Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2012

Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2012 Q&As

Check out real-world situations relating to the Mercedes-Benz C-Class here, particularly what our experts have to say about them.

• Are there problems or repair expenses to be aware of when buying a 2014 Mercedes-Benz C250

  The service intervals for this model were every 15,000km or 12 months, so the fact that so many for sale have the same mileage showing is more likely to be a coincidence or the fact that at 10 years of age, most owners have been covering the national average of about 13,000km per year.

  Some cars that need timing belt replacements often hit the second-hand market all together as the owners try to avoid the cost of this, but the engine in your car has a timing chain which should be good for the life of the vehicle.

  Other factors contributing to the pack-trade-in phenomenon include psychological barriers like a mileage of 100,000km recorded and the age of the car. In this case, the car’s 10^th birthday might be the catalyst for the mass selling.

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• Is a Mercedes-Benz C220 or BMW 320d better for fuel economy?

  I've used the last versions of both those models for this comparison, which means a 2019 BMW 320d and a 2021 Mercedes-Benz 220d (I'm also assuming you're comparing diesels with diesels).

  As such, the BMW holds a slim on-paper advantage with an official combined fuel consumption number of 4.4 litres per 100km, compared with 4.7 litres for the Benz. In the real world, that difference is a very, very small one and means the two vehicles are more or less line-ball for fuel economy.

  Real world fuel consumption has a lot more to do with your driving environment and style than it does these laboratory-produced numbers. But the official numbers are valid on the basis that both vehicles were subjected to the same strict test regime, so they do provide a direct comparison, even if you'll almost certainly never match them in real life. Both, however, will surprise you with how frugal they can be.

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• I tried to buy a new set of the specified, run-flat tyres for my 2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C250. None will be in stock until June...

  You don’t have to fit run-flat tyres to your car, but it can be a lot more convenient. A decade or so ago, it was quite common to replace run-flat tyres with more conventional tyres as the ride quality of run-flats was relatively poor. These days, that isn’t the case to the same extent, and run-flats have come a long way.

  But if you can’t get them in the correct size, then you have a problem that can be solved by fitting conventional tyres of the correct size, speed rating and load rating. A tyre shop should be able to sort this out for you.

  The catch, of course, is that a conventional tyre won’t get you home if it deflates for any reason (as a run-flat is designed to do). The knock-on problem there is that a car designed for run-flats will not only not have a spare tyre, it won’t even have a physical space to put one. The solution then is to find a repair kit of the type found in many cars today. This amounts to a tin of repair solution which is added to the tyre through the valve and the tyre reinflated with the attached compressor.

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• The transmission keeps slipping on my 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Do you know what could fix this?

  If the transmission is working properly between bouts of slippage, then it’s reasonable to think that this could be an electronic problem rather than a mechanical one. By turning the ignition off and then restarting, you’re effectively resetting the computer that controls the transmission. That’s why the gearbox comes good for a period before reverting to its old tricks.

  That’s on the surface, anyway, but the problem could also be within the torque converter or something intermittent inside the actual gearsets, clutches, bands or valve body that is giving the same set of symptoms.

  Ultimately, this is probably going to require a trip to a transmission specialist who will be able to identify the cause more accurately. In the meantime, though, there’s something you can try that might reset the transmission more permanently. On this model Mercedes-Benz, there’s a specific transmission-reset procedure that should take the gearbox back to its original factory settings. If that’s the case, it might fix your problem, but if not, then you need to call in the experts.

  The procedure starts with getting in the car, closing all the doors and turning the ignition key to the on position, but not actually starting the engine. You should have all the dashboard lights illuminated at this point. Then, press the accelerator pedal right to the floor, making sure you can feel that the kick-down détente has been activated. Hold the pedal all the way down for at least 60 seconds and then, without releasing the accelerator, turn off the ignition. Don’t open the door and don’t remove the key from the ignition. Now release the accelerator and wait five minutes before starting the engine and going for a test drive.

  Good luck.

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