nola000

Hi. Just bought a 2010 C300 2WD auto tranny, with a PZEV emissions code.

Prior to buying the vehicle everything I read said that 2010 C300s can run E85. However some sources including the owners manual say the only vehicles that can run E85 are the ones that say so on the fuel filler cap. Mine doesnt.

Am I royally f***ed? I bought this vehicle because I though I was going to be able to run E85. Why am I running into so much conflicting info on this subject? What C-classes can run ethanol? Does having a PZEV emissions code prevent me from running E85?

Can somebody with a 2010 c300 check to see if they have the "E85" fuel filler cap?

Knightmare69

I've never heard or read about a Benz being able to run e85. I'm not sure where you got this info from. Did you buy the car from the dealer or used? Either way you didn't think to ask whoever you bought it from about this?

Edit- Googled around and found this thread https://mbworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=337919

Doa

yea next time you might have an LPG engine with such attitude.
a car comes with different engines so that should be the first thing to look at before you buy it

nola000

Neither of yours responses made any sense. Maybe because one of you is from Hong Kong and the other is from Belgium.

In the US C300s were supposed to run on >91 octane gasoline or ethanol 85%(E85). It might be different in your home countries.

dolvio

Please do not come on here and light up people trying to offer help. They don't owe you anything. Some cars can run E85 and some cannot. If yours can it should be marked. You will need to talk to the dealer about this and confirm. E85 will probably give you less gas mileage anyways... however, cheaper. Not many run it. 91+ all the way.

Cheers,

A.

victort

yes, 91 octane is recommended for a C300.

if you're going to complain about $3-4 more per fillup, then yes, you made a HUGE mistake buying a benz

dolvio

+1. Leaned that the first month I kept track of my fuel cost... lol and I rock a C250!

C230Kompressed

Welcome! Well since the "mistake" has already been made, the best thing to do is to drive the car conservatively and same gas money that way. Anytime you can, take highways rather than city streets, don't let your car idle for long periods of time and be cautious of what's going on in front of you. If you see a light turning yellow a football field ahead, just let go of the gas and coast.

It's a great car, don't let a few MPG deter you from enjoying it. Hell, you bought a Benz you can afford a few extra dollars at the pump right?

AkaSigFreak

IF your C300 is E85 capable- It will have a Yellow Gas Cap with E85 or Premium Fuel Only marked on it. My 08 C300 RWD was E85/Premium and it was horrible on mileage when running E85.
Note: NOT ALL C300s are E85 capable.

C230Kompressed

I wonder if you can call MB and provide them your VIN#? Might be the only way to lox I case the prior owner changed the cap for some odd reason.

snowmuch

My Canadian c300 rwd have yellow gas caps which can run E85 but never did it tho.

dolvio

I bet the OP is pissed....

Doanster

I thought the biggest factor in going with a Flex Fuel Vehicle was that it was better for the environment, NOT because it saved you money? IIRC, the price/gallon is a little less than regular gas on average, but the MPG is worse, thereby costing you more at the end of the day.

ilumunus

I think only bluetecs can use E85? And even then I doubt it.

nola000

Wasnt trying to "light" anybody up. Just providing possible reason why they "lit" me up for think that c300s had anything to do with ethanol. I thought that was a little like not knowing that peanut butter was made of peanuts. Maybe MB doesn't promote E85 in other countries. Wasn't trying to be a dick.

My reasons for wanting E85 don't really have anything to do with the environment. It does have to do with saving money but not by buying at E85 at the pump. Where I live I've never even seen ethanol at a gas station. I bought a C300 thinking that at some point I could produce my own ethanol to save money in fuel cost.

So if it's true that not all C300s can run E85 can someone tell me definitely which ones can or can't?

AkaSigFreak

It will have a YELLOW gas cap and will be noted on the vehicle spec sheet

nola000

Thanks for the pictures Akasigfreak. You get an A for effort. However, thats a 2008. I have yet in my search to find someone with a 2008 C300 that DIDNT have E85 capability.

Im trying to figure out which of the 2010s can handle E85. There is some debate that no C350s can use it and that possibly 4MATICS cant use it either, which wouldnt seem to make any sense, but no one has mentioned a C300 without 4MATIC AND PZEV emissions code 917 running on ethanol.

ilumunus

I used to fill my 08 without 4Matic on 93

Glyn M Ruck

If you want a Flex Fuel car then you need to order a Flex fuel car. Even W203 M272 powered cars were available as Flex Fuel vehicles.

Glyn M Ruck

It should be noted that it costs money to make a vehicle flex fuel. Every elastomer & metal component in the fuel system has to be alcohol tolerant. Alcohol is highly corrosive to certain alloys at certain temperatures & in the presence of water. Some components require to be made of pure zinc etc. Even the slightest trace of copper in an alloy can render it susceptible to corrosion. Alcohols swell & deteriorate most elastomers. Every "rubber" component needs to be alcohol proof.

At low US sticker prices Benz has obviously decided not to provide Flex Fuel vehicles unless required. The on-cost is too high & likely not recoverable in that market.

nola000

No, no. The US has plenty of E85 C300s, probably more than not.

Id like to hear more from US owners. It seems than E85 wasnt very popular in the rest of the world. Everybody is chiming in from overseas and acts as though E85 C300s are unknown or uncommon. Flex Fuel cars were a popular movement in the USD market between 2000-2010(12). The Flex Fuel rage has peetered out the past few years as concerns for higher fuel prices have died down and people realized how difficult it is to find E85 at gas stations.

Ron Jr

My 08 was a flex fuel but my 11 and 13 are not. I believe I read somewhere that only MY 08 and 09 were flex fuel here in the US. I don't know how it is where you live but there were no E85 stations on LI when I had my 08. Nearest one was in NJ.

Doanster

Ah, there you go. Brewing your own puts a whole 'nuther slant on this topic. Definitely a money saver, but people read it from the start as you trying to save a few bucks at each fill-up.

Looks like we have <10 stations offering E85 in the Portland, OR area...

Glyn M Ruck

I'm well aware of that. I used to live in the US. Both Dallas & Marin County Bay Area & I worked for the Petroleum Industry for 40 years ~ a major US Multinational.

MBUSA stopped providing Flex Fuel cars unless ordered that way. All I'm suggesting are reasons for that decision. Obviously in countries like Brazil every Petrol driven Benz sold is Flex Fuel because of the huge availability of hydrous & anhydrous alcohol fuels derived from sugar cane. In markets like South Africa Benz vehicles will all tolerate alcohol up to about 15% due to Sasol reserving the right to put up to 12% heavy coal derived alcohol into fuel but not E85. I suspect with most USA W204's being SA built (SA has the W204 USA contract with top up from Bremen & Sindelfingen until W205 production moves to Tuscaloosa & the SA plant builds W205 for local market & to top up Asia, mainly the China plant) that they are the same as ours to tolerate California's +-10% ethanol addition.

If you had wanted a Flex Fuel car you should have ordered it that way or if in the used market you should have sought one out. Don't blame Benz for lack of homework.

ralawren

Confirming that 2009 c300s in US were e85 or 91+ octane. I had one.

But I never ran e85 because it wasn't cost effective due to the low mileage. It isn't necessarily eco friendly either when you consider the fertilizer and other chemicals required to grow the corn. This was mostly a gift to the large corporate corn growers.