C-Class Suspension 2002

[Muntjack]

At 20,000 miles I had to have the drop-arms done due to annoying creaking & knocking at low speeds. At 50,000 miles Mercedes have just told me the front thrust-arm bearings are badly split.

I do feel a theme is developing here which I haven't seen on any car I have previously owned. Is there something intrinsically wrong with the materials used in C-class suspension from that year?

I have recently passed on a 1996 Golf to my son to finish it's life with him. It has now done 215,000 miles and only once had any suspension work done. It is on the original clutch and the engine has never been opened let alone out. That's the kind of reliability I was expecting from Mercedes!!

Was I foolish?
M

 

[LYNALL]

Were you foolish in believing it would be trouble free? yep!!

I have got to change wifes front alloy arms on her 2001 w203 as the bushs have started to split and only just passed the mot, done 75k.

I actually get grief of the blokes at work along the lines of (your not having much luck on them mercs are you) and thats the polite ones well one anyway!

Just as well i am a mech or they would bankrupt me.

Neighbour just got rid of his 89 golf with nearly 200k as it was starting to rust all over.



Lynall

 

[5pares]

The bushes can be pressed out seperately,only about £15 each,its the labour that makes the job expensive,they'd have to be pretty bad to fail an mot.

 

[Muntjack]

Thanks for the re-assurance Lynall -.

My days of fiddling with motors are long behind me. I love this car but I'd have to consider a Passat or maybe an A4 next time after my experience so far.

Some other faults: -
Window wouldn't open - new motor fitted.
Indicator lamp housing burnt out - upgraded part fitted.
New battery required at 5years as auto-transmission locked in 1st gear on every cold start.

Unimpressed!!

Cheers,
M

 

[television]

Thanks for the re-assurance Lynall -.

My days of fiddling with motors are long behind me. I love this car but I'd have to consider a Passat or maybe an A4 next time after my experience so far.

Some other faults: -
Window wouldn't open - new motor fitted.
Indicator lamp housing burnt out - upgraded part fitted.
New battery required at 5years as auto-transmission locked in 1st gear on every cold start.

Unimpressed!!

Cheers,
M

The average battery life these days is 4 year owing to the amount of electronic on modern cars.

 

[Muntjack]

"The average battery life these days is 4 year owing to the amount of electronic on modern cars."

Fine, but my complaint was the failing automatic transmission with no way of one knowing it was the battery causing it... even my Indie garage didn't put the two together.

M

 

[television]

Well lets be honest, motor mechanics are not electronic engineers.
What ever you do on cars these days, its all down to electrics.
I have had to ask people 1000's of times to measure the voltage thats going to components, it is the most basic thing that you can do, and must do.


This is where some of the older generation fall by the wayside, and it matters not about the make of the car these days, everyone is electronically controlled

 

[Muntjack]

"This is where some of the older generation fall by the wayside" - Oh dear that'd be me then :cry:

Cheers,
M

 

[television]

"This is where some of the older generation fall by the wayside" - Oh dear that'd be me then :cry:

Cheers,
M

There are limits for anyone in this field. A basic £4 multi meter will tell the most about what is going on. Most of us have owned TV.s where the picture starts getting narrower and smaller, this is power supply failing (battery in the case of a car) or something pulling more current than it should.
So we have a car with the engine running at 13.8 volt, if the battery is say one cell short circuit, this will take the nominal standing 12.5 volt down to 10 volt, so when you turn the key to start, this 10 volt will drop even further when the starter motor comes into play, under these conditions the starter motor is put under a huge strain, as being shunt wound it will pull all of the current it can.

While the starting is going on, the ECUs are trying to set themselves and with only say 8volt when cranking, nothing is set correctly. The gearbox can go into the limp home mode with a low voltage, gear boxes have solenoids to lock and change gears, and they cannot pull in on a low voltage, so the ECU says "bugger it" I cant work out what is going on and puts the car into the safe "limp home" mode.

92% of all car faults are electrics, you cannot blame the car if you do not know what you are doing.

These debates have been going on since cars had ignition coils in the late 20's, the classic thing often printed was if the condenser has gone it will burn the points out, and that is true, but the side effect of the condenser gone was that the engine could not run.

I will shut up and do something sensible