2012 C250 CDI, things to look for?

John Laidlaw

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Firstly, I'd just like to say thanks to all of you for taking the time to reply and offer some advice.

These are the two cars in roughly my local area that I was looking at:

https://www.evanshalshaw.com/search...-wg62eol/?campaign=7-day-money-back-guarantee

https://www.carshop.co.uk/used-car/MERCEDES-BENZ/C CLASS/WF62OGB

The absolute top end of my budget is 9000. I know that's not actually a lot compared to some people, but for me it really is. I'd be paying for it over 4 years, too. So it's a commitment.

I went to view the second one the other day. Not a mark on it, inside and out. It was very tidy. I would prefer a coupe but the saloon, like the first one, does look nice and I think I could get into it.

I do usually look at the tyres, I learnt that a few years ago, good tip!

The Laguna is a trusty old soul. 99000 on the clock and it's never put a foot wrong. I love it in a way because it's a bit quirky and rare. Autocar had it as one of their highlights a few months back, suggesting folk snap them up as they could be future classics as there isn't many around. Garages only offer me around 700 quid for it though, which is a bit insulting. It's taken me to Germany and back and everywhere without missing a beat.

The Mrs keeps talking me into it and then I get cold feet, worrying about potential repair bills. I guess I'll never know unless I bite the bullet.

Thanks again, really appreciated.
Second one (WF62) looks very good, last 4 MOTs were very clean (no advisories or anything) making me think it’s well cared for. Past advertised August 19 at £9367 so there’s some wiggle I believe in your offer ..
 
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Paul297

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Second one (WF62) looks very good, last 4 MOTs were very clean (no advisories or anything) making me think it’s well cared for. Past advertised August 19 at £9367 so there’s some wiggle I believe in your offer ..

Where did you get the previous listing information from? :)

I've just been to view the black one and I wasn't impressed. Previous owner had tried to put glitter and sparkles on the badges around the car and things. Itd all started peeling off and looked a bit silly. Few paintwork marks and other bits that just put me off
 

A.J.

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John Laidlaw

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Where did you get the previous listing information from? :)

I've just been to view the black one and I wasn't impressed. Previous owner had tried to put glitter and sparkles on the badges around the car and things. Itd all started peeling off and looked a bit silly. Few paintwork marks and other bits that just put me off
I use Total Car Check, there’s some free information but you can also buy some credits towards a more in depth report which also carries some insurance
 

Exp21

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Hi Paul, I have a w204 C200 CDI (OM651). It had major issues, so owning a Mercedes is not all rainbows and flowers. It's my fourth Mercedes. If it goes bad, you better be prepared to spend a lot of money. A lot. In my car broke these things: 7g-tronic oil leak that lead to torque converter replacement, water pump, 2 thermostats, engine mounts, alternator, belt tensioners, some cables in the engine (I don't remember), fuel filter housing (leak), control arm bushings, sway bar links. All of this in only 100k km. The 7g is not that good because has some jerkings between 2nd and 3rd gear (known issues, do your research). Timing chain is another known fault of this engine, and there are reports of broken om651 engines. Does it mean you must not buy it? No, but be aware of the costs of maintainance in the case things went bad. And be aware that not all indy mechanics are able to work on these engines. It's not easy to find, but buy an engine that had strict oil changes intervals (not the recommended 25k km, is absurd) and check for timing chain noise at cold start up.
 
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Paul297

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Don’t forget the E Class Coupe (C207) was built on the C Class platform so may be another option to look at.

How about this one with the proper V6 Diesel :)
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202007251677291

Looks nice but not sure about the wheels and interior! Haha but thank you :)

I use Total Car Check, there’s some free information but you can also buy some credits towards a more in depth report which also carries some insurance

Ah, ill look into that. I went to view the second one, the silver coupe. Test drove it, loved it, asked about the service history, and they had no aervice history records apart from what they had done.

Hi Paul, I have a w204 C200 CDI (OM651). It had major issues, so owning a Mercedes is not all rainbows and flowers. It's my fourth Mercedes. If it goes bad, you better be prepared to spend a lot of money. A lot. In my car broke these things: 7g-tronic oil leak that lead to torque converter replacement, water pump, 2 thermostats, engine mounts, alternator, belt tensioners, some cables in the engine (I don't remember), fuel filter housing (leak), control arm bushings, sway bar links. All of this in only 100k km. The 7g is not that good because has some jerkings between 2nd and 3rd gear (known issues, do your research). Timing chain is another known fault of this engine, and there are reports of broken om651 engines. Does it mean you must not buy it? No, but be aware of the costs of maintainance in the case things went bad. And be aware that not all indy mechanics are able to work on these engines. It's not easy to find, but buy an engine that had strict oil changes intervals (not the recommended 25k km, is absurd) and check for timing chain noise at cold start up.

Ah! Sounds like you had it pretty rough. I bet it's been really frustrating. Because I'm basically taking out a loan for the car - it won't bankrupt me, dont get me wrong- I just worry that'll ill really be left out of pocket if something major goes wrong.

Maybe buying a Mercedes at this point in time isn't the best idea. But then again, how do I know until I get one?

Thing is, for 9k or so, and apart from Jags (which are even dearer and hard to get hold of) a few BMWs (Sorry not sure how BMW goes down on this forum haha), I'm really at a loss what to consider. Audi is a big no no.
 

Exp21

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After owning 4 Mercedes, I follow the simple rule "you can only afford one thing if you can buy it twice and cash". My advice to you is to wait and put apart some money. When you'll have a good amount of money ready for repairs, you'll be safe and you'll really enjoy your car. Otherwise it's a big risk, above all if you don't have a really capable mechanic you trust 100%. Anytime you put hands on 651 engine it's 500£ at the least. I would exclude Audi and Bmw
 

matthew k

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Pre Euro 6 diesel values are on the slide TBH, I'd be careful not to pump too much money into one. My car was bought for banger money, but when looking to buy something for 5-10-20 or whatever, I think it can help to consider honestly what you'd get for it in a private sale if you were to sell it shortly afterwards.

Also I wouldn't be persuaded into buying an aftermarket warranty, they're rarely worth anything. Sales of goods gives you a strong 6 month statutory warranty if you buy from a trader anyway. As long as it's not a dodgy hole in the ground that could disapear at any moment that is!

I know this is a Mercedes forum, but maybe share a pic of the Renualt, I do have a bit of a soft spot for them!
 
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Paul297

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Thanks for all the comments, the search goes on!

I seem to be at a loose end.

Read a bit more this morning about timing chain issues on the Mercs too. Like the 2.0 BMWs.

Any major issues on the petrol? I've always been a diesel fan though, weirdly... but they all seem ridiculously complicated. Weirdly, the Renault has been the most reliable car I've ever owned!

Pre Euro 6 diesel values are on the slide TBH, I'd be careful not to pump too much money into one. My car was bought for banger money, but when looking to buy something for 5-10-20 or whatever, I think it can help to consider honestly what you'd get for it in a private sale if you were to sell it shortly afterwards.

Also I wouldn't be persuaded into buying an aftermarket warranty, they're rarely worth anything. Sales of goods gives you a strong 6 month statutory warranty if you buy from a trader anyway. As long as it's not a dodgy hole in the ground that could disapear at any moment that is!

I know this is a Mercedes forum, but maybe share a pic of the Renualt, I do have a bit of a soft spot for them!

https://ibb.co/XYnxNcg

https://ibb.co/T49k21Y

That's it this morning. Garages only seem to want to offer me 600/700, which I kind of understand. She looks great, obviously but of wear and tear for a car that age, full service history though and never misses a beat. Might be worth sticking with it for a bit longer, who knows.

I just fell in love with that C250... argh!
 

matthew k

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Thanks for all the comments, the search goes on!

I seem to be at a loose end.

Read a bit more this morning about timing chain issues on the Mercs too. Like the 2.0 BMWs.

Any major issues on the petrol? I've always been a diesel fan though, weirdly... but they all seem ridiculously complicated. Weirdly, the Renault has been the most reliable car I've ever owned!



https://ibb.co/XYnxNcg

https://ibb.co/T49k21Y

That's it this morning. Garages only seem to want to offer me 600/700, which I kind of understand. She looks great, obviously but of wear and tear for a car that age, full service history though and never misses a beat. Might be worth sticking with it for a bit longer, who knows.

I just fell in love with that C250... argh!
Yeah, definitely. I know this is a Mercedes forum and everything, but in this case I can see no point in pumping that kind of money into a 8 year old car, while letting the Ren go for peanuts. They do look straight granted, but so does your car!!!

(Hasn't that also got RWS?)
 
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Paul297

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Yeah, definitely. I know this is a Mercedes forum and everything, but in this case I can see no point in pumping that kind of money into a 8 year old car, while letting the Ren go for peanuts. They do look straight granted, but so does your car!!!

(Hasn't that also got RWS?)


No, mine doesn't. Kind of glad about it because I've heard its a bit troublesome!

Went to put my window down yesterday and heard a crunch! So my driver's side window is knackered.. just as I was saying it's most reliable thing I've ever owned haha! And just as I was considering selling it...

It never rains... haha
 

ajlsl600

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If you go om651 get the history from Benz. Change oil at half intervals and filter at normal intervals. Tho I do both myself. Dump the trans oil and filter unless you have evidence of recent change. Never use stop start
I collect all info on egr, DPF and adblue delete. I will maintain those until Benz try to shaft me then I will be deleting them
Cut down on short trips, screws DPF.
Otherwise engine pulls my ml250 really well. At 2 tonne. Car WONT do Benz fuel figures. But +, 50, at the weight is not bad I hear some saloons do near 70mpg.
 

ajlsl600

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Forgot. If you want to tow get one with bar already fitted.. Benz have learnt how to bend you over for this..
 
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Paul297

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I've seen one for sale that has full history. 13 plate C250 CDI, looks tidy.

Just dont know if I've been out off my the known issues.

I can accept an EGR valve or a DPF being a bit iffy, but injectors and timing chains might be a bit much for me to worry about.

Its a shame because I absolutely love the car. But if either of those problems develop, I just dont think I'd be able to afford it and I don't want to be worrying about it every time I start it up.

Bit gutted, because there's nothing else I actually want!
 

A.J.

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I've seen one for sale that has full history. 13 plate C250 CDI, looks tidy.

Just dont know if I've been out off my the known issues.

I can accept an EGR valve or a DPF being a bit iffy, but injectors and timing chains might be a bit much for me to worry about.

Its a shame because I absolutely love the car. But if either of those problems develop, I just dont think I'd be able to afford it and I don't want to be worrying about it every time I start it up.

Bit gutted, because there's nothing else I actually want!

I think you worry too much, the incidencies of these failures are so few and far between. Plus the fact that worse can happen on lessor cars, like the seemingly endless problems on the Ford Ecosport, which you would probably feel safe with, it just ain't worth worrying about. If you want to give yourself peace of mind buy a Warranty ! :)
 

ajlsl600

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Or buy a simple car and treat yrself to a load of other things
 

Sander1337

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GO for an E220 (or even better E200) and remap it to E250 (or 220 in case you get an E200), this way you don't have the expsensive faulty Piezo injectors but normal injectors which will never die but still have the E250 performance.

Consider going for the 5G over 7G which is more reliable (but uses more gas in city-driving).

For wagons, ensure that the air-supsension is up and stays up, listen for leaks around the system or read it out with a STAR or something similar.

Prevent Air-matic models in general (rear of wagon excluded) because the air struts typically fail after 10 years. Replacement is super easy DIY but expensive.
 

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The trouble with looking at forums such as here is that you read all the bad stories.
I think that some OM651s have had timing chain issues but it is the small minority. Certainly far less that the BMW 2.0 litre diesel timing chain problems.
I understand that the OM651 chains become noisy on initial startup but I haven't heard of one snapping.

I would definitely change the engine oil and filter more often that the MB service schedule. Get a relationship with an MB specialist if you aren't comfortable doing it yourself. Use quality oils with the correct spec and a good filter.

I'm not convinced that using stop/start has any impact on the life of the chain.

I doubt if a good used MB that has been looked after will give you any more grief or cost you any more than any other car.
 
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Paul297

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Well guys, after reading all your advice and tips, I've decided to bit the bullet.

Bought this yesterday
https://www.jct600.co.uk/used-cars/...grey-metallic-automatic-diesel/id-1254105519/

Really happy with it. Got much more than I was expecting in part exchange for mine. It comes with full service history and they've just spent 800 on it, which includes 2 new front tyres, discs and pads, a service and an 12 month MOT.

I pick it up tomorrow and I cannot wait.

Oh, and I got a 2 year warranty with it, so I'm a happy bunny indeed.

I'm part of the family now!

Thanks for everyone's help. I'll be sticking around hoping to learn and contribute to the forum :)
 


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