Mercedes-Benz C-Class 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.

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.

’Benz specialist Peter Lennox suggests that you first check to make sure the thermo fan is working correctly, so check the fuse and relay there. He says leaves can accumulate in the fan shroud and between the radiator and air-conditioning condenser, which can reduce the airflow, so it’s worth removing the radiator and any leaves that you find.

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.

That’s not a huge mileage for an engine like this, and I wouldn’t expect to see timing chain stretch over that distance. However, it begs the question of how the vehicle has been serviced. Timing chains really should last the life of the car (or, at least, the engine) but if the engine hasn’t been treated to the correct oil changes and general maintenance, the timing chain can be one component that will suffer.

If the car was bought second-hand, it would be worth going through the service history to see if any scheduled servicing was skipped. This could be the root cause of the problem. It’s also important not to confuse a stretch timing chain with a worn chain tensioning system. The tensioner holds the chain tight, taking the slack out of it and allowing for some stretch to be taken up over the years of operation. If it fails or becomes weak, you might start to hear the chain rattling.

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.

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

The Mercedes recommended fuel for the E280 is 91-octane regular unleaded, while the recommended fuel for the C180 Kompressor is 95- octane premium. While you can safely run the E280 on regular unleaded, and I suspect you could run the Kompressor on 91-ocatane, you will get better performance and economy by running them on the higher-octane fuel. Mercedes-Benz also approves the use of E10 ethanol blend fuel in both of your models, which might help you save a few pennies.

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.