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[pivers]

hi
i'm thinking about buying a cdi 220. the one i'm interested in is 4 years old but only has 36k on the clock. [guaranteed...] i know that these type of cars can easily be clocked using a lap top but i've heard that there is a chip on the engine somewhere which monitors the mileage amongst other things. is this true and if so can that chip also be tampered with?
also can anyone tell me the bhp of this model? the other car i was looking at was a passat 190 tdi which was rated at 130 bhp. the pulling power is important to me as i tow a caravan regularly. my present car, a 97 c250 td sport pulls the van no bother but the 140,000 miles on the clock make me nervous especially when i'm travelling abroad.
any help will be greatly appreciated
pete

 

[television]

Hello Pete, to the first part, there is no chip to monitor the mileage, I think the best way to check is the seats and under the bonnet, there are many low mileage cars around, what was the mileage on the first MOT.

 

[pivers]

hi malcolm.
as it happens i haven't seen this particular car yet. i was just trying to get genned up before doing so. i agree that primary wear points such as the driver seat, pedals, steering wheel etc. are good indicators of the amount of use a car has had though and will bear this in mind. chances are the seller is totally legit. anyway.
thanks for the advice
cheers
pete

 

[BlackC55]

Hello Pete, to the first part, there is no chip to monitor the mileage, I think the best way to check is the seats and under the bonnet, there are many low mileage cars around, what was the mileage on the first MOT.

It is stored in the instrument cluster as well as the display. It will give operating time and many other factors too. A Star can read it for you.

 

[duncanh]

I know that people are always complaining that MB build quality is not what it once was, however it is still good enough to fool most people when a car has been clocked.

My C220 cdi is nearly 5 years old, and completed over 115,000 miles. The steering wheel and seats and all of the interior look no different now than they did at 30,000 miles. The carpets are covered with genuine MB mats, and are absolutely perfect. If I got a set of pedal rubbers from a 30K miler, I am sure that you would never guess what the real mileage is.

Under the bonnet all you can see is an expanse of plastic, which if cleaned up would look like new.

My car has been used as a daily hack, mainly on a longish commute, with only me in the car.

The best indicator of the mileage that I can see on my car is the stone chips on the bonnet. Again, no worse that the w124 and w210 that I had previously.

Don't be put off by the many negative comments on this (and another) forum about the pre-facelift W203 models. I have had mine from new and am still pleased with it (and amazed by the fuel economy).

Fuel consumption has been improving constantly over the 5 years (the consumption on the trip computer is about 10% optimistic). Started at about 40 mpg, and is now usually over 50 mpg, occasionally getting 55 mpg from a tankful. I assume that the engine is still loosening, I wonder what it will be like at 200K miles?

Mine is 143 bhp (it is an estate, but I think that the saloon is the same). I have the optional self-levelling rear suspension, and it is great at towing a caravan.

Hope you find a good one.

 

[pivers]

Just got back after short hol. hence delay.
to black c55. thanks for the info. I presume a star is either a lap top or an electronic tuner [as in startune?].

to duncanh. I was very impressed with the figures you gave [40-50 mpg] I know merc claim inflated mpg's for obvious reasons so it's good to get the figures from the horses mouth , so to speak.

thanks again
pete