W205 C200 - Common Faults?

[SinlessSpear]

Hello Everyone,

My first post here so please be gentle.

Im currently looking for my first Mercedes. I have opted for a petrol as i dont do the miles for a diesel.

I was wondering, what are common faults / issues I should be looking out for?

For reference purposes this is the car i am looking at: https://www.sytner.co.uk/car-search...des-benz-c-class-c200-sport-premium-4dr-auto/

Thank you.

 

[markjay]

The C200 has the M274 engine. I am not aware of any particular faults, though some members on here complained about premature thermostat failure, which on these engines isn't a quick fix due to the complexity of the part and its location. But if the car warms-up quickly to normal operating temperature (gauge on dash should show 80 to 85 within 10 minutes of driving) then it should be fine.

 

[markjay]

On a general note, the UK seems to be getting quite a few of the Sport variants, this is great as the car is lowered, has bigger wheels, and spoilers, but the sporty ride is more harsh so you might want to test drive the car to see if you are happy with the ride. Personally I went for the Executive SE variant (for my W204) precisely because of that, though I agree that the car looks a bit on the mundane side with the smaller wheels and no spoilers.

But if you are going for the Sport anyway... then consider also this:

"Premium Plus is based on Premium, and adds Burmester® surround sound system, COMAND Online with touchpad, 8.4-inch high-resolution colour display, navigation with 3D map and internet connectivity."

So with the Premium you will probably get Audio20 with Garmin Map Pilot SD-Card navigation and standard sound system. Not a bad thing, just so that you are aware.

Either way I would try and get the dealer to provide the latest navigation maps as part of the deal

 

[SinlessSpear]

Hi,
Thank you for this. I am still new to the Mercedes world.
I was looking around and I cannot seem to find a Premium Plus car within my price budget (standing at a hard £15k)!

How stiff is the ride difference? Also does setting the car in Comfort mitigate this to some degree?

 

[belongabob]

Hi,
Thank you for this. I am still new to the Mercedes world.
I was looking around and I cannot seem to find a Premium Plus car within my price budget (standing at a hard £15k)!

How stiff is the ride difference? Also does setting the car in Comfort mitigate this to some degree?

I have a 2015 (2016 model) C200 Sport and personally find the comfort to be excellent - in all transmission modes. Although only a 2-litre turbo, I wouldn't say the car is slow by any means.

Had mine since November last year and the only issue was a very slight fuel smell from the engine. This was fixed under dealer warranty. Just one of the pipes was a little loose.

I don't have the Premium or Premium Plus and am happy with that - but if the price was right it would be nice to have one of these options.

 

[RonFleet]

My C200 SE suffered a couple of seemingly common faults:

1. A faint whiff of petrol fumes shortly after starting up. My local indie replaced a fuel line in the engine compartment and the problem was solved. He said that he was seeing a lot of C Class cars with this problem.
2. Door windows making a creaking noise when the outside temperature is around 17 degC.

I still love it .

 

[CJD]

I've had mine from new and, it's coming up to a year old next month.
I haven't had any problems at all, it's performed very well and i'm very happy with it.
The premium Plus is very worth while if you can find one in your price range, also the 360 camera is fantastic, very useful for getting in / out of tight spaces and for avoiding hitting the splitter when parking with high kerbs at the front of the car.
I also went for the petrol to keep away from diesels, and their associated DPF / Adblue problems.
Enjoy your search, good luck.

 

[ernie]

OP just be aware that the one you are looking at is 'early' and very soon after the 205 came out, the front seats were updated to 'Comfort Seats' which includes electrical lumbar control and a front section that is manually extendable for thigh support. A button on the outer edge of the seat controls this. The early ones could also be heavy on front tyres and rear brake pads, so check those. At 47k front pads and discs will be (have been) needed so check that they've been done. Also, check for brake vibrations from speed. The fuel smell was due to a petrol line that became porous over time but was generally replace under warranty. Other than that, you should have a great car.

Oh...and the thermostat; on the M274 engine, it can trigger an Engine Management Light if the temperature is continually down on what was expected by the processor...at least it did on the 1.6 version of this engine in the last of the 204s - and apparently it's a pig to replace! I had one done and the dealer, MB Grangemouth wasn't happy due to the amount of dismantling.

Ernie

 

[SinlessSpear]

I have a 2015 (2016 model) C200 Sport and personally find the comfort to be excellent - in all transmission modes. Although only a 2-litre turbo, I wouldn't say the car is slow by any means.

Had mine since November last year and the only issue was a very slight fuel smell from the engine. This was fixed under dealer warranty. Just one of the pipes was a little loose.

I don't have the Premium or Premium Plus and am happy with that - but if the price was right it would be nice to have one of these options.

Thank you for this. That is helpful to know. Out of curiosity, does yours have the comfort seats mentioned?

My C200 SE suffered a couple of seemingly common faults:

1. A faint whiff of petrol fumes shortly after starting up. My local indie replaced a fuel line in the engine compartment and the problem was solved. He said that he was seeing a lot of C Class cars with this problem.
2. Door windows making a creaking noise when the outside temperature is around 17 degC.

I still love it .

Would these problems have been fixed under warranty? I ask as i would be out of warranty.

I've had mine from new and, it's coming up to a year old next month.
I haven't had any problems at all, it's performed very well and i'm very happy with it.
The premium Plus is very worth while if you can find one in your price range, also the 360 camera is fantastic, very useful for getting in / out of tight spaces and for avoiding hitting the splitter when parking with high kerbs at the front of the car.
I also went for the petrol to keep away from diesels, and their associated DPF / Adblue problems.
Enjoy your search, good luck.

Thank you very much! Do you have the premium plus mentioned?

OP just be aware that the one you are looking at is 'early' and very soon after the 205 came out, the front seats were updated to 'Comfort Seats' which includes electrical lumbar control and a front section that is manually extendable for thigh support. A button on the outer edge of the seat controls this. The early ones could also be heavy on front tyres and rear brake pads, so check those. At 47k front pads and discs will be (have been) needed so check that they've been done. Also, check for brake vibrations from speed. The fuel smell was due to a petrol line that became porous over time but was generally replace under warranty. Other than that, you should have a great car.

Oh...and the thermostat; on the M274 engine, it can trigger an Engine Management Light if the temperature is continually down on what was expected by the processor...at least it did on the 1.6 version of this engine in the last of the 204s - and apparently it's a pig to replace! I had one done and the dealer, MB Grangemouth wasn't happy due to the amount of dismantling.

Ernie

Thank you for this. It is just the information i needed. Im curious, The model i have shown is not a W205?

 

[belongabob]

Thank you for this. That is helpful to know. Out of curiosity, does yours have the comfort seats mentioned?

Would these problems have been fixed under warranty? I ask as i would be out of warranty.

Thank you very much! Do you have the premium plus mentioned?


Thank you for this. It is just the information i needed. Im curious, The model i have shown is not a W205?

Yes, mine does have the comfort seats. Not sure exactly what this means apart from being able to extend the front of the seat cushion a bit and they are heated and have the lumbar support button on the right of the seat side.
My petrol smell was done under warranty, but I know that the charge would have been £140ish without the warranty.
PS: Mine was bought from Sytner in Newbury, Berkshire and I’ve been pretty happy with the service during and after the sale.

 

[SinlessSpear]

Yes, mine does have the comfort seats. Not sure exactly what this means apart from being able to extend the front of the seat cushion a bit and they are heated and have the lumbar support button on the right of the seat side.
My petrol smell was done under warranty, but I know that the charge would have been £140ish without the warranty.
PS: Mine was bought from Sytner in Newbury, Berkshire and I’ve been pretty happy with the service during and after the sale.

Thank you.
The one I have linked also has electrically adjustable front seat bits, for the legs.
How are you finding the Audio20 system?

 

[markjay]

The C-Class sedan and estate changed from W204/S204 to W205/S205 in mid-2014, with the Coupe lingering-on as C204 until 2015.

So a 2014 W205 will be one of the very early W205 cars. Buying an early production model could mean that the car may have suffered from various teething issues that were later resolved, though I am not aware of any particular ones in respect of the W205.

The W205 is still the current C-Class model (the W206 hasn't been introduced yet), though it did get a facelift this year.

On another note, pre-facelift C-Class do not have native support for Apple CarPlay or Android Auto (though it can be added via 3rd-party hardware install), just so that you are aware in case this feature is important to you.

 

[SinlessSpear]

The C-Class sedan and estate changed from W204/S204 to W205/S205 in mid-2014, with the Coupe lingering-on as C204 until 2015.

So a 2014 W205 will be one of the very early W205 cars. Buying an early production model could mean that the car may have suffered from various teething issues that were later resolved, though I am not aware of any particular ones in respect of the W205.

The W205 is still the current C-Class model (the W206 hasn't been introduced yet), though it did get a facelift this year.

On another note, pre-facelift C-Class do not have native support for Apple CarPlay or Android Auto (though it can be added via 3rd-party hardware install), just so that you are aware in case this feature is important to you.

Thank you for this. I have no need for android auto. How do you guys feel about the 350E? Is it worth it? Or does the weight of an additional motor etc outweigh the benefits?

 

[belongabob]

Thank you.
The one I have linked also has electrically adjustable front seat bits, for the legs.
How are you finding the Audio20 system?

Yes, mine has the electric adjustable seats, but no memory setting.
Audio 20 is ok - nothing outstanding - but has worked just fine. Garmin maps are not the worlds finest, but they work. Audio has been good, I’m happy with the sound and the DAB has worked flawlessly. Depends on how fussy you are with your music!!

 

[Jza]

Hi Guys, forum newbie here so please forgive me if I'm doing this all wrong.
I recently became a proud owner of a 2014 c200 w205 and I was wondering if there is any way to get Android auto or a way to unlock dvd/usb/memory card video play?

 

[markjay]

Hi Guys, forum newbie here so please forgive me if I'm doing this all wrong.
I recently became a proud owner of a 2014 c200 w205 and I was wondering if there is any way to get Android auto or a way to unlock dvd/usb/memory card video play?

Your car does not have native support for Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, but these features can be added using 3rd party hardware:

Retrofit CarPlay

Contact the firm mentioned in the thread and equire about Android Auto for your car.

With regards watching video while driving... well everything is possible, but given that it is both dangerous and illegal I am afraid you won't get help with this issue from this forum.

 

[Jza]

Ah thanks for letting me know.
I'll get in touch with the firm.
I'm regards to playing video whilst driving, that wasn't my intention. Ididn't think that was possible. I meant for when the car is stationary.

 

[grober]

One of the main suspension differences on the W205 model is the option of adjustable air suspension which is quite common and makes a big difference to the ride quality at the potential expense of complexity of repair later in life [ MISSING ON THIS CAR?] . Many of the rhd W205's destined for the UK market are built in South Africa altho the early ones were built in Germany along with their LHD brethern. Impossible to check country of manufacture or specification /options accuracy because Sytner have obscured the registration no of the car NAUGHTY SYTNER!
P.S. Sytner Select altho "high-end" are not an official MB dealership AFAIK- I believe the franchise in WAKEFIELD is held by Stratstone

 

[SinlessSpear]

One of the main suspension differences on the W205 model is the option of adjustable air suspension which is quite common and makes a big difference to the ride quality at the potential expense of complexity of repair later in life [ MISSING ON THIS CAR?] . Many of the rhd W205's destined for the UK market are built in South Africa altho the early ones were built in Germany along with their LHD brethern. Impossible to check country of manufacture or specification /options accuracy because Sytner have obscured the registration no of the car NAUGHTY SYTNER!
P.S. Sytner Select altho "high-end" are not an official MB dealership AFAIK- I believe the franchise in WAKEFIELD is held by Stratstone

Hello,
Thank you for this detail.
What difference does making a car in South Africa as opposed to Germany make?

I can provide you the registration when I visit again.

 

[RonFleet]

Thank you for this. That is helpful to know. Out of curiosity, does yours have the comfort seats mentioned?

Would these problems have been fixed under warranty? I ask as i would be out of warranty.

The fuel line problem appeared after the car was out of warranty. The creaking windows were there from the start and my previous W205 had the same issue. A bit of Fairy Liquid on the rubbers quietened them down for a while. I wasn't too bothered, I just turned the radio up.

I've just remembered another problem - the Audio 20 satnav can't count past four (at least, mine can't). If I need to take the fifth, sixth, etc. exit from a roundabout, the display shows it correctly but the voice instruction tells me to take the first, second, etc. exit.