Is It A Good Deal?

[bigasotonuk]

Hi all,
Not done many postings lately as i,ve been away in sunnier climes (Dubai, UAE, Montevideo).
I have been thinking of replacing my C230K Sport W202 for ages now as i,ve had it it for over 5 years now.
I,ve seen a 1999 'T', C43 with 117,000 miles it had full MBSH to 75,000 miles and serviced by local independants since, it was last serviced in November 2006 at 114,000 miles.It has all the usual extras inc. orthopedic seats, Zenon Headlights (?)and front and rear park assist. Price £5,000 (mates rate price)
There are few questions that i would like to ask if anyone knows the answers,
1, This year C43 does it tell you when it requires servicing or have you got to go by the mileage?
2, The owner says it has Zenon headlights, but it has no headlamp wash which i thought was a legal requirement for cars with Zenon Headlights.
3, Can any body tell me the service intervals for the Mercedes A and B service please.
4, Does it come with a space saver spare wheel or full size one.
5, I,ve read a few posts and articles on the net and they are known to be heavy on brakes, balljoints and tyres etc, is there anything else i should be aware of?
6, Approx. MPG.

 

[BlackC55]

Bargain price!!

1. it has a service indicator (every 10k roughly)
2.?
3. Every 10k and alternating between A and B
4. Full size
5. Watch for gear boxes. They wear out quickly on 43's
6. 20's

 

[bigasotonuk]

I took the C43 out for a test drive last night and loved it. Drove lovely i have noticed though that there is a few defects with the car any suggestions as what to look for would be appreciated.
Could,nt seem to make the orthopedic side of the seats to work.
After the test drive the car would,nt lock with the fob, i got in the car turned the ignition on and operated the central locking from the dashboard switch this operated ok. So i got out and the fob now works all the time. Is there something wrong or is it just a quirk come about from having had a flat battery recently.
After approx. 10 minutes i went to go to the bank and i noticed the hazard lights were flashing. Unlock/lock the car extinguished the hazards but they were back on about 15 minutes later again. I think the alarm is being tripped and this may of been a problem for a while as this is what i think has made the battery go flat, and i think that the siren has been disconnected to silence it.
The horn does,nt work, does the horn double as the alarm siren?

With these above faults i managed to get the price down a further £500 so i paid £4500 for it in the end.

Black C55 thanks for the reply to my last post.
Regarding the auto gearbox i was gonna get the fluid and filter changed anyway, could you tell me how much you would charge me to change it?

 

[kurtdaniel]

I drove a C180 for six months recently and was exceptionally pleased with the total package that this car provided. The build quality is unsurpassed in anything else I have had the pleasure of driving, for a big car the handling was good although not involving, and even though it is a relatively non powerful car the first wet roundabout caused a couple of exciting seconds as a result of the cars bulk, narrow tyres and rear wheel drive chassis. Well i have to install additional mercedes performance parts to improve it..but its good...

 

[television]

Do neither of the seats work in the ortho mode

 

[angus falconer]

I took the C43 out for a test drive last night and loved it. Drove lovely i have noticed though that there is a few defects with the car any suggestions as what to look for would be appreciated.
Could,nt seem to make the orthopedic side of the seats to work.

This is usually a 2 minute fix - take the back of the seat off (held on by two self lockers underneath) and push the air tube back on to its connector - job done.

Worse case scenario is that one of the the bladders is leaking - takes a bit labour to replace. 10 to 1 on it's just the air pipe though.

After the test drive the car would,nt lock with the fob, i got in the car turned the ignition on and operated the central locking from the dashboard switch this operated ok. So i got out and the fob now works all the time. Is there something wrong or is it just a quirk come about from having had a flat battery recently.

Never happened to me - no idea

After approx. 10 minutes i went to go to the bank and i noticed the hazard lights were flashing. Unlock/lock the car extinguished the hazards but they were back on about 15 minutes later again. I think the alarm is being tripped and this may of been a problem for a while as this is what i think has made the battery go flat, and i think that the siren has been disconnected to silence it.
The horn does,nt work, does the horn double as the alarm siren?

I'm fairly sure there is a separate siren - will try to find some time today/tomorrow to check that out

With these above faults i managed to get the price down a further £500 so i paid £4500 for it in the end.?

Fabulous price. You can't go wrong. As you say tyres, brakes and balljoints can wear faster than average. I've also had little glitches with electonics - crank sensor, brake light switch, 2xplug leads 1xcoil pack but those are common across all Mercs not just the AMG's.

But at £4500 you have PLENTY left to sort anything out and after two or three years you can sell and get all your money back. What a deal

 

[bigasotonuk]

Thanks for your replies the car is now in the garage being repaired.
The Mechanic found
1, Electric window n/s rear not working from the switch on the door but works from the front switch, believed to be dodgy door switch.
2, Wing repeater cracked N/S.
3, Slight play in steering idler arm
4, Very slight corrosion on front to rear brake pipes.
5, Very slight corrosion on front to rear petrol lines.
6, Front discs have corrosion on the back surface but has new pads, advises to replace discs next time the pads are replaced.
7, Very slight play in both N/S and O/S front upper ball joints, should be only an advise for the MOT.
8, The bottom pulley appears to be breaking up as its a vibration damper all the rubber bonding is going soft and the front of the pulley appears to be running out of true.
9, Fan Belt
10, Wiper Blade completely knackered
11, The CD Changer did,nt work the empty magazine was jammed in it but i fixed this mysef and is now A1 ok.
The seat appears to be as angus falconer said a loose/damaged pipe.
So overall i think i got a good deal.
its due an MOT in November and i,ll have it serviced then and i,ll get the fluid and filter changed in the auto box. Do i need to make dipstick for the fluid level when i do this? What grade auto fluid should it use? is it anything special?
I pick the car up in a day or two can,t wait to take it for a spin.

 

[Seeker_UK]

If there's no evidence of an ATF fluid change, I'd get one done soonest.

The gearboxes in these are notorious for "reverting back to component form" at higher mileages.

 

[angus falconer]

I pick the car up in a day or two can,t wait to take it for a spin.

Well? Got it yet?

 

[bigasotonuk]

Hi all
Yes i got it but its at my mechanics house as i,ve got a skip on the drive at the moment and have no space for both cars.
All the work is done and its ready to go as soon as i can find a reasonable multi car insurance policy.
Thanks for your interest angus.
Over the next few months i,ll be making quite a few posts as i come to grips with the few little faults that there is with the car (see my cd/mp3 changer post). The Orthopedic seat drivers side still don,t work (unsure of passenger side but my feeling is its not working either) anyway i,ll leave that for another day.
Thanks for all your posts
many thanks,

 

[television]

There is a pile of road test out there all very good this is a nice one

http://www.epinions.com/content_188261568132

 

[Phil D]

I think the bloke quite likes it !

 

[television]

I think the bloke quite likes it !