Couple of Quality Questions
 

Can owners provide comment on the specific issues:

Wipers: Are they noisy during operation? Does rain sensor work properly (not too fast nor too slow)?

Side mirrors: Wind noise? Rattling?

Moonroof / Pano Roof: Rattling when driving?

I will answer all your ? I have experienced none of the above expect maybe the wiper are a little slow compared to what im used to. I have no mirror noise or sunroof noise or road noise. I have about 7000 mile on it and driv eit hard so far the only thing i can say clean your air filter at 7000 mile the get dirty as heck. Now can i ask you how your mercedes C320 been with you as it had issues or it a good car without problem this is my first mercedes im concerned about the long time quality of it

My workshop files is 2" thick and well documented in W203 forum... The following parts have been replaced since new:

Seat modules, door modules, overhead control panel, fuel sensor (3), rear spring, suspension bushings (front 2, rear 2), MAF, battery, 2 corrosion jobs (both front fenders replaced), HVAC stepper motor, alternator.

Whole car except hood and roof has been repainted for corrosion jobs.

Spark plugs replaced at 160,000km.

Main problem is seat module draining battery causing a host of electrical problems like lost seat memory, side mirrors changing positions during drive, doors unlocked during drive, etc. Car broke down once due to hot MAF giving wrong signals that cylinders are misfiring. Another breakdown due to dead alternator.

My extended warranty paid off handsomely. Now with most parts replaced (even hood star is new) and 2 corrsion jobs that MB Canada goodwilled after extended warranty expired my W203 is like new car!!! :p:

I intend to keep my ride to 250,000km if all goes well. Main risks now are torn Poly-V belt causing engine overheat, transmission fluid leaks, or broken timing belt that cause major $$$ repairs.

I have a first year model... does this scare you first year W204 owners? :)

Ive got only 2000 mi on the clock, but so far...
Wipers: They are a bit noisier than other cars I have owned in the past. And the speed is perfect for me, however, I always Rain-x my glass so I never really have too much standing water on my windshield.

Side mirrors: I notice a bit of noise when I don't have music playing...but I always have music playing so it's not an issue. I assume this is due to the truck-sized mirrors lol. No rattling whatsoever. I also don't get the noises others have complained about when the mirrors fold...mine sound clean when opening and closing.

Pano: No rattling when driving, open or closed. When driving 60+ mph with the pano open, the air turbulence does make a bit of noise, however, but nothing that is uncomfortable.

I have considerable road noise, depending on surface. Frequently the MM decides to increase volume to compensate for noise in the cabin.

The road noise is just a fact of life through I-5 in Tacoma. The surface is concrete and rough and, well, loud.

The only thing I've ever done to reduce it is to change the tires to a compound that is quieter. The Goodyear triple tred tires were much quieter than the Michelins on my last car ... the C is too new to change and those tires aren't sized properly for the C anyway.

On good surface (usually smooth asphalt) I can't hear the road at all.

No problem with noise from the wipers other than normal operating noise. The rain sensor has always had a mind of its own in all the MB cars I've owned. You get used to it eventually and I find it funny at times when it kicks into high speed when it's just started to sprinkle.

By the way, your comments on your w203 shouldn't scare away too many people, least not the ones that did their homework. MB quality isn't exactly great, we all know that. I would however be interested in the exact numbers, as it seems like every time I'm in getting my car serviced for a minor gremlin, someone else is in for a major one ha ha. Thankfully that other person has never been me.

Wiper is a bit noisy when it wipe...and I agree that it's a bit on the slow side. Rain sensor..I haven't experienced any sensor that is really good (I had driven bmw 325i, W202 C280, E430...)
Mirror working great...and so does the sunroof.

W203 C320
 

<<My workshop files is 2" thick and well documented in W203 forum... The following parts have been replaced since new: ......Long list mercifully omitted...... Main risks now are torn Poly-V belt causing engine overheat, transmission fluid leaks, or broken timing belt that cause major $$$ repairs.
I have a first year model... does this scare you first year W204 owners? >>

Please do not presume to compare your '01 C320 to a 1st year W204. I too bought an '01 C320 with everything except the phone and I would guess my list of warranty repairs would include all of your items and more. My extended warranty picked up $2800 more before I traded it in 9/07.

Additional items included new camshafts and all lifters and exhaust rockers, suspension and diff mount bushings, door seals and on and on.

It's well known that the W204 is proving to be trouble free and at six months and 4800 miles, the first problem is a window rattle when the driver's window is down. By contrast, my C320 would have been in the shop 3-4 times with many fixes. Attempts at fixes, I should say. I asked my service writer whether the lack of warranty work in the C & S-classes was going to hurt the shop's business and he said, don't worry, the older C & E classes (W203 and W211) will just continue breaking as before, keeping them busy.

BTW, MB doesn't use timing belts. You should know that.

Troubles/design faults
 

<<Can owners provide comment on the specific issues: Wipers: Are they noisy during operation?>>

No.

<<Does rain sensor work properly (not too fast nor too slow)?>>

Yes. Provides, depending on rain amount, variable interval and speed depending on switch position since there are now two choices aside from low/high.

<<Side mirrors: Wind noise? Rattling?>

No rattling. Wind noise can heard at higher speeds and I hope the '09 smaller mirrors can be retrofitted.

<<Moonroof / Pano Roof: Rattling when driving?>>

Not present. Glad I didn't check that box.

<<road noise>>

That's a major annoyance with this car and changing to 18" wheels increased it. I'm learning to live with it on our rough interstates.

I think that the wipers are very noisy wet or dry. No matter how many times the dealer changes it, the noise will never go away. But i think its a common problem with these Bosch Aero Blade wipers. Rain sensor is very weird as like all other MBs my family owned. Side mirrors have wind noise but not that bad IMO. And they rattles all the time. The sunroof (not pano) has a rattling sound both opened and closed and it happends all the time. Sunroof rattling is a common problem on MBs too, i think. Anyone knows if these things can be fixed?

You'll note that people who live in the Pacific Northwest have road noise complaints....for good reason. Road surfaces are awful, both because of the materials chosen and the legality of studded tires for half the year.

Ours has the standard 17" [not staggered] Contis, and they are noisier than the Michelins, but overall, I rate the car as one of our quietest. It gets a whole lot quieter when we cross the state line from Oregon into California [we make multiple trips up and down I-5 every year].

We are now at 7000 miles, with no issues. I too owned an early W203, and this car can't be compared with that one, except the name. The new one is better in every respect that matters.

It is a timing chain if I am correct... which is supposed to last longer than a belt.

Come see Canada highways will give you a new perspective of "rough"... potholes everywhere after winter plowing. :p:

^
All the above,
I got my since Oct/07 and no problems so far

2nd year model is coming, if first year is of concern, just wait for couple of months.... its quite common for people to avoid 1st year car of any make..... although whether that concern is valid or not its up for debate.

Agree

Im not sure to what car you are referring to, but with crappy roads and long winters, there is no sqweeks anywhere and I have the electric constantly rotating mirrors, panoroof and the wipers rain sensors work perfectly on my w211 E55. On my BMW M5 in comparison the rotating mirrors started to disconect themselves from the car and rattled, the rear view mirror rattled, and the rain sensor seemed to allways go on when there was no rain, but never when there was only little rain :crazy:.

Wipers:
Yes, very noisy when wiping. They also do not clear visible area nearly as well as the wipers on my previous BMWs or on my wife's Audi. (I've always loved German car wipers, as they seem to do a much better job than the other cars I've owned ... important to me since I live in Seattle) I also have a 1/4" wide strip that the wipers don't clear at all, sitting right in front of my vision. Time for new wipers at 5800miles? I didn't replace the wipers on my last BMW in the entire 28000 miles that I had it ... not that it would've cost me anything if I had requested the dealer do it. Score 1 for BMWs free maintenance.

Side Mirrors:
No wind noise, but they both vibrate so badly now that at freeway speed I can barely see anything in them. They also both rattle and vibrate visibly when closing doors. I took it in once, and the service dept gave me some crap about having to reset their folding movement range. I gave them the benefit of the doubt, but obviously that didn't do anything to help them being loose. Hopefully next time it goes in they'll have pulled their head out and they'll tighten them down.

Pano roof:
No rattling while driving, no squeeking when going diagonally up steep driveways, no rattling while open. My only nit pick is that it squeels loudly when opening and closing. I'm sure it's just a minor alignment/lubrication issue that I'll have them look at next time in for service.

I'm a bit more critical of this car than others here, because unlike others here on the board, I don't particularly like this car. I'll gladly rag on it any time I get the chance, and over the next couple of years I'll be looking at any avenue I can explore to get out of my lease.

I don't hate the car; I've just come to the opinion that it's $28k worth of car with $10k worth of pointed star badges. I don't find anything particularly special about it and I haven't seen any legendary build or engineering quality. I does look good from the outside, but I think it'll grow plain and boring quickly.

[QUOTE=oblu;2809809]Wipers:
Yes, very noisy when wiping. They also do not clear visible area nearly as well as the wipers on my previous BMWs or on my wife's Audi. (I've always loved German car wipers, as they seem to do a much better job than the other cars I've owned ... important to me since I live in Seattle) I also have a 1/4" wide strip that the wipers don't clear at all, sitting right in front of my vision. Time for new wipers at 5800miles? I didn't replace the wipers on my last BMW in the entire 28000 miles that I had it ... not that it would've cost me anything if I had requested the dealer do it. Score 1 for BMWs free maintenance.

Sorry to hear you hate the car, my suggestions buy a car that you like it makes your life more fun. As to noisy and bad wiping, this has nothing to do with Mercedes. Buy quality wipers, there is a wide range of marques.

Wipers: really quiet for me, rain sensor works well, has 2 settings, slow and fast, there is also a slight delay after the wipers come up, somehow I like this method of wiping more...

Side mirrors: its huge! but I don't hear any noise/rattling...maybe I'm not going fast enough...~120km/h

Moonroof (no pano sorry): doesn't rattle but a lot of wind gets in no matter how fast or slow...I enjoy it, but not sure if its supposed to be like that

Yeah, actually it does ... they supplied them with the car when I bought it. If I didn't like the OEM tire choice, I'd complain about those too. They spec'd them, they're responsible for making sure they work correctly otherwise it's a ding against them.

Now, if I replace them with an aftermarket brand and they don't work correctly, that's my responsibility.

Newtonlaw: Has yours been fixed?

My wipers are very noisy in the last 2 -3 inches of travel, when they seem to scrape over the glass. I assume this is due to poor quality wiper blades.

Has anyone replaced them with another wiper brand that works better?

No problems as mentioned above.....

But i have the following little probs:

1.Paint off my door handle fal off, next week they replace i for a new one
2. My license plate light are broken, and will be replaced also next week.


For the rest, no problems at all