I'm the one who posted the "Please help a M-B newbie!" thread regarding the '99 C280 Sport w/ 59K miles. Thanks to all who responded, your input was helpful. Well, I purchased a C280 Sport, but not that one. Before I made a final decision, I did one last Autotrader search and came up with another C280 Sport just down the road from me. I went to see it, and immediately put a downpayment on it.

It is a '99 C280 Sport (silver/black) and is in immaculate condition. Not even a single gouge in a rim. The only annoyance is that the first aid kit cover in the back doesn't lock all that securely and rattles a bit on larger bumps. I'll have to rig some velcro or something for that.

The car has 66K miles and they charged me $16,899. I took it for a pre-inspection, and the following issues were identified:

1. Right front wheel bearing
2. Rear brakes (need new rotors and pads)
3. Frayed rear middle seat belt
4. Front and Rear alignment (tires were feathered)
5. Air conditioning temp. not cold (got better once car hit highway speeds).

I went back to the dealer and they agreed to make all the necessary repairs at no extra cost, other than to replace the tires. So I expect to take delivery this Saturday. I am sure I'll have lots of questions for you folks. In fact, I have one now...

The car has 66K miles on it, and I doubt the 60K service was performed. Can someone tell me what the 60K service encompasses, and how much it normally runs?

Also, should I make the permanent switch to synthetic oil, or is it too late?

Thanks!
Mike

 

Is it a MB dealer? If an MB dealer they may have done a 60K service on the vehicle as part of the Starmark, if they don't have documentation it was done. This may also be a negotiation point, as that the 60K service should have been done 6K miles ago if they can't document that it was done.

They may be able to provide you with matinenance records of the vehicle. Ask to look at the service book. The type of oil may be indicated.

Good luck

 

Depends on the MB dealer, but I walked out of my 60K service $700 lighter.

 

The 1999 models use the FSS system and do not have a prescribed 60,000 miles service.

When looking at the service records, note the A/B sequence and check remaining mileage on the FSS. I would change the oil and filter for peace of mind unless performed very recently.

Aside from the FSS, there are time intervals for coolant and brake fluid. There are mileage specific intervals for spark plugs. Most folks change the plugs before 100K-miles. Also, most people that own a car with the 722.6 five speed (all post 97's) tranny change the fluid/filter at about 60,000 miles. This is a job that many trust the dealer to do, as it requires a dipstick that is not installed in the car, and the synthetic tranny fluid should be at 80C for the level to be set properly. The fluid level is critical for the fully electronic tranny.

Are you buying the car without a service history?

As to synthetic oil, most MB dealers switched their FSS equipped customers long ago. It's never too late to switch if not.

Talk to the dealer and find out if the harmonic balancer has been updated. This is an issue on the 98-99 M112 2.8L, M112 3.2, and M113 4.3L engines. If it fails, it can do lots of damage, so be sure it's in good shape.

Prior to delivery, make sure that the AC blows cold. While an evaporator temp sensor is not an expensive repair, some things in the AC/ACC system can be quite costly.

Has the dealer done a VMI (Vehicle Master Inquiry) on the car? That will tell you about it's history with TSB and recall updates.

 

OK, the car was a trade-in at a Nissan dealership. The service book only shows the first few services, so the owner eventually got lazy. I did call that dealership and gave them the VIN, and they showed that the vehicles last service at their location was in 2001.

Ironically, I called a place called European Engineering in Framingham, MA, and spoke to their service guy (Mario) about a 60K mile service. When I told him where I bought the car, he asked me whether or not it was the silver one. I said yes, and he told me that he had personally sold that car 2 years ago and had been servicing it as well. I asked him how he knew it was that specific one. He said "because I serviced it and I know that car...I looked at it at the Nissan dealership". He was very adamant, and since I had already made the appointment, really had no reason to lie about it.

Anyway, the car runs great, and the overall condition of the car leads me to believe that it was taken care of. Of course, this is a risk, not having the service records.

As for the A/C, I did notice that it was NOT blowing cold, UNTIL the car hit highway speeds, at which point things improved dramatically as far as temp. This WAS one of the issues I pointed out to the Nissan dealer, and they have agreed to fix it. I believe they were going to pressure test the system for starters.

Since the Nissan dealership is no Mercedes expert, I made a service appointment with European Engineering to bring the car in for a 60K service, whether or not it is needed or not. I figure it can't hurt, and since I am not entirely sure of the history, I may as well start off on the right track. I will talk to them about the harmonic balancer when I bring it in. I'll also mention the tranny fluid. Can they check the fluid for cleanliness?

If the Nissan dealer doesn't fix the AC correctly, then I am sure I'll be able to bring it back, since it was one of the negotiated pre-purchase repairs. However, they are a large volume dealer (150 cars/ month), and common sense tells me that they NEED to have some experienced service techs to keep that volume of cars moving successfully.

One other question. How does the FSS work? In other words, how does it come up with the service interval?

Mike

 

did you buy this C280 at the Nissan dealership on Rt 9 heading west? I think it's next to Boston Pianos or something like that...

i've seen a C280 silver sitting on that grassy hill in front of that nissan dealership for a while. Congrats on u'r purchase.

BTW, how is that European Engineering? A good alternative to the dealership?

 

and on the note about the FSS, there's a wrench in your odometer (i think u have to press a button for it to show up) and it shows the milage remaining before your next service is due. When there is a 1000 miles left, it will flash when you first start up your car to tell u how many miles are left. Then you can figure when to make a service appointment.

 

Yes, that's the one! As for European Engineering, they seem to have a good reputation from a service standpoint. In fact, the Nissan dealer was going to bring it to them for a few things that they may not have been able to deal with.

Hopefully the guy from European Engineering was correct in that this is the car he has been servicing. It would be nice to know it has been properly serviced of course. While there is obviously a risk associated in buying a car from an non M-B dealer without service records, it's not as big a risk as some make it out to be. The reason being that I would have paid about $4K more buying this car from an M-B dealer. So as long as I don't have to put in more than that over then next 34K miles, it's either a wash or I come out ahead.

See your around Rt. 9 and 90!

Mike

 

you live in the metrowest area?

 

What's a "Harmonic Balancer"?

 

Crankshaft pulley on v-type engines is used as a balancer.