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Mercedes-Benz C-Class Maintenance and Repair
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My 2005 Maxima with 255/45HR18 tires and sport suspension doesn't have the same problem. Must be the Germans...
Just an update to my previous note on my '04 C230 sport sedan.
The buzzing noise has now gone, after the dealer replaced the entire airbag module in the steering wheel.
The strong smelly odor from A/C vents has now changed flavor, after the dealer installed a new evaporator unit with biocide coating.
In the first two weeks, the air smells "chemical" with the fan blower ON, and A/C either ON or OFF. The dealer said it was expected, due to biocide coating in the evaporator, and would wear off after a week or two.
Now, the air vent blows "dirty sock" odor in the first 5 to 10 minutes every time the A/C in turned ON. If the A/C is turned OFF but fan blower remains ON, the air from the vents smells "rotten eggs" odors, for about 10 to 15 minutes. All we could do is to roll down the windows to purge the smelly air.
The dealer said they'd look at the issue again when I bring the car in.
Got the feeling my car being a "test case" :sick:
I recently purchased a 2002 C240 Sedan with only 19K miles. It has a lowered suspension with 18" custom wheels.
I think I like the car already, but, I can't figure out where this annoying screeching sound is coming from every time I turn the steering wheel to the right. It sounds like an opening door that needs oil.
I'm about to make my third trip to the dealer I purchased from less than two weeks ago. They seem to be lost on this as well. Or am I getting the run around?
Has anyone experienced to same noise?
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide. :confuse:
In addition, the service dept. is saying that the rear differential looks like it will need repair at some point in the near future, again, a $1,000 - 2,000 repair (with parts and labor).
Both of these seem very extreme for a supposedly "well made" car with only 56K miles on it. Can anyone weigh in and let me know if you have had similar problems? Also, I'm not the most mechanically inclined, so if I'm getting shafted and you can put the reason why into laymen's terms I can use when I go to the dealership, I'd greatly appreciate that.
Thanks.
Of course, you will get other opinions but I felt that I needed to let you know about the rear differential issues. You can do your own research on the web to see what you find. Hopefully, everything does work out for you.
Regards
Larry
Larry
Again, it depends on the your state. Your state might not have such a law please check. You might want to look into the lemon law or the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act Law to see if anything can be done to assist you.
You should do your best to get out of this car now. Your problems are just starting. The decision is up to you so do your research asap.
Did you get the extended warranty on the car at the time of purchase?
If you did not and you find that you must keep the car, you should then speak to the dealer about getting a discount on the purchase of an extended warranty.
If you did get an extended warranty on the car then you probably saved yourself a lot of money on repair charges in the future after the factory warranty is over.
Too many techs think that if the car is within the factory spec on the alignment rack, then that's the end of the story. Our C240 with the standard suspension setup wanted to drift left, and the tech involved came up with the idea of a little extra caster on the left side - problem instantly solved.
[Caster is the angle of the suspension as viewed from the side, and measured as a deviation from the straight vertical - most cars have a little positive caster. More caster causes the car to resist changes in direction - less causes it to want to turn more easily].
The camber bolts were not "missing"; the cars are shipped from the factory one way, but any attempt to change the alignment after the factory setting means the use of the "bolt kit", which the tech installs before alignment can be modified. I don't know why they do it this way, but this has been MB's practice for years.
Finally, since the sports package cars have staggered tire sizes, you can only swap the front tires side-to-side, and then only assuming they are not a unidirectional tread design. IF you can swap them, that is always a first thing to do in chasing a pulling problem.
Get the dealer service advisor to sit with you and the alignment tech in the same place at the same time and discuss a strategy to solve the problem - and "they all drift to the right" is not the answer.
It should be noted that I was pointing out some options this person might have since the car was bought recently. Again, you gave your option to a possible fix and that is great. The purpose is to try and assist each other in this forum. I hope that whomever has to make this decision can do so knowing that he or she has options.
Regards
Hope this helps.
Prior to this it had problems with the sunroof, windshield wipers, oil sensor(2x) and maintaining alignment.
Well 1 month after the digital display went, the trans started acting up and shifting irregularly. I took it to the dealer, and after 2 days diagnosis it was determined that the car needed a transmission REPLACEMENT. In additon it needed a new radiator, trans cooler, torque converter and an oil sensor. :lemon:
3 weeks at the dealership and ~$6200 worth of warranty work later, the car is running OK. This will be my 1st and last MB. Thankfully it is a lease, and I will be able to upgrade to a Lexus next year. It's too bad for MB, since I'm the type of buyer they want to attract & retain. ie. Getting and entry level lux car first, and then returning for a larger, more $$$ model on subsequent leases/purchases.
Needless to say I will get an IS350 or GS300 instead of an E350 next year. Good bye Mercedes.
Anyone else encountered less than steady/smooth take-off in the 2006 C230? Like I said, it feels sort of like it does if you started out in second gear when you really have to jump on it when pulling out in traffic. I will probably take it in soon but was looking for experience of other new owners first. Any ideas? thanks
I just hope I'm not stuck having to have the hesitation. Sometimes it takesoff as you would expect, then, you pull across oncoming traffic and nearly get killed! This can't be considered acceptable characterstics of a M-B, even an inexpensive one can it? Other than that, the car seems great so far.
I'm curious about how your car was lowered. It sounds as though you are getting interference between either the tire or wheel and a suspension component, e.g., shock absorber or spring, or possibly the inside of the wheel wheel.
Often when cars are lowered, errors are made in the fitment of the springs, wheels, tires and body. This often occurs when +2 wheels are used which are much wider than the stock wheel width.
Please find out who did the work. Check out www.tirerack.com for advice on the proper fitment for the wheels and tires on your car. There are a number of measurements which must remain the same when swapping out stock wheels and tires for aftermarket combinations. Tire Rack should also have advice on the proper springs/shock absorber combo for lowering your car.
If the tires and wheels are within proper dimensions, the problem may be that the suspension was lowered a tad too far, thus causing some interference.
JR
I also have been having problems with a strange odor in the interior of my car. I only notice it after the vehicle has gotten wet (e.g., rain, car wash). It's there when I first open the car door...before even starting the car. It's an awful smell, reminds me of rotten onions and/or a natural gas type of smell.
I purchased the vehicle new, and only started having this problem after I had driven it for 1.5 - 2 years. I just visited my local dealership for the 6th time for this problem, still without a solution. They've supposedly cleaned the entire system out twice (I'm not exactly sure with what, but I had to wait for a few months until some new "equipment" arrived from Germany), replaced the cabin filter twice, and eventually replaced the evaporator in May of this year. Although replacing the evaporator initially eliminated about 95% of the odor, the smell has been slowly increasing is almost back to where it was prior to the evaporator being replaced. I've read there's a newly redesigned evaporator that is supposed to solve this problem. My dealership stated the one they installed in my car back in May was the redesigned one, but I'm not positive that it is.
I'm curious if anyone else has had this problem successfully resolved, and if so, what the fix was. If you recently (last couple of months) had your evaporator replaced, was it the redesigned one? (If you have the part number, please let me know what it is so I can compare it to my invoice.) Thanks.
I don't think there is anyone in the automotive industry that can make a straight-faced claim them Mercedes is more reliable the Lexus.....even MB execs, although they won't publicly admit it.
Can I get Less than MSRP?
Thanks,
Atrain
I had 3 cars before this one and I had never had problems before. Is it just me or is the paint job on the C230 very "weak"?
All water-based paints are more prone to chipping than the old oil-based enamels, but that is all the industry uses these days over concerns about air pollution at the factories. In my experience, the Japanese actually seem to have a few more problems than the Germans in this regard.
If you've got 4000 miles and have had to touch up only two spots, consider yourself lucky.
Oh, and what kind of winter tires do you guy's recommend? I live in the snow belt.
Thanks again!
Thanks for any input.
Thanks for any input.
On to the problem: 6 months to a year after this, to start with on rainy days, a brake light would go out. The indicator would come on, then the brake light would start working again. Sometimes this would take a day, sometimes just a few minutes. After many trips to the dealer, all under warranty, the car got all updates they had for the wiring harness and I think anything else. Finally this last spring they kept the car for a week and seemed to get it. Of all things they claimed they believed the problem was too much di-electric grease in a connector. The tech said there was enough in it for the whole car. In any case, everything was great for about 6 months, after then the final service prior to the car going out of warranty (which it did before it showed back up), it started doing this again. Now the brake light will go out, stay out for a few minutes, then start working again. I've noticed this following her. It will be working the first few stops she makes, then go out, and then one or two brake applications down the road start working again. Of course the fault shows for her the entire drive, unless she restarts the car (which she's been known to do at a long light). This seems to sound like a loose connection, but does anyone know where I should start looking on this? Yes, I could take it back to the dealer (again), and probably should, but I just have an urge to find the likely connector and make sure the connection is tight and it isn't gooped full. Left brake light, in case it makes a difference, and yes, it is consitantly just that tail light.
Thanks for any input and suggestions.
Before you go back to the dealer, let me see if I can help you point them in the right direction.
There are two bulletins, both relatively old, but worth mentioning to a dealer just in case - one relates to intermittent failures [Jan '03 P-82-10-217] and the other to continuous lighting of the brake lights [kind of the opposite of your situation, but worth a look anyway] [Oct '04 P-54-21-119].
That's all I could find; I'm also betting on a corroded or bad connection either in the engine compartment where the brake switch connects to the rest of the bus system, or in the taillight assembly itself. Sorry I can't be more helpful.
1) Mercedes Benz Club of America
2) Mercedes Forum
At the Mercedes Club site you can read numerous post about poor Mercedes service by dealers and the resulting unhappy customers. This is at the official Mercedes Club Site where even the moderators are troubled by Mercedes quality.
Things are so bad the Mercedes Club worked to have a special envoy at Mercedes respond to and help club members with problems.
If you think problems like this can arise at any manufacturer, also be aware that in most cases you pay a premium for a Mercedes product. And the last four issues of the very influential auto magazine `CAR` out of the UK.. had editorial comments by it's own writers lamenting the serious quality problems and poor customer service by dealer and Mercedes Benz Corporate.
If you think a new car warranty will allay your fears, it is not unusual to make six, seven or more visits for the same problem. And if you think your savvy enough to get a regional service representative involved, in most case it won't happen. Mercedes Corporation distances themselves from their independent dealers, and denies/refuses to set up meetings between customers and regional service representatives.
Many defenders of Mercedes will site similar problems with other manufacturers. note that in Germany shareholders have revolted over the widely accepted notion that Mercedes is in deep trouble. Quality, corporate scandal, and fierce competition have all effected Mercedes negatively.
Before you by a Mercedes Benz product, do some research. You may find that it is prudent for you to purchase a Mercedes product, many people may find otherwise.
As far as the purchase of a used Mercedes vehicle, Consumer Reports discourages such purchases. Only until you understand the financial, short term and long term history of Mercedes Benz USA, and have a cursory knowledge of cars and their mechanical workings, would I contemplate the purchase of such a vehicle.
The web address didn't appear in the post I submitted above so do a google search for both sites that I have mentioned above.