What car: ca. £28k; 4 seats; 300+ HP

[bobsavage789]

[bobsavage789]

[fido]

That is a great car with a great engine. Have been watching this thread as I needed to ticked the same box. Ended up with a previous model RS Q3 in a similar grey.

[ZX10R NIN]

Glad you got sorted & are enjoying your car.

[dunc69]

Nice one Bob. I’d say that’s almost a sleeper to the unknowing eye!!

Pleased you are enjoying it and keep the thoughts / views coming.

Cheers.

Edited by dunc69 on Tuesday 14th July 05:43

[stuart_83]

Lovely car, and like the debadging!

I've always done the same to attempt to make the car a bit of a sleeper.

Always loved the c43; almost had one when I was looking around last, but the offers from BMW were better at the time.

[bobsavage789]

So nearly a week in; time for a quick update:

- I still find myself stealing glances every now and then: the grey paint combined with the darkish alloys and black roof looks superb (I think).
- the interior build quality is rather poor: I’ve booked her in for some investigative work with MB to try and sort some rattles before the warranty expires.
- The noise is still marvellous.
- MPG isn’t great (to put it mildly): admittedly I haven’t done many miles this week, but the MPG has barely been above 25ish...
- I’ve been giving a lot of thought to tyre insurance of late: I had it on my previous car and claimed for 2 tyres (effectively making a very small saving). What do people think? Worth it or not?

Happy to field any C43 questions if anyone has any!

[ZX10R NIN]

Are your issues around the centre console area because Mercedes are having a real problem in the area mainly with the Piano Black trim but it does affect the wood models too.

[bobsavage789]

ZX10R NIN said:

Are your issues around the centre console area because Mercedes are having a real problem in the area mainly with the Piano Black trim but it does affect the wood models too.

Some are, but it’s the sunroof which is causing the most grief. I’ve got put some WD40 on, which has fixed it for now, but I remain sceptical...

[dunc69]

bobsavage789 said:

So nearly a week in; time for a quick update:

- I still find myself stealing glances every now and then: the grey paint combined with the darkish alloys and black roof looks superb (I think).
- the interior build quality is rather poor: I’ve booked her in for some investigative work with MB to try and sort some rattles before the warranty expires.
- The noise is still marvellous.
- MPG isn’t great (to put it mildly): admittedly I haven’t done many miles this week, but the MPG has barely been above 25ish...
- I’ve been giving a lot of thought to tyre insurance of late: I had it on my previous car and claimed for 2 tyres (effectively making a very small saving). What do people think? Worth it or not?

Happy to field any C43 questions if anyone has any!

Stinger MPG similar, only better on a run (34mpg)

Pleased the exhaust is sounding good!!

Pity about the rattles. Hope Merc can sort it. Shame, as it can spoil things when you just want a quiet cruise...

Fingers crossed all resolvable.

[stuart_83]

bobsavage789 said:

- MPG isn’t great (to put it mildly): admittedly I haven’t done many miles this week, but the MPG has barely been above 25ish...

Same as my 440i at the moment. All short journeys as I'm not commuting, so my average mpg has dropped to 25.

Rarely gets much above 22mpg whilst driving locally, but then I easily get early / mid 30s with normal driving, and high 30s on a motorway run.

No worse than 2.0 Turbo hot hatches I've owned, and far better on fuel than the Alfa Giulia I had before it.

[MarkJS]

stuart_83 said:

bobsavage789 said:

- MPG isn’t great (to put it mildly): admittedly I haven’t done many miles this week, but the MPG has barely been above 25ish...

Same as my 440i at the moment. All short journeys as I'm not commuting, so my average mpg has dropped to 25.

Rarely gets much above 22mpg whilst driving locally, but then I easily get early / mid 30s with normal driving, and high 30s on a motorway run.

No worse than 2.0 Turbo hot hatches I've owned, and far better on fuel than the Alfa Giulia I had before it.

My 440i economy is way better than previous Giulia Veloce too. I’m actually amazed at how efficient the B58 engine can be given the performance available.

The Mercedes looks great - very stealthy.

[Sub5]

ZX10R NIN said:

Are your issues around the centre console area because Mercedes are having a real problem in the area mainly with the Piano Black trim but it does affect the wood models too.

My one is scratched. I've read Mercedes will change them under warranty but it's just like for like so you have the same problem again. I believe they are easy enough to remove and have wrapped. My local paint shop wanted a £100 quid to paint it. I've went down the carbon cover route after watching a video on youtube. Looks a decent fit. £45.00 from fleabay

[ZX10R NIN]

That is a nice fit do you have a link?

[Sub5]

ZX10R NIN said:

That is a nice fit do you have a link?

Sure thing

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Carbon-Fiber-Center-Con...

I've not actually fitted mine as its not arrived yet but the video on you tube shows you it fitted. The gent seems very happy with it.

[ZX10R NIN]

Thanks

[Pistonheader101]

Congrats

[dunc69]

Hi Bob, how’s it all going with the C43?

Hope the rattles are resolved and you are happily listening to the exhaust instead?

[bobsavage789]

dunc69 said:

Hi Bob, how’s it all going with the C43?

Hope the rattles are resolved and you are happily listening to the exhaust instead?

Hey Dunc, it’s mostly going brilliantly. The noise and effortless acceleration are still highly addictive, and the MPG is still disappointingly low (averaging 23 on my 6 mile suburban commute).

The rattles have diminished slightly following a trip to MB, but I don’t think anyone bothered to drive it to find out for themselves, so they just guessed and put a load of lubricant around the sunroof. I’ve paid for an extended warranty, so I may well revisit that more forcefully in future...

We did a drive down to Cornwall for a break recently: managed to get to mid-to-high 30s for MPG, and it’s such an effortless way to travel. I managed to do 6ish hours with only short breaks and felt perfectly refreshed at the end!

The stealthiness of the missing badges means I get a fair bit of attention when ‘making progress’ away from lights, as most assume it’s just a diesel rep mobile.

All in all, still thoroughly enamoured with it!

What do you think of the Stinger updates? I think it looks great, but the Stinger has always been a looker...

[dunc69]

Hi Bob, sounds remarkably similar to me and the Stinger.

The roof cracks quietly occasionally, but Kia just lube it at each service. I’m okay with it.

My HuD has an intermittent rattle. This is being replaced the week after next after a long boat trip from Korea.

My commute is 6 miles. Long-term average 26 mpg. This summer’s road trip saw low to mid 30s.

Very, very happy with the car - just love it and all the toys, especially the Harman Kardon sounds.

The way it drives, sounds and pulls makes me smile every day.

Still getting a lot of attention from other people.

The new one looks good, but the only thing that really appeals is the updated infotainment and bigger screen. Having said that, very happy with my system - does everything I need and more.

I hope the C43 continues to make you happy!

Cheers.