[TheARUN]

Originally Posted by katil.garage

Since the following also affects the maintenance of the car, I found it plausible to ask this question on this thread, so please forgive me if it shouldn't have been posted here:

I am going to be transporting my C class from Delhi to Manipal University (near Mangalore) by driving it. It currently has 8.5k on the clock and the distance to be travelled is 2112km. If somebody has experience doing such a trip kindly help with the same. Is this a good idea to drive so long? How hard is it? How are the roads? etc. and most importantly will it damage the car in any way?

Thanks for reading!

P.S. I am just 20, so I don't have problem driving for distances upto 500km in a single run

The method you have chosen is the best way to transport a Benz. Try and do Delhi - Bangalore - Manipal, otherwise you would be stuck on mainly single lane roads from Hyderabad - Manipal. If you drive via Bangalore then its good roads all the way

I think you should do it over 3 days, 700 kilometres each day, it won't tire you out.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by katil.garage

Since the following also affects the maintenance of the car,
I am going to be transporting my C class from Delhi to Manipal University (near Mangalore) by driving it.

You can drive or simply put this on any of the Car carrier trucks, can get from Gurgaon easily. I can pass you the number of the guy which T&T and some other dealerships use if you want. This will be most hassle free/ cheapest option.

[nareshtrao]

Originally Posted by katil.garage

I am going to be transporting my C class from Delhi to Manipal University (near Mangalore) by driving it. It currently has 8.5k on the clock and the distance to be travelled is 2112km. If somebody has experience doing such a trip kindly help with the same. Is this a good idea to drive so long? How hard is it? How are the roads? etc. and most importantly will it damage the car in any way?

I hope this answer is not too late and you have already undertaken the journey or transported the car.

Driving yourself is the best option if you have the stamina. Saves the hassle of trucking it and any potential issues.

Ideally, From Delhi, go to Bangalore via Hyderabad. Roads are fabulous all along. From Bangalore, the road to Mangalore has multiple options. Shiradi ghats are forever under repair but lately most of it has been laid with concrete. All in all this route is the best and most amenable for a low slung car like Benz.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by katil.garage

Since the following also affects the maintenance of the car, I found it plausible to ask this question on this thread, so please forgive me if it shouldn't have been posted here:

I am going to be transporting my C class from Delhi to Manipal University (near Mangalore) by driving it. It currently has 8.5k on the clock and the distance to be travelled is 2112km. If somebody has experience doing such a trip kindly help with the same. Is this a good idea to drive so long? How hard is it? How are the roads? etc. and most importantly will it damage the car in any way?

Thanks for reading!

P.S. I am just 20, so I don't have problem driving for distances upto 500km in a single run

I agree driving the car should be a fun experience. People have already advised on the route as well.

One related aspect. If the car is due for service at 10,000 kms then please do consider whether you want to complete that service shortly post 8500 km so that you have the benefit of undertaking this long journey post service. I am assuming this will also allow you to service the car at Delhi which setup I am assuming you are more familiar with as a home base. Just one aspect to consider if the service milestone is indeed 10,000 kms for the service.

If nothing else its just added peace of mind that the car has undergone a full check up before such a long road trip.

[katil.garage]

Thanks for the advice and route plan, the plan got delayed by some months now due to Manipal university being declared a containment zone and all of the students being dispersed back home.

So I will be carrying out the journey in 1-2 months when the colleges reopen again. Will update on the same at that time.

Thank you for all the responses and driving routes once again. Deeply appreciated

[voldemort]

Car was hesitating to start; there was a gap of a second between when I turn the key and when it starts. This was made even more weird by the fact that you don't have to keep the key turned to get it to start. So I turn the key, release it, and after a full second it would cough to life.

And during the past one year, the auto start-stop wasn't working; while I'm not a fan of this feature, I was also annoyed that it wasn't working.

Got both the main and auxiliary batteries changed.

Bill attached. Overpriced, yes.

The car is a 2016 W212 E250 CDI. Nearly 50k km done.

(Apologies for the poor image quality.)

[troublemaker]

I have the exact same car and got the exact same work done this month.

Auto on-off is annoying in Indian traffic but with the old batteries it gave me a scare when it jerk started from a halt at traffic light.

All well with new batteries.

[deep_blue]

Need to change all tyres on my C class w204. Have been putting this off since December hoping the PS4 will be available but it’s urgent now.
What would be the next best option I should be looking at & approx price? This is in Mumbai, thanks!

[katil.garage]

Hi, I recently hit the bottom of my C200 on the exit of a ramp, what kind of underbody protection does the C200 have if any and should we be worried about such things because they are quite common considering our infrastructure is still under development in India.

[nareshtrao]

Originally Posted by katil.garage

Hi, I recently hit the bottom of my C200 on the exit of a ramp, what kind of underbody protection does the C200 have if any and should we be worried about such things because they are quite common considering our infrastructure is still under development in India.

Unless it was a serious bump, you need not worry.

There is a thick (Plastic/ABS) Cover under the engine. That normally makes the scraping noise when you bottom out but is quite strong and reliable. Despite hitting many high speed breakers and other such structures on road (Bangalore roads are quite infamous), I have not seen even major scratches on that last I asked the ASC to ramp it up and inspect. I saw there were very minor abrasions at the most.

I have a C220d - 2019 New version (2L Engine) which has a similar underbody as yours C200

[Sanidhya mukund]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

There's a larger service center opened by the newer dealership - Global Star at Okhla. Maybe some of you guys can give a try and post the feedback.

Originally Posted by RohanDheman

Our service agreement for the new E is with them. I will update here or drop a PM regarding them once the car goes in for its first inspection.

Cheers
Rohan

Got my car serviced through Global Star this time. I got a message about their “value service”. For my W204 C-class, this type of service costs 20k. For 20k, they change your engine oil, oil filter and wash your car. Other than the “value service”, I also got all brake pads changed, got the cabin filter and air filter changed, got new brake fluid and also got a coolant flush done. The total bill came to about 68k.
The experience was as good as the older dealerships. They book a slot for you, their chauffeur picks up the car and drops it back once the work is done. The SA was courteous and explained everything patiently. He honestly told me all the work that the car immediately required and also pointed out the stuff that didn’t require immediate attention. He was kind enough to make two estimates, one for the essentials and the other for the less important stuff. Overall, a 10/10 experience. I know I probably paid 10-15k more than what an FNG would have charged, but since it was a question of brakes, didn’t want to risk getting counterfeits.

[RohanDheman]

Originally Posted by Sanidhya mukund

Got my car serviced through Global Star this time. I got a message about their “value service”. For my W204 C-class, this type of service costs 20k.

Good to hear about the experience. We have also been happy with their response so far.

20k seems fair for a value service but I guess they will be coming up with more and more of such service packages given MB's new business model. After all 20k from someone is better than zero revenue and lesser number of cars serviced. Surprisingly my brake pads are still going strong at 35k and are good for another 5k kilometers. Will purchase the pads myself from Brembo most likely and replace them at the FNG during the service next year.

[deepakc]

Any recommendations for a reliable FNG for a 2003 model C class W203 in Bangalore? The radiator fan does not turn on leading to overheating, possibly the thermostat needs replacement, but need someone experienced to diagnose what exactly the issue is.

[Sanidhya mukund]

Originally Posted by RohanDheman

Good to hear about the experience. We have also been happy with their response so far.

20k seems fair for a value service but I guess they will be coming up with more and more of such service packages given MB's new business model. After all 20k from someone is better than zero revenue and lesser number of cars serviced. Surprisingly my brake pads are still going strong at 35k and are good for another 5k kilometers. Will purchase the pads myself from Brembo most likely and replace them at the FNG during the service next year.

Hello,

I guess brake pads last long if you are gentle with them. Off late, my car has seen quite a bit of bad roads and short journeys with frequent braking, so I guess they got worn out quickly. I went with the Merc parts this time because I still don’t have the eye/ skill to tell a cheap quality part from a good quality one.

When the time comes to replace yours, could you please post the price you pay for them here? Would be interesting to compare the difference between good quality after market parts vs Merc parts. Leaving the part numbers for front and rear pads here in case you need them

[Arnav612]

Originally Posted by katil.garage

Hi, I recently hit the bottom of my C200 on the exit of a ramp, what kind of underbody protection does the C200 have if any and should we be worried about such things because they are quite common considering our infrastructure is still under development in India.

Oh it's not too much of an issue. The underbody is well protected across the range by a cover. My garage approach is on a slope and this happens almost once in every 5 times. Got it checked and only the underbody cover had a few scratches, and that's about it.