While looking at purchasing a used 1998 C280 with 73K miles I noticed that the heater fan would emit a vibration noise from position 3 (on the digi display) and get worse as the fan speed was increased. It was almost like a thumping, or shuttering vibration noise. Any idea what this could be except for 'expensive' (remove dash and replace fan etc.)? Should I avoid this car and look elsewhere?

Thank, MarkC

I believe there was a TSB concerning excissive fan noise which was caused by a clogged cabin filter. Not sure if that would help your problem however. Hopefully someone else has something more to add.

Mike

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1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra

The dash does not need to come out for a fan replacement in a 202. It takes about 15min to do even if you have never done it before.

http://mbclub.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=3593

Bear in mind that this link was from a UK site, so everything appears mirror imaged in the photos (RH drive and all...).

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'96 C280 (gone)
'97 C36
'05 C230k

If the person you're buying it from is not familiar with the 202, use the noisy fan and the possibility of dash removal to lower the price of the car, knowing that you can do the job yourself quickly and cheaply.

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'96 C280 (gone)
'97 C36
'05 C230k

Thanks for the replies The link to the pictorial fan-replacement tutorial is very informative , and will come in handy if the cabin-air filter is not the cause of the noise/vibration.

Thanks

The recommended replacement interval for the cabin filter is every 15k miles according to the book. If you use the climate control a lot it can become pretty dirty within a year or so.

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Ali Al-Chalabi

2001 CLK55
1999 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins Diesel
2002 Harley-Davidson Fatboy
Merlin Extralight w/ Campy Record