|
I've heard from several sources that the 230 engine (mostly that one found in the late 90's-early 00's) is crap. Why is this? I've heard it likes to break down, that it's really underpowered (even supercharged), amongst other reasons. I'm really rockin' my manual Merc C180. My parents bought it 13 years ago, I learned to drive this thing, and it's still running strong at 230,000 KM. There's nothing like coming out of the "adventurous and stiff" ride my YJ Wrangler provides, and go into the amazing comfort Benz is hugely acclaimed for. This thing might not be all that fast, but it gets me there in luxury and in comfort. Edit: Anyone know if I can just buy one of those OBD2 scanners+Mercedes 38 pin adapter to scan the computer? The Mercedes dealership here has really gone downhill and I want to perform all maintenance on this car myself. I don't need it to tell me when the alarm last went off and what was the maximum speed it was driven since the last scan, I just need it to tell me codes in case something goes wrong (like the STAR tool tells me) Steiler Drep fucked around with this message at 01:15 on May 11, 2011 |
#
¿
May 9, 2011 02:14
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 4, 2024 03:49 |
|
|
KozmoNaut posted:My parents used to drive a 1996 C250 diesel. Long story short, the 5-cylinder diesel was the only thing that didn't break horribly at some point. In the end, the car wouldn't even reverse and the only solution would have been a replacement or complete rebuild of the automatic transmission. That is so very true. My C180 W202 has been wonderful (my family's been the only owner, since passed on to me. It's been maintained meticulously), the only problem being the power windows failing and the front bumper falling off by simply watching it, which was fixed by screwing it into the frame. But I've heard of other owners having problems with the fuel sending unit, A/C, locks, the window wiper, lights, etc etc etc. They're REALLY easy to work in, though. I'm 20 and find that working on the Merc is not that much harder than working on my '90 carb'd Wrangler. Things are a bit more stuffed than you will find in other cars, but once you understand the reasoning behind the "crazy" german engineering, you'll see it's an easy car. At this point, the only thing wrong in my C180 is the rear windows, but I don't worry much more than changing fluids whenever it marks 8k kms. Even in this small engine'd flavor, it's a fun luxury car.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 16, 2011 09:33
|
|
|
I don't know why everybody hates on late 90's-early 00's reliability. My W202 '98 C180 has served us just fine, and in 13 years of owning it, hasn't failed us even the slightest, just minor stuff like random tail light problems (which is just bending contacts a bit) and rear windows not working. We took it to the dealer for service for the first 8 years and since then we've been taking care of it pretty much ourselves, and nothing drastic has happened to it in 220k kms. At least where I live parts aren't that expensive, and you find plenty of them. In fact I'll go as far as to say I'll probably keep this car for 10 more years, since it's been quite reliable for the time we've had it.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 1, 2011 21:41
|
|
|
Tai-Pan posted:These anecdotal discussions are always stupid. Someone will always get an Accord that explodes on the second day and some people will drive Gremlins for 300,000 miles. Your experience does not data make. :/ I guess it's luck then. We really got lucky with this one. My parents had a '87 W124 300E before the W202 and it was wonderful as well, I think we're just really lucky with Mercedes Benz.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 2, 2011 21:20
|
|
|
BrokenKnucklez posted:Guy is down to $600, yes or no? Definitely yes. You won't find one for a better price (assuming it's not held up by bondo)
|
|
#
¿
Dec 22, 2011 19:04
|
|
|
Buy that thing right out of her this instant! It's beautiful and at least where I'm from, I see them going around in pretty good condition. How much is she asking?
|
|
#
¿
Jan 23, 2012 03:52
|
|
|
With the risk of sounding like a ricer, how would I manage to change the exterior trim of my W202 Classic to Elegance' chrome accents? I've noticed the plastic strips in the Classic are one-piece, while the ones found in the Elegance are two piece (plastic+chrome). Where could one purchase these accessories? Also I'd like to add foglights to the car where the "air vents" are located in the front bumper, like those found in the C32, but I think the fitting is a bit different (as in the fogs in the C32 won't fit my C180). Anyone had luck fitting fog lights in their W202, that is if anyone still has one of these in this forum  .
|
|
#
¿
Mar 7, 2012 11:04
|
|
|
bolind posted:Can anyone identify this MB: http://g.co/maps/p7wqa Seems like it, although I think you're looking at the wrong MB. Buy that G-class off that lot RIGHT NOW, considering how rare they are where you're from! Edit: wait, nevermind, thought you lived in the U.S.A, don't know how rare they are in Denmark. Even still, Geländewagen are amazing vehicles, I'd try to bargain it to a fair price and snatch it off that lot as soon as possible! Steiler Drep fucked around with this message at 16:28 on Mar 7, 2012 |
|
#
¿
Mar 7, 2012 16:26
|
|
|
So a friend told me his grandfather is selling his '79 280S manual. Says he was the original owner, during '92-'10 it was only used during the weekends, and now it's not running due to either spark or carburetor issues, and he really hasn't cared for it since he's too old to drive it (and nobody in the family is as mechanically inclined to repair it). He says it also has pretty low miles considering the age of the thing. What should I look out for (other than spark and carburetor stuff which I can probably fix in a weekend)?
|
|
#
¿
Mar 8, 2012 18:27
|
|
|
MATLAB 1988 posted:Sounds like a European model W116, which is more desirable than the US model to me(except for the carb.) The major thing to look for is RUST - pull the floormats, use a magnet on the lower doors and quarters, poke the undercarriage with a screwdriver, etc. Thanks for the reply! I'm probably going tomorrow to check on the car. I live in Costa Rica, so we've got a huge plus regarding rust. Pretty hard to find rust-heaps here unless they lived in the beach or were imported from a cold country. He gave me a paper with several details regarding the car, and there's one part that says it's a version from somewhere, but I can barely make out what it says, seems like it says "Versión Ameresona" which I think might be "Versión Americana" (pretty sure about Ame____na) so sadly I think it's the U.S. version. Also, I don't think it's the European version since it has dual carburetors, which surely was an addition a PO made, so I'm DEFINITELY checking for faults in that. I'm really not that afraid of changes in injection/fuel stuff since I've dealt with plenty of that in my Jeep. I'm scared more regarding electrics, vacuum, and body issues (things I'll have to weld/etc). So for sure I'm taking a magnet to check for bondo (nice trick btw!). I'll post an update tomorrow. Pretty excited about another Merc in the house!!! Edit: Also, I'm going to convert it to run on LPG as soon as I can. I did that to my Jeep and I've had nothing but good results, including more power. I think LPG benefits with Carburetors, so I might get some more juice out of it. Steiler Drep fucked around with this message at 23:31 on Mar 8, 2012 |
|
#
¿
Mar 8, 2012 23:28
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 4, 2024 03:49 |
|
|
I recently cracked my W202's oil pan, and after sending it to get soldered and replaced the motor mounts, the car hasn't been the same. It vibrates way too much at idle (more than it did before) and before the car had a little stirring winding sound when I turned it off, which I suspect is the flywheel or the clutch, and now it just vibrates hard until it's completely off. It also jerks when releasing the clutch from first gear while cold (accelerating), so I suspect it might be time for a replacement. I have a Jeep Wrangler which I'm not afraid of wrenching on since everything is so accessible and also the fact that it's a simpler and carbureted makes it more...accessible. So I guess the question is, what is a good manual to get started from, and where can I get the torque specs as I guess that's what causing the vibrations? Thank you!
|
|
#
¿
Feb 18, 2013 17:04
|
|