ncmudbug

I had a weird issue with my A/C in my '05 C230K. A couple of weeks ago, it didn't seem to blow very cold, then it started working well so I thought it was probably ok. Just before I took it in for my B service, it blew warm air again so I had them look at it with my service.

Today I found that pretty much all of my A/C needs to be replace - compressor and I don't remember all the other parts but it seemed like just about all of them! The good thing is that I have an extended warranty from CarMax (where I got the car) and all but the labor to investigate the problem is covered by the warranty!!! I'm pretty happy since that will surely cost me more than the warranty! (I just had to tell somebody!)

LILBENZ230

I find it hard to believe that every component failed at the same time, but at least you're not having to pay for it.

ncmudbug

My SA started listing parts and after a while I stopped listening since I wasn't paying! It sounded like a lot of parts, but I'll know more when I pick up the car in a couple of days.

The other nice thing is I got a loaner - ML350. It's very nice, but not my kind of car - I mean it is ginormous! On the other hand, it's GREAT to have something to drive while my car is in the shop.

LILBENZ230

For the cost of the repair to CarMax MaxCare program, they should've given you an S65!

ncmudbug

That would have been nice!!

ncmudbug

Update: My A/C required only the compressor, dryer, recharge (obviously), and some smaller parts. The charge to MaxCare was $1315 (which didn't include the diagnosis for $100+). I probably got my money out of the warranty now. This was done in conjunction with a B service and a CEL (that I thought would also be covered by MaxCare but wasn't). The diagnosis for that CEL cost $220! After all of that it was only an injection hose that cost $10!

In the end, the total bill was $2150 of which I paid $835. I think that was still pretty expensive. Since the car isn't under MB warranty and all MaxCare wants to know is that I'm taking care of it, I don't think I'll be doing that again unless it is something that I can't do (there's enough of that) or that I don't trust an indy shop to do. Still, having the loaner was a big plus!

The other cool thing (besides my car with AC!) is that I got my Coco mats and put them in the car. I got them from cocomats.com. If you're interested in really nice coco or sisal mats for your car, these are the BEST!

LILBENZ230

How did you end up responsible for $835? My math doesn't add up. $100 for diagnostics, $10 hose, $220 CEL (really?! AutoZone does this for free). Stupid dealers.

ncmudbug

Yeah, I'm not quite sure. I'll be going to the dealer this weekend and I'm going to spend more time with how this was calculated. The invoice is not very specific which is another thing I'm not happy about.

There is a B service (minus oil change), the $220 for the CEL (I assume that includes investigation of the cause - but that is still OUTRAGEOUS, $120 or so for diagnosis of the A/C issue, the $75 deductible on my MaxCare "warranty", and some incidentals. It still doesn't really add up to me yet.

Like I said, I don't think I'll be doing that again.

You were talking about getting into another ride and that's something I wish I could consider. As of now, I've had the car less than a year and already it's had about $2000 in repairs. Admittedly, that is at the dealer, but that doesn't strike me as a good repair record. That doesn't count the rotors and pads I just replaced the other weekend. Tires wearing out in 10K miles, rotors wearing out in 50K... it's adding up a lot quicker than I anticipated. I still like the car and I don't think it makes sense to sell it unless something really amazing comes along, but I don't think that's likely. I will be keeping my eyes a little more open, though.

LILBENZ230

My C230K has been trouble free. You will have to buy more expensive tires ahead of time or replace them more often. The brakes/rotors is a normal thing to wear out about that time. My original pads lasted 27k miles, my car finished the second set and original rotors up at 53k miles. I've had better luck since then needing new pads at 94k and those and the second set of rotors are going strong now (rotors have 62k on them!).

The only failure of my C230K was a thermostat. That was a $29 part and $110 labor or so. I buy my own oil, 6 quarts of M1 0W-40, and order filters from RMEuropean at $10 a pop and pay $9.75 for labor to have it changed. It has never been serviced at the dealer and barring something ONLY they can do, it never will be. I refuse to pay their stupid pricing. They wanted $540 for a transmission fluid change. Parts cost $143 and labor was $50 when I had it done at 100k. Robbery.

Hopefully your C230 is good to go for a while now.

ncmudbug

Yes, I've read how reliable yours has been. I'm really happy for you. Hopefully, I've gotten through all the bad stuff.

I've been pretty good about maintenance on mine and my wife's C230s - MUCH more careful than on any other car I've owned. I figured if you get a quality car, you should take care of it so it will take care of you. So far, the outcome is mixed. We'll see how it goes...

ND2020

I lucked out taking mine to the dealer. They had a "pre season AC special" on their website for 149.99 which included an evac and refill of the system and diagnosis of all AC components. Didn't state anywhere on how many hours were included in the diagnosing aspect. They had it for a day and a half....couldn't imagine to pay labor charges for 12+ hours. They even reset my my esp error at no additional cost...no complaints here lol