GTIDAN

My LCD display has started acting up. The top and bottom displays are disappearing as in this example: The temperature says 80 degrees but the bottom half of the numbers are almost dark. Same with any displays on the top. Anyone else have this problem and if so whats the fix? I'm out of warranty in a week. I showed this to my service tech and he was not very supportive. He said it was a 2 grand repair!!!

It quit for a few days and than started acting up again today. The car was just in for Service A and was working perfectly when I took the car in.

Any 'useful' suggestions would be helpful....

Thanks

slammer111

Get it fixed under warranty. Chances are they'll stick in a MY04 cluster which has some new features.

Clicky here

victorfjr

It's happening to mine too. I've noticed that it happens more when the car has been sitting in the hot sun all day. At night time it's works perfectly. I also notice that in the winter when its really cold the screen also is dimmed. It seems thats that the top and bottom lines of the screen fade out when its really hot or really cold. I bought the extended warranty so hopefully it's covered. I'll be taking the car in for service A in a few months so I'll get them to check it then.

tcmo

My 2002 C230K LCDs did exactly the same thing (fade around the periphery of the MFD) in very hot weather the past 2 summers. I had the instrument cluster replaced last week under warranty. Service advisor and mechanic said it was not normal.

advans

Hey guys, a question.

I have the aftermarket "amg" bezel things stuck on my cluster. do you think my cluster is still covered under warranty?

C320 UK

I guess not as the cluster has been opened to fit the bezel. However if your car is 'used' you could say it has always been like that since you've had it.

Godd luck!

victorfjr

I removed my bezel and spray painted it silver. I did that the first year I had the car, hopefully they wont say anything when I take the car in.

advans

I bought my car brand new. Theres a sticker that is attached to the cluster, (i didnt rip the sticker off). I guess they determine if its removed before or not with that thing.

I can take the AMG bezel off for safety when in for service.

fanito

Mine does the same, always when is hot. I think that is very normal... Good for you if you replaced it under warranty, but I'm S.O.L. since I don't have the warranty anymore and I have to put up with that annoyance

drexappeal

I've got the same problem. I took it into the dealer (during Service A) last week and the report said that they couldn't duplicate the problem and replaced the bulbs only. The problem is still there, but I'm too lazy to go back, so I'll probably bring it back during winter. Hopefully they'll just replace the cluster.

jimboom

I had mine replaced under warranty. No questions asked,
2003,c-230 coupe

GTIDAN

This is the end of my posting here. Just want to thank all those who have made my ownership a little more enjoyable (from the standpoint of mods, etc)

Last Friday the dealer infomed me that unless they could duplicate the problem they would not stand behind replacing the cluster. This even after both my S/A and his foreman verified that the problem is real. Insofar as my warranty expires on Monday and their reluctance to stand behind the product My wife and I traded this POS in on a brand new Lexus IS250 loaded with all the toys. As far as I am concerned Mercedes can kiss my butt and never again will one be parked in my driveway. This past month alone the car has spent nine days in all sitting in their shop. NO MORE.

Good luck to all of you and whatever you do or go. Take care

drexappeal

Sorry to hear that, but hopefully you'll enjoy the new Lexus. I really like that car.

FrankW

same thing happens when the car has been in under the sun on a very hot day.

when this happens unless you restart the car after a while they're not going to solve it by itself, so what you may want to do is while it's happening drive to the dealership and have your service advisor take a look at it even if you can't leave the car there.

btw, I still find it funny that when people buy the cheapest MB they come out with comments that they'll never buy MB again when something goes wrong. No offense to anyone. You'll hardly ever find 3series people or A4 people saying that they won't buy another BMW or Audi because half the time they know they've bought the entry class of the brand and knows there are going to be faults.

slammer111

Cheap or not, what's wrong with the customer expecting quality from a product they buy? I can understand a cheaper car having fewer features, but shouldn't an entry-level car be "better" than the rest, so that the customer has incentive to upgrade to a higher model in the future?

Actually the C does have quite a few problems, I'm quite gung-ho about my coupey but admittedly the other car in the family (a 1998 Pontiac) has had fewer problems (though it had 1 recall about the engine cutting out randomly). Not to mention a much smoother transmission, and it has 50000km more on it too.

YoYiTo

i have the same problem when i leave my car under the sun all day. after awhile when the it cools down you can read it perfectly.

Rick

FYI....these cars are only "entry class" because the snobs at MBUSA made it that way. Lest we forget, in Europe, they offer the SMART as the "entry class" supplemented by the A and B classes.

If Mercedes wants to keep their standing as a quality brand - they should serve the customer accordingly.

This is my opinion, and although I'm sure some might share it (unlike slammer111's)...it's still mine.

Outland

Frank, youre talking out of you tailpipe again. Your overpriced C Class has the same electronics and everything else except the Lysholm... NO-ONE, and I mean NO-ONE in the industry would even consider designing an entry level car to fail. Period. That's not how you grow a brand. None of these cars are designed just sell someone a bag of goods and not look back. As an engineer, I can tell you that you don't have a clue what you are talking about.

In fact, so much of the componentry is shared between the various MB cars, how can you say its tolerated because its a lowly "C Class"? The Friggen SLR has parts from a C-Class! So...all the A-Class buyers are just stupid enough to by a car that they should expect to break down? Hmmm...if the car has a star, and it didn't cost 50K, its expected to fall apart. Read your posts before you hit send.

shorthair

I have had mine replaced under warranty twice for the same thing. Service advisor said they get a bunch of them. The last time (about two months ago) they were on back order because of the issue. I guess it depends on who you speak to if it is normal or not....

slammer111

There's been a miscommunication, cuz I 100% agree with you... any manufacturer should stand behind their product, whether it's a "cheap" A or a Maybach.

FrankW

so a C32 is overpriced now? my msrp was $54k and guess what a similarly equipt M3 would be or a similarily equipped C320 sport would be. appearantly you are forgetting the beefed up internals, better leather seats, leather door trim, shocks/springs, sway bars, better sound insulation, better fit and finish, etc. Even the hand built engine alone will cost at least $25k brand new. If you don't believe me pop open the trunk of any C32/55 and compare the fit and finish of the carpet around the edges with any C230/240/280/350. What does this have to do with my C32 anyway? btw, did I say I didn't have the same w203? If you think the C32's only difference is with the IHI lysholm supercharger you obviously need more research or back to school with your "engineer" class. I'm gonna bet that you think the 599 GTB is overpriced compare to the F430 with your engineer knowledge. Spare me the "I'm an engineer" speech...please...it is the lamest excuse ever.

yes, they share a lot of parts, but are you saying that the C-class is as well made as a S-class or CL or even the SL? yes, all MB that rolls off the line from MB factory have been given a set of standards, the gap between each panels are precisely done so they are all even, safety, etc etc. I can go on and on, but if you EVEN think that a CL203/W203 is even in the same catagory as the E, S, CL, etc higher end class in built quality as in material used you need to have your head checked. YES, no one in the industry would built an entry level car that would just fail once into the comsumer's hand (DUH!), but unfortunately it is a fact that they are known to have more problem than their higher priced siblings.

I didn't say expect the car to fall apart because I don't think it will since it's built from the same standards that made MB one of the most prestiges car company in the world, but expect reasonable faults. If you buy an A or B class or even the Vanos or the V-class it's the matter of preference and affordability. Don't expect there are not gonna be faults and ****ty looking parts inside the car, and certainly don't act like you've paid $100k for a S-class. You won't see me acting like I've paid $90k for an E55 or $140 for an SL55. Why? because I didn't!! I have an entry level AMG and an entry level MB that's offered in the US.

yeah....hmm...i guess a faulty cluster is enough to make me not want to buy an W221 S-class.

Rick

Um...
My E-Class has had more components and mechanical pieces replaced than my C Coupe. It started with the transmission - at 2300 miles, it locked up and would not shift above 2nd. I was in Albany NY when it failed, roadside assistance towed the car and no loaner was offered.

Then it was the rear coupling and left side rear axle. That failed locally, and again, they hooked it into the shop. After that, BOTH my rear window lifts, the rear window shade, the sunroof and the instrument cluster failed.

Granted, all these repairs were covered by warranty, but if this is any indication that the E-class is a better built car...I'll take 2 C's instead.

FrankW

W203-->W211

W202-->W210

your mechanical problem isn't the quality argument I'm talking about. some people are lucky and some people are not. someone could have a C320 that has no problem while another guy that has a S550 that has tranny issues if you know what i mean. it doesn't take away that the S550 is a better car. go take a look at the w202 and you'll see that your w210 is a better built car.

Outland

Everyone loves to talk about how cheap the C-Class. Having the most expensive cheap car sounds overpriced to me. Don't get me wrong, I like the car...just not for 54K. There's not 54K worth of content in that car.


Most of that engine is the same as the garden variety engine that powered everything from the lowly C Class to the cheap seats version of the former S Class. Same block, same castings. Just hand assembled. What hand assembled means, is that one guy takes a few days to put together what could have been built on a line in 90 minutes. He takes a few more measurements, and installs a couple different components, but largely, its the same engine. And that's worth 25K to you? The 'hand assembled' engine even uses the same presses, lifts, and multispindle torque guns as used on the line. So, Dieter built your hot rod.


Yes, the seat backs are a little better.

:The door trim is eclipsed by the fact that they use the cheaper looking material on the topside of the door panel...

All pretty cheap upgrades, when installed during assembly.

That's debateable. Ive seen quite a few AMG cars with horrible build quality.

Plenty. Your argument was that the entry level cars are built to fail. Your car is more alike than you think.

Its the most important difference...there's no special keys that start a C32. No special clusters that don't puke out. No special stereo that actually sounds good. No special electronics that don't go to hell. Get the picture?

There is one area that I think the C32 is genuinely special...it has a beefed up rear diff...the ones in the other C-Class cars are not very robust.


It sure beats the "I'm a student, and I didn't pay a dime for this car" excuse. BTW...all Ferraris are overpriced. Haven't you looked?

.Allow me to speak as engineer...try to keep up. Anything that bears the MB name should meet a minimum level of quality and reliability standards that should be universal across the line. That said, there's very little cost to 'build quality'. Material and component quality, that's another matter. These items either have quality inked in, or they don't. There's not much the guy on the line can do about the fact that the body modules supplied by say, Bosch, go to hell at a pretty high rate in the field, or the fact that the switch gear looks just as cheap on the radio in the C Class as it does painted silver and stuck in an SLR. The cost structure of how purchased parts are aquired means that you as a manufacturer try to use this component in as many places as possible. Much lower unit cost, no additional R&D, and hopefully, better reliability in the field. Now, because this unit, and there are many, are used in so many models it has to be just as good in the C-Class as it is in the S.

Aside from high ticket items like advanced technology, and content items like powerful engines, things that you touch and feel are the areas where the 'more premuim' cars have higher end materials...better looking plastics, high gloss finishes, real wood that looks less fake than the real(fake looking) wood crap in the C Class, etc... None of this should affect the car's reliability, or the build quality.

.Let me stop you right here. Ive driven just about everything in the lineup. My salesman lives a few blocks from here, and we are good friends. He doesn't own an MB, but he's always got something different to drive. So, are the more expensive cars a lot nicer...sure. But they aren't built any better, and to hear Ryan say it, they aren't any more reliable.

.In your last post you certainly infered that because the car was cheap, no one should complain when it breaks.

..
Also untrue. There's far more kit to go kaboodle on the more expensive cars. The E-Class and ML problems are so notorious its what everyone points to when they talk about MB quality problems.

..I'm not. Infact, I'm usually on the other side of this discussion...but your argument that owners should tolerate poor reliability, when the parts and service cost so much, is just crap. Isolated failures are one thing...and no one should expect the car to be perfect...but many of the ills these cars suffer are chronic, and across the range.

..I think you have less leg to stand on when you have the really expensive cars. Sure, you paid a lot of money...but the car is horribly complex, on the bleeding edge of technology, and there's a whole lot more crap to break. And besides...if your wealthy enough to afford that, STFU and take your other car to the country club.

FrankW

HAHAHAHHAA.....that is rich....I don't even want to bother repeating myself. Just read the post above.

btw, in case you don't know there is a standard in MB fit&finish rule book however higher end classes are much better enforced than the lower end model. that's a plain and simple fact. Oh yea, and thanks for repeating/clarify what I said on material/component quality.

regarding the C32 engine, are you moronic or just simply trying to make an argument out of nothing? yes, the iron block is the same, but not the pistons, cam, valve, and various other internal parts. It's based off the 3.2 liter V6...so? perhaps now you are gonna tell me that a McLaren F1's not worth the money because the V12 is based off the V12 in the run of the mill 750/850. Or the Pagani Zonda is overpriced because it has a V12 based on the old S600/SL600 V12.

when the **** did I ever used "oh i'm a student argument"? name it...link it...

I'm done with your idiotic argument.