W203 c320 Coupe buying guide help.

[amazighman]

Hello .
I currently own a C180 Kompressor but fancy a change, I am currently looking into buying a W203 C320 Coupe, I have seen two examples, one is pre facelift 09/2003 model fully loaded ,the other is a facelift 2004 model .

I like the 2003 model as it has vey low mileage and everything electric.
I am aware that some of these pre facelift c320 Coupe suffer from vent stepper motor failing causing ticking noise and that repairing some of them requires dashboard out.

Any ideas about these cars, any other problems engine wise?
Do all these pre facelift suffer from stepper motor issues?

Should I buy the facelift better ? It has 107k miles.

Any help or input will be appreciated.
Thx

 

[wu56Shoozz]

Hang Fire for a Facelift, especially after 2006, that way the niggles of a new model are sorted and the galvanizing is much better.. Inlet motors are a problem as are glowplugs/relay but other than that the usual C class niggles.. but its a great motor.. I was surprised that there were still low mileage motors out there.. mine has 68k and FSH, but 3 owners.. which I find curious...Oh Well....

 

[amazighman]

Hang Fire for a Facelift, especially after 2006, that way the niggles of a new model are sorted and the galvanizing is much better.. Inlet motors are a problem as are glowplugs/relay but other than that the usual C class niggles.. but its a great motor.. I was surprised that there were still low mileage motors out there.. mine has 68k and FSH, but 3 owners.. which I find curious...Oh Well....

Hi .
Forgot to mention that both cars are petrol c320 which I think have m112/engine.

Many thanks

 

[wu56Shoozz]

Still hang fire though for the later model.. I was surprised when I got mine the low mileage for year.. so keep looking it will appear and you'll be grateful you did..

 

[amazighman]

Still hang fire though for the later model.. I was surprised when I got mine the low mileage for year.. so keep looking it will appear and you'll be grateful you did..

Did you get any issues with vent stepper motors ticking and clicking on start-up?quite common on these.

I have a limited budget was looking to pay cirka 2.5k, doubt it any facelift low miles at that sum.
Thx

 

[amazighman]

Is there anyway to stop these stepper motors from breaking like never adjust air flow direction?

How common are these stepper motors failing in w203 c320? Is it highly likely to break and fail?
Thz

 

[Chalpkin]

I owned a C320 saloon for 5 years and without a doubt the 3.2 litre V6 petrol engine is by far the most reliable of that era, I put over 100,000 miles on it with no motor problems at all. As long as the oil is changed regularly it's nigh on bulletproof, if a little heavy on fuel around town though 30+ mpg on a motorway run, it's a great engine.

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

 

[mbenz1]

The M112 engine is a really great and bullet proof engine with hardly no issues or problems. Only things you could come across are the basic MAF Sensor, HT Leads, Spark Plugs and Coil Packs.

Look out for a shaky idle:
- you can feel the car shake
- you can also see the rpm needle fluctuate ~3-4 mm up and down of its nominal speed (~700 rpm in P or N and slightly above 500 rpm when in D or R)

Many mechanics describe this problem as 'completely normal' but in actual fact a STAR diagnostic run classes it as a 'slight misfire'. Most of the time it's either caused by a faulty MAF or coil pack etc. and always use genuine Bosch or MB parts. Not an expensive fix either:
- Bosch coil pack £60 a piece and HT Lead ~ £8 a peice from TT Automotive (Bosch distributor). Prices will obviously vary at different parts sellers.

(Bear in mind it has 12 spark plugs as opposed to 6 so the cost does go a bit high if buying all 12 plugs or HT Leads)

If it's a very very slight shake at idle then I wouldn't worry too much.

Economy wise, in our CLK 320 we got around 300 miles in town and about 350 miles motorway driving (full tank) so it's not that bad tbh.

Hope this helps in your look for a C220.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using MBClub UK

 

[tanuie]

+1 for the 112 engine.

 

[amazighman]

the pre facelift c320 i was going to view has the usual broken stepper motor as seller said there is a noise coming from dash for few senconds....but the car has only 56 k miles on it....

the other one is a facelift very decent bodywork but has 100k miles on it....

i need your advice which one to choose... thx

 

[Chalpkin]

Make sure the one you choose has FULL service history!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

 

[mbenz1]

the pre facelift c320 i was going to view has the usual broken stepper motor as seller said there is a noise coming from dash for few senconds....but the car has only 56 k miles on it....

the other one is a facelift very decent bodywork but has 100k miles on it....

i need your advice which one to choose... thx

The facelift came with the 350 V6 if I remember correctly?

Sent from my GT-I9505 using MBClub UK