Hi, I’d like to hear some real world experience with the C450. I’m considering purchasing a pre-owned model in Canada with fairly low mileage (23,000km). And it's got about a year and half warranty left. I’m wondering what the experience has been for people who bought these cars new and have been driving them since 2016. Any problem you have encountered. What maintenance costs have you incurred, or what upkeep cost has surprised you the most? Thank you.

 

How adventurous are you? There's nothing special about any of the basic maintenance. Oil changes and brakes can all be done DIY. If you're not willing to DIY, Service A's run $200-300, Service B's run $400-800 (both are basically oil changes with differing levels of inspection). You dealer should be able to tell you the costs of each up front before you buy. Brakes will run you +/- $1200, or <$500 if you DIY. Other than creaks and rattles, a bit of searching will yield you all the answers you seek.

 

Thank you for your answer, Richard! Not that adventurous, I'm afraid. I have discussed with Merc dealer about quotes on Service A and B and am actually considering buying it from a third-party dealer, which makes the car not qualified for Extended Limited Warranty. Someone from the forum did mention experiencing tranny issue, so I wonder if there is any other reliability issue i should be mindful of?

 

How much are you looking to spend? What are your other options?

If it was me, I would skip and just buy a new 2019 C43 or M2.

 

The dealer is offering around 40k. Why skipping?

 

The C43 with performance exhaust is worth alone.
C43/C450 have squeaky brakes and rattles/creaks. Only issues I have encountered. The performance exhaust will be loud enough you’ll never hear squeaky brakes or rattles.

 

Just not as engaging to drive vs other cars out there. But if your budget is 40k, this may be your only chance to own a “fast” luxury car at a reasonable price.

 

I have over 8900 miles which is just over 14k km. No issues with the engine or transmission. As the others chimed in, the car does exhibit squeaky breaks from time to time and some interior rattles. To me every car has some nuisances but don’t expect it to be perfect. As for maintenance, depending where you live, service A and B is reasonable for a mb imo. So far cost is minimal and car is dependable.

 

Thank you for your input. c450 is fast enough for me, and seems more dependable than bmw 3 series.

 

That's right. Since it's a pre-owned vehicle, I expect minor things here and there, as long as it's nothing major. Do you intend to keep it long-term past warranty?

 

Thank you. I have test driven the C43, the car is a joy to drive, but the sound is too violent to my liking. I guess it's a personal preference. Do you intend to keep it past warranty?

 

i have a 2016 C450 with 64,000 miles on it, bought it new, no issues.
i had a "active lane assist inoperative" message. after they replaced the camera (under warranty), the message hasnt appear again.

 

I've had my C450 for about a year now, currently around 32,000 miles and have had absolutely zero issues.
Have performed one oil change, where the dealer I purchased it from (not a MB dealer) put WAY too much oil in it, as I drained out more than 9 quarts...

Plenty of squeaks in the dash but otherwise I really enjoy driving it.

 

My '16 C450 has 40k miles on it.

I agree with others that the brakes can be squeaky, whether they are worn or brand new. I actually just had the front and rear brakes replaced a month or two ago.

There may be a rattle in the cabin that I never really hear since I have music on all the time.

Since the tires cannot be rotated, just be aware you might have to by a new set more frequently than other cars. I got rid of the run flats almost at around 10k miles. Then got my second pair about half a year ago. So.. if you drive like I drive (or the way the car is meant to be driven), then you will go through tires quicker than other cars.

Also, after my extended warranty was up, I went to a certified Euro car place near me that has great reviews and they did the B service like $300 cheaper than the dealership quoted.

But overall, it has been great with no issues.

 

Thank you for the insights! And glad you are enjoying your car

I told the dealer about vibration while braking issue, and they agreed to machine the pads first.
What did it cost you roughly to replace them? One member mentioned in the thread at around $1200.

The current tires on it have 7/32 of tread left, given my more leisure driving style, I wouldn't worry too much about getting a second pair soon. But thank you for the reminder.

 

Glad you are having fun with the car! Thank you for the input, Brad

 

I've had my c450 for 3 years now and about 55k kms on it.

Minor squeeks from center console speaker and a rattle from the passenger seat belt. This one was solved by moving the height adjuster on the b pillar up one notch.

The rear brake pads and rotors were replaced under warranty as they were worn in the 1st 10k kms but have been fine ever since. They would not change the front squeeky brakes under warranty so I just lived with it for 3 years. Recently replaced the front pads as they were due and now I have 0 brake noise. I used OEM pads.

There's an odd 2nd gear jerk at around 2k rpms that was mostly eliminated with a software update. It still does it, but the car doesn't jerk. I can see the rpm fluctuate but it doesn't look like I'm driving a manual car and let the clutch out too fast anymore.

Other than those things, the car has been solid.

If possible, I would say get the C43 instead for the 9 speed as it is a much better transmission. If you aren't too picky about that type of thing then the C450 would suffice and it is still a blast to drive.

As for maintenance, I've done nothing but 4 oil changes besides the brakes and it still drives like day 1.

 

Concur with above. Canadian guy with a C450 for 37 months now and ya, the center console can be heard to rattle on things like talk radio but not often and not much of a bother. I've got 40K on it and its going back on lease return shortly in perfect shape. Awesome car, no issues.

 

You didnt mention how much the price was.

I wonder if the C450 is the same 7speed that benz had been using for the past decade. If it is, it should be very very sturdy and reliable. The most suspect part of the C450/C43 is the transmission since everybody is wondering how much power can the tranny take before it breaks. That being said, if you plan to leave the car stock and only plan to drive the car for 3-5 years, I wouldnt expect any problems.

1 thing I might check though is the sensor connectors in the engine bay. Look to see if they've been wedged with a screw driver. If they have any dents in the clips, if any ridges look like theyve been broken off. reason because the M276 has alot of tuning options. half of them piggyback. Each of the piggy backs require the unit to be attached to the TMAP (1 or 2 of them) and the Cam sensor. The clips that fasten the sensors are notoriously hard to remove and are usually loosened with a screw driver. If the white part of the sensor clips look like they have a flat dent across them, that means somebody tried to press it down with a screw driver. This dent may or may not be obvious. Which would mean the car was tuned. If so, add about 5-10k km to that odometer for normal users.

If that was Bora18's car add about 20k km lol.

 

Mercedes-Benz brake life almost all Benz squeaks and have crazy brake dust same with my S550

 

I had a c450 for about a year from 15k-28k miles, and I was stage 1 ecu tuned for around 9k of those miles. 0 issues with engine or trans. I was not a hard abuser but i definitely drove it as a sports car. I've heard people say go with the c43 for the 9 speed but some guys on here who have driven both seem to like the 7 speed better. As some others have said the trans can exhibit some unusual behavior- in my case the rpms would drop around 200rpm from around 1300 to 1100, with no associated power loss. Especially when starting in comfort (2nd gear start). I've heard various reasons including the trans is slipping as it is designed to to prep for upshift, and that it is normal for the car. There is a long thread on this forum about trans jerkiness. The result for me was "accepting" it as normal after the service dept. washed their hands of the issue. Anyway my 63s now has this type of behavior too, maybe it really is a normal things for Benz....these cars have been my only automatics so idk. (Been driving manuals all my life)

Power to me felt a bit lacking stock, but going stage 1 completely changed the car, most notably the throttle response.

Personally haven't heard the P.E. on the c43 but the c450's exhaust sounded great to me! One of if not the best sounding v6 engines out there.

Lot of creaking from honestly the whole car. This is even the case for me now on the 63....its a C class issue....which is ridiculous considering the price of these cars, but hey-sometimes we accept these things to have a car we really like otherwise.

As for everyone saying squeaky brakes
.....guys.....
They're semi-metallic pads on a sports car. There is going to be some squeaking.....why ever people don't get that idk. Only complaint i have with the stock brakes is that the drilled rotors clog with brake dust almost immediately, and they are not very fade resistant. You get 1 hard stop from 100mph before they are above their optimal operating temp. If you want more fade resistance you've gotta go aftermarket.

Maintinence is very easy on this car. I did my own oil with vacuum extractor pump through the dipstick. And the oil filter is up front and center in the engine bay and is accessable with no jack. No need to lift this car for oil changes. Calipers on the 450 have a pin on the back of the caliper that you can punch out and replace pads without removing caliper. Very straightforward- no need to do regular maintenence at the dealer. Just save your receipts for the next buyer!

I loved the car while I had it, was a lot of fun and that AWD with the rear biased set up made the power so usable even in the wet. Lastly...the c43 carries a roughly $5000 premium over the c450. To me, someone who hasn't driven a c43, I would go c450 again.

 

Thank you for that information I just get a c450 waiting for it to come from out of state I test drove one at a dealership I fell in love with it the exhaust note is beautiful I didn’t think I was going to like the car better than my s550 2 different animals i can’t really but them up against one another i like to drive hard some I think the c450 is more for my driving style time will tell

 

'016 c450 AMG...Had it now for 18 months and about 35Kms..Drivers window regulator and a broken cable on steering adjuster, both warranteed by dealer..Other than the horrific runflats..(which are gone) zero issues.

 

Thanks for the update I feel a lot better buying the car you hear some horror stories

 

I changed my oil myself for $65. If you get the OEM oil filter from eBay and Mobile One Syn at Wal-Mart for $22 for a 5 quart jug.

Got all my brake parts (pads and sensors) at Rockauto.com for $100 ceramic pads too.

Just figured I’d let ya know where I got everything so you can save some money.

Haven’t changed plugs yet.