russo79

Hi all

I'm new to the MB forum although I have been visiting for a while because I'm a MB enthusiast. I have always wanted to own an AMG Merc.

Anyway, I have the opportunity to purchase a C43 AMG Estate and wondered if anyone could answer a couple of questions for me?

Firstly, the only fault the car currently has is a leak on the a/c. Its been recharged but subsequently lost pressure again. I'm not overly concerned about a/c but just wondered how costly parts are.

Secondly, I've become a little worried about the gearbox issues from other parts of the forum. The car has been really well maintained with lots of history and receipts but has covered 90000 miles and obviously I want to do what I can to prevent any issues arrising once I purchase. Any advice on this one?

Finally, what are people's thoughts on converting these to run on LPG? I've had cars on LPG before without issue and have spoken to a local specialist who says that he has converted lots of AMG's successfully. He's got a ML55 in at the moment and offers a lifetime warrenty (on the LPG system only).

Thanks for your time and help.

KJI3jflarryfe93

hey bud welcome to this forum.
these cars are fantastic to drive!
But will be costly when they break apart, if you need specific AMG parts.

AC leaks are going o happen on any car, you never know when?
Going to the dealer will be very costly on a 11-12 years old car.
Go to a specialist who knows what they are doing.
It will be cheaper and better for you.

if you can notice every gear changing without slipping through gears trans is ok!
Change the gearbox oil and you are good to go.
Conductor plate can fail/internal oilleaks/ big problems!
Valve housing plate= looks like a labyrinth might go bad?
Plastic oil plug breaks= leaking out oil

Doing an LPG conversion on an AMG sounds bad, I wouldn't do it!

Check the car for rust around bootedges, doors edges, upper doorsills lift the rubber and check for hidden rust!
Wheelarches edge rust?
Engineroom, end edges on both side firewall peel off the nasty foam seal PRONTO!
Hidden rust trap on both ends on the firewall
If you wash your engine, those foam seals never dry up!
you will get hidden cancer rot!

Electronic problems:
lcd display on AC HU *** up!
display cluster might go bad
cheap quality components on BOSE amp, 1 channel might go bad?
tapedeck's bad sound quality because of a bad BOSE amp?

There are other problems others can chime in.
Good luck bud

russo79

Thanks for the advice...

I've checked the car over for rust (although there are a couple of areas you mentioned that I'll look at). The body it pretty good (I know that these can rust a little round the arches and near the grill etc but this one is spot on.

The guy I'm buying it off is a friend of a friend but from looking over the receipts he has really looked after it.

Gear changes at the moment seem really good though and the engine sounds and pulls as it should.

I'll get the transmission oil and filters changes as soon as I collect.

Cheers

KJI3jflarryfe93

whazz up bud?
if the oil was already changed on the car then you're good to go.
no need to change yet!

check the harmonic balancer on crankshaft, might be or not be bad!
I found out yesterday mine is going bad!

o2 sensors can give you a bad performance car!
european cars have 2 o2 sensors, US cars I guess have 4 of them.
if 1 gets bad your transmision won't change the gears perfectly!

MAF going bad, bad for engine.
Less power, engine goes lean and killing cats.

suspension LCA inner bushing goes bad, creeking noise

car has an uneven tirewear, inner thread gets worn

major problems is the transmission if something happens with it!

UK cars are they rusty?
it rains alot there, so I guess they are wet most of the time?

russo79

I did notice that the tread had worn on the outside of the front tyres. the rest of the tyres were fine, just a little bit on the edges of the front tyres? The current owner had the car alligned before fitting the last set of tyres but has replaced these again this week.

DRBC43AMG

Hello and Welcome
Even if this is mostly a N. American forum with lots of guys from the US and Canada, some of us are scattered around Europe. Have had my 99' C43 since April and this weekend the odometer passed the 210'000 kms mark. Car works and pulls great despite the age and distance driven. Some issues with the gearbox but I do not know if mine has been changed or not. Some problems may pop up (I had the CPS changed after 2 weeks as it is a frequent breakdown). Kowalski has indeed painted the bleakest picture possible with what can go wrong, but don't get too distracted by his comments. Concerning the aircon, could be the condenser, could also be the compressor. If the latter, it is expensive to change, but after it works great. I recommend you get a refill with a special dye injected at the same time. Leaks then can be seen using a UV light. On both my W202's I have the automatic aircon/heater on all the time and 12 months a year. Does increase very slightly the fuel consumption, but at the same time gets all the components ticking over all the time. Never have heard of a LPG conversion on a AMG, so can't say anything there. My fuel consumption is around 11.04lt /100km average since I purchased it. Last fill I got just over 10lt/100km, but that was mainly on Motorways. Love the Estate and I believe just over 700 where built so pretty rare, even if I see more of them here than the sedan. Enjoy the drive.

KJI3jflarryfe93

I think most of the time c-class wears out the tires on the innerside tire tread.
I think this is the factory setup, but I'm not sure?

If you lower the car, a good fix is to get adjustable camber arms.
This is a good way to get even tirewear according to experts knowledge.

Yeah, I forgot about the crank shaft sensor.
I had it changed 2 years ago as a preventative reason.
It wasn't bad but you don't know when it starts to go bad.
I didn't want to get stranded in a deserted hellhole!
Best thing was to change it.

russo79

Thanks for all the advice. I really appreciate you all taking the time to pass on your knowledge.

I'm now looking forward to collecting the car... Probably Monday!

Cheers

DRBC43AMG

Great and hope you will give us your first impressions

russo79

Will let you know and post some pics too.

I'm waiting to sell my BMW 323i, so fingers crossed, that deal goes through first then... I'll have my first AMG!!!

ECTurboGSX

I've had the odd tire wear as well, with mine wearing on the outside edge. I've had it aligned twice and it continues to do it. I really need to go back over my alignment sheets and look at the numbers.

DRBC43AMG

Too much toe in at the front perhaps?