Moving with the times. Mercedes C350e Estate (W205)
Discussion
Hi everyone
Second readers cars thread for me. This time I'll be looking at the daily driver, a new to me 2018 W205 Mercedes C350e AMG Line. My first PHEV.
My other thread, Project 5AXO, is the project car. Go check that out for more rust content. Shameful link insertion here;
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
First off, the background. I've always had a thing for estates, I often think they look better than their saloon counter parts. Plus with dog and family, they just make sense. I was using a W212 E350 CDI (265) as a daily. Great car but after a year of ownership it just left me feeling cold. It was pokey enough, even with a crap generic remap, it just was a little bit dull. It had the basic AUDIO 20 system and while for the audio side I don't really mind so much, it was the lack of phone integration and no sat nav that bothered me most.
Coupled with the fuel economy being tragic for my 10 mile round trip school run. I work from home 4 days a week now so a big engine diesel just doesn't make sense. It was of course far better on the longer journeys but there's only so much Free Radio C&W you can take. Things like lack of stop start tech and seemingly constant DPF regens just tickled my brain cell saying "trade me in!"
Luckily an old friend who is a trader came to my house and took it with almost zero inspection and saved me a load of hassle. The 7k price was a bit of a hit but I wanted it gone. I did attempt a private sale but I think right now these are quite an undesirable motor. Final picture before she left me for good;
Enough of the old, in with the new. Lets start with a picture or two (sorry for the dusty pics, builders are in and showering the car with dust)
As the title says, this is a 2018 W205 C350e AMG Line. Canvansite Blue with 71k on the clock. 1 previous owner and full MB history.
Believe it or not, these are quite a rare beast. There are plenty of C350e's for sale but only a small handful of AMG Line estates.
Headlines are the M274 2.0L engine producing a mind blowing ~205bhp coupled with a ~80bhp E-machine. Official stats are 288bhp and the quickest non AMG model in the line up. Battery is a 6.7kWh with a usable capacity of 5kWh. It has a 7kW onboard charger meaning it can be charged to 100% in under an hour should you have the correct juice box on the wall. A normal 3 pin will charge it in around 3hours. Full charge is around 10-11miles. A bit short of the 19 they quote from new. From what I've read no-one ever got that, I can only assume that's WLTP range not real world.
I'd been looking at these for some time and specifically wanted an AMG Line model for the simple reason that the non AMG Line models just look dull as dishwater. I want to have that moment where you walk away from the car and turn around to look at it.
As I said earlier, there isn't a vast amount of choice in these but I lucked out on this because it came with the optional 19" wheels and the night pack which deletes most of the chrome. Panoramic roof. Heated seats etc. Plus the additional AMG Line body work changes, I think the car looks brilliant.
I had to trek down to Kent to get it but it was worth the journey. As for the economy and battery range, thus far I'm quite pleased. I've done quite a few long trips which are out of the ordinary so mileage for the first 2-3week has been far higher than my normal but the trip computer tells me that I've done 36% in EV mode which is excellent for such a small battery.
My school run is now done in EV which is great. As for performance, it feels on par with the old E350CDI albeit I'm still in Eco mode mentally so I haven't really pushed it yet.
Modifications
I'm really happy with the car but there are a few bit's I'm going to change
1. The night pack deletes most of the chrome but not all so step one is black badges on the rear.
2. In the same theme as item 1 I'll swap out the chrome strip on the tailgate for a gloss black one. Will also look at the front grill horizontal pieces too.
3. I've ordered a steering wheel re-trim from Royal Steering Wheels. My mate had his Golf R done and it's beautiful so expect an upgrade on that shortly.
4. I think the car would look great with a darker shade of wheel colour so I'll be doing a gun metal/anthracite update soon.
5. Personally I think the car looks great from all angles but the front bumper is a bit shallow. I've ordered a subtle front splitter for it. I'll assess how that looks in mock up before making the change permanent.
6. My previous merc had the audio20 system and so does this, However the bass in this system is really flat. I've read I can upgrade the 6.5" subwoofer to an 8" fairly easily so i'll do that too at some point.
7. Finally, and this is a real maybe. I'll look at a remap for it. Just for that added poke. Celtic tuning do one which boosts power and torque ~50 for both and it comes with a warranty.
That's about all for now. Expect more when I get time away from home, kids, dogs, work, project 5axo etc
Thanks for looking
Second readers cars thread for me. This time I'll be looking at the daily driver, a new to me 2018 W205 Mercedes C350e AMG Line. My first PHEV.
My other thread, Project 5AXO, is the project car. Go check that out for more rust content. Shameful link insertion here;
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
First off, the background. I've always had a thing for estates, I often think they look better than their saloon counter parts. Plus with dog and family, they just make sense. I was using a W212 E350 CDI (265) as a daily. Great car but after a year of ownership it just left me feeling cold. It was pokey enough, even with a crap generic remap, it just was a little bit dull. It had the basic AUDIO 20 system and while for the audio side I don't really mind so much, it was the lack of phone integration and no sat nav that bothered me most.
Coupled with the fuel economy being tragic for my 10 mile round trip school run. I work from home 4 days a week now so a big engine diesel just doesn't make sense. It was of course far better on the longer journeys but there's only so much Free Radio C&W you can take. Things like lack of stop start tech and seemingly constant DPF regens just tickled my brain cell saying "trade me in!"
Luckily an old friend who is a trader came to my house and took it with almost zero inspection and saved me a load of hassle. The 7k price was a bit of a hit but I wanted it gone. I did attempt a private sale but I think right now these are quite an undesirable motor. Final picture before she left me for good;
Enough of the old, in with the new. Lets start with a picture or two (sorry for the dusty pics, builders are in and showering the car with dust)
As the title says, this is a 2018 W205 C350e AMG Line. Canvansite Blue with 71k on the clock. 1 previous owner and full MB history.
Believe it or not, these are quite a rare beast. There are plenty of C350e's for sale but only a small handful of AMG Line estates.
Headlines are the M274 2.0L engine producing a mind blowing ~205bhp coupled with a ~80bhp E-machine. Official stats are 288bhp and the quickest non AMG model in the line up. Battery is a 6.7kWh with a usable capacity of 5kWh. It has a 7kW onboard charger meaning it can be charged to 100% in under an hour should you have the correct juice box on the wall. A normal 3 pin will charge it in around 3hours. Full charge is around 10-11miles. A bit short of the 19 they quote from new. From what I've read no-one ever got that, I can only assume that's WLTP range not real world.
I'd been looking at these for some time and specifically wanted an AMG Line model for the simple reason that the non AMG Line models just look dull as dishwater. I want to have that moment where you walk away from the car and turn around to look at it.
As I said earlier, there isn't a vast amount of choice in these but I lucked out on this because it came with the optional 19" wheels and the night pack which deletes most of the chrome. Panoramic roof. Heated seats etc. Plus the additional AMG Line body work changes, I think the car looks brilliant.
I had to trek down to Kent to get it but it was worth the journey. As for the economy and battery range, thus far I'm quite pleased. I've done quite a few long trips which are out of the ordinary so mileage for the first 2-3week has been far higher than my normal but the trip computer tells me that I've done 36% in EV mode which is excellent for such a small battery.
My school run is now done in EV which is great. As for performance, it feels on par with the old E350CDI albeit I'm still in Eco mode mentally so I haven't really pushed it yet.
Modifications
I'm really happy with the car but there are a few bit's I'm going to change
1. The night pack deletes most of the chrome but not all so step one is black badges on the rear.
2. In the same theme as item 1 I'll swap out the chrome strip on the tailgate for a gloss black one. Will also look at the front grill horizontal pieces too.
3. I've ordered a steering wheel re-trim from Royal Steering Wheels. My mate had his Golf R done and it's beautiful so expect an upgrade on that shortly.
4. I think the car would look great with a darker shade of wheel colour so I'll be doing a gun metal/anthracite update soon.
5. Personally I think the car looks great from all angles but the front bumper is a bit shallow. I've ordered a subtle front splitter for it. I'll assess how that looks in mock up before making the change permanent.
6. My previous merc had the audio20 system and so does this, However the bass in this system is really flat. I've read I can upgrade the 6.5" subwoofer to an 8" fairly easily so i'll do that too at some point.
7. Finally, and this is a real maybe. I'll look at a remap for it. Just for that added poke. Celtic tuning do one which boosts power and torque ~50 for both and it comes with a warranty.
That's about all for now. Expect more when I get time away from home, kids, dogs, work, project 5axo etc
Thanks for looking
Lovely motor, and looks great on those 19's. I picked up a w205 C200 Wagon early 2021 in the AMG Line trim - opting for the 2.0 Petrol over the 1.5 Hybrid for fear of things "going wrong" with it being such an early Hybrid design, so I'm intrigued to see how you get on.
The pumps changing from E5 to E10 really battered my MPG with long runs dropping from high 40's to barely 40. So I'll always fill up with E5 where I can as the ~3-4% extra at the pumps is well worthwhile for the extra ~15%++ in economy.
The pumps changing from E5 to E10 really battered my MPG with long runs dropping from high 40's to barely 40. So I'll always fill up with E5 where I can as the ~3-4% extra at the pumps is well worthwhile for the extra ~15%++ in economy.
Not many AMG line versions because it pushed them into the next bracket for both company car drivers and road tax.
Ive had my c350e 18 months, and its a great car. Yes range on pure electric is shocking, but we worked out that for school runs and tesco it was within. range, and as such it regularly returns 75+ MPG.
However with the rising cost of electricity, you do have to calculate carefully the value in plugging it in at home.
It has worked out at about 45Mpg over a year with mixed motoring, which isn't too bad for such a big, heavy car.
Ive had my c350e 18 months, and its a great car. Yes range on pure electric is shocking, but we worked out that for school runs and tesco it was within. range, and as such it regularly returns 75+ MPG.
However with the rising cost of electricity, you do have to calculate carefully the value in plugging it in at home.
It has worked out at about 45Mpg over a year with mixed motoring, which isn't too bad for such a big, heavy car.
Yes very good point. The VED is high for the next year or two because of the £40k+ sale price, Which I knew when I bought it, I just assumed I'd suck it up for a while and then I'll drop down later on.
And like you, our school runs, local big shop, gym and family is all within EV range. I'm expecting to do the vast majority in EV so should see the percentage I quoted earlier slowly rise. That's the intention anyway.
At the moment I'm using a 3 pin to charge as its easily captured during the working day but we're extending this year and i'll drop in a 7kW charger and protect for the future.
And like you, our school runs, local big shop, gym and family is all within EV range. I'm expecting to do the vast majority in EV so should see the percentage I quoted earlier slowly rise. That's the intention anyway.
At the moment I'm using a 3 pin to charge as its easily captured during the working day but we're extending this year and i'll drop in a 7kW charger and protect for the future.
Evo Sean said:
How did you find the winter mileage with colder weather?
It’s not good but you get more if you preheat whilst still plugged in, or use E-Save when you start up from cold to run the engine. Don’t try and heat the cabin on a cold day using the battery as you will use it up in no time. Other things to watch - don’t run the petrol low and use full throttle as it can bring up an engine warning light.
There is a hidden compartment under the boot floor if you lift it at the leading edge.
Make sure the suspension raises and lowers evenly and watch for it settling if you’ve not used it for a few days.
Don’t use the 3 pin plug in charger on full power as it can cause the plug socket to get very hot. Even worse on an extension lead. Use it on half power by pressing the big button on it so only half the LEDs light up.
Lube the charging flap socket/fastener as it freezes up in winter. Be careful with the flap too as it’s fragile and it’s a bumper off job to replace.
First update in this little project if you can call it that.
As I said in my first post, this car came with the night pack. A glorified way of saying it had all the chrome deleted round the windows among other things. I always felt this didn't go far enough as there is still bits of chrome around the car. I'm not against chrome but I do prefer the black. As always it's a balancing act.
First of all the simple one, change the 3 pointed star on the back for a gloss black version, quick before picture;
These just pull off, they are held by three push fit pins.
Quick clean up of the area.
New item, genuine merc part by the look of it. These are tricky to find because they are the smaller 80mm version (usually 90mm) and have a little curvature to it;
Fitting is a simple job, peel of the sticky tape and push into place.
I have matching C350e badge coming but it's not here yet so i'll come back to that later.
Meanwhile I'll sort the chrome strip across the back. I thought the easiest way to sort this was to wrap it. I'm not a wrapper by any stretch but its a simple shape and had a clear way to fold the cut edges into place. If I don't like it then I can peel it off. I also decided to do this on the car as removing these strips means heating it up to melt the glue and inevitably breaking the clips behind it. I used 3M gloss black wrap to match the rest of the car.
First job, mock up the piece
And then slowly slow massage into place and using a fine blade cut the material. I actually had two goes at this as I made a few mistakes on the first go. In the end i'm happy with the result and you wouldn't know it'd been wrapped
Next up the front grill. Now I wasn't planning on doing this but I had plenty of wrap left over so I thought I'd have a go and if it looks pants I'll just go back to chrome. I really want to avoid making it look like one of those cars you see on the insurance adverts with no grill/badge. The grill has 4 horizontal slats which are gloss black at the rear with a chrome leading edge. Again they had clear places where wrap could be cut into and hidden. I did all the usual clean and prep before hand. Firstly a before pic.
Comparison half way through. At this stage I'm not convinced but pressed on for the final verdict.
All four pieces done.
At this stage I still wasn't entirely happy it looked any good. The Merc badge will stay as it is. I feel that's a step too far. But I know the next stage was going to tie in the grill changes. For now I'll keep it as it is.
The aforementioned next stage was the front splitter I mentioned in post 1. Finding something that fits these AMG Line models that isn't stupid looking is difficult. There are a few Ebay specials that came in three pieces but they were just a tad aggressive to me. Too many winglets and diffuser rakes. For me this isn't a car that warrants silly body kits and what not, I just wanted a small lip to extend what I feel is a slightly shallow front end. Subtle is best. My only option then was the Maxton Design lip designed for the coupe but I think these share a front bumper so I took a punt and ordered it.
At this stage it was getting dark so I didn't grab any in progress pictures so you'll have to do with the before and after.
I'm happy with that and the splitter now justifies the grill changes. I'll keep it on and see how it goes.
Next up is steering wheel re-trim in a couple of weeks.
As I said in my first post, this car came with the night pack. A glorified way of saying it had all the chrome deleted round the windows among other things. I always felt this didn't go far enough as there is still bits of chrome around the car. I'm not against chrome but I do prefer the black. As always it's a balancing act.
First of all the simple one, change the 3 pointed star on the back for a gloss black version, quick before picture;
These just pull off, they are held by three push fit pins.
Quick clean up of the area.
New item, genuine merc part by the look of it. These are tricky to find because they are the smaller 80mm version (usually 90mm) and have a little curvature to it;
Fitting is a simple job, peel of the sticky tape and push into place.
I have matching C350e badge coming but it's not here yet so i'll come back to that later.
Meanwhile I'll sort the chrome strip across the back. I thought the easiest way to sort this was to wrap it. I'm not a wrapper by any stretch but its a simple shape and had a clear way to fold the cut edges into place. If I don't like it then I can peel it off. I also decided to do this on the car as removing these strips means heating it up to melt the glue and inevitably breaking the clips behind it. I used 3M gloss black wrap to match the rest of the car.
First job, mock up the piece
And then slowly slow massage into place and using a fine blade cut the material. I actually had two goes at this as I made a few mistakes on the first go. In the end i'm happy with the result and you wouldn't know it'd been wrapped
Next up the front grill. Now I wasn't planning on doing this but I had plenty of wrap left over so I thought I'd have a go and if it looks pants I'll just go back to chrome. I really want to avoid making it look like one of those cars you see on the insurance adverts with no grill/badge. The grill has 4 horizontal slats which are gloss black at the rear with a chrome leading edge. Again they had clear places where wrap could be cut into and hidden. I did all the usual clean and prep before hand. Firstly a before pic.
Comparison half way through. At this stage I'm not convinced but pressed on for the final verdict.
All four pieces done.
At this stage I still wasn't entirely happy it looked any good. The Merc badge will stay as it is. I feel that's a step too far. But I know the next stage was going to tie in the grill changes. For now I'll keep it as it is.
The aforementioned next stage was the front splitter I mentioned in post 1. Finding something that fits these AMG Line models that isn't stupid looking is difficult. There are a few Ebay specials that came in three pieces but they were just a tad aggressive to me. Too many winglets and diffuser rakes. For me this isn't a car that warrants silly body kits and what not, I just wanted a small lip to extend what I feel is a slightly shallow front end. Subtle is best. My only option then was the Maxton Design lip designed for the coupe but I think these share a front bumper so I took a punt and ordered it.
At this stage it was getting dark so I didn't grab any in progress pictures so you'll have to do with the before and after.
I'm happy with that and the splitter now justifies the grill changes. I'll keep it on and see how it goes.
Next up is steering wheel re-trim in a couple of weeks.
Edited by Evo Sean on Friday 24th June 09:16
Update while we wait for some parts to arrive.
No new second hand car feels the same until you've done two things in my book. 1. Bang in a set of new matts and 2. Given it a proper good clean.
I've not cleaned a car in detail for about 8 years so this took me right back, just the final results;
My favourite angle of the car
Came out well considering it was all done by hand;
As always when staring at a car for many hours you do spot a few problem areas, nothing major but I'd like to get these sorted;
Small dent and scuff
Small dent
Chucked in a new set of matts to match the seat trim;
Next plans, not in this order
1. Swap out rear chrome badges for gloss black
2. Swap steering wheel for re-trimmed one (ordered it)
3. I do feel it would benefit from a 10-12mm spacer on the wheels, so i'll order those.
4. Darker wheel colour
5. Android screen upgrade
6. Remap
No new second hand car feels the same until you've done two things in my book. 1. Bang in a set of new matts and 2. Given it a proper good clean.
I've not cleaned a car in detail for about 8 years so this took me right back, just the final results;
My favourite angle of the car
Came out well considering it was all done by hand;
As always when staring at a car for many hours you do spot a few problem areas, nothing major but I'd like to get these sorted;
Small dent and scuff
Small dent
Chucked in a new set of matts to match the seat trim;
Next plans, not in this order
1. Swap out rear chrome badges for gloss black
2. Swap steering wheel for re-trimmed one (ordered it)
3. I do feel it would benefit from a 10-12mm spacer on the wheels, so i'll order those.
4. Darker wheel colour
5. Android screen upgrade
6. Remap
These cars are brilliant, enjoy it OP.
I have a thread on here somewhere about the one I ran for awhile.
I can't think of a better balance between practicality and performance
Couple of things to watch out for: (if you haven't already come across them)
The charging lead has a fat plug & lead that makes fitting it to an IP55 rated socket quite hard, don't be tempted to trim the excess rubber back as there are signal wires and shielding buried within it. (There was a rumour mercedes were going to do a revised charging lead with a smaller plug and lead, but mine had gone back by then)
The charging flap is quite fragile and is a c£400 job to replace if you go via a main dealer, so be careful!
Starter motors can fail and cause all sorts of strange issues, a family member that has one had no end of grief until it was changed for a newer design under warranty. (No issues since then)
I have a thread on here somewhere about the one I ran for awhile.
I can't think of a better balance between practicality and performance
Couple of things to watch out for: (if you haven't already come across them)
The charging lead has a fat plug & lead that makes fitting it to an IP55 rated socket quite hard, don't be tempted to trim the excess rubber back as there are signal wires and shielding buried within it. (There was a rumour mercedes were going to do a revised charging lead with a smaller plug and lead, but mine had gone back by then)
The charging flap is quite fragile and is a c£400 job to replace if you go via a main dealer, so be careful!
Starter motors can fail and cause all sorts of strange issues, a family member that has one had no end of grief until it was changed for a newer design under warranty. (No issues since then)
Found the old thread:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Looking forward to watching yours progress
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Looking forward to watching yours progress
BrettMRC said:
These cars are brilliant, enjoy it OP.
I have a thread on here somewhere about the one I ran for awhile.
I can't think of a better balance between practicality and performance
Couple of things to watch out for: (if you haven't already come across them)
The charging lead has a fat plug & lead that makes fitting it to an IP55 rated socket quite hard, don't be tempted to trim the excess rubber back as there are signal wires and shielding buried within it. (There was a rumour mercedes were going to do a revised charging lead with a smaller plug and lead, but mine had gone back by then)
The charging flap is quite fragile and is a c£400 job to replace if you go via a main dealer, so be careful!
Starter motors can fail and cause all sorts of strange issues, a family member that has one had no end of grief until it was changed for a newer design under warranty. (No issues since then)
Another chap above mentioned the charge flap, good to know. Ive already driven off with it open once! I have a thread on here somewhere about the one I ran for awhile.
I can't think of a better balance between practicality and performance
Couple of things to watch out for: (if you haven't already come across them)
The charging lead has a fat plug & lead that makes fitting it to an IP55 rated socket quite hard, don't be tempted to trim the excess rubber back as there are signal wires and shielding buried within it. (There was a rumour mercedes were going to do a revised charging lead with a smaller plug and lead, but mine had gone back by then)
The charging flap is quite fragile and is a c£400 job to replace if you go via a main dealer, so be careful!
Starter motors can fail and cause all sorts of strange issues, a family member that has one had no end of grief until it was changed for a newer design under warranty. (No issues since then)
I'll dig into your thread shortly.
BrettMRC said:
Found the old thread:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Looking forward to watching yours progress
Just reading through mate, interesting you used the charge mode on the motorway, did you notice a big drop off in mpg during that period?https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Looking forward to watching yours progress
Evo Sean said:
BrettMRC said:
Found the old thread:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Looking forward to watching yours progress
Just reading through mate, interesting you used the charge mode on the motorway, did you notice a big drop off in mpg during that period?https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Looking forward to watching yours progress
I've been running one of these for the past year and the AMG line version is definitively harder to find. I did have some reservations regarding the PHEV setup but overall it has been a great car- Day to day we don't use the engine for short trips around town- Circa 14 mile range. We have now placed an order on a Tesla model Y but it has definitely been a worthwhile stepping stone.
A few pics- Up for sale soon!
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2nuCvSL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2nuK4Jw]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2nuHNqm]
A few pics- Up for sale soon!
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