Igotsoul4u

I have been driving a used C400. I bought it in early december with 12k for $37500. The honeymoon phase is over and much like a relationship the details are becoming clearer. Unfortunately the car seems to have the rattles like a ****. They have fixed the nav screen but in the process of trying to ease the wind noise, they created new rattles in the door which doesn't close well unless slammed. Not cool for what was supposed to be a dream car for my wife and I. Initially the car was shifting poorly but a reflash seems to have helped things alot. Still, the transmission is a bit of a let down. It was surprising that the C300 seemed to shift smoother and predictably. Anyway....

During one of my visits. I happened to pick up the maintenance sheets that the benz service people had printed out. I could not believe how much crap had been done while the previous owner had the car. I immediately began to realize there was a good chance this person got sick of all the nonsense and demanded a new lease vehicle. When the service person came back they seemed fairly concerned that I had looked at the papers and apparently I should not have seen them. I would have never bought this car had I seen the maintenance file. It did not look like the carfax. I was originally planning to keep the car for at least 10 years but am having major second thoughts. The rattles have increased immensely with the change of seasons and I am afraid the noises will get worse and worse has the plastics expand and contract.

I am wondering if I should see if the dealer will let me get into a C43 lease without any additional money. I have had the car in 4 times already to fix stupid stuff and I feel a little duped having seen the maintenance records. Anyone have any similar experiences?

Mike5215

While the "internals" are supposed to be confidential (since they have prior owner details) on every Benz I've ever purchased the sales guy has pulled and printed the report for me. Sometimes they redact the prior owner info.

Honestly I want to see lots of service visits. It means somebody cared enough about the car to keep it in good condition. It also tells me that the prior guy had some stuff done that I now know I won't have to.

But I get it. You thought you were marrying a virgin and it turns out she spent the last couple of years working as a stripper. It's a little unsettling.

The rattles, and I think everybody here has them or had them are a huge buzz kill. They just scream "poorly built" every time you hit a bump or expansion joint.

As far as trading it, my guess is you'll get murdered on depreciation and that negative equity will get transferred to the lease on a new car. You don't actually lease a car from a dealer. MBFS buys the car from the dealer and rents it back to you, so aside from discounting the new car there's not a lot the dealer can do for you.

I'd get the rattles fixed and drive it for a couple of years to improve the equity.

Igotsoul4u

Mike. Thanks for your reply and also for you general contributions to this site. Your posts are always very informative and wise.


The Mercedes thing has been interesting. The nicest cars I have ever owned were a Z28 camaro and my Honda ridgeline. It is hard to decipher between raised expectations of moving to a luxury brand and things that are actually wrong with the car. I went with Mercedes because the people I know that have them generally speak favorably about the quality of the car. I am always after quality and experience. I could care less about people "seeing" me in a Mercedes. Still, I absolutely can't get enough of the acceleration and the visual appearance of the car.

Thanks again for the advice.

Mike5215

Based on my experience with the brand the W205 C isn't representative of the kind of cars the Benz reputation was built upon. They've evolved in a new direction, much less stodgy and with a greater focus on fuel economy and tech. (I think they go hand in hand actually. Lighter cars fare less well than bulletproof tanks in a crash, so the focus is now on making crashes as avoidable as possible, and if that fails, as survivable as possible.)

Your C400 IMO is the smart buy for a 205. A bit heavier and a smoother powertrain than the T4, without the harsh ride and loud exhaust of the C450. If they were building them in 16 I'd have ordered one.

l3it3r

The 400, aside from the 63/63S, is probably the best all-around version they made so far. It's comfortable to drive, fast, and comes with a good assortment of options as standard.

The 450 was too harsh and loud for me. The 43 has a slightly smoother ride, but still screams sports sedan when you want to just cruise. The 300 just doesn't have enough power in the right places, requiring you to wind the motor up pretty high, and when you combine it with the lightness of the car, the suspension is floaty..

so yeah, I think the 400 is the better all-around (and yes, I'm biased, but with 42k miles of experience in my 400, and various 300/450/43 loaners/overnight testers over the years, I'm confident)

That said, the W205 rattles. a lot. and I have had mine in the MB dealer at least 5-6 times for rattles. The biggest and best fix so far was the burmester speaker pins for the C400. That made a huge difference for me. If you search here, you can find the code for it.

removedCFGaccount

I agree with much of this, especially the thoughts about the crappy four cylinder.

Mike5215

Ya know, after driving a BMW 430 this week I have to agree with you on the T4 in the 300. It really is a wheezing turd compared to the beautiful, linear power delivery and pleasant exhaust note from the Bimmer's T4 and ZF 8. Totally different experience vs the Benz. Unfortunately I still have 18 months to go on the fricking lease.

removedCFGaccount

I take no pleasure in this, it should have been smooth and powerful.

Mike5215

Is it the tranny or what? How can two 2.0 T4s in similar size cars be such opposites?

removedCFGaccount

Only the Head Kraut in Charge knows.

DapperStyle

I'm not 100% but has MB ever done a proper T4 before this one? The new M264 should be much improved, it's going to have 268 HP and be mated to a 48V system that will power the turbo under 2,500 RPM eliminating the turbo lag.

abstractls

I am a proud owner of a C400 with a little over 50k on it now. I have started to get some dash rattles from the nav screen which I will have to address soon, but I also have a custom exhaust so I am sure they will try to blame on that, but the exhaust was done a year ago and the rattles are new. Other then that new revelation I love the car.

Igotsoul4u

They fixed the nav rattle no problem. Do you notice your car is more likely to rattle in hot weather?

There are so many things I love about the car, but I guess part of me has basic "first expensive" car syndrome. Hopefully it will not bight me in the *** down the road with legit problems. Eventually I might try the aftermarket exhaust as well for a bit more of the aggressive sounds. Got any audio clips of your system? Still, I kind of dig the stealth mode of the C400. People think its a C300 until they see the C400 lettering as I blast off. I surprised the crap out of a subaru WRX the other day. He lost.

removedCFGaccount

Subaru jap crap.

Nicholi2007

Now that these cars are more affordable with age, I'm looking at one with odometer under 40K. I understand that it's a fixed-split all-wheel-drive system (45 percent front, 55 percent rear).

Q. Is the transmission as disappointing as people claim? I heard there was a software updated that largely addressed that.

Prisurf

I have been pretty happy with C400. I have bought it brand new and still running amazing. Only issue I had so far, is Sunroof stuck in one side slant position, rattling due to broken passenger head rest, and battery replacement (new dead OEM battery). I would still recommended Benz over BMW which i had so many issues that i would never want to go back.

Darrington

Very happy with mine, owned since Nov 2016. Good luck shopping!

Nicholi2007

They say it's 45 percent front, 55 percent rear power split.

Q 1. Does acceleration feel natural? there is not one nearby I can drive.
Q 2. Was there a software update that improves the gear box?

CClassfan1

‘What year is your car? I have read that Mercedes have installed thicker windows to reduce the wind noise on certain years. Maybe you can ask the dealer about that. I don’t know if there was a recall or lemon law.

Nicholi2007

I don't own the C400. I'm just gathering information as used ones with low mileage have surfaced for under $30,000
Considering everything I've read, it appears that the gearbox is not up to MB standards.

I have also read about the acoustic glass. I believe there is a bulletin but I don't know applicable years.

Thanks for all the input.

I'm looking at the C450 but there have been transmission issues. There are a fair amount of reports that it slips in 2nd and 3rd gear. Evidently replacement of the Transmission Clutch Solenoid solves this in some instances however Mercedes diagnostic system does not register an error. Others say it's a software issue.

I test drove a C450 and a 2019 C43. I liked the C43 as it drove better.