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#85625 of 91686 Re: Catching Up [michaell]
by kirstie_h HOST
Nov 16, 2012 (8:02 am)
Our policy is to consistently over-tip (unless the service just outright stunk). Some places, we visit infrequently, but others, we find that we visit more. It's a fairly small community, so a frequent visitor to any establishment (or frequent orderer of pizza) will be remembered. We want any chance of preferential treatment to swing in our direction - great tips certainly don't hurt.
#85626 of 91686 Re: Mike's C250 Loaner Car [abacomike]
by nyccarguy
Nov 16, 2012 (9:05 am)
Touché Mike! I actually didn't shower this AM. I showered last night;)-
graphicguy - $57K is A LOT of money for a 3 series!
#85627 of 91686 Re: Catching Up [kirstie_h]
by tjc78
Nov 16, 2012 (9:12 am)
IMHO tipping is a personal thing. I usually give anyone delivering food to the house $3-4 bucks. If its a huge order (like when we have people over for football) it will be more money.
Obviously if its the middle of a snow storm or something I would certainly give more.
As for eating out, I'm consistently a 20%+ tipper. It isn't that much more money and I feel that the servers work hard enough to justify it. In addition we frequent the same few places and good tips usually equals great service and sometime "freebies". If we get certain servers at the local diner who know us we usually don't pay for soda/coffee and instead give them the extra $$.
#85628 of 91686 Re: MERCEDES FINALLY MADE IT TO SERVICE DEPT! [michaell]
by murphydog
Nov 16, 2012 (9:59 am)
Actually the C300 has a smaller 3.0L engine. The C350 has the same 3.5L V6 as the E350.
None the less Michaell - you are on the right track, MB is getting away from the number representing the displacement of the engines. I guess a C180 just sounds too small?
The AMGs are all ready there, the E63 AMG has a 5.5L twin turbo mill under the hood...
#85629 of 91686 Re: Catching Up [tjc78]
by michaell
Nov 16, 2012 (10:03 am)
IMHO tipping is a personal thing. I usually give anyone delivering food to the house $3-4 bucks. If its a huge order (like when we have people over for football) it will be more money.
Obviously if its the middle of a snow storm or something I would certainly give more.
I agree 100% with you. After 4 years, I think I've seen it all with regards to tipping your pizza delivery guy. So, nothing surprises (or bothers) me much. Each shift is different - Wednesday night I had 13 deliveries and two tips in excess of $10; last night only 6 deliveries and all tips were average in size.
As to your second statement, I've always believed that bad weather is good for business! I've only been stuck in the snow twice in my ION while delivering pizzas.
First was on Super Bowl Sunday 2011. In my town, the plows usually make one extra wide lane in the middle of residential streets, leaving large banks on either side of the road. I meant to turn into a driveway but got caught up in one of the snow banks and couldn't get out. Fortunately, some neighbors got me unstuck.
Second time was this past winter. Cul-de-sacs are at the bottom of the priority list for plowing, so naturally I got stuck in one. The teenaged kids of the house I delivered to pushed me to drier ground so I could get going.
#85630 of 91686 Re: MERCEDES FINALLY MADE IT TO SERVICE DEPT! [murphydog]
by dino001
Nov 16, 2012 (11:02 am)
Actually the C300 has a smaller 3.0L engine
It used to. Not anymore. They put 3.5L (circa) 250 hp into C300 now, C350 gets same size engine but extra 50hp+.
#85631 of 91686 Re: MERCEDES FINALLY MADE IT TO SERVICE DEPT! [abacomike]
by abacomike
Nov 16, 2012 (11:38 am)
UPDATE ON E350
Got a call back from the Director of Service/Parts this morning. After looking into the matter, he said he was going to order 6 injectors for the E350 immediately because if he doesn't do it right away, he will never have the car finished before Wednesday - if he orders the parts today, he will have them by Monday morning via FedEx. If Orlando doesn't have them, he said he will have them flown in overnight from one of the other large parts warehouses. He further stated that if they have not identified the injector causing the problem by Monday morning, he will replace all 6 injectors, whether Mercedes Pays for it or not!
That was nice to hear, to be sure! He said that you have to follow Mercedes Benz procedures to the letter - even call their tech center - prior to replacing all the injectors.
The leak doesn't mean that fuel is leaking "into" the cylinder - it means that their is a pressure leak in the injector causing back-flow of fuel so there isn't enough fuel delivered to that cylinder when starting after it is warmed up.
When I googled the issue, it appears that "timing" or the amount of time between when the engine is turned off after running for some time and then restarting it, is the issue here. After 15 minutes, the problem is not severe. After 20-25 minutes, it is problematic, but after 30-35 minutes, the car won't stall after restart. That is the symptom of the leaking injector - but now they have to identify which injector it is.
Their service department is open Saturday and Sunday, but they usually don't have heavy work done on weekends, but the service director told me they would have the shop foreman and the mechanic work on the car through the weekend with the fluorascope to identify the problem injector. He told me they are already in touch with Mercedes Tech Support regarding the issue.
I reminded him that I need a car to drive up to Jacksonville Wednesday morning, and he said I could have his dealer car (E350) to drive up and back in if they can't get my car finished. That was very nice of him to offer that.
#85632 of 91686 Re: Catching Up [tjc78]
by kirstie_h HOST
Nov 16, 2012 (11:40 am)
IMHO tipping is a personal thing. I usually give anyone delivering food to the house $3-4 bucks. If its a huge order (like when we have people over for football) it will be more money.
Oh, definitely.
There's a bar we go to occasionally that has great live music. We consistently over-tip there because they remember us. This means that if we wanted a table reserved for a great act, they'd do it. The owner will sometimes slip us "no cover" admission passes for an upcoming act that he thinks we'll like. And, we always get a good server and great service. We decided that we wanted to make ourselves the kind of customers they really WANT to see come through the door.
Not that other customers aren't - just that they know we're a guaranteed good tip. That's what I meant by the over-tipping for favors. It was the same at a local bar when I lived in St. Louis. It's the only place I went, and the bartenders were given a daily "freebie" allowance to give free drinks to whomever they wanted to. They usually used it on the good-tipping regulars, because they knew they'd get a bit extra. It's a symbiotic relationship.
Everywhere else, and delivery, is based on the place & the service.
#85633 of 91686 Re: MERCEDES FINALLY MADE IT TO SERVICE DEPT! [dino001]
by abacomike
Nov 16, 2012 (11:55 am)
It used to. Not anymore. They put 3.5L (circa) 250 hp into C300 now, C350 gets same size engine but extra 50hp+.
That is correct! The C350 has a 3.5 litre V6 engine, identical to the one in the E350, 302 horsepower and 278 torque. The C300 is only built with 4-matic, or all wheel drive - cannot get one with rear wheel drive only. That is why the C250 has become so poplular down here and out west - good performance, but does not have all wheel drive. I am getting 36 mpg on the highway with the C250, about 3 mpg better than I get in the E350.
The C300 is also 4 or 5 thousand dollars more than the C250. It's the interior room and small seats that I have difficulty with - I am 6'2" and weigh 245 - so I need much more support and much more room than the C class provides.
#85634 of 91686 Re: MERCEDES FINALLY MADE IT TO SERVICE DEPT! [dino001]
by murphydog
Nov 16, 2012 (1:28 pm)
Gosh - now they have just gone and messed it all up haven't they!