100,000 miles - Review & Thoughts
 

With fewer than 100 miles to go on the very dirty C230K, and a forecast of heavy rain for the next 36 hours, I figured this was an okay time to go ahead and share. At the same time, what can I say? The last time I wrote a review on the car was in August/September of 2009 when it turned 60,000 miles.. not much has changed.

As a recap, here are some highlights of the past 30mo/75,000 miles:

-Date of manufacture 1/25/2005
-I bought this car on 7/19/2008 with 25,125 miles on the odometer.
-The first owner leased the car on 2/26/2005 for 39 months @ 10,000 miles a year from Mercedes-Benz of Pompano Beach, FL.
-It has had one CEL in its lifetime due to a leaking fuel filler neck.
-It's on its 4th set of front pads, 2nd set of front rotors, original rear rotors and 2nd set of rear pads.
-It has had 7 oil changes in 100,000 miles.
-It is on the original battery.
-It had the adapter wires for the cam magnet oil leaks installed at 41k miles.
-It had a collapsed transmission mount at 35,000 miles. It has since collapsed again.
-It has not visited a dealer since warranty expiration
-At 52,000 miles it was used to transport 5 adults 1,150 miles in 18 hours and 95 degree heat. This remains the most demanding thing I've put it through.
-It has made the 360 mile round-trip from my house to Cherokee, NC dozens of times.
-It's never been further south (with me) than Daytona Beach, FL - Further North than Cherokee, NC.
-At 99,000 miles it got 07 Sport rims that made it look new again to me.


Between 70k and 80k it developed a few issues:
-HVAC system shut down on its own when in AUTO mode. Still does this sometimes, but comes back on with manual control and works fine.
-Park-assist mirror stopped remember where it was supposed to return to. Fixed.
-Popping in front suspension. This is the rack bushings for the power steering system. There are 4. These were lubed in a very detailed suspension inspection at 97,000 and the noise is gone. I'll probably replace these eventually.

Between 90k and today it has developed a new issue. When turning left or under braking, the fan motor starts squeaking. It's not loud, but it is strange. This is a common issue. Not fixed yet, but on the list.

In my garage I have a new fuel filter, new spark plugs, a new transmission mount, and all supplies needed for a transmission fluid change. All to be done this month.

As a few more notes:
-It doesn't use any oil or leak any between 13,000 mile changes.
-The moonroof is used every day and aside from a rare ghost bounce-back when auto closing has never given any trouble.
-It's lifetime fuel average is 26.9mpg
-At 102k it will be the highest mileage car I've ever owned.

In closing, I really picked a great one. It has taken very good care of me in this first 100,000 mile chapter and I've taken good care of it, though it is well used. I expect it to demand more from me in the next 100,000. I'll keep you posted. :zoom:

A few photos through the miles:

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._8368515_n.jpg
26,000

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._2855083_n.jpg
50,000

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._4978625_n.jpg
70,000

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._3471620_n.jpg
100,000

Great write up from a contented owner. The new wheels look great!

Now for the next 100K.

x2 :y

Awesome writeup, Matt!

You are making me want to pull the folder on the Coupe out and go over it. Maybe for it's 150K day.

Thanks for the history, Matt. I hope my baby benzes are as reliable as yours!
What are the symptoms of a collapsed tranny mount? Is that an issue only for an automatic? I guess I'll need to watch out for that.

Great write up! How do you know when a transmission mount has collapsed?

Leif W.

two thumbs up to MB. a very reliable car. enjoy it =0

I'm glad he has server you well Matt. You take great care of him and I'm sure you'll hit 200k easily.

The transmission mount collapsed when the car was still under warranty.. that's why I know the symptoms. It's a scraping noise from under the car over bumps and under acceleration. Also there is more vibration and drivetrain lash. I have the mount ready to be installed.

Is replacing tranny mounts for an auto tranny difficult to do? The dealer mentioned to me that I will need new mounts very soon. I'm starting to feel some vibration at acceleration (not much but noticeable to me as you tend to accelerate into higher RPMs)?

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._8160706_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._7812209_n.jpg

Congratulations on your milestone, Matt! I saw you were in Drive and worried that you were taking the picture while you were driving but you were going VERY slowly so that's good! :)

It wasn't moving.. I was in my driveway!

Excellent milestone !!!
 

:zoom::)

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...6_645190_n.jpg

During GA's snowstorm, the C230 spent time outside. I complained of cold start sputters in another thread and I noticed when driving it around those days in the cold that the gas mileage was way down - about 21mpg vs 27mpg - and that the car was running about 80C which is not warm enough. I figured this was coming and here it is.

P0128 - coolant temp below spec
RIP Thermostat @ 100,700 miles

See you at 170k. Still going strong:y

Matt, mine popped the CEL as well, just before the snow. I will figure it out this week. I hope it turns out to be as simple. Somehow with my luck I bet not....

Mike is your car running at normal temp? Do pre-facelift cars even have a temp gauge?

The temp screen is off the main info page with your mileage.

Yep, been running normal temps, and no noticeable limp mode. Probably another damn valve in the air pump. Emissions seems to be the bane of my existence since about 100K. Only problems I've have really, have been air pump related.

How many miles do you have, Mike? I just ordered the thermostat from MBofSouthAtlanta. When it gets here, I'm giving the C230 to my indy mechanic for a day and he's doing the following:

-Replace thermostat
-Replace transmission mount
-Replace TCU connector
-Change transmission fluid & filter
-Replace spark plugs with OEM Bosch
-Replace fuel filter with OEM replacement

It's a nice little batch of freshening for 100k and hopefully it will be all it needs for a while. The car is 8 days shy of 6 years old. :D

My C230K is at 77K miles. Good to know, as I want to keep this car around for a long time. It's my comfortable daily driver, and soon will be having an AMG sitting next to it in the garage.

How much do good Indy's out in the states charge on average?

Labor charges:

Spark plugs: $60
Fuel filter: $80
Transmission service: $125ish

I'll post up the rest once its done.

Most Indy's charge around $100.00 an hour. At least here in Norther California they do....I