C280 owners please give opinions
 

Well, my hunt for a nice used MB had lead me to many 300E and some diesel models. Unfortunately, for one reason or another it has not worked because something has alweays been wrong in a major way with them. Even one I had checked out that had only 58k on it.

So, my wife has suggested I look a bit newer. I am interested in the C280 as it is the one I can best afford and I would prefer to stay away from the 4 cyl models. So, in general is there anything in particular I should be look as a trouble area on the 280?

Any reason the 2.8 in it would not last like the 2.6 or 3.0 engines in the 300E models?

I'm looking now at a 95 model with 85k on it.

I'd appreciate any info you would care to share with me as I have not focused on this model at all. Fell free to e-mail me directly at REBrooks@iwon.com

Thank you,

Ron Brooks

the 2.8 would be basicallyt he same engine as a 300e ina 2.8 liter version.

Whatever applies to those engines should pretty much apply to a C280.

Alon

The C280 uses a 2.8 l 104 engine. These are very strong and dependable engines .The most common problem you will find with this engine is the cylinder head gasket leaking oil. Strongly suggest having any car you are thinking of buying checked out by a shop or tech that you trust. Also a good idea to run a Carfax report .

That's right, the C280 is the same 2.8 liter M104 engine used in the 1993 300E 2.8, and just a smaller version of the 3.2 liter M104 engine used in the 93 300E 3.2, 94-95 E320, 96-97 E320, and 92-99 S320.

Therefore, you are going to have the same issues that all M104 engines have. The original head gasket design was bad, and you will experience an oil leak at the right rear corner (passenger side) of the head gasket. You can let it leak oil until it gets so bad that you're going to have to replace the head gasket. I just did mine at 137,500 miles. The new head gaskets have been redesigned and don't leak.

Also, all 93-95 C280's and 300E's / E320's have faulty engine wiring harnesses. Check and see if it's been replaced on the car you are thinking of buying. If it hasn't been done I wouldn't rule the car out, but just budget $800 in parts and labor to replace the engine wiring harness immediately.

you could possibly have the head gasket and wiring harness problems. remember those two shops i referred you to (Garwood & Westfield)? they usually have a w124 being sold by one of their customers. there is also a big used car place in Garwood called "Maranos". you see his cars all over the place. i see C280's there every now and then...

Ditto on all the above said. I would do a search on this model. There is plenty of info for sure. I am currently going to replace my OVP relay and have already had the head gasket replaced. Gauges seem to stick if it gets cold at night. I'm a little disapointed with some of these aspects, but the car drives great and has a powerful engine. I would have it checked first, and see if some of the problems have been resolved. Mine had all books and records through 54k and still had problems. I don't think I would have purchased the car without the help I've gotten from this site however. Good luck.

These days it's possible to find a car that has had all the services and even "in between "oil changes done at a dealer and still have oil leaks or other problems not fixed. The problem is that most dealers now do not or are not allowed to do what are called "Add on repairs"when a car is in for routine service.Most dealers repair what the customer complained about and that is it.It used to be that when you took your car in for the 45k service they would look the car over and fix any and everthing they saw wrong with it before the car went out of waranty.

i was unpleasantly surprised to discover that my car's head gasket was seeping at 15k miles as noted in service records left by the PO in the car, yet the dealer did nothing about it. by the time i got it replaced at 53k miles it was gushing. and to think that the m104 engine is well known for this problem. what you do is make the seller give you allowances for those problems and just have them fixed right away. on the M104 there is a short list of big ticket items that could go wrong but at least they are well known.