Discussion
In the end it is a car and all the normal checks are appropriate
- Accident damage
- Everything works electrically
- No smoke from exhaust
- Tyre and Brake condition
- Check wheel arches and boot lid for rust. There is a 10 year warranty on this but the C32 will be out of that shortly.
- Electrical adjustable seats can cause battery drain. It is difficult to test as you need to pull fuses and use an amme enough ter to see what the current drain is when the car is switched off. It is curable though.
- Heated seats particularly the base will break and not heat up. The pad is sown to the leather and doesn't stretch far . Never lean into the car and put your knee on the seat as this ill break the heater. Can be fixed with a replacement pad.
- Kompressor has a cooling mechanism which involves an electrical pump which can go wrong which means the Knompressor does not engage. You know when it does as it is a fair old shove in the back. Test it by going from 30 - 70 (speed limit) then backing off then do again a couple of times. If the cooling is working OK then it should kick in each time, if not it will fail to kick in and needs a new pump. Again a well known fix and quite straight forward.
- Look for water leaks around the boot seals. Especially the horizontal seal where the rear screen meets the body. Easily fixed.
Edited by SLacKer on Tuesday 22 May 11:36
"Check wheel arches and boot lid for rust. There is a 10 year warranty on this but the C32 will be out of that shortly."
M-B wouldn't pay for the same rust to be fixed on my 9 year old SLK32 AMG, so, if you're buying the car from a dealer, get any rust fixed before you part with any cash!
Apart from the intercooler water pump issue (which my car also had), the other possible engine snag is a failing crankshaft position sensor. Run the car until it has completely warmed up, then switch off. Then restart - if it cranks but doesn't start, allow it to cool down and try again. It will probably then start, but give you an 'EMU failure' caption. Quick and easy to fix - about £120 for the part though. Unless, of course, you're under an extended warranty as I was.
M-B wouldn't pay for the same rust to be fixed on my 9 year old SLK32 AMG, so, if you're buying the car from a dealer, get any rust fixed before you part with any cash!
Apart from the intercooler water pump issue (which my car also had), the other possible engine snag is a failing crankshaft position sensor. Run the car until it has completely warmed up, then switch off. Then restart - if it cranks but doesn't start, allow it to cool down and try again. It will probably then start, but give you an 'EMU failure' caption. Quick and easy to fix - about £120 for the part though. Unless, of course, you're under an extended warranty as I was.
Cheers guys! I have heard about the seat pad issue, not the end of the world but a valuable bargaining chip nonetheless! 30+mpg sounds good for me, I drive an Impreza so a similar MPG but stepping up in class is a bonus.
As for rust, Ill have to get round a few C Class to see how it manifests itself.
Thanks again for the info.
As for rust, Ill have to get round a few C Class to see how it manifests itself.
Thanks again for the info.
myles1972 said:
nickwilcock said:
30+ mpg? You'll be lucky!
You might get 26 if you're very, very lucky on a long drive, but 23 is more likely in mixed driving conditions and about 16 around town....
But hey, all that POWERRRR is SUCH fun!
That sounds more like it!!You might get 26 if you're very, very lucky on a long drive, but 23 is more likely in mixed driving conditions and about 16 around town....
But hey, all that POWERRRR is SUCH fun!
The C32 was the best all-round car I ever owned. I was gutted to let it go due to an overseas placement.
Can verify that 30mpg was possible on a long run (according to the OBC) but more importantly it's brutally fast - well beyond what the on paper stats suggest.
In terms of options, most I looked at tended to have most boxes ticked anyway but the 'technology' is too dated to be of much use now - for example the Nokia Brick that I had in the arm rest.
I owned one for 2 years and aside from a regular service, was very reasonable to run - no unexpected costs.
Best of luck in your search.
Can verify that 30mpg was possible on a long run (according to the OBC) but more importantly it's brutally fast - well beyond what the on paper stats suggest.
In terms of options, most I looked at tended to have most boxes ticked anyway but the 'technology' is too dated to be of much use now - for example the Nokia Brick that I had in the arm rest.
I owned one for 2 years and aside from a regular service, was very reasonable to run - no unexpected costs.
Best of luck in your search.
onedsla said:
The C32 was the best all-round car I ever owned. I was gutted to let it go due to an overseas placement.
Can verify that 30mpg was possible on a long run (according to the OBC) but more importantly it's brutally fast - well beyond what the on paper stats suggest.
In terms of options, most I looked at tended to have most boxes ticked anyway but the 'technology' is too dated to be of much use now - for example the Nokia Brick that I had in the arm rest.
I owned one for 2 years and aside from a regular service, was very reasonable to run - no unexpected costs.
Best of luck in your search.
Thanks for that, it seems to be ticking all the boxes at the moment.Can verify that 30mpg was possible on a long run (according to the OBC) but more importantly it's brutally fast - well beyond what the on paper stats suggest.
In terms of options, most I looked at tended to have most boxes ticked anyway but the 'technology' is too dated to be of much use now - for example the Nokia Brick that I had in the arm rest.
I owned one for 2 years and aside from a regular service, was very reasonable to run - no unexpected costs.
Best of luck in your search.
myles1972 said:
Aquanaut said:
Hi, have you considered a C55? Might have to up your budget by a couple of thousand but benefit from galvanised panels and a v8. After my experiences of rust on my old C36 i would never again consider a merc built pre 2004.
Tell me more!http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Cars-/9801/i.html?_nkw=c...
Well specced car...mentions service history but not sure if its MB. Might be worth an call!
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