[Stigissimo]

Originally Posted by cityvic

The other launch edition of the city with the front bumper replaced to accommodate the Avantgarde/Elegance style grill with the Tri-star popping out from the hood.
Looks hot to me.
Attachment 1230257

Hey cityvic, do you know where the owners of this E got their grill and bumper replaced? And if so a ballpark cost would also be appreciated. I'm looking to do the same with mine.
Cheers

[mohaks19]

Hey cityvic, loved your ownership review of the E250! In fact, it was this thread which prompted me to buy my first own car here in the US, an E350 4MATIC.

Sorry for gatecrashing your thread but here are a few pictures from my side:-

[nsubrama2]

Originally Posted by cityvic

Update at 1 year and 13,000 kms as on July 2014

Apologies for the late updates.
Since, I am back in Philadelphia now, I am free from meeting friends and relatives and also have more time to spend with the laptop so here are some updates.

So, sometime in July my car was sent for its first service to Benchmark Interkrafts.
The standard 1 year/15,000km service was performed and some general part replacements were done too.

- 15,000km service
- Engine Oil top up
- Air Filters replaced
- Other parts checked
- Both wipers replaced
- Front Brake discs replaced
- Front Brake pads replaced
- Rear Brake pads replaced
- Rear Brake discs polished

A general 1st service of an E Class costs about 40-50k which includes the oil top up, filters and wipers. The brake pads and discs generally wear out by 15000-18000kms and since mine had work out, got them replaced too. Replacing all four brake pads and the front brake discs set me back by an additional 60k. I also got a full sized 18" alloy wheel ordered via the workshop to keep in the car as the spare wheel. The donut wheel the CBU cars get is pretty much useless on Indian roads and look really weird too. A brand new alloy wheel set me back by about 30k and a Pirelli Pzero tyre for it another 27k. Benchmark Interkrafts has recently renovated their two decade old worshop to a state of the art facility which makes things slightly better when they are working on cars. Must mention that the staff at the dealership and workshop are absolutely well trained and courteous giving superb service unlike most other premium dealerships in the city.

By the time I left for Philadelphia in Mid September, the car had run about 15,000kms.
Touchwood, the car is problem free and is performing brilliantly. It is also liked by everyone at home and manages to do its daily duty well. In short, the decision to buy the E again in its latest avatar was a good one.

I also got the car completely detailed by Bhpian, Nos Power. He now has a full team trained under him to detail cars with Meguiars products under his new company name, Excellerate Auto Detailing. A fabulous job was done on the car which also beat the condition of the vehicle on delivery when new last year. This was the second time the car was detailed, the last being in December last year.

More pictures and details on the next post.

I had a general question w.r.t the E250 CDI. I've test driven 2 on separate occasions. I find the accelerator pedal on the E250CDI pretty stiff. It becomes all the more obvious when you drive (say) the C220 CDI and the E250CDI back to back. And definitely a lot stiffer then (say) a Civic.

I asked someone (a driver) who drives an E350 and he immediately agreed.
Here are a couple of threads where folks have found the pedal stiff:

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w123...solutions.html
http://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w2...tor-pedal.html

Just thought I'd check with an owner to get first hand feedback. Do you find it stiff as well? Is it something you get used to over time or is it something you never even found unusual?

[ajmat]

All Mercs have a stiff accelerator even the E350 which I used a couple of months back

My rationale

1: To make progress smoother, trigger happy accelerators expose the jerk in you
2: If you want to go fast, you really need to work on going fast instead of accidently touching the throttle.

My first car was a Peugeot 309SRi with a trigger happy throttle. I also used to drive a Merc W124 so I have been there

[nsubrama2]

Wonder if this is something to do only with the setup of the E/C250. The E 220 and C 220 didn't seem to exhibit this trait. Never driven the C250 though

[cityvic]

Originally Posted by Stigissimo

Hey cityvic, do you know where the owners of this E got their grill and bumper replaced? And if so a ballpark cost would also be appreciated. I'm looking to do the same with mine.
Cheers

He got the grill & bumper imported via some accessory store in Calcutta. The Mercedes Benz workshop will import and install the same parts for you as well if you provide them the part numbers of the grill and bumper. Costs around 1.5-2L for the entire front transformation with paint and labor on genuine Mercedes parts.

Originally Posted by mohaks19

Hey cityvic, loved your ownership review of the E250! In fact, it was this thread which prompted me to buy my first own car here in the US, an E350 4MATIC.

Thank you so much. Congratulations on your new ride.
Looks beautiful with the AMG styling kit and 18" AMG wheels. Got it from Mercedes Benz Cherry Hill?

Originally Posted by nsubrama2

I had a general question w.r.t the E250 CDI. I've test driven 2 on separate occasions. I find the accelerator pedal on the E250CDI pretty stiff.

Originally Posted by ajmat

All Mercs have a stiff accelerator even the E350 which I used a couple of months back

My rationale

1: To make progress smoother, trigger happy accelerators expose the jerk in you
2: If you want to go fast, you really need to work on going fast instead of accidently touching the throttle.

Originally Posted by nsubrama2

Wonder if this is something to do only with the setup of the E/C250. The E 220 and C 220 didn't seem to exhibit this trait. Never driven the C250 though

There you go. Ajmat has cleared it out for you in the best possible way.

Frankly, I had never thought of this until you pointed it out and found the pedals absolutely normal till date. Infact our S Class also has a similar pedal design to the E Class, probably I just got used to them over time. In all these Benz's, the accelerator pedal response is pretty much the same, all designed for linear power delivery for a smooth comfortable ride. But then you have the kick down mode in the accelerator pedal whenever you want to go all out and have some fun while driving.

In the meanwhile lot of updates on the car and to the garage, will post everything shortly.

From left to right
Q5 | E250 W212 | 520d E60 | E250 CDI W212 | XF | S350 CDI W222 | 525d F10 | E200 Kompressor W211 | A6

[nsubrama2]

Originally Posted by cityvic

From left to right
Q5 | E250 W212 | 520d E60 | E250 CDI W212 | XF | S350 CDI W222 | 525d F10 | E200 Kompressor W211 | A6
Attachment 1570695

Thanks cityvic for clarifying from your personal experience. Lovely collection BTW, every car enthusiasts dream

[puneetghai1978]

Hi, I am planning to buy E250 CDI soon. Any word of advice from your side?

Mod Note : Please avoid typing with excessive dots.........like................this.

Thanks

[nsubrama2]

Originally Posted by puneetghai1978

Hi ......I am planning to buy E250 CDI soon......any word of advice from your side?

Double Edged proposition, I'd say. Buy now and avail of tremendous discounts to the tune of 10 lakhs or even more on the outgoing E Class.
Or wait till end Feb 2017 and drive home the All New W213 that's loaded with tech, luxury has one of the best dashboards, and is receiving rave reviews from all quarters. But my guess is the New E Class will be no less than 75 Lakhs OTR (A merc salesman indicated that kind of figure too during one my test drives).

Upto you to decide based on your own need and preferences. All the best with your decision

[nickolajj]

Guess the E 250 cdi W212 is built like a tank and would serve you better than the w213. Though it packs in more tech in its new avatar, knowing Mercedes, they would not bring also this tech to India. By the time we get a fully loaded Mercedes it would be a few upgrades and more than 20% price hike. I bought my w212 e250cdi, knowingly that it would be replaced in a few months.. But I guess w213 is lighter and more Flimsy stuff.

If you don't mind driving an older model. Then w212 makes these best sense in terms of finance and quality.
Got mine on 19th Jan @ 54 on road that's including 20%kerala road tax and insurance.

[nidhinsarath]

What type of transmission is 7G tronic in w212? Is it dual clutch or a torque convertor?

[RohanDheman]

Originally Posted by nidhinsarath

What type of transmission is 7G tronic in w212? Is it dual clutch or a torque convertor?

The Mercedes 7G tronic is a conventional torque converter type.

[msudhir]

Does it make a difference if we use the same capacity battery from Amaron instead of MB Original??

[ibabsi]

Not sure if it's appropriate to continue this thread with my request for advice on buying a used E250 Blueefficiency (Elegance)

This is in Coimbatore, 2011 model with around 90,000 km on the odometer, 2nd owner, Silver.

On the test drive, the engine was a bit loud while starting (didn't like it) but I put it to my general dislike of diesel engines. The ride was great, though.

Coincidentally, the workshop (for my Corolla AT) is the same one that was also servicing this E250 and the mechanic assures me the vehicle is in reasonably good condition but for a couple of things that the earlier owner was postponing taking care of (something to do with the suspension {that caused the noise/shudder during start] and then another minor niggle, both of which he estimated would cost around 30K to fix). I came across this vehicle in a used car mela and not through the mechanic. The mechanic belongs to the famous "Benz Mohan" family. (For those not in the know, Benz Mohan was legendary for his expertise in servicing Mercs to the extent that he was even sponsored a trip to the company factory/R&D in Germany in appreciation of his work. His 3-4 key assistants started their own garages subsequently and my mechanic is one of them. Benz Mohan is no more)

Back to 'my' E250. The vehicle also has scratches on the bumper (left), left B pillar and the area just above the back left wheel. This was explained as caused due to the challenging navigation in & out of a narrow parking place in the apartment complex. Am not sure how much that would cost to fix.

The current owner is supposed to have bought it some 3 years back at 18.5L. He now plans to buy something else, not sure what or why.

My reason to buy? Want to own a nice Merc. Snob Value. Ride comfort. Feel good. Been driving the Corolla for like 7 years now(was 7 years old when I bought it!) and time for a change & a big upgrade?

I drive a couple of times a week to work which is around 50 km each round trip; once or twice a month to Ooty (<200 km round trip) and the weekend shopping/movie/temple/dinner outing, probably a 25-30km ride. Let's say around 1000 km a month. Also a quarterly drive to Chennai which would be a 1000 km trip.

The asking price is 14L. Is it a fair price?

If I go ahead, this would be a big, big upgrade for me and what upkeep costs should I be prepared for? I have heard (& read here) enough stories to scare me. (My Corolla AT is less than INR 25K a year - Oil, brakes and some minor niggles). Would INR 50K/yr be a reasonable budget? Am worried it may be close to a lac/year.

Any advice most appreciated.

[avira_tk]

Originally Posted by ibabsi

...
The asking price is 14L. Is it a fair price?

If I go ahead, this would be a big, big upgrade for me and what upkeep costs should I be prepared for? I have heard (& read here) enough stories to scare me. (My Corolla AT is less than INR 25K a year - Oil, brakes and some minor niggles). Would INR 50K/yr be a reasonable budget? Am worried it may be close to a lac/year.

Any advice most appreciated.

The price would be OK if you're getting the car after the mechanical issues are sorted out. The sound you hear during startup could be anything, ask the mechanic for a quote to fix the car to run perfectly. No point in owning a luxury car otherwise.

It's a 75 lakh car when you adjust for inflation, and it will always cost you what cars in that price range cost to maintain. Compare the cost of a new set of tyres for the corolla vs the E, that's the multiple you are looking at. The step up from the Toyota in terms of running costs could be managed because you have a good mechanic. Repairs will cost a bomb and you need to have some cash set aside, just like you would have to for any car. I know a relative who runs a 20 year old E class and his maintenance costs are negligible, but that car has fewer electronics.