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W204 Coupe 220/250 buying advice needed

Abb

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Mercedes
On the hunt for a W204 coupe (does that make it a C204 :dk:) and am trying fo figure out what is included on certain packages (Edition 125/premium plus/sport plus etc).

Needed some specific questions answered, so any help would be appreciated.

Needs to be 2011 - 2014 (budget constraints) - is the FL a 2013?
Ideally full leather oppose to artico/suede combo - which trim level is this?
How much difference is there between the 220 and the 250 (diesel) variants?
Pan roof & heated seats would be nice, again which trim level?
Any major issues to look out for?
Any particular model to avoid?

Family member is upgrading his W209 220 sport so has given me the task of finding 'the one'.

TIA :thumb:
 
HI There
I own an S204 C250 cdi amg line estate and love it.
The 250 is noticably (in my opinion) worth the extra for the instant torque and available power.
The C220 isnt slow by any means. I would try both and see which you prefer.

The Command satnav/stereo is a nice option, mine doesnt have this as I couldnt find one with it for my budget at the time. Apart from that keep a look out for the trim level you prefer. Also heated seats are something I miss in the merc, again couldnt find one with them fitted. but its all minor really. Mine has the audi 20 sat nav system and standard seats. Both are still great, great sounds system and comfortable supportive seats.

There are no Major issues but some things to check

The timing chain can rattle at cold start at 100K+ miles so make sure you listen for that. Mine did and I got it replaced for around £700. Most dont suffer from it but something worth listening for. Some go on for 400K miles with no issues so dont worry to much, good servicing is key.

Some can suffer from coolant leaks at various places.
Apart from that I beleive them to be pretty bullet proof engines and cars in gerneral. Chck for the usual stuff and there are no fault codes or engine lights on.

The 7G gear box is lurvely and also has the paddle shift if you prefer.

A good service history is essential.. And a local specialist is also useful to avoid MB main dealer prices. I find a lot of generic independant garages are reluctant to work on it so finding a good place for servicing etc is well worth it.

Good luck...
 
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Hi Abb,if you look at the m271 thread on the engine forum there is lots of information on the timing chain/sprocket problems,also,w204’s can suffer ESL (electronic steering lock failure),rear subframes are another weak point (rust)-hope that helps.
 
w204 have a OM651 engine not M271 ;-) M271 is a whole other ball game...
 
w204 have a OM651 engine not M271 ;-) M271 is a whole other ball game...
Sorry-just saw the op was asking about diesel w204’s-my local specialist had 3 w204’s in last time I was there,one had timing chain failure(40k miles,full mb history m271 c200k)the other 2 both had ESL failure and rusty rear subframes!
 
Eeek not heard of the rusty subframe issue.. I checked mine last night and no sign of rust but something to bear in mind I guess.
I'm having an off day, whats ESL??

I know the M271 petrols can suffer chain issues, even my indy merc specialist mentioned it when mine was being done.

Generally they are excellent cars though with very few problems, especially compared to other brands :-)
 
Mines a 15 plate. Still a w204. Amg sport premium package.
 
Eeek not heard of the rusty subframe issue.. I checked mine last night and no sign of rust but something to bear in mind I guess.

Subframe issue was mainly on early prefacelift W204s cars around 2007 etc. Never heard of it affecting the coupe.
 
Prior the the car we currently have, we had a 2015 C220d AMG Sport Premium Coupe (C204). Liked it a lot, decent performance, well equipped, looked nice too. If I was looking for one again, I'd look for a C250d AMG Sport Premium with panoramic roof.

Just avoid Fire Opal Red. Looks great, but can suffer from micro blistering like ours did :(. Not worth the risk IMHO.
 
Eeek not heard of the rusty subframe issue.. I checked mine last night and no sign of rust but something to bear in mind I guess.
I'm having an off day, whats ESL??

I know the M271 petrols can suffer chain issues, even my indy merc specialist mentioned it when mine was being done.

Generally they are excellent cars though with very few problems, especially compared to other brands :)
ESL is electronic steering lock.
 
Common faults on the OM651 include:

- Leaking fuel filter housings
- Leaking plastic water pumps
- Stretched timing chains (happens on well serviced cars too)
- Carbon’d up Inlet manifolds

I still have one as they are awesome on fuel - (as you know Abb ;))
 
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Thank you guys for all your input and experiences. I need to narrow down what was available spec wise on models now.

It will be a 204 coupe C250 Sport (oppose to the SE). What trim levels did these come in for years around 2012 - 2014 and what did the comprise of?

I am very aware of how ludicrous MBs specs offer when combining packages when new, as in somethings are not available without others, and if you tick some boxes on the options list you exclude yourself from having others, if that makes sense!
 
HI There
I own an S204 C250 cdi amg line estate and love it.
The 250 is noticably (in my opinion) worth the extra for the instant torque and available power.
The C220 isnt slow by any means. I would try both and see which you prefer.

The Command satnav/stereo is a nice option, mine doesnt have this as I couldnt find one with it for my budget at the time. Apart from that keep a look out for the trim level you prefer. Also heated seats are something I miss in the merc, again couldnt find one with them fitted. but its all minor really. Mine has the audi 20 sat nav system and standard seats. Both are still great, great sounds system and comfortable supportive seats.

There are no Major issues but some things to check

The timing chain can rattle at cold start at 100K+ miles so make sure you listen for that. Mine did and I got it replaced for around £700. Most dont suffer from it but something worth listening for. Some go on for 400K miles with no issues so dont worry to much, good servicing is key.

Some can suffer from coolant leaks at various places.
Apart from that I beleive them to be pretty bullet proof engines and cars in gerneral. Chck for the usual stuff and there are no fault codes or engine lights on.

The 7G gear box is lurvely and also has the paddle shift if you prefer.

A good service history is essential.. And a local specialist is also useful to avoid MB main dealer prices. I find a lot of generic independant garages are reluctant to work on it so finding a good place for servicing etc is well worth it.

Good luck...


Good cars when the usual weak points are addressed .

Got my S204 250 CDI to a sweet spot now , the only poor performer is the 7 speed slush box , the car makes great low rpm torque
( Audi 3.0 tdi torque) , even more in my case !

Yet near WOT it revs and changes 4600/4700 rpm ( not the case with a 220 ) , way past it's peak power output and downward post 2K with torque . The box overrides you if you try to change up .

I've disabled the WOT kickdown because it sends it into a two gear 4000- 4700 rpm drop and change up revving screaming moped .
 
I just bought a C204 C220 CDI.

Saw two bought the second as it had nearly every option on it and a better history.

I wanted a specific colour combo (black with beige seats) so didnt have much choice.

From what I read They seem to be reliable generally (especially compared to the equivalent BMW/Audi. I wasnt bothered about 220 or 250 as I figured if I decide I need to I can get my 220 remapped and effectively have a 250.

It had to have a control unit in the headlight before I bought it, the stop start doesnt seem to work and I have a niggle with the electric passenger seat (works but the back doesnt go upright enough) but other than that it seems fine.

You'll struggle to find one with leather though. Mine has it but was the only I saw for sale which did have it as most have the artico fake leather instead.

I'm really pleased with it. I bought it to replace my E92 M3 which was a bit too expensive to do 15k a year in. I thought I would miss the power but the merc goes well enough for the sort of driving I do and I think the 7 speed autogearbox is great.
 
I figured if I decide I need to I can get my 220 remapped and effectively have a 250.

The injectors are different on the 250. It’s not just a map.
 

So you can’t just remap your car and have a 250 ;)
 

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