Good day everyone, this is my first day as a member of your site and wanted introduce myself by stating that it is a real privelidge to be amongst enthusiests of Mercedes engineering and automobiles. I have been looking for my next automotive purchase and have always been a fan of the c-class. I live in northern Utah where we get lots of snow and in my neighborhood, snowplows are pretty rare. I need all-wheel-drive so I am focusing on the C240 and the C280(C350 costs too much). I go to college and pay my own expenses so I need a car I can depend on. I know during the affair with Chrysler, Mercedes reliability suffered but on other forums I see that W203 reliability improved after the 2006 refresh. Can anyone confirm or deny this? What sort of maintainence/ownership costs should I expect? Please be specific if listing known issues. Owning a Benz has always been a dream so I hope it works out ok. Thanks in advance.

 

Yup... The facelifted ones which mean 05 and newer are more reliable.. as far as service go... Around $200 for service a and $400 for service b... Other major maintainece vary through different dealership

 

The W203 is a fairly reliable car. There are some common problems, which you will find if you do a little reading through the forum. Many of the common problems are addressed in the stickies at the top of the forum threads. The key is to purchase a 2005 or newer model, as many of the common problems were addressed and fixed. (Also purchasing a certified pre-owned model from a MB dealership would be your best option as you will get a warranty. It is extremely expensive to go to the dealership for any kind of repair)

Seeing that you are going from an Acura to a MB on a college student's budget (hopefully with a lot of help from mommy and daddy), there is a lot you should know upfront. DO NOT expect the same reliability from the MB that you get from your Acura. While the MB isn't going to be a nightmare, it is not in the same class of reliability and cost-effectiveness as an Acura. The MB will cost significantly more to own over time than an Acura. MB dealerships are frequently referred to as "Stealerships", as the cost of repairs and maintainence is extremely high.

If you will not be able to do routine maintainence yourself, or have an independent shop with reasonable pricing outside of the MB dealership for maintainence and repairs, this is not the car for you. Here are some examples of maintainence costs at the dealer (keep in mind service intervals for routine maintainence are roughly 10,000-12,000 miles, however I would never go 10,000 miles between oil changes even on synthetic):

-Simple oil changes run about $150-175 (on a V-6 W203), as there are 9 quarts of Mobil 1 synthetic oil, plus fleece extended life filter, plus labor.

-Service A runs about $200-250 (oil change, tire rotation and various inspections of fluids, belt, brake level, etc)

-Service B runs about $400-500 (oil change, tire rotation, and a more extensive inspection done in Service A, plus it is extra if they need to change wipers, air filter, cabin filter, etc)

-Major tuneups at 60-80K miles run about $1,100-$1600 (replace spark plugs, coolant flush, brake flush, power steering flush, replace air filter, replace cabin filter, replace fuel filter)

-Automatic Transmission Fluid Flush runs about $400-500, and should be done every 60,000 miles (although this is way earlier than MB recommends, this is highly recommended as the ATF at 60,000 miles is extremely filthy and worn)

If you can do your own oil changes and filter replacements, then maintainence will be fairly cheap. There are DIY guides on this forum for just about every common maintainence item and common repairs. Oil changes on this car are very easy if you purchase a fluid extractor, which will allow you to change oil without even getting under the car.

 

You guys really know your stuff! I don't have a problem doing oil changes myself but i've never done a filter change before. One additional question, are the V6 engines chain or belt driven? If they are belt driven I may want something else. Belts were the nightmare of Audi. Outrageuos cost to fix and were known to snap long before the maintainence milage.
Thanks, this forum has proven it's value already.

 

I'm pretty sure they are chain driven. Also, don't be scared of the dealership costs. I used to own a 2002 TL, too, and that car was a real nightmare. What a lemon!

My oil changes are $65. You will pay more because you need more oil, but not significantly more. The transmission fluid change at an Atlanta dealer is $275, not $400. Also, a spark plug change for my car is $195 - again you'll pay more because there are more plugs.

There's nothing wrong with the reliability of 2005+ W203 cars.

 

I also would like to point out, and Matt will back me up on this, that there is absolutely nothing wrong with running the full service interval, which is 13,000 miles. I have always run the interval and you will have no problems. My 1999 CLK320 went 232,000+ miles with the extended service intervals, and it is still being driven by the man I sold it to in Gainesville. I just can't say enough good about these cars, especially the m112 engines (240, 320 and, if I'm not mistaken, the earlier 280). You may pay more for repairs, but a good independent shop should cut your costs significantly, and you can do most of it yourself (if your confident). They really are great cars to own.

 

What about window regulators and motors? The other car I am considering is an awd 3 series but I have read that the power window motors/regulators had a design flaw and owners changed them frequently(my older brother has had two bimmers).

 

Found this site and it seems reputable.
http://repairpal.com/mercedes-benz-c...ommon_problems
Give it a look; it lists similar repairs for different makes and models and I would like to hear what you guys think. Don't misunderstand, I'm not trying to bash Mercedes. I understand that the more precise the engineering the higher the maintainence. I just want to be 100% sure of what I'm getting into.

 

I have never had problems with window motors, and I have not heard of anyone who has. BMW has also changed greatly, but they used to have common electrical and other problems after only 3 or 4 years. The older w203s had some problems, but, as mentioned above, those issues were addressed with the facelifted models.

EDIT: The site above is pretty accurate, but I really don't think that it is something to really worry about too much. If you check the Stickies and/or search on those problems, the fixes are usually pretty easy. I have never heard of the 7g transmission issues mentioned on that site, nor am I too worried. I'm glad that you are putting this much effort into choosing your car. I would recommend the C over the 3 series unless you want something really sporty. The consensus is basically that BMWs tend to be a bit faster and seem to handle better because they have a sportier suspension, but Mercs are nicer for cruising and daily driving. I do not have experience with the 4matic, but people that have it say that it is amazing in snow. I have also heard, from a friend with an S550 4matic, that it will go anywhere their 4wd pickup will go (given clearance, of course).

 

Mercedes buying Chrysler had nothing to do with it's reliability issues.

2005+ cars are generally more reliable than the pre-refresh cars.

 

FYI Drew, 240 engine and 320 engine were M112. The 280 (3.0) 230 (2.5) and 350 (3.5) are all M272.

 

Oh crap, I meant m112 rather than m272. I thought that the earlier 280s were a 2.8 m112, but I'm probably mistaken. I've updated my other entry.

 

I recently purchased a 2006 C280 4Matic with 36,000 km. (22,000 miles) and so far it has been awesome. Being in Canada, I am currently driving in snow and I can tell you that the 4Matic is impressive. IMO, no need for winter tires. I am running the OEM all-season Continentals without any problem. I realize that my stopping distance is not as good as with dedicated winter tires but I just take it easy on snow-covered roads and give myself lots of room to stop. It really has not been an issue for me. This car is great in the winter. Good defrost and heater too.

 

I really like what I'm hearing. Today, I went to a trustworthy dealer and compared the interior ergonomics of an E90 3 series and a 2007 C280 4-Matic. Hands down, the C280 is the clear winner. In the BMW, I had to reach forward to work the window switches and I am 6' 2'' tall. Too bad that they had sold the Benz on Saturday.
The window switches in the W203 are illuminated at night right? I had heard that they are not.
Also, I am starting to think of what specific options I want. I am used to having duel power front seats but I know that on many W203s some motions are power while others are manual. I want the package that has the seat controls on the door for Both front seats as you would see in an S-class. What packages would have to be installed on the C240 or C280 for this?

 

The window switches are, the only things that aren't (anymore) are the positions on the headlight selector dial and the vent on/off dials.