Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2001 Problems

Mercedes-Benz has just launched an all-new C-Class model, so there's a good chance many owners of older models will be trading up. Meaning there could be a glut of used C-Class in Australia, giving you the chance to select between the many on offer, as well as the opportunity to select from the best of them. 

Robert Gray is considering buying a 2001 Mercedes-Benz C200. It is a one owner car that's done 77,000 km, it has the service manuals, and the asking price is $13,000. He wants to know how they compare for economy and parts cost of other cars? NEW The move by Mercedes-Benz into the medium market was designed to spread

The small-medium Mercedes-Benz C-Class, while costing significantly more than many cars in its class, is becoming increasingly affordable by the standards of the prestige car market.Though it has been built down to a price when compared with upper crust Mercedes models, the price trimming has been done intelligently and you still get a car that’s well built and uses good quality materials.The C-Class is sold as a three-door coupe, a four-door sedan and five-door station wagon body. Coupes from 2008 to 2011 were called the CLC-Class in an attempt to give them a sportier image. That didn’t seem to work and with the new model of 2011 the C-Class coupe name was revised.This is a rear-wheel-drive car so those travelling in the back seats of sedans and wagons will find themselves a little squeezed unless the front seats are moved forward a notch or two. This situation has improved over the years as the C-Class cars have become slightly larger, but it’s still smart to take the family along during your pre-purchase road test to make sure it suits them.Boot space is good and the big bootlid in the sedans makes it easy to load. The wagon is of the stylish school, with a sloping tailgate that robs the load area of some cubic capacity.Naturally the back seats and boots of the coupes are on the cramped side, but that’s par for the course.Few cars come with such a staggering range of engines as the Mercedes C-Class. Four, six and eight-cylinder engines are offered. The latest petrol engines have direct petrol injection and are significantly better than the older units in terms of performance consumption and emissions. Look for the letters CGI in the car’s title, indicting the new-generation engines. The name Kompressor in the car’s title means it has a supercharged engine to provide extra torque. Later units use a turbocharger rather than a supercharger.The hot AMG models use the V8s and have tremendous performance, but this comes at a cost in high fuel consumption.Mercedes-Benz C-Class with turbo-diesel engines have been sold for many years, long before they became common in other European marques. They have either four or six cylinders. The newer diesels (look for CDI on the badge) are a big advance on the older diesel in smoothness and refinement and once the car is cruising at a steady speed we defy you to pick them from petrol powerplants.The great majority of C-Class Mercedes-Benzes will have an automatic transmission, though you will find some four-cylinders cars have a five-speed manual gearbox, they may cause real hassles at resale time.Luxury levels are Classic, Elegance, Avantgarde and Sport. The latter has firmer suspension for better road feel and will make a nice car for the enthusiastic driver.Spare parts, servicing and repairs are all expensive for a car of this size, but certainly not for a machine with the high prestige rating the Benz affords you. Insurance costs are generally reasonable for a car in this class.It pays to buy a used Mercedes-Benz which has been serviced throughout its life by an authorised dealer. Their mechanics are not only trained to high standards, but are in constant touch with the factory. A car with a full service history will almost invariably command a higher price but be sure the service books are genuine.Mercedes-Benz Australia offers a good used-car scheme on cars up to five years of age. The length of the warranty varies according to the workshop’s assessment of the car.WHAT TO LOOK FORBe sure the steering is positive with no unnecessary free play in the straight-ahead position. There were some problems with the early version of the Brake Assist System (BAS). These should have been rectified by a dealer after a recall. Contact the dealer or Mercedes’ head office to see if this work has been done.Do a visual check of the car inside and out for signs of damage or worse-than-average wear. Pay particular attention to the bumper-bar corners for signs of paint scrapes. Also have a good look at the condition of the seats.Always call an expert for the final say no matter how good the Mercedes appears to be after your own inspection. Either use a mechanic formally trained on Mercedes or a senior inspector from your motoring association. Noisy engines, or units that are slow to start may be about to rack up an expensive repair.CAR BUYING TIPIf you’re considering getting an old prestige car rather than a new, but somewhat mundane, car make sure your budget is up to the task of supporting the higher running costs of the upmarket machine. 

The was something off-putting about the 180E Mercedes produced before the C-Class was launched in 1994. It had the star on the bonnet, but the rest of the 180E just didn’t seem to make the Mercedes grade. Thankfully Mercedes corrected the situation with the C-Class.The 180E was clearly a car for the masses, even if the asking price meant the masses had to be quite well-heeled to have any chance of getting behind the wheel. But there was something about it that suggested Mercedes had cut a few too many corners to get the price down as far as it did.Anyone accustomed to the level of equipment that usually came with the three-pointed star would have been shocked to find that it had wind up windows, vinyl seats, and a seriously underpowered engine.The C-Class was a different story. It was an important new model in the new generation of ’Benz cars, one that delivered the traditional Mercedes quality in a much more affordable package without the compromises of its predecessor. If the 180E left you feeling like a ‘wannabe’ Benz owner, the C-Class made you feel like a paid-up member of the club.MODEL WATCHThe C-Class had to overcome some built up resistance when it first came out, such was the poor reputation the 180E won, but anyone who wrote off the new car failed to see a totally new car with the old Mercedes’ attributes.Build quality was high, as you would expect of a car costing almost $60,000 and more in 1994, performance was much improved, and there was enough fruit to satisfy most ’Benz owners.When Mercedes launched the 180E in 1991 it was looking to expand its owner base in order to survive in the long term. The company simply couldn’t survive on a diet of high priced luxury cars, there just wasn’t enough buyers able to afford the ’Benz asking prices.The company was under attack on many fronts. BMW was giving it some curry, particularly with the 3 and 5 Series, and the Japanese companies like Toyota were causing Benz plenty of heartache with its Lexus, which was taking sales away from the S-Class.The 180E was an attempt to compete with the BMW 3-Series, but Mercedes made the fatal mistake of pricing it well above the small Beemer in the belief that people would line up for a car carrying the three-pointed star even if it didn’t deliver anything more than its cheaper rival.They didn’t, which meant Mercedes had some catching up to do with the C-Class. Thankfully they came closer to the mark the second time around.Although there was nothing particularly striking about the C-Class styling, it was actually quite conservative, it has stood the test of time well and still looks current and classy a decade after it was launched.A compact sedan, the C-Class offers comfortable seating for four. There is accommodation for five, but it has to be said that three across the back seat would be a little uncomfortable.Power for the C-180 entry level model came courtesy of a 1.8-litre double overhead camshaft, four valve, fuel injected four-cylinder engine that put out 90 kW at 5500 revs and 170 Nm at 4200 revs.When the right pedal was pressed deep into the carpet it would reach 100 km/h in around 12 seconds, while racing through the standing 400-metre sprint in a little over 18 seconds.They’re reasonable times, but achieved through relatively short gearing and top end power. As a result the mid-range is a little lacking so it feels a little lethargic when not pushed hard.The standard transmission was a five-speed manual with floor shift, but most were delivered with the optional four-speed, or later, five-speed automatic.Underneath, the C-Class boasted double wishbone front suspension along with a multilink independent rear suspension. Isolation from bumps and potholes in the road was superb, and it didn’t come at the expense of handling, which was well balanced and precise.Add to that four wheel disc brakes, with ABS, and power steering which was well weighted and nice road feel, and the C-Class was a pleasure to drive.At launch Mercedes offered two levels of trim, the base Classic and the better equipped Elegance. The Classic had cloth trim, air-conditioning, central locking, power front windows, power mirrors, rear head rests, and an airbag for the driver. From November 1997 it also had cruise, a passenger airbag, and a five-speed auto in place of the four-speed.The Elegance added dual airbags, CD player, leather steering wheel, wood trim, rear seat pockets and power rear windows. The Elegance was replaced by the C200 Elegance in 1997.From November 1994 there was also a sporty Esprit model with bright coloured seat inserts and lowered suspension. Like the Elegance, the C-180 Esprit was replaced by the C200 model.IN THE SHOPMechanics report few problems with the C-180. It’s generally regarded as robust and reliable.The only problem of note mentioned is the heater fan on cars after 1996. Because it’s run all the time it can burn out, and replacements are around $800.Other than that there are reports of some failures of the air mass meter on cars that have covered 150,000 to 200,000 km. That’ll set you back $2500 for a factory replacement, $1500 for a rebuilt one.Look for a service record from a Mercedes dealer or recognised specialist service agent, and inspect closely for signs of crash damage, like colour mismatches, poor panel fit, and variable body gaps.LOOK FOR• prestige of three-pointed star badge• high build quality• solid body with few squeaks and rattles• sure-footed handling• comfortable ride• four cylinder engine in heavy body means modest performanceVERDICTWell built, well equipped, and very competent compact sedan with all the prestige of the ’Benz brand, but comes at a price.RATING70/100