The W203 C Class Mercedes was produced between 2000 and 2007 and has approximately 46 different varieties depending in which country you live in. Here in the UK, the W203 is a very common sight amongst the taxis thanks to the frugal four cylinder engines providing great economy and decent performance.
Mercedes Benz W203 starter problem About 2 months ago, my Mercedes Benz W203 C180K Kompressor's starter motor started slipping when attempting to turn-over the engine. On average the bendix drive slipped twice for every three tries. 'work shop light' am thinking the kind you plug into 120 volts~ not clear on what the problem is here? Overzealous Body Control Module~ hows the ground to the.
The engine sizes vary from the 1769cc petrol 4 cylinder to the rare 5439cc AMG versions. Aswell as the C55 AMG, there were also C32 AMG’s that has a supercharger coupled with the 3199cc engine which provided impressive. The W203 C Class has always been a “marmite” type of Mercedes where you either love them or hate them.
Personally, im not a fan however the amount of car you get for your money is outstanding. You can pick up an AMG W203 in either a 5.5 or 3.2 Kompressor for as little as £5000 and £8000+ for a really good spec. Lower down the chain, you can pick up the smaller engine C Classes for less than £1000, which could be a great work horse for many years to come. Common W203 Reliability Faults and Problems. Rust – Although not as bad as the predecessor, the W203’s can suffer bad rust which usually hits the rear arches first.
Valeo Radiators – Symptoms are a droning/humming noise at approximately 1200 – 2500 rpm as well as a jolt when accelerating gently. SAM (Signal Acquisition Module) Module – A faulty SAM can be a huge electrical headache.
Symptoms can include: fuel gauge not working, lights not working, constant fuses blowing, key fob issues, battery can’t hold power (constant drain), rear lights staying on, dashboard buttons non respondent and even more. A new module can be purchased at the dealer for over £200+.
Front Suspension Bushes – the W203’s eat bushes regularly and you will be able to tell by a clunky front end whilst going over bumps. Oil in Engine Wiring Loom – occurs where the cylinder head oil leaks past the solenoid and ends up in the loom to the ECU, which can cause further issues with MAF/02 Sensors. More Common in the C180 Kompressor models. Balancing Shaft – Common in C320’s before 2003 (M272) where the rotating shaft developed cracks W203 Modifications and AMG Upgrades The W203 can be improved further, some great upgrades would come in the form of a that be connected just above the bumper and be a cheaper option than going to the dealers. Has your W203 not got xenon lights? You can use the H7 bulbs to produces a great xenon look and increase visibility on the roads with this full. W203 C Class Recalls 2000-2007.
Possible Loss Of Steering Control. Bonnet Could Open Without Warning. Rear Seat Belts May Not Engage Correctly. Engine May Revert To Limp Home Mode (DPF Related) Keep up to date by checking.
Overall, the W203 does have issues like any other Mercedes however they are mainly due to electrics rather than mechanical issues. If you were to buy a W203, ensure all electrics work as they should and check whether the SAM module has been replaced.
The W203 C Class was facelifted during 2004, where Mercedes took care of the majority of issues, so it may be worth spending that little extra for a facelift version.
Hi everyone, I am back with a new video series about buying a second hand car. I will give you some tips and advice on buying second hands cars. Together we will look at some desirable cars that are now 10 to 15 years old and that could be interesting for you to buy. We discuss cars that were out of reach when introduced, but now are affordable and still come from respected manufacturers. General information Today the first car we will look at is the Mercedes Benz C-class, the model W203. One of my most favourite Mercs of all time.
This car came to the market when I was 15 years old. I remember our neighbour owning one, and I liked the classic Mercedes styling from the early 2000’s. From the outside it looked stylish and from the inside it looked like a quality product. Today we check if that feeling is correct or not. W203 The w203, the second generation Mercedes C-class came to the market in 2000 and was produced until early 2007. The early models of the car had some electrical issues and as time went on, we find out that most of these early production cars were very poorly build. Well I should say the paint on the car was off inferior quality since this was paint on a water basis, this had impact on the rest of the car.
Rust problems All W203’s are suffering from rust, which is quite shocking. Not what you expect from a premium car like the Mercedes Benz.
The good thing about it is that these cars can be picked up relatively cheap. So the origin of the problem lies in the paint job.
Mercedes started cutting costs in the late nighties and early 2000’s and as a result they started using water based paint. This type of paint is not that durable and as a result, mostly in Western Europe where winters can be cold and the climate is sometimes harsh on the cars.
Problems start to occur with rust on the door panels, the trunk, wheel arches etc. If you maintain your car, and try not to drive it through extreme winter conditions, the problems can be handled. But it takes constant attention to not let the problem get out of hand. Electronical issues There are also stories about malfunctioning electronics. In the early production models some of the issues are caused because of water build up in the water drainage of the front window, the drainage can be plugged up because of leafs or other waste. Eventually the water will finds its way to the electronics, which is bad news.
Now that the bad news is out of the way, let’s look at the good news. What does this car have that other cars don’t have.
The engines are all masterpieces, just a few issues we will discuss later on in the video. Also, this Mercedes offers a comfortable drive, its feels very planted on the highway and the highway is where it feels at home. If you go for such a car, you should go for the facelifted models of the w203. Since Mercedes made some updates to combat the electrical issues and also started using different kind of paint. I think even in 2017 it is a desirable car, not only because of the badge, but in my eyes it looks like a small S-class. Also the interior feels like it could last a hundred years, it’s solid and durable but to some people a bit boring. What matters for me is the engine, and the comfort when I look for a car.
And in that aspect, this mercedes is doing well. Even if you go for the diesels, there is plenty to choose from. And the gasoline engines had some compressors to get some extra boost. Nice technology. Cars with high mileage shouldn’t be a big problem, just as long as there is a complete service history of the car, and the car has been serviced every year.
Engines Like I said before, the engines are not the problem. Mercedes engines are among the best engines in the world. The biggest enemy of the w203 is rust.
Sometimes you can pick up a w203 for under 5000 euro, but aspect to invest some time, money and sweat getting the car back into shape. Almost no one can escape the rust. I bet if rust wasn’t an issue, these cars would cost around 10.000 euro’s for a 2005 model.
Interior space is not the biggest in its class, but it is acceptable. The T-models or wagons were also used as taxi’s in Europe.
To my knowledge this is a testament that these cars were build for extreme mileages and comfortable driving.There is also a wide variety of engine choices to choose from. From the 180 compressor, to the very rare AMG models. AMG even made a C30 CDI, the only fast diesel Mercedes that was put together by AMG. AMG normally only tunes gasoline engines. People say Mercedes is expensive, but in the long run, it might be cheaper to run than a Ford Fiesta in terms of repairs, and it is definitely holding its value better than anything else. Let’s take a look at the engines. Petrol We start with the gasoline engine’s, overall they are bullet proof but there are several models out there that suffer from carbon build up and timing chain issues.
The timing chain of the engine should be replaced every 130.000 KM to reduce the risk of serious engine damage, do this as a precautionary measure. The M271 engine from Mercedes is the best left alone in this regard. The same goes for the V6 engines. In this case we talk about the M272 engines, the petrol v6 engines from Mercedes.
There are issues with the balance shaft and the timing chain. Balance shaft issues can be pricy to fix.
And the timing chain needs replacement every 150.000 KM. So to summerise overall problems for this car with the petrol engines, oil leaks, coolant leaks, worn spark plugs, sensor failures which result in fake error messages on mainly the early production models. Diesel Now lets check out the available diesel engines for this car. Mercedes and diesel is a golden combination. The diesel engines are very well put together, there are only some typical issues you will find on a diesel car.
![Mercedes W203 Problems Mercedes W203 Problems](/uploads/1/2/5/6/125616557/389167764.jpg)
Like for instance injector problems, problems with the turbochargers, contaminated EGR valves, swirl flap issues, issues with the diesel pump and fuel leaks. This sound like a whole lot, but you have to understand that this car is well documented, there is lots of information to be found on the internet, and most of these cars have been used by business people or deployed as a taxi, so a fair share of these cars have astronomical mileages, which is a further testament of the durability of the engines. For all engines, no matter if it is a petrol or diesel engine it is vital to change or add oil every 10 to 15.000 KM. Gearboxes available for this car, 6 speed manual, 5 or 7 speed automatic. If you have any questions about this car, or you want to share your own experiences from owning this car, please leave a comment. If you want more car buying reviews, hit the subscribe button and somehow magically you will find our video’s coming your way.
Drive safe, see you guys in the next video. Tags:, Post navigation.