Mercedes-Benz C200 Engine Problems

I’ll assume you’re talking about a C200, Kevin, which was the most popular Benz model with a 200 in its name back in those days. The good news is that, no, that engine doesn’t need a timing belt change. That’s because it uses a timing chain rather than a rubber timing belt and, all things being equal, the timing chain should last the lifespan of the car itself.

All Mercedes-Benz passenger cars from that era would all have been sold brand-new with two keys. If you’ve bought the car second-hand with just the one key, you can contact a Mercedes-Benz dealership, quote the car’s VIN and the dealer will be able to order the correct key and electronically code it to work in your car. It could cost several hundred dollars, however.

If it’s not getting hot it’s probably got a leak somewhere, and that shouldn’t be expensive to fix, but if it is getting hot it could be a leaking head gasket and fixing that could set you back quite a few bucks.

With a limited budget like yours I would suggest to go for a car with a good reliability record. While the Mercedes-Benz is a good car you are likely to be facing an expensive repair if anything should go wrong. Consider a Mitsubishi 380 or a Toyota Camry of around 2000-2003.

The oil fill with the filter is 5.5 litres, or 5.0 litres without.

Normally I would have expected the car to run roughly when the chain stretched. They stretch progressively, not overnight, so there should have been some warning that all was not well. But it is low kilometres for a chain to stretch, which might mean you have a case for a goodwill claim against Mercedes, although I wouldn’t fancy your chances of success.

PERHAPS you could give the owner a deadline and tell him you will walk away from the deal if the car is not ready on that date. It sounds as if you are being given the runaround and I would have already walked away.