I just wanted to share my history on my car to let people know things to expect when you start hitting high mileage.

I have a 2004.0 C230 Sedan. The car is now 8 years old with 170,000 miles. It's been very reliable. Most repair work was wear and tear. I've kept up the the maintenance very well and expect my car to last to 250,000+ miles. I've saved a lot of money on maintenance by doing many things myself and using independent shops instead of the dealer.

All MB recall work done.
60,000- Major tuneup (spark plugs, fuel filter, all fluids flushed, transmission flush)
72,000-Replaced front and rear rotors and pads
74,000-Front sway bar links replaced due to noise
82,000-Front lower and front upper control arm bushings replaced due to vibration while driving
94,000-4 New Wheels purchased due to severly bent factory wheels
100,000-Engine burns about 1 quart of oil every 4,000 miles
110,000-Fuel pump replaced
120,000- Major tuneup
130,000-Replaced front and rear rotors and pads
150,000-4 New Factory Wheels from 07 C230 purchased to replaced cracked aftermarket wheels
155,000-Alternator replaced
165,000-Front left lower control arm and front left lower rear control arm replaced. Tensioner pulley replaced due to whining noise. Drive belt replaced.

Expected maintenance in the next 12 months- Major tuneup, front right control arms, front struts and rear shocks replaced, front rotors and pads

A few things I noticed.... Hawk Ceramic pads have a lot more dust compared to Akebono ceramic pads. Front brakes with Akebono ceramic pads and cross drilled and slotted rotors wear out very quickly as there is uneven wear on the pads and the rotors. The front suspension requires constant maintenance as the parts don't last very long. Front control arms and bushings wear out and cause vibration and uneven tire wear. Mityvac saves you a lot of money when you change your oil every 5,000 miles. The dealership gets expensive and you must find a reliable independent shop.

 

good to see another reliable high mileage w203 around here.

 

Do you have an list of the recall work? I about to hit 180 in my 03 an would love to push the most miles out of it that I can.

 

170,000 Mile Review/Update .

Interesting Info.
Good to see someone keeping a good log .

Are you going to change the ATM oil again? MB recommend it be done every 39,000 miles.I would think about changing the diff oil too & the radiator coolant.

Would you say the roads that you travel on are rough given the wheel damage & suspension wear?

 

I suspect that the roads in Cleveland are similar to what we get in Toronto and usually the surface is uneven with potholes in the spring because of our winter freeze/thaw/freeze /thaw and running on snow and ice covered roads. In Toronto our roads are a myriad of patch work and most of the crews don't take the time in laying a smooth and good surface

I have replaced every component of my front suspension, most before 70,000km (42,000mi) luckily all were covered by warranty and most recently @ 100,000km I had to replace both tie rod ends (on my coin though). Most of the parts now carry an A204 xxx xx xx number rather than an A203 xxx xx xx which means they have been succeeded by an (hopefully) improved part. I would say for the most part that the front suspension has been severely under engineered and the components suffered from poor quality manufacture. I've owned many cars in my 33 years of driving and never had so many suspension issues (rattles, clunking, looseness etc in the front end as I had with this car. Perhaps today's lower profile tires, stiff sidewalls and larger wheels help accelerate the wear factor (I am on stock 17" with 45 and 40 profile), 23 years ago my Mazda Mx6 turbo ran on 195/60 15 and in the day they were considered low profile performance tires! (most imports ran on 14" and 70 or 75 profile)

Since the complete overhaul(s) of the front end, it has been good (quiet and tight) for the past 37,000km...time will tell.

 

The front suspension on my car at 124,650 doesn't suffer from the same complaints you guys have. Maybe the roads in relatively rural Georgia are just a lot easier on them.

 

Does anyone know what the cost is to change the rear diff fluid?

 

I had it done at a dealer for $55 plus tax.

 

Hit 181K today on the way to work. Woot Woot!
I don't have suspension problems. I bolted the axles to the frame, ha ha!
At least that's what it feels like with CO's and thicker bars and my recent new tires
which are a hard compound especially with the cold weather, well for CA.
CA isn't spending any money on the roads anymore.
The left lanes always seem a little better.

Right now only thing i need is new spark plugs.
I have everything i need for a front brake job and more from
my Extreme Mercedes couponing episode of this past summer.

 

My front suspension was super tight until I was run of the road and over a curb last year at 125,000 miles. After two weeks the front end started vibrating. I replaced the upper and lower control arms and did the tie rods while I was there. I am at 146,000 and other than oil changes, I just had to replace the valve cover and spark plug gaskets. I had oil in two spark plug chambers.

This has been the most reliable car I have owned. Now that I've said that, something will go wrong.

 

Think of it as a beautiful woman clamoring for your attention.

 

If you have the M271 engine it is not unusual to have oil there Cyl 1 2, usually the result of sloppy pouring, caused by the monkey at the stealership not paying attention or being careful. If it is self serviced then you are the one to blame. Could be a bad valve cover gasket but my experience is usually the first scenario