Ray Nian

Hey guys, I was originally thinking of buying a C300 Coupe, but I heard that the 4 cylinder engine has a lot of issues resulting in piston 1 cracking. So now I am looking at the C43. More specifically, I am thinking of getting a 2017 C43 with around 50-60k kms (30-40k miles).

Are there any known issues that I should watch out for on this car?

Whats the maintenance like and would I be able to purchase extended warranty? I've only owned Infinitis in the past, so this will be my first German car. Overall, I am thinking of owning this car for at least 5 years.

Thanks!!

Hungalow

First the bad...The issues known are rims cracking , if you have the 19" rims. Which non run flats and aftermarket rims take care of. The differential also has some baffled with noise and or wobble. Also some dislike the shifty tranny.

Mine has 60km on it . As for maintenance its a merc thick wallet needed. Brakes for some last maybe 20 or 30 km and with full rotor and pads as merc insists is needed they wanted 4k actually spent 2k Tires last maybe about same time due to negative camber and being run flats costly. Consumables..oil...air filter same as most .

The good...car does not dissapoint in the performance dept..tuned it ups the ante....fun in the corners and cruising or in hooligan mode.. the soundtrack with all the pops and crackles is just well...smile inducing.

I was on a lease and just bought it out so guess thats my opinion. Good luck in your search.

stockbmw

Like any car, this forum is full of good and bad for c43. Read a the threads and do your due diligence before putting down for a deposit.

For me, I still have factory warranty and can't be happier with my ride. Even with all the problems it have.

RichardCranium3

Knock on wood, 53k miles and zero issues. No cracked rims, though I did transition away from run-flats to Michelin AS3+s. No dif noise/wine/wobble/etc. I do my own oil changes and have done my own brakes. I'm on my second set of pads, and did rotors at 50k. Will have a shop do dif and trans fluids when the time comes.

Muskokamarc

You should check to see when the car had its last A ($450) and B (~$750) service. I believe these are needed approx. every 20,000 km's. Make sure you test drive the car and take it on the highway to listen for any wobbles or whines. Ask when they last serviced the brakes, check the tire tread, and ask to see the maintenance records (hopefully they have them).

You should get 6 yr or 120,000km CPO (certified preowned warranty) with the car, and can then purchase what's called comprehensive warranty which is approx. $3-4k I believe. The comprehensive warranty is basically an extended and wider range CPO and will cover your car for an additional 3 years and includes some items that are not included in the CPO warranty. Additionally, you can purchase what's called the 5-star warranty (or a combination of things under the 5 star policy). This covers your wheels, tires, paint, interior, exterior, key fobs for about $4k from most damage (doesn't cover car accidents obviously). It is very expensive but is for 5 years and should you ever need it, it will probably be worth the money. Example: if you were to scuff your wheel badly on the curb, they would fix or replace that wheel (if it couldn't be fixed), however, if you damaged the fender or the body of the car at the same time, then this would be considered a car accident and the wheel would not be covered... As with any insurance/warranty, you will want to read the fine print, and don't be shy about asking your dealer about it. They will obviously push it hard because that's how they make money, but ask questions, and ask for the information booklets.

I just purchased a 2017 Coupe with 50k on it and those were the main points I was looking at. I purchased all the warranty's because I don't want to worry so much about the car and just be able to enjoy it.

Hope this helps!

Muskokamarc

Do you have warranty coverage with Mercedes? I am interested in doing a tune, but do not want to void my warranty.

Ray Nian

Thanks for all the replies guys, I'll make sure to take the car on a longer test drive on the highway to listen for any wobbles or rattles. I booked a test drive on Friday for one I found that was priced quite cheap. It has brand new rotors and brakes for front and rear, and service A was done 9000 km ago. But it has a 16K accident in 2018 that required replacement of the front bumper, wheel bearing and hubs, steering knuckles, and the upper control arms.

The accident happened about 30k kms ago and is still driving. But that repair cost is so scary. Any opinions on this?

EDIT: All the repairs were done at Mercedes, and the car was serviced every 6 - 7k kms.

cg_tim

I would suggest that you carefully read these threads: 1, 2, 3. A test drive is of course mandatory to see if the car suits your expectations.

jonathan358

I think the issue you found came from the same poster and is a one-off. The C300 should be more reliable than the C43...

Ramsino

If you are able to test drive that C43, spend a bit of time feeling the gear shifts in automatic and then in manual when you shift as well. Aside from random build quality and mechanical issues with the car, the one consistent thing is the jerky transmission in the C43. See how it feels when shifting into lower gears and coming to a stop to see if it's too jerky to your liking.

Ray Nian

From what I've heard, the W205 engine has a wristpin problem that was supposedly fixed in 2015, but customers have continued to experience it even through to the 2018 models. And if that thing does break, it costs ~15k to fix. I just thought its kinda silly for a car of that price to have an engine failure within 60k kms and didn't want to risk it. From my understanding, the C43's V6 does not have any engine problems, but the transmission is jerky as hell. Infinitis are known to have super bad jerky transmissions as well, so I'm actually curious which one is worse.