Valpo Benz

Greetings! I am thinking about making the move from Audi to Mercedes with the next car purchase. And I hope that I am in the right form to begin with as I am not very familiar yet with MB.

Currently we have a 2012 Audi A7 with 226,600 miles on it. Bought it used at 142K and have done all the maintenance myself since then, including engine removal to replace the 4 timing chains. I jokingly call myself an uncertified Audi tech.


Anywho.... thinking about picking up a 2015 C400 V6 as my next vehicle. Looks pretty clean, CarFax looks good but there are a lot of entries that just say SERVICED so I do not know the full details from CF. Looks like it has had 2 minor accidents, front left and front right corner. Price is $21,500 and says it is about $$3,700 below market. I suspect that is from the accident history and it has been on the dealer lot since November 2022.

So is the 2015 C400 a decent purchase?

What should I expect for problems? Any worries with the V6 turbos grenading like some of the twins turbos on the Audi 4.0 engine?

Fuel requirements? From what I can find MB requires 91 octane, is that a MUST or is it just a recommendation? Our Audi recommends 91 but it it runs perfectly fine on 89 (midgrade)

How often on service? Looks like every 10K with synthetic oil like I do with my A7. With the Audi I need the VAGCOM software to access the computer to reset the 1 year service reminder, do I need specialized software with MB?

Any specialized tools for the MB? I had to invest in triple square sockets for the Audi so if those are needed then I already have them.

W205C43PFL

Welcome! Happy to hear you join the MB family.

In regards to the V6 in the C 400, this engine is reliable and has been used in many applications across MB's lineup. I would suggest against buying an accident reported vehicle though, you never know if it was repaired to factory spec or if there are other types of damages not reported. Unless you get a phenomenal deal on it even then you still want to think twice. Either way, PPI (Pre-Purchase Inspection) is a must.

A 2015 W205 is the first model year of the generation, I don't recommend it mainly because there may? be issues that didn't had a chance to get patched until later model years which is common for new generations of vehicles.

Specialized tools wise, for MB, you need STAR diagnostics/Xentry Diagnostics. As for resetting the service reminder only, you just need to press a few buttons on the steering wheel.

For none MB specific codes, a capable scanner will do.

For the MBUSA market, oil change is every one year or ten thousand miles, I usually recommend doing it earlier if you are keeping the vehicle for a long time, brake fluid is every two years.

Valpo Benz

What kind of money are we talking for the STAR system? And what do I need it for that a regular code reader will not do? I have a Foxwell NT 630 scanner that will read / clear codes and give me live data as part of the troubleshooting. It will interface with ABS and Airbags as well.

MaverickC43

C class is a smaller car than ur Audi and u will need to get the interior upgrades to get them similar.
just my 2 cents
never driven the 400’s but I agree with trying to stay away from the first generation

MaverickC43

I would get a ppi for sure. Car looks nice but it was towed for the first accident and and the 2nd looks like it was the week the new owner bought it.

there’s shady shops & people out there

MaverickC43

The c400 badge is blacked out but not the 4matic.
may have been an owner who started things & didn’t finish.
car looks good. But u need an inspection
u will want to know what was done after those accidents too!!

Valpo Benz

Made me go back and re-read the Carfax. I am not sure if it was towed for the accident or not. Accident was 9-4 and the tow was 9-18.

But anyways thanks for catching that.

Alright so maybe not this particular C400 but maybe another. Trying to do some homework before approaching my wife on the trade. We love the A7, absolutely effing love the 7 but she's getting old. Come spring I need to poke around with the suspension and see if anything needs changed out if we decide to keep it.

That is what I thought about getting blacked out or at least started. I am not a big fan about blacked out to be honest. Love me the right amount of chrome.

MaverickC43

Ur right about the tow, but find a good shop and get the insp. The Benz dealerships should be able to tell u what they did.

MaverickC43

I’ve driven the Audi 6’s, not the 7 but the c class is not a big car.
Obvi u will drive and see if u like it. Not a big back seat

Andy74

Welcome to the Best or Nothing. You are mooving from German to German. As a Benz owner I highly recommend you go for it.

W205C43PFL

Well there are subscriptions available, (you can usually sign up for a day? or was it a week and download everything you need so you don't have to remain subscribed) for workshop information system (WIS) that includes step by step on how to proceed with maintenance/repair etc.

As for the STAR system it cost quite a bit, here is an example in Canadian dollars: https://www.mercedes-benz.ca/content...7__ENGLISH.pdf that said as far as I heard though there are not so proper methods to obtain the system on ebay for example if you know what I mean (same goes with WIS you could usually find it there). Whatever method you want to obtain it depends on your preference.

but ... as I mentioned earlier, if you are just changing brake pads (set retract in the vehicle first by calling the workshop menu using several sequence of buttons of the steering wheel), resetting engine oil interval (same as mentioned), the C 400 V6's engine has the engine oil filter on the top, there is a dipstick, you can also drain it as you regularly would from the drain pan. You need to use an oil filter socket though, not expensive at all, by the way here is a thread from another forum member on what to expect with engine oil change: https://mbworld.org/forums/c450-c43-...-tutorial.html

Things are very straightforward really, a STAR is not a must if just for regular maintenance. Swapping the starter battery is simple as well for example.

Valpo Benz

So what about fuel needs for the Benz? MUST I feed it the 91 octane or will it be fine on 89 octane?

W205C43PFL

Well, that is up for debate. This is what MB says: https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbw...292bc3836a.jpg
Meanwhile here is one of the discussions: https://mbworld.org/forums/gl-class-...gular-gas.html
Another one: https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...emium-gas.html
I remember there are several discussions (threads) on this topic before but I only was able to find two so far.
Keep in mind, different countries have different ratings, RON, AKI, MON.
Edit: Found some more
https://mbworld.org/forums/sl-class-...as-prices.html
https://mbworld.org/forums/glb-class...gular-gas.html
https://mbworld.org/forums/glc63s-gl...cedes-glc.html
https://mbworld.org/forums/gl-class-...-gasoline.html
https://mbworld.org/forums/clk-class...-shortage.html
https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...after-all.html
https://mbworld.org/forums/glk-class...89-octane.html

BenzNinja

iTrader: (4)

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

Elvisfan0108

It’s really not up for debate. MB requires premium. Everything else is opinion. MB even gives you specific instructions if you have to put in something else.

W205C43PFL

Well, I already stated that with a link of the screenshot of what MB states in the previous post. I personally only put shell v-power in our MBs.

Kurumi T

This is my ownership review of my C400:
- Second owner of the car, bought it off CPO with a clean record with approximately 9,500 miles.
- Car is a daily driver and I am now at 79,000 miles entering 5 years of ownership.

Personal Review:
Pros:
- Great value for the car performance
- Good MPG (average 28-32 MPG on highway cruise speeds but suffers in the city)
- Great exterior styling, personal opinion compared to the German competitors at the time of release. In comparison to the newer W205 generation C-Class, the facelift looks way better. Fortunately, there is a lot of aftermarket part support for customization. I DIY'ed a lot of the aftermarket mods and changed the look of the vehicle on the interior and exterior. (I can provide pictures if one is interested.)

Cons:
- Lack of remote start as this was not an option in the C400 but is now available for the newer year models 2019 and up.
- Is mainly an "AMG" as it shares a bunch of the parts and certainly the engine model (M276) as the C43 but lacks the "AMG"-like interior compared to the C43.
- The exhaust. Sounds decent but not as good as the C43. So I recommend putting an aftermarket exhaust.

Ownership Review:
The only issues I had to deal with was:
- Trunk/Rear backseat area rattling going over bumps.
- Panorama roof was tangled once but was resolve under CPO and did not happen again.
- Front passenger side ball joint had some slight squeaking when you fully turn the wheel to the right but it went away on its own and has not come back. (Happened around 25K miles of ownership)
From what I have read on the forums, my C400 might be on the better side which I had very minor issues come up.

Recommendation:
If you have the budget, I would recommend getting a C43 AMG for the slightly upgraded performance and exhaust notes. However, I do think the C400 is a great car overall as a sleeper cruiser that can be tuned and modded to match the predecessor, C43 AMG.

Hope this helps.

Trappers101

Octane: The difference between Midgrade and Premium is right about .30 cents, at 20 gallons that comes to $6 dollars. Of all the difficult decisions we have to make everyday this is not one of them.

MaverickC43

Higher octane will give better performance
lower will just limit that

Andy74

Higher the octane you are not driving a Honda Civic.

Valpo Benz

Sorry did not mean to start up another forum war about octane.

Many sources all say 91 octane required but I know with modern engines and knock sensors you can typically use lower grade. Had me curious as the manual said 87 was okay in a pinch but not to run a full tank through. My current A7 says recommended 91 but I know it runs perfectly fine on 89 octane. I had read an article awhile back that talked about fuel requirements for the Audi and BMW engines that even running 87 octane the only difference is a loss of maybe 5 HP at peak power.

I have grown up since my younger days and in 80,000 miles on the A7 I can probably count on 2 hands the times I mashed the pedal full throttle. I just don't need to around my area.

Elvisfan0108

Yes, you did. I primarily use Costco premium. Unless I am nowhere near Costco. Then Shell.

W205C43PFL

Is your Costco ethanol free? I heard some aren't even in their highest octane, they all come from different refineries, that is what I heard.

Elvisfan0108

I’m not aware of any place around my area that has Ethanol free gas. Including Costco.

W205C43PFL

I see, do you use this site by chance? https://www.pure-gas.org/