[lillios]

First of all Hello to Iceman and thanks for starting such an wonderful thread. We both have same similarities. Owned a Ford figo and got bored of it so bought face lifted 2005 Mercedes W203 C220 cdi at the same time also without me knowing about this thread at that time. I found about the thread in may 2014 while googling about Aux input cable for my car.

So now I would like to share my experience with My wonderful car which I had over a year now. I searched all over the internet and India for getting a good example of my model only to find that just 500 Mts away from my home there is a used car dealer where I found it. The first time I saw the car itself I knew I have to have it. next day I took my father and went he too liked it but only problem was the Car had already 3 owners, no service history and it had done only 25k kms in 9 years so I over looked the number of owner’s. The car had the perfect combination of Vip number plate. obsidian black colour with beige interior. except no sun roof anyways its useless in heat and dust of chennai.

We started negotiation and settled on price but till now I have not driven the car once also. one of my fathers friends drove it and told its fine so in the same week we bought it. At that time I was pursuing My Ca final so used to take the car to early morning classes when roads were free. I noticed that the car emitted too much smoke and would go into limp mode. I got so scared that we bought a lemon car. Since we ourselves service all our cars as soon as we opened the hood we found traces of oil on the turbo pipe as the turbo pipe was cut. now I think since even Iceman has faced same problem it occurs once in 10 years thats the life of the pipe irrespective of miles covered. It cost us 9000.Rs

soon I got bored of listening to same songs as car had audio disc payer with 6 disc changer and no Aux. So I found this thread but the Part no for same Aux cable attachment is different from Asia to Europe. And I have no relatives abroad. So my father Used his connections to Make Trans Car Chennai to get the part ordered for us from Germany and they insisted that they would only fit the same but then again once my father spoke at the highest level we got the cable home and I did the job myself.

........ continued

After some time the service reminder on the car started blinking so We got all the parts already mentioned by Iceman and did it totally oursleves. during this time we also heard one of my fathers friend coming from USA and he has a Mercedes Workshop there and was trained at Mercedes Germany so when he heard we got a Mercedes he got extremely happy and bought some Useful parts for us (Suspension mounting bed, Gear box oil seal, pan and transmission speed sensor, front and rear brake pads) The Gear box parts only useful after at least 1 lakh kms.


Had been using the car till last month and drove very less only used for night outings and functions when I thought I would try to sell and upgrade it to W204 model 2008 c220 cdi. 29k on the ODO as of now. When one of prospective buyers came to home to see the car the front passenger side power window switch went inside the side door panel and When I was showing him how to adjust the steering wheel height the lock I Pushed too hard the so it stopped functioning. the next day itself I saw few videos on opening the side panel got it opened made a metal bracket instead of plastic bracket which was originally there and fit it back in few hours. and for steering adjust opened the panel below the steering wheel and saw there is a huge foam block which as obstructing the locking lever so made it perfect again. The car since we bought had never been polished so Yesterday we gave it for polish 3000.rs The man came to our house did full interior and exterior with 3m material and I am thoroughly satisfied. After the polish when I saw the car I had immediately changed my mind not to sell it instead keep it so I removed the Add put on team bhp classified and now I am thinking of upgrading the lights to HID and put new rubber on it and make it perfect example in the whole world of what this Car must have been in its hey day.

Here are the Pics of my Car

[shethsa]

Hi. I'm about to own my first Mercedes (its the c220 d, 2015). I need advice on whether to go in for the service package. The 3 yr or 60k km is about Rs1.6 lakhs and the 4 yr or 80k km is Rs2.6 lakhs. My running is very low - about 20,000 km in 4-5 years. Do i really need this service package? because as i understand, regular servicing once a year will cost about Rs35-45k. Would you think there'd be any unusual one-off type of expenses that could occur?

[GTO]

Originally Posted by shethsa

The 3 yr or 60k km is about Rs1.6 lakhs and the 4 yr or 80k km is Rs2.6 lakhs. My running is very low - about 20,000 km in 4-5 years.

I'm a big fan of service / warranty packages and unfailingly recommend them. However, yours is an exceptional case with incredibly low running. You can skip it - no point paying 2.6 lakhs if you're going to be putting in barely 4 - 5k kms per year. The odds of something major going wrong in that low an odometer reading are negligible.

[iceman1]

@ lillios : Congratulations on acquiring such a fine beauty!Such a low mileage car is extremely difficult to find and i am glad you found yours right next to your house.The beige interiors look fresh and clean.
Its a fairly easy to maintain car and most parts are easily available at reasonable prices provided you know where to find them.If you do need any help with the parts then do let me know.
I am happy this thread has been of some help to you. You should also start one to let us know your experience with the car. All the best!

[iceman1]

My car went through a regular service last week.The ODO now reads about 97K. Here is the list of the parts replaced:


1) Mobil 1 5W50 fully synthetic oil --- RS 900 per litre * 6 Litres = Rs 5400
2) Oil filter ---Heingst --- Rs 475
3) Air filter ( heingst)---Rs 1600
4) Diesel filter (heingst) ---Rs 2200
5) Labour – Rs 2200
6) Coolant top up –Free
7) Car scan –Included in the labour.
8) Rear Brake light bulb – Rs 30

Total : Rs 11705.


Replaced the diesel filter this time around as we had not done it last time.The service was done at my usual place Hyper Power at Turbhe.They always give special attention to my car and go through everything in great detail.

The car is running beautifully as always further confirmed by the scan which revealed no error codes at all . The service light now reset, its good to go for the next 10k Kms.

However, the side mirror issue still needs to be fixed.It only got left behind as its not causing any major inconvience . On my recent trip to Dubai, I finally decided that its high time it needs to be addressed .So I bought the mirror motor and intend to have it installed soon.Will post the pictures soon. I also saw some Projector Headlamps which looked pretty cool. After market ones costing about 13k-14k. I might buy them on my next trip. Has anyone here done this before? How is the quality of the lights? Please advice as I havent seen a working model of the lights and i do not want them to look like a cheap after market job.

[akshay4587]

Where did you find Mobil 1 5W50?
Do you remember it's import/manufacturing date by any chance?

[iceman1]

Originally Posted by akshay4587

Where did you find Mobil 1 5W50?
Do you remember it's import/manufacturing date by any chance?

Hi akshay4587, I get it from R.K. Motors in Opera House,Mumbai. Cant remember the exact manufacturing/import date but I think it was May/June 2015.

[yuv]

Hi All,

I have a W203 2002, C200 D, barely done 35000 kms and I love her to death. But sadly the aircon has stopped working and she's just sitting in my garage since almost 6 months.

Researching the net, i have come to understand that the MB aircon system is quite complicated, some may say even over engineered. After spending about 20k and many gas refills, star diagnostics etc, none of the local a/c guys have been able to fix it.

I believe authorized workshop would simply change the whole aircon system at an approximate cost of 2-3 lacs, which is very high.
The next logical thing to do is to explore the middle tier garages with access to star diagnostic tool. Unfortunately, i have not been able to find anyone reliable and provide an estimate upfront. And if the final bill comes to 2 lacs then i may be better of going to the authorized garage in the first place.

So basically im stuck, watching the beauty rot in my garage.
While many have suggested to sell as is, i want to get her fixed because after researching for last 6 months, have a hunch that its something quite small and could be easily fixed by a mechanic who has the right tools, knowledge and character i.e not out to fleece.

What should I do in your opinion? Appreciate any advise, thoughts, links, references of reliable mechanic or garage and experts on the subject in Mumbai.
Thanks a lot in advance

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by yuv

Hi All,

I have a W203 2002, C200 D, barely done 35000 kms and I love her to death. But sadly the aircon has stopped working and she's just sitting in my garage since almost 6 months.

:

could you provide some more details on what is not working? Nothing, did it stop altogether, is the fan still blowing, just less cold air? Did you check the relevant fuses? It could indeed be something very small, e.g. a loose connector, a wonky sensor etc.

One of the things you ought to try is take it to a proper MB dealer and let them hook it up to their OBD analyser. I’m pretty sure MB has put a whole bunch of AC specific codes in their cars. Might give some indication, if not the exact fault.

Jeroen

[AbhiJ]

1. Send it to an Authorised Garage.

2. Get a proper diagnosis of whats wrong.

3. Get a proper quote in writing with PART NUMBERs etc.

4. Post the info here.

[V.Narayan]

In addition to the 4 useful points by AbhiJ I would suggest you use the car. A car can be driven around without the air conditioning. I understand that Mumbai's sultry weather is not the best. But letting a car stand unused for 6 months will result in more problems in new areas.

[yuv]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

could you provide some more details

Originally Posted by AbhiJ

1. Send it to an Authorised Garage.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

letting a car stand unused for 6 months will result in more problems in new areas.

Thanks a lot Moderators for moving this to the correct section, my bad missed out on this great thread. I was searching for c200 and some how didn't expect it under Test-Drives & Initial Ownership Reports.

Thanks all for your responses, I did manage to get some codes pulled.
Hope this throws some light, Thanks

[iceman1]

@ Yuv : Very sorry to hear the trouble you are facing with your C200. I was in the exact same position as you are right now i.e. AC not working due to which the car can not be used.You have written very little about the nature of the problem but from what you have written i gather that the AC does not cool however the blower might be working?

My humble advice to you is that stay away from Authorised workshops. I wasted 3 days of my time and RS 18.5 K with them only for them to tell me that i would have to replace almost all components of the air con system at an approximate cost of Rs 5.5 lakhs. You can imagine what i must have gone through when i heard that quote. If you read my thread from the start, i have written about experience in detail. I fixed my car for about 50K at an independent workshop with all original parts( only 2 parts had to be replaced). Its been a year and half since and i have had absolutely nothing to complain of.

From the reports you have posted, it seems as though the compressor may have failed. Its not unusual for a 13 year old car and is not that difficult to replace. Find an independent AC specialist who can fix it and stress on using the original parts.If possible try and arrange them yourself.IF you need any help in finding parts do let me know. Also if you are willing to travel to Vashi, then i would highly recommend you to use the Services of Raja at Weather Master. Very thorough with his work and an absolute gentleman to deal with.Will also help you with parts.I can join you if you need help.

All the best and hope your problem is resolved soon. Keep us posted!

[shethsa]

Any of you guys wrote to MB India or sttutgart? Apparently they respond quickly.

[yuv]

Originally Posted by iceman1

@ Yuv : Very sorry to hear the trouble you are facing with your C200. I was in the exact same position as you are right now i.e. AC not working due to which the car can not be used.You have written very little about the nature of the problem but from what you have written i gather that the AC does not cool however the blower might be working?

My humble advice to you is that stay away from Authorised workshops. I wasted 3 days of my time and RS 18.5 K with them only for them to tell me that i would have to replace almost all components of the air con system at an approximate cost of Rs 5.5 lakhs. You can imagine what i must have gone through when i heard that quote. If you read my thread from the start, i have written about experience in detail. I fixed my car for about 50K at an independent workshop with all original parts( only 2 parts had to be replaced). Its been a year and half since and i have had absolutely nothing to complain of.

From the reports you have posted, it seems as though the compressor may have failed. Its not unusual for a 13 year old car and is not that difficult to replace. Find an independent AC specialist who can fix it and stress on using the original parts.If possible try and arrange them yourself.IF you need any help in finding parts do let me know. Also if you are willing to travel to Vashi, then i would highly recommend you to use the Services of Raja at Weather Master. Very thorough with his work and an absolute gentleman to deal with.Will also help you with parts.I can join you if you need help.

All the best and hope your problem is resolved soon. Keep us posted!

Thanks a lot Iceman. As you are aware, I visited Raja at Weather Masters yesterday so you are already updated
But for the benefit of others, I will keep posting as often as possible. Also, someone may be able to point something out which I may have missed out.

On Day 1, the system was vacuumed, gas re-charged and blower motor replaced in the hope that it might do the needful. It did start cooling but the excitement was short lived as it started behaving just like before. The cooling would come on for a while and then nothing, just plain air.

The compressor was diagnosed to be the culprit and while discussing further course of action, I inquired if we could try replacing the control valve(compressor part) as I had read about this being the primary cause of such compressor type failure(variable type) in some of the forums. Raja readily agreed and confirmed that this would solve the problem, provided we are able to source the part. Therefore we are now trying to arrange for the valve and will go about replacing compressor only if valve is not available.

So at the end of 1st day, I've spent 8.5k and estimate for valve is 12k(5k valve+6.5k labour) or approx 40k(24k compressor+6.5k filter/dryer+8.5k labour) for replacing compressor, if required.

The only dampener is that the gas will have to be released again(maybe twice over) for the above procedures and not only the cost, it sucks to pollute the environment repeatedly. The other thing which concerns me is that the car has not been scanned yet and just today I was reading about horror stories where despite many valves, compressors, evaporators thrown in, there was still no cooling and it turned be needing a simple software upgrade or pressure switch replacement.
On the other hand, maybe the diagnosis was so obvious that scanning is not required? Will discuss with Raja on Monday and provide an update, Thanks

Update: The valve has been arranged through a reference of Iceman and I shall have it in hand by Monday evening. Thanks again Iceman, you're truly a Savior!