C200 CDI Avantgarde Estate 2007 LIMP mode?

[Rich2000]

Hello!
If anyone can help me with suggestions, would be really appreciated.
automatic car
Bought this recently, it has 12 months MOT, 98000 mileage. Drove well when I tested.
After 40mins driving it went into slow mode, I presume LIMP? That is what AA said. (If I can find a way to attach images I will.)

After AA reset it worked ok for another 2hours. Then it was stuck, max speed was around 60mph, seemed to not be able to get into top gear. Then after another 1 hr driving after Christmas it now can't get above 40mph.

I took it back to the garage, as I only had it a week, unfortunately they were not very helpful. I'm going to take it back to show them how it is with the errors, not really sure if it is reparable, or better to just ask for a different car.


Errors
P2632 Boost pressure control (charge air pressure too high) this stopped the turbo working
P1664 Aux heater short circuit
P2509 Unknown fault
P2537 Glow duration control unit elec fault
P2225 Transmission control read out fault memory


P2315
P2415
P2316

 

[Rich2000]

 

[LostKiwi]

If you bought it from a dealer take it straight back to them.
If you bought it privately speak to the previous owner.

 

[V6Matty]

As above it’s really the dealers issue to resolve, if they can’t they still have to try getting someone else to fix it before you return it for a refund.
At a guess you’ve got a boost pipe leaking that shows up once the car is fully up to temp, what you really need though is a good Mercedes independent specialist with STAR to check the live data and see how it fits with the manufacturer values, that will be the only way to pinpoint the exact issue with just replacing parts because they have a fault code. Diagnose, investigate, confirm, repair

 

[Flyinspanner]

Back to who you bought it off, tell them you will be happy for them to take it to am MB indie for STAR diagnosis & fix.

Mention that a general OBD diagnosis will not interrogate the system faults as deeply as STAR can, and may lead to changing parts which won’t clear the issue.
(Cheaper in the long run)

Good indies will also have a wealth of specific knowledge which may save time. (Money)
i.e. pipe splits/common failures/actuators/etc.

maybe post up your general area and someone can post up a good indie nearby?

hope it gets remedied ASAP

 

[Flyinspanner]

Actually being stuck in low gear, and having a transmission code fault, it could maybe the transmission electroplate failing.

It really needs a proper STAR diagnostic.

 

[Rich2000]

Hello LostKiwi, V6Matty, flyinspanner,
many thanks for all of your replies. Yes, I will go back to the garage I bought it from. They are not a Mercedes garage.

I'm in Paddington, London, W2 if you do know a garage I would be pleased to hear any suggestions.
Thank you again, Rich

 

[Flyinspanner]

Wayne Gates in Harrow isn’t a million miles from you, and they are excellent, (and have STAR).

 

[Rich2000]

Could I ask, is it common for cars that drive ok and pass MOT to show so many faults on ODB? It was surprising that even when the turbo was not working, there were no errors on the car display.

 

[V6Matty]

Yes, many will be stirred faults and once cleared probably never seen again, the other part about not showing anything in the dash is also normal,

 

[bembo449]

you need to quote the consumers act 2015 , that's your protection when buying a car from a dealer pal , google it for the full SP and I would say they cleared the faults before MOT so it would pass

 

[umblecumbuz]

If you got a deep diagnosis (ie. MB Star), plenty of faults might show up. This is not unusual with relays, multiple sensors, and Canbus systems on today's cars, and most of the faults registered can be ignored. Not a big concern.
As said, there could be several reasons for your limp mode, so the supplying garage, who are legally liable, need to get the car 'fit for purpose'. It is 100% their responsibility.

The way forward is for them to diagnose, or better still for them to take the car to an MB dealer or Indie (Wayne Gates is a good one), and fix the underlying cause. Not enough facts for this forum to give an accurate cause. Better not to guess.

Having owned several 203's, I would say that they are excellent and tough cars capable of high mileages. Once you get these teething troubles out of the way, I'm sure you will find your car a good choice.

 

[Rich2000]

Many thanks for your replies. I called Autotrader, they said they could not do anything as they're just an "advertiser". So I've written the legal letter template from Which Consumer magazine under that Consumer Rights Act. Unfortunately I realised we don't have time to take it to get it repaired for the dealer... ideally they would have collected it, given us a replacement car, and fixed the issues, sadly they didn't, and today postponed the meeting to discuss it by a week. I used Money Saving Expert "VISA Chargeback" template too, my bank should be able to claw it back. As of today I didn't even receive the V5 anyway, so they probably didn't even transfer me ownership yet. .... anyway, lesson learned, those 3.5/5 on autotrader aren't good enough.. It's my fault, I was in a rush and moving house... FESTINA LENTE!