As newbie DIYer, I've learned a few things from the Wizard, but most of all, what to be alert to service in my cars that I wasn't aware of and that manufacturers don't contemplate in the user manuals. Thanks Wizard, keep us on the know and stay as independent and honest as you are.
Remember that if a car was $80k new, and you buy it for $5k later, the parts are still priced as a $80k car. This is why many cars are neglected, dumped and then fall apart.
@@sharedknowledge6640 If you can swing buying, paying taxes, insurance, etc. for a new Mercedes you probably have a decent handle on managing your money. It’s not for everyone nor should it be.
Some years ago here in Germany you could get a BMW 850i for 10,000 Euro. A top-class luxury Coupe with all gadgets possible back then (ca. 1991). But I did not dare - 300 hp, 5 liter, V12, whatever breaks will be expensive. And we were never a BMW- or Mercedes family.
I resorted to a poor man's elegant coupe solution, an Opel/Vauxhall Calibra. Will be 30 this year, has a superb aerodynamics (as (model) airplane fan always an argument), a little more than half the power than the BMW V12, ,half the displacement and cylinders, same number of valves, double the cams. Luckily the body is made in Finland, they are for some unknown reason WAY better regarding rust that german bodies. A big advantage is that you have "relatives" of other models with which the car shares lots of parts, so that you have a chance to get at cheap parts. Sad that GM had never the courage to import the Calibra to the US back then. Today the Calibra would be a rarer, more exotic car than a BMW 850i in the US.
@@sharedknowledge6640or buy the correct model and year. I have 3 benzes that all run fine, with no issues given to me. Resalee value? Who buts a used car to resale it for value? You’re either keeping the car, or using it until an upgrade. No in bebetweens
my 2015 C400 just hit 80,000kms. I could not be happier with its reliability and performance. If you take care of the W205's they will treat you very well.
I must say Grimes seems really generally knowledgeable about all sorts of cars and models. Also has a good way of explaining things, and with a sense of humour.
Followed the scheduled maintenance, did whatever the car said if needed and my 2010 E class had 218k miles on it when I traded it in. Absolutely no issues. My 2013 GLK has 140k miles and still going strong.
My friends mom has a 2014 GLK 250 BlueTec that she bought brand new. I believe that it is now sitting at 215,000 miles, and she still uses it, although it is now her second car because she bought a slightly used GLC 300 a few months ago.
A lot of people like the perceived prestige of owning a Mercedes-Benz but lack the financial resources to both buy and maintain it. Spend all their money making the payment and then skipping the maintenance because they can't afford it and complain when problems develop.
Like many premium brands. After 4 years, the original owner has usually sold it, someone picked it up because it's in their price range, and they fail to do the required maintenance.
Got an idiot across the road who keeps buying mercs porch etc . they are 10+years old and the amount of people looking under the hood over the years tells me he's all about the flash oh look at me I've made it (yea bud you really have ) 😀
The majority of complainers are those who have not maintained nor owned one but love their preferred auto-maker with some Direct Injected time bomb that blows up. The idea of a "luxury car" is a fallacy unless you drive something exclusive, which Mercs, BMWs, Jags are not.
11:09 and I IMMEDIATELY recognize that tread pattern as a Goodyear Assurance Outlast (Walmart’s top of the line Goodyear tire with an 80,000 mile treadwear warranty)
I have a 2016 GLE with 180k miles. I haven’t had any major issues with the car and the car still goes strong. I will admit, I do follow the manufacture’s recommended services (i.e.: 50k A-service is the oil change with air filter and spark plugs). My mom still owns a 2004 C240 with 130k miles and it is still strong. No major repairs hopefully and hopefully get that rare 1 million mile status.
I'm at 238,000 miles on my 2009 c300, I purchased it with 12,000 on it.I always tell people not to be shy to get a higher mileage Mercedes as long as you know it's been well maintained.
Its cool seeing the model of car you own being examined on video. My W205 also had the noise in the arm as pointed out. A mechanic told me i needed a steering rack.... I found the solution on youtube, he said i was wrong. I took it to another mechanic told him what i wanted done. noise went away. What confuses the mechanics is they if you lift the car the noise going away.
The arm in question has a ball joint built into it. The lubricant in the ball joint dries out and the noise appears. What is crazy is that the rubbers and the joint can still be in fairly good condition but the lubricant has dried up and its not built to be relubricated. Change the arm and the noise goes away, the part is not expensive and its an easy job. Mercedes seems to have not lubricated this model well because i have had creaky A/C vents and steering (electric) column as well. I agree with the mechanic these cars are very very reliable but the servicing is very expensive especially the later B services which require all liquids and filters to be drained and replaced in addition to the spark plugs. I predict that about at 12- 15 years old this model will be fine mechanically and still up to date tech wise but the cost of servicing will make it a better choice to get rid of it. In the interim im loving mine. @@dominozonda
@@shamarbovell4457 thank you for the explanation, I also love mine but have weird suspension sounds at a really low mileage which never happened with any other car
I have a 2012 w204 c300, It just hit 136k miles. I’ve put in 80k miles since i bought it. Been a great car, just been on top of maintenance since i got it. Few electrical gremlins but other than that pretty damn reliable!
@@Elaba_ im the second owner i put over 170k myself. Actually once a failure of the start/stop battery, changed free of charge by mercedes, and as said in the video, its the third time i have trouble with those suspension noises. Other than that nothing else
I just bought a 2007 C350 4matic for $800 at a police impound. It came with the manual and the window sticker. It has 73k miles and run great. They stopped driving it because the rear brake line started leaking. It did not come with a key and it cost me $400.
Congratulations on a million subs! Grimes has been a great addition, I could listen to him talk Mercedes all day. These cars are definitely dependent on regular maintenance. One of my Benzes is a 2006 W211 with 145k miles. It's been well-maintained and cared for, and runs like new. Thanks for all the great entertainment (and education) that you provide.
Currently have a 2013 C250 at 140k miles for more than 5 years now, drove it all over the US and it’s been pretty reliable so far, as long as you keep up with maintenance
@tylergrimes1256 Hey Grimes thanks for the reply. I’ve heard the timing chains were common issues with that engine. Mine hasn’t had any timing chain issues so far, only time has yet to tell.
I have the model that came before that and it has roughly 100.000 miles. It is a great car, so smooth, so quiet. There are virtually no chips or wear on the interior, especially on the buttons or the steering wheel. I do regular maintenance once a year and I would recommend that every owner does the same. These cars have some tech, but not that much, but they really benefit from regular services. I guess every car does, it is just an investment that pays off.
All of the six 'pre-loved' Volvo 740/940's I bought over time as a matter of fact did come with their original manuals in the glove compartment or door storage space. I remember opening one and reading on page one: "Congratulations with your purchase! Volvo Cars has manufactured your new car with the explicite intent to build a car with reliability and longevity". I can confirm from personal experience that, although the promise was quite substantial, they honestly delivered.
The original brown velvet-look folder in my present 945 LPT apart from a lot of other interesting stuff even contains the original "Volvo International Warranty" in twofold handsigned on July 16 1997, I'm only owner nr. 3.
My Lexus 2011 Lexus IS350 now has 135k miles. Since new... I replaced... yeah, NOTHING has been replaced or has ever broken. The only maintenance that I've done so far other than oil changes is brake pads and rotors.
America car culture is so weird to me compared to for example finland where I live, here most of these c classes still are really well kept and in nice condition. I visited usa last year and noticed even few years old cars were beat to shit and not taken care of at all, then I hear people saying these cars are unreliable. These are used as taxis here and often have 600k + kilometers on them and thats not even all that much
Maybe because many Americans live on plastic & debt. Everything is financed, leased, or put on credit card. So when the warranty is up they get rid of their toys
Cars actually last longer (or go further i should say) in the USA, to about close to 200.000 miles until they go to scrap, while Overall across Europe it is more like 150.000 miles. People usually drive less in Europe, so cars last longer in time but less in distance, which could be why you see older well kept cars in Finland and newer beat to shit cars in America, because they drive more so cars look like shit earlier and also go to the scrapyard much earlier.
Our 2016 GLC300 did not come with a spare wheel/tire either (extended mobility tires). Got a Vredstein emergency spare from a GLK350 in a junk yard for $125 after we got rid of the horrible extended mobility OEM tires. MB in North America doesn't even offer the spare as a part option, which is why I went with the GLK spare (same bolt pattern). The rear trunk actually has a molded area even MADE to fit the Vredstein in the GLC, as they don't use extended mobility tires in Europe (they give them the spare Vredstein). The Vredstein option is a lot lighter and takes up less space than a full-size spare.
My GLK also had no spare, but also no tools and no tire fit kit. (bought it used). Question just is: did you check if the wheel fits over the brakes just to make sure, and did you also get yourself a fitting jack and wrench for the bolts? (or even a bit of luxury: a torque wrench with a fitting nut) Years ago i had a flat in my e-class and as i had bought it used, and the salesguy replaced the tire compressor, he sure enough had put in a wrong compressor that was incompatible with the tire-sauce. So i had to call them on a saturday night from the middle of nowhere. (the mobility waranty they offer here in europe to my surprise covered that). After that lost night, i went and got myself such a foldable emergency spare vredestein from Mercedes, which was an original (but shockingly expensive) part option. (if the first owner of my car would have ticked that box he would have added 80€ to his price tag, i had to pay 5 times that for buying it 5 years later, but it has an original AMG wheel, and AMG specific parts are always way more expensive) The only drawback in my opinion with the "foldable" spares is that you also need an air compressor. Then again, no need to check frequently if the spare has air... Sadly Mercedes in general stopped putting a toolset and spares in their cars even here in europe. (The only Merc today, you can be sure to have a spare from factory is the G... 😞 ) If there was such a thing, i would sign a partition that car manufacturers had to put in spares and tools to change the spare...
GLC doesn’t come with spare because they ship with runflat tires. Basically designed so you can still drive and make it to a shop if you were to puncture tire.
@@nirfzYes, the GLK350 Vredstein spare fits on the GLC, even the brakes. I’ve installed it and used it for a flat once already. Bought the official Mercedes jack and tool kit from an eBay site.
I do my oil change every 3k miles, I do a lot of off-road driving a I like to rotate and check all the components every time, that's how I found a broken leaf spring last time
Grimes seems like a great employee. I always notice when he’s standing there talking his knees lock out backwards. He’s got double jointed knees. It’s almost like they bend backwards. I know it’s a weird thing to notice. I hope his knees are ok. Another quality video!
David, I have a 2009 W204 C200. Not quite the poverty spec model (that honour goes to the C180). The real reason it is called the Cheap Class is because it is the owners that cheap out. I have kept on top of maintenance doing as much of the work myself as possible sometimes using genuine parts and it has paid dividends. The running gear is 100% and it drives like a dream.
They have a place called Modern Spare that offers spare tire kits with the wheels, tools and jack for cars that don’t come with them from factory. I was looking into the same when I wanted to do a cross country trip and I wanted a spare tire.
Hello, W205 owner here, 16 year build. Its at 80k miles and running rock solid. I've done spark plugs twice, once at 46k, again just now, tranny service done at 60k, other than that just standard oil services during the "A SERVICE" and brake flushes during "B SERVICE" (every other year). I plan on medium- long terming the car while i save up for a 997.
Maintenance is key. We had a "disposable" 2000 neon. Every spring/fall it was up on a hoist for a tire swap and oil change because I live in a place where we get winter. Ran that thing for 18 years and only time it left me stranded was for a premature battery failure. Sure we replaced a belts and hoses along the way but that's cheap maintenance. The car ran perfectly and did not burn oil when I drove it to be traded in. The issue was rust and leaky window sills. I don't have the space to do body work.
My 2023 C300 4matic is great. I have my own mechanic who specializes in German cars and charges me about 1/3 what the dealer would charge. He said to always change the oil every 5k miles. The 10k recommendation is according to him just a strategy to make the dealers more money with additional repairs.
Have c300, 2008 with v6 ,130k engine. Never had issues with engine and transmission but over the years I changed all the misc parts from battery to alternator , to thermostat to rear axle which was covered by MB. You have to keep the maintenance up and going no way around it.
I would argue that Mrs Wiz doing 3 miles one way needs the oil changing just as or more frequently, due to risk of condensation build up in an engine that's never getting up to operating temps. Congrats on the 1M!
Front spring links! Thank you. My C-Class of this year has the same noise and it was a mystery until today. I also had to replace the turbocharger and front diff around 100K miles. Had a couple other big jobs but no major failures.
I bought a 1996 Chevy K2500 that surprisingly had 1/2 of its original owner’s manual. I was shocked that any of it was there since it’s 28 years old and I am the 4th owner. Also, congratulations on 1,000,000 subscribers.
@@KimoKimochii for a knock around truck for cheap, the 90s era Chevys and GMCs are not a bad choice. It’s easy enough to work on, parts are very easy to find, and it does exactly what I need it to do. It’s not my daily driver. It’s my “go to the sticks” or “Home Depot run” truck.
Congrats Wizard with 1m Subscribers. And yes Mercedes can be a reliable car as long as you keep up with maintenance. I have a 2014 E350 Coupe. 130k miles and never had a problem. Oil changes every 5k miles. Transmission service every 20k - 25k miles. Brake fluid changed about same time I get the transmission serviced. For a 10 year old Merc it's been rock solid.
Congratulations on reaching 1M subscribers! I would think that the owner would have the shop replace the two rear shocks and the wheel liner when the owner has another day to wait. My 1996 MBZ S320 has 323,300 miles on it and still going strong. I bought the car used from a Ford dealership in 2002 with 53,000 miles. It was my commute car from 2011 until I retired in Jan. 2021, averaging 70 miles a day, 5 days a week plus weekend runs to the grocery stores. In 2020, due to the pandemic, the milage dropped significantly. Now I average less than 6,000 miles a year. The suspension components are what goes and need to be replaced to keep this car on the road. Because the car is heavy, it does chew up tires, especially the front tires. I am lucky to get 35-40K on tires. I take the car in for oil changes every 3,000 miles and use the synthetic 5w-30 Mobil 1 oil and Lucas oil additive.
I own a w205 c200(the same as the c300 in us), and a w205 c63s, and both have been reliable, the c200 is almost 10 years old, its a 2015 and other than minor cosmetic details due its age/use, it has 0 issues, same for the c63s, unlike the w204, the w205 turned out really solid, you can hardly find any issues with them even posted online.
Hey Wiz? How about a video describing the business of a mechanic? Does Grimes rent a bay? How does the book work for hours? I’m not looking for trade secrets, but to those of us inexperienced in understanding how and why our estimates are crafted and everything that goes in to a bill to fix my car, anywhere? ❤
I leased a 2017 C300 (W205) and it was a pile of crap, 28,000 miles into the lease the engine threw a rod and the factory warranty wanted to blame me for the repair cost despite having the oil changed at the dealership every 5,000 miles.
Sure you did well can you go ahead and explain why my 2018 C200 with 150,000km has had no issues ever the side of the road mechanic is not a dealership
Even though I always buy new car I always use Owners manual and service manual from (in my case) Toyota owners account / login. So much easy to search for a specific topic I want to read vs turning pages of the paper format book.
I had a portable generator that got used for 2 weeks I was without power during Hurricane. Ran it 12 hours a day. Manual stated change oil every 50 hours operation. Changed oil every 4th day. Oil changes are important
Hey you talked me out of a late 1990's MB hardtop convertible when you showed what happens when the hydraulics for the top fail! Bought a Lexus LS430 instead
A mechanic back East told me to cycle the roof on those once a month regardless to make sure everything stays loose. Outside of a relay switch the 2004 SLK320 has been fine. The 2003 SL500 has had lines replaced but is fine now.
We opted for a C-Class because there's less to fail than on an S. Only issue was that the dealership that serviced the vehicle before we owned it never actually did the B services, brake fluid was original, 500 miles after the dealership had billed Mercedes for work that was not done.
I go through a lot of oil changes as well. Usually I can go a little bit more than a month. Every 3,750 miles I do an oil change. I drive around 80 Mi a day. Luckily it only takes 3 quarts of oil. I get my oil in bulk so an entire oil change is only around $20.
I'm really am pleased with the Grimes segments. The young man carries himself with confidence and knowledge of a person with another 15 years of experience. He and Danielsan are impressive!
Regarding the spare tire. Aren’t the front and rear tires different sizes? I wonder how you account for that with a spare. Also regarding the A,C,E,S class I think now it’s more about size designation vs a better car.
That’s a clean engine for 150k miles. I have a BMW 120i with only 60k miles, BMW dealer maintained and I have to top it up with a liter of oil every 6 months due to leaks… Congratulations on the 1M subscribers Car Wizard! Well deserved.
My Acura has similar service codes for scheduled maintenance. It alternates between A1 and B1. One time it went to A123 when I drove a few hundred miles past due to
I had the service BH on my computer to show up. I had no clue what that meant. I researched and it is like service B but on historical vehicles after a certain time passes. My car is from 2007.
Congratulations on a major life achievement ! Your followers obviously enjoy your content . I called and spoke to you tours ago last week. It was about your Chevy four door trying to get I think headers to fit the jaguar engine . I suggested a shop that made that type of application . im the retired Volvo parts manager . I know you probably forgot . but I appreciated that you answered the phone . not important but wanted to acknowledge your kindness and throw a personal touch . God Bless !
Wizard, not sure about that advice on the MB transmissions from the 7G on. Mine had issues around 130k with 2-3 shift and hesitation. I figured out that the fluid had never been changed. Had that done, boom, has run perfectly ever since. But yeah, with old domestic transmissions...leave that old stuff in there.
My brother owned a 2002 Pontiac gran AM coupe and it had a check engine symbol light but under the engine light it said (service engine soon!) It came up when even a oil change was due I actually remember when the emissions test was due that service engine soon light was on and they failed him automatically W/o even pulling into the garage bay he got in started it and shut it off and got out and walked inside w/o saying anything to us then hands us a fail paper! and asked why and response was you have a check engine light on so that’s not passing! He had to argue that it wasn’t a check engine light and show the guy by turning car off and putting key on ACC to light up all the dash lights that the check engine was not lite. But guy didn’t do it. So brother took it to another shop after resetting the light but yea it was a weird set up. My Toyota has a light that words just say reg maint due. Never seen another car except Pontiac with 2 engine light symbols 😂
Congrats on 1 million subs! No matter what car you own if you follow the manufacturer's recommended maintenance schedule you should get a lot of service out of your cars
Congratulations WOW a million! Holly crap man, I was here around 50k this channel blew up over just a few years incredible. Keep it up guys! I WISH they could look at my car. I'm doing all the work myself and it's been a learning process but I LOVE IT. LOVE SEEING THE COLLABS WITH ALL THE YT COMMUNITY KEEP IT UP MR WIZARD!
Another thing people don’t realize is with those types of vehicles it’s not advised to buy one used with high mileage. It may look nice, but you don’t know if the previous owner kept up with the maintenance schedule. The new owner could be stuck with very costly repairs if the maintenance was neglected by the previous owner.
My family has had 4 vehicles over the years with each over 1,00,000 km on odo. Oil changes every 7500 km or 1 year even if vehicle didnt run 7500 km that year. Engine has never given problems ever. However cabin plastic parts frequently break due to excessive Indian summers. 😊
its important the customer is aware of the seepage or the worn items. you never know if the next service will be done by a jiffy lube hood slapper. customer may decline the work but if they are aware of the problem it wont become a big problem.
I run a dealer auction, and plenty of cars still have their "books" (manuals). The cars that don't have their books the most often are repossessed cars, bitter broke people that financed over their financial limitations that steal and break everything they can on a vehicle before letting it get taken. Everything else mostly has the books, even cars that are 40+ years old. They sit in the glove box and get forgotten. Now the second set of keys, those are almost always gone. Even late model vehicles almost always come in with only 1 key.
I wouldn't want to own a Mercedes built in the last 10-15 years or so but I would go for some older ones. I would love to have an early 90s 300SL with the straight six and the manual transmission. That was at a time where Mercedes hadn't gone loco with hi-tech stuff. They weren't that hard to work on and you could do most repairs with simple tools.
Lowkey I want to buy and old C class for something to work on in my free time during the summer. 01-07 one are really cheap if they have any kind of issues that won’t allow the car to start or move, I’ve seen so many on FB marketplace going for 750-1000$ not bad for a car you’d want to have as a lil project if you ask me 🤷🏾♂️
I bought a 2007 bmw x3 with 79k miles on it one time. It didn't come with its manual, but, did have a Virginia state trooper inspection paper in the glove box...and it smelled like the forest when I turned on the air...then checked the cabin air filter and found it was replaced by about 20 pounds of dry oak leaves. Whoever the last owner of that car was may have been onto something. Those leaves were probably green when he put them in there to use as a filter. I use cedar limbs now instead of oak leaves for a cabin air filter because they last longer and smell nicer than oak leaves as a cabin filter. Still just as cheap too.
I actually collect owners manuals I have several hundred from the 60's to 90's. Also several tech manuals and shop books. Those have tech you just can not find online when working on something 20-40 years old. If you want a owners manual for your car good chance going to a junkyard will get you one and you can flip through it to judge the condition before paying like $10.
ONE MILLION SUBSCRIBERS! Wow, us longtime viewers knew it was only a matter of time. Congrats!
As newbie DIYer, I've learned a few things from the Wizard, but most of all, what to be alert to service in my cars that I wasn't aware of and that manufacturers don't contemplate in the user manuals. Thanks Wizard, keep us on the know and stay as independent and honest as you are.
But I keep reading comments about how he sucks! How can he have a million subs! 😂
@@volvo09Because those who hate on him are a minority
I am here since day one, and I am so happy for Dave 🎉
@@volvo09there apparently a thin line between love and hate 😂
Remember that if a car was $80k new, and you buy it for $5k later, the parts are still priced as a $80k car. This is why many cars are neglected, dumped and then fall apart.
The C is more in the $50K range. Is it worth $10K more than a nice Honda Accord? It is if you like a much nicer quieter car.
@@sharedknowledge6640 If you can swing buying, paying taxes, insurance, etc. for a new Mercedes you probably have a decent handle on managing your money. It’s not for everyone nor should it be.
Some years ago here in Germany you could get a BMW 850i for 10,000 Euro. A top-class luxury Coupe with all gadgets possible back then (ca. 1991).
But I did not dare - 300 hp, 5 liter, V12, whatever breaks will be expensive. And we were never a BMW- or Mercedes family.
I resorted to a poor man's elegant coupe solution, an Opel/Vauxhall Calibra. Will be 30 this year, has a superb aerodynamics (as (model) airplane fan always an argument), a little more than half the power than the BMW V12, ,half the displacement and cylinders, same number of valves, double the cams. Luckily the body is made in Finland, they are for some unknown reason WAY better regarding rust that german bodies.
A big advantage is that you have "relatives" of other models with which the car shares lots of parts, so that you have a chance to get at cheap parts.
Sad that GM had never the courage to import the Calibra to the US back then. Today the Calibra would be a rarer, more exotic car than a BMW 850i in the US.
also, see "BMW " and "Audi"..among the three however, I'd still buy a Mercedes. Just not anything lower than e-class.
@@sharedknowledge6640or buy the correct model and year. I have 3 benzes that all run fine, with no issues given to me. Resalee value? Who buts a used car to resale it for value? You’re either keeping the car, or using it until an upgrade. No in bebetweens
my 2015 C400 just hit 80,000kms. I could not be happier with its reliability and performance. If you take care of the W205's they will treat you very well.
I hope Grimes is compensated very well ...a good thorough and competent tech is rare.
They are they're paid hourly and the car Wizard is a reasonable man. They wouldn't work there if he didn't take care of them.
I must say Grimes seems really generally knowledgeable about all sorts of cars and models. Also has a good way of explaining things, and with a sense of humour.
Congratulations on 1mil subscribers Wizard, here's to many million more!
Followed the scheduled maintenance, did whatever the car said if needed and my 2010 E class had 218k miles on it when I traded it in. Absolutely no issues. My 2013 GLK has 140k miles and still going strong.
My friends mom has a 2014 GLK 250 BlueTec that she bought brand new. I believe that it is now sitting at 215,000 miles, and she still uses it, although it is now her second car because she bought a slightly used GLC 300 a few months ago.
Was it the 3.5 L V6?
@@phillipsmith1489 yes m272 engine
@@masterkevj23503Those are great engines.
A lot of people like the perceived prestige of owning a Mercedes-Benz but lack the financial resources to both buy and maintain it.
Spend all their money making the payment and then skipping the maintenance because they can't afford it and complain when problems develop.
Like many premium brands. After 4 years, the original owner has usually sold it, someone picked it up because it's in their price range, and they fail to do the required maintenance.
Got an idiot across the road who keeps buying mercs porch etc . they are 10+years old and the amount of people looking under the hood over the years tells me he's all about the flash oh look at me I've made it (yea bud you really have ) 😀
@@cedhome7945 Keeping your local mechanic shops alive one bill at a time lol.
The majority of complainers are those who have not maintained nor owned one but love their preferred auto-maker with some Direct Injected time bomb that blows up. The idea of a "luxury car" is a fallacy unless you drive something exclusive, which Mercs, BMWs, Jags are not.
Three kinds of people.
1. Those who can afford luxury cars.
2. Those who can't.
3. Those who hate both of the above.
11:09 and I IMMEDIATELY recognize that tread pattern as a Goodyear Assurance Outlast (Walmart’s top of the line Goodyear tire with an 80,000 mile treadwear warranty)
I have a 2016 GLE with 180k miles. I haven’t had any major issues with the car and the car still goes strong. I will admit, I do follow the manufacture’s recommended services (i.e.: 50k A-service is the oil change with air filter and spark plugs). My mom still owns a 2004 C240 with 130k miles and it is still strong. No major repairs hopefully and hopefully get that rare 1 million mile status.
That’s the best generation of ML/GLE
I'm at 238,000 miles on my 2009 c300, I purchased it with 12,000 on it.I always tell people not to be shy to get a higher mileage Mercedes as long as you know it's been well maintained.
@@lout3921 2008-15ish MB’s are the best that they have ever made
I took very good care of my 2009 Mercedes C300 sport. It runs like a clock and has currently has 238,000 miles.
M272 is a solid engine!
Its cool seeing the model of car you own being examined on video. My W205 also had the noise in the arm as pointed out. A mechanic told me i needed a steering rack.... I found the solution on youtube, he said i was wrong. I took it to another mechanic told him what i wanted done. noise went away. What confuses the mechanics is they if you lift the car the noise going away.
What was the reason of the noise? And what’s the solution?
The arm in question has a ball joint built into it. The lubricant in the ball joint dries out and the noise appears. What is crazy is that the rubbers and the joint can still be in fairly good condition but the lubricant has dried up and its not built to be relubricated. Change the arm and the noise goes away, the part is not expensive and its an easy job. Mercedes seems to have not lubricated this model well because i have had creaky A/C vents and steering (electric) column as well. I agree with the mechanic these cars are very very reliable but the servicing is very expensive especially the later B services which require all liquids and filters to be drained and replaced in addition to the spark plugs. I predict that about at 12- 15 years old this model will be fine mechanically and still up to date tech wise but the cost of servicing will make it a better choice to get rid of it. In the interim im loving mine. @@dominozonda
@@shamarbovell4457 thank you for the explanation, I also love mine but have weird suspension sounds at a really low mileage which never happened with any other car
I have a 2012 w204 c300, It just hit 136k miles. I’ve put in 80k miles since i bought it. Been a great car, just been on top of maintenance since i got it. Few electrical gremlins but other than that pretty damn reliable!
I have the same car, 2.2 with 270k kms.. i use it for work, maintenance each 28/30k kms.. engine is very reliable in my experience.
With oil changes at 30k?
How many kms did you drive it? What about the other problems of the car?
@@sorinsrn5442 yeah regular stuff
@@Elaba_ im the second owner i put over 170k myself. Actually once a failure of the start/stop battery, changed free of charge by mercedes, and as said in the video, its the third time i have trouble with those suspension noises. Other than that nothing else
Replace oil every 10k kms max 30k kms is way too much
A C300 2015 owner here, very helpful presentation. Thanks guys.
I wish I have a shop like this where I trust what they do and expertise! We need more shops like this. Keep up the good work!
I just bought a 2007 C350 4matic for $800 at a police impound. It came with the manual and the window sticker. It has 73k miles and run great. They stopped driving it because the rear brake line started leaking. It did not come with a key and it cost me $400.
Congratulations on a million subs! Grimes has been a great addition, I could listen to him talk Mercedes all day. These cars are definitely dependent on regular maintenance. One of my Benzes is a 2006 W211 with 145k miles. It's been well-maintained and cared for, and runs like new. Thanks for all the great entertainment (and education) that you provide.
Currently have a 2013 C250 at 140k miles for more than 5 years now, drove it all over the US and it’s been pretty reliable so far, as long as you keep up with maintenance
On those: NEVER ignore timing codes or engine noise. Done plenty of those chains.
I had my 2013 C250 almost since new. It just turned 50k miles.
@tylergrimes1256 Hey Grimes thanks for the reply. I’ve heard the timing chains were common issues with that engine. Mine hasn’t had any timing chain issues so far, only time has yet to tell.
@@Tha_Nikster I’ve seen them stretched around 120-150k, but those were some with poor maintenance history
Agree Mr Wizard, older cars with high mileage but serviced well does not bother me.
I have the model that came before that and it has roughly 100.000 miles. It is a great car, so smooth, so quiet. There are virtually no chips or wear on the interior, especially on the buttons or the steering wheel. I do regular maintenance once a year and I would recommend that every owner does the same. These cars have some tech, but not that much, but they really benefit from regular services. I guess every car does, it is just an investment that pays off.
Very informative video! Thank you all for your hard work.
1 million subs! Well deserved.
I always followed scheduled maintenance and I have zero complaints when it comes to reliability, on basically every make I have had
All of the six 'pre-loved' Volvo 740/940's I bought over time as a matter of fact did come with their original manuals in the glove compartment or door storage space. I remember opening one and reading on page one: "Congratulations with your purchase! Volvo Cars has manufactured your new car with the explicite intent to build a car with reliability and longevity". I can confirm from personal experience that, although the promise was quite substantial, they honestly delivered.
An original manual in good condition in it's original folder in a used car is always a good sign.
The original brown velvet-look folder in my present 945 LPT apart from a lot of other interesting stuff even contains the original "Volvo International Warranty" in twofold handsigned on July 16 1997, I'm only owner nr. 3.
My Lexus 2011 Lexus IS350 now has 135k miles. Since new... I replaced...
yeah, NOTHING has been replaced or has ever broken. The only maintenance that I've done so far other than oil changes is brake pads and rotors.
The IS is in a different league for reliability and quality.
America car culture is so weird to me compared to for example finland where I live, here most of these c classes still are really well kept and in nice condition. I visited usa last year and noticed even few years old cars were beat to shit and not taken care of at all, then I hear people saying these cars are unreliable. These are used as taxis here and often have 600k + kilometers on them and thats not even all that much
Lot of people here don’t take good care of cars and gripe when they break down, except if it’s a Toyota.
Maybe because many Americans live on plastic & debt. Everything is financed, leased, or put on credit card. So when the warranty is up they get rid of their toys
because for them, "maintenance" should not exceed a random oil change at jiffy lube, anything beyond that and the car is deemed "expensive".
Many Americans think putting gas in a car is maintenance.
Cars actually last longer (or go further i should say) in the USA, to about close to 200.000 miles until they go to scrap, while Overall across Europe it is more like 150.000 miles. People usually drive less in Europe, so cars last longer in time but less in distance, which could be why you see older well kept cars in Finland and newer beat to shit cars in America, because they drive more so cars look like shit earlier and also go to the scrapyard much earlier.
i got my license in a c300 2015 and it was a beautiful sedan. took some fun road trips in it
Our 2016 GLC300 did not come with a spare wheel/tire either (extended mobility tires). Got a Vredstein emergency spare from a GLK350 in a junk yard for $125 after we got rid of the horrible extended mobility OEM tires. MB in North America doesn't even offer the spare as a part option, which is why I went with the GLK spare (same bolt pattern). The rear trunk actually has a molded area even MADE to fit the Vredstein in the GLC, as they don't use extended mobility tires in Europe (they give them the spare Vredstein). The Vredstein option is a lot lighter and takes up less space than a full-size spare.
My GLK also had no spare, but also no tools and no tire fit kit. (bought it used). Question just is: did you check if the wheel fits over the brakes just to make sure, and did you also get yourself a fitting jack and wrench for the bolts? (or even a bit of luxury: a torque wrench with a fitting nut)
Years ago i had a flat in my e-class and as i had bought it used, and the salesguy replaced the tire compressor, he sure enough had put in a wrong compressor that was incompatible with the tire-sauce.
So i had to call them on a saturday night from the middle of nowhere. (the mobility waranty they offer here in europe to my surprise covered that).
After that lost night, i went and got myself such a foldable emergency spare vredestein from Mercedes, which was an original (but shockingly expensive) part option. (if the first owner of my car would have ticked that box he would have added 80€ to his price tag, i had to pay 5 times that for buying it 5 years later, but it has an original AMG wheel, and AMG specific parts are always way more expensive)
The only drawback in my opinion with the "foldable" spares is that you also need an air compressor. Then again, no need to check frequently if the spare has air...
Sadly Mercedes in general stopped putting a toolset and spares in their cars even here in europe.
(The only Merc today, you can be sure to have a spare from factory is the G... 😞 )
If there was such a thing, i would sign a partition that car manufacturers had to put in spares and tools to change the spare...
GLC doesn’t come with spare because they ship with runflat tires. Basically designed so you can still drive and make it to a shop if you were to puncture tire.
@@nirfzYes, the GLK350 Vredstein spare fits on the GLC, even the brakes. I’ve installed it and used it for a flat once already. Bought the official Mercedes jack and tool kit from an eBay site.
Well, that makes me feel good about my 80k C-class (same year/4-matic_ as the one in this video)
I do my oil change every 3k miles, I do a lot of off-road driving a I like to rotate and check all the components every time, that's how I found a broken leaf spring last time
❤Congratulations to the crew at Omega auto clinic! 1,000,000 is a huge milestone that most creators don't reach!🎉
Congratulations on achieving 1 million subscribers! Very much deserved!
Grimes seems like a great employee. I always notice when he’s standing there talking his knees lock out backwards. He’s got double jointed knees. It’s almost like they bend backwards. I know it’s a weird thing to notice. I hope his knees are ok. Another quality video!
Bad habit 😅
Helpful for leaning over fenders!
David, I have a 2009 W204 C200. Not quite the poverty spec model (that honour goes to the C180). The real reason it is called the Cheap Class is because it is the owners that cheap out. I have kept on top of maintenance doing as much of the work myself as possible sometimes using genuine parts and it has paid dividends. The running gear is 100% and it drives like a dream.
They have a place called Modern Spare that offers spare tire kits with the wheels, tools and jack for cars that don’t come with them from factory. I was looking into the same when I wanted to do a cross country trip and I wanted a spare tire.
Hello, W205 owner here, 16 year build. Its at 80k miles and running rock solid. I've done spark plugs twice, once at 46k, again just now, tranny service done at 60k, other than that just standard oil services during the "A SERVICE" and brake flushes during "B SERVICE" (every other year). I plan on medium- long terming the car while i save up for a 997.
Maintenance is key. We had a "disposable" 2000 neon. Every spring/fall it was up on a hoist for a tire swap and oil change because I live in a place where we get winter. Ran that thing for 18 years and only time it left me stranded was for a premature battery failure. Sure we replaced a belts and hoses along the way but that's cheap maintenance. The car ran perfectly and did not burn oil when I drove it to be traded in. The issue was rust and leaky window sills. I don't have the space to do body work.
My 2023 C300 4matic is great. I have my own mechanic who specializes in German cars and charges me about 1/3 what the dealer would charge. He said to always change the oil every 5k miles. The 10k recommendation is according to him just a strategy to make the dealers more money with additional repairs.
Oh man, that Lincoln Town Car looks so sweet! 2:00 2:32 😊
Have c300, 2008 with v6 ,130k engine. Never had issues with engine and transmission but over the years I changed all the misc parts from battery to alternator , to thermostat to rear axle which was covered by MB. You have to keep the maintenance up and going no way around it.
I would argue that Mrs Wiz doing 3 miles one way needs the oil changing just as or more frequently, due to risk of condensation build up in an engine that's never getting up to operating temps. Congrats on the 1M!
Front spring links! Thank you. My C-Class of this year has the same noise and it was a mystery until today. I also had to replace the turbocharger and front diff around 100K miles. Had a couple other big jobs but no major failures.
Grimes new shirt looks crisp! I send people to this channel with any car questions
Perfect video, I am keeping up the maintenance with my 2020 c300 and plan on keeping it for a very long time.
I bought a 1996 Chevy K2500 that surprisingly had 1/2 of its original owner’s manual. I was shocked that any of it was there since it’s 28 years old and I am the 4th owner.
Also, congratulations on 1,000,000 subscribers.
lol chevy
@@KimoKimochii for a knock around truck for cheap, the 90s era Chevys and GMCs are not a bad choice. It’s easy enough to work on, parts are very easy to find, and it does exactly what I need it to do. It’s not my daily driver. It’s my “go to the sticks” or “Home Depot run” truck.
Congrats Wizard with 1m Subscribers. And yes Mercedes can be a reliable car as long as you keep up with maintenance. I have a 2014 E350 Coupe. 130k miles and never had a problem. Oil changes every 5k miles. Transmission service every 20k - 25k miles. Brake fluid changed about same time I get the transmission serviced. For a 10 year old Merc it's been rock solid.
Congratulations on 1 million subscribers. I started watching your videos with Appollo 911 (LS Engine Swap).
I love that Town Car in the background. Had 2 of them with over 300k. Bulletproof vehicle
Congratulations on reaching 1M subscribers! I would think that the owner would have the shop replace the two rear shocks and the wheel liner when the owner has another day to wait. My 1996 MBZ S320 has 323,300 miles on it and still going strong. I bought the car used from a Ford dealership in 2002 with 53,000 miles. It was my commute car from 2011 until I retired in Jan. 2021, averaging 70 miles a day, 5 days a week plus weekend runs to the grocery stores. In 2020, due to the pandemic, the milage dropped significantly. Now I average less than 6,000 miles a year. The suspension components are what goes and need to be replaced to keep this car on the road. Because the car is heavy, it does chew up tires, especially the front tires. I am lucky to get 35-40K on tires. I take the car in for oil changes every 3,000 miles and use the synthetic 5w-30 Mobil 1 oil and Lucas oil additive.
More fine insights on the C-Class maintenance schedules.
I own a w205 c200(the same as the c300 in us), and a w205 c63s, and both have been reliable, the c200 is almost 10 years old, its a 2015 and other than minor cosmetic details due its age/use, it has 0 issues, same for the c63s, unlike the w204, the w205 turned out really solid, you can hardly find any issues with them even posted online.
Hey Wiz? How about a video describing the business of a mechanic? Does Grimes rent a bay? How does the book work for hours? I’m not looking for trade secrets, but to those of us inexperienced in understanding how and why our estimates are crafted and everything that goes in to a bill to fix my car, anywhere? ❤
Keep the Mercedes videos coming….love them!
I leased a 2017 C300 (W205) and it was a pile of crap, 28,000 miles into the lease the engine threw a rod and the factory warranty wanted to blame me for the repair cost despite having the oil changed at the dealership every 5,000 miles.
Sure you did well can you go ahead and explain why my 2018 C200 with 150,000km has had no issues ever the side of the road mechanic is not a dealership
Good to train the next generation to do a video. Good job, Grimes!
Even though I always buy new car I always use Owners manual and service manual from (in my case) Toyota owners account / login. So much easy to search for a specific topic I want to read vs turning pages of the paper format book.
I had a portable generator that got used for 2 weeks I was without power during Hurricane. Ran it 12 hours a day. Manual stated change oil every 50 hours operation. Changed oil every 4th day. Oil changes are important
Hey you talked me out of a late 1990's MB hardtop convertible when you showed what happens when the hydraulics for the top fail! Bought a Lexus LS430 instead
Good decision. 👍
A mechanic back East told me to cycle the roof on those once a month regardless to make sure everything stays loose. Outside of a relay switch the 2004 SLK320 has been fine. The 2003 SL500 has had lines replaced but is fine now.
They should look into a 3rd party spare wheel instead of a used OEM one. More compact and easy to store. Modern spare makes a good kit.
We opted for a C-Class because there's less to fail than on an S. Only issue was that the dealership that serviced the vehicle before we owned it never actually did the B services, brake fluid was original, 500 miles after the dealership had billed Mercedes for work that was not done.
I go through a lot of oil changes as well. Usually I can go a little bit more than a month. Every 3,750 miles I do an oil change. I drive around 80 Mi a day. Luckily it only takes 3 quarts of oil. I get my oil in bulk so an entire oil change is only around $20.
Another great video. Those who have German vehicles, make sure you're staying on top of maintenance.
I'm really am pleased with the Grimes segments. The young man carries himself with confidence and knowledge of a person with another 15 years of experience. He and Danielsan are impressive!
Congrats on your one million sub landmark.
Regarding the spare tire. Aren’t the front and rear tires different sizes? I wonder how you account for that with a spare. Also regarding the A,C,E,S class I think now it’s more about size designation vs a better car.
That’s a clean engine for 150k miles. I have a BMW 120i with only 60k miles, BMW dealer maintained and I have to top it up with a liter of oil every 6 months due to leaks… Congratulations on the 1M subscribers Car Wizard! Well deserved.
Grimes is great! What a wealth of knowledge
Congratulations on a million subs Weezard
Thanks Wizard and Grimes.....
Old Shoemaker 🇺🇸
Congratulations on reaching 1,000,000 subscribers! Looks like you sprung for a nice shop shirt for Grimes.
I changed the transmission fluid and filter in a 96 Bonneville at 188k miles. The transmission did not start to slip.
Congrats on the milestone maker. I got here through Hoovies Garage and I am glad I did, one day I will get to buy a car in KS and stop by.
This was the most positive set of comments on the merc engines. Sweet.
Grimes is a king of knowledge, like him a lot!
My Acura has similar service codes for scheduled maintenance. It alternates between A1 and B1. One time it went to A123 when I drove a few hundred miles past due to
David & Jenny. Congratulations on a million subscribers. It’s been a long road, but you made it!!!
I had the service BH on my computer to show up. I had no clue what that meant. I researched and it is like service B but on historical vehicles after a certain time passes. My car is from 2007.
Congratulations on a major life achievement ! Your followers obviously enjoy your content . I called and spoke to you tours ago last week. It was about your Chevy four door trying to get I think headers to fit the jaguar engine . I suggested a shop that made that type of application . im the retired Volvo parts manager . I know you probably forgot . but I appreciated that you answered the phone . not important but wanted to acknowledge your kindness and throw a personal touch . God Bless !
Major life achievement? It is just the internet.
One million subscribers sir !
I have a 2017 toyota IM. I changed the oil every five thousand kilometers.
Wizard, not sure about that advice on the MB transmissions from the 7G on. Mine had issues around 130k with 2-3 shift and hesitation. I figured out that the fluid had never been changed. Had that done, boom, has run perfectly ever since.
But yeah, with old domestic transmissions...leave that old stuff in there.
My brother owned a 2002 Pontiac gran AM coupe and it had a check engine symbol light but under the engine light it said (service engine soon!)
It came up when even a oil change was due
I actually remember when the emissions test was due that service engine soon light was on and they failed him automatically W/o even pulling into the garage bay he got in started it and shut it off and got out and walked inside w/o saying anything to us then hands us a fail paper! and asked why and response was you have a check engine light on so that’s not passing! He had to argue that it wasn’t a check engine light and show the guy by turning car off and putting key on ACC to light up all the dash lights that the check engine was not lite. But guy didn’t do it.
So brother took it to another shop after resetting the light but yea it was a weird set up.
My Toyota has a light that words just say reg maint due.
Never seen another car except Pontiac with 2 engine light symbols 😂
Hey Wizard 😊 cong on 1 mil😊 very informative video
Congrats on 1 million subs! No matter what car you own if you follow the manufacturer's recommended maintenance schedule you should get a lot of service out of your cars
I recently sold a 98 K1500 that I bought 2-3 years ago, it still had the original owner's manual. I was a bit surprised...
Congratulations WOW a million! Holly crap man, I was here around 50k this channel blew up over just a few years incredible. Keep it up guys! I WISH they could look at my car. I'm doing all the work myself and it's been a learning process but I LOVE IT. LOVE SEEING THE COLLABS WITH ALL THE YT COMMUNITY KEEP IT UP MR WIZARD!
Congratulations on hitting 1M subscribers! Another great video, and I'd love to see a video on that Town Car in the background.
Another thing people don’t realize is with those types of vehicles it’s not advised to buy one used with high mileage. It may look nice, but you don’t know if the previous owner kept up with the maintenance schedule. The new owner could be stuck with very costly repairs if the maintenance was neglected by the previous owner.
I’ll happily take high mileage with records over the opposite though.
My family has had 4 vehicles over the years with each over 1,00,000 km on odo. Oil changes every 7500 km or 1 year even if vehicle didnt run 7500 km that year. Engine has never given problems ever. However cabin plastic parts frequently break due to excessive Indian summers. 😊
its important the customer is aware of the seepage or the worn items. you never know if the next service will be done by a jiffy lube hood slapper. customer may decline the work but if they are aware of the problem it wont become a big problem.
I run a dealer auction, and plenty of cars still have their "books" (manuals). The cars that don't have their books the most often are repossessed cars, bitter broke people that financed over their financial limitations that steal and break everything they can on a vehicle before letting it get taken. Everything else mostly has the books, even cars that are 40+ years old. They sit in the glove box and get forgotten. Now the second set of keys, those are almost always gone. Even late model vehicles almost always come in with only 1 key.
CONGRATS on 1 million subscribers!!!
I have a 2012 GLK (it's a C-class in SUV clothes) for almost 10 years. Had first repair last year. I cost around 200 in US money.
Gonna need a vid on that Chevy van and the Lincoln TC.
I wouldn't want to own a Mercedes built in the last 10-15 years or so but I would go for some older ones. I would love to have an early 90s 300SL with the straight six and the manual transmission. That was at a time where Mercedes hadn't gone loco with hi-tech stuff. They weren't that hard to work on and you could do most repairs with simple tools.
On older cars, I can fix simple things myself such as hoses, starters, dynamo, brakes and dampers....
Lowkey I want to buy and old C class for something to work on in my free time during the summer. 01-07 one are really cheap if they have any kind of issues that won’t allow the car to start or move, I’ve seen so many on FB marketplace going for 750-1000$ not bad for a car you’d want to have as a lil project if you ask me 🤷🏾♂️
Schedule maintenance is everything.
0:02 You sunk my battleship!
I bought a 2007 bmw x3 with 79k miles on it one time. It didn't come with its manual, but, did have a Virginia state trooper inspection paper in the glove box...and it smelled like the forest when I turned on the air...then checked the cabin air filter and found it was replaced by about 20 pounds of dry oak leaves. Whoever the last owner of that car was may have been onto something. Those leaves were probably green when he put them in there to use as a filter. I use cedar limbs now instead of oak leaves for a cabin air filter because they last longer and smell nicer than oak leaves as a cabin filter. Still just as cheap too.
My 1963 Rambler Classic 660 still has the owner's manual in it It was the first car that I owned and it's the only car that I own now.
I actually collect owners manuals I have several hundred from the 60's to 90's. Also several tech manuals and shop books. Those have tech you just can not find online when working on something 20-40 years old.
If you want a owners manual for your car good chance going to a junkyard will get you one and you can flip through it to judge the condition before paying like $10.