Auto Service

Exclusivity. Its a fabulous thing, really. A certain something, often built of superior craftsmanship, sometimes of smoke and mirrors, that makes your product special, enables you to sell it for a premium and ensures that your customers wont feel like one of the herd.

For a long, long time, Mercedes-Benz had that in spades. And it was built of superior craftsmanship. Those of us of a certain age can remember when Mercedes-Benzes werent especially pretty (the stunning 300SL Gullwing a notable exception), and werent especially fast (again excepting the 300SL), but sold to discriminating buyers for about two and a half times the sticker price of a domestic sedan or convertible in its size class because they werent simply engineered, they were over-engineered. This was a thing of value, likely to last far more than two and a half times longer than the domestic.

And as they became prettier and faster, and more expensive, a generation of car buyers became like little kids with their noses pressed against the showroom window pane...."someday...someday..."

And thats when the MBAs (or Germanys equivalent) spoke up. "Imagine if we could sell all those people the car of their dreams. Wed have to move into size and price classes we dont currently compete in, but we could do that by cutting out some of the unnecessary engineering. The materials dont have to be that good...they just have to be good enough. The price tags will be lower for some cars, but think of what well make in volume."

And thus began, in the mid to late 90s, Mercedes-Benzs pursuit of market share. They went from building the best car possible to building as many cars as possible. Loyal buyers noticed and began shopping elsewhere. New buyers, confronted with lesser and cheaper while looking down the hood at the three-pointed star began to wonder what all the shouting was about.

Well, lately, Mercedes has begun to show signs of finding the way back...building cars that look and feel like something special...and the E350 Cabriolet is one of those. Larger and more useful than the SLK roadster and significantly less expensive than the two-seat SL, the E350 is user-friendly and imparts a sense of premium goods from the moment you slide behind the wheel.

1. Open the App Store on your iPhone. Tap Search and type mbrace into the search bar, then hit the Search button on the keyboard. Tap the listing for the app, tap the Free button, tap it again when it turns green and enter your Apple ID and password when the dialog box appears. The app appears on your iPhones home screen.
2. Sign up for mbrace on your Mercedes if your vehicle did not come with it or if you do not already have it. Contact your local dealer, or call 800 FOR MERCedes to speak to a representative about your options. Only models made after 2005 contain the necessary software.
3. Tap the app on your iPhone to open it. Enter your mbrace account number and four-digit PIN to log in.
4. Tap Vehicle to use the remote key, which appears on the screen. From here, you can unlock, lock and locate the car, or you can tap Assistance to contact customer service, finance, concierge or roadside assistance. Tap Dealer to view information about local dealers, or tap Account to view information about your personal account. Tap Send2Benz to search for a destination, enter a street address, find an address or drive to a preset friend.

1. Insert the key and switch the ignition to position I.
2. Press the display button on the multifunction steering wheel until the B Service notification is displayed.
3. Press and hold the reset button located to the left of the instrument cluster until the B Service message resets.