2006 MERCEDES-BENZ C230 Complaints

AFTER HAVING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COME ON, WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP WE PURCHASED IT FROM TO PERFORM A DIAGNOSTIC AFTER RECEIVING CODES P0170 AND P0173 (MB CODES 2092/2096) WHICH MB CLASSIFIES AS "MIXTURE IN RIGHT / LEFT CYLINDER BANK IS TOO RICH WHEN IDLING" AND WERE TOLD WE WOULD NEED TO REPLACE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD FOR $2110. THE EXPLANATION WE RECEIVED (VERBAL ONLY AS THEY REFUSED TO DESCRIBE THE PROBLEM IN WRITING AFTER ASKING MULTIPLE TIMES) WAS THAT A BUSHING THAT CONTROLS THE AIR FLOW VALVES WAS WORN. THEY COULD NOT PROVIDE A REASON AS TO WHAT WOULD CAUSE THIS WEAR CONSIDERING THE BUSHING IS INTERNAL TO THE CONTROL VALVES. THEY ALSO COULD NOT TELL ME WHICH SPECIFIC SIDE THIS LEAK WAS COMING FROM. SINCE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD IS ONE LARGE COMPONENT WE WOULD NEED TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE THING. THE CAR IS FIVE YEARS OLD SO ROUGHLY JUST OVER 12K MILES PER YEAR AND ALREADY MAJOR COMPONENTS ARE FAILING. THIS IS FROM THE SAME DEALER (MB GEORGETOWN, TEXAS) WHO ONCE TOLD US OUR BRAKES (ROTORS AND PADS) WERE ALL BAD AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. WE TOOK IT TO A TRUSTED MECHANIC AND ONLY NEEDED TO REPLACE THE FRONT PADS AS THEY WERE GETTING CLOSE TO BEING WORN OUT. WE NOW NEED A SECOND OPINION SINCE I SIMPLY DO NOT TRUST THEM. THE INFORMATION THEY PROVIDED WAS "PROVIDE ESTIMATE TO REPLACE INTAKE MANIFOLD FOR VACUUM LEAK AT $2110. AIR LEAK COMING FROM INTAKE TUMBLE FLAP ASSEMBLY." *TR

THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN ON INTERSTATE 95 IN POMPANO BEACH FLORIDA, THE CAR STARTED TO RUN ROUGH AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BECAME ILLUMINATED. TOOK THE CAR TO THE REPAIR SHOP AND IT CAME UP WITH 2 CODES 1200 AND 1208 INTAKE AND EXHAUST CAMSHAFT SENSOR RIGHT CYLINDER, THE MECHANICS REPLACED THE 2 SENSORS AND A COUPLE WEEKS LATER IT APPEARED AGAIN. THE ORIGINAL MECHANIC RECOMMENDED ANOTHER SHOP THAT SPECIALIZED IN MERCEDES. I TOOK IT THERE A FEW WEEKS LATER AND WE WERE INFORMED IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE MERCEDES AND THAT THEY WERE BEING SUED FOR IT,AND MERCEDES HAS PUT OUT OVER 10 TSB ON THE ISSUE AND IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING TO CARS WITH THIS NEW ENGINE. THE PROBLEM IS THE SPROCKET ON THE BALANCE SHAFT WAS NOT HARDENED METAL,LIKE IT WAS SUPPOSE TO BE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCEDES BENZ C230. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 50 MPH WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE ENGINE STARTED SPUTTERING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHERE THE MECHANIC CONFIRMED THAT THE BALANCE SHAFT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 1,300.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN. I HAVE THE MB C230 2006. I'VE BEEN LOSING POWER WHILE DRIVING. WHILE THE CAR IDLES IT'S RUNNING AS IF IT'S MISSING LIKE OUT OF TIMING. I'VE BEEN TO THE PARTS DEPT BECAUSE I WAS TOLD THE VEHICLE WAS MISSING. I HAD THE COILS CHANGED. SPARK PLUGS CHANGED, YET STILL THE CAR HAS NO POWER AND WHEN IDLING THE ENGINE RUNS SO VIOLENT IT'S CAUSING THE BELT TO WEAR. SO FAR I HAD TO BUY 5 BELTS AND THEY WON'T LAST MORE THAN 4 DAYS. THIS PAST WEEK I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THE 4 MAGETS WOULD HAVE TO BE CHANGED. WELL I HAD THEM CHANGED AND STILL I HAVE A CAR THAT HAS NO POWER. I WAS FINALLY TOLD BY A MD MECHANIC MY PROBLEM WITH THE CAR IS THERE'S A BALANCE SHAFT THAT'S INOPERABLE. WHEN I INQUIRE ABOUT THIS ITEM I WAS TOLD THAT MERCEDES BENZ DOES NOT HAVE THIS AS A RECALL ITEM WHEN IN FACT THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN AN ISSUE SINCE 2004. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE ANY INFORMATION IN REGARDS TO REPAIR. THERE IS NO WAY A CUSTOMER OF THIS AUTO MAKER SHOULD HAVE TO BEAR THE BURDEN OF PAYING FOR AN ITEM WHEN IN FACT IT'S BEEN A PROBLEM WITH MERCERDES BENZ FROM THE START. *KB

THE TRANSMISSION INTERNAL SPEED SENSOR FAILED INDICATING THAT THE VALVE BODY NEEDS REPLACING. THE GEARS ARE NOT SHIFTING PROPERLY AND GET STUCK. I HAVE TO PULL OVER AND TURN THE CAR OFF FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES TO LET EVERYTHING RESET AND THEN OK TO DRIVE. IF I DO NOT STOP AND TURN CAR OFF AND PUT IT INTO PARK WITH ENGINE STILL ON AND TRY TO SHIFT BACK INTO DRIVE IT IS A HARD SHIFT AND THEN THE CAR WILL JERK. I SAW ON LINE ALL THE COMPLAINTS WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS FOR THE C230 SPORT. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY DURING MORNING RUSH HOUR WHEN I NOTICED THAT THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER 35 MPH. I MOVED THE CAR OFF THE HIGHWAY AND STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT. ONCE I STOPPED THE CAR IT WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AT ALL WHEN I STEPPED ON THE GAS. I HAD TO PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND THEN MOVE IT BACK TO DRIVE TO GET THE CAR TO MOVE. THE CAR WOULD JUMP AND LURCH FORWARD WHEN I SHIFTED GEARS. I DROVE THE CAR DIRECTLY TO THE DEALER. THE MERCEDES DEALER TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE SOFTWARE AND THAT THE SOFTWARE WOULD NEED TO BE UPDATED. I WENT TO PICK UP MY CAR AFTER THE "SOFTWARE " WAS UPDATED ($1,700 COST) AND DROVE THE CAR ABOUT 10 MILES WHEN I NOTICED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAD COME ON. I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE MERCEDES DEALER TO LET THEM KNOW THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS NOW ON. THE MERCEDES DEALER TOLD ME I HAVE A DEFECTIVE BALANCE SHAFT THAT NEEDS TO BE REPAIRED. THE MERCEDES DEALER ASK ME IF I HAD KEPT UP THE OIL CHANGES ON THE CAR. I TOLD THE THEM THAT I HAD. THE MERCEDES DEALER TOLD ME THAT I HAVE TO PAY $2,500 JUST FOR THEM TO TAKE THE ENGINE APART AND THAT THE TOTAL REPAIR WILL COST AROUND $6,000. I JUST PURCHASED THE CAR IN JULY 2010 ( 14 MONTHS OWNERSHIP) WITH ABOUT 19,500 MILES ON IT. *KB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCEDES BENZ C230. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 75 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL SHOP WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL FILTER WAS DIRTY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,089 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 61,499.

ON MARCH 12, 2011, DURING AN "A" SERVICE, I WAS INFORMED BY MY MECHANIC, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED DUE TO THE LEFT INTAKE CAM SENSOR WAS DEFECTIVE BUT IT WAS NOT A BIG CONCERN. ON SEPTEMBER 17, 2011, DURING A "B" SERVICE, MY MECHANIC STATED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED AGAIN FOR THE LEFT INTAKE CAM AND THE RIGHT EXHUAST CAM ADJUSTER MAGNETS WERE DEFECTIVE OR THE BALANCE SHAFT WAS WORN. AT THIS POINT THE CAR WAS RUNNING OK BUT HE SAID IF HE RUNS A DIAGNOSTIC TEST ON THE ENGINE AGAIN IN THE NEAR FUTURE AND IT READS A SECOND PROBLEM ON THE RIGHT SIDE CAM SIDE, THERE IS A STRONG POSSIBILITY TEETH ON THE CAM SPOCKET DUE TO THE USAGE OF AN INFERIOR PRODUCT. HE EXPLAINED IT WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY $4,000.00 TO REPAIR, HE WAS REPAIRING A VEHICLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AND SHOWED ME THE WEAR ON THE TEETH WHICH CAUSE THE INBALANCE OF THE SHAFT AND THE CAMS COME OFF LINE. IN MY MECHANICS OPINION, MERCEDES BENZ KNOWS ABOUT THEIR DEFECTIVE PART BYT THEY DO NOT WANT TO HAVE A "CAMPAIGN" TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE AND MY TYPE/YEAR ENGINE WAS MADE WITH THIS INFERIOR PART. I TRAVEL 80 MILES TO AND FROM WORK AND CANNOT AFFORD TO SPEND THIS MONEY FOR A REPAIR ON A VEHICLE THAT IS SUPPOSE TO LAST ME FOREVER. *TT

BOUGHT THIS CAR WITH 38000 ON IT. THE GET UP AND GO SEEMED SLUGGISH BUT MECHANIC SAID IT CHECKED OUT. HAD SOME MAJOR ISSUES. CAR WOULD BARELY GO, WENT DIRECTLY TO MERCEDES DEALERSHIP. DEALER SAID FUEL PUMP WAS OUT $793. ALSO SAID I NEEDED TO SERVICE THE TRANSMISSION, $350. THEY ALSO SAID I HAD A MUCH GREATER PROBLEM. A BALANCE SHAFT INSIDE THE MOTOR AND QUOTED ME $4600. THE CAR NOW HAS 55,000 MILES ON IT. THE WARRANTY WAS FOR 4 YEARS OR 50,000. THE CAR IS ONE YEAR OR 5,000 MILES OUT OF WARRANTY. IT IS HARD UNDERSTAND WHY THIS TYPE OF CATASTROPHIC FAILURE IS OCCURRING SO SOON AFTER THE WARRANTY IS UP. I CHECKED THIS OUT ONLINE AND IT SEEMS LIKE I'M FAR FROM THE FIRST OWNER TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM. I SAW A LAWSUIT, TOO BAD I DON'T KNOW HOW TO PARTICIPATE. I'M REALLY DISAPPOINTED THAT MERCEDES ISN'T DOING THE RIGHT THING ON ITS OWN. PLEASE HELP! *TR

ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED: TWO DIAGNOSTICS SUGGESTED TWO SEPARATE PROBLEMS, WORN OUT BALANCE SHAFT AND ISSUES WITH THE INTAKE AND EXHAUST CAMSHAFT. CAR IS SLUGGISH ON ACCELERATION AND OCCASIONALLY WILL NOT SHIFT OUT OF FIRST GEAR. CAR MUST BE PULLED OVER AND TURNED OFF, AND THEN THE COMPUTER RESETS. THIS IS A PERIODIC PROBLEM AND IS A PARTICULAR HAZARDOUS PROBLEM ENTERING HIGH SPEED HIGHWAYS, WHICH I MUST DO ON A DAILY BASIS.