it home luckily) and my car was recovered at some point that evening.
MBs breakdown arranged for a cab to pick me up the next morning (sunday) to take me to Luton Airport to pick up a replacement hire car from Europcar. I was assured the car would be broadly similar to mine.
I was offered a Passat (fine) unfortunately the door was broken, so I had to take a Seat Leon. A horrible thing, but hopefully only for a day or so while my car was fixed.
On the Monday I got a call from the local dealer, where the car had been recovered to. They couldn't identify the fault and had to send the codes off to Germany for diagnosis.
On this basis I called Europcar to get my car changed as I didn't know how long my car was going to be and it didn't have sat nav. After a lot of mucking around (the computers were down) I was told to go to Stansted airport on Tuesday to collect a replacement.
ON Tuesday I drive an hour out of my way to get to Stansted to be told they didn't have a car for me. Cue a rather terse call to Europcar. I'll spare you the details, but eventually I managed to get a C220D estate from Stevenage.
On the Wednesday I got a call from the dealer. Turns out the problem is the starter motor. Great. I'll come by later to pick it up. Not quite so easy as that. The starter motors are on back order and MB have no idea when one will be available.
So I am left with no idea of when my car will be returned. To say this has all been frustrating is a bit of an understatement. I haven't been contacted by the dealer with an update for almost a week now.
I am seriously unimpressed with the reliability and customer service from both MB and Europcar.
on the Saturday after my last post I almost had an accident pulling on to a roundabout when the petrol engine failed to kick in on acceleration. (it wasn't really that close in truth, but it did upset the other guy as he followed me with his hand on his horn for about a minute afterwards)
So I called MB, was attended by their breakdown service (I made it home luckily) and my car was recovered at some point that evening.
MBs breakdown arranged for a cab to pick me up the next morning (sunday) to take me to Luton Airport to pick up a replacement hire car from Europcar. I was assured the car would be broadly similar to mine.
I was offered a Passat (fine) unfortunately the door was broken, so I had to take a Seat Leon. A horrible thing, but hopefully only for a day or so while my car was fixed.
On the Monday I got a call from the local dealer, where the car had been recovered to. They couldn't identify the fault and had to send the codes off to Germany for diagnosis.
On this basis I called Europcar to get my car changed as I didn't know how long my car was going to be and it didn't have sat nav. After a lot of mucking around (the computers were down) I was told to go to Stansted airport on Tuesday to collect a replacement.
ON Tuesday I drive an hour out of my way to get to Stansted to be told they didn't have a car for me. Cue a rather terse call to Europcar. I'll spare you the details, but eventually I managed to get a C220D estate from Stevenage.
On the Wednesday I got a call from the dealer. Turns out the problem is the starter motor. Great. I'll come by later to pick it up. Not quite so easy as that. The starter motors are on back order and MB have no idea when one will be available.
So I am left with no idea of when my car will be returned. To say this has all been frustrating is a bit of an understatement. I haven't been contacted by the dealer with an update for almost a week now.
I am seriously unimpressed with the reliability and customer service from both MB and Europcar.
Ouch. That doesn't sound good. MB do seem to be struggling with parts at the moment. Another guy on the MB forum had his car off the road for a number of weeks with an Airmatic problem. Hope you get it sorted soon.
Yours is weird though. Why would the starter motor make the dashboard display go blank?
Incidentally my last car was a BMW and the gearbox lost reverse. They use Europcar for their loan cars and the office was almost next door to the dealers. Their policy is you have to have a BMW and the only thing they had was an X5 in full drug dealer spec.
Yours is weird though. Why would the starter motor make the dashboard display go blank?
Incidentally my last car was a BMW and the gearbox lost reverse. They use Europcar for their loan cars and the office was almost next door to the dealers. Their policy is you have to have a BMW and the only thing they had was an X5 in full drug dealer spec.
jonobigblind said:
Yep, they must be machining all the parts by hand on the other side of the world as chap at work had his delivery confirmed today. He’s ordered a 350e estate, nothing too fancy and his anticipated delivery is July 18.
Mine arrived in July this year, having initially been ordered in Oct/Nov last year. They originally told me 3 months, so I hope they're just being more accurate for your colleague, and not going to spring an extra 4 months on him too!apart from the fact that I have yet to get more than 10 miles of electric, a pedant thing that really annoys me is the fuel range gauge.
To give you an example as I arrived at the office this morning the total range said 51 miles (electric range 1), just got in the car and the total range now reads nothing in terms of total range despite the fact I have 10 miles of electric (allegedly), so it should read 61 miles.
thus I have no idea how much fuel I actually have
grrrr!
To give you an example as I arrived at the office this morning the total range said 51 miles (electric range 1), just got in the car and the total range now reads nothing in terms of total range despite the fact I have 10 miles of electric (allegedly), so it should read 61 miles.
thus I have no idea how much fuel I actually have
grrrr!
I don't like getting that low anyway so it's not something that's troubled me.
In fact I don't think I've had a car whose range reads less than 50 miles.
Once they get to 50 you get "---" , which is computer for "you're on your own now!"
At least on mine the satnav helpfully asks if you want to find the nearest petrol station.
In fact I don't think I've had a car whose range reads less than 50 miles.
Once they get to 50 you get "---" , which is computer for "you're on your own now!"
At least on mine the satnav helpfully asks if you want to find the nearest petrol station.
chippy17 said:
apart from the fact that I have yet to get more than 10 miles of electric, a pedant thing that really annoys me is the fuel range gauge.
To give you an example as I arrived at the office this morning the total range said 51 miles (electric range 1), just got in the car and the total range now reads nothing in terms of total range despite the fact I have 10 miles of electric (allegedly), so it should read 61 miles.
thus I have no idea how much fuel I actually have
grrrr!
Based on the C250 I’ve just given back you’ve got last light going blinky, last light going out, last light coming back blinking a bit quicker and then running out at some point after that. To give you an example as I arrived at the office this morning the total range said 51 miles (electric range 1), just got in the car and the total range now reads nothing in terms of total range despite the fact I have 10 miles of electric (allegedly), so it should read 61 miles.
thus I have no idea how much fuel I actually have
grrrr!
Never actually spluttered to a halt but must have been close a few times.
As long as you keep the electric as topped up as you can you’ll alsways be able to find your way to a filling station I guess.
RicksAlfas said:
I don't like getting that low anyway so it's not something that's troubled me.
In fact I don't think I've had a car whose range reads less than 50 miles.
Once they get to 50 you get "---" , which is computer for "you're on your own now!"
At least on mine the satnav helpfully asks if you want to find the nearest petrol station.
I've had an S-Max which used to go down all the way, and a Saab 900 Turbo as a company car many years ago which, on the occasion when I decided to see how accurate it was with a jerrycan in the boot, rather memorably made it to minus 24 miles before giving up! In fact I don't think I've had a car whose range reads less than 50 miles.
Once they get to 50 you get "---" , which is computer for "you're on your own now!"
At least on mine the satnav helpfully asks if you want to find the nearest petrol station.
The Merc is the first car I've had which went straight from 51 miles remaining to nothing left, and it scared the crap out of me when it did it on my test drive weekend, leaving me ten miles or so from the nearest petrol station on the A303 at 11pm thinking I was on fumes!!
-24 is good going!
My Alfas and a BMW gave up at 50. I reckon it's fair enough. If you suddenly started looning about on the redline that last gallon isn't going to get you very far. It's not an absolute calculation is it? It's an average over the proceeding miles you've travelled and you might have been doing 50 in top gear all the way to a very steep hill climb.
My Alfas and a BMW gave up at 50. I reckon it's fair enough. If you suddenly started looning about on the redline that last gallon isn't going to get you very far. It's not an absolute calculation is it? It's an average over the proceeding miles you've travelled and you might have been doing 50 in top gear all the way to a very steep hill climb.
jonobigblind said:
chippy17 said:
apart from the fact that I have yet to get more than 10 miles of electric, a pedant thing that really annoys me is the fuel range gauge.
To give you an example as I arrived at the office this morning the total range said 51 miles (electric range 1), just got in the car and the total range now reads nothing in terms of total range despite the fact I have 10 miles of electric (allegedly), so it should read 61 miles.
thus I have no idea how much fuel I actually have
grrrr!
Based on the C250 I’ve just given back you’ve got last light going blinky, last light going out, last light coming back blinking a bit quicker and then running out at some point after that. To give you an example as I arrived at the office this morning the total range said 51 miles (electric range 1), just got in the car and the total range now reads nothing in terms of total range despite the fact I have 10 miles of electric (allegedly), so it should read 61 miles.
thus I have no idea how much fuel I actually have
grrrr!
Never actually spluttered to a halt but must have been close a few times.
As long as you keep the electric as topped up as you can you’ll alsways be able to find your way to a filling station I guess.
Just plugged my bike carrier onto the towbar for the first time. The car is giving me a warning light for one of the lights, even though said light is working perfectly. I suspect this may be the fault of the cheap plug adapter off Amazon, but does anyone know if it will do (or fail to do) anything which I'd otherwise want it to do?
Having the reversing camera is bloody lovely with a rammed boot though! I can check the bikes haven't fallen off without getting out of the car!
Having the reversing camera is bloody lovely with a rammed boot though! I can check the bikes haven't fallen off without getting out of the car!
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