1995 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C220 Petrol from UK and Ireland - Comments

Nothing!

I Only had to replace Tyres, Disk & Pads due to normal wear & tear.

I had hired a c180 for a weekend as my BMW had blown up, I was quite impressed with the car in general and you get a sense of class and its more grown up.

I then test drove the C220 and was impressed with its performance over the c180 and the fuel figures are the same.

At first the car seem rather upright and not as stable as the BMW I had, but as you drive this more and more, it becomes more and more convincing, and for the size of it it handles very well indeed. It pulls away quick and the rated book speed is not correct, certainly not what I got, 0-60 7.9 seconds, and I know she can do over 130mph, but not saying I have or have not! I say she, yes because this is the first car I have owned for 2 years and had no problems, it gets noticed which is not such a good thing, but then again, it's a Mercedes and they are good cars, everything form a clip to alternator is so much better made, that's why they last. My only gripe is the fact that Mercedes have cut corners in a few interior area's, for example the plastic door bins that contain the speakers give a good rattle, but they are going back to their good old self now so I look forward to my new E class in August. I would recommend this car as a safe, reliable family car with a lick of class, and would rather have a 4 year old Class than a new Mondeo or alike. The last other bonus I would mention is that it holds its money if you get the correct colour and spec!

Go on you know you wanna!

Yes, I agree with you steven. I own a 1995 c220 elegance, it's a great car, accelerates well and offers exceptional safety. Because it was an elegance package, so the suspension setup is softer, a young man like me tend to enjoy cutting corners. So what I had done to overcome the body roll problem was to replace the tires to yokohama A539 205/60R 91V Compare to factorys 195/65r michellin. This made a big difference. I love this car, had work so hard for it. Its very classy and most of all it holds its resale value, people tend to say mercedes benz are expensive, I disagree with them. because they hold their resale value compares to japanese car, so at the end of the day, you are going to loose more than 50 percent of purchase price for a japanese car. Why not buy a merc? which is more classy, safer and most importantly, you will feel very happy.

I envy those of you who have a C220 and have had few if any problems. Mine is the worst car that I have ever owned. The car has approximately 150,000 km on the clock, and these are the problems that I have experienced:

- A broken lock cylinder.

- The SRS warning light sensor failed, the repair of which required removal of the front seat. It looks as though it has failed again.

- The right rear power window regulator has failed.

- The motor powering the drivers' side headrest has also failed.

- Every month, at least one of the exterior bulbs (headlight, parking, brake, or turn signal) needs replacement. (I have replaced more bulbs in this car than all the other cars I have owned combined.)

- Both O2 sensors required replacement (twice)

- A bracket for the sunroof broke. Replacing this part will require complete disassembly of the sunroof.

- The under-hood insulation seems to degrade prematurely. It was replaced, and in short order the same problem occurred.

- The hinge on the vanity mirror has broken for the second time.

- A Mercedes-Benz dealership inspected the brakes and informed me that the brakes were still in good working order. Within weeks, the brakes developed a squealing sound and were not stopping the car effectively. I took the car to an independent mechanic for inspection. The calipers had seized, destroying the pads and rotors. Replacement of virtually every brake component was required. Assuming the dealership performed a suitable inspection, it seems that the calipers simply failed.

- The a/c unit stopped working recently. This despite the fact that we prefer using the sunroof and use the a/c only infrequently. The dryer and expansion valve have just been replaced at cost of $513.96, which served only to reveal that the compressor has also failed.

- I am no longer able to use an auxiliary device in the cigarette lighter. The fuse blows as soon as I turn the device on. When I removed the top of the fuse box, the paper ‘map’ of the fuse box appears burnt as though the fuse panel has overheated. I will add that the cigarette lighter gets jammed and cannot be removed if one mistakenly presses it in.

The kindest thing I can say is that the paint and interior still look very good.

I believe you guys, I don't have C220 BENZ yet, but i will buy this may (2005) C220 1996 ELEGANCE. before buying, this webpage and you guys help me so much, who care dealer, everyone has to listen this people, they have one... they have experience on this BENZ...LET'S BUY A MERCEDES-BENZ...

If any one has picture of the C220 1996, please send me, just for closer look...

E-mail: isa_caglar@hotmail.com

THANKS EVERYONE...

To the poster who had the a/c system failure, I can tell you that one of the main reasons for the failure is the fact that you hardly use it. Air conditioning systems are one of those that require that they be used... at least twice a week in most cases to keep the system properly lubricated and the seals well oiled. Many people prefer not to use a/c because of the additional fuel consumption or the loss in power. But take it from me, the additional cost of replacing an a/c compressor is MUCH higher.