Hey guys. I don’t post a lot here but I follow a lot of these threads regularly. I have some problems with my w205 and in need of help. I bought this car CPO in 2018 and it’s out of warranty (2016 w205) and I’m thinking it’s the biggest mistake of my life

First problem is my headliner is falling. It’s been falling for a year. I’ve had 20 year old cars with perfectly intact headliners but this car at 5 years old decided to let the headliner go.

has anyone had electrical issues with the dashboard dimmer switch? When I use the dimmer switch the dash lights don’t change. What changes is the cigarette lighter brightness. It was working up until 2 days ago and just **** the bed. I noticed because the dash lights were excessively dim and I went to change them and nothing. Surprise.

does anyone have an overpowering fuel smell in their car at cold temperatures? Like below 40 degrees. I’ve read that there are class action lawsuits in a few US states for this known issue but no recall yet. Has anyone paid to have this fixed? Any idea on price?

and Lastly. My radiator fan kicks on high speed. Every 60 seconds or so. The car warms up. I’m driving. And then I hear the radiator fan kick on. And it sounds like a jet is taking off. It shouldn’t be running that high. And then it goes off. And then it comes back on 30 seconds later full blast. And then off. And then 30 seconds later back on. And so on. I think it’s a bad relay or loose wire. Any ideas?

thanks For you help everyone. I’ve always had my car serviced at Mercedes’ on time. Never a mile late. And in the last 3 - 4 months this car has really just given up on me. Anyone with advice on the dimmer switch/radiator/gas leak I really appreciate it

 

Hi there Evach,

From what I've seen, it's somewhat common on the W205's headliner to start separating/sagging especially on the upper rear corners (I have two "bubbles" in these locations). Using Google Maps on your phone, search for 'car interior repair' to find a shop near you. A decent interior shop should be able to use steam to reactivate the adhesive or possible inject some adhesive behind the headliner at a minimal cost.

I've not had this issue, but I think I may have used this switch once, maybe twice. Since this switch is generally not used often, I would try working the switch from min-to-max repeatedly for a few minutes to see if it may be something as simple as "dirty" contacts.

This is a known and fairly common issue. If it's the low-pressure fuel line that's seeping, Mercedes will cover the repair for all C-Class 2015-2017 for 10 years/120,000 miles whether you have active warranty coverage or not. See the following:

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...extension.html

It also could be a hose clamp on the fuel pump:

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...uel-smell.html


I would resolve this ASAP (most urgent IMO). Start simple, check your coolant and coolant level. Check the condition of your radiator... is it clogged with a bunch of bugs and debris? If so, go to a self-service car wash and blast out your radiator fins with high-pressure water. This could be something electrical, such as a temperature sensor, but could also be something mechanical, such as a water pump. If you don't have the facility to troubleshoot this yourself, get it to a good independent shop that is familiar with modern Mercedes' to get this resolved before it leads to larger issues. Your car is obviously trying to overcome some form of deficiency in the cooling system. It's only a matter of time before it can no longer overcome the issue.

Good luck and post back your solutions once fixed!

 

I had the fuel smell and the dealership replaced the low-pressure fuel line, and, as Keith said they covered it, they steam cleaned the engine and undercarriage as well.

 

thank you so much for all of your answers. You’ve been super helpful. In regards to the sagging headliner you’re spot on. That’s the exact spot where mine is sagging. I’ve been to several auto upholstery shops and have been quoted in the $800 price range (save $200 if I remove the old headliner myself)

I had no idea that Mercedes’ had extended a warranty for the fuel issue. I have a 2016 c300 4matic with about 83,000 miles on it and have been checking the nhtsa website weekly for a recall. Ive seen in the linked thread that MB generally doesn’t fix the issue unless it’s presently happening and seeing how it’s nearly summer I haven’t smelled gas in a couple months. I’ll give them a call this weekend and see what they say. If they want to wait until the problem is present I have the miles to wait until the winter.

the dimmer switch still isn’t working. I’ve seen videos on how to swap out the whole light assembly on w204 and it seems pretty easy. I’m going to take the side bolster off this weekend and see if there’s a loose wire/how difficult it is to replace the whole piece.


So I’m not super mechanical. But I’ve topped off the coolant levels. The radiator fan is clear and spins freely. I’m going to use an obd2 scanner this weekend and see if there’s any faults. From the research I’ve done it would appear to be electrical. But again, I’m no mechanic.

thank you so much for your help!

 

You're very welcome! The headliner does not need to be replaced unless there are tears or other damage, not sure why they are quoting to replace the entire headliner (?). I would try another interior shop, this should be a simple repair (steam/adhesive).

Good luck and I hope everything turns out good for you!

 

@Keith66 , @Evach24 : my C300 also developed the headliner issue. Did you end up fixing yours? If so, how?

 

Sorry to hear man. I ended up trading in my C before I got to fixing it. My plan was to take it to a custom interior shop though, I would think they could repair it by reactivating the adhesive with steam or make some small incisions to inject some adhesive and steam it, then use a rubber roller to smooth it out.

Good luck!