Hey,
I recently crashed my W211 E220. A deer struck my windshield and the car is totaled. Searching for a new car, I came across the W204. I currently can't decide between the previous W211 or the W204. The biggest criteria is, it has to be a 320cdi (I assume the OM642 engine). Most cars around my geographical location are selling with 300'000km on the clock. To start off, I'm not really a huge guy when it comes to cars nor I understand engines. I've had fair share read through on Reddit on these forums about these engines. Some say they are good, some say they are the worst engines ever produced. Few questions:

Are these engines reliable after the 300'000km rage. Should I only look out for cars that have already had their timing chains replaced? What are some more common issues with these motors?

What are some things to look out for when looking at one before getting a mechanics inspection of the car? Rust wise, transmission wise, engine wise?

I really want to get a sunroof. Have you guys have ran into some problems with the sunroof of your W204?

Already beforehand, thank you for your time and advice!

 

Sorry to hear about your W211. My E320 which I planned to keep forever was lost to a collision years ago.
300,000 km is a lot and to exceed it, a car must have been meticulously maintained.
Rust:
The body structure of the W204 is not prone to rust. I live in a hot wet environment and had none over 10 years.
However, if you have cold winters and chemicals are used to keep the roads free of ice, rust through of the rear subframe can be serious. Carefully inspect any 204 (W, S, X) you buy. There is an extended warranty in the US and Canada, but I don’t know about other countries.
Transmission:
They are fine if they have had fluid changes every 65,000 - 95,000 km. Stay away from a car with 300,000 km if that cannot be proven.
If you are considering a 4Matic, carefully inspect the front propeller shaft for play at the front universal and in the transfer case CV joint. These are expensive repairs and failure can cause considerable additional damage.
Maybe someone from Europe can comment on the diesel engines as they are uncommon in the U.S.
The car also should have service records indicating service at regular 15,000 km intervals.

 

I cant speak about that engine since I have the M272 but i'll talk about owning my 2010 C300 4matic Sport the past 3yrs. Bought it with around 128,000 miles for $7,330 after tax. Dealer had the carfax ready to show which I required to even look at a car. It showed routinely serviced at Mercedes dealers which was great to see. Seller was a small shop, mostly worked on cars and had a few for sale. They gave me a warranty thru them, forget exactly what it was maybe 1yr but never needed it. i didnt even go back for my free 1st oil change, i do all that stuff myself. They put it up on the lift for me and i gave it a quick look over, so much plastic covering under there really nothing to see. Looking back i should have brought a flashlight and gave it a better look over, not because there are any issues with the car but just in general I should have. It had brand new tires so that was a plus. I took it for a test drive, alone which was great, so i went on the highway, listening for everything and anything. It drove fantastic.

No issues at all with the sunroof and i use it daily. I prefer windows down to using the ac. I did buy a little container of MB sunroof grease and clean and grease it once a year in spring.

There are issues with the rear subframe rotting. thankfully mine looks ok, there is rust but its a new England car. I guess Mercedes will replace for free if shown to be rotting.

Had a front spring break while parked in my driveway at night. I replaced both front struts with a low mileage used set. Put them in myself so was cheap. Did the same for the rear springs since they looked pretty bad on the bottom.

Had to replace both rear brake dust shields, were so rusted the parking brake springs wouldnt hold anymore and pads were flopping around grinding.

Replaced brake pads and rotors myself.

front sway bar links needed replacement, were knocking around.

One thing I didnt even think to look for until i bought the car was the rear seats dont go down. I really wanted that feature. Oh well.

I also didnt even think to turn the radio on. I thought they all came with the navigation screens. Nope, mine didnt. Oh well, i got a Garmin with dash cam now instead. I dont even listen to the radio, have the cover closed most of the time because it looks cleaner.

Replaced the battery last year, it was over 7yrs old and wouldnt hold a charge. Think a new mercedes battery from the dealer was $207 after core.

had 1 check engine light turn on and stay on. Ended up being the purge valve. I have had lights turn on, but they seemed like 1 time deals.

My parking lights will automatically turn on/flash at night whille parked. Seems like a common issue. have to leave the lights set to "auto" so it wont do it. I just remembered that because im looking outside right now and the passenger side parking lights are flashing as I type, I turned the lights to off earlier. My specific light switch is just too expensive to replace.

Im now just going thru addressing a few things due to age. Nothing major, more of a preventative maintenance.

If i didnt work on it myself it would get expensive.

The carfax does show front end damage, doesnt list exactly what. I really looked and to me it looks like maybe someone backed into the front bumper and broke a few tabs.

I finally pulled the plastic undertray off under the transmission to plan for an upcoming transmission fluid and filter change and noticed the pan is very rusted, so bought a new pan to replace.

id say when your inspecting the car put it on a lift, pull all the undertrays and give it a really good lookover with a flash light. Look at all the bushings, the ball joints in the front. Inspect the tires, pads and rotors to gauge how long until they need replacing. Hook it up to a scanner and check for codes. Check the battery, look for a date to see how old it is. And really inspect the rear subframe for rust. Ask to see the carfax, the seller should have one in my opinion. Ask to see the title, make sure its clear. When I was looking for my second car when I was younger i test drove a car and was all set to buy it, last minute the seller took out the title and it was a salvage title, seller said it was a recovered theft. I bought it anyways and i didnt have any issue with it, but ended up crashing it and the shop I had it towed to showed me that it was in a wreck previously and had frame work done. Just something to think about.

 

Add brake pipes to the list !

 

All good advice.

I have a 2014 W204 and the rear seat backs do fold down, so when did they start doing that?

The part about being able to do your own work cannot be stressed enough. If you are buying an older used Mercedes, it's usually because you can't afford a newer one (hence, my 2014 and 2015 cars). I also do my own servicing and probably more than most. I put a MaxJax lift in my garage (when they were cheaper) and figured it would pay for itself by allowing me to do significant under-carriage work. If you are not able or willing to do your own servicing, and you are not flush with cash, maybe a Honda would be a better car.

Lastly, GET A SCAN TOOL specifically for Mercedes. Good ones are under $200 and will pay for themselves after the first visit to the dealer. Search this forum; there is a recent discussion about scan tools--iCarsoft, Creader, and Foxwell.

 

​​​​​​​It's not that I can't afford, it's just that I don't want to spend more on the car. I've daily driven the E220 for the last 3 years. It was my first car ever. I've never had problems servicing it nor driving it and keeping it up to date. It had 530k km on the dash once I crashed it. If I wouldn't of crashed it, I would of continued to daily it. Best car I've ever driven long distances. The crash made me decide if I want a new W211 or get myself into something a bit more sportier like a W204. The reason I'm not pleased with a newer one is purely off the electronics and the lack of market for a W211 in the country I live in.

Thanks for the advice!

 

On a 2009 C300 4matic, how/where do you check the transmission fluid level?

 

You get the transmission oil to a certain temperature, raise the car level, and remove the drain plug. If nothing comes out, you need to add fluid until there is a slow drip. If it drips or runs out quickly, let it run until a slow drip. This may help:

 

My 16-yr journey with the 204 -

https://motorlogbook.com/cvx5832/reliable