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Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sedans
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Comments
I bought my '01 240 from a private party. I feel like I got a new car for a used price! The car was delivered to the original owner in June of '01 and she promptly had to head back to England for a few months. When she had to leave permanently she put it up for sale with only 630 miles on it. I bought it used, but still had to finish breaking it in!
Absolutely love it. Has the sun roof package and 6-disc CD. Exactly what I would have ordered.
Met with the same sales person that sold it at Atlanta Classic Cars and he was very friendly and helpful. I'm sure he's lining up the future upgrade(I'll have to keep my wife out of there).
I did have a problem with a bit of a rough idle while in gear at a stop. Initially the salesman said it may be the gas, as he knew the car had sat for long periods and we were coming off a cold snap. He said to run a full tank or two using 89 octane. I tried that with no relief, so he made me an appointment and I had it checked and fixed the same day (Honda Accord loaner, too bad). The service dept said the motor mounts had compressed and they were replaced at no cost. It did the trick.
Has anyone else had a motor mount problem? I don't remember seeing that as a problem.
Even with that problem I'm still quite happy with the car and will keep reading the posts, as there are good tips out there. Like the one about using wax on the to make cleaning off the brake dust easier. That works great.
The dealer has never heard of this problem so has asked her for more specifics when it happens again. Has anyone on this forum experienced similar problems and if so, how was it corrected.
Thanks for your help.
>decided that a year was probably a good time to >change the oil but I did not ask if I should do >it now or wait until FSS says to do it. The >service advisor didn't say anything one way or >the other.....
fedssocr -- my thanks for replying to my post. As I understand it, then, you got just an oil change and not your A service. Many have been able to bring their own synthetic Mobil 1, and the service dept has charged them just for the labor, but it doesn't sound as if you overpaid considering you did not have the inconvenience of buying it yourself. I have 6,100 miles, and the FSS shows A service due in 5,000 miles. My 320 will be one year May 31. Since I do approx 700+ miles a month, I will be about 8,200/8400 at the year anniversary, which is about my usual mileage of between 8K-9K a year.
I will probably reach the 5,000 mark for the first scheduled FSS service (if it does not change its calculation) about 4 mos after the year mark...maybe sooner....so methinks that will not be too long to wait but I will still ask my service advisor. If he does not know, he will find out for me.
Miki
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
Thanks.
On the octane, the manual says 91, but in Ga for some reason I can't find 91, it's only 87, 89 or 93. The dealership mentioned the worst thing you could do was switch between 93 and 89 to average 91. When I test drove a 3-series BMW they said to they use 89 (manual says 91). The dealership said I would not see a difference in performance using 93, so it was not worth the extra $.10 a gallon. The reason I asked is the owners manual on our Honda Odessey says you will get 205 horse power on regular unleaded, but 210 on premium.
Is anyone running 93 octane in the C240? Has anyone had problems running 89? Thanks.
>I never understood where the national average of >10,000 - 12,000 miles a year came from until >
>this C-Class board
Some people have more than one car.
Miki
Since I am not leasing I'm not losing anything by not driving the max miles. I figure it will make the car worth a little more when the time comes to part with it. I couldn't imagine driving 20K miles a year!
We're also looking for people who recently switched one way or the other and what they like/dislike about what they're driving now.
If you are interested in participating, please provide your city/state of residence and your daytime phone number to jfallon@edmunds.com no later than March 20, 2002.
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Jeannine Fallon
PR Director
Edmunds.com
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Share your vehicle reviews
Mike T.
I just got my C230 kompressor a month ago. Loving it. The performance is great. I even bought a car cover for it but never used it. So I am putting it up ebay for sale. If any of you are interested, please go to ebay and look for.
Item # 1811218783
Bought it for $198 and will let it go cheap.
thanks!
I have a question. I have the 2002 model and FSS says to go in at 10,000 miles. So do all of you really go in at 10,000 miles for the first service? Most cars I own before I take in around 3k. I have a friend who told me he tried to take his 2002 c240 in at 5k and the service rep asked him anything wrong with it, and he said no. The rep then told him not to take it in until 10k.
I have noticed that different location's services are different. I bought mine in SD and people there are nice. I drove it back to Oakland, and reps there have bad attitudes.
Miki
Writing letters and, starting the Lemon Law process works!
We worked out a deal where I could get a 2002 SLK 230 for a fair price. MBUSA and MB Fort Lauderdale both chipped in to make it happen. So far the SLK is great. Wish me luck!
PS..wonder if they will sell the C240?
One year anniversary today (Feb.15th) for my C 240 6 speed.
Phenomenal automobile !! 10,300 superb miles, what a RIDE !!
.........
Highly recommend the C 240 6 speed if you want a fun and exciting ride !! Love that 3000 to 4500 rpm torque sweet zone...
Ian
I think Bubba3007 has the C240 Auto TX ?
Recommend you test drive both.
Start by looking at the average of the Kelley and Edmunds WHOLESALE [tradein] prices for the car, and structure any offer by working up from that. Pay absolutely no attention to the alleged Kelley RETAIL price - this is a fantasy concocted by Kelley to stay popular with dealers. It bears no resemblance whatsoever to the real market value of the car.
Good rule of thumb for a mass-market Mercedes sedan: First year wholesale should be around 15-17% back of MSRP for that year. Work up from there based on how good the car looks and feels, and the strength of the warranty.
Had Service "B" this week. Second oil change. 24,000 miles. At this rate I'll need a new car in another year. My only complaint. . . its not an S600, or maybe a C32. (The little boy is still alive in there somewhere.)
Bubba
". . . My friends all drive Porches, I must make AMENDS. . ." J. Joplin
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
Regarding the free scheduled maintenance, we just had our 2001 e320 4matic wagon in for its first service last month. They used Castrol synthetic 5w-50, and the only charge we had was for rotating the tires (not included as part of the "A" service) and a state inspection sticker - total of $54. We were told the car could be serviced when the FSS showed less than 1000 miles remaining.
I think your doing well with a $2k discount - there is not a tremendous markup on these cars compared to other makes (check out a Toyota Sequoia). Good luck - we love our c and our e!
PS: Anyone else has C240 Automatic experiences? I know C320 is a much more powerful car, but I just don't know over time any C240 owners might regret they should have bought C320 instead?
Good luck - it is a wonderful car.
I bought mine used, so I didn't test drive the 320 to see the difference. If buying new, it seems like the obvious thing to do.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
As I remember it, there were some gripes on the C-230 in the last 3 to 3-1/2 years - all sorts of little things. From your experience, has MB overcome the problems mentioned? I believe you follow this site pretty closely and would know the answer.
My wife and I are contemplating a 2003 C-240 and it was good to hear your comments in post #5236.
Thanks a lot.
I plan to follow-up with some research through my grand daughter who works for an MB dealer.She says she can get me "a fabulous deal."
Early problems included engine / transmission software, all kinds of electrical problems, especially related to the elec keys [there is some debate whether this is really fixed, but I think so], defective rear axle shafts, motor mounts, and so on. A real embarrassment, if current management were capable of being embarrassed, which is apparently not the case.
Hubbert claims he's shocked, and will take care of it, but one wonders where he was during most of the past 20 months. Anyway, ranting aside, I think you'll find an '03 comparably reliable to your W202 C.
Interior
- new design steering wheel incorporates cruise control
- single CD player standard
- new design smaller/cheaper 6 disk CD changer intro 12/02
- new high end DSP stereo system incl sub intro 12/02
- new interior colors TBA
- window switches moved up 15 cm
- storage pockets on seat back
- seat rack travel increase 5 cm
- seat latch repositon to side
- rear seat cupholders built-in console side
- 12V power point in hatchback area
Exterior
- several colors retired and new colors TBA
- new C7 wheel/all season tire option
- AMG package C9A/C9B intro 12/02 C9B incl 18 inch staggered
- rear window wiper option
- redesigned windscreen for pana roof effective MY2002 05/02
- bi-xeon headlight option intro 10/02
- new smart key functions TBA
I guess the most notable change is the standard single CD. For the sedan, 4MATIC is also coming in 2003.
I seem to recall you posting about a paint-chip/door ding repair service in west LA. Last night I was victimized by a driver who left a door ding that borders on a full-fledged dent. To add insult to injury, when I noticed the dent this morning it was obvious that the guilty party saw their damage and rubbed the door with their hand, which was dirty, leaving additional minute scratches!!!
Thanks for any reference.
Steve
Hope this helps.
Miki
They offered to sell me the +4 yr/50K mile warranty for $1275. Is this a good deal???
The problem with the keys really is very minor, but it's the principle of the thing, ya' know? I picked up the car exactly 1 year ago in Sindelfingen, and have been loving it ever since. It has 'only' quit on me once (inoperable ignition switch, but luckily it happened at home...), but every time I get behind the wheel it's an absolute blast. I would strongly recommend the 6-speed to anyone looking at an '02.
Dealer Technical Bulletin 49/01
49/01 – Recalls and service campaigns: When repairing any vehicle, Always check the vehicle Master Inquiry for open campaigns.
49/01-2 Group 80 – models 203,215,and 220, KEY DEPENDENT MEMORY FEATURE: This is to clarify the operation of the key-dependent memory feature. This feature allows memory settings for seat position, steering column adjustment and A/C settings (203 only) to be dependent upon which key is used to unlock or start the vehicle. If enabled by the customer, via the Instrument Cluster (A1) settings used. There are a total of three (3) memory blocks available: one for key #1, one for key #2, and one shared by keys #3 through #8.
When ordering replacement keys for any reason, it is important to note that the only these three memory blocks are available, and the key number ordered will affect the memory blocks available. For example, if key #1 is replaced with key #4, then the first memory block (assigned to key #1) is no longer accessible. Specifically, key #2 will use the second memory block, and Keys #3 and #4 will share the third memory block. The loss of a memory block may lead to customer complaints. Therefore, if the customer wishes to retain the key dependent feature, replace keys #1 & #2 with the same numbered key.
Miki
And the 'key' posting is interesting as well. This is pretty much the way the dealer explained it, but now I'm wondering if they have been ordering the wrong keys or something....
I saw a friend last night whose wife has an S-Class with the same electronic entry/ignition system - she has had the car almost 2 years with no problems whatsoever.
thanx for any help!
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD