W204 C Class - 5 Things That Will Break (2007 - 2014) 

I own a 2014 year C250, which was the last W204 built in 2014. The only problem I had was an intermittent failure of the back-up camera’s visual image. It would black-out at times when shifted in reverse. The dealer provided a software update and it fixed the problem. Other than that, it runs great with zero problems. I love it. 👍💕

I've been driving a C220 CDI W204 this 7 years and I've had none of the faults.

I am a very happy owner of Mercedes for rhe past 30 years of Trouble free and Reliable ownership. A well maintained car will never let you down. Remember- A stitch in Time saves Nine.

I've had my 2013 C200 since brand new and haven't replaced a single thing, nothing. Even the brake pads are still original and at 50% wear. Have it serviced at the recommended intervals and change the oil/filter myself half way between services.

You forgot one pretty big one. Electronic Steering Lock (ESL), when this goes bad car will not turn on. The Radio and lights will turn on but the car will act like the key has not been inserted. If you own one listen to the sound the car makes when you insert your key, when that noise starts sounding more labored you can pretty much expect it to give way soon. You'll know it's gone completely when you insert your key and you don't hear anything (try multiple keys before you deem it bad). I work at a Merc dealer we do about one or two every few weeks. It calls for about 4-5 hours to R&R and the part is about $500-700 without a blue key.

90 is the normal operating temperature for cars, All cars middle bit on the gauge is 90 but yours seems to be 80, so if it goes above that a little, its fine.

For 12 years now I've been driving my C-350 2009 with none of those problems.

Absolutely brilliant information. I am considering buying my first Mercedes ( a 10 year old C class), this has put my mind at rest. The diagnostic kit looks excellent too, i'm defo buying one. Thanks!

I have the second generation C200 model 2013 full extra automatic.Never none problems,the best car i ever had in my life!!!!!

Way too many words in a nice sounding but unintelligible foreign language :) Here's the essence: 1. Thermostat 2. Blower Motor Resistor 3. Glow plugs 4. EGR valve (exhaust gas recirculation) 5. MAP sensor (manifold absolute pressure) Btw, I'm having #1.

That electronic steering wheel lock issue is nasty issue. I got stranded out of town and had to have it towed to a dealer to fix . You cant do anything to the car once it happens.

This video should be renamed C-class W/S204 diesel issues.

It’s pretty good for a top 5. Shows the car is very reliable 👍

I own a 2011 C300. It has almost 300,000 miles on it. I’ve haven’t an issue with my thermostat but did replace it recently when replacing the oil filter housing gasket. I don’t have a diesel car so no glow plug issue. Also no issues with the EGR or MAF. All original parts still on the car. Runs like a dream. The issues I would add are FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARMS. A common problem and frequent source of suspension knocks. INTAKE MANIFOLD - there’s some plastic parts that break over time due to engine heat. TORQUE CONVERTER - this is a known issue. If you don’t service the transmission periodically (change filter & fluid) the converter can go. I had to replace mine. I did it myself. No fun. Keep an eye on the PLASTIC PLUGS located in the trunk water channel. If any break or pop loose on the right side, water will drip onto the rear SAM module and cause issues with the break lights.

Had mine for almost 8 years now and none of these Problems

Thanks I've just bought a Mercedes so your help is v much appreciated ta

keep in mind w204 from 2007 - 2011 are different than the 2012 - 2014 the 2012 - 2014 is a much refined and updated car than the older one.

C350 sport petrol, no problems in 7 year ownership. Only items replaced were service items, brakes, discs and battery. Fingers crossed it continues this way.

Before changing the thermostat, check the coolant temperature sensors. Those are much more likely to cause the temperature fluctuations you see on the dashboard.

You are SO right 2010 clc 85k thermostat just gone £29 fix diy job 45 minutes. New MAF fitted last year. I turned off EGR with a special box i fitted so no black smoke when you put your foot down hard. Looking forward to the others to go. Cheers. Ed

Very small issues. Cheap to repair. Is the most reliable car in his class. Bmw e90 has alot more expensive issues, dont even talk about Audi a4 which is crap and faulty like all vw cars

I work on Mercedes benz alot. All models. I have found that the control arms commonly go especially on the older Mercedes. I have also found the timing chain to go. The timing chains don't often go but they do break every now and again. The fuse at the back of the radio often goes. Hooters go every now and again but not very often. Auto box is very sensitive on Merc. You must make sure you strictly adhere to your owners manual recommendations for replacement of the auto box oil. I have had a common problem with all sensors going especially on older models. The ecu tends to fail more regularly than it should especially on older cars. Generally the ecu is ok but as I said it does go every so often. Aircon compressors tend to fail if not mantaind properly. On the ml and g class the hand brake cable tends to snap. You need to watch for oil in the spark plugs. This general happens if the tappet cover gasket goes which does happen regularly. if you wash your engine on any model always take off your engine cover and take out the spark plugs and dry them off and make sure that the place where it goes is dry aswell. Water tends to leak into cylinders 2 and 4 the worst but it is best to dry off all of the cylinders. Water pipes go sometimes but not always. Hope this info is helpful to everyone. Please feel free to as me any other questions you may have.

Well assuming that we are talking about the w204 with the OM651 engine, which is the C200, C220 or the C250 there is something more important than those mentioned: THE TIMMING CHAIN ISSUES ! When the car is about 200k km (not miles) Mercedes recommends that you need to perform what it is called by mechanics, at least in my country, "the small distribution maintenance" ! This means changing the timming chain, timming chaing guidances and the chain tensioner! How will you know that ?! You will for sure, there is a chain rattling noise for a few seconds on a cold start. What can happen if you don't? Well, the chain produces this rattling noise because of 2 things: 1. It is loose, could be the fault of the tensioner or the fault of the guiding system. If it's the fault of the tensioner itself, you're in luck, that part is usually about 50 euro aftermarket or about 70 original. 2. It could be both the chain usage, meaning its loose because of the bad tensioner and bad guidance and this means that you have to change all of them, the parts are not expensive but because the chain is located behind the engine some mechanics could be very professional and change it on the car but most will take out the engine which will be over 1.000 euro; In case you disregard this issue you'll have to remember that the rattling noise is made by the chain not getting lubricated at a cold start and most probably being lose, that means it is touching for some seconds the housing of the chain and that is made out of aluminium which means that the chain touching the housing will produce span that will go into the engine and .... in time ... engine failure ... bye bye engine. And "in time" could mean few miles, or few months of daily driving it, all depends of how much the chain touches the housing and of course depends of how many starts the engine gets every day ... sometimes it rattles when the engine is left off for a couple of hours in a cold weather.

The earth wire to the rear right hand light cluster is not heavy enough and will overheat and burn out,a easy fix is to solder another wire onto the cluster body and earth it to the earth anchor beside the unit,best to do it before it happens =cheaper!

Interesting video. ESL and thermostat got me too. (140k miles) Another thing you could add is the control knob for the entertainment system. Mine failed and my friends also. The center plastic axle inside will break and it will just stop working. You can fix this at home when it's not the first thing you've repaired on a car. Just glue the axle back together with a suitable 2-component epoxy. Getting the module out of the car is a bit tricky though. Get a manual how to disassemble the center console, and don't tear off the module's thin wires ;)

Clogged DPF, you dont get a pre warning just a engine management light. Hole in the turbo hose. Rotten by EGR juices. Local Mercedes garage does one a week at the moment. Melted hole in intake manifold. They are plastic and as the turbo hose is melted by EGR juices. Latest is the thermostat.

...have an '07 C320 CDI Avantgarde, 70k kms and still looks, runs and smells brand new :) but anyway, I can tell you the best way to clean EGR valve is with oven cleaner, did that on an old corolla and it cleans to brand new, essentially the soot gets to a point that the valve won't move in and out.

I have a C250 BlueDrive for a year and has no problems other than a recall with a passenger airbag.

Sounds like owning a Holden commodore in Australia. Thanks.

Fair warning that the fluctuating temp between driving and idling in that specific way where it is warmer idling and cooler while moving can also be caused by air bubbles in the coolant system. When idling the air will stay at the top of the loop. That's usually somewhere inside the engine. This causes the engine temp to rise, but while driving the coolant in the system moves much faster and the issue is less noticable or not noticable at all. Had this happen on another car, not a Mercedes.

If you want a great V-6 petrol engine in the W204, go for the M276 engine, which I believe began in mid-2012 MY and continued through 2014. Of course, they introduced the I4 here in the US/NA in 2014, I believe, as well. (I:m not sure about the I4 turbo engine.) Our 2013 W204 (C300 4Matic) with the M276 engine is a great car with good power, decent fuel economy (32mpg on the highway at about 73-78mph) and in the Sport version, it handles very well. Interior components are in good condition, and it is a very comfy car, even with the sport suspension. I use Conti DWS 06 tires which are terrific in all weather conditions. Since we just purchased it in Dec/2017, I've baselined it with a fresh oil change (Lubri-Moly) and ATF and fresh front diff fluid. I will be using Akebono pads and perform a brake fluid flush as well, this Summer, as well as new spark plugs and maybe the removal of the "permanent" charcoal filter in the air cleaner (restricts air flow but allegedly helps lower pollution but only for a few US states and Ohio is not one of them). I believe the improved intake air flow will improve fuel mileage and slightly improve power. We've had a lot of older Benzes and this one is one of the best, on a par with W124 (300E 2.8) and W210 (E300TD) sedans we once owned. Our favorite Benz was the first one we owned: 1986 300SDL.

was looking to buy a 2014 facelifted c200. that's all i need to know thank you very much. That's not bad at all.

Mercedes W204 models are reliable and offered in a manual transmission too

Thanks. Delivery must be faster. Keep my interest.

Sounds fairly reliable. I’d rather buy a petrol Honda Accord. (2007) I have done similar miles, the following issues I’ve had all this time. 1. Tyres needed replacing 2. Brake pads needed replacing 3. Brake discs (rotors) needed replacing 4. Battery needed replacing 5. 2 droplinks needed replacing Shocking unreliability.

I think this applies especially on OM 646 engines (pre-facelift models up to 2010). Mine is a OM 651 engine from 2011 and 150.000 km never had any trouble with it

I've already had the thermostat issue happen to me about 2 weeks into ownership. A Febi Bilstein part cost me £38.50. I could've got one cheaper but I went with the "quality pays" philosophy. I'm not too worried about the other problems as they've probably already happened prior to my ownership as my W204 has 216K on the clock. EDIT: I've just found out that my rear subframe is corroded because one of my suspension control arm mounts has broken off. Apparently there's a corrosion issue with W204 rear subframes so it might be possible to get a free replacement from the dealer. EDIT 2: My rear subframe was replaced under warranty. I've got a problem with my heater booster (this gives instant warm air in the winter upon startup) which I think I'm going to just live with. I've also had a problem with the fuel temperature sensor (specific to diesel engines - mine is the OM646). A new one fixed the problem and it was quite easy to replace. GSF Car Parts sells this sensor. EDIT 3: The left intercooler hose had split. A new on from the dealer was just over £61 which was cheaper than some of the aftermarket ones. It was in stock and the parts guy said it was a common problem so they keep them in stock.

Had mine from new 55k miles never had a problem ..

Hello, thank you for your video and advice, could you please list the 5 things that break. Thank you!!

Apart from the horrific cost of the steering lock problem this car mechanically and structurally been amazing. Now with 182000 on the clock it drives like new every day. Will get another. Nicer looking than the W205 😂

After all this is the C class worth a purchase? I really like the look of them and would like a c250 petrol if possible. Should I be put off or should I go for it?

I think you will find that these issues are common on any make of car. You make no mention of suspension though, front caster arms are easy to ruin if you live in an area with bad roads

2more problems which r common in this model.; 1- ESL (electronic steering lock? 2- Door actuator (esp. Driver’s side)

Timing chain Mega issue if that goes, it’s an interference engine aswell

Are you a Geordie? I have a C280 (57 reg). I love it. Not much gone wrong, just the usual stuff that gets seen on an MOT. 98000 miles to date.

Mercedes Benz W204 M271 engine: Timing chain, camshaft gears a big problem - gears wear out, engine very noisy on start-ups, bonnet / hood cable snaps, noisy aircon/heater fan, coolant pipe from the engine head tends to crack. These are regardless of the maintenance you do on the car. Tail lights holder melting due to faulty earthing problem.

I had be driving a w204 for a year and had trouble with the heater and air con resistor I change it my self egr valve you can use oven cleaner.

What about the seat belt buckle?? The wires connecting to the buckle breaks.. hard to get I tried lots of wreckers all sold. Went to Mercedes none in stock had to get it imported...

OM646.811 evo is a beast of an engine. The reliability records are very high and to this days I have seen 800.000kmh cars running perfectly fine. Glowplugs: Normal at this miles Glowplug relay:Normal A couple of sensors: Normal especially in the UK with humidity, they will fail Thermostat: Normal Engine mounts will also fail: Normal lots of vibration and heavy block. ESL was a big issues with those but I got this removed and replaced with an emulator and it cost me £100 EGR get that thing cleaned and then map it out. Good cars not for everyone for sure and it costs a bit more than repairing a fiesta but they do ride nicely. The big problems started later on with OM651 engines.

The stuff u said were dipendend only about what engine or type or engine u have. The 220cdi is probably the best one out of all the engines. And this is by my experience (have one since 2007), by dealers experience, by Everyone

Sir I thought the W204 model years was from 2008 to 2014 and another thing to mention is that there was an improvement( interior quality) in the later years ie refresh model from 2011 to 2014

Generic talk about typical errors in any car.... Clickbait i call it :-D

I had my car over 3 years... never had any of these issues

Hi, thanks for the info, we bought a c220 cdi 2006 reg. after three months got a faulty gear selector, three attempts to get working one - used. Got one that worked, symptom - stuck in one gear and lcd greyed out.

Oh but the most annoying one... Steering lock on a w204, The motor that removes the locking pin is prone to burning out and the engine management system will not let you start the car at all. If you are a long way from a Mercedes Dealer this $2000 (yes you read right two thousand dollars) you will also be up for towing I had to pay $880 to get the car back to the city on top of a cancelled holiday all for a little electric motor in the steering column. My repairer does 10 of these a year the motor is under engineered. People say this was just bad luck no I say its a redundant feature that should be removed from all cars as I am insured for theft but not for a ridiculous repair like this

My automatic C200 Kompressor has 160.000 km on the odometer. The engine start mechanism (key) failed inside the warranty period and got replaced for free. I have had to pay for a failed kickdown switch under the gas pedal (20 Euros), a left tail light wire connector (45 Euros) and two burned out bulbs (2 Euros each). Apart from those problems, I change engine oil 10W40 synthetic once a year , transmission oil at 150.000 km and differential oil at 120.000 km. Never had to add any oil, and I am getting 8.3 l/100 km on the highway with cruise control set at 140 km/h. I would consider buying the same car today if I found one with say 20-30 thousand km. It was quite popular with older people who don't drive long distances, plenty of cars available for sale on the internet!

This is a great video you've done, can you please provide a transcript of it? Thanks 👍🏾

A few problems iv experienced which turn out too be common are rear light cluster have problem with earth wire getting hot / poor conection, airbag light coming on ,and most important one is rear subframe corrosion and snapping,yes failure,car steering was off cetre then pulling when breaking and generally very skittish

My W204's thermostat is still working fine at 116k miles. But i did just have to replace the thermostat on my W203 at roughly the same millage (120K miles).

best option if you want a car for about 10-15k

Guys, from what I saw in you're comments, you are complaining about things that any car would need replacing at that mileage! Those are consumable parts come on, this doesn't make a car worst than the other. You got a Mercedes Benz, lots of interesting features and a very reliable engine ! If some parts brake at some point come on ... all the car producers have some parts braking at some point ... nothing is bulletproof! Anyway, Mercedes 2.2 diesel engines are one of your best options, regardless of what could brake and cost 20-40 pounds !

This is one of the best second hand cars you can buy now. It's a high quality car, nearly like a Prius.

All things that broke on my 2009 w204.. Stereo amp.. rear brake light wires burnt.. seat belt buckle and ingnition switch

Guy buys the crappest C class that's 15 years old and because 5 parts fail he says they'll fail on all W204's. I have a 2011 C63 with over 100,000 miles and literally none of these things has happened.

I have a 2010 W204 C200, OM 651. And at 190 000 km I had to replace the ABS sensor-ring at both aft wheels. It was a pain! And; I had to replace the DPF differential pressure sensor. Which was quite easy. And that is all, it is now at 198 000 km. Knock on wood ..... It is otherwise a wonderful car. Yes, I have notice some rust on the subframe aft, and at one spot in the aft wheel-wells front lower part.

The rear subframe was the biggest flaw of 204. Otherwise it's a great car. In my opinion, the best 2000+ era merc ever build

The GREAT thing about BENZ is they don't have MANY things that break like other brands!!

Such a Beauty

Mine is on 215,000 km (2007 c180 kompressor) never even had a check engine light before. But The only part that needed replacement was the center console spinning dial and thats it.

A very common fault is a leak behind the diesel filter housing the hard plastic hose that goes into the block of the engine. The guy in mercedes parts told me that it’s a common problem cheap to replace €60 including gasket but one motherfucker to get in at.

ABS sensors fail and often and also water pumps as they are plastic.

your nr.2 in your list. can that be the reason for never heaving hot air blowing out of my van even if i have it on 28 ?

1. ESL the biggest problem. (Immediately change to emulator) 2. Timing chain is the 2nd biggest problem. (Check it as soon as possible) 3. Brake hose will damaged by corrosion in front of the rear left wheel. (Check it as soon as possibe.)

ur car was 174k miles am not amused I bought mine at 30k and I ve had it for 4 years no problem at all and it rides like a bullet , done some light offroading and its amazing

Yeah I agree with Suleman, I watched this whole video thinking it was the C class gas powered not diesel car! No wonder your motor looks nothing like mine!

FYI The blow motor for my 2012 C250 was CAD $405 + tax, part only, from Benz. None of the other issues so far at 66,000 km (41,000 miles). :)

Just repaired the thermostat on my C250 sport. My heat just went the day after the my thermostat repair lol 2012 C250 sport

owner of a w204 2011 amg facelift 2.1 BE 93k miles not a single issue regarding mechanics , had roof rails resprayed thats it

Great colour combo

My father bought brand new w204 back in 2007 , none of this things ever broke... even the battery is still the factory one. The thing that brakes is the small pocket between the seats , the one that slides (idk the word in English for it) We own the car for 17 years now ... and I believe that is the last reliable Mercedes , after that they are garbage .

Ok i have one problem with mine, and apparently its not just me, 250cdi (OM651) Exhaust manifold got loose and snapped screw, so gotta drill it out and get new one installed. Just in case, it sounds like timing belt failing, this squeaking noise, MB said it was faulty turbo and wanted to charge 2500€, for work to replace it. Checked myself and there it was, black side of exhaust manifold 4th cylinder. Now work will not be as expensive, but could be cheaper if bolt would not snap. If you hear this squeaking noise check it before its too late and getting expensive.

Use diesel injector cleaner will help with egr like diesel magic

more like steering locks and water pumps mate.... i dont see thermostats, or glow plugs where i work...

You forgot ABS/wheel RPM sensor ;)

I have a '08 220 CDI with 180k KM and I only had to replace 2 sensors for crank shaft and DPF (filter itself is OK), so I would say it is a pretty decent car. I wouldnt list glow plugs cause you have to replace them on any diesel car. Only drawback is the consumption where I apparently can not drive economically :D 7.7/100...bad I know, but at least it is only straight 4 because 6 pistons would ruin me :D

What never ceases to amaze me is that these cars have issues at all. Mercedes Benz use to be the premier automobile the world over..........top quality and very durable. I tend to avoid cheaply made products and clearly MB is falling way short in the QC department. Thanks for the video.

all of these faults are applicable to all cars which have above 300miles on clocks

Mine had a mistry noise in front suspension which could not be tracked, traction system failure, engine mounting failure, stability control system failure, resulting to stiff staring control, wheelspead sensors etc. It lost traction while iI was driving and rolled over on the freeway. Thanks God I'm still alive. Overall it's a bad car to buy.

Steering column locks up when you are not at a safe place repair 1244.70 you did mention

Thank you for this video , is there is a service manual or guid to follow for w204?

Dude appreciate your video it helped me buy jeeeeezzzzz.... Help got c180 compressor 1. 6 blue efficiency its got really sluggish shifting and take a long time befor it shifts not slipping grears just sticks in the current gear a specially 3rd aroung 3000 rpm specialty when driving slow but when u gun it putting the pedal through the floor its going great someone told me its the gearbox solenoids or something like that that needs to be synchronized wft.... That means i dont know and multiple people have told me that the gearbox is not faulty its just in need of a reset because it builds a memory in a 40 shift learning and adapting system how do i reset it?

What about the Esl motor, steering lock motor failure? The fuel temperature sensor? Sam units? Your listing is common to any car not just mercedes. When we talk mercedes we need to talk specifics mercedes stuff.

C300 w204 - thermostat unit had to be replaced - after getting it replaced by the dealership, my temperature is fluctuating. Like seriously those certified people don’t know how to fix shit

Every taxicab in germany is a Mercedes Benz. Lmfao

Yes Glow plugs are a pain in the ass. But they only apply of you have a diesel engine. They are going to need to be changed anyway as regular maintenance just as spark plugs have to be changed in petrol engines. I really wouldn't say that they should be on this list. They are more of a wear item like brake pads or brake rotors. You don't need to change them very often.

On mine 2008 CLC 220CDI the MAP sensor (manifold absolute pressure) became faulty, but from a diagnostic tool I thought the MAF was the problem which is a lot more expensive to buy. Error codes P0103, P0106 and P0113

2008 220cdi so reliable 334k on the clock

Over 14 minutes to list 5 things? No way I watch this. Just list it in the description and be done with it.

C220 CDI 2009. I had a turbo blowout, which I took for repair. After repair, the car behaved well until I noticed a loss of power when around 2000-3000 rpm. And right after the esp light keep on coming on. Any idea what it could be? My mechanic have been working on the car for 10 days without finding the issue.

key ignition barrel is very common