Hey guys I have just had enough with my C230. Just spent $1100 on Altenator worksix months ago and now spent $3100 on front end parts. Now the A/C is gone, evaporater is shot apparently, this part is $1100 and approximately 14 hours of labour to repair. whole Dash has to be removed to repair. And at $119 per hour labour, do the math. Wow!

Well it is going to be sold, oh, before I forget, there is rust on my doorpanels and it will take 15 days in the shop and they will fund it to the tune of $2600.

Well that is about enough, it has 150,000 Km and is just over 5 years old.

The car is great working, gives excellent mileage, and is fun to drive. I really like the car but this maintenance is killing me.

Anyone out there having this much trouble with a C230 sport coupe?

Thanks for listening, are all models this expensive to maintain?

Cheers,

Trygve

 

What year C230 is it?

 

It is a 2003. 6 spped manual. Lovely car but for this maintenance.

I have done very service requirement, and still problems, rear brake drum for parking brake has been replaced twice because it sticks on, very poor design.

I was very seriously considering the new C300, but now I think I have talked myself out of it.

Have recently looked at the Lexus ES350and the new Acura TL (tech). The BMW dealer here has very poor reputation so will not go that way. I just rerceived the latest Automobile Magazine and liked the new Nissan 370Z as well.

Cheers,

Trygve

 

How many miles on the C230? Yes I was just reading about the 370Z today in the Doctors office.. Looks far better on the inside then the 350Z. I hate the interior on that car because of the all the plastic. A friend of mine has a 2005 G35 couple(Looks just like the 350Z) But belive me its not. Drive them both side by side and you will see the difference. If I may make a recomendation go for the G35 Coupe. If you do go back to Mercedes I would stay away from the new C personally. Try a Mercedes CLK 500 or AMG.

 

NO! NO!.......don't sell it YET!!!!

You haven't put a new fuel pump and sender in for $1,300....only to find out the fuel pump RELAY went bad a week later and cost another $200 to put in (after leaving you stranded somewhere, of course). And you need to spend about $3,000 on the supercharger when it bites the dust......and then I'm sure you want to get rid of another few thousand on the transmission when it goes. Right? See......the fun is just beginning!!!And, yes, that evaporator is behind the dash and the labor is brutal. Not a job you want to try at home either. No matter what. I did it in my 328 BMW when it's evap. died and they quoted me @2,500 to fix it. I took the entire car apart (I think.....I'm trying to forget the nightmare) and filled my garage with parts from the firewall back to the seats. A living nightmare. Anyway, the answer to your question is: yes. These cars are expensive to fix, as are most cars these days. Depending on what year and model you have, some of them have been fairly reliable and some not. Roll the dice. And pray a lot. Praying seems to help. So does burning incense around the front of the car on a daily basis. I know I do. Hey, what to lose??? HA!

PS> go to JD Power dot com and look at reliability of the different cars. You may be surprised!

 

Thanks guys at least for your empathy.

The G35's are very interesting, I will have a look at Infinity.

In Feb I get my C230 mostly painted by MB and then it will be on the market.

It really is too bad, because I really like the car for it's handling , looks and performance. I have put more things on that car, bulbs, Oxygen sensors, And all that is mentioned above.

Thanks everyone, have a great New Year's and 2009.

Trygve

 

Start preparing yourself for the experience of selling a car with 93,000+ miles on it. I tried it years ago, and people hung up the phone as soon as I told them the car had the mileage it had. I'm not sure where you're living, but here in the USA, the 100K mile
odometer reading can be the kiss of death when it comes to selling a car. It can be the most pristine and well-kept vehicle on the face of the earth.......showroom condition.......but when it hits 100K, it's a death sentence. Try "trading in" your car if you want a real experience. As soon as you tell them the mileage, they start with the sighing, deep breathing, looking up in the air, telling you how good the car looks for it's miles, etc. and then they drop the bomb. "We actually can't put anything with THAT many miles on our lot, so we have to call around a find a "wholesaler" who will buy the car"........."let me make a few calls and get back to you when I find a buyer". I SHOULD WRITE A BOOK ON THIS STUFF! Then, when and IF they ever call you back, they start apologizing right away. This is your cue that they are about to tell you that your car is basically worthless. Then they sheepishly tell you that your car is only worth (on a trade-in of course), "$8,000 or some ridiculously low figure that's thousands below Kelley Blue Book even with the miles it has on it and the deduction you'd have to take for the miles. I'll bet I have heard this story a thousand times from every car dealer I ever talked to. I think this is one of the basics they teach the salespeople (glorified greeters) late at night when you see them all in the showroom gathered around a table with the "sales manager". Just remember.....above all......never NEVER trade-in a car. Find somebody out there who wants a nice car you've taken care of. Put a fair price on it and get the money in your hand before you go out shopping for another car. My advice only. I understand people have their own opinions.

Happy New Year to everybody here!
from mrcoyote

 

I hate to hear it. Mercedes must be regretting the car. My CLK went 200K with only two small repairs. I hope my new C300 is a good one.