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I live in the Dallas area and most of the used C300 are being brought in from out of state for sale. One i've got my eye on is from the Columbus Ohio area. It's sold via Echopark who claim to do a thorough 150 point inspection. My question is should I be concerned about rust seeing as how Ohio is subject to snowy winters? I wasn't sure if modern cars still were suspect to significant costly rust damage. I'm looking at a 2018 C200 Sedan. I didn't look under the vehicle or at the braking, control arms etc but was thinking modern Mecedes shouldn't have any issues.
Great question. I've also wrestled with this when I was considering buying from Carvana (cars from all over). I think modern cars have improved their rust protection within exterior panels quite a bit, but underneath is usually a different story. Everyone has their own personal standards, but for me, any car that lived where they salt the roads is a no-go for me. I'm not sure what the state of Ohio uses. If you don't care what's underneath and you don't plan on working on the car yourself with buckets of WD-40 and penetrating oil, it may not be a deal-breaker for you. Your call.
At a minimum, I would request pics of underneath the car so you can make your own assessment.
My car has lived in Florida since delivered (2015) and I'd have to guess there are not many cars up north (unless they are garage queens) that look like this underneath. And no, I don't wash the undercarriage... this is "natural" underneath with 41K miles.
If they use sand or none because of low population and just don't care about their citizens, the car will have minimum rust instead of being a rust bucket.
Great question. I've also wrestled with this when I was considering buying from Carvana (cars from all over). I think modern cars have improved their rust protection within exterior panels quite a bit, but underneath is usually a different story. Everyone has their own personal standards, but for me, any car that lived where they salt the roads is a no-go for me. I'm not sure what the state of Ohio uses. If you don't care what's underneath and you don't plan on working on the car yourself with buckets of WD-40 and penetrating oil, it may not be a deal-breaker for you. Your call.
At a minimum, I would request pics of underneath the car so you can make your own assessment.
My car has lived in Florida since delivered (2015) and I'd have to guess there are not many cars up north (unless they are garage queens) that look like this underneath. And no, I don't wash the undercarriage... this is "natural" underneath with 41K miles.
Did the early cars not come with the plastic splash/chip guards on the lower control arms? Mine's a 2017 (rwd, not 4Matic) and has them.
Did the early cars not come with the plastic splash/chip guards on the lower control arms? Mine's a 2017 (rwd, not 4Matic) and has them.
Good eye! Yes, mine came with the splash guards also. I initially removed them about a year ago when switching to coilovers (dropped the lower swing-arm to get the original coil springs out) and left the guards off so I could easily re-torque everything after a couple hundred miles. I re-torqued/checked everything but failed to put the splash guards back on, still sitting in my garage. I should probably put them back on. ;p
Mine's got about 54K on it...a California car so, like Florida, everything stays nice and clean. I did Armor-All the splash guards before reinstalling...replaced the shocks all around with Bilstein B4s. Most folks wouldn't replace shocks until 80K or so, but it just felt a touch floaty up front. Feels new-car tight now, and I now have excellent forearm strength after doing the fronts with a manual spring compressor!
Loving this car! Bought it about three weeks ago. Base model that came off lease (with the optional 18-in. twin spoke wheels), but plenty luxurious for me.
... and I now have excellent forearm strength after doing the fronts with a manual spring compressor! ...
LOL! Nice!
Congrats on the purchase! I bought mine off a 36 month MB lease turn-in. No regrets. I've owned a lot of vehicles in my days and this Mercedes is the all-around best of them yet.
Oh, and anyone who even considers Armour All-ing suspension components is someone I can identify with!
I'm looking at a 2018 C200 Sedan. I didn't look under the vehicle or at the braking, control arms etc but was thinking modern Mecedes shouldn't have any issues.
Any thoughts?[/QUOTE]
Do you guys have C200 in the states?
I'm looking at a 2018 C200 Sedan. I didn't look under the vehicle or at the braking, control arms etc but was thinking modern Mecedes shouldn't have any issues.
Any thoughts?
Originally Posted by Andy74
Do you guys have C200 in the states?
Nope, I think that was a typo. The entry level W205 C-Class sedan in the U.S. is the C300 2.0L 4cyl and they go up from there.
I'm looking at a 2018 C200 Sedan. I didn't look under the vehicle or at the braking, control arms etc but was thinking modern Mecedes shouldn't have any issues.
Any thoughts?
Very few threads on this so I think you're good regarding rust. It's curious that the tubular subframes have various holes in them...seems to be a minus from a rust prevention standpoint, but they could be for controlled deformation in an impact, or access holes for other components. I hope the tubes are primed on the inside!
Keith...yeah I'm a little OCD that way, but thankfully it's a mild case. Gotta leave it better than you found it! Having fun doing some routine maintenance like serpentine belt, etc. even if it's too early. Not knowing the exact service history of the car, it's nice to establish a fresh baseline.
08-30-2021, 04:05 PM
C300 from Ohio, Rust Questions
