Remind me why I don't want an A or B class.

[Dieselman]

Here is a B class having a clutch fitted.

The engine has to come out which means the subframe and all the steering gear have to come off, as well as water and air-con have to be drained.

A major job for such a routine operation.

This is the car..or what's left of it.

And the engine and box out. The fault is the CSC (slave cylinder) has leaked.

Could you even imagine attempting that on the drive at home....????

 

[jaymanek]

my god! where is this work being done?

Changing the starter in an A class took us 3 days!

 

[Dieselman]

my god! where is this work being done?

Changing the starter in an A class took us 3 days!

Not surprising, look where it's mounted. On the top side of the engine, trapped in by the floor.

 

[timskemp]

Never buy a manual...

 

[nick mercedes]

Never buy a manual...

Always buy a manual A-Class, the autos cost a fortune to repair and are always going wrong....

 

[fuzzer]

Just don't buy an A Class

 

[BlackC55]

my god! where is this work being done?

Changing the starter in an A class took us 3 days!

3 DAYS???

Flippin heck its only a 3 hour job.

 

[recycled]

Nothing to do with manual. it is the stupid design of interior space vs exterior size that is why half the car is underneath the floor pan.
It is not a true merc anyway/Apologies to any owners.
Fwd and merc just do not add up.

 

[Robbo]

Off topic, but the snobbery around merc and big rwd cars is a little short sighted. Mercedes has to enter new markets because the CO2 legislation is going to dry up sales of the bigger engined (and high profit margin) cars in time. A small mercedes is a crucial part of its strategy. Arent Mercedes and BMW looking to work together to develop a new small car?

 

[recycled]

you are right. That is why marketing wise, BMW do not call a mini a BMW, while toyota has a Lexus divison as well.
Like i said apologies to any owners. Just my opinion

 

[pickles]

The wife has a manual 2006 A150 also with clutch problems, you could smell it burning itself out whilst sat in traffic, but the dealer told me there was no fault with it, mind you they also said there was no fault with the clunking front suspension and creaking rear of the car too. It is very strange that after contacting the MD of the dealer group it was taken back in the next day and a new clutch has been fitted (looking at the job it is no wonder they didn't want to take it out).

It has only been with them 2 weeks in total this time, and they still cannot find the fault with the rear creaking.

 

[kth286]

Contrast that with the small front drive Vauxhalls, about half an hour for a clutch change. Apparently it is like swopping a casette - very clever.

Another mass market car like a Mondeo is a pig as you have to drop the front subframe and then use special alignment bolts on assembly.

 

[Bazzle]

I also have an A class. An W169 A200 sport auto.

The orig and current models of A class are very different in some areas.

Bazzle

 

[miro]

Here is a B class having a clutch fitted.

The engine has to come out which means the subframe and all the steering gear have to come off, as well as water and air-con have to be drained.

A major job for such a routine operation.

This is the car..or what's left of it.

Bah ..... if you owned a Ferrari they would need to do the same thing every 2 years so they could retime the engine by 1/1000th. The cost would be 10,000 pounds and at the same time you would get hammered for new pads and rotors which cost another 5,000 pounds. This is childs play in the general sense. The engine is designed to come out and if you are visiting a decent mechanic they will do a whole heap of small things at the same time.

The "engine out" concept also applies to the Boxster in some cases.

 

[hawk20]

I have raised a number of issues from this thread with a highly qualified source at my local dealer. In case it helps this is what he says: -

Some operations do involve taking the engine out. One such operation is clutch replacement. This, I have to say is not a common procedure, but if required would take around 7 hours.
The water pump would require the engine assembly to be lowered but not removed. Labour time is around 3 1/2 hours for this. I cannot remember ever having to replace a water pump on an A Class, and we have never sold one through our parts department.

General maintenance operations are fairly straightforward, but I think it would be fair to say that they can be more involved than the "average" Front Wheel Drive vehicle.

The MAF sensor you are referring to was only fitted on the old model A Class petrol models, W 168, up until September 2001, and yes they can cost around £800.00 + VAT, but some are exchange so these can be a lot cheaper. Also there are several versions of this type of Engine Control Monolith, some are cheaper some are slightly more. The price you have stated is for the most common version we see.

After September 2001 the design of the Engine Control Monolith was changed and the MAF sensor was replaced with a remotely mounted pressure sensor. Again this applies to petrol engine W168 models only. These later engine control units were around £500.00 + VAT

The W169 does not use an integrated MAF sensor, either on Petrol or Diesel. We do not have any issues with engine ecu's or MAF sensors now compared to early W168.

 

[grober]

Owner's dissatisfaction with the earlier A class stemmed from the fact they thought they were buying a small economic car made by Mercedes. They assumed -wrongly-they would be very reliable-and if something went wrong--they would be simple to repair. Sadly they were wrong on both counts! I think even Mercedes recognised that and the Mk 2 was a much better car.

 

[jblackCLK]

My wife originally had a T reg Aclass 160 ACS ********** 60K miles, which to be honest was a bit cheap. Even though it was a top of the range the dash was made of cheap hard plastic sprayed silver!! . The mechanics and engineering of the car can only be described as questionable and during the one year we owned it I had to replaced and fix quite a few things that a 10 year old ford would have been ashamed of.

That said for some reason both my wife and myself really liked the asthetics of the car and against my better instincts, last year we purchased a 51 plate A class 170CDi Elegance LWB. This car is so far ahead of the first in terms of build and quality. We have only had it a year but so far no problems (touch wood). This model seems more finished off with less corner cutting to reduce cost. I know Post 2001 cars still retain some of the original design flaws of the first (stearing column, rear suspension cups) but they are the car the A Class should have been at launch (especially the interior). And if anyone is thinking of getting one, go for the long wheel base model its well worth the extra.

 

[Bazzle]

Always buy a manual A-Class, the autos cost a fortune to repair and are always going wrong....

You mean W168 or W169?? There is a big difference..

Bazzle

 

[Bazzle]

you are right. That is why marketing wise, BMW do not call a mini a BMW, while toyota has a Lexus divison as well.
Like i said apologies to any owners. Just my opinion

Apology not accepted

Our W169 A200 sport autronic drives better on fast mountain roads than my slk.

Bazzle

 

[recycled]

use the pedal on the right of the SLK .