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-   -   My Mercedes Benz C200 Avantgarde: 2 year ownership review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-term-ownership-reviews/162986-my-mercedes-benz-c200-avantgarde-2-year-ownership-review-2.html)

The facelift is already 2 years old now. So I would expect the all new W21x to be available by 2017. Personally, I do not like the facelift either, thought it to be yuppy.

To the cranking issue - no, never faced it yet. I too park my car in the compund, open to all the elements but have not faced such issues.

Saw the link - this is an E 350 Avant Garde monster; the OTR was close to 58L. I'm surprised that he is selling it at 32L which is a great price.

But yes, I'd rather save moolah and buy the new 2017 E.

Hi Khusrav - such a well written review - gives us a peek at your ownership experience & feelings!
Quick qs - I'm going in for a white c220 and debating whether to park it inside my garage (which is a massive pain given the manouvering involved) or leave it exposed to the elements - it can get very dusty where i stay in Mumbai.

a) Do you get a lot of dust on your car? If so, have you seen any impact of that on the shine of the car?
b) Would you recommend a cover - if so, which one? - particularly in the monsoons? I was told that the cover that comes included with the car may let moisture seep through and it could damage the shine over time. So, i was recommended a waterproof cover for 20k. Not sure if there are cheaper ones available that have similar function.

Cheers!

The simple emotional answer is to park it in the garage. The effort is worth it especially when you see it scratched or get dusty. Yes, in Mumbai the car gets quite dusty but it hardly makes any impact in the shine. I do not have a garage parking and have also never used a cover. As long as you are able to wash it daily and take care of the smallest dents and scratches, you will be fine.

PS. If you are buying it from Auto Hangar Andheri, talk to the guy called Vishal and give him my reference. He will give you the best deal.

Without a doubt, if you have a garage, use it! Dust is not the best thing for these Germans. But for the once in a while you do park it outside, get a good quality cover like Xtrabond which is waterproof and also significantly cheaper than what you have been quoted.

So its been almost 3 weeks with my c220 CBU and I'm settling down well with it except for 2 things which I needed some advice on:
1) parking in my narrow garage is a tight affair and i was debating whether to spend 30k on a reversing sensor (audio only). Its quite terrible that Merc doesn't provide options for visual+audio rear and front parking sensors given that we're in the warranty period and there's no choice unless you want to void the warranty. Is the audio sensor really accurate and therefore worth it? If it is accurate and helpful in your experience, it'd help me make up my mind to go in for it

2) I still cant hang of the phone bluetooth on the command system. For one, its so difficult to dial on the sequential row of numbers and the other issue is it should flash the incoming caller ID on the center console irrespective of which mode it is in. Is there something I'm missing here? How do you guys use it?

Many thanks in advance.

The sensor is absolutely accurate and gives you just enough inches to play around with in tight corners. To me, the camera was not worth it since that costing upwards of 90K including the Sat nav.

The bluetooth telephony is not very intuitive. I do get the caller ID on the centre console but the dialing is very old school and painful. I simply use the phone quick dials for that.

Congrats on a lovely ride! That shade of silver looks amazing!
Is the tire pressure monitor overly sensitive in your car? The ones on my C beep away every 3-4 days.. It's very annoying.

Never faced this challenge. In fact, I fill up air once every 4-5 weeks and have not heard the car beep between the period.

One important thing - I use nitrogen only. Maybe that works to maintain better tyre pressure for longer periods. Also for all 4 tyres the pressure is set at 34

Khusrav - i know it is subjective, but how's the volume of your reverse parking sensor? I got mine fitted and its ear-piercing volume which cannot be adjusted. On checking with Metro Motors (mumbai), they suggested putting a sponge on the speaker - quite shocking to say the least!
I know Indian jugaad existed in various forms, but this was a bit extreme!

Any suggestions on how to overcome this problem?
(And BTW, if you've read the recent article in Mid Day where a south mumbai businessman has taken on metro motors for delivering a scratched brand new CBU c220 to him, my experience was similar - only thing i'm not yet raising it in the press, but to Mercedes India and Diamler, Stuttgart).

I would not use this jugaad on my car. The high pitch is meant to be heard over our Indian road noise plus car music plus the ambient noises. I'd rather let it be than risk a minor bump.

Just to update - they have reinstalled the sensor speaker in the boot and now the sound level is much more tolerable.

2 quick qs:
1. My dealer supplied car cover is causing scratches as it is pulled off the car. Can anyone recommend a better quality cover which won't do this but is easy to put on and pull off?
2. My average fuel efficiency seems to have suddenly increased (for the c220d) after doing my first relatively long drive. Is this normal? (it's gone up from 9kmpl to 10 after the trip)

I say this with a very heavy heart. But I sold my car over the last weekend. My financial responsibilities over the last 3 years have changed with a growing family and a new house. Thus my intention was to save and not continue to splurge on excesses. I loved this car but it was an excess at this juncture for me.

The silver lining? My buyer was genuinely interested in buying it and did not haggle for the price. I had quoted 27.5L and he agreed instantly. With this, I would actually be able to repay the loan and yet have about 5.5L in hand.

For the moment, I have booked a Honda city. I know it is a huge step down but I'm hoping that I'll be able to overcome this blip in the next 18-24 months. The new car blog is for another day :)

Hi Guys,

I have been out of Team-BHP circuit for about 4 years as the work assignment took me to Thailand. Now, I'm back to good old India (residing at Delhi) and scouting for a used-car. I was referred to a Merc CDI 250 (Avantgarde) thats still in good condition. Some stats below:

Year : Nov 2011
Color : Calcite White
Registration : Delhi
Tyres : Fairly new (Stepney unused - seems brand new)
Kms : 55,000
Owner : First
Insurance : Valid till Jan 2020 (Comprehensive)
Others : 500 Kms overdue on B6 servicing, Panoramic Sunroof, Alloy Wheels, Front Grille changed recently, minor scratches on the doors
Test drive : Done today. Feels nimble to navigate but noticeable jerks during gear-shifts / high revs
Asking price : INR 13L. Can come down to INR 12.7L

Queries:

1. With Delhi having the 10yr cap on Diesel vehicles, would this be a good buy?
2. I feel INR 13L for a 2011 Merc is slightly overboard. Any tips / suggestions on what could be a price band for this car?

It would be great to receive some inputs to my queries.

Thanks in advance,

Regards,

RK

Hi

I am sort of in the same boat right now and I know, this is a very late answer but, why not have a look at 2012-14 C200 CGI instead? Agreed, may not be an efficient torque monster but the 184hp 1.8T is pretty good and it sounds great. Plus, being petrol, you don't have to worry about those NGT witless idiots.

Besides:
1) Ban is only enforced in NCR (especially Delhi). Could be coming to other metros soon. Better have a few years buffer in car age
2) Yes, 13L is steep for an 11' C250, even in 2019. Now, it should be around 10-11L

I hope you have already bought something nice!
Cheers!