Joined
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33 Posts
Hello from a bright but chilly Warwickshire, in the middle of the UK.
I am very happy to have come across such an active forum. I really value the ability to share information and know-how.
This is my first MB and it's quite a departure for me. Medium-Large saloons (Audi A4, VW Passat) and more recently large estates (2 x BMW 5 series since 2010) have been the norm for me, since I spend about 20,000 miles sitting in my car per year, comfort is my priority and arriving fresh at my client site after 3 hours on the motorway is invaluable. So I am a little nervous about how I will fare in this class of car.
I most likely would have had another 5 series estate, since they've been nothing but reliable and the dealership I've used has been exemplary these past 7 years. However I've been caught up in the Tesla fandom and back in April 2016 put down a deposit on the Model 3. Here in the UK the model 3 is expected in "early 2019" and since my 5 series was now 4 years old, it was time for a change. When the Tesla arrives, my new car will be passed along to the wife, who only does local journeys and has an aversion to larger cars, so the GLC seems like the perfect compromise; a lovely, high-class cabin environment for me for the next 18 months, thereafter a significant upgrade for the wife from her 2015 Qashqai.
I test drove everything in this class and found the GLC to be the best option (though I do wonder about the upcoming BMW X3 - but hey, it's not here today). Having had both an SE 5 series and a M-Sport 5 series, I've found the compromise on ride quality from the latter (firmer suspension, bigger run flat wheels), has grated on me over the past few years and so I test drove probably 6 or 7 different combinations of GLC engine, wheel size and trim style before settling on:
220 diesel Sport
Premium Plus Package
360 degree camera
Metalic black
Beige interior
Black ash trim.
18" wheels
11% discount off list, and a 5.6% APR felt good, so I signed the paperwork on 14th July, with delivery expected on 8th September to the dealer, with handover to me 2 days later.
Since then, the experience has been pretty terrible frankly. The delivery has been delayed due to a "rolling block" and as I've learned MB won't give out any information to help you understand why, and the new "late October" date has more caveats than Donald Trump's pre-nup. The dealership have handled the situation appallingly, failing to notify me of the delay until the day before I was due to collect (despite my seeking and receiving confirmation a week or so earlier). A very real problem since I'd arranged the return of the BMW. The dealer then compounded the situation by decrying responsibility, declaring they had no contractual obligation and my car-less situation was "not our problem". Unimpressive stuff.
It took several days and some aggressive tactics, but eventually they came good and I'm driving an E-Class estate free of charge until the GLC comes.
Side note: I recommend to everyone ordering a car, that you get something in writing, even an email that says "if the delivery date changes, we will let you know in advance". If you then find yourself in the same circumstance as me, you can then use the legal arguments of Misrepresentation and Reliance to bluff your way to a remedy. Happy to go into detail if anyone needs it.
The E-Class experience is making me a little nervous about COMAND I have to say. Whilst it's got a nice big screen and pretty graphics, it's tortuous to use compared to the 2010 era system in the 5 series, and I don't think it's just me getting used to it, it's clunky, slow and takes many steps to do anything.
Question - how do you add the footer to your messages, showing what spec car you have?
I am very happy to have come across such an active forum. I really value the ability to share information and know-how.
This is my first MB and it's quite a departure for me. Medium-Large saloons (Audi A4, VW Passat) and more recently large estates (2 x BMW 5 series since 2010) have been the norm for me, since I spend about 20,000 miles sitting in my car per year, comfort is my priority and arriving fresh at my client site after 3 hours on the motorway is invaluable. So I am a little nervous about how I will fare in this class of car.
I most likely would have had another 5 series estate, since they've been nothing but reliable and the dealership I've used has been exemplary these past 7 years. However I've been caught up in the Tesla fandom and back in April 2016 put down a deposit on the Model 3. Here in the UK the model 3 is expected in "early 2019" and since my 5 series was now 4 years old, it was time for a change. When the Tesla arrives, my new car will be passed along to the wife, who only does local journeys and has an aversion to larger cars, so the GLC seems like the perfect compromise; a lovely, high-class cabin environment for me for the next 18 months, thereafter a significant upgrade for the wife from her 2015 Qashqai.
I test drove everything in this class and found the GLC to be the best option (though I do wonder about the upcoming BMW X3 - but hey, it's not here today). Having had both an SE 5 series and a M-Sport 5 series, I've found the compromise on ride quality from the latter (firmer suspension, bigger run flat wheels), has grated on me over the past few years and so I test drove probably 6 or 7 different combinations of GLC engine, wheel size and trim style before settling on:
220 diesel Sport
Premium Plus Package
360 degree camera
Metalic black
Beige interior
Black ash trim.
18" wheels
11% discount off list, and a 5.6% APR felt good, so I signed the paperwork on 14th July, with delivery expected on 8th September to the dealer, with handover to me 2 days later.
Since then, the experience has been pretty terrible frankly. The delivery has been delayed due to a "rolling block" and as I've learned MB won't give out any information to help you understand why, and the new "late October" date has more caveats than Donald Trump's pre-nup. The dealership have handled the situation appallingly, failing to notify me of the delay until the day before I was due to collect (despite my seeking and receiving confirmation a week or so earlier). A very real problem since I'd arranged the return of the BMW. The dealer then compounded the situation by decrying responsibility, declaring they had no contractual obligation and my car-less situation was "not our problem". Unimpressive stuff.
It took several days and some aggressive tactics, but eventually they came good and I'm driving an E-Class estate free of charge until the GLC comes.
Side note: I recommend to everyone ordering a car, that you get something in writing, even an email that says "if the delivery date changes, we will let you know in advance". If you then find yourself in the same circumstance as me, you can then use the legal arguments of Misrepresentation and Reliance to bluff your way to a remedy. Happy to go into detail if anyone needs it.
The E-Class experience is making me a little nervous about COMAND I have to say. Whilst it's got a nice big screen and pretty graphics, it's tortuous to use compared to the 2010 era system in the 5 series, and I don't think it's just me getting used to it, it's clunky, slow and takes many steps to do anything.
Question - how do you add the footer to your messages, showing what spec car you have?
