Mercedes c230

I purchased my c230 Kompressor coupe from a certified used Mercedes Benz dealership in 2007. The car had less than 35,000 miles when purchased. Less than a year after purchase, the engine blew. I contacted the dealership, and they took no responsibility nor were willing to correct the issue. Mind you, I put a substantial amount of money down, when signing the purchase contract.

Now, I had to come up with out of pocket cost for $2,700, to replace the engine. So, I fixed it. Less than 4 months after that, another problem, then another. Thousands of dollars later, it still isn't working. I have one more payment on a car that I was unable to drive for more than 3 to 4 months at a time. Now, the computer needs to be replaced for $4,000. This is insane. Who is interested in filing a class action lawsuit? I purchased this vehicle, trusting in the Mercedes Benz brand, believing that they truly cared about the customer. Think again! If interested, contact me via email. I own a car that has been completely unreliable. It's a total lemon!

I rate my experience as a 6. I purchased the C230 Kompressor in 2003 brand new. Both the drive and passenger door handles broke off the door! I hardly have a passenger, so it makes no sense why that one is broken as well. It seems that the interior is totally falling apart from the defroster to the mirrors to the turn signals, and on and on and on. I drove a Nissan Sentra for ten years with no major defects. I will not buy another Benz. I wrote several letters to Mercedes Benz HQs and received the same answer: that because of the number of miles on the car, the broke door handles are the result of wear and tear. No help at all!

I have a Mercedes c230 Compressor Coupe. When it was four years old, the transmission went out; right at 61,000 miles. I have bought four Mercedes in the last ten years and never had problem until I bought the 2002 c230. Dealership would not aid in the repair even though I was still making payments.

I am an Infiniti customer now, but I still own my C230 as I wait for the recall as thousands of others have had transmissions fail on this model. Please aid all who were hurt by this and lost $30,000. Force a recall so that I can at least sell it for $5,000 now and at least by that point, I lost $25,000 instead of $30,000.

The clear coat painting on my C230 Mercedes is peeling, causing it to look dilapidated. Since the car does not even have 100,000 miles on it, I plan to spend many more years driving it. It doesn't benefit the reputation of Mercedes to have this eyesore on the road. I brought it to the dealership that has always maintained the car and asked that it be repainted.

Evidently the car was not properly prepared before it was painted or the peeling would not have occurred. The service manager took one photograph of one "peeling" and told me he would contact me. After two weeks had passed and I had heard no word. I called the service manager and left a voice message with him. Subsequently, I received a message from my service adviser (Jerry **), telling me that Mercedes would not do anything to correct the problem. I feel this is shabby treatment from a company I expect to stand behind its product. As I said, I will be driving this car on the Philadelphia Main Line for at least five more years and it is a very poor advertisement for Mercedes.

Customer Service

Dear Sir,

This car was used by my company in Toronto for some time, until it became necessary to ship it to my Italian subsidiary for internal use. In order to register it, the Italian authorities have requested the technical data of this car.

In full Knowledge of the impeccable service that I have always received by your company, I am confident that you will look after my request upon receiving this message.

Yours Sincerely,

Domenico ****

I purchased a 2007 Mercedes Benz C230 last year in March. I had visited a local dealer, Concours Automotive, already having researched the car and knowing pretty much what I was looking for. The salesman I dealt with was a British gentleman that seemed to be bothered that I was looking in his showroom. He had a condescending attitude and was reluctant to assist me. Not discouraged, I left the dealership for the only other Mercedes Benz dealer in the Milwaukee Metro area, International Autos. There I received a much better sales experience with the gentleman answering all my questions and helped me purchase the car that day. The total experience was wonderful and I was looking forward to a white glove experience I had anticipated with Mercedes Benz.

Weeks later I started to have minor issues with my new vehicle. Michelle, the service agent was friendly and seemed to show genuine concern for my problems. However, things continued to malfunction and some items were never fixed. Everything from belt noises, a popping sound when I turned, squeaking when going over bumps in the road, a satellite radio that went in and out, and power seats that did not work. During this time I frequently was provided a rental vehicle, which were International Auto branded and quite filthy. I informed the service representative who assured me these problems would not persist. Yet, they continued to the point that my passengers would comment on the cleanliness of the car. After months of attempting to resolve through the dealership they informed me that certain issues could not be fixed and I would have to live with them. I escalated to the service manager who refused to answer my calls. I then went to the general manager of the dealership at which point I received a call from the service manager but never the GM. Apparently he could not be bothered with my problems. At this point I was extremely frustrated and I engaged Mercedes Benz customer service. I just wanted my car repaired but after the Mercedes agent tolerated my situation she said something to the effect of so are you saying you just dont want the car? I was caught off guard expecting that she would be appalled but instead confirmed for me that this level of service is to be expected and my experience was typical.

A gentleman from the regional office contacted me after looking at my service record that consisted of almost 30 days of work performed over the course of 4-6 months. I was frustrated to the point that I simply wanted to return the vehicle, as this was the suggestion of the call center agent. When speaking to the representative I was persuaded that the problems may be with this car only and agreed to a trade the vehicle for the slightly more expensive 2008 C300. Ryan, the finance manager clearly was not happy about the decision and was combative during the discussion of purchasing the new vehicle. I raised the concern that I wasn't looking to pay markup on another vehicle due to the first being defective. He chuckled and told me that he made about $300 off my first purchase, not quite enough to send his kids to college as he phrased it, and wasn't willing to drop more than $500 off the price to which the markup he said was $1800. Regardless of the price or actual markup, this was poorly handled. Ive been through months of issues with the dealership and this was the negotiation he decided was appropriate. We went through with the transaction, as I was eager to get into a vehicle without issues and sever my ties with this particular dealership. The exchange alone afforded me the opportunity to take a loss on the vehicle, pay a couple thousand more in taxes on the new vehicle, and further contribute to the International Auto charity fund.

Pleasantly my new C300 didn't have many issues at first. I brought the car into Concours Automotives for the first check up and received a clean bill of health. A month or two later the car began making a popping noise around the glove compartment area when hard breaking or taking a quick start. I made an appointment with the service department and specifically asked when I should bring the car in. The service agent, Steve, informed me that anytime was great but the earlier the better. I brought the vehicle in the same time I did on the first appointment, around 4:00 PM. Only this time, Steve informed me that it was too late and that they did not have any rental cars and I would have to reschedule. I pointed out that I specifically asked about this during the appointment call to avoid confusion and that it was the same time I brought in the vehicle the first time. Needless to say the discussion became heated on both ends with Steve arguing with me that most customers understood their hours and to take it as a learning experience. He wouldn't have had to do much but apologize and work out another appointment but instead apparently it was best to provide further aggravation. This problem continues to persist and Im on visit number four to the dealer with no resolution. As I write this, the car is at the dealership with, in my eyes, little hope for repair. Im in another rental car to which Ive come accustomed to with my monthly visits to Mercedes Benz. When picking up this car the rental clerk informed the valet to ensure it was cleaned as it was just dropped off. Ive enclosed pictures to demonstrate the quality of vehicles Ive consistently received from both dealerships setting the bar the Mercedes Benz marketing materials tout as nothing less than a true Mercedes Benz. When bringing this up to Steve, he laughed and told me that someone wasn't doing their job and not to worry, that they would take care of me. I was beaming at the thought of continuing my five star service experience.

I purchased the car with expectations of white glove service and a quality vehicle. Instead I'm consistently put in the position where I feel as if I should be lucky to do business with Mercedes Benz and the associated dealerships. My C-Class did not perform well in snow and I was contemplating supplementing by purchasing an M-Class but instead opted for snow tires for my current vehicle. Even with the snow tires, this vehicle isn't sufficient to handle Wisconsin winters without getting locked in snow adding to the inconvenience. I realize the C300 is more performance than utility by design. However, I will be purchasing an SUV this fall and can confidently assure that it will not be a Mercedes Benz. After months of receiving the worst treatment Ive ever had from a car manufacturer or dealer in both service and product, not one person (other than the regional Mercedes gentleman) has seemed disturbed by the situation or has attempted to compensate for all of the problems. Ive written off Mercedes Benz to the rumors of poor craftsmanship and quality. As the vehicles value has plummeted dramatically in the first couple months of ownership I reluctantly plan on keeping the vehicle for the next year at which point I will pass on my troubles to the next gullible and masochistic owner.

I'm not looking for anything from Mercedes Benz as I'm confident whatever response is provided, assuming a response is given as avoidance seems to be standard treatment, will be half hearted, ill prepared, and completely inadequate aligning you with your substandard products.

I own a C230 K 2005 model. When I first start the car it get into gear and goes. When I come to a stop at a red light lets say, and try to go at the green light my car will not move until I shift into park and then back into drive. I have talked to Mercedes but they have asked for me to come in for a check up. I also have a co-worker whos wife has the same car as mine and has had a similar experience.

I was driving through an intersection when my driver side air bag deployed. I thought another vehicle hit me. I was in the number one. The impact on drivers side was so hard i steered my steering wheel to the right causing the back end to fishtail. My driver side rear tire hit the curb. I went across the lane nearly colliding into the curb. i then steered hard to the left causing my right rear tire to hit the curb. I had one passenger with me.

When I got out of the vehicle, There were no cars around and not dents or scratches to any of the body on my vehicle. The only damage I had was to both rear tires from the fish tail. effect. I immediately called the dealer to tell them the driver side airbag malfunctioned for no apparent reason. I informed them I had burnt my arm from the airbag deployment and they needed to fix my car. The Mercedes corp and dealer stated they would send a rep out to look at the vehicle.

A rep for Mercedes went out to look at the vehicle. He concluded that I must have ran over something in the roadway causing my rear driver to lock, causing me to loose control over the vehicle, hit the curb with rear tires, making the airbag deploy. When they put my vehicle in up for me to inspect, there was no damage underneath the vehicle. On the driver side rear tire there was a lite scrape on the inside. That is how they came up with their conclusion. I explained to the dealer my car is lowered because of the sport edition and there should be some visible damage underneath the car or on the car of a ran over something in the roadway.

They could not provide an explanation. They basically told me to pound sand. The dealer service manager and foreman stated it was not their decision and was the decision of the corp. I contacted the corp to ask to speak with the rep who came out to see my vehicle to possibly meet with me at the dealership to go over why he came up with the theory. They stated I could not speak with him nor would he come out to the dealership. Mercedes has refused to fix my vehicle and would not even have the customer rep speak with me about the vehicle. I also called a repair center that Mercedes uses and asked about airbag deployment on my vehicle which is a 2007 C230 sport sedan. The service guy stated sensors for the side driver side are located only in the door of the vehicle.

This happened on 07/02 and I have been going round and round with Mercedes. They even gave me a rental car and now they tried to make me pay for it. I told them i did not sign for the rental so i was not going to pay for it. They realized I didn't sign for it so they stated they would eat the cost for the rental. I feel Mercedes it not living up to their standards of customer service. I have only had the car for three months. I also told Mercedes that I am a police officer and luckily I know how to maneuver a vehicle. If it was another person they would have lost control and totaled the vehicle or even died.

I purchased a 2004 c230 Kompressor with 15k miles from Car-Max in 2006. I have taken the car (now with 35k miles) to the dealership at least five times for problems including - a broken console cover (twice), a broken cup holder, broken visor light, broken glove box, and broken fuel level sensor.

The most recent problem came when I took the car to a respected mechanic to replace a headlight (second time). There was oil EVERYWHERE under the hood. I immediately took the car to the dealership. After all sorts of hoses and an engine cover were shipped in from Germany, I returned the car to the dealership for repair. I could not get any explanation from the service department about the cause of the problem. This is very disturbing because the service department has always been more than willing to take time explaining the more trivial problems with broken cup holders and consoles, etc.

When I expressed my concern for possible future problems with the car (sine my 4 year warranty was months away from expiration), I was quickly told to consider an extended warranty. I got no explanation of what exactly what work was done to fix the problem or what caused the problem. I am certain it was a major repair. I told them that I was worried about future, costly repairs; however, I was almost ignored. A week later I received a letter offering an extended warranty consultation. I know I need it, but I am worried that a new vehicle might be the wiser investment. I want to know what exactly the extended warranty covers from an honest 3rd party before I purchase next month. From whom should I seek guidance?

I bought a 2006 Mercedes C230 Sport about a year and 1 month ago and ever since then it has been nothing but problems. The first problem with the vehicle was a squeaking noise inside the cabin that seemed to be coming from the dashboard area. I brought the car in three times until finally they rewired, regreased, and re-assembled the entire dashboard area. After this problem was fixed, I ran into electrical problems in the car.

The car would run by itself in the mornings and the rpm would fluctuate on its own. This problem was also fixed by replacing the speed modulator. After a month or two without problems, the steering wheel started making funny noises. The noises seemed to be a type of rubbing, buffering sound whenever I made left turns. I brought the car in but no problem was found and the power steering fluid was replaced. Even as I write this report, the problem cannot be found and my car is still at the service center. For a car that is only about a year old, there are too many problems with it!

I recently purchased a Brand New Mercedes Benz 2007 C230, after having the car for a approximately 3-4 weeks and approx. 1500 miles on the vehicle, I encountered steering failure in the car. I immediately pulled the car over and checked to see if a I had flat tire, instead only to find a light green oil leaking from the bottom of the car. After, my car was taken to the closet MB dealership and diagnosed, I was told that the Power Steering Box needed to be replaced and that they have never seen any problem like this before.

MB accommodated me fully and provided me with rental transportation for the 4 days my car was being repaired. On the day of the return of my car I asked for a detailed bill to see the repairs of the car, I saw prices in the thousands for the repair of my vehicle. I was shocked that a brand new car of this caliber was in the shop after being just 3 or 4 weeks old and cost that much to repair, thank goodness for warranty. I do have to say that MB customer service was excellent and accommodating but, I was still in shock of the car being faulty after 3-4 weeks old. Not happy about that.

I just bought my brand new 07' Mercedes c230 spot sedan on March 24th, it has only been 6 days and the check engine light cam on, as I was driving then as I came to a stop light the car started to vibrate a lot. I called the dealership and they told me of course to bring it in. When I brought I was approached by Joe a service adviser, he was very nice got in the car and checked my problem.

He typed in my information and I was told that this cars had a recall on them, they had already knew about this problem from the day that I bought the car, my complaint is that, why couldn't the sales person inform me about the recall and then maybe i would not of bought that car. This is my first luxury car and already am not that happy with it, I've read the stories of others with the same car and can actually say that am already having some of those same issues.

- the metal-like accents on the air vents are peeling off

Getting all of these items fixed will cost me over $5000 through an independent repair shop! Two more months until my car is paid off and I'm dumping it. I was looking forward to not having a monthly car payment but it looks like I'll be shopping for a new car again soon and it won't be a Mercedes-Benz.

I leased a MB C230 model 12/2005 and in July 2006 I got my 1st flat tire. I had thought that it was a normal thing and since then I have repeatedly received 5 additional incidents of a flat tire. This is not mere coincidence..I recently was told by a 3rd party that one of my rims had air bubbles in it and possibly a suspension problem with the front right. Each time I have taken the car into Mercedes..they report "NO PROBLEM FOUND" I've spent countless hours in the dealership waiting for my car..lost time from work. The dealership tried to get me into a more expensive car..I am now filing an arbitration suit against them with the Florida Attorney General's office. I've had nothing but problems with my front right tire for the last 7 mos. I've bought new tires because they claim it's my fault. Someone help me!!!

Here,is my Experience...Recently,i bought 2002 c230 from private party.Since,the day one I have problems with the transmission and I took my car to a dealer.Everyday they I heard new mechanical problems.Never..Never think of buying Mercedes cars.As I thought this cars are good but too many problems and Dealers will misguide or take out all your money.I got frustrated with Benz cars.

Warranty on Benz cars doesn't work.You need to fight with dealers in this regard.If you want peace of mind then don't buy Mercedes cars....I hate the Symbol....Poor Performance in Minnesota.

I purchased a Mercedes C230 Kompressor and have had similar experiences as other complaints. From the start, I had tire noise and misalignment. My one and only "free" service visit was only months after I got it.

The tire noise never went away, and it became louder over time. It was always a loud ride, which wasn't expected. I didn't notice it before I purchased it because the sales person had a CD on. Anyway, the car never stayed aligned for long. In the end, it pulled to the right continually.

Also, the tires wore quickly and unevenly. They wore on the edges first. I was told, at 25,000, that my tires had gotten more than its fair mileage and that I needed to replace them. They refused to acknowledge the fact that they put the wrong type of tires on this model....and whatever was wrong with the tires (ball bearings, settings, torkage, who knows?), that it caused the erosion on the sides of the tires and the rough ride. The rest of the tire had plenty of tread; it was only the edges. Nevertheless, that was their solution -- $500 for two tires. I replaced them and nothing changed. The car was still misaligned and still had the noise.

I went back to the dealer five times for this situation. Each time, they tried to charge me for something new. This last time, 27,000. They told me my back two tires were dead. Nothing was solved. Mercedes provided poor service, they didn't solve one problem, and they wrote up the accounting of the service calls very different from how they went down.

This last visit, the technician rode with me and said that it sounded like the bearings, but Mercedes doesn't usually have that problem. He said that he'd been a mechanic for 30 years and would fix it. He said that the tires were the correct tires for the car and that he could adjust the settings to make them work, but that they will ALWAYS wear unevenly because of the model of the tire. None of that was in the report. They wrote up the ticket as: the tech rode in the car to hear noise. nothing out of the ordinary. aligned car as requested by customer. This is NOT truthful.

I feel like this Mercedes experience has been a nightmare. I feel conned and duped. It's a poor quality car with poor service.

I would NEVER recommend anyone to buy a Mercedes. Actually, I am warning people from getting one at all.

They t

My vehicle is a 2005 Mercedes Benz C230 Kompressor Sport. On March 25, 2006, my vehicle had received it's firt 13,000 miles routine warranty inspection at 12,453 miles from the Mercedes Benz dealership, where I had purchased the car. Prior to that, at 1000 miles, the only reference that a Mercedes Benz representative addressed the tires, was to let me know I will not be using the vehicles rotation coupon for my vehicle, because I needed to remember that the front tires were smaller than the back tires.

With all the maintenance inspections warranties I had closely been following I was confident that my vehicle was at its top performance, and that I could take a long trip.

On April 22, 2006, I decided to visit my sister 300 miles away, in Calexico, California for the weekend. With my vehicles recent inspection, I only checked the car's tires, which showed no sign of distress, cracks or shredding of any kind.

As part of my trip routine, when I'm driving alone, I called my husband to let him know that I was leaving, as well as call my sister to let her know that I was departing and I would be checking with her along the road to give her status of my location. This is a precaution the woman in our family use when we visiting each other, because sometimes driving alone on a desert freeway can sometimes be unsettling and dangerous, especially at night.

I left at 3:00 pm and headed south, calling my sister along the way and giving her status. I had reached the valley and I was driving on Highway 8, eastbound, driving the limit at 70 mph. As I was driving, I heard this loud bang on the back of my car, I wasn't sure where it had come. I immediately looked at my side mirrors to see if I had hit or ran over something, I did not see anything on the road, I then looked at my rear view mirror and did not see anything on the road. I continued to drive, moved to the right lane at a slower speed, because the car had a different feel, but I contributed it to the road, since I did not see or hear anything else. The highway is two lane and I had to move to the left lane again, because of oncoming traffic into the right lane of the freeway. As I moved I heard this loud explosion,and my my car began to swerve to the right with force. Cars began to speed up and pass me. The only thing I did was grip the steering wheel very hard and maneuver the car to side of the road. Fortunately for me I didn't not hit any cars and I did not go off the freeway into the ditches below the highway. My car could not be driven any farther, so I was parked on the front side of an on ramp, which cars were flying by. The incident had left me shaken and scared. I thank God and my angels for their protection and said a quick prayer. I got out to see what had happened and I couldn't believe my eyes, I had never seen a tire with that type of damage. The tire looked as if someone had used a knife and had cut it all the way around, a perfect circle. I used my cell phone and called AAA for assistance, didn't even think of using the Mercedes 800 roadside assistance. I guess I was still in shock. I called my husband and sister and told them what had happened.

The CHP shortly arrived and she asked me if I needed company to feel secure in the highway, I absolutely said yes. After waiting 20 minutes, the AAA tow truck came. He moved his tow truck behind me to provide a shield from the oncoming traffic and began to change the tire. As he changed the tire, I asked him if I had ran over something that had punctured it, was a nail or if it was the desert heat, which the temperature that day was only in high 70's. He told me, that it was nothing I had done, that this was a defective tire and in his line of work, this was not the only tire he had changed with the same defect. He indicated this type of tire had caused other damage to other vehicles new and used. He recommended that I speak with my Mercedes Benz dealer. It was 6:45 pm by then, and it was getting dark, I asked his advice for finding another tire location to replace the (donut)he had just changed and referred me to the only open dealer, Pep Boys. I did not waste any time I drove to Pep Boys in Calexico, when they saw the tire, they too told me that I should contact the Mercedes Benz dealer, because it was a defective tire. I don't know if it was luck or not, but they only had one tire in stock, which they mounted. I payed $139.04 and left with the defective tire on my trunk to show my Mercedes Benz dealer. The next day I drove back home, but not with the ease of mind I used to, I drive in fear that the next time the other tire explodes, I will not be as lucky. I don't even want to think of the consequences in L.A. traffic and well as Inland Empire traffic during rush hours.

My husband contacted the Mercedes Benz dealer and the representative told him, that Mercedes Benz does not cover tires under their warranty, that it was a manufacturer problem, and was not very helpful with our tire concern, and couldn't assist him. She told my husband that the person who changed the tire was not an expert and my husband then asked her how would she know, was she a tire expert. She said no and he he stated to her that he wasn't either, but he knew the difference between a flat tire and an tire that exploded and it was a structured defect. He also indicated to her that he was going to check the internet for other problems related to the tire. He demanded that she set up an appointment for him to bring in the car and have the other tires expected, as they shouldn't done this when when it was seen at the 13,000 maintenance.

The appointment is 5/6/06 and we don't anticipate that Mercedes Benz will refund our expenditure, but we do expect for them to hear our concerns regarding this tire and maybe save a life.

I purchased a C230 2005 in June of 2004 . The first week it was in multiple times to the dealership for the SRS continuously going on. When I took the vehicle in I received not one invoice of the service . I received a statement the vehicles fine . As Days and weeks went on the vehicle began to pull to the right and many other frustrating issues occurred as well . Mercedes states its a safety issue . Again more service was needed . At 4000 miles New Brakes , New Tires were put on due to wear and tear.To make a very long story short here is a brief description of my situation of a C230 , Which I seeked legal assistance . I took this vehicle to Multiple dealerships to get assistance due to I felt I was not getting the results resolved .Each stated its good as its going to get and there is nothing wrong with this Vehicle . As frustrating days went on I contacted Legal Help . No body wanted to go against Mercedes . Hey this is America !

looseness of my front end due to alignment. So Please review . This is ridiculous I have learned Mercedes is just a name ! I feel technicians are trained to misrepresent customers .There Negligence to deal with customers is very unprofessional .

15. On occasion the tranny would click

Jeff ****, Tracy , California

I purchased a brand new 2006 Mercedes-Benz C230 and it has been nothing but problems since day one. The transmission bangs into gear while braking, won't downshift going uphill, etc. The engine doesn't seem to respond to the accelerator petal. My wife almost got into an accident when she tried to change lanes because the accelerator petal didn't respond even though she had the petal to the floor.

Another time, we were driving up a grade and the vehicle dropped from 70mph to 50mph in about 2 seconds even while increasing pressure on the accelerator petal until it hit the floor. I hit the kick down button and the car dropped about 3 gears and red lined the tachometer to about 7000 RPM's. The regional sales rep says this is the way the vehicle is designed to drive. My sister-in-law's four year old Honda Civic doesn't drive like this. The service technicians say there is nothing wrong with the car and are sticking to it. Seems like a conflict of interest to me since they work for the company that sold me the car. They blame the weirdness on the "fuzzy logic" adaption process of the engine computer. I could go without the "fuzzy logic", thank you very much.

THE PROBLEMS: My 2003 C230 Kompressor Sport Coupe has been to dealer shops for problems since 6 months after I purchased it BRAND NEW from Euromotors Mercedes in Bethesda, Maryland. The major issues have been in cold weather: the car leaks gas, has difficulty starting, excessive shaking, engine stalls, jerking when shifting, getting stuck in gear and running at high RPM's, faulty spark plugs, the interior arm rests and door panels were peeling off the top layer for no reason, and even the kick plate on the driver's side ripped off and stuck to the bottom of the door when I opened it one morning. My car is in the shop, AGAIN, at this very moment and I am again without a car because of this...the car is less than 2 years old! I have read the other complaints that have been posted and I have experienced the same things with this car. If it were not for the warranty it would have been long gone because I can not imagine how much this would have cost me without a warranty. When the car is actually running as a new car should it runs great, but 80% of the time there are problems.

I HAVE FINALLY RECEIVED AN ANSWER AS TO WHY THESE CARS HAVE SO MANY PROBLEMS: A service man at a Mercedes Dealer admitted that the problems we experience with these cars is 100% computer software glitches and that he has seen this A LOT. At this moment my warranty is covering (thank God) all new software and computer components to be replaced in the C230's main computer and in the transmission computer. He said these were serious problems! This is the first dealer to admit this to me, whereas the others told me it "was just the plugs" yet had my car in their shop for over a week!

Additionally, the paint on this car is horrible and I am obsessive about taking care of my car using only McGwires Gold Class wash and wax products, which are the only products endorsed and recommended by Mercedes-Benz. The clear coat on my front bumper is peeling off! Also, this paint chips extremely easily regardless of how many coats of wax you put on it. Mercedes has a long-time bad reputation for using paint that chips easily. I am so disappointed with an otherwise beautiful car.

Mercedes-Benz should be forced to put these cars into recall to resolve these extremely important computer and software issues, and replace the software in all cars. Mercedes has developed new software because of these problems but the consumers would not know this unless someone from Mercedes told them this, as I was told by an authorized dealer. You, as the consumer, MUST BE AWARE and bring this to the attention of the dealer's servicemen, especially if the car is under warranty. HAVE YOUR ENGINE'S AND TRANSMISSION'S SOFTWARE REPLACED UNDER YOUR WARRANTY BY AN AUTHORIZED MERCEDES-BENZ DEALER UNTIL MERCEDES IS FORCED TO RECALL THESE CARS. ALSO, GET ALL DOCUMENTATION REGARDING THIS SOFTWARE FROM THE DEALER SHOP AND INSIST UPON IT. Thanks to an honest serviceman I finally have an answer to the C230 Sport Coupe Kompressor mystery. Hold the dealer accountable for replacing your computers/software until Mercedes takes responsibility for recalling the cars. Use your warranty to your advantage combined with this information I have just provided.

I hope this helps...I understand your frustrations as a fellow owner.

Welcome to the biggest piece of junk in your life. My 2002 Mercedes-Benz C230K has had problems before the car even reached 5000 miles. The vehicle has been into the shop more than 14 times for some of the same and different problems. Many of you all have the exact same problems that I have with my vehicle and I feel for you. My suggestion- hire a lawyer.

A year ago, I hired a high profile law firm to take on my lawsuit against Mercedes-Benz. Which is why I can not release my name, for legal purposes. Needless to say, it is going back and forth with the manufacturer and they think that their vehicles are the best thing on the road. They will not budge on their feelings. My lawyers, have filed a lawsuit against Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. for violation of the Federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Rights Act and the Georgia Lemon Law. Please, please, please seek legal help as there is no hope in sight when dealing with the dealership.

9. Car struggles to start in the morning, especially when its cold

I purchased a 2003 C230K brand new and it has been nothing but problems since day one. The vehicle steers to the right since the date of purchase. The transmission shifts funny, slips, bangs into gear, consistently chooses the wrong gear, etc. Paint is chipping off all over the vehicle. The engine stalls in the mornings, sometimes racing by itself, then dropping itself down to a normal RPM.

The window mechanisms continue to scratch the window tinting - it has been replaced three times on the front windows. Rain sensing wipers work part of the time, sometimes not at all. The cupholder mechanism has broke twice. Nomenclature has fallen off the vehicle. There is EXCESSIVE road noise, tire noise, suspension noise and wind noise in this vehicle. Also, there are squeaks and rattles THROUGHOUT the vehicle. This car only has 9000 miles on it, and most of these problems were regular problems since the car had 2500 miles on it.

I wrote a nine-page letter to Paul Juron, the Director of Customer Assistance and received a brief email from someone named Honora Duffy, who told me that Mr. Juron does not deal with customers AT ALL, not in phone calls, not in correspondence. She then told that Mercedes does not get involved in any dealership concerns, and if I had any problems with my vehicle, to contact my dealership. She thanked me for buying a Mercedes and closed her email by telling me that "[my] observations about my vehicle have been shared with the appropriate individuals, and while MBUSA realizes this may not be the response I desire, they solicit my understanding of their company position.

What is THIS supposed to mean? To me, it says, we want nothing to do with you, and thank you for buying our product.

After discussing the matter with an attorney, and relaying that information to Mercedes, they offered to get me into another vehicle. Unfortunately, all they want to do is get me into a late-model vehicle [the last offer was for a five year old car], which had a higher payment, higher insurance, and less warranty.

The vehicle keeps going back and back and back to the dealership. All I get back is an invoice that says "Could not duplicate", "No Code Observed" or "inherent vehicular characteristic". They fix NOTHING on this car, and corporate won't do ANYTHING or get involved WHATSOEVER. How can they get away with this? Their four year warranty is meaningless and worthless if they cannot fix the vehicle.

Are they hoping I will just go away? Are they waiting for the lemon law statute to time out? The service advisor told me he had been to nine such Lemon Law Arbitrations and Mercedes didn't lose a single one. He assured me my case, should I pursue one, would end the same way. Such arrogance - how can they get away with this?

I spent $32K for this car, plus over $2K in accessories thus far, and over $3800 in payments to date. Meanwhile, this car has been a piece of garbage since day one. This is ridiculous.

I leased the c230 Kompressor about a year ago and after about three months of driving the car every other few weeks the car was in the shop for something or other. First I brought the car in for its A SERVICE, when I got the car back everything seemed fine. Then one problem at a time -- I went back and forth to the service shop. Then there was a malfunction in the windshield washer system, next the BAS and ESP light was coming on telling me to bring the car in (replaced travel membrane), next my front right headlight light went on then my rear left license plate light went out, then the drivers side vanity light went out. THREE TRIPS TO THE DEALER.

Next the BRAKE LINER WARNING LAMP went on, brought the car in, three days later car was fixed. Next the car was brought in for the ESP AND BAS warning light coming on again. The car was brought in and almost three weeks later the car was returned to me with a new ESP-BAS CONTROL UNIT. After that the car has been making wierd noises throughout the car, making left turns causes some wierd squeaking noise but when the car was brought in nothing was heard till finally a road test was taken with me and a manager (Clint) and sure enough the noise was heard but I was told there was nothing they could do and if I hear it again I should bring the car back in.

As I pulled out of the service department parking lot I made a left turn and wouldn't you know, the car made the same noise. But the kicker to all these repairs is the third week I had the car in my possession it was leaking transmission fluid in my driveway, the car was brought in by flatbed and the transmission was dropped and all the gaskets were replaced.

The second month I had the car I was at a red light, the light turned green and as my car reached the speed at which it should have shifted into second gear the car would not. The car was once again flatbedded to the Mercedes service and a brand new tranny was put into the car. I honestly feel I have not been taken care of in this matter and no longer feel I should be paying a monthly bill for this car. I would like to get out of the lease, this car is a LEMON.

Christopher should read up on the .

I am having issues with my C230 (year 2002) transmission (in addition to A/C, heating, powersteering, stalling).

1. Runs rough in the morning, stalls sometimes- most days just barely stalls, shakes terribly when reversing. [On 4 occasions since December 2002 until February 2003, while driving on highway at approx 55 mph, went over a slight bump in the road and completely lost power in the vehicle and all warning lights (Every single one) came on. Car immediately halted to about 3 mph, the car behind me almost rear-ended me. I had my foot all the way down on the gas (I was in the middle of the road) and the power came back on within 30 seconds, and I almost rare-ended the car in front of me when my car surged forward]
2. Car doesn't shift to second in the AM while engine is cold.
3. When you turn the key in the ignition sometimes it does not start recent problem.
4. Transmission fumbles for a gear also slipping in cold weather.
5. Power steering doesn't work in the AM after sitting all night. [Steering wheel is completely upside down and you would think the car would not drive straight- it does!- which means the steering wheel and power steering is not working or my car would not be going straight. This is very dangerous and could cause an accident and I have no idea which way my tires are facing!]
6. Car sometimes lunges forward when going from park to drive.
7. A/C doesn't always cool car.
8. Heat is temperamental- doesn't always get warm- blows cold air.

I've complained to Mercedes corp via phone and no one returns my call. The Mercedes folks I deal with are nice, but tell me there is nothing wrong that my problems are NORMAL in the Mercedes cars (with the exception of the SUV). They claim their diagnostic tests show there is no problem. Are they trying to appease me until my lemon law rights expire? I purchased my car brand new in October 2001 right off their lot. My car has only 17,000 miles!