I just purchased a 1998 c280. It's my my first benz and so far am pleased with it. I was wondering if anybody knows about a high pitched whistle that comes from the climate control. It doesn't happen all the time but it is quite bothersome. It is not caused by the fan because it does not get loud when I turn the fan on high. It lasts about 2 to 10 seconds. Some times it lasts only about 1 to 3 seconds. It seems to die down after the car is warmed up . If anybody knows anything i would appreciate some help with it.
I can only speculate....and my speculation is that the whistle comes from the system trying to close off the outside air [recirc mode] and not getting a good seal. To find out, try hitting the recirc button when the system is otherwise quiet, and see what happens. This would be independent of fan speed, as you've already noticed. Otherwise, I'm clueless...
The air conditioner often comes on when it completely off. Sometime when I used the automatic, it would run about a minute or two then stop. Mercedes Benz has changed air conditioner relay and air conditioner blower it still doing the same thing. I need to know if anyone of you has ever experience a problem like that C240 03.
This week I took my C230 MB to the dealership for tune up it was due for. Car runs great, never problem. I was told the front coil springs were broke and lower control arm bushings are well warn. Which does not surprise me the car is almost 8 yrs old. The MB dealership mechanic said not to be concerned with them right now but they will have to be fixed eventually. How long can I wait before fixing them and what will happen if I wait too long? Will it ruin something else on the front end of the car? :confuse: thanks
Does anyone know how to reset the computer after an oil change or service on a 2002 Mercedez C240? I also need to know how much oil these use. I am changing the oil for the 1st time and do not know how to reset the computer, please help this newby.
directions are listed in your C-Class owner/operators manual. Under the category Operation: Flexible Service System I have a C230 yr 2000 and my directions are listed on page 84 here is the directions for 2000 C230,since yours is two yrs newer than mine it may not help you but it may help someone with same yr as mine: 1. turn electronic key in steering lock to position 2 2. within 4 seconds press button "0" twice. "located on dash just below +,- buttons" 3. the present status for days or distance is displayed. within 10 sec turn electronic key in steering lock to position 0. 4. Press and hold button "0" while turning electronic key in steering lock to position 2 again. The present status for days or distance is displayed once more. Cont. holding button "0". after approx 10 sec a signal sounds, and the display shows 10,000 miles for approx 10 sec. FSS now is reset.
It took me a couple of trys to get it to work and reset my FSS.
My C230 '97's, third break light and one of the tail highlights doesn't work. Bulb are OK, fuse seem to be OK. Does anybody knows what could be happening or how to trace this lights wiring. Thanks
Hello and Happy New Year to all! My 2003 c230 coupe is scheduled for another B-svc. I'm no longer under warranty so I'm considering going elsewhere instead of the dealer to get it serivced. What does a b-service consist of and do I need to get everthing done or can I just get an oil change? Thank you so much!
(I posted this in the GL area but am doing so here as well. I assume the MB-tex interior is the same in all of vehicles)
My '08 GL with Macadamia MB-tex interior is experiencing severe discoloration on the seating surfaces. A friend who had the same interior on an '07 experienced the same problem, although I incorrectly assumed it was unique to his. Now another friend with an '08 model is having the same problem I am. In all cases, complaints to our dealers were met first with denial that there's any problem, then advice to use a dry cleaner strength solvent (which apparently is now difficult to obtain).
My dealer told me the problem is blue jeans. The rubbery nature of the seating surface apparently picks up the dye in the jeans, darkening the material. It's only taken 3 weeks for mine to look awful. This isn't from new, unwashed jeans either. Just my and my wife's regular duds that have been through the wash plenty of times.
I'm interested in hearing if any other owners are experiencing this problem. I think it should be considered a defect and a remedy should be provided at Mercedes' expense.
I agree, I dont own coveralls either, and I am a female !! (not a tomboy) I read on the internet and learn about my 2000 MB c230 kompressor, when I hear an odd noise or a lightbulb burns out. My car is now 8 yrs old and had very few problems. I've purchased my headlight replacement bulbs at the carparts store and with the help of my brother in law changed them myself. Front headlight bulb cost me $14 and changed it ourselves. (trust me he isnt a mechanic either but we got it done) I dont do any major repairs would not know where to start, nor want to get dirty, but can do minor things like that. So The only thing major I had over the 8 yrs to have fixed on my car was a feul gauge sensor $400, I did learn at my recent oil change at the MB center that the front flex disk has some play in it and I will have to have that replaced within the yr ($370) but overall no problems here with my 2000 c230 kompressor MB and it has 130,000 miles on it. I agree with one of the previous posts, every brand of car will have some cars that are made that have problems but not all.
I have a 2007 and have the exact same problem. They have replaced transmission mounts, moved exhaust pipes and reset the programming in the transmission. Nothing has changed this issue. I have taken it back to Mercedes 4 times for the same problem and they cannot resolve it. I am also a bit disappointed that this cannot be resolved on such a luxury vehicle.
I've been thinking about purchasing a 2007 C230 with 19k miles for $23000 (tax and fees not included). Is that a good deal? Its not a CPO so should have a independent mechanic check it out before purchasing? Carfax reports show no issues.
Anyway, from reading up on this car, it seems there are lot of problems with this line. They also seem very expensive to maintain. How reliable are these vehicles?
Are folks compromising just to have that Mercedes name?
Wow...which dealer did you go to? I have 2008 C-300. All i know is at 13000 is my first oil change, and my dealer did not say anything about spotting the cost. Did the dealer offer this to you when you purchased your vehicle?
Just want to know if anyone had experience any problems with the windshield wiper. My issue is that when the passenger wiper swipe to the left, it left a vertical strip of water beading (where the blade stopped), as if it did not wipe out the water. Even when the driver's wiper swipe to the right, it did not clear up the water beading. The dealer replaced the blade the the problem was not resolved. When i drive in the rain, it is frustrating to see the vertical strip of water beading in the near center of the windshield. Please advise. Thank you
I'm contemplating on either buying a 2003 C230 K ($17,988 with 41,700 miles) or 2003 Lexus GS 300 ($18,995 with 57,549 miles). Which one should be the better car, reliability-wise, comfort and overall luxury handling capability? Thanks for your input.
the windshield wiper works fine but when I turn it off it wont turn off it stays on intermittent. Does anyone know what this might be going on? Is there anyway to reset it. The only way to turn it off is when I turn the engine off. When I turn the engine on the windshield wiper comes back on intermittent even thought it is off. It started today. It was raining and I had to use my windshield wipers. Thanks
My battery is draining all of a sudden. I pull all the fuses under the hood and in the inside compartment. I hook a light to shut off if i pull the right fuse. The problem must be a direct drain to the battery. i dont have a clue. Merc 2002 C320
W202 Power Seat ('94 thru '00 C-Class) Intermittent or inoperative power seats (especially those with passenger-side power seat option)
Caused by failure of Convenience Feature (CF) Relay K24
This relay is located in the trunk under a plastic cover between the spare wheel and the seatbacks. To access it, remove the carpeted cover over the spare wheel and then remove the black plastic cover held by three large flat screw-on nuts. The relay lays horizontal on the right side. It has two very large wires attached (red and pink). It unplugs from the harness, but the clips holding it in will have to be pried away from the relay.
The Mercedes Part Number is molded into the cover. It probably isn't as expensive as some of the other MB relays, but unless it has been redesigned, it will just fail again in a few years or less. I suggest repairing it or asking an electronic tech friend to help.
If you are capable of soldering PC boards, the relay can be repaired easily. Using two small round-blade knives, pry off the relay cover. Examine the PC Board near the plug-in base at the center. The solder connection from Terminal 2 to the N/O contact becomes de-soldered at the relay due to high current heating the etch. I suggest scraping off all the green solder-resist between the relay contact pad and the plug-in pad (only about 1/8") and flow solder over the whole area between the two points. That helps dissipate the heat. Usually that is the only solder connection that is bad, and the relay can be re-assembled.
Well here is the latest. I unplugged the seats just to see if that was the problem. the slow drain continues. I bought a new battery. same results just take a little longer. I am open for suggestion before i go and get robbed at the dealership.
I have the same problem with a C280 with parchment MB_tex. The dealer just told me any leather cleaner --sent someone to get it and he never came back.
If you're driving a W203 C [2001-2007], check with your dealer for a TSB [Tech Service Bulletin] that involves replacing some electrical connectors in the engine compartment. There is a known problem there that is easy to fix, and often results in spurious ESP warnings.
Restarting the engine will often make the light go out for awhile, but in the end, it will drive you nuts. You really need to get to a dealer to fix this problem - there are no "home solutions".
Mercedes changed out a vibration sensor in the transmission when this happened to me. Actually my car would shut off completely and then restart itself with the ESP light staying on until I restarted the car.
I have a 2000 C230 Kompressor MB that does the same thing. Periodically the ESP/BAS light will come on. It will either go off by itself eventually while driving or when I turn the engine off and later start the car it will be off. I have noticed that it tends to come on when the weather is rainy. Perhaps the slick pavement?
Its a 2002 C230 (C-Coupe...important to note for item #2)
#1 is that in (yellow) turn signal lights that are in the passenger's side mirror, I have two bulbs out (middle two)...assumption is that they're simply burned out and need replacement.
Q: How the heck do I gain access to them to change out these bulbs? It looks like I can pull the mirror rearward (against its spring), rotating it around 90 degrees, but doing so doesn't seem to provide obvious access for service: is the next step to somehow disconnect the tension spring (and not lose it) to then unscrew the hinge mount to disconnect the entire mirror assembly* from the car...?
(* - except for the wiring harness)
#2 seems like a bad electrical ground problem. The radio plays fine (no static) under normal conditions, but if I hit the rear window defogger switch, I get a strong static over the radio.
Defog seems to still work fine (mirrors & rear window). Dealership took a look at it around a year ago and said something to the effect that the suspecte culpret was the wires in the hatchback's rear window glass and to fork over $1000 please. An independent garage suggested that it might instead be the radio antenna's amplifier, which is hidden somewhere in back, but he didn't mention where (headliner?).
Q: opinons or assessment of the validity of these 'troubleshootings'? And if its simply a bad electrical connection, if I can track it down & do it myself. To that end, where to go look for bad connections?
Q2: In bending back the outside mirror for #1, I realized that the static could be from a bad ground anywhere in the defog loop, which includes both of the outside mirrors. Inside the mirror assembly, I noticed two wires connected to the top of the glass mirror, but they look suspiciously tiny for a heating circuit...IIRC, it was two very thin gage wires that were connected to the top edge of the mirror glass - - are these more likely to be for the auto-dimming circuitry and I need to keep looking further to find the ones for the defog circuit?
Answer 1: On the end of the lense, there is a tab where the lense pulls out. On older models, you have to remove the mirror and go in that way.
Answer 2: How often do you use the rear defroster? If not a lot, I would just live with it or listen to a cd when it is cold out... Although, it does sound like a wire touching. Pull off the dash face plate and have a look around.
On the end of the lense, there is a tab where the lense pulls out.
I thought I saw a lip on the clear plastic there; will take a peek. Any idea on the model year break-point for when they went to this configuraiton?
How often do you use the rear defroster? If not a lot, I would just live with it or listen to a cd when it is cold out... Although, it does sound like a wire touching. Pull off the dash face plate and have a look around.
I'm in Northern NJ, so needing to use the defog is a pretty frequent in colder winter months, and during a snow event when you get stuck in stop-n-go traffic, the lack of a rear wiper makes using the rear defroster a near-constant requirement for the whole trip home.
I hadn't thought about checking out the radio-in-dash end of things, as it plays fine under all conditions the rest of the time (no interferance from windshield wipers, etc), but I'll add it to the checklist to be thorough.
My 2002 230 K is having an unusual problem. In the morning, and especially when its cold, the passenger compartment receives gasoline fumes. :P My wife has taken this car to the Mercedes dealer where we bought it. They found nothing wrong with the fuel tank filter canister and they replaced the mass airflow sensor, which was not a cheap repair. We also changed where we purchase gas, thinking that maybe the quality of the fuel was an issue, but it isn't. We've apparently not found the cause and neither has our dealer's repair service, which has been very good over the years. :confuse: Does anyone have any ideas or similar experience? Thanks in advance.
That is strange. How long has this been like this? One thing you could do is take out the back seat and look at the fuel pump housing. Its not hard to take out the back seat at all. It basically pops off. Just make sure everything is tight and looks normal.You will be able to really smell gas with the seat out if that is the issue. To see how to do this, search for "W203 removing back seat" in a search engine that rymes with foogle. The first hit will show you how to do it. (This board does not like for people to link to other sites) Hope this helps.
You can put up a link to another site for the purpose of providing helpful information. What you can't do is say something like "go to xyz.com for everything you need instead of here".
Looks like I have the W203...but didn't feel brave enough to risk popping it off and have the wife yell at me :-)
I did find something else quite odd in that it looks like my back seats won't properly flip down ... seems to have a new (third) plastic clip thing between the hinges under the knees that's in the wrong position or something. Have to wonder just what the shop did to the car the last time it was in (I had them searching for a possible loose ground on the radio antenna amplifier).
Thanks for your advice. By looking at other sites including the one you recommended, I was able to develop a list of possible culprits for the gas smell that included the fuel pump housing (turned out OK), a leaky fuel injector (Thankfully, not a problem. That is a very expensive repair), and bad fuel rail seals (Close, but not quite it). The problem turned out to be a worn out fuel pressure regulator that leaked fumes due to deterioration in the unit brought on by cold weather.
Apparently, this is a growing problem in W203 engines and older C-Class models (1997-01) according to the mechanic, so W203 and earlier C-Class owners, beware. Repair costs are reasonable for this problem on a W203--about $135. Parts costs for other MB engine types might be higher depending on engine type and age.
Oil Service every 10k is right. Mine was free until 50,000 miles with my dealer. Just an oilchange at my dealer is 80 bucks.
New brake rotors every 24k is not right. I did 55k on my wifes 240 until I changed them. Dealer was charging about 800. I did it myself. took about 2 hours.
New tires every 20k??? No way. I have 55k on my original tires. New tires for this car are about 450-550. You dont have to buy them from a dealer. Go to a tire store. I going to buy some very soon. These still have an ok amount of tread left.
I have a 02 C230 which I just purchased. I released the front passenger seat and put the seatback forward to get ready for a rear passenger. The seat automatically moved forward, and when it did, the headrest(which was in the highest position) got wedged between the winsheild, and the top of the head liner in front of the visor. The seat controls on the passenger side are not working now, and I cannot figure out how to unwedge the seat. Can anyone tell me how to fix this issue?
Reading old posts could to determinate that I can't change my MBC230's oil myself. Looks like this car doen's have a crankcase cap to drain the oil, and I need a oil pump or vaccum to drain the oil out. It's that true? or someone knows if this engine has a crankcase cap and where is it located.
You do need an extractor to get the oil out. I use a Pela unit, but you can get these devices at any marine supply house as it's the typical method for changing oil on inboard engines.
Don't forget the right size socket for removal of the oil canister cap. I believe it's 27MM.
Did you ever figure this out? My mother's c230 does this consistently, in various pitches, anytime the fan is on for the climate control. terren272@yahoo.com THANKS
My wife received a dealer estimate to replace a leaking rear brake line in a 2000 C230 Sport. The dealer says the gas tank must be removed along with a bunch of other things that are in the way. The estimate is $3,700.00. Can this be true?
Comments
Sometime when I used the automatic, it would run about a minute or two then stop.
Mercedes Benz has changed air conditioner relay and air conditioner blower it still doing the same thing.
I need to know if anyone of you has ever experience a problem like that C240 03.
thanks
Control arm bushings may not be urgent, but they could eat up tires if they were really bad.
Thanks
Under the category Operation: Flexible Service System
I have a C230 yr 2000 and my directions are listed on page 84
here is the directions for 2000 C230,since yours is two yrs newer than mine it may not help you but it may help someone with same yr as mine:
1. turn electronic key in steering lock to position 2
2. within 4 seconds press button "0" twice. "located on dash just below +,- buttons"
3. the present status for days or distance is displayed.
within 10 sec turn electronic key in steering lock to position 0.
4. Press and hold button "0" while turning electronic key in steering lock to position 2 again. The present status for days or distance is displayed once more.
Cont. holding button "0".
after approx 10 sec a signal sounds, and the display shows 10,000 miles for approx 10 sec.
FSS now is reset.
It took me a couple of trys to get it to work and reset my FSS.
Thanks
My 2003 c230 coupe is scheduled for another B-svc. I'm no longer under warranty so I'm considering going elsewhere instead of the dealer to get it serivced. What does a b-service consist of and do I need to get everthing done or can I just get an oil change? Thank you so much!
My '08 GL with Macadamia MB-tex interior is experiencing severe discoloration on the seating surfaces. A friend who had the same interior on an '07 experienced the same problem, although I incorrectly assumed it was unique to his. Now another friend with an '08 model is having the same problem I am. In all cases, complaints to our dealers were met first with denial that there's any problem, then advice to use a dry cleaner strength solvent (which apparently is now difficult to obtain).
My dealer told me the problem is blue jeans. The rubbery nature of the seating surface apparently picks up the dye in the jeans, darkening the material. It's only taken 3 weeks for mine to look awful. This isn't from new, unwashed jeans either. Just my and my wife's regular duds that have been through the wash plenty of times.
I'm interested in hearing if any other owners are experiencing this problem. I think it should be considered a defect and a remedy should be provided at Mercedes' expense.
The only thing major I had over the 8 yrs to have fixed on my car was a feul gauge sensor $400, I did learn at my recent oil change at the MB center that the front flex disk has some play in it and I will have to have that replaced within the yr ($370) but overall no problems here with my 2000 c230 kompressor MB and it has 130,000 miles on it.
I agree with one of the previous posts, every brand of car will have some cars that are made that have problems but not all.
Anyway, from reading up on this car, it seems there are lot of problems with this line. They also seem very expensive to maintain. How reliable are these vehicles?
Are folks compromising just to have that Mercedes name?
Did the dealer offer this to you when you purchased your vehicle?
Thanks
Or....the sensor is out of whack...
Merc 2002 C320
Caused by failure of Convenience Feature (CF) Relay K24
This relay is located in the trunk under a plastic cover between the spare wheel and the seatbacks. To access it, remove the carpeted cover over the spare wheel and then remove the black plastic cover held by three large flat screw-on nuts. The relay lays horizontal on the right side. It has two very large wires attached (red and pink). It unplugs from the harness, but the clips holding it in will have to be pried away from the relay.
The Mercedes Part Number is molded into the cover. It probably isn't as expensive as some of the other MB relays, but unless it has been redesigned, it will just fail again in a few years or less. I suggest repairing it or asking an electronic tech friend to help.
If you are capable of soldering PC boards, the relay can be repaired easily. Using two small round-blade knives, pry off the relay cover. Examine the PC Board near the plug-in base at the center. The solder connection from Terminal 2 to the N/O contact becomes de-soldered at the relay due to high current heating the etch. I suggest scraping off all the green solder-resist between the relay contact pad and the plug-in pad (only about 1/8") and flow solder over the whole area between the two points. That helps dissipate the heat. Usually that is the only solder connection that is bad, and the relay can be re-assembled.
Restarting the engine will often make the light go out for awhile, but in the end, it will drive you nuts. You really need to get to a dealer to fix this problem - there are no "home solutions".
Then MB tech replaced a wiper sensor and a relay switch. Works fine now.
Its a 2002 C230 (C-Coupe...important to note for item #2)
#1 is that in (yellow) turn signal lights that are in the passenger's side mirror, I have two bulbs out (middle two)...assumption is that they're simply burned out and need replacement.
Q: How the heck do I gain access to them to change out these bulbs? It looks like I can pull the mirror rearward (against its spring), rotating it around 90 degrees, but doing so doesn't seem to provide obvious access for service: is the next step to somehow disconnect the tension spring (and not lose it) to then unscrew the hinge mount to disconnect the entire mirror assembly* from the car...?
(* - except for the wiring harness)
#2 seems like a bad electrical ground problem. The radio plays fine (no static) under normal conditions, but if I hit the rear window defogger switch, I get a strong static over the radio.
Defog seems to still work fine (mirrors & rear window). Dealership took a look at it around a year ago and said something to the effect that the suspecte culpret was the wires in the hatchback's rear window glass and to fork over $1000 please. An independent garage suggested that it might instead be the radio antenna's amplifier, which is hidden somewhere in back, but he didn't mention where (headliner?).
Q: opinons or assessment of the validity of these 'troubleshootings'? And if its simply a bad electrical connection, if I can track it down & do it myself. To that end, where to go look for bad connections?
Q2: In bending back the outside mirror for #1, I realized that the static could be from a bad ground anywhere in the defog loop, which includes both of the outside mirrors. Inside the mirror assembly, I noticed two wires connected to the top of the glass mirror, but they look suspiciously tiny for a heating circuit...IIRC, it was two very thin gage wires that were connected to the top edge of the mirror glass - - are these more likely to be for the auto-dimming circuitry and I need to keep looking further to find the ones for the defog circuit?
-hh
Answer 2: How often do you use the rear defroster? If not a lot, I would just live with it or listen to a cd when it is cold out... Although, it does sound like a wire touching. Pull off the dash face plate and have a look around.
I thought I saw a lip on the clear plastic there; will take a peek. Any idea on the model year break-point for when they went to this configuraiton?
How often do you use the rear defroster? If not a lot, I would just live with it or listen to a cd when it is cold out... Although, it does sound like a wire touching. Pull off the dash face plate and have a look around.
I'm in Northern NJ, so needing to use the defog is a pretty frequent in colder winter months, and during a snow event when you get stuck in stop-n-go traffic, the lack of a rear wiper makes using the rear defroster a near-constant requirement for the whole trip home.
I hadn't thought about checking out the radio-in-dash end of things, as it plays fine under all conditions the rest of the time (no interferance from windshield wipers, etc), but I'll add it to the checklist to be thorough.
-hh
I did find something else quite odd in that it looks like my back seats won't properly flip down ... seems to have a new (third) plastic clip thing between the hinges under the knees that's in the wrong position or something. Have to wonder just what the shop did to the car the last time it was in (I had them searching for a possible loose ground on the radio antenna amplifier).
-hh
Thanks for your advice. By looking at other sites including the one you recommended, I was able to develop a list of possible culprits for the gas smell that included the fuel pump housing (turned out OK), a leaky fuel injector (Thankfully, not a problem. That is a very expensive repair), and bad fuel rail seals (Close, but not quite it). The problem turned out to be a worn out fuel pressure regulator that leaked fumes due to deterioration in the unit brought on by cold weather.
Apparently, this is a growing problem in W203 engines and older C-Class models (1997-01) according to the mechanic, so W203 and earlier C-Class owners, beware. Repair costs are reasonable for this problem on a W203--about $135. Parts costs for other MB engine types might be higher depending on engine type and age.
oil service every 10k miles - cost $180 - $300
new brake rotors every 20 - 24K miles - cost $1050
new tires every 20 - 24K miles - cost $800
Is this normal? :confuse:
New brake rotors every 24k is not right. I did 55k on my wifes 240 until I changed them. Dealer was charging about 800. I did it myself. took about 2 hours.
New tires every 20k??? No way. I have 55k on my original tires. New tires for this car are about 450-550. You dont have to buy them from a dealer. Go to a tire store. I going to buy some very soon. These still have an ok amount of tread left.
Looks like this car doen's have a crankcase cap to drain the oil, and I need a oil pump or vaccum to drain the oil out. It's that true? or someone knows if this engine has a crankcase cap and where is it located.
Don't forget the right size socket for removal of the oil canister cap. I believe it's 27MM.
My mother's c230 does this consistently, in various pitches, anytime the fan is on for the climate control. terren272@yahoo.com THANKS