W203 C200K problems starting and hesitation

[pangster]

when you have it back, what would you say for a free independent thorough checkup? I see your point but I have to add that all prestige brand costs more to run then a vauxhall.imagine just a broken cvt gearbox on the audi.new unit only, no parts for sale. also having just 2 owners previously does not tell what they have done to it.i would not bury the star emblem even knowing how much work I have done on my C200k.this car never failed me on the road.bought at 100000 now at181000. my a class 80000 now at 170000. I rather suspicious with ridiculously low mileage on 7-10 yr old bangers .hopefully you will get out of this winning it

I'm not sure what your point is? - I've owned 'prestigious' brands in the past - my last 2 cars were BMW's and they were far more reliable and cheaper to maintain - I've never owned a vauxhall?? and have never scrimped or bodged jobs on cars. I guess they have better QC and not just focused on bean counting as seems to have been the case when Chrysler got involved with Merc It's also a verified mileage on my car (MOT's and service records confirm) and I think the point I was trying to make is that regularly expensive fixes for mercs seem to be par for the course as opposed to the exception.. good comparison with the Audi auto boxes as well - a problem (well known) that does exist but Audi generally will make a contribution towards it (depending on factors - service record, mileage and age etc) and even if they don't - it's only c£600 to fix!

There are some real horror stories on here - a lot including far newer and or lower mileage cars than mine.. not to mention the issue that some Mercs seem to have with rust.. evidence now coming out that post 05 cars are being affected as well when skimming through the forums.. it's diabolical.. you can keep the faith if you like - I'm convinced that most if not all W203's will encounter major issues at some point.. hopefully you'll not be stuck with the car when the music stops..

My mum has had a CLK since it was 1 yr old (ex demonstrator with all the toys etc) and has a series of expensive fixes that were required i.e. loosing coolant between the cylinders (which took 2 dealers to identify and resolve the issue - despite their being a TSB/recall for it!) and my Aunt had a SLK from brand new and that was plagued with issues too (the roof stopped working several times - faulty micro switches or something?) and she also had issues with the engine - although I can't recall what they were at the minute. In contrast - out of my family, the only Merc that didn't cause any issues was the CLC my mum had before the CLK - although that was probably because she didn't have it too long.. As far as other cars go - my last 2 cars were BMW and my other car just now is an Audi, my sister has a brand new E90 BMW 3 series convertible (320d M Sport) and my other sister has a new Audi A4 - all of which haven't caused us any other major issues - other than servicing and wear and tear etc.

Glad your happy with your Merc's - and hope you don't happen to have to shell out for any of the expensive imminent and random repairs they like to through at you..

 

[mauno]

oh no... I always do my own repairs as I own the company. mechanic is like a dentist, few you trust. I think if you go on an audi or bmw forum you also hear the horror stories. I have been on lot of different like nissan etc. all had weak points.

 

[pangster]

oh no... I always do my own repairs as I own the company. mechanic is like a dentist, few you trust. I think if you go on an audi or bmw forum you also hear the horror stories. I have been on lot of different like nissan etc. all had weak points.

I'm an active member of several forums and fairly aware of the main issues with the other marques I've owned/own.. I even have money put aside for work needed/maintenance on cars - but c£1800 (and counting) in two months is beyond a joke - especially when one of the parts was the EIS - a part which probably should never really fail (although this seems not too uncommon on Mercs).

I agree with you about mechanics - I have 1 guy who I have mainly used for the last 10 years or so.. the problem being is that the way the Mercs are nowadays - unless you have STAR then you can't really get far.. he had a look at the car (but no generic codes were stored) - he seemed to think it could have potentially been a sensor issue (crank or cam possibly?) - which is why I was quite surprised with the initial diagnostic of a split boost hose (as I couldn't see how that would prevent it from starting?) and now a fuel pump and fuel filter... my gut feel is still telling me that it's not the fuel pump/filter but what do I know.. if that's what STAR is telling them - then I hope at £113 an hour they're right as I'm starting to get the impression that I'm funding someone's not he job training! :roll eyes:


Conversely - on the rare occasion when I have had to use the dealers instead of my mechanic (Volvo, BMW and Audi) - I've never once had a wrong diagnosis or had to pay for something that wasn't a direct contributing factor to the issue the car was being fixed for.

 

[pangster]

oh no... I always do my own repairs as I own the company. mechanic is like a dentist, few you trust. I think if you go on an audi or bmw forum you also hear the horror stories. I have been on lot of different like nissan etc. all had weak points.

I'm an active member of several forums and fairly aware of the main issues with the other marques I've owned/own.. I even have money put aside for work needed/maintenance on cars - but c£1800 (and counting) in two months is beyond a joke - especially when one of the parts was the EIS - a part which probably should never really fail (although this seems not too uncommon on Mercs).

I agree with you about mechanics - I have 1 guy who I have mainly used for the last 10 years or so.. the problem being is that the way the Mercs are nowadays - unless you have STAR then you can't really get far.. he had a look at the car (but no generic codes were stored) - he seemed to think it could have potentially been a sensor issue (crank or cam possibly?) - which is why I was quite surprised with the initial diagnostic of a split boost hose (as I couldn't see how that would prevent it from starting?) and now a fuel pump and fuel filter... my gut feel is still telling me that it's not the fuel pump/filter but what do I know.. if that's what STAR is telling them - then I hope at £113 an hour they're right as I'm starting to get the impression that I'm funding someone's not he job training! :roll eyes:


Conversely - on the rare occasion when I have had to use the dealers instead of my mechanic (Volvo, BMW and Audi) - I've never once had a wrong diagnosis or had to pay for something that wasn't a direct contributing factor to the issue the car was being fixed for.

 

[sspeed]

Pangster..
I have read your post and I too would be well and truly PI**ED off with my car if it had cost what yours has.. Thats a truly ridiculous amount !!
I am a member of the other merc forum as well and I can definitely say that it doesn't seem rare for main dealerships to have a less than caring attitude..

If anyone doubts this then I invite them to complain about the very well documented Valeo / Auto-box issues..
You will be met with "Thats a new one on us sir" or words to that effect..

I too used to own a BMW (E46 330D) and I loved it..
I remember my first service at the BMW Main dealership.. I was astounded at the low cost of the full service.. It was my first BM and I was bracing myself for a big bill..

Pangster.. If you have lost confidence in MB then you must move to another make.. It needs people like you and other disgruntled owners to vote with their feet, otherwise "lessons most certainly will NOT be learned"..

 

[mauno]

pangster im with you.i got star. thats why I offered a free diag.just to put some good taste into your mouth.and an advice.go far away from main dealerships.go indie with star

 

[pangster]

still not heard anything from the dealers... not looking good so far

 

[pangster]

UPDATE 3:
Just had a call from the dealers with an update so thought I would post here for completeness in case anyone else has similar issues in future.

The car is now sorted and "running better than ever" apparantly (yet to see it or test it for myself). Today they replaced the fuel pump and the fuel filter and also the fuel pump relay in the rear SAM (which had melted) - this was in addition to all of the perished and cracked boost hoses yesterday - They're confident all of the issues have now been resolved and advised that the issue with the fuel was caused by the previous owner using a non genuine Mercedes Benz fuel filter which had partially collapsed, leading to a blockage which meant the pump was working harder than it should have been to try and force the fuel through and it burnt out.

On the plus side - they did advise that I should notice an increase in MPG - so given the current price of fuel, I should be able to recoup my outlay over the next 25 years or so..

Total cost = £1,128.22.

 

[mauno]

f..in hell. expensive. and I have a similar story with original merc filter collapsed due shells admitted additive overloading in their so called vpower.you see again a previous negligent owner. next time go indie an I guarantee the price will be about half .there are many trustful mechs on this site

 

[Dichtung]

Sorry it was an expensive lesson Pangster; but thanks for posting.

I am in a similar situation to you, in that I traded in a completely reliable little BM for a 180K 2003 that needed decoking within a month.

Although fine at the mo, I`ve read all the horror posts about weak chains, loom blockers, valeo rads and the rest, and now I think that if the dash lights up like a Christmas tree, it`ll be down the road sharpish.

On the other hand I have this old W210 300td that just keeps going and going.