C180k Sport Coupe running rough

loztiggy

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c180ksport coupe 03
Hi all,

Please go easy on me, Im not a mechanically minded lass, and I am a little anxious with this situation.

Wonder if anyone could offer any advice. I have a 03 plate C180K, well serviced, just topped 80k on the clock. It has never had any running problems, so I was surprised the other day when I went to start it, and it was rocking and spluttering. I remembered several days before it had asked for 1 litre of oil to be added, so I put that in (measure manually as I dont have a dipstick on my model and the dash display wouldnt tell me how much was in), and tried to start the car again. A plume of grey smoke came out the back for my trouble, and the car continued to run roughly.

I called the RAC in order to get the garage to my local mechanic, and he was convinced it was running out of fuel (it was in reserve, but only just having put 10 litres in the day before at a garage less than a mile away). Despite my protests he escorted me to the garage in order to put another 10 Litres in. Understandably this did nothing to remedy the problem. He then tried to say I had put too much oil in and that was the problem (He seemingly didnt hear the bit where I told him the car was running like that BEFORE I added that...) He then made me drive the vehicle to my local garage, to have the oil dropped out. It has been left there for a week now as they are short staffed. I am trying to get a few ideas as to what the problem might be in the meantime.

The car had been absolutely fine on all occasions in the run up to this incident. The only strange occurrance was the day before the alarm went off for no reason just after I had parked up. It has never done that before. It was running so rough in park that I could feel the whole vehicle shaking. When I had first attempted to drive it away lights flashed on th dash and it cut out. This didnt replicate when the RAC man made me drive it away, although it felt very heavy and as if it was going to stall when waiting at junctions. A bit of a odd grinding noise may have been audible when it was changing gears, I say may as it was hard to hear as I had a noisy bus in front of me for the duration. The car felt much more sluggish whilst driving.

So any ideas? I know im probably asking how long a piece of string is here, but I have read various different things about valves not seating correctly, to head gaskets, and im starting to get very very worried about what this is going to cost me.

Thanks in advance
 
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Steve@Avantgarde

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Any warning lights on the dashboard? Ultimately you wont know anything until its plugged into star diagnosis. Its sounds like a chronic misfire which could be caused by a range of things.

I would have it recovered to a garage who has star and can diagnose it properly with the advice not to start it again until the fault memories have at least been read.
 
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loztiggy

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Hi Steve,

Thanks for the response. There were lights that came on the first time when it did stall (its an auto), the big yellow triangle light !But then when I was driving it to the garage there wasnt any lights on or malfunction warnings on the dash display. I think the garage does have STAR as they are my regular garage, although not an MB specialist, and have read faults on it before relating to PAS/ABS.
 
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loztiggy

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Oh I know the two arent related, just saying the garage have access to STAR.

What kind of cost would I be looking at if that was the case?

thanks

Laura
 

MechPhil

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Possible something like an ignition coil, but I agree that a proper electronic diagnosis would be the first order of business.
 
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loztiggy

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Ok the garage have said the supercharger has gone and its going to be £1500 just for the part. The only fault readout is the knock sensor. Any ideas? Thanks
 


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