Crna Mechka

Dear MB World...

I just bought myself a black-on-black 2004 C240 4-Matic with 110k miles (mostly highway) and was wondering if you fellas had any advice/tips/suggestions for me when it comes to the car in general.

I'm also looking to buy a couple of things, but don't know where to look online?

-Tire bolts
-Tow cover (the plastic piece from the back bumper is missing, its a tiny plastic square)
-What kind of maintenance products would you recommend? (for leather conditioning, etc.)

Planning on tinting the windows, touch-screen in-dash dvd player, and eventually rims.

Would love to hear from some of the more MB-experienced guys as I do not have a ton of money to blow and it's my first Benz so I wanna make sure I get the most outta her ya know?

Thanks in advance!

pcy

Tire Bolts - did you mean Wheel Lug Bolts? You can buy them from any on-line parts store ... such as autohausaz dot com and rmeuropean dot com.

Tow cover - your best bet would be Mercedes dealer. It shouldn't be that expensive.

Was the transmission fluid changed on that car? If not, I suggest you do it asap.
Also, transfer case fluid should be changed. Fuel Filter?

DNAC230

Congrats on your MB.

I also just recently purchased my C230 Coupe, and the first thing I did (and recommend you doing) is to go ahead and schedule a "B Service".

B Service
- Bumper to bumper inspection & Star Diag check -
- Oil & filter change
- Brake fluid flush/replace
- Transmission flush & filter
- Corrosion check

It's a good place to start because who knows where the previous owner left off maintaining the vehicle before deciding he/she was ready to sell it.

I also replaced all 4 tires.

Hope this helps.

Enjoy

Crna Mechka

Thanks for the quick replies fellas!

The B maintenance was actually just recently done on the car as per the previous owner (confirmed with MB garage).

For some reason the two wrenches on dashboard would still show up but that was because the person who performed the maintenance forgot to turn it off on the computer.

It's at a local MB place now getting a fresh oil change, interior cleaning and outside cleaning job, etc.

@pcy, does the B maintenance include everything you mentioned in your post?

Thanks again guys.

Xhale707

grats man.. that tow cover is like 70 bucks if i remember correctly

pcy

Transmission fluid change, transfer case fluid change, fuel filter change are not part of the A/B services. Those are in addition to A and B services.

Crna Mechka

@xhale, Damn that's a lotta money for a small piece of plastic, guess that's what you gotta expect with a Benz.

@pcy, thanks dude, I'm gonna get all that sorted then. Where do you recommend I go? Straight to Mercedes Benz or can that be done by any garage?

pcy

If you can't do the work yourself, look for a competent independent mechanic near where you live/work.

As a last resort, go to MB dealer :-)

Crna Mechka

Appreciate the feedback.

I can't seem to find those lugs on either of the two websites...but I found a set (chrome) for $65 shipped off eBay - what do you think about that?

Crna Mechka

And about the tow cover - would this be good after a nice paint-job?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TOW-E...ht_2267wt_1165

That's a ton cheaper than $70 at MB dealer.

fookoo303

i wouldnt recommend buying chrome lug nuts. Ive heard they are not as strong. someone else might chime in and verify this or not.

pcy

Usually, chrome is just a top layer on the part. So, I wouldn't worry about the strength of the part just because it is chrome-plated.

pcy

On our cars, what we have are lug BOLTS (not nuts). Minor point... but it's important to know.

I am surprised that autohaus and rmeuropean doesn't list lug bolts for your car. They are around $3 a piece. You'll need 20 of them. That's around $60. E-bay price is not far from that. So, that should be ok.

pcy

Yup, that should work. Much cheaper than dealer price.

Crna Mechka

Thanks for the advice pcy - I'm gonna get a couple of those things done very shortly...fuel filter, transmission fluid, and spark plugs. That only leaves the transfer case fluid change left, might as well get that done too.

ao125

There was some surface rust on my lug bolts.

I took each one out, sanded off the rust with a little sandpaper, and covered each one with silver touch-up paint from the local auto parts store.

Good as new.

Crna Mechka

I really like your idea to be honest, very simple, practical yet cheap. I will definitely give it a whirl.

pcy

after sanding the bolts and before painting, remember to put a layer of primer. Otherwise, the rust will continue and the paint will flake and come off.

Crna Mechka

Solid tip! Thanks for that. I'm gonna give it a shot today will let you guys know how it goes, gonna take some pics to show the progress.

PCY: What kind of transmission and transfer case fluid do you recommend?

pcy

I use MB Transmission fluid and MB Transfer case fluid. Try on RMeuropean dot com or any other on-line auto parts store. They will be slightly cheaper than the dealer. My recommendation is to buy Genuine Mercedes trans fluid and transfer case fluid.

I did the trans service myself. I didn't want to buy any other fluid trying to save few dollars on the fluid.

Crna Mechka

Thanks PCY. I'm still a bit of a newb to this, so please excuse all the questions. I tried searching the forums but didn't find too much good info.

-What 3 top sites would you recommend for parts/fluid ordering for the MB?
-What exact model oil # should I order for my ride? (Tranny & Transfer case)
-Should I just go to the 'stealership' to get the tranny and transfer case oil drained/replaced? Cause it doesn't seem too easy with these cars.

Appreciate your support on this!

pcy

I have been buying car parts from AutohausAZ dot come for almost 8 years with no problems. I also bought parts from RMeuropean dot com few times with no problems. Between the two of those site, 75% of parts will be available. For those parts that are not available at either of those sites, I look in PartsGeek dot com or Parts dot com or Mercedes dealer.

Transmission service (remove the drain plug, let the trans fluid drain, drop the pan, replace the trans filter, put back new filter, put back new pan gasket and tighten the pan, pour new trans fluid) can be done relatively easy. If you are not comfortable with this, take the car to a competent independent mechanic.

Trasnfer case fluid change requires the trans mount (also known as Engine Rear Mount) needs to be removed, disassemble part of the rear drive shaft, etc. So, definitely, I would suggest you have this done by MB dealer or a competent independent mechanic.

Crna Mechka

Thanks PCY. Looks like I may be able to take care of that transmission fluid by myself for now, I'll go to the dealer for the transfer case. How much does that run by the way? I can't seem to find the transfer case fluid on any of those websites.

This is the stuff I'm looking at @ Autohausaz:

Genuine Mercedes OEM
ATF, Automatic Transmission Fluid; Lifetime Synthetic Transmission Fluid; 1 Liter Bottle

For the fuel filter, I found two:

Mann/Mahle-Knecht OEM
Fuel Filter; With 4 Push-On Fittings; 75mm Diameter

and

Bosch (Alternate Brand)
Fuel Filter; With 4 Push-On Fittings; 75mm Diameter

I assume Bosch is the way to go I may be wrong.

pcy

If you are going to MB dealer for the transfer case fluid change, they will use MB fluid (the transfer case fluid bottle looks EXACTLY like the transmission fluid bottle. I bought one bottle). If you are having an independent mechanic do the work, ask them to get the fluid from MB dealer, they will get 20% reseller discount on the parts.

For the Fuel Filter, go with Bosch. (it's around $35). Fuel Filter is relatively easy to replace. Just getting those MB hose clamps are hard to remove. Buy a set of 4 screw type (stainless steel, if available) fuel hose clamps.

Crna Mechka

Found the transmission fluid and the Bosch fuel filter. Gonna go straight to the dealer for the transfer-case fluid change. Should all happen this week.

I noticed what I think is an abnormal sound/vibration that only happens when I'm on the highway coasting at 60-70mph. The strange thing is, it's ONLY when I'm coasting (aka barely touching the gas pedal, just keeping steady speed) - but when hit the gas a little harder (to speed up on the highway) - the vibration and noise seems to go away, or at least muffles itself a lot.

It's very noticeable (at least from drivers side) - more of a vibration than sound. It's almost like it has a pulse too because I can feel it get stronger every 3 secs or so.

I also keep hearing this squeaking sound when I go over even the smallest bumps (it starts after about 10-15 mins of driving in city) and I'm pretty certain its a noise coming from inside the car because I had someone drive the car slowly in circles around me while I would listen for noises - I did not hear a single thing outside, even though the person who was driving the car told me they were hearing the squeaking noise the entire time while driving the car.

So the noise MUST be coming from inside the vehicle, even though when you're inside, it SEEMS like the noise is coming from outside of the car!

It could be the shocks or suspension, because when I push down/rock the car on each side (front) I can hear the squeak coming from what I am assuming are the shocks? But again, like I mentioned earlier, I did not hear any noise when I was observing/listening to the car being driven.

Mind-boggling.

Any thoughts on this guys?