1995 C220 Problems
Mercedes C220 1995 (W202)

God I love my car ;-) But I am having some problems and before I take it in to the dealership once again and get charged an arm and a leg (broke man in love with a benz), I was hoping some of you educated and experienced fellows could help me out.

My car is almost on its 60,000km/37,000mile point. As you know, the car is to be serviced at this time. I am prepared to go in for the service as usual, it's just that some others problems are on the rise and I would prefer to walk in knowing a little bit before they upcharge me for everything.

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON - I have noticed lately that something seems awry with the fuel injection system. When I am driving and am about to come to a stop, I can feel the car still wanting to go a bit. So when I take my foot off the gas and brake to see what happens, sometimes the car will drive at around 5 - 10 kph (I live in Canada sorry ;-) without my foot being on the gas. Sometimes it will not do this but sometimes it will. It also seems like the car is not shifting properly. I don't know if this is the transmission or what. Sometimes it seems like it should shift and it does 5 or 6 seconds later.

SRS LIGHT ON - This light is remaining on longer than the manual stated 4 seconds. It eventually goes out but it does stay on longer than 4 seconds (2 minutes ???) Will this be expensive? Has anyone experienced this problem before?

FRONT RIGHT (or left) BRAKE MAKING LIGHT SQUEAKING SOUND - I was wondering if I could just have it lubed or something to stop this. It started two days ago.

RESIDUAL HEAT FAN SQUEAKING - There is an option in the car for RES. heat. When the car is off, you can press that button and get heat (I guess). I hear a squeaking sound when I press this button. A little squeaking sound but a squeaking sound nonetheless. Is there a direct place I can lube without get the expensive labour charge from the dealership?

GAS NODE/SENSOR WENT AWRY ONE DAY - One day when I filled the car up with gasoline I got back in the car and noticed that the gas hand was SLOWLY ascending rather than quickly going to "full tank". I watched it closely that day and the next but the next time I filled it with gas, there was no problem. It went straight to the top.

(Two weeks ago the light went out on my clock on the dash so I took it to the Mercedes dealership and they replaced all my dash bulbs for $200). Someone had once told me once they go inside your dash, the sensors never work the same. I don't know if there is any truth to this so I figured I would post it here to finally find out).


If anyone can help, I would appreciate it. Sorry to be so long but I figured I should tell as much as I can.

Take care and I will check back every 30 minutes ;-) I'm anxious.

Thank you,

 

Well I can definately help with one of your problems. When they replaced your dash bulbs they took off your steering wheel. When they did this they disconnected your airbag and this is why your light is staying on for a couple of minutes. The airbag will still work fine but they need to reset the computer.

As far as the brakes, have you replaced your pads? If not, it's probably about time. Some pads just squeak for the heck of it. I find that Textar are some of the worste for squeaking. If you do need new pads I would suggest Pagid as these have been my favorite pads along the lines of quietness. (it's a benz right? it should be quiet) That's about all I can help you with. I haven't had any other problems that you're experiencing. I would suggest black electrical tape over your check engine light as it doesn't seem to mean anything anyway.

 

I agree with Doug here. If they removed your Steering wheel, and did the instrument cluster bulb replacement, by the book, then they did and they probably did NOT reset the computer.

Some items can be reset by disconnecting the battery for about 2 minutes, though I am unsure if this instance is one of them. I do not think this is something you can reset at AutoZone with the OBD-I(since you are a '95) Handheld.

 

I disagree with doug on the check engine light issue...........

lwm3, i had a 97 c280 sport, and i had issues with the cars shifting also (and a CEL)....it turned out that my mass air flow sensor had gone bad, $600 to replace. Have this checked out right away, if that is the case, it can go bad to the point where the car will not run, and the only thing you can do is limp it home (or wherever you are going) at about 7-10 mph.....luckily this did not happen to me, and i got it fixed, but the tranny was acting wierd because of it, and as a result, the trans failed within 10,000 miles of the mass air sensor going bad.

Luckily for me, and not for the owner, i sold the car about a month before the trans failed, actually traded in for my new car (see sig), but the new owner got it fixed, and still drives it. She loves it too, and i see her every now and then driving down the street.

 

MAS is surely a possibility.. but it makes more sense to check the small(see inexpensive) things first...

I mean, if you can't fix it in a day or so, you need to take it in.. CELs are there for a reason..

 

I wasn't being serious about the check engine light. I'm just saying it seams like everyone has problems with their check engine light. That's what means.

 

Knock on wood.. NEVER had a problem with my Check Engine Light.. THOUGH my Low Coolant light has been on for about 2 years. I've replaced the sensor and everything else.. it's funny, because it will go out as soon as my Low Washer Fluid light comes on..

 

Mass Air Flow sensor costs about $225 from thebenzbin.com. It takes a whole 5 minutes to replace yourself. Also, you might be able to just clean it...seems to help some people..and it saves you over $200..

 

Clean it? This really works? I spent almost $600 getting mine replaced.

 

This is not right......the Mass Air Sensor is calibrated differently to each car....if you have a C280 and get a MAS for a C36...it will not work, hence the price to have it installed at the dealer, and programmed. I dont know about others, but when it comes to very sensitive electronics (esp motor parts) i would trust no one but the dealer!