EKY

Well..it's been almost 2 years since I got my C230K..and I decided to get rid of it. It was plauged with problems yet it wasn't legally covered under the lemon law here in Hawaii. I believe I had 17 problems. Then the other day was the final straw..when all these error messages about my ESP and ABS and TPMS unavailable or malfunctioning and telling me to visit the "workshop" (dealer).

The replacement...a 2006 Acura RL. You have to admit you can't beat the reliability of the Japanese. My 2001 530i had a lot of problems as well. Although not nearly as much as the benz. My '97 and '99 RL's and my '95 Legend hardly gave me any problems.

I'm still gonna pop in from time to time..but I appreciate all the advice everyone has given. Also thanks to Steve/Dean/Wanda for all the installs they did on my car!! Someone is sure going to be lucky to buy a pretty unique Orion Blue C-class!!

Regards,
Eric

BadAssC230k

good luck with it! Now you can go run with STi's and EVO's haha.

drho2004

oih man, knock on wood 'knock knock' i have the exact same car (stock though) 2005 orion blue c230k, mine has 26k miles. oh man, so far so good, no real problems...... i hope they dont start appearing when the warranty is about over.....

ultraseven

correct me if I am wrong, but the RL is about 15K more than the C230K correct? Sounds like a step up to me. Good job!

TruTaing

ah, thats unfortunate that it gave ya that many problems... worste of all it doesnt seem like mbworld was able to help much

the RL is a good lookin vehicle to move to anywhoos.. hope ya enjoy it.

-j0hn

kchristos

I don't get it, how do you compare the RL with Sti's and EVO's ?

advans

lol. ahahaha

drexappeal

Eric,

I'm totally in shock! Well, hope the new car treats you better. Good luck with that.

drex

EKY

Drex: All of my friends are shocked as well. But the issues that kept on coming up just got on my nerves.

BadAssC230K: I'm pretty sure I just got stuck with a crappy car. I've asked a lot of C230K owners in Hawaii if they've had similar issues, and no one has had as many problems as I have had. I guess i was just unlucky.

Hopefully this new RL will be pretty much problem free like my prevous RL's. I'm already planning on the A-Spec Rims, Backup camera, wood wheel, and I-pod music link with voice activaiton.

As for parts from my MB, I only have the stock grill in a box in my closet. Any takers? Hit me up with an offer. Not sure if anyone can even use it. Oh, and I also have a pair of 2004 Stock lights sitting downstairs in a box.

BadAssC230k

pardon my 'dit deh duh' moments. I swore i read somewhere the RL [forget what series] was pushin 300+hp. um, yeah... my bad. lol

jan ken po

Love the pic in the sig...thats on the way to Pu'u Ualakaa Park....Its views like that that make me miss living on the island.

Ryanr317

Man, you can't go wrong with an Acura. IMO its the best for the money. I have a '94 and its been good to me for years.

slammedcclass

i would not buy acura over mercedes but i like the 2 door acura + this guy with the same acura as the one u got was makin fun of my car n talkin Sh*t but my car is a soldier i got rear ended with 35mph by a small 2 door car after that i hit a pole and a lot more still runs fine BUT i drove my friends c230 same as mine and it feels smooth and mine does not i think cuz i got rear ended? maybe lol

loeryda

It was rated at 300 hp before SAE ratings brought it down to 290 hp for 2006. However, its performance is nowhere near Sti's and Evo's but it's the interior that stands out.

Tangerine

SH-AWD

congrats on the upgrade. and yes acuras are reliable just look at my integra that i beat around

i think u were unlucky on your c class but atlease you had fun in it rite? do you know if all your previous problems were fixed? cuz if its not, then the next owner is in for a surprise

EKY

Yes most of the issues were resolved...

5100miles - Right headlamp flickering (replaced)

6959miles - Trunk release rattle (replaced)
Headlight switch inop (part ordered)

7705miles - Headlight switch replaced

11215miles - Audio blasting static (firmware upgrade)
Glove box light inop (parts ordered)

11618mles - Glove box light replaced
Rear shelf speaker rattles (felt added)
Transmisson leaking (replaced seals/bushings)

17167miles - Glove box light inop again (cleaned terminals)
Rear speaker rattling again (more felt added)
Seat belt adjuster rattling (replaced)
Speaker on dash rattles (replaced)

24604miles - Airbag recall
Condensation in mirror turn signal (replaced)

28073miles - Left front headlamp inop (replaced ignition module)
Left interior door handle fell off (replaced)
Whining noise from engine (AC compressor replaced)
Cupholder peeling on the insde rim - chrome piece(replaced)

31000miles - ESP malfunction, visit workshop
ESP unavailable
ABS unavailable
Tire Pressure Monitor Unavailable

The center armrest is also peeling
Rear speaker still rattles
Glovebox light has a mind of it's own
CD changer keeps on changing CD's on it's own (when car is turned off)
Audio on Multi-Info Display shows "-----" on occasion

The car would have made two years on September 17th 2006.

jsloan01

sorry to hear of all your problems.

i had a lot of probs w/ my 2004.5. you definitely had one of the best w203s on the forum.

hopefully the new pre-owned owner does not get screwed on this car!

e1000

holy crap that's a long list. good luck with the new RL though, Acura's are great cars

Tangerine

holy cow thats a lot of problems

seems like your glove box hates u lol

post pics of the rl when you get it or get the chance to

patrick_y

Congratulations on the new car Eric! Make sure you keep us informed about the handling on this new RL. I'm sure this RL will treat you a bit better than your C230.

Good luck and I hope you didn't lose too much money on your C.

white_w203

i believe lemon law would fall under if you had the same problem multiple times and hasn't been resolved. sorry to hear you leave the family.

patrick_y

It only applies if the same problem occurs 3x and if it's a critical problem that undermines the safety and operational value of the car. I don't think glove box lights count.

Seriously, Mercedes-Benz is building a few lemon cars. Seems like every single car has a few problems. I definitely have that rattle sound from the rear subwoofer.

I'm thinking I'm starting to hear sounds from the seat belt adjuster. We have another car in the family that also rattles at the seatbelt adjuster. Sometimes, the seat also makes a big clunk when I'm backing out of my straight (not roundabout) driveway (which is sloped when it hits the street) and that bump makes the seat rattle.

Any BMW owners want to tell us about their car problems? I'm starting to wonder if it's a Mercedes-Benz issue or if it applies to all German/European cars.

EKY

Once the car is broken in.. I'll be able to test out the SH-AWD. Next Thursday I'm putting on the A-spec chrome rmiis, rear spoiler, wood steering wheel, I-pod Acura Music Link, and backup camera. I'll post pics after that.

As for the lemon law..patrick is correct. Also, it could qualify IF the car was in the shop for more than 30 days. It doesn't have to me consecutive days and it also doesn't have to be a recurring problem. If there's 30 issues and you bring it in 30 times, it could qualify....well in Hawaii anyway.

As for the grill..it's been sold.

I still have the 2004 stock lights if anyone is interested. (I changed the light connector in my car from 7pin (2005) to 6pin (2004) to fit the S-class style tails).

Justford0099

sorry about the Benz :-( The RL is so boring IMO styling wise. My buddy had one as a loaner once and i wasnt very impressed

electromethod

Please pick up a grammar book and refresh yourself.