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KennyN

MB Enthusiast
SUPPORTER
Joined
Sep 21, 2014
Messages
2,399
Location
Paisley
Car
Me - BMW 440i Coupe / Dog -Cayenne
Son was looking for another car to replace his Fiesta , the options were - another Ford / Ibiza / Leon / Polo around 2017 / 18.

I asked him if he would consider an older "nicer" car along the lines of a C coupe or a 1 series as he does a low annual mileage , around 4k.

Contacted Admiral this morning and for a 2013 C class it will be just an extra £500 to upgrade to the Merc , this will take his annual premium to less than £1k which i think is pretty fair.

The car for consideration will be a 2013 ish / C class coupe / 1.8 petrol as he does really short trips so the diesel will be a no go.

So what to look for regarding the 1.8 petrol engine ? , gearbox will be the 7G so no surprises there .

There is a silver one in MB Grangemouth which is a little out of budget but my be worth a look , when we can, as it will have the approved used warranty.

K
 
I have the 1.6 in a c180 and in over 3 years has been completely trouble free. I am no expert but I think the 1.8 in the 250 is considered to be more problematic.
We have a silver 2013 silver sport plus saloon so not a coupe with around 42000 miles which will be for sale once we can get out to buy another car.
 
Are you sure its a 1.8? As i also have a 2013 c180 coupe in amg sport + guise and its a 1.6 turbo?
 
Are you sure its a 1.8? As i also have a 2013 c180 coupe in amg sport + guise and its a 1.6 turbo?

Apologies ,just re-read the ad and it is a 1.6 .

K
 
i have had mine for 2.5 years now and the engine has been problem free, Only issues i have encountered was a broken spring (but thats just wear and tear) and the ignition keys doing nothing, that was a £1200 fix from merc as there is a module that fails and then the replacement requires recoding but on the whole i really really like my car and have 0 regrets about buying it
 
The 2013 C-Class C180 (petrol) received the new 1.6L M274 engine, which replaces the older 1.6L/1.8L M271 engine. The M271 engine still lingered on with other variants, e.g. the C250 CGI, but I don't think these were still available in the UK by 2013.

The M274 is the better unit. And, crucially unlike the M271, it is not prone to the (very costly) premature timing gear failure. So I would definitely recommend a 2013 C180 over earlier models.

Both the older M271 and the newer M274 engines are prone to thermostat failure, however while replacing the thermostat on the old M271 engine is quite cheap and very easy to do (even as DIY), unfortunately on the new M274 it is anything but. So check that the car goes-up quickly to normal operating temperature - the gauge should go above the 80 degrees mark within the first 15 minutes of driving from cold, and never go below that mark during the test drive. Otherwise, you are looking at £700-800 at the dealer, or around half that at a specialist.
 
i have had mine for 2.5 years now and the engine has been problem free, Only issues i have encountered was a broken spring (but thats just wear and tear) and the ignition keys doing nothing, that was a £1200 fix from merc as there is a module that fails and then the replacement requires recoding but on the whole i really really like my car and have 0 regrets about buying it

Both the older M271 and the newer M274 engines are prone to thermostat failure, however while replacing the thermostat on the old M271 engine is quite cheap and very easy to do (even as DIY), unfortunately on the new M274 it is anything but. So check that the car goes-up quickly to normal operating temperature - the gauge should go above the 80 degrees mark within the first 15 minutes of driving from cold, and never go below that mark during the test drive. Otherwise, you are looking at £700-800 at the dealer, or around half that at a specialist.

To replace a thermostat that is ridiculous. Wolfie's 'fix' no better.
 
With regards options, the more common ones are COMAND NTG4.5 (as opposed to Audio20 - with or without Becker Map Pilot navigation), and HIDs. Unfortunately, front fog lights are no longer available as of MY 2013 for some reason...

As of July 2013, W204 cars equipped with COMAND also had the KOM Module fitted, which is essentially a built-in simcard that allows the navigation system to receive life traffic data, which is a nice feature (though it requires a paid annual subscription). In either case, if buying form a dealer, it is a good idea to ask for the navigation maps to be updated FOC before delivery - it can be quite expensive to have them updated yourself.

On the saloon cars, the COMAND bundle also included reverse camera, and speed sign recognition via a forward-facing camera behind the rear view mirror. I don't think this was the case for the coupe though.

Higher-end options include the luxury pack, comprising of bubble lights (which, surprisingly, are not standard on the W204), footwell lights, and door handle lights. Also, there was the driver aid pack, comprising of Distronic Plus (adaptive cruise control), Lane Keep Assist, and Blind Post Assist, but this option is quite rare.

The majority of cars will have either Artico (leather-looking plastic) or 'part-leather' seats. Full leather seat is again quite a rare option on the W204. And, the standard front seats are 'part-electric', if you are lucky the car will have the optional full-electric front seats, with the memory function and autoerotically adjustable wing mirrors. It is also worth noting that electrically folding wing mirrors are an option - on the basic car they can only be folded by hand.

Dual sunroof, and also pano roof, are two other nice - but not very common - options. The dual-sunroof option was more common on the coupe than on the saloon.
 
To replace a thermostat that is ridiculous. Wolfie's 'fix' no better.

There are three issues with the W274 thermostat... the first is that is comes as a complete sealed unit, which include the housing and some built-in electronics (heather and sensor, I think), and it's a dealer-only part, costing well over £100. If it is only the thermostat inside that fails, then possibly in time we will see refurbished units on the market - but for now it's only available as new part from MB.

The second issue is that it is located under the engine, requiring quite a lot of dismantling to get to it - the official quote was for 3 hours labour.

The third issue is that on top of all that there's the cost of new coolant, because the whole lot need to be drained (the thermostat is located at the lower point of the cooling system), and the MB WIS document recommends that the old coolant is not reused.

This is why it's a good idea to make sure that the thermostat isn't faulty when buying car equipped with the M270/M274 engine...
 
With regards to trim levels, you have the choice between the Executive SE model and several Sport variants.

All have the same drivetrain i.e. engine and transmission, but they differ in external and internal trim, and suspension and wheels.

The Executive SE will have higher and softer suspension, and usually 16" wheels. It will also have more comfortable front seats, a 4-spoke steering wheel, and either gloss black or wood-effect internal trim detail.

The Sport variants will have lowered and stiffened suspension, a full spoiler kit including side-skirts giving the car a more aggressive stance, and 17" or 18" wheels with ultra-low-profile tyres. It will have sport front seats (with raised side bolsters), 3-spoke sporty steering wheel, and usually brushed aluminium interior trim details. The AMG-trim models (not to be confused with AMG cars...) will have AMG-designed cosmetic bits with the AMG logo on them (e.g. wheels).

If you are after sporty handling and/or sporty looks, one of the Sport variants is your choice. If you prefer soft and comfortable ride, or if you have diffuclty getting in and out of cars equipped with 'bucket' seats, or you live in an area with poor roads or tall speed humps, then the Executive SE is the better bet.

Also, on suspension, some models have the electronically adjustable dampers option, but this is not very common.
 
There are three issues with the W274 thermostat... the first is that is comes as a complete sealed unit, which include the housing and some built-in electronics (heather and sensor, I think), and it's a dealer-only part, costing well over £100. If it is only the thermostat inside that fails, then possibly in time we will see refurbished units on the market - but for now it's only available as new part from MB.

The second issue is that it is located under the engine, requiring quite a lot of dismantling to get to it - the official quote was for 3 hours labour.

The third issue is that on top of all that there's the cost of new coolant, because the whole lot need to be drained (the thermostat is located at the lower point of the cooling system), and the MB WIS document recommends that the old coolant is not reused.

This is why it's a good idea to make sure that the thermostat isn't faulty when buying car equipped with the M270/M274 engine...

Good info , thanks.

K
 
There are three issues with the W274 thermostat... the first is that is comes as a complete sealed unit, which include the housing and some built-in electronics (heather and sensor, I think), and it's a dealer-only part, costing well over £100. If it is only the thermostat inside that fails, then possibly in time we will see refurbished units on the market - but for now it's only available as new part from MB.

The second issue is that it is located under the engine, requiring quite a lot of dismantling to get to it - the official quote was for 3 hours labour.

The third issue is that on top of all that there's the cost of new coolant, because the whole lot need to be drained (the thermostat is located at the lower point of the cooling system), and the MB WIS document recommends that the old coolant is not reused.

This is why it's a good idea to make sure that the thermostat isn't faulty when buying car equipped with the M270/M274 engine...

I could guess that access was at least part of the problem but that manufacturers have such blatant disregard for subsequent owners who have to deal with these kind of costs is what I find staggering. Built in obsolescence to the Nth degree?
 
More and more cars are designed and built for a 3-4 year rental.
 
I think this needs to be seen also in context of the ever-increasing demand on manufacturers to lower exhaust emissions. The heater element in the thermostat warms-up the coolant so that the engines in turn warm-up quicker.... and it makes sense to apply heat to the coolant at its lowest point. This and other design constraints may have forced the manufacturers into some compromises.
 
Son was looking for another car to replace his Fiesta , the options were - another Ford / Ibiza / Leon / Polo around 2017 / 18.

I asked him if he would consider an older "nicer" car along the lines of a C coupe or a 1 series as he does a low annual mileage , around 4k.

Contacted Admiral this morning and for a 2013 C class it will be just an extra £500 to upgrade to the Merc , this will take his annual premium to less than £1k which i think is pretty fair.

The car for consideration will be a 2013 ish / C class coupe / 1.8 petrol as he does really short trips so the diesel will be a no go.

So what to look for regarding the 1.8 petrol engine ? , gearbox will be the 7G so no surprises there .

There is a silver one in MB Grangemouth which is a little out of budget but my be worth a look , when we can, as it will have the approved used warranty.

K
BMW Mini ?
 
I think this needs to be seen also in context of the ever-increasing demand on manufacturers to lower exhaust emissions. The heater element in the thermostat warms-up the coolant so that the engines in turn warm-up quicker.... and it makes sense to apply heat to the coolant at its lowest point. This and other design constraints may have forced the manufacturers into some compromises.

Yes, and the tragedy is that the kit installed for emission reduction isn't durable. It (eg, EGR, swirl flaps, etc, ) then gets binned and the vehicle then pollutes at a level higher than the previous standard. Or, as in my (and others) case we swerve the cars of the last ten years and buy something older, gutsier on fuel - but maintainable.
 

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