I would like to share my Benz experience with the rest of the world. Here is my story. My wife was driving a 03 Mazda 6s and had issue with brake noise so I told her go and pick out a new car. And there it was. A Black 2004.5 C230K Sport, one sharp looking ride. Well here we are 49,700 miles later and hands down the most problematic car in my yard. I have an 88 Mustang with 300K, 99 Navigator 175K, 98 Accord 204K and an 05 F-150 52K and yet the Benz has been the problem child.

1. Replace brakes at 20K rotors worn to margin of safe use $300 parts did labor myself.
2. SRS light comes on in dash, wiring harness replacement, no warranty, out by 6 mths. $700 No help from MB or dealer.
3. Alt/Bat message, Replace alternator MB wanted $500 for part I managed to find one for $350 installed myself.
4. Inside front passenger door handle pulled out/broke at leading edge $30 intalled myself.
5. Check engine light came on last week, Oh HELL here we go again ... told her to put it back under the cover. I will run dianostic on it next week. Hope it falls under recall or some type of emission issue.

Now I'm not saying that the others have been totally trouble free ie ... Modified engine put in stang after 250K, Navi - replaced 3 coils, Honda timing belt and oil changes, F-150 oil changes.
But sadly my wife loves this car and wants an E-Class next. But man I am skerd ... I had always looked at Mercedes as being representive of quality workmanship, but this car has really changed my opinion of them. And mind you this car has less than 50,000 miles. I paid for this one, but if she gets another Benz she will have to pay for it herself. I keep you posted ....

 

Honestly, those things you've replaced are not anything I would consider uncommon for any car. The only thing would be the airbag harness.

 

Sounds like you didn't check the car over before you bought it.. But your just talking about common issues on these cars.. That i have yet to EXP..

I haven't had a Check engine light in so long =P knock on wood

 

1. Replace brakes at 20K rotors worn to margin of safe use $300 parts did labor myself.
   This is not an issue with the car.
2. SRS light comes on in dash, wiring harness replacement, no warranty, out by 6 mths. $700 No help from MB or dealer.
   Haven't heard of that one before, sounds like a fluke or there was some sort of pre existing problem.
3. Alt/Bat message, Replace alternator MB wanted $500 for part I managed to find one for $350 installed myself.
   This is a rare problem from what I've heard but it does happen sometimes, probably a bad voltage regulator.
4. Inside front passenger door handle pulled out/broke at leading edge $30 intalled myself.
   This is most definitely a design defect, I just replaced mine yesterday.
5. Check engine light came on last week, Oh HELL here we go again ... told her to put it back under the cover. I will run dianostic on it next week. Hope it falls under recall or some type of emission issue.
   I believe you have the M111 engine, probably the least reliable engine Mercedes has put out.
   Edit: Sorry, M271 is what I meant. You might want to check for the dreaded leaking cam sensors.
   

Other than the door handle it sounds like you've just had some really bad luck with the car. From 2005 on up these cars have been getting more and more reliable (the way they used to be).

 

You shouldn't be afraid of any Benz 2007 and up. This is where their quality really shines.
Unfortunately, you picked one up back when their quality was down.

 

yes hondas are more reliable but what is there to go wrong ? very few options and stuff compared to the benz..
& lets face it.. you picked the worst benz around there.. apparently you didnt perform the required check ups before buying the car, and you are not very luck
& dont tell me that your mustang is more reliable, lol

 

It has a M271 engine. You have been unlucky. The engine light could be something as stupid as a spark plug. You would drive your Stang with this problem without even knowing it. If you want to keep your wife safe - Keep her in a Benz.

 

 

or a Renault

 

I have a 2K5 as well, when my check engine light came on it was for a recalled vacuum hose (or something) and the dealer fixed at no charge. The second time it came on.... well, let's just say that's a story for another day. I haven't had a problem since though and hope not to encounter any others in the near future. Good luck.

 

op: you have a total of 3 issues (SRS warning was probably a glitch that could've simply be reset with STAR) with the car and you think it's a let down?

please don't keep us posted about it if you actually think replacing performance brakes are an issue with the car. perhaps you want to complain about performance tires wearing out too.

 

First. You most likley did not get a Pre Purchase Inspection from a good inde shop. Otherwise you would not be typing this. Second like said before most of those things would go on any car. Bat, Alt, Rotors. All basic things needed on a car.

 

You said it Frank

 

:r olf::rol f:

 

Come on man...hard to have any pity here. You bought a car that needed brakes and didn't know that BEFORE you bought it? Alternator goes on a 5-6 year old car and you're pissed about it?

The door handle I get--shouldn't happen, but at least it happened when you pulled on it, rather than just lying there on the seat one day when you opened the door (as happened to me with the trim on my Subaru Forester, to mention just one incident from past cars).

I just don't understand people who think because it's MB, it doesn't require due diligence when purchasing, or that it won't need regular maintenance (and probably MORE of it because these cars are so sophisticated--have you ever looked at the wiring in these things?)

Also, whenever I've purchased a used car, I expect that there will be at least $1500-2000 in surprise repairs/maintenance waiting for me, and I try to share that with the seller in the negotiation (easier to do with MB mechanic's inspection in hand...)

Get this stuff fixed and you'll probably find it to be reasonable from here on in. The seller probably sold it to avoid some of these costs...caveat emptor.

 

You have to give it to Renault - they look good in the NCAP ratings - but that's all. I'm afraid in South Africa, French cars have a shocking reputation - not helped by belligerant French lack of service.

Can't give one away second hand.

 

I am sorry that you don't like you Mercedes, but you need to understand that it is not a Mazda or an F-150.

If you want a car to idle in stop-and-go traffic all day without an issue, then buy a Honda or Mazda. They are great and reliable cars, but they can not do what a Mercedes or BMW can do - my 2004.5 C230 Kompressor (and my wife's C240 wagon) will get me from downtown Atlanta to downtown Greensboro NC in less than 4.5 hours. 90-100 mph the whole way, on cruise control. No problem, no drama. If not for cops, the cars could do it a lot faster.

Even entry-level Mercedes and BMW's will easily navigate highways (and tracks) at triple digit speeds for hours on end. To do that, they are over-built and require far more maintence and upkeep than a Mazda or Mustang. If you don't do the maintence, they will fail.

The brakes will not last as long as the Mazda's - but the Mazda will not stop like the Mercedes, either. The Mazda's SRS is probably far more reliable than the Mercedes - but which one do you want you wife to be in when that jerk runs the red light?

It is all about trade-offs. You don't seem happy with the trade-off you made, and there is nothing wrong with your decision. Just don't blame Mercedes for not catering to your personal preferences.

 

Sorry Frack or is it Frick, I didn't make myself clear. I purchased this car new in 2004. Have always had the services A and B performed on time by the dealer. If you think that having an alternator fail at less than 50k miles is normal wear and tear then I need to start servicing your cars.

As for brakes, rotors' being out worn at 20k is in my opinion unacceptable. I have Brembo rotors on the Stang and they aren't worn out. Trust me I know the difference between Hi perf and standard parts life expectancy. Will your "Performance car" go 100+ in the 1/8 mile? As for SRS light was the wiring harness or did you not read that part? But Im sure thats normal wear and tear.

 

You have Brembo rotors on your Merc as well. Brembo make the rotors for Benz. 20K miles is pretty rough but it depends how the car is driven. Who told you that the rotors were at max wear/min thickness - some crook of a dealer?

 

Lets see some of those pictures of the toasted rotors.. Or even pictures of your wifes ride...

 

Except for 2 and 3 those other items are pretty standard changes. Except the rotors. Merc have soft rotors so they tend to need replacing every other brake change and their pads wear out much quicker than other cars except for BMW which is the same in terms of wear.
Seems you may have had a little bad luck with this car but so far its nothing major except the alternator.

In regards to the CEL, its the stupid computer, they are real sensitive I get a CEL every thousand miles or so and it turns out the idle is out of spec but the computer eventually adjusts and it turns off again. Then again its probably good measure to check out what the CEL is its just a PITA for the person that has to do it which is you not your wife or Merc Benz technician.

With your other cars I believe their reliability but 88 stang no problems, come on thats stretching it a bit plus you wrote how much you already modified it not a good comparison.

 

Depending on your wife's driving, it is possible that the pads had to be replaced at 20k miles, but definitely not the rotors.

I think they just sold you new rotors on top of the pads to make some money off of you.

The only real issue you could consider a let-down is the alternator.

Also, how reliable was the car during its 4 year warranty period. SRS Light and Check engine light turned on well past the warranty. You can not expect the car to be faultless after expiration of the warranty.

The door handle issue should not happen, but it was only $30 so not really worth mentioning, unless it happened on several occasions.

I hope your Check engine light turns out in your favor.

 

i got an 03 and doesnt have any prob... you are just unlucky... :facepalm:

 

I have a feeling that you replaced these parts because what the dealer was telling you.

like I've said. these cars tend to have glitch in the system sometime which can bring up some error code at random. the SRS light is one of those that can only be reset with the STAR. If you bring it to the dealership without warranty like you said of course they'll tell you the most expensive way to fix the issue. You said it's wiring harness, but did you actually attempted to reset the light first before further diagnosing the problem?

as for rotors, 20k is not enough to wear them out. even my Brembo GT's two-piece rotor lasted almost 50k miles. The oem set which the same one you have also lasted 50k miles before they needed a change.

 

+1
you have to remember some dealers like to replace rotors and pads every time. some dealers will do that to you others will not. you just have to find a good dealer that is honest and won't you all the time. and that is not a mb thing that is every dealer out there or any business for that matter.