Going to go look at a 2008 C300 this weekend, any known issues I should know about. Is the W204 reliable? I currently have an 06 C230 Sport. Thanks.

 

I think most would recommend you avoid the 2008 model year because the issue with the EIS.

Although the 2008 model is still a reliable Mercedes, it has its share of issues, being the first year of the new generation.

 

Identifix rates the 2008 W204 five stars out of five (no major issues).

A more detailed reporting can be found with Michael Keresh on True Delta:
http://www.truedelta.com/car-reliability

 

When does the EIS issue begin? The car has 45K miles and it comes with a 1 year 100K mile warranty, which can be extended to 3-135K. I don't want to get the extended warranty because to me its just a way for MB to make money off me. How common is this EIS issue? Thank you for your input.

Thanks Bill, I will look into that article. I think I am getting a sort of steal with this car since it comes with the media package and Mercedes is Offering me 110% of the the trade value for my car plus 1.74% financing. I test drove the car and I loved it. Thank you as well for your input.

 

Should check exact date of manufacture (my 2010 C300 Sport was made August 2009), if the W204 was manufactured from January 2008, probably the EIS issue is moot. Affected perhaps 300 or 400 vehicles over the first 280,000 as far as I am aware. In the first 24 months of manufacture, production had passed the million mark.

 

How could I go about checking when it was manufactured? Thanks again for your help.

 

In Mexico the date of manufacture and date of import is a requirement on all documentation.

HOWEVER, the best thing is get a printout from STAR based on your VIN of all the options with their codes, and this will have the factory and date of manufacture, the engine factory, and you will know exactly what options you have.

Most people dont know all the options they have until they obtain this most important printout.

 

It seems to happen right when the warranty expires, so around the 4 year 40k-50k mile mark.

I believe there's a TSB for the issue. Ask your dealer to check the VIN to see if its affected and have it replaced before you purchase the vehicle.