Rear door damaged.

[Britprius]

2 hours ago, Odysseus said:

What’s the latest with this? A good outcome I hope.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I am still waiting to hear from the insurance, but the car is booked in to have the work done on the 06/01/2020 if it is not written off. A loan car "Mercedes C class" is also arranged for that date. My understanding is that even if the car is written off I will have a loan car anyway until I receive a settlement check, and then for a further 5 days.
As soon as I know any more I will post it here.

John.

[Britprius]

My car was taken into the body shop today, but still no news on what is happening with it. A new (56 miles) Mercedes C class diesel delivered in black as a loan car.
Everything about the car is black even inside is a sea of high gloss black plastic. I have not driven it far as yet, but the controls are not intuitive. It has a keyless entry system much like the Lexus.
Once sitting in the car the start button on the dash is completely hidden behind the steering wheel, and does not fall readily to hand. I have to peer round the steering to find it. After starting the car the electric parking brake is released by pushing a curved knob where you would normally find the bonnet release.
After much searching i found the transmission control "for park neutral forwards, and reverse" was a stalk lever in the traditional position of the screen wipe wash control this being moved to the position on the other side of the steering wheel. 
The transmission stalk is pushed down for "D" up for reverse or a quick push up for neutral. A button on the end selects park. I just hope there is an interlock to prevent operation while on the move. 
The seats are of the bucket variety, and although not sat in for long did not strike as being comfortable. To be fare to these I have not yet tried any settings. It has a large high definition screen with multiple cameras to give both a normal rear view with lines, and a birds eye view from above all brilliantly clear. The lines in the rear view picture did not represent what I was seeing in the mirrors. The lines showing I would reverse into something if I continued, and the door mirrors showing I would clear the object by some margin.

I will write more after driving a reasonable distance. 

John.

[Cotswold Pete]

11 hours ago, Britprius said:

 I have not driven it far as yet, but the controls are not intuitive.

Over 30 years of driving comapny cars, never had a problem getting out of my Ford/Vaux/Rover etc, and getting into another car, then 10 years of owning LS, never had a problem getting into Honda/Volvo/Jag until just recently the good lady bought a Mazda (2 year old).

I felt like I needed a course on how to drive the beast, the only thing that came naturally easy was changing gear, and getting into the car without using a key (like you the start button was well hidden.

I found it really distracting to drive, which is why I like my LS400, and even the thought moving to a more modern GS makes me a little nervous, as it is light years ahead of my Mk4.

[Britprius]

Update to my experience of the Mercedes C220d after a 100+ mile trip on rural, and town roads.
Initially I found the accelerator to be very non responsive, but things improved a little but still not great by going into sport mode. Even then there was a long delay from pressing the pedal to anything meaningful happening.
This was not helped around town with the engine stopping every time I came to a standstill to the point it got annoying in stop go traffic when the engine would stop just as the traffic in front began to move. At busy traffic islands "particularly the type you cannot see over" with the engine stopped and needing to get onto the island before a car came into view was problematic.
The delay after pressing the accelerator for overtaking something like a tractor that I had been following on rural roads was such that in my GS I would have got passed the tractor in the time it took for the Merc to react.

The seats although of the bucket type were not comfortable. There seems to be little in the way of padding, and did not stop me moving about on the seat.
The ride in sport mode was firm as expected, but it did not ride potholes well even with 225/50/17 Continental summer tyres fitted. There was some road noise, but especially around town this was drowned out sum what by the drone of the diesel 

The "HID I think" headlamps on dip beam were brilliant lighting up the road, and hedges on both sides of the road well with very defined cutoff much better than the GS
 The LED main beam "when lit" were adequate, but at low speed "seemed to be about 20mph" or when coming to a standstill turned off, and would not come back on till above 20mph. This was annoying in narrow country lanes when another car passed in the other direction. Turning off the main beam, and slowing below 20mph after passing the main beam would not come on till speed was increased.
The main beam also does not give full light immediately, but comes on in a definite pattern starting with a central illuminated area that spreads out sideways until fully lit about 2 seconds +. Even at speed this was still the case. The dip ,and main beam were well matched in color. Although the GS dip, and beam do not match in color the GS main beam is far superior.

The display screen for the satnav, rev cam, and other systems is very good. It's a pity the lines on the reversing camera err on the side of very safe by looking like you are going to reverse into an object when checking the mirrors you are going to clear it by some margin. The birds eye view is excellent.
The handbook is built into this screen, and here the fun rely starts.
The washer system needed topping up, and no where could I find the bonnet release. The handbook has a search facility where you type in you question. I tried to type in release bonnet. The alphabet appears at the bottom of the screen, and you choose the letters you wish. As you do this the system gray's out some of the letters reducing your choice, and comes up with possibilities. Up pops release boot , and all the letters that would spell bonnet are grayed out. Eventually. I found what I was looking for under engine bonnet. The instructions clearly showed with pictures for a right hand drive car that the release lever was in the passengers foot well to the right by the transmission tunnel. It was not there. After much searching I found the release on the drivers side above the accelerator pedal roughly where the OBD port is in the GS, but you need to stand on you head to find it.

John.

[royoftherovers]

Thanks John. Interesting, but would not sway me away from my GS either.

Mercs are certainly not what they used to be.

[Britprius]

2 minutes ago, royoftherovers said:

Thanks John. Interesting, but would not sway me away from my GS either.

Mercs are certainly not what they used to be.

Apart from the dipped headlamps the display screen size definition, and functions that are bound to be better in a car that is 12 years newer I could not find anything else in the Merc that I preferred to my GS, and I do wonder what the Merc will be like when it is 12 years old. It being a diesel I would think it will have been crushed by then.

John. 

[Malc]

2 hours ago, Britprius said:

and all the letters that would spell bonnet are grayed out

ah, why didn't you look under the word " hood " ? for the engine bonnet ................ " engine bonnet " who on earth would look for that phraseology for heavens sake 

teutonic translationing no doubt

Malc

[rich1068]

1 hour ago, royoftherovers said:

Mercs are certainly not what they used to be.

Have I heard it correctly that they're using Peugeot or Renault engines now?

[royoftherovers]

12 minutes ago, rich1068 said:

Have I heard it correctly that they're using Peugeot or Renault engines now?

Yes, Richie in certain models.A and B Class I think--Renault.

Also the A+B Class models have Dual Clutch Autos unlike the E Class which still has the reliable Torque Converter.

 

I have had 4 Mercs AND WOULD NOT GO NEAR THEM OR THEIR DEALERSHIPS NOW.

Isn`t it strange that arguably the largest manufacturer in the World (Toyota) also makes the most reliable vehicles?

[Britprius]

On 1/10/2020 at 7:18 PM, Malc said:

ah, why didn't you look under the word " hood " ? for the engine bonnet ................ " engine bonnet " who on earth would look for that phraseology for heavens sake 

teutonic translationing no doubt

Malc

I did try entering hood, but that did was not allowed. As soon as I typed in the first o the o became grayed out in the alphabet choice at the bottom of the screen. The system also means you cannot find out how to operate say the satnav as well as look up how to use it in the manual at the same time.

John.

[Britprius]

I have been notified by the claims handler that my car is being repaired as of today 23/01/20. This could take some time as a new door is on back order from Japan, and the car has been away for 2 weeks. Already the car hire alone is close to £1000.

John.

[Britprius]

Good news. I have been notified today a new door has been flown in from Japan, and the car is estimated to be ready for delivery back to me on the 5th of February exactly 31 days from the car going into the body shop. The wheel arch is already repaired. I will be rely happy to get it back.

John. 

[KayCee]

Great News John i bet you cant wait to get the old girl back.

 

Robert

 

 

[LexIS200Sport]

Fantastic news 👏

 

[F.A.]

Will you be sorry to see the Merc go? 

[Britprius]

3 hours ago, F.A. said:

Will you be sorry to see the Merc go? 

The only things I liked about the Merc were the excellent display screen stuck on the dash like an afterthought, and the cruise control system. The rest of the car after a GS450H was terrible. Apart from the list already given the rear of the car jumps sideways on hitting a bump. Rely pronounced on a bend, but also happens in a straight line.

The noise from the diesel engine was a real pain at anything other than very light pedal cruising at 40 mph. I would have though on a supposedly prestigious vehicle Mercedes would have put in adequate sound proofing.

The person that designed the user manual into the cars information screen needs to go back to school. How can you look up how to use a system on the screen? when you need to use the screen to find the information. Even then the search facility will not let you entre common English or American terms such as bonnet or hood "this becomes engine cover", and even then when looking for the bonnet release "sorry engine cover" the release lever was not where the manual said it was or should be.
When you buy a car you need to be able to leave the car on your driveway, and take the handbook indoors to read, and then you expect that information given to be correct. 

So the answer to your question is a definite no. Bring back my 14 year old  Lexus with 145,000 miles on the clock.

John. 

[Britprius]

Bad news. I have just had a call from the claims handler saying that due to an unknown problem at the body shop my car will not be ready now till next week around the 11th feb. This will give me a couple of weeks to get the car MOTd "due the 1st of march".
I rely am now missing the car daft as that may sound.

John.

[Farqui]

Oh dear, sorry that you'll be without your beloved GS for a little while longer.

At least they called you to keep you updated.

[Shahpor]

Almost there John, you will be wafting along in no time

[Britprius]

I have had an up date from the claims handler today. My car will now provisionally be ready, and returned to me on Friday 14 Feb. Still no news on what the holdup at the body shop is. I am not convinced it will be ready then, but time will tell.
If the car is returned on that date car hire costs will be at circa £3000.

John.

[Farqui]

🤞

Crumbs the replacement vehicle hire soon ads up.

[Britprius]

Another put back. Car will not be ready till the 18th Feb.

John.

[Farqui]

pfft, that's a shame but you suspected it would be pushed again.  

did they justify the delay?

[KayCee]

Well John i bet you are really het up about that have they said what is the problem is could it be a paint mismatch ?

Hope you get her back soon

Robert

 

[Britprius]

Robert. I have not been given details of what the holdup is, but at leased I have a reasonable level of loan car "although I do not like the car".
The thing that amazes me is that taking everything into consideration the cost must have risen above the value of my car, and rising further daily. The claims company are still giving excellent service "it's not there fault that the body shop has problems".
From what I gather the third parties insurance is paying all the costs, and must now be in a position of having paid out so much they are in so deep they just have to keep paying. 

John.