Faults:

A recurring fault has been the wiper motor. The vehicle had been fitted with several wiper motors before a more conscientious garage found the fault to be the wiper gearbox. Expensive, but it has now sorted the problem.

Also replaced was one of the electric motors on the door window winders.

Now waiting to be replaced is the blower motor on the windscreen.

Also waiting to be replaced is the electric adjuster on one of the mirrors.

General Comments:

For a relatively small engine the car boasts very good performance. Its very torquey and very economical for a car of this size.

The comfort levels are nothing more than adequate. Trim is spartan and the light colored cloth seats show marks easily. It is however surprisingly pleasant to drive on long trips. You do not arrive at your destination feeling jaded. It has not got the comfort levels of my old Omega, but supports you in the right places.

Reliability is good, but the car seems to be let down by some of the electrical ancillaries.

The engine is quiet and refined and after a lot of use there are no signs of oil leaks.

The automatic gearbox is a pleasure although I never use the tiptronic system.

Faults:

Drivers seat creaks and groans.

General Comments:

Handling is great, car accelerates well, tiptronic gear change is something of a gimmick, it being lumpy and surgey, making the car feel much heavier than it should.

Faults:

Windscreen wipers developed a fault that damaged the trim at the side of the windscreen.

After five trips to the dealer to ethe fault it still wasn't fixed properly. It was only fixed after I had the car serviced at another dealer.

General trim problems i.e. loose and rattling.

The climate control evaporator grew mold and the stench in the car was unbearable.

Rear axle seals had to be replaced. This was done on warranty but I was told it would have been big ££££££.

All stone chips had started to rust badly.

General Comments:

I had the original C class before this. It was a much better car from a build perspective. Although it lacked a lot of the creature comfort on this car.

If the car had the build quality of older Mercs it would be perfect.

The dealers are great when they sell you a car, but cannot return calls or even rectify problems.

Faults:

Initially there was a problem with condensation in the fog lights. This was shortly followed by the dash display not functioning and this had to be replaced. The most recent problem is that the central locking would not work which was sorted out eventually by the dealer after 6 weeks. During this time I once lost all the electrics in the car, e. g lights, air con and wipers which was not good when it was raining and humid.

General Comments:

This car looks great and even though I have the Classic it has a good spec. The engine is a little noisy. Overall the build quality is not very good and does not compared to my previous mark 1 model although the spec of this model is far better. Too many faults now means I will be selling prior to the end of the 3 year manufacturers warranty. Local Nottingham dealers service is not as good as it was under previous owners. I would suggest that future buyers of the C Class are careful and not just infuenced by the Mercedes marque and its looks.

Faults:

This was a dealer demonstration car, and was one of the first of the new W203 series with the peanut headlights.

When it was delivered, the alarm had been disconnected (on purpose), there was a problem with the radio/phone interface that required new software, and the passenger door fitted badly.

Since then, 2 or 3 rear brake or tail lights have blown. If a tail light fails, the car will turn the brake light on at low intensity to replace it.

A front tyre was punctured by a large nail and blew out on the motorway. It took me a while to realise what had happened, since there was no steering pull, and the cruise control compensated for the drag.

Unfortunately the car had the tirefit system, and the bottle of sealant had gone hard, so we had to call for a tow truck.

General Comments:

This has been a very reliable, economic and comfortable car. Plenty of power and a very smooth automatic gearbox.

This model has slightly firmer suspension for better corning without sacrificing too much comfort.

It has just had its 3rd Service at 72000Km, about 45000 miles. The first two cost about 250 EUR each, but the last one cost 900 EUR because of the extra parts. Even so, the total servicing costs have been less than for the other new cars I have owned.

It holds it value very well, and I don't have the itch to trade it in. The Mazdas and Opels I used to own always looked old after a couple of years and I used to spend a fortune keeping them up to date.