Murray Woo

Man this thing has a lot of annoying problems for a new car! Coming from a 1997 Ford Mustang, it has given me a lot of joy and I definitely like the looks I get from girls when I pick them up in my Benz for dates, but this thing's given me more annoyance than the Ford, which was pretty much bulletproof until 50K miles or so. So far after having it for less than a year and 7000 miles, my 2008 C350 had:

1) fuel cap that refuses to open or close completely once in a while
2) inaccurate fuel gauge that left me stranded, showing 1/4 full tank
3) wipers that refuse to work smoothly without fluttering, even when replaced with new ones
4) persistent rattle that come from the right rear, and despite TSB out to the dealers, the dealers couldn't fix
5) major rear brake dust - but pads were replaced under warranty
6) manual headrest that broke and doesn't adjust anymore

At this point I am wondering what else is going to happen. If something else happens this definitely will be the only MB that I will get. For all the money I pay every month I think these little annoying problems shouldn't be happening. Granted the car left me stranded only once (to dismay of my ex gf who had to come to the rescue with fuel) but I am wondering if this is typical of a new model MB or just isolated to me. Someone help me fix the annoying wiper, rattle, and the headrest problem!

joshg1001

1) whats happening with this? its not electronic or anything, i cant see why the cap wont open (are we taking about the actual fuel gas gap?)

2) yes, i dont like how it fluctuates when going up hill or down hill but i guess you have a more serious problem.

Jae Duk

Possible a lemon and possibility of a rembursement due to it being a lemon? There was a C63 lemon car earlier this year. He returned it and ended up getting an M3

Murray Woo

1) It's the body panel that covers the fuel cap to be exact. The one we can push in to open or close. Maddenly sometimes it doesn't close or open and the next day it would work fine.
2) I just never let the gas go down more than 1/4 tank now. I ran out of gas on top of a hill 100 miles away from home while the computer was saying I have 100 more miles worth of gas left.

Murray Woo

I wouldn't think it was a lemon. The problems are not THAT serious. Just annoying. Just wondering if this is a typical experience for a new model MB drivers.

aranu

Just checking... but you do know that your flap locks right? sometimes i lock my car while im fueling by accident and when I close it doesn't since the lock is blocking the flap..

I've never had fuel accuracy problem with mine... always accurate, it even told me once on a test it was running with 0kms left to go and I still drove for a good 30kms to test the tank and then filled it up just to be safe, but even at that point it didn't run out of gas, i merely didn't want it to get that low :P. WHat do you mean by fluttering of your wipers? Like it pauses a bit and doesnt move smoothly? Gatta say mine hasn't had that ever either. Looks like you got the few defective car perhaps. Its not uncommon, just not common thats all. Not every car will be perfect, one has to be faulty. Every company estimates about 10% of thier product produced is faulty.

MB300AMG

Definitely not a problem for me. The only problem I EVER had was at the beginning when I got to around 2,800 miles and the fuel pump ruptured or something and then my car pretty much shut down on a boulevard in West Palm Beach. Had it towed to Palm Beach Mercedes (useless and unfriendly people) who didn't fix it properly, then had it brought to my service advisor in Ft. Lauderdale (awesome guy, always gives me good treatment) and then he fixed it up properly.

The car's been rock solid since and I do not have a single complaint. I'm sorry to hear about your problems though, I think you just got unlucky.

Murray Woo

OMG I didn't know the fuel cap locked! How does it lock, with the key fob when I open the door? I used to wonder why there was no locking switch for fuel cap, apparently there was one! As far as the windshield wipers are concerned, when they are in motion, they wobble from side to side, doing their job but very distracting and making squeaking noises. Apparently this is a common problem and seems like MB dealer can't fix it.

Jae Duk

The fuel cap locks when the car is locked =)
Mercedes Benz wouldn't wanna be held accountable for other people stealing gas out of your car with the gas prices rising now would they?

aranu

Yea, basically it locks when the car locks...

As for the wipers, I would certainly say its not supposed to be like that... unless your being really picky... When my dad got his first Mercedes, I remember the most outstanding thing being the how smooth the wipers flow. The same was with the 02 coupe I have, and this car now is no exception. Not sure whats wrong, but it should move smoothly...

RLE

I think a translator is needed here. The car, of course, does not have a locking gas cap. The fuel filler door, often called the gas flap, is locked by a moving pin when the flap is closed and the car is locked. If the car is locked while fueling (why would you?), the filler door cannot be closed or locked.

joshg1001

I am also getting the rattle from the back of the car, and it comes from the rear sunshade because when it is up, i dont get the rattle

AF330i

I have the same rattle on my brand new C350 too as well as the fluttering wipers which now don't flutter as much but now the wiper motor wines and this is at only 420 miles ...

Murray Woo

Bring it to the attention of the service rep at the 1000 mile check up visit. There's a TSB out for the rattle. Not that it's a guarantee that they would be able to fix it. I don't have the wiper motor problem, I was told by a non-MB mechanic when a wiper blade work too well, it may skip along the windshield because there's too much friction between the blade and the glass. I read up on how to adjust the angle of the wipers online...I am going to try to fix this today and will let you know. He also said cold weather hardens the wipers and may cause it to skip more...I did notice the wipers don't skip as much now that the weather has warmed up a bit...

jamaicakevkev

Lol the filler door locks, and i was thinking what cheap design to have an unlocking door.

joshg1001

i believe its a 1000-5000 mile free service visit right? cause im already at 2,xxx

lickem66

The fuel pump thing happened to my wife's C350 two weeks ago also. We were driving down the road and all of a sudden the car shut off. Turned out the fuel pump died. Had it towed to the MB dealer and they had to order the entire gas tank. They said they could not get just the fuel pump. I thought that was weird but it was on their dollar so I didn't care. THis is the first post I've seen on this board where someone had the same fuel pump problem. I hope it's extremely rare.

Glyn M Ruck

The wiper juddering is caused by silicone on the windscreen. Clean the screen properly with Coke (mild Phosphoric acid), Vinegar, Rubbing alcohol or similar. Apparently you have a glass polish made from crushed eggshells in the US that works.

karls0913

I have a 2009 MB C350 Sport. It also has 7K miles on it. Last week my MB started to make a weird noise while I was standing in front of a red traffic light. As the traffic light changed and I started to drive my car the engine hesitated and the car just died. I was able to park by the side of the road and tried to crank the engine a couple of times but the engine just kept shutting off seconds after it started. I called the dealer and it sent a flat bed to pick up my car. The MB dealer told me that the scanner returned a code that indicated a bad Crankshaft Sensor (CSPS). The sensor was replaced but the same sympton was still present. I was eventually charged $368.00 because the dealer determined that the fuel tank in my car had water in it and that the procedure to remove it was not covered by the warranty. I am wondering if they really replaced that sensor in the first place. The fuel tank in my car was about 3/4 full at the moment that I topped it off and half a mile down the road it died. It could be that the gas that I put in it was contaminated with water. But then again, how did it code a bad CSPS? I also have do deal with the constant brake dust on both rear wheels and the bad smell right after turning on the AC. Other than that, I haven't had any other problems with my car. And yes, I am now affraid to drive it long distances. I trust my 2004 Ford Mustang GT more.

C300Sport

If you had 3/4 tank and had just topped off at a station less than a mile away, the station should be paying to resolve all your problems. Do you have your fuel reciepts or pay by a credit card?
All cars record codes basically the same way; the code does not necessarily tell you what is going on but may be telling you what is being affected by what is going on.

RLE

Take your gas receipt and your MB repair order for draining the water out back to the station and ask for payment. There is nothing new about this and they will reimburse you. If they resist, get in contact with their gas supplier.

mr inkredibul

If your fuel cap does not close correctly that can cause your gas gauge to be off because the pressure will be different.

RLE

I'm not even going to comment on that one.

If the gas cap is not screwed on tight, the check engine light will come on. Same thing if the dipstick is not all the way down or the oil filler cap is not closed tight.

noka

FYI: I used to have good luck with BonAmi cleaner with my BMW's and will use it on my MB, if necessary. A quick google search will yield some information for use as a windshield cleaner.