c32 amg

[ice643]

hi,
iam thinking of buying a c32 what should i look out for also i have seen them 100-150k miles,are they reliable for a high miler or should i stay way.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160629918893&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

What can i expect from this car,it has an erratic idle.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

A nice choice of chariot you're considering.

A snapshot of my thoughts on the C32 AMG:

The Intercooler pump is very common and very very very easy to diagnose. With this problem it is only a matter of time. Expect them to last 40,000 miles - any more is a bonus. Easy DIY job though (apparently), and the same part is used on the Ford Lightning at a much lower cost (about $70 IIRC) - there's even a how to guide on a US forum.

The supercharger bearing can fail making it noisey, although this is very rare. If you hear that a supercharger fails you can be fairly confident it's probably the bearing. Dealers replace the whole unit, but US owners have found the correct bearing for the job, and is apparently not difficult for an experienced mechanic or engineer (about $20 IIRC).

Heated seat base will fail on the drivers seat, as the integrated element gets damaged. Again only a matter of time on this one. Expensive fix is a new seat cover at about £300 or about £100 if you insert a separate pad from a different model.

Air injection relay (and air injection pump) were both recall and items and should have been replaced. Not strictly necessary as it's only required to pass stringent LA smog tests AFAIK.

Purge valve can audibley 'tick', if it irritates then the bracket can be adapted to isolate the noise from being transmitted. Nothing to worry about.

"Jerk" at 1500rpm, although it seems all cars suffer with this and seem to be a combination of the adaptive settings and the torque converter locking up. Not noticeable and no fix - it's just the way they are.

Lumpy idle in a 10 second burst after a cold start, but only when stationary at about 2 minutes. Bizarre set of circumstances! Just another quirk, no fix.

The Valeo radiators (cars built pre 09/03 IIRC) can leak and cause glycol contamination. At worst can require a new transmission, albeit uncommon. Can be replaced with a later Behr radiator to ease concerns. There's lots of info on this. Other models are affected too - not just C32 or W203.

Suspension bushes can be noisey, but there's a replacement part 'with boots' to prevent re-curring problems.

Near side tilting mirror can fail, albeit not exactly common!

Rust - watch out for this as the youngest examples will now be almost 8 years old, even if registered later.

On balance it's not that bad. The two dead certs can be fixed cheaply DIY. The other problems with be a PITA if you get them, but could affect any car.

I hope this is of some use...

 

[Neiltodd]

only problem i have ever had is broken springs

 

[sdaushvili1]

A nice choice of chariot you're considering.

"Jerk" at 1500rpm, although it seems all cars suffer with this and seem to be a combination of the adaptive settings and the torque converter locking up. Not noticeable and no fix - it's just the way they are.

Bobby, does it jerk only until the engine (maybe the transmission) is heated, or is this "jerk" always present?

Mine only jerks until the car is properly heated, then it stops