What do you mean by 'correct CD changer'? Is there an incorrect one?

I'm asking because I purchased my car without a CD magazine. So, I don't even know if it works or not...but I just ordered a magazine to try it out.

Do you know the spacific part number?
My dealer asked for $48, and I don't know if it's the one that can play MP3 or not. Or the magazine is not an issue, just the changer itself?

 

I believe that quite a few people here equate expensive with "no problems", and this seems to be the root of their perception that MB is a "problem" brand.

As present owner of a C230 (yes, fairly 'stripped' configuration), and past owner of cars from Honda, Acura, Nissan, Toyota, Mazda, Ford & Chevrolet; I can offer the following observations:

1) MB is not/will not be as reliable as a Honda/Acura/Nissan/Toyota. On those 4 vehicles, I NEVER paid for anything other than normal maintenance - because nothing EVER broke. (Please note, I normally own cars until just over 100k miles before trading)
2) MB has cost about $2000 in repairs (cam sensors, wiring harness, control arm bushings), and regular maintenance costs are considerably higher than Japanese imports - although much less frequent. Because of the high amount of highway miles driven, the C needs service every 15k miles, whereas the Jap cars wanted service every 3-5k miles.
3) The C now has 104k miles on it, and it is the first car of this mileage that I haven't been anxious to get rid of. It has no squeaks, rattles, shimmies, loose parts, vibrations, etc. It is not burning a drop of oil. It looks like new (interior and exterior materials are far more durable than any of the other cars owned), drives like new, rides like new, and is still fun to drive.

Is MB a better car? Well, I guess it depends on what you want from a car.

If you want 3-4 years of trouble-free ownership before you trade for a newer model, then the Japanese cars are probably a better choice for you. They just don't break - however at 100k, the chassis are 'sprung', the suspensions are 'dead', the interior materials are worn/faded, and they just feel 'tired'.

If you want a car that will cost you less over the long run (meaning 8 years plus), and look/feel/drive great while doing it, then MB probably is a great choice for you. Yes, after several years you may end up with a $2k repair bill - but keep in mind that is equivalent to 4 months payments, meaning that if you have less than 3 of those events per year you are still doing better than making payments on a new car.

My last MB ('87 300TD) was 17 years old, with 230k miles on it. I bought it at 10 years old, 70k miles on it. I bet that I spent close to $10k ($6k depreciation, $4k repairs) to drive it 7 years/160k miles. It was solid, comfortable, roomy, safe, and more economical than a Corolla for the time that I drove it.

So, it the MB as reliable as a Japanese car? No.
Is the MB a 'better' car than others? For my purposes, yes; however each person is entitled to their own opinion.

 

Dmatre,
Very well said & agreed. I think we have to accept that the Benz is a far more complex vehicle than a Civic or a Corolla & with that goes a far greater propensity for things to go wrong. A friend has a Lexus 250 SE with every bell & whistle as standard. The car is boring and has had many niggling problems much like a Benz exacerbated by dealers not quite knowing how to fix it. Benz make old bones better than most.

 

I'm not far off from 200k.
I bought this car new in Nov 04, as an 05 model.


Things that need attention:
1. I think the sprag bearing on my alternator is bad again. This will be the 2nd time the alternator needs replacing, due to a bad sprag bearing.
2. ESP Malfunction has been on for a while. It's been traced to a bad ABS control module... ironically, the ABS still works fine. I haven't been too concerned with getting this fixed, as I enjoy a little sideways action around corners.
3. Front end could use a new paint job. Lots of rock and bug chips on the bumper and hood. Other than that, the paint has held up perfectly.
4. Some of the film (or whatever it is) on the interior plastic pieces has worn off. Looks like skin peeling from a sun burn. This is happening on the glove box and below the light switch.

Things that have held up well:
1. Still have the stock clutch.
2. No oil leaks ever. I replaced those little cam thingies around the 120k mark, but the ones taken out showed no signs of leaking.
3. Engine is only asking for 1qt of oil between 12k oil changes.
4. Still getting well into the 30's as far as mpg goes.
5. seats have held up well. I have the non-leather ones.
6. I will be getting my coolant flushed during the next service, but only because it freaks me out that it's never been done. Each time it's been checked, it's shown to still be good.

Knock on wood..... This car has never left me stranded. All of my other cars, have at some point well before they got to 100k miles.

Crazy stuff!

Scott

 

Wow, thats a lot of miles for a 2005.
I'm just under 134K right now...

Are you still on the original supercharger?
160K with the original coolant?
I do recall reading that sometime after 2002 MB came up with a way to make coolant last a long long time...
But I do believe it also involves some sort of thing that also needs to be replaced...not sure how to describe it....but it's like an anode or cathode
piece that goes in the cooling system that takes the brunt of the
degradation.

 

It's called a silica pack and is placed in the coolant reservoir.

Scottisha, congrats. That is a lot of miles for an 05. Keep it up

 

Yes, everything not considered a "wear item" is original, except for the Alternator.
I have a scanguage II in my car and the supercharger is still putting out just over 14psi peak boost.... Not sure if that would indicate anything about the condition of the supercharger or not.

I'll ask my tech about that silica pack. I may have him replace it anyways, just as a preventative measure.

I'm shooting for 200k miles. I will probably keep it until it dies, becomes too expensive to repair, or I can afford to have two cars. One for commuting back and forth to my business and one that I WANT to drive.

Scott

 

Wow, great job on keeping her going.

Mine has 173k. I'm thinking she should be good to 200k. What I worry about now, is not driving her. I have been doing a lot more driving in my X1/9 and my girls BMW.

At some point, and I don't know when that is, I wonder if the car is worth more parted out, than when sold as is?

E

 

If you don't drive too much, I should pass your mileage in about 4 months.

I think, unless you wrecked your car, you should get more by selling it as a running car, than you would parting it out. Plus, even if you got more for the parts, how much work would it take to sell it that way. Your time has to be worth more than that... I could be wrong though... it wouldn't be the first time.

Scott

 

I have had to replace my control module for the same ESP malfunction and highly recommend it. The control module is not only responsible for ABS, but also for how your seat belts lock AND airbag deployment. I didn't wait more than 1-2 weeks to replace it because malfunctioning airbags is risky.

Get it from a third party like an airbag specialist. I was quoted at the dearship for around $900 for the control module alone. I ended up getting the exact same part for $560 from a third party.

I had to replace my armrest twice because of this same thing. It turns out that MB used some plastics that are sensitive to sweat. I've been covering mine since its been replaced when I wear short sleeves and its been holding up great since.

goodluck!

 

do you drive manual?

 

wow! nice job. Im about to cross 100k :x

 

Wow, you guys really drive the hell out of your cars, eh?

My 2k5 only has 41k on it. I bought it in July with only 37k.

In it's defense, it was a fleet car from california before i got it.

 

Ha, keep it for parts, and buy another for 6-8 grand on ebay with 60K miles.
The hatchback is so handy and fun...I can't help but thinking my next car may be another 2002 coupey, and just transfer all my goodies over.
The only thing I'd change is I think I'll get the 6 speed next time, and I'll be looking for one as fully loaded as possible.
6 speed adds 20 hp to the wheels.

The M111 is indestructible other than the oil in the harness issue.

 

T,

You and I think alike. Check out this gem on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Merce...fCarsQ5fTrucks

Car has the 6 speed and electric seats. Heck, I'd prefer the 16" wheels.

I feel confident with the mechanicals of the car, and I know the M111 is good for serious mileage.

I wonder what this will go for?

E

 

wow you guys drive alot lol my 01 has 74k got it with 25k miles about 4 1/2 years ago if i remember clearly..

but Kool your car is holding up GREAT...

 

I was thinking the same thing billbugger. Bought mine in Oct '06 with 13,025 miles, and today I have 33,313. Also bought mine from California; mine was a Corporate Fleet Lease, which would explain its impeccable condition when I got it.

Cintoman

 

And cheep price?
I picked mine up for $21k. I was told the price was lower then normal because it was previously a fleet car.

 

congrats

 

You've got me beat. I'm only at 104k, but the nose of the car already looks like it's been hit be several buckshot blasts. . . .

Congrats! & keep us up to date on your mileage (I'm planning to stay in this car for a while longer)

 

Wow you guys really do a lot of driving... I thought I did. I have 47k mi (76k km) on mine. Unfortunately, I've had a lot more problems with mine in its short life, and recently, the clutch has been acting up, though I have the extended warranty so I'm hoping that will cover most issues.

 

wow, i thought i had alot of milage on my 05 but you passed me!

i got mine in sept of 04 (05 230k sport model, like yours) but mine only has 110k miles or so... daily driver in california.


so far..

-little seeping in oil harness/cam issue, got those replaced at 95k.
-had the infamous m271 pvc supercharger hose issue (replaced under warranty at 60kish)
-had another pvc hose blow on me at 101k, got that replaced, 9 dollar part, 100 dollars labor. this was a different hose from the pvc supercharger hose.
-went through 2 sets of rotors and 6~7 sets of pads.
-went through 4~5 sets of tires already
-front bumper is also chipped and what-not from all the bugs and road rock chips, etc. holding up well, but bottom half is pretty chipped.
-cup holder where the little aluminum trim is starting to flake off
-had an incident at like 70k with a fuel filter change.. for some reason, after the fuel filter change, there was a misfire in cylinder 1... took it back to the dealership (thank goodness for starmark warranty) they replaced all the plugs and cleaned cylinder 1 for carbon buildup.

other than that...running like a champ so far (knock on wood)

i hope to run this thing into 200k also...

 

Congrats on the mileage. I hope mine lasts that long and beyond.

 

I lost count on how many sets of tires. I'm guessing 16 sets in back and 12 up front. I always wear out the driver's side front way early. All my fast turns are right handers, going to and from work.
I don't baby this car either. It's seen the Speed limiter dozens of times.
135 mph, for those interested. I usually have my cruise control set at 90 for a good portion of my morning commute too. So no driving like an old lady here.
Definitely a couple sets of rotors, front an back.

 

My next one will be red with black interior, tinted windows +
everything swapped.
My GF at the time hated red, I liked the blue as well, but
decided against the red.
Yup, I want a 2002 red, C230, 6 speed, C7 + Pano, Bose, leather+ whatever else I can get.
But right now, my car runs great...I'll likely start seriously looking around 150K-160K miles.
If I can sell mine for around 5K then I'd only have a couple grand invested.

The 16" wheels suck. Had 'em on my car for a while. Won't fit with the AMG brakes. And the ASP pulley lays scratch every time and kicks in the ESP.
Check this one....black on black leather, C7 (gotta have the short throw shifter ya know...) and pano at leastr.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-...1%7C240%3A1318
went for $8300 bucks...damn.