Order Delays?

[400SE Dave]

Ordered a CLA250e a couple of months ago, delivery date was expected to be end of March/early April

Been contacted now to let me know of a 'slight delay', new delivery date expected to be September

Anyone else had 'slight' delays announced?

[ALPandy90]

Having a similar experience. I placed my order on 04/01/2021, and the delivery date is currently showing as 20/08/2021.

Anecdotally, on a few of the MB Facebook groups I have since joined, quite a few people are having their orders delayed. One chap placed an order last week, and was told it would be over 12 months before he saw it.

I'm currently trying to negotiate a cancelation so I can swap to something else!

[bagsofsmoke]

I placed an order for an E53 estate in May, estimated delivery then was mid-August. After five subsequent delays, it's now estimated as end of October.

I can just about stomach the constant delays, but the last straw was Mercedes deciding to reduce the spec - they're no longer including a whole load of items, including LED headlights and 12.3" touch screen. Even worse, they're not adjusting the price of the car accordingly, but offered to through in two years' free servicing (which for a brand new car will be minimal anyway).

Consequently I'm cancelling my order and will buy a second-hand car - currently trying to decide between an Audi A6 Avant 55 TFSI or a BMW 540i Touring. I was mulling whether to take the brave pill and get a second hand E63S too, but the additional running costs put me off a bit. There are a handful of E53s on the market (most with brown interiors - WHY????) but I think I would just be constantly thinking "I could have been driving a brand new one of these" the whole time which would annoy me.

I understand there's a global shortage of semiconductors, but failing to honour orders placed months ago is taking the p*ss. The Merc dealership (Epsom) has been atrocious in communicating with me too - only ever responding to emails or calls rather than being proactive. Doesn't exactly inspire confidence.

[Dog Star]

That’s piss poor - why on earth would anyone want an E without the widescreen? What are they offering instead? The little ones with the enormous bezel? They look terrible.

I called to check on availability of a CLA shooting brake a couple of weeks ago - Q2 2022 at the earliest.

Used car for me too - I’m a bit loathe to go down that route too and pay an extortionate price.

[Ron240]

bagsofsmoke said:

I placed an order for an E53 estate in May

I can just about stomach the constant delays, but the last straw was Mercedes deciding to reduce the spec - they're no longer including a whole load of items, including LED headlights and 12.3" touch screen. Even worse, they're not adjusting the price of the car accordingly, but offered to through in two years' free servicing (which for a brand new car will be minimal anyway).

2 services from new on this model would cost in excess of £1000, but I totally agree with you and would definitely be cancelling my order if it was me.

Used prices have went completely crazy though, with many 2020 cars across the range currently priced higher than full retail when brand new.
I have a June 2020 CLA 250 Premium Plus and I could sell it tomorrow for more than I paid for it brand new.
I would like a new CLA 35 Premium Plus but simply cannot get one. It is not even listed on Carwow anymore.

Edit.
I just updated my WBAC quote and it has jumped up by by almost £3k in the 10 days since i last checked.
It is now £3500 more than I paid for my car brand new!

Edited by Ron240 on Sunday 19th September 23:05

[majordad]

Same problem here , ordered GLC 300de in May for August delivery but indefinitely delayed and offered reduced specification for the same price. And like previous posters a six mont old model is being retailed by the stealer for more money.

Crazy , and upsetting!

[LeeM135i]

It's not just Mercedes. A guy at work has an order in for an Audi Q5, placed in April 2021 delivery scheduled for late August/ early September 2021. Pushed back to April 2022, now been told it might be pushed back again to August 2022. 18 months is a crazy amount of time to wait for a new car.

He can buy a used one on the forecourt for more than the new one he's waiting for. Crazy times.

[Ron240]

LeeM135i said:

It's not just Mercedes.

This global shortage of semiconductors is affecting all manufacturers.
Most people simply will not wait 1 year + for a factory ordered car, hence the sky high used prices.
I went into my local Mercedes dealer yesterday to enquire about a new CLA and delivery is estimated around February for the model I asked about, however it will not come with previously standard things such as multibeam led, keyless entry and wireless charging...oh and it will have a reduced model sound system.

[Krikkit]

This is the sneaky bit - a lot of manufacturers are changing the specs to give you less for the money just to push cars out there and avoid having to stop the production lines.

I'm not optimistic about how long it might be taking to sort this shortage either, I think we're looking at 12+ months of disruption to go before sensible availability returns.

[majordad]

Got an update today that my GLC300de was built last week , and will ship on 26 th October. That should mean a three month delay and lesser specification.

[mk1coopers]

I was talking to a (main) dealer at the weekend, they were getting nervous about the bubble bursting with amount of money being paid for second hand stock so were trying to move it very quickly after getting it in, on the new car front as a group the had 125 of one particular model on order, build dates keep getting pushed back and as others have said specs being downgraded due to component shortages.

I can still see this carrying on well into next year, I’ve had to put my plans to change my E coupe on hold as I’m not prepared to pay the current prices for a nearly new one especially if the spec is lower than the one I already have