skittles

dude seriously.. apply for a job at an MB dealer.... then next thing you know you'll have a banner on the FWY saying SA of the year!

W203E35

Maybe I should. This IT industry is pretty slow right now.

Moviela

Any dot 4 will not do the job on a W203. The passages in the antilock system are very narrow and will not work properly unless the special viscosity brake fluid is used. The specific fluid is not available in the US aftermarket. You will need to purchase from a dealer or a distributor that stocks genuine product.

It is better to use a pressure bleeder to change the fluid. It insures the clean fluid is always being pushed through the system. There are units with plastic tanks and hand pumps that can be had for under $50.

ATE racing (blue and gold are identical) brake fluid is wonderful for race cars. It comes in two colors so you can easily see when the old fluid has been pushed out. Most racers change the fluid prior to tracking the car, so it does get changed often. It is not suitable for a W203 or S203.

W203E35

Incorrect
Mercedes recommends DOT 4+. DOT 4+ is a bull shyt brake fluid that they created which has a higher boiling point. They fool people like you are doing now into believing that regular DOT 4 brake fluid will cause damage so people can take their car to get serviced from Benz or so people can buy this overly prices BS brake fluid.

Straight from the dealer document. As you can see all it does is it has a lower boiling point.



Like I said before just use DOT 4. Everyone has been using it and everyone is fine. If you change you brake fluid every 2 years which people do much later WITH DOT 4 you will be absolutely fine.

You must work for a Benz dealer?

Color brake fluid might be convenient but not necessary. Anyone can tell a difference from used brake fluid and new brake fluid.

carbonfiberwhor

I see the services stop at 195k miles. Is that all the car engine is estimated to work til?

W203E35

That's all MB has lool I guess so

johnand

In the case of the M272 engine, no. Should easily go double that with proper maintenance. Once you have gone 200K, you pretty much have all the maintenance intervals figured out.

Moviela

I have a different read of the document you quoted. It advises that only fluids that meet the specifications of MB sheet 331.0 are a precondition of any acceptance of customer claims. Bucko, this means that your warranty, and goodwill warranty are toast if you do not use the fluid listed. It goes on to explain that the sheet 331.0 fluid meets Mercedes specifications, and US safety regulations for FMVSS 116, DOT4. It then explains that DOT4+ has a higher wet boiling point, and you must use the Mercedes fluid to avoid problems with a two year change interval. It does not say you may use DOT4 or DOT4+ fluid.

There is one product on sheet 331.0. It is MB 331.0 Bremsflüssigkeit A 000 989 08 07. Any additional characters on the container are for logistics.

This fluid is a DOT4+ that also meets MB specification 331.0.

Everyone using ordinary DOT4 is not fine. They are increasing the rate of copper corrosion in the brake system, and risk damage to the ABS pump and valve system. It is false economy to save 9 dollars on fluid and ruin a two thousand dollar part.

W203E35

Ya, ok your right. Thanks for coming and thanks for your input.

I know handful of members that have been using DOT 4 and they are fine. Like I said before nothing will happen just DONT use DOT 5 (Silicon brake fluid) and you are fine.

Like I said before 2 year interval with DOT 4 will not do harm. There are people who run the factory brake fluid for OVER 40k miles. That's much worse than using DOT 4 brake fluid every 2 years.

But anyway to each their own. A lot of people run DOT 4 for many years and miles and they are fine.

hieracity

If anyone is interested, here is a link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Merce...Q5fAccessories

Thanks karo and moviela for the information!

PharmD

Thanks, hieracity, for the link and also to everyone else for the information This was something I preferred to do myself (along with pads).

hieracity

Sup guys,

need to replace my battery soon and i was hoping to get some direction from our cumulative brain power

1. I checked out https://www.getmercedesparts.com for part # A 004 541 45 01 which is for the C 230.
2. Are there any other batteries you guys suggest that might be better that the OEM? Or anywhere else I might get better pricing.
3. I heard that the battery is somewhat special because there is a hose or something that is connected to it so that the smell of the battery doesnt go inside the cabin through the HVAC which sits right behind it.
4. And what exactly is the proper procedure for replacing the battery on our cars (especially regarding this hose)

Thanks!

G

W203E35

The battery that I see for your car is 115.00 plus 10 bucks for core.

Attached is how to change the battery

hieracity

Thanks again Karo!

What is the "core"?

W203E35

The original item. Basically you give them your old battery if not they will charge you 10 bucks. A lot of parts are like that (starter, alternator)

skittles

the old battery or part. return it and get a small refund.

hieracity

Oo, I like refunds

do they pay for s&h? Lol

samaritrey

Call up road side assistance they come to you for free and install it. Tell them your battery is dead and old. When i called i told the mb tech guy to just replace the battery not even try to jump start it. did it and i was on my way for like $130 +$20 for tip. Another nice thing is if he blows up a sam not your problem lol.

hieracity

The road side assistance from AAA or Motor Club (All State version of AAA) or did you mean road side assistance from Mercedes Benz?

Thanks

ontmiss

from MB

hieracity

^ hmm, all of us have roadside assistance?? (gah, such a ). Even though my warranty has run out?

Thanks guys!

hieracity

Darn, getmercedesparts.com can't ship batteries because its a hazmat and they have no dealers in Southern California (double doh!)

ontmiss

Every Mercedes-Benz in the U.S. - no matter how old, how many miles it's logged or how many owners it's had - qualifies for Roadside Assistance, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you ever need assistance while traveling in your Mercedes-Benz, just call 1-800-FOR-MERCEDES.

W203E35

Great info, I never knew this

samaritrey

Wow something Karo didn't know But it is awesome that is why i love Mercedes.