Hi everyone, I recently purchased my older sister's 2006 C230. Mechanically, it's in pretty good shape. She did an above average job of maintaining it, always did them at dealerships....but often done late. The car has 103k, mostly highway miles.

Had a service done at the dealership before she passed it on to me and they said everything seems fine. I asked if they could check the balance shaft (I understand those can be a problem) but they said they'd need to take the motor apart to check, which I understand is not the case.

The interior is in great shape, with the exception of a 3" tear in the driver's seat leather, however it is not deep...only the leather is damaged, the fabric underneath is fine. I don't want to do the full leather repair kit unless necessary. I was thinking of using some clear nail polish and folding the leather back into place, to keep it from spreading. Is that a horrible idea? Additionally, the door grip (not the silver handle to open the door) has broken at the top joint, where it meets the door. I was thinking Gorilla Glue? Or I'll just replace with this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mercedes-Benz-W203-C-Class-Genuine-Front-Right-Interior-Door-Pull-Handle-NEW-OE-/251973523129?fits=Make%3AMercedes-Benz
The exterior is in okay shape. My sister isn't great at parking, so a lot of nicks on the front and rear bumpers, but nothing that can't be fixed with some touch up paint (unless you guys have better recommendations). A few dings, some bigger dents, but nothing too ghastly. I think I can pop the dents out with some dry ice. Also, the right side rims have a lot of rash. Actually, really more of a plague...they're pretty ugly. I have seen some guides on rim repair with sandpaper and special spray paint and clear coat. One of the small grilles around the fog lights in missing, the other very bent and warped, I'm probably going to replace those. Any recommendations on a cheap source for those sort of parts?

I know there isn't really anything to be done to improve performance, aside from suspension work. I'll consider that in the future. What about ways to make the exhaust sound more aggressive? I would like to upgrade the headlights and maybe the fog lights. I quite like the stock rims, but I have some questions about tires. I put some decent used Continental tires on the rears, H rated, $35 each installed, nothing special. Fronts need to be changed soon and I think I'll changed all 4 at the same time. Any objections to the budget Y and Z rated tires from Sumito or Kumho?

I've done a bunch of research and reading, but it would be great to get a couple of tips from people in the know. Things to keep my eyes and ears open for? I tend to worry about every little noise, wobble, rumble and squeak....and I'm planning on keeping this car for another 100k. But I'll need the help of all you smart and experienced people here!

One last thing. The father of a close friend owns a German repair shop, in business for 30+ years, I can trust them and they'll be fair with pricing. I know that's invaluable. With that said, in the case I'll need their services...is it frowned upon to purchase my own parts and simply pay them for the labor?

Thanks everyone! I'll be posting pics ASAP! Oh, and I live in Los Angeles, so not worried about snow or extreme weather....just earthquakes

 

Here are pics everyone, finally! Would be great to get some feedback from you guys!

Also, I've been having the transmission issue where shifting from 2nd to 1st causes a heavy jolt. It only happens about for about 20 minutes after a cold start, after which the problem disappears. I'm trying to determine the last time the transmission was serviced. From what I understand there are a few potential fixes
1) Updating the transmission software
2) Change the transmission fluid and filter
3) If I'm having the valve body problem, well obviously replace that and the torque converter.

Does anyone have any good, reliable, concrete advice as to how to determine the problem with my transmission. I know I can go to the dealership for a diagnostic, but if there's a more affordable method I'd rather go that route.

Thanks for any help!

 

Search for jerk in transmission. its more common on the c32 but I bet it is the same issue.

 

Search for my thread "seafoam transtune miracle". You have sticky valves causing the jerk. All you need to do is put a bottle of transtune in ATF (follow my detailed instructions precisely), do a full flush, and problem solved forever.

It is a very easy DIY, and doing on your own could cost almost nothing

 

Oh believe me, I've done a substantial amount of reading and research. It actually happens to all models with the 722.9 transmission, from C-class to S-class.

LexBrett, do you know if you have the 722.6 or 722.9 transmission. From what I understand, the 722.9 is much more difficult to DIY transmission flush.

 

does the 06 230 have the .9?

 

It sure does. 722.9 was released in 04 on select models, and in 05 it became standard automatic on most w203s.

http://www.mercedesmedic.com/722-9-7...ems-solutions/

 

Imho, ebay or the forums "for sale" listings are the best places for the trim prices you're looking for.
A local salvage yard, that allows yard-access, could also be an option for some people.

Not much to change the sound of the exhaust much. Imho, live with it.

As for the lights, you can get cheap replacements on ebay. You can also get HID or the POS CFL "angle eyes" headlights.
NOTE: The Sedans and 2002-2005 Coupes take different headlights!

Imho, a better place for headlights is here:
http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/...31_catalog.htm

 

Pretty sure I have a 722.9 on my car. There are tons of videos and tutorials on how to do the flush.

 

Fwiw, for my 2005 C230K, checking by my VIN, both WIS and EPC say I have a 722.6. They call out a 722.69 specifically.
Specifically, they call out this part number: A2112703300

http://www.mbpartsworld.com/p/Merced...112703300.html


If you PM me you VIN (or just post it), I'll check it out in WIS and EPC.
I may not get to it on Thursday night.

Also, I have a transmission dipstick - like the 722.6 has, but not the 722.9 (as I understand).

 

I'm not super car savvy, nor do I have jacks or tools. I've done some minor stuff like oil changes and brake pad/rotor changes, and I feel like I can do the flush myself (I have friends with jacks and tools). But knowing how finicky Benz transmissions are, and only having acquired the car recently, I decided to go the route of professional help.

Fortunately, my friend's father owns a German repair shop and he's going to be helping me out. Super fair rates and 100% honest. He basically told me I'm family (friends for 16 years) and he'll be taking care of me as such.

I just REEEEEEAAAAAAALLY hope it's not the dreaded valve body issue, because that would be a heartbreaker. Although, it seems that problem almost always comes about long before 100k and I'm at 103k, so that leaves me feeling hopeful. Tomorrow he will be running a diagnostic and letting me know what he finds.

As for the transmission model, I'm quite confident that the 2.5L V6 (m272) engine received the 7G (722.9), whereas the 4-cylinder (m111 or m271?) in the Kompressor models did not. And as far as I know, the C230 Sport does not have the dipstick, which indicates 7G.

 

I wasn't try to question your info I was just curious. I have an 06 203 and it has the .6 Maybe the .9 cant couldn't handle the 5.4.

 

Those documents posted show instructions for ATF service, and those are the exact procedures I followed for my car..

 

Seafoam transtune solved ALL my problem. Even the mechanics I told about my experienced were amazed.

All you you need to do is extract 16 ounces of ATF, then put 16 ounces of Seafoam transtune in the dipstick. Then drive about 100 miles, to let it circulate through the system. In my case the difference was instantaneous. Then flush the fluid. You can go to jiffy Lube and they will extract out fluid topside, or you can really easily do it yourself if you have a reverse pump.

Nobody ever believes me about this, but it turned my jerky dying transmission into a smooth performance machine

 

I don't doubt that it worked for you, and that it might work for me. But there are a couple of issues. First of all, if it's too good to be true, it usually is. Second, it's taking a big risk because it's a fairly unknown product with very little track record to demonstrate it's "safety." Basically, is it worth ruining my transmission just because some guy on the Internet said it worked for him? Almost certainly not. Now, I will say this, if it turns out I have to do the valve body and torque converter replacement, I might consider trying this before dropping $4,000.

On a side note, I heard back from my mechanic! He informed me that he ran a full transmission diagnostic, checked for codes and there were no issues, so it seems that I'm not having the valve body issue. He checked the transmission fluid and told me he doesn't think it's EVER been changed. He also took the liberty to check other areas of the car and guess what? I need a new battery and new intake filters. The MB dealership that we had the car inspected at did not mention any of these things. My mechanic (close friend's father) is not milking me or lying, which really make me mad at the dealership. Fortunately, these things were caught....and a dead battery could really have screwed me over (taking a 800 mile road trip tomorrow)....and they're being taken care of as I type this.

Wish me luck! I'll know the next time I cold-start it, whether or not the service did the trick! Thanks to everyone for their help and input!

 

Seafoam transtune worked for me. You can also check out the hundreds of detailed reviews on Amazon. But I do understand the sentiment. In my case, a transmission repair could potentially cost more than the value of my car. So I took the risk of using seafoam and it really worked great.

The trick with seafoam is to add the precise amount and do a complete flush after a 100 miles..