montamer

Hi guys

I am new here and need your help or suggestion. I am planning to get a used 2008 c300 which has 62000 miles for $12K.
Is it a good idea to purchase it in 2017? as the car is almost 10years old. Anything I need to check on carfax report like timing belt replacement etc....?

I will be using the car mainly for commuting. And estimated usage is ~7000miles/year.
What is the max mileage I can expect from this car? I know honda's and toyota's can go easily up to 200K.
They were offering extended warranty for ~$3000/3years. Should I take it or ignore?

thanks

Adi-Benz

max mileage
600,000
is it 4matic?
check carfax for esl/steering wheel lock fix, hopefully it will have been fixed.

mrbrannin1

proper maintenance last a while.... 12k whithin reason not gonna break your pocket if you can manage money well.... all i can say is look at the carfax history..
service every 10k do what the dealer recomends within reason... and BOOM!!!!! PICKLE RICKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

montamer

It's not 4matic. c300 sport + premium package.
There was no esl/steering wheel lock fix reported on carfax. Is this something I have to be worried?

montamer

No accidents reported on carfax, but there were two recalls.
When I check the status on https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls, it shows. What does it mean?

Recall StatusRecall Incomplete, remedy not yet available

dchar

Its probably for the Takata airbags. I'm still waiting for my turn for the fix.

montamer

Yes they are related to airbags.

montamer

Hi I read more about the esl issue, and looks like its common. What is the estimate to fix this issue?
Is 12K a good deal? as carfax doesn't report that fix is done.

michail71

I think it's somewhere a little over $2K. Mostly because only a dealership can fix it.

For much less you can get and ESL emulator. But I think that needs to be done before the ESL fails for good.

Adi-Benz

Yea about 2k. Usually the 08/09 models have it the most.

just post the link to the car & carfax

montamer

That's a big bill. How much for ESL emulator job? Can I do it manually? I read there is a special equipment required for programming the emulator.
How can I say if the esl is failing, what are the symptoms?

link to car and carfax report.
https://shift.com/car/c156877
https://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistor...GF54X88F168145

AndreNY

Im not sure how you can check if that has been done or not i mean the only thing that sucks about the ESL is it can happen at any time. On my wife's C300 it happened 3 months ago got us stuck at the Gym (car didn't start out of nowhere) my biggest issue was towing the car since its a 4-Matic and you cant move the shifter, but the tow truck driver got it right and i got the issue fixed for $500.

montamer

Did you do it yourself? everywhere I read it's going to cost at least $1000-$2000. Did you find any symptoms before it gave up, like different sound when the steering unlocks or stiffening of steering wheel?

montamer

Planning to pull the trigger today, any suggestions?

Alfadude

Yes, pull the trigger.

AndreNY

absolutely positively no warning at all (which is what sucked) my buddy charged me $200 to remove and install the coded out unit, and there is a guy in Texas that charged $300 to eliminate the stupid module forever

montamer

Got the car, so far everything seems good except for the power steering response. I never drove a Mercedes before and I am also new to driving.
So I asked two of my friends to drive the car and they seem to be OK with the steering.

I feel it's little stiff and has very slow return. I have to assist to re-centre the steering wheel after a turn.
Today morning I quickly checked the cold power steering level and it's at max for 20c, I am assuming fluid level is OK. And
So is this a common trait of C300/RWD? Do I have to worry about something?

I have booked an appointment with a mechanic this Wednesday to get the car double checked before the 5day return period, just in case.

triplmmm

The feel is different. Not bad, just different. Most all cars react differently. Your just used to what you have now.

vinnyb2696

Just purchased a 08 c300 sport myself on the first of this month as well. Had some issues arise the day I purchased dealer agreed to fix them, as they all got spotted on first day hopefully live up to their word of being free as bought the car used as is but dealer claimed no knowledge of the problems as well and stated they would have fixed prior if they knew.

CJG

Did the '08's have a factory black roof, or is that vinyl or painted?

vinnyb2696

not sure honesty I test drove 2 black ones with one sunroof. Then I test drove this particular car it had a sunroof in the front and a moon roof in the back seat as well unfortunately that one does not open not sure if that was a stock feature or not but that's my reason for thinking it has the black roof I may be wrong

Alfadude

So, what was the result when you took it to the mechanic for the steering? Did they find anything?

Adi-Benz

For most rear moon roofs they don't open. As the years get newer, its more likely both can open as one large panel, depending on company.

vinnyb2696

I will post more pictures when it returns from dealer of the rest of the car. Still trying to decide what mods to do thinking xpipi first