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Mercedes-Benz C-Class 'bleeding seat' problem resurfaces [UPDATE]

UPDATE: We received the following statement from Mercedes-Benz: "In rare instances, we incorrectly ordered some of the replacement parts for the seating surfaces. The approved replacement parts will not demonstrate the previous symptoms." It appears Mercedes-Benz has another problem with "bleeding seats" in 2015 C-Class sedans. As we reported in January, an oily residue has been appearing on some versions of the C-Class with man-made MB Tex upholstery, making it look as though the seats were grimy or "bleeding." Mercedes issued a technical service bulletin to its dealers to remedy the problem, but now we're hearing the fix isn't complete. Small parts of the seats – the rear bolsters and a piece below the center armrest – weren't replaced during service and then developed the oily reside again, a source tells us. This occurred within a few days of their service appointment. The dealer followed Mercedes' instructions, our source said, and their C-Class appears to have been one of the first cars fixed. "I'm absolutely flabbergasted at this point ... The new C-Class is such a good car. This is just a shame," they told Autoblog. The bleeding seat issue appears to affect US-built C-Class models with the MB Tex vinyl and possibly other interiors. The bleeding often occurs when a car has been sitting in the cold and then heats up quickly. The number of cars affected is unclear, though the C-Class owners have been vocal in the MBWorld.org forum. At the time of our original report, Daimler AG, parent of Mercedes-Benz USA, said it was aware of the issue and that no injuries had been reported. The residue usually washes off with soap and water. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had no recalls, complaints or investigations recorded about the issue as of Wednesday. The fix at the dealer involves changing out the headrest and seat covers, except for a part of the passenger seat that needs to be calibrated by the factory, according to the bulletin. The C-Class is a critical car for Mercedes as it battles BMW, Lexus and others for supremacy in the ultra-competitive luxury segment. The C-Class, which launched last fall, is moving upmarket as Mercedes reshuffles its lineup with the addition of the CLA sedan. The C-Class was the company's best-selling model in January with volume of 6,236 units.

7 major automakers to build open EV charging network

A new joint venture established by BMW, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis will build a new North American electric vehicle charging network on a scale designed to compete with Tesla's industry-benchmark Supercharger network. The 30,000-plus planned new chargers will accommodate both Tesla's almost-standard North American Charging System (NACS) and existing automakers' Combined Charging System (CCS) options, effectively guaranteeing compatibility with the vast majority of current and upcoming electric models — whether they're from one of the involved automakers or not.  "With the generational investments in public charging being implemented on the Federal and State level, the joint venture will leverage public and private funds to accelerate the installation of high-powered charging for customers. The new charging stations will be accessible to all battery-powered electric vehicles from any automaker using Combined Charging System (CCS) or North American Charging Standard (NACS) and are expected to meet or exceed the spirit and requirements of the U.S. National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program." Critically, the automakers involved will have a say in how the charging tech is implemented, guaranteeing that the hardware will play nicely with each automaker's in-house charging systems. Hyundai and Kia, for example, were hesitant to jump on board the Tesla NACS bandwagon earlier this year over concerns that the Supercharger network is insufficient for powering the two automakers' 800-volt charging systems; similar tech is used by Volkswagen and Porsche.  In addition to providing much-needed capacity and high-output charging for America's growing fleet of electric cars and trucks, the new network will integrate seamlessly with each automaker's in-app and in-vehicle features, rather than forcing customers to use third-party tools and payment systems, as is the case with some existing public charging infrastructure.  "The functions and services of the network will allow for seamless integration with participating automakersÂ’ in-vehicle and in-app experiences, including reservations, intelligent route planning and navigation, payment applications, transparent energy management and more. In addition, the network will leverage Plug & Charge technology to further enhance the customer experience," the announcement said.

Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Mercedes also under diesel emissions scrutiny

The controversy over Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal isn't limited to the US. In Europe, where diesel engines are far more popular, the issue is shining a harsh light on the NEDC emissions test. As already known, the evaluation does a poor job of reflecting real-world production of NOx, and it appears a significant number of automakers are affected. The Guardian in the UK has been reporting on real-world test results from a company called Emissions Analytics. After the latest round of checks, vehicles from Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Mazda and Mitsubishi were found to generate far more NOx than they should. The newspaper also published similar results for Renault, Nissan, Hyundai, Fiat, Volvo, Jeep, Citroen, VW, and Audi. On average, the figures are about four times over the limit of producing the pollutant. Unlike VW and its defeat device, these automakers aren't actually breaking the rules. The vehicles perform up to the NEDC lab test for emissions, but those results simply aren't translated to the street. "The VW issue in the US was purely the trigger which threw light on a slightly different problem in the EU - widespread legal over-emissions," Nick Molden from Emissions Analytics said to The Guardian. A big fight to decide the future of this issue appears to be on the horizon. Automakers claim that they can't meet the next round of tightening emissions regulations and are asking for compromises. Although, spokespeople for Mercedes and Honda told The Guardian that the brands would be in favor of the stricter rules. Meanwhile, some European governments began backtracking their support of diesels well before this scandal came to light. The added scrutiny certain hasn't helped the future of the oil-burner. Related Video: