60,000 Miles - Review

[LILBENZ230]

Maybe it is that I don't typically have cars to this point, but 60,000 miles seems like an important milestone to me. To date, 35,000 miles of the 60,000 are mine and have been accumulated in 13.5 months. The only modification done (and the only one that will ever be done) is a 55w HID kit installed. Current problems: 1. 2.5 weeks ago, while running the A/C in auto, it shut down by itself twice in 20 minutes. I did a reset of the HVAC system and this has not happened again. 2. Once every other month or so the car will tell me it has a license plate lamp out when it doesn't. I'm pretty nerdy in keeping records on my vehicles. I'll share with you some of them: In 13.5 months and 35,000 miles the maintenance expenses total $1,319.12. This includes 3 oil changes, a cabin filter change, an air filter change, 4 tires, new front rotors and pads, an alignment, an additional tire balance, cam sensor adapter wires (pigtails), a brake fluid flush, and a $100 insurance deductible to cover an $1,800 repair of the front bumper (thanks to a dog). The warranty was intact from the time I bought it in July of 2008 thru the end of February 2009. During this time it spent 13 days at the dealership for warranty work. 7 of those days were returns for the same issue the dealership failed to correct. The worst problem the car had was a CEL at 31,000 miles from a small Evap leak. The dealer replaced the purge valve and fuel filler neck to solve the problem. A few of the issues were not serious at all (peeling wheel buttons, chrome flaking off cup holder, blown rear speaker). Battery is original. After sitting overnight, it's showing a charge of 12.3v - so it's not in the best shape anymore. The alternator charges at 14.0-14.1v while driving at 13.5-13.6 at idle. Other issues that fellow owners might encounter that I've had covered under warranty were: 1. Trans connector leaking. 2. Mirror turn signal failure. 3. Rattle on start up requiring new internal cam sensors per TSB. 4. Collapsed gearbox mount. The car will turn 5-years-old on 1/25/2010 and I will replace the spark plugs around that time. I can't justify replacing them yet because the car spends a significant amount of time on the highway (which should be keeping them clean) and it runs like new. The shift quality is superb, too, but I will have the transmission fluid changed in the near future. This car has exceeded my expectations on every level. I once had a 1999 Accord with a V6 rated at 200hp and 195tq that got about 22mpg in my mixed driving. This C230 has virtually the same power (albeit, I'm certain it's quicker than the old Accord V6) and during mixed driving today (45 miles) I got 30.3mpg average. It spends a lot of time on the road, and while I take good care of it, I'm not easy with it. I drive the crap out of it. Whether it is blasting up to the mountains of NC or hauling 5 adults 1150 miles to and from Florida in 18 hours, it always performs perfectly. At 60,000 miles tonight, I can't imagine letting this car go anytime soon. Coming from someone who loves to swap cars, this is the ultimate testament to how good a W203 can be.

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[bdgdl08]

I'm glad you're still loving your car. And I'm glad that you go to the trouble to posting these uplifting threads.

[LILBENZ230]

Hey Drew, I discovered that a Crest Spinbrush Pro is the perfect tool for detail cleaning the interior. It can scrub gunk from the crevices a towel can't reach, it can scrub the scuff marks out of the speaker grilles, with the use of spot cleaner it can lift stains out of the stain-prone gray interior.

Needless to say my car hasn't been cleaner since new.

[bdgdl08]

Interesting. I would not have thought to use an electric toothbrush on my car. You have way too much time on your hands Matt!

[LILBENZ230]

Originally Posted by bdgdl08

Interesting. I would not have thought to use an electric toothbrush on my car. You have way too much time on your hands Matt!

Hey.. you don't have a 60,000 mile, 5-year-old Benz that could pass as newer than your 09 135i just out of sheer luck. Damn black interior on the 135i gives me so much grief.

[bdgdl08]

No, you're right. I need to spend some serious time on my car. Needs some touch-up paint, some TLC... and a good tooth brushing

[glocati]

Great write-up. Perfect post for someone to find when the perennial questions of...."What can i expect to go wrong ?" and "How much to maintain a C230?" come up.

[EHop]

you dont need to change your plugs yet, althought its not a bad idea to do them a lil early. just incase u thought they were due

[Karo]

From your post I can tell your car can easily hit 200,000 miles. You take very well car of your car.

In 13.5 months and 35,000 miles the maintenance expenses total $1,319.12. This includes 3 oil changes, a cabin filter change, an air filter change, 4 tires, new front rotors and pads, an alignment, an additional tire balance, cam sensor adapter wires (pigtails), a brake fluid flush,

[LILBENZ230]

Originally Posted by Karo

From your post I can tell your car can easily hit 200,000 miles. You take very well car of your car.

Well I certainly hope so. I plan to keep the 135i through the end of its warranty, maybe an additional year. I plan to keep the Benz until maintenance costs outweigh the purchase of a replacement. I simply adore it. I bought it as an impulse buy for the way it looked and the fuel economy and fully expected to ditch it within a year because of reliability concerns.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

[Karo]

At the meet I told everyone how I stumbled upon my car. At first I was looking for an E55. I found one so I needed a loan. I called the loan place and with my income they denied me. So I called a Credit Union and said I make 70K a year. They said "great just fax us over your w2 form"

So then my dad kept saying get a c class. I don't know what it was but I was never a fan. I mean they looked very nice but I think it was because some jerk that I knew had one so I never liked the car because of him. Then one day my dads like here is a good one but it's not a 230 it says 350. I'm like wtf so I looked at the ad (online) and it said 350. We went that weekend I test drove it and I fell in love. 2006 with 21K miles (February) now 32K.

How old are you Matt? You seem the more Mature type not the speed and fixing up kind. I'm almost 24 and by behavior is like 16 loool

But overall the w230 is a great car. I love my car.

[Glyn M Ruck]

Interesting read Matt - I like you have spent my life replacing cars frequently but have recently suppressed the itch & I'm wasting more money on, jacuzzi's, audio & big LCD displays. This is the longest I've ever had a car. Was driving home at 4 in the morning yesterday in the pouring rain - snug & warm in the little 203 - little V6 humming along & listening to music. Loving the drive around the coast to home. The car still smells new & is perfect in all regards & well maintained. And was spec'd new with all the toys I wanted like Parktronic, BiX etc. Just turned 58,000Kms.

I thought to myself - why in the world would anyone want to sell this trusty little steed? - the lady in the family can have her W204!

My car has had 2 castor bushes & one tranny plug washer replaced under the service plan - & normal maintenance - that's it! Not even a stone chip in the paint. Why not just keep her.

I saw this 19,000Km C55 the other day and had to myself. They are also discounting old E Class by R150,000 at present - still can't get used to the new one . Taking another holiday to Thailand & not wasting money on a new car!!!!!!!!!!! The temptation is hell

[johnand]

Glad to see I am not the only anal record keeper. I have recorded every fillup, maintenance, and misc items since I bought my car. My Excel spreadsheet is starting to get big

I will be at the 60K mark in my 07 sometime this winter.

[LILBENZ230]

They couldn't be more different, so they complement each other quite nicely.

Yes that's a tennis ball hanging down on the BMW's side of the garage. It's a holdover from the G37's days - as the G37 was a much larger car with worse visibility and the garage on that side is quite small. After the garage door scraped down the bumper of the G37 ($431 damage), I decided not to take further chances.

Karo - The E55 is the God of the car world, IMO. But I would never buy one without a long warranty. I understand that when things go wrong with even my car, it could be expensive. But with airmatic suspensions and stuff of that sort I just couldn't justify the risk with an E55. I'd tell you my age but I'd have to kill you. I'm not too much older than you are physically. I just am somewhat of an old soul. I have always had a distaste for modified cars. I guess I just like my cars like I like my orange juice "Simply unfooled around with."

Glyn - The temptation used to be overwhelming, but those were the days when I had Accords. The shortest time I kept a car was from August 2001 to January 2002. It was a 1993 Accord I bought from a guy I know. I had (and still do) a soft spot for those Accords since that's what I learned to drive on, and it was so perfect I just had to have it. I bought it for $6,000 with 95k miles. 5 months later I sold it for $7,500 with 101,000 - after realizing how much cars had changed. Now that the C230 and 135i are here, I don't find it so tempting anymore. One thing I have decided is that the next vehicle is going to be an SUV. A GLK, ML, or X5. I almost always buy used vehicles. The 135i and Civic Si being the exceptions.

John - I don't record fill-ups, but I do record weekly mileage, fuel economy, and hours of usage for the C230. In addition to the maintenance and misc. stuff.

Unfortunately, as perfect as my C230 is in most respects, I just noticed today that the center armrest has underway its mandatory disintegration. It still functions, but the padded surface is sad.

[SpeedDemon]

Originally Posted by LILBENZ230

Other issues that fellow owners might encounter that I've had covered under warranty were:

1. Trans connector leaking.

Could you elaborate on this? I'm really curious what you had to do to fix this and what exactly this means.

I took my 05 C230K into the dealer and they told me that mine had this problem and then my indy mechanic told me not to worry about it. Needless to say, I still worry about it every now and then and you are the first person I've ever seen to post the same issue.

Thanks!!!

[samaritrey]

Originally Posted by SpeedDemon

Could you elaborate on this? I'm really curious what you had to do to fix this and what exactly this means.

I took my 05 C230K into the dealer and they told me that mine had this problem and then my indy mechanic told me not to worry about it. Needless to say, I still worry about it every now and then and you are the first person I've ever seen to post the same issue.

Thanks!!!

get it fixed if you leave it the fluid can get up into the tcu which will make you want to kill the indy. lol it is a really cheap fix i think like under 20 for the part plus trans fluid.

[LILBENZ230]

All I know is an electrical connector on the transmission was seeping fluid. I had read about it on this forum, actually, and asked my SA to have them take a look under there to make sure my car didn't have the issue. When they checked, they found it did have the problem and they fixed it and topped up the fluid.

[SoCalC55]

Very nice write-up

Originally Posted by Karo

But overall the w203 is a great car. I love my car.

It most definitely is, I love the size(i could care less about rear seat room) and look of the 203

[LILBENZ230]

Yep. I had several W204 loaners and family and friends were completely in agreement - they all liked the "look" of my 2005 better.

[savage18ss]

How did you reset you HVAC system? Same thing has been happening to mine, where the A/C just randomly stops working and will kick back on after a few minutes of getting pissed. thanks and congrats, ill join you within the next month or two

[LILBENZ230]

Hold down the buttons for front defrost and recirculation until the lights flash back and forth.. The system resets.

[BF_JC230]

3. Rattle on start up requiring new internal cam sensors per TSB.

Can you please elaborate on this “problem / Issue” and the TSB to fix it?

Thanks,
Jake

(Does anyone know of other TSBs to look into on the 2005 C230?)

[LILBENZ230]

Originally Posted by BF_JC230

3. Rattle on start up requiring new internal cam sensors per TSB.

Can you please elaborate on this “problem / Issue” and the TSB to fix it?

Thanks,
Jake

(Does anyone know of other TSBs to look into on the 2005 C230?)

http://www.mbworld.org/forums/1295726-post28.html

From the sticky post up top by vraa. These apply to the 2005 C230. I would think that if your car has a production date after the issue date it should have the issue fixed.

I thought my car was noisy after the initial start. I mentioned this TSB to the dealership and they kept my car for 3 days and replaced "internal cam sensors" and the SA said these were "at the rear of the engine". That's all I have on it, the paperwork is vague since it was warranty.

The car started a little smoother ever since, but it's still a pretty noisy little thing. Just a quirk I'm used to.

[LILBENZ230]

65,125 miles now.

This makes 40,000 miles that I have put on it since I bought it 15 months ago. Anyone familiar with my posts knows I have a thorough maintenance, thorough enjoyment policy for this car. In the spirit of Halloween, I'll tell you a story that will horrify those of you anal about your W203s:

On Friday morning I took the Benz to an 8am soccer game for my Sig.O and close group of friends. It was POURING down rain and to get to the field required driving the Benz 1/4 mile down a road that was a 60/40 split of mud/rocks. I couldn't help but chuckle a bit looking at how out of place my C230 looked in this setting.. but it gets worse. At half-time, a friend that had been playing walked up to me - covered (and I mean COVERED) in mud and grime and I said "I'm so glad none of you have to ride in my car after this!".

Oh. fail.

The Sig.O had something come up at halftime and needed to leave. Having rode with someone who wasn't leaving yet, he just looked at me (soaking wet and covered in mud) and said "Not the Benz.." and I heard myself say what I thought I'd never say about a Mercedes....

"It's just a car."



I have the ash interior. Someday, it will be clean again. I'm still working on it. But the point of this is that these cars are quite a bit tougher than some of you may realize. This thing handles whatever I throw at it and never misses a beat. I adore it, not that I needed to say that again.

[bdgdl08]

I applaud your strength, I keep a towel in the car for just the purpose. I thought that's what the sub was for, though... Driving through the fields for soccer games and such. Congrats on your milestone-ish.