ucfbeta92

Hi everyone,

I bought my 2007 C230 last month from Carmax - it's got 20k miles on it and still under factory warranty till next July. Aside from a few minor blemishes, it's in excellent condition. I also got an extended 6 year / 72k mile extended warranty from Carmax that my local MB dealership honors. I got it a price below the KBB retail, and it was the Featured car of the week, so overall, it looked like a great deal.

I've been keeping an eye on this forum and others since my purchase and I get a good vibe here. I had some questions and I'd like your suggestions / opinions since the regulars here seem to be quite knowledgeable when it comes to W203s.

CarMax showed me the detailed Experian AutoCheck and it had a clean history - no accidents, etc. I did notice after I bought it that the front bumper/fender on the driver's side is very slightly misaligned (has a small gap; the right side is perfect). Also the driver side front door is slightly raised (just a millimeter or two).

I took it to the Mercedes dealership and they checked and confirmed that the bolts on the fender had never been unscrewed. I went back to Carmax (by this time, my 5 day return policy had ended) and they agreed to give me a history of everything they had done to the car, and I see that they painted the driver side door.

Anyway, even though this should have been done sooner, I was wondering if it's possible that Carfax could show something that AutoCheck didn't (in terms of a collision). Or perhaps it was a minor fender-bender that was never reported.

I'm going to post a few pictures of the car so you see what I mean.

On the inside, the only two things that show some signs of wear are the steering wheel, and the inside front door handles (the plastic ones you pull on to shut the door).

The steering wheel has some scratch marks on the plastic casing by the buttons (every single W203 at both Carmax stores in the Orlando region had steering wheels with scratches on the small panels where the buttons are) - and the upper part of the steering wheel has lost the texture / become glossy (possibly from the previous owner excessively holding it there).

The door handles have nail scratch marks. From the Mercedes dealership I found that the car was registered to a guy, but it looks like it was driven by a female from all the nail marks (or a guy who had long nails).

So far, everything I've said sounds like complaints, but don't get me wrong, I love the car. It drives great, it's very clean, and the dealership fixed a couple things that I found and reported (replaced the alternator due to a whining noise, and a seal on the fuel pump that was allowing vapors to escape after extended driving at highway speeds).

So here are my questions:

1. The misaligned fender and door - does that smell of an unreported fender-bender, or something otherwise fishy? Should I have Carfax'ed it even though they showed me their AutoCheck?

2. How much would something like that cost to rectify, and if they have to unscrew the bolts to set it right, would that affect the resale value down the road? (i.e., what hurts the resale value more - very slightly misaligned fender/door, or correcting the issue but disturbing the bolts in the process)

3. With regard to the steering wheel, what are my options? Does MB reupholster/re-wrap the C230 sport steering wheels, or do I have to buy a new steering wheel altogether? I found the OEM part online for around $850, but I figure getting it installed is no easy feat either (and I'm not a gifted DIY'er). I'm open to putting on a decent steering cover, but nothing cheesy like a $15 cover from Walmart or Autozone - I want something that will look classy and not further damage my steering wheel by leaving it mounted for an extender period of time. Does MB have anything for it?

4. The door handles - I found a DIY article on an MB forum (might have been MBWorld but not sure), and that looks like something I can tackle, or if I feel like I can't pull it off, I could get it done.

5. On a slightly different note, I love the alloy wheels on the 2007 C230, but every single one I see has some scratches on it; on the 2006 and 2005 C230s however, I hardly ever see them scratched, or at least they're not nearly as evident. Is the wheel made of a different material, or is it they stick out just a little that makes them more vulnerable to scuffs and scratches?

I hope I didn't bore everyone with my long post. Any help and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
AJ

havoc_vulture

Welcome aboard
some one on here has to know some info
try a search might have been mentioned before
besides that nice car
take care

e1000

1. It's really hard to tell from the small pics what's wrong with the door/bumper. I will tell you that there are many ways of keeping things from showing up on a carfax or other report. If the car drives well and dosen't leak from that door, I really wouldn't worry about it too much. We need better pics.

2. See #1.

3. Buy a steering wheel off ebay. OEM but much cheaper. Get one from THIS STORE. Lookup r171 or w203. Don't get any funny ideas and try to get the paddle shifters, it's not plug and play.

4. If I remember correctly, they're about $50 from the dealership, the half that is on the outside pops off with a flat head screwdriver. 10 minutes to replace both, tops.

5. The 2007 wheels stick out, which are more prone to scratches.


Welcome to MBW.

Glyn M Ruck

Welcome - listen to e1000 - good guy!

From what I can see in the pics & I'm an **** Virgo about cars - I've seen alignment of panels worse than that ex factory in Germany.

1) Front bumper plastic to fender gap can be pulled up by taking out the wheelarch shroud & pulling up the screws & clips that Benz use to attach it
2) I would on no account loosen the metal fender attachment screws to the main frame.
3) The door is sitting slightly high but only slightly. I would either leave well alone or take it to an MB approved panel shop & tell them to reset the door without loosening the hinges & then leave - you don't want to watch. That small misalignment is easily rectified by a bit of brute force (effectively bending the mount points) You will never see that it's been touched & it's what they do when they build them & find they have slight misalignment.
4) Steering wheel shine - Leather is tough stuff. Give the dirty/shiney spots a good scrub with water & detergeant. All the shine is, is oil from a persons hands & dirt & allowing the wheel to slip in one's hands. Once clean the shine will be gone & the leather will have puffed up a little from the water. Then feed with Maquiar's Rich leather cleaner conditioner cream or Auto Glym leather cleaner from the UK. Plastic bits can be replaced. Should any colour be missing from the leather - unlikely - you can restore with Gliptone Leathercare waterbased products that are easy DIY - They have all the standard Benz leather colours available or will match for you.
5) Alloy wheels can be refurbished.

Good luck & enjoy

johnand

1st and foremost, welcome to the forum and congrats on the 07! Glyn and Eric covered it pretty well. It is hard to tell from your pics, but I can honestly say, every W203 C-Class I have seen has amazingly perfect panel alignment. But, maybe I just have seen the good ones, as Glyn's experience is different than mine. So, I suspect something may have not been reported as Eric pointed out, seems to be the norm.

Like Glyn said cleaning and conditioning the leather steering wheel cover, may bring it back to life. If not, Alan Gunn Leather does a damn nice job of recovering leather steering wheels. Just another option to consider if you decide to replace.

tommy

I wouldn't recommend Alan Gunn right now; he's had my Brabus wheel for over two months, doesn't return calls, and is not even picking up his phone now. So I think that he's got issues at the moment, and possibly permanently.

To the OP, it sounds more like wearing down of the cheesy OEM wheel leather to me than it does a build-up that would go away through cleaning. Obviously, cleaning would be the first step, but don't be surprised if it doesn't fix the issue.

johnand

Damn Tommy, that is really too bad, as I have used him twice in the past with great results. Hope it works out for you.

tommy

Thanks, John. Me too - I'm quite surprised by his behaviour on this item.

ucfbeta92

First off, I'd like to thank everyone for the warm welcome and willingness to help.

1. The good news is there is no leak/sound from the door, it is just a slight misalignment. I'll attach a couple higher-resolution images here and see about taking some from a different angle when I step out for lunch this afternoon. It is more of a cosmetic issue I guess.

EDIT: I tried to attach the higher res images but it seems I can't upload any image larger than 800x600 pixels. I'll upload them elsewhere and post the links later today.

3. Thank you for the heads up on the eBay store. I think I found one that looks right for my W203 on that store and doesn't cost an arm and a leg: http://bit.ly/bT3WjX

The centre part (horn/airbag) of the steering wheel doesn't appear to be included, but that's okay - the one on my car is in perfect condition. I just wish it had the black plastic pieces that cover the grey buttons on the steering wheel.

Now here's the (hopefully not million dollar) question: does anyone know how much would it cost in labor to get the new steering wheel mounted?

As for the paddle shifters, they look neat (I saw a couple of those listed on the eBay store), but it's not worth the extra expense. So I agree with you - I plan to stay away from them.

4. The DIY I saw looked to be a lot longer and seemed to require removing the inside door panel. The dealership said something below $200 parts and labor per door if I remember correctly - I have it written down somewhere. I realize their parts and labor charges are typically much, much higher. Frankly, with the right instructions / guidance, this is something I wouldn't mind DIYing. If you have a DIY for the 10 minute steps, please do share.

5. Yup, and I'll just learn to live with it. The MB dealership said they can do scratch removal on those for about $170 a wheel - if they get real bad, then I might just go for it.

I didn't mention this in the original post, but I want to keep the car as close to stock as possible because I don't want to hurt the resale value by going for anything that doesn't look like or isn't OEM. I just want to replace / fix the few imperfections that my car has so I can get to mint condition (or close to it) and enjoy my new toy to the fullest.

-AJ

Ryanr317

You go to UCF? This summer is my last semester.

ucfbeta92

Hi Glyn,

1. The good news is, it's firmly in place (no play there) - but there are some scratches on the underside of the bumper, so very likely the previous owner kept parking too close to the front curbs.

2. Thanks - I didn't have a good feeling about it, but wanted to ask anyway.

3. Sounds scary, but if that's how it's done, that's how it's done.. lol Has anyone tried doing this at home? It sounds easy enough, but I wonder if I could mess it up by applying too much force and possibly pushing it too low?

4. As someone else here pointed out, I think it's more than just dirty. I've spent more than a few minutes cleaning and scrubbing with ArmorAll / Turtle Wax cleaning/shining wipes for leather and I appear to have gotten most of the dirt. I think the top half of the steering wheel is just more worn than the bottom half. I have to tell you, I want to try what you've suggested (water and detergent), but I'm scared of messing it up big time once I get it puffed up.

With the plastic bits, when I asked a service rep at the MB dealership, he said they were very expensive to replace and they would have to take the steering wheel apart to do it - is that true? I'm surprised MB didn't just make it a snap on / snap off (or screw on / screw off) part. Would you know how much the parts cost? (I don't know what they're called exactly, so I haven't had much luck googling it for price.

Thank you for all the help.

ucfbeta92

Hi John,

Thanks! From looking at other C230s, I have to admit, almost every one I saw in good condition looks to have the doors well aligned - sniff.

As for the steering wheel, I'm thinking I'll either need to have it restored/re-covered or get a new one altogether. After reading what Tommy's comments, I'm a little hesitant about Alan Gunn, but the good news is, he's just a 3.5 hours south of Orlando, so if I decide to go with re-covering it, I might just make the drive to Plantation myself.

Any idea how long it typically takes them to do one of these jobs?

-AJ

ucfbeta92

My thoughts exactly. I had a loaner (another 2007 C230) while my car was being transferred from the Miami / Hialeah area, and the leather on the steering wheel had almost no signs of wear.

Funny enough though, the plastic bits (that cover the silver buttons) on that steering wheel were scratched too. Is this a common issue for other C230 owners on this forum too?

laneshift

Looks like you've been taken care of by the senior members on this board who know this car in and out!

On another note.. WOO HOO, O'TOWN W203!! See you around!

ucfbeta92

Hi Ryan,

Your avatar is hilarious! I still crack up everytime I watch the J*** in my pants video.

I graduated from UCF in 2007, and went back for grad school last year but I'm on a hiatus right now.

Side story about why I'm on a hiatus: I just got married back in April, and then my eleven year old Toyota Corolla, which was running solid all along, and even got a new clutch the week before, caught fire out of nowhere and burned down as I was coming off the Turnpike onto OBT last month. The fire marshalls cited an unknown electrical problem that caused a short-circuit which started the fire. I had basic insurance on that car, so I walked away empty-handed.

The good thing that came out it is instead of waiting another year or two to buy a Mercedes-Benz like I'd planned, I decided what the heck, just go for it.

EDIT: Forgot to add - Congratulations on your upcoming graduation!! What are you majoring in?

-AJ

ucfbeta92

Looks like there're a few of us from Orlando on this forum. As Ron Burgundy would say, Stay Class Orlando!

tommy

Yes, the plastic bits generally get scratched pretty easily. As you'll find out, MB has some very high quality parts, and some that make you scratch your head about. You'll find out soon enough how they break down into the two camps.

AGLA usually takes 2-3 weeks if it's a straightforward job. Mine wasn't - am having some blue carbon fiber added to the top, he had to get a couple of weaves in (first one didn't work out well), then was going to stitch everything back up several weeks ago, then kept getting the same response when I called for updates, and now, not even picking up (yes, I used caller id block, out of sheer paranoia). So, I don't know what to say other than I would wait it out and see how my situation resolves itself; I'll update things as they change, if they do.

johnand

Tommy already answered your question, but the 2 times I used Alan Gunn, 1 took about a week and a half, and the other almost 3 weeks. But, just a standard recover.

Oh, about the plastic scratching around the steering wheel buttons, that is a rubberized coating, and mine was peeling on both sides on my 07, and they replaced both the steering wheel button modules under warranty. It is worth a try. If they won't replace them under warranty, they are reasonably priced and easy to replace.

W203E35

Welcome to the forum

Here is a scenario:

I'm backing out of a parking lot, I turn my wheel too much and hit my fender against a pillar. I buy the fender for 100 bucks and have it painted (300 max out the door-cheaper than my insurance deductible). Now my little mishap won't get reported in CarFax or anything.

I'm not trying to scare your but I wouldn't go based off some reports.

There is a black metal tab where the bumper and fender meet. See if you have that. That thing is on there soo tight that you wont see a gap.

ucfbeta92

I know what you mean about the Carfax - it could be that my car was part of such an adventure in the past.

I'll take a look at the bumper/fender tomorrow in daylight and let you know.

Thanks for the help.

-AJ

W203E35

Don't be discouraged, I have a feeling your car wasn't in a fiasco. I believe it's just like that..don't worry.

Check out this pic it's #3 in the pic.

You have to remove the fender liner or try to push it back just enough to see it. The clip/tab is on there very tightly.

W203E35

Did carmax give you a reason why they painted the door?

Look at the clip that I was talking about, If you are missing the clip then maybe the fender was damaged and it was changed. There is no other reason why the clip wont be there.

My car showed a clean history report BUT when I was doing my foglights I noticed some white paint. I believe the dealer painted the bumper because it had scratches. It might be the same case in your door so I would worry too much.

Did the dealer provide any more info? Did the dealer believed the car was in an accident or not?

Glyn M Ruck

Thanks for posting Karo - That's the clip I was talking about. It becomes dislodged if you have a couple of bottom outs on the front corner. There are also some plastic rivets underneath the front corner that get broken.

ucfbeta92

Thanks for the picture! Carmax didn't give me a solid reason. Just a vague "it was likely not up to our standards" type of answer.

ucfbeta92

It's been a busy couple of days and I haven't had the chance to look for the metal tab / clip yet, but hopefully this weekend I will have some time to do this.

I'll let you know what I find.

Thank you for helping!