Mercedes Benz and AMG Owners

OllyM · 1 Jul 2021 at 02:08

JBod said:
I have the option of buying a Silver 2011 Mercedes-Benz C180 blue efficiency for £6500, 57k on the clock, and a few previous owners, but it appears to have a full history. Paint, alloys, and interior all in good nick, especially for the age.

It seems to be priced correctly according to my research, but I have no idea about the upkeep cost of these cars. Or typical things that need replacing/fixing. I visit the UK often enough that I easily have another £4,000 in car rentals left this year on planned visits, and this seems like a fiscally responsible option.

Anyone any thoughts if this is good value? Or if it is a hidden money sink.

Ignoring the car for a second, have you investigated actually insuring it? It might not be as simple as you think - the mainstream insurers require you to be a UK resident so any policy you buy isn't worth the paper it's written on if you actually live in the USA.

Jez · 1 Jul 2021 at 10:46

OllyM said:
Ignoring the car for a second, have you investigated actually insuring it? It might not be as simple as you think - the mainstream insurers require you to be a UK resident so any policy you buy isn't worth the paper it's written on if you actually live in the USA.

I am now wondering if we are in breach of the T&Cs on our policies, as i have not actually read them. A thought though and something which i have done a few times, as has our father to allow the use of his cars...i have named my US and CA resident brothers on my regular UK policy to let them borrow a car from me when they are over.

The questions when modifying the UK policy ask whether they have full UK driving licenses, any convictions, accidents, etc, it does not ask where they live. Perhaps he could do the same if a parent or other UK resident "owned" the car.

Bear · 1 Jul 2021 at 13:01

Jez said:
I am now wondering if we are in breach of the T&Cs on our policies, as i have not actually read them. A thought though and something which i have done a few times, as has our father to allow the use of his cars...i have named my US and CA resident brothers on my regular UK policy to let them borrow a car from me when they are over.

The questions when modifying the UK policy ask whether they have full UK driving licenses, any convictions, accidents, etc, it does not ask where they live. Perhaps he could do the same if a parent or other UK resident "owned" the car.

We do they same when my sister in law come over from Australia on my wifes car when they stay with us. They are only named drivers to your already insured car and we tell them they are staying with us and have clean UK licences and its never been a problem for temporary insurance for a month or so, although we never had them permanently on the policy

OllyM · 1 Jul 2021 at 15:32

Jez said:
I am now wondering if we are in breach of the T&Cs on our policies, as i have not actually read them. A thought though and something which i have done a few times, as has our father to allow the use of his cars...i have named my US and CA resident brothers on my regular UK policy to let them borrow a car from me when they are over.

The questions when modifying the UK policy ask whether they have full UK driving licenses, any convictions, accidents, etc, it does not ask where they live. Perhaps he could do the same if a parent or other UK resident "owned" the car.

It's a very grey area, named drivers on an existing policy are less of an issue but if they live abroad permanently they don't really have a UK license any more.

I'm sure there are some specialist insurers that will cover non-resident owners but all the high street names probably won't - for example the Admiral terms and conditions say:

14.Residency

You will only get the cover set out in this policy while you are a permanent resident within the territorial limits. If you do not live within the territorial limits, we will cancel your policy.

Basically it's a minefield and I always just rent cars (using my US license) to avoid the headache.

JBod · 1 Jul 2021 at 21:16

OllyM said:
Ignoring the car for a second, have you investigated actually insuring it? It might not be as simple as you think - the mainstream insurers require you to be a UK resident so any policy you buy isn't worth the paper it's written on if you actually live in the USA.

I can take out (not inexpensive!) insurance on it from my US insurer.

tlrBeta · 2 Jul 2021 at 12:44

Hi All,

My dads C Class (64 plate) has just encountered some issues with NOX sensors, its gone into limp home mode. The replacement / fix bill is looking at just over £1k. Has anyone else had these issues? Had any luck getting them repaired for free given all the recalls that took place?

Many Thanks in advance

Dominic-Toretto · 2 Jul 2021 at 15:01

panthro said:
Why is MSL recommended? DMS have been around for years and have a good reputation. They've done plenty of MB but their core is Porsche and BMW.

MSL have specialised in AMGs for years. They look after you properly and if you have any issues at all they will always sort you out.

Gaygle · 3 Jul 2021 at 10:00

tlrBeta said:
Hi All,

My dads C Class (64 plate) has just encountered some issues with NOX sensors, its gone into limp home mode. The replacement / fix bill is looking at just over £1k. Has anyone else had these issues? Had any luck getting them repaired for free given all the recalls that took place?

Many Thanks in advance

I think there is a known problem with the NOX sensors on the W205 and Merc have been quite receptive to replacing them FOC due to this. I think there is a revised part number for it.

Has he take the car to the dealer and have they diagnosed the issue? If so, it's worth asking for a goodwill replacement due to how prevalent it is. Others have had quite a lot of luck getting them replaced as long as the car is under 100k miles and fully serviced. That said, when it comes to these sort of things, you're at the mercy of the dealer and with it being a 64 plate car, they may say it's too old to have a GW.

If they refuse, £1000 is a bit stupid for this bill. IIRC, the Genuine MB part is only £350 or so and fitting is not difficult. It does require coding with STAR so only a good independent MB garage or a main dealer will do it.

tlrBeta · 3 Jul 2021 at 20:39

Gaygle said:
I think there is a known problem with the NOX sensors on the W205 and Merc have been quite receptive to replacing them FOC due to this. I think there is a revised part number for it.

Has he take the car to the dealer and have they diagnosed the issue? If so, it's worth asking for a goodwill replacement due to how prevalent it is. Others have had quite a lot of luck getting them replaced as long as the car is under 100k miles and fully serviced. That said, when it comes to these sort of things, you're at the mercy of the dealer and with it being a 64 plate car, they may say it's too old to have a GW.

If they refuse, £1000 is a bit stupid for this bill. IIRC, the Genuine MB part is only £350 or so and fitting is not difficult. It does require coding with STAR so only a good independent MB garage or a main dealer will do it.

Hi,

Thanks for the detailed reply.

We have had it diagnosed at the dealership, they werent interested in anything other then stating the full amount. However, i have phoned Merc UK CS and had a moan. 65k miles, fully serviced with merc (until last year). I am now awaiting there come back.

I will keep you updated, thanks again

Steedie · 3 Jul 2021 at 20:40

C63 had its B service today, just a smidge over £500, combined with the £800 on tyres and tracking a couple of weeks back, an expensive month

Good news is that it looks like the trip to the Nurburgring is back on, so it's good to have a major service done right before we go

Greebo · 4 Jul 2021 at 00:31

tlrBeta said:
Hi All,

My dads C Class (64 plate) has just encountered some issues with NOX sensors, its gone into limp home mode. The replacement / fix bill is looking at just over £1k. Has anyone else had these issues? Had any luck getting them repaired for free given all the recalls that took place?

Many Thanks in advance

More wooryingly I was in my local Merc dealer today and the service manager was complaining about Nox sensors being in world short supply and are currently taking 3 weeks to get one for customers.

pugheaven · 5 Jul 2021 at 14:41

Hey guys, I'm looking at a Mercedes-Benz NAG1 (WA580) 5-speed transmission fluid and filter change (not flush!)... anyone had this done on their car and also, if anyone has any reccomendations for independant dealers who could help me in North Wales/Chester area would be appreciated.

EDIT: Think Mercedes may call it the Mercedes-Benz 722.6?

MadMan-JaMeS · 9 Jul 2021 at 12:04

Just got myself a 59 plate E350.

Absolutely love it

skaif · 10 Jul 2021 at 06:51

So I'm back in the UK for the summer and very kindly been given an E-class 320d (53 plate) to waft about in while I'm here.

When driving the car the brake pedal makes some weird noises as if there's a pump doing some business and can feel a slight vibration through the pedal. I can replicate this by pumping the brake at a standstill in park.

Is this normal?

Also I want to pay back the use of the car by sorting the small issues it has. The passenger side mirror indicator doesn't work - is it an easy fix in terms of getting another light or the whole unit? There is sometimes a convenience malfunction shown on the dash, what could this be? Everything seems to work completely fine..

dlockers · 10 Jul 2021 at 12:12

Sounds like ABS kicking in? Convenience malfunction may be interior light?

bazzabear · 10 Jul 2021 at 12:22

My C63 sailed through MOT and service again this year. Less than £400 for a B service too - can heartily recommend Nick Webster if you're in the South Manchester / Cheshire area.

Insurance has dropped to £300 too, which is frankly ridiculous for a car like this!

skaif · 10 Jul 2021 at 15:49

dLockers said:
Sounds like ABS kicking in? Convenience malfunction may be interior light?

Thanks for the reply, will double check interior lights at night. Not driven it when it's dark yet!

Regarding the brakes it's deffo not ABS as it can be replicated at a stand still. I've read online it's apparently normal, something to do with sbc valve? Makes the brake pedal feel weird but I guess it's just something to get used to.

Jez · 12 Jul 2021 at 08:44

The E320 above was an era with problematic SBC pumps. Very common and worth googling around for videos on the topic

Convenience malfunction in this era is usually the battery, does it have an old battery? If the voltage gets low then you will get convenience features offline or similar messages.

ruffneck · 12 Jul 2021 at 10:56

tlrBeta said:
Hi,

Thanks for the detailed reply.

We have had it diagnosed at the dealership, they werent interested in anything other then stating the full amount. However, i have phoned Merc UK CS and had a moan. 65k miles, fully serviced with merc (until last year). I am now awaiting there come back.

I will keep you updated, thanks again

Will be interested to see how you get on as my fully Mercedes serviced W205 has just got an EML light and code is a faulty NOx sensor on bank 1. Car has only done 70k, I also pay for the service plan.

Bear · 16 Jul 2021 at 18:39

bazzabear said:
My C63 sailed through MOT and service again this year. Less than £400 for a B service too - can heartily recommend Nick Webster if you're in the South Manchester / Cheshire area.

Insurance has dropped to £300 too, which is frankly ridiculous for a car like this!

That is cheap, just had my 2B service on my E63S which cost £667