C280 - fuel gauge acting strange!
 

The fuel gauge in my 1995 C280 is playing funny tricks! When the tank is between Full and 3/4 full it works fine, but as soon as the gauge needle goes lower than about 2/3 full it drops to the bottom of the gauge and won't go back up until I fill the tank again. Is this a common C280 issue? Most likely the gauge or sender?

Thanks

Yup. Two senders, most commonly the problem.

Thanks for the reply :) Where are the two senders, both in the tank? Are they very expensive or difficult to change?

Sorry for the bump, but can anyone add to this?

Not too easy for DIY on W202, costs about $600 P/L for both senders and labour. Try changing your gas brand. Worked for me. Gauge was all over the place about 18 months ago, switched brands, no more problems. That RARELY fixes it, but what have you got to lose? Give it 2-3 tank fulls.

Common problem on ALL late model MB's, worst on C-Class and ML's.

Had both of mine replaced by my friendly dealer ( 2 months before the warranty expired ).
Supposedly, the updated sensors have a gold plating on the contacts, to avoid the chemical reaction between the contacts and SOME north american fuels.
You could try " black mercedes's " suggestion.
Like he says, you've got nothing to lose. ;)

Try Changing Gasoline Brands
 

Erratic fuel guage problem also happened to me on my 1995 C280 and 2000 ML320 when I switched to BP gasoline brand. When I stopped using BP, after several tankfulls, everything wented back to normal. I now think that the letters BP stand for Bad Petroleum.

Good Luck!