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c 230 kompressor - faulty valeo radiator
I am interested in filing a class action suit against Mercedes in connection with the faulty valeo radiator which is on the 2003-2004 C class vehicles. It is my understanding that there have been a large number of these "faulty radiators" and Mercedes has not issued a recall nor or they willing to help with the repair costs. I bought a 2003 C230 Kompressor about 2 years ago and it now has this problem. Any others out there?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Terry Rochioli on -
I have a 2002 C-230 Compressor with 77,000 miles that just had to have my radiator replaced because an internal seal ruputered and coolant go mix into my transmission. The local dealer had to also replace the transmission control module, and remove and flush out the transmission. That had to be done before they could tell me if the could save the transmission. At this point, I have my car back but in order to avoid the harsh downshift from 2nd to 1st during stops or the 1st to 2nd upshift starting, it was recommended that I leave the transmission setting to the "W" position. This allows the car to start and stop in 2nd gear avoiding 1st gear all together. For me to save the $$$$ in buying a new transmission, by just using the car in the "w" mode is worth. I used to change this mode from W - S ( winter /summer) and never knew it did any difference nor could I feel any difference. I have had numerous other issues that I feel I have, stepper motor replacement, 3 times having problems with the panorama moonroof and it still doesn't work quite right. I don't thing I would ever buy another Mercedes, especially when other cars namely Japanese build ran for years w/no issues.
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Permalink Reply by cindy hudson on
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Terry Rochioli said:I have a 2002 C-230 Compressor with 77,000 miles that just had to have my radiator replaced because an internal seal ruputered and coolant go mix into my transmission. The local dealer had to also replace the transmission control module, and remove and flush out the transmission. That had to be done before they could tell me if the could save the transmission. At this point, I have my car back but in order to avoid the harsh downshift from 2nd to 1st during stops or the 1st to 2nd upshift starting, it was recommended that I leave the transmission setting to the "W" position. This allows the car to start and stop in 2nd gear avoiding 1st gear all together. For me to save the $$$$ in buying a new transmission, by just using the car in the "w" mode is worth. I used to change this mode from W - S ( winter /summer) and never knew it did any difference nor could I feel any difference. I have had numerous other issues that I feel I have, stepper motor replacement, 3 times having problems with the panorama moonroof and it still doesn't work quite right. I don't thing I would ever buy another Mercedes, especially when other cars namely Japanese build ran for years w/no issues.
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Permalink Reply by cindy hudson on
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Terry: I just got my car back on Friday. I have yet to see if I will need a new transmission. The dealer said that he was "unable to tell if any damage had been done", but he felt that everything was ok. I actually kept my Valero radiator and I have it in storage. I hope we can get a class action suit going.
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Permalink Reply by Scott Cox on
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I purchased a 2003 - C230 kompressor certified new at time of purchase with 14K miles in 2004. At the end of 2008, I had service performed for a "check engine light" and was told that the thermostat needed to be changed. After changing the thermostat within 30 days the engine seized. The dealership decided that they were not responsible nor was Mercedes. I have repeatedly tried to get the dealership to work this out with me and to try and work this out with the Mercedes. This has been useless. The car, after six months, is still sitting at the Mercedes dealership not running without assistance from the dealership nor Mercedes. I am very interested in finding a way to have Mercedes take care of this blown engine. Please reply, Scott.
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Permalink Reply by cindy hudson on
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Scott: Thank you for your email. As you may know, we have to have a certain amount of names before a lawyer will help us with a class action suit. There are several names so far. As soon as I get in touch with an attorney, I will contact you. I ask that you demand that the dealership return to you any parts that they remove from your car....these are evidence...... and which they replace. I'm not sure what to do about a motor though. I will try and find out. Take care and thanks for replying. Cindy Hudson.
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Permalink Reply by Terry Rochioli on
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I hope all goes well. So far my car is running good, however I can still notice the gear changes from 4-5 are not as smooth. I guess I will have to live with as is. The dealer quote me $5500.00 for a rebuilt transmission. I think I will save my money and hopefully get another 5 years out of it before I get rid of it. I will definitely never buy another Mercedes and I told my dealer that. There are a lot better cars out there that don't cost your next born to repair. It's funny but we ran our Mercury Villager Mini Van for 135,000 miles and the only major thing that went out was the intake manifold and that was on a recall. These were build as a joint venture with Nissan who sold the counter part Nissan Quest. These both were equipt with Nissan Maxima engines in them. It ran forever until we decided it was time to retire it and upgrade to a Honda CRV. I think what I hate the most is the Mercedes attitude. They seem to think just because you can scraped enough to buy one of their cars, you can afford to drop as much cash as needed to repair them.
cindy hudson said:Terry: I just got my car back on Friday. I have yet to see if I will need a new transmission. The dealer said that he was "unable to tell if any damage had been done", but he felt that everything was ok. I actually kept my Valero radiator and I have it in storage. I hope we can get a class action suit going.
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Permalink Reply by Terry Rochioli on
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Scott - I believe you have good case against Mercedes. You brought it in afte the engine light went on. They did not fix the problem and you lost the engine. They are at fault. If you cannot trust Mercedes to service their own cars, who can you trust. I would report them to the local better business bureau. Try and see if an outside Mercedes service group - like Tilman's in Santa Rosa could give you some feedback that would help your case against Mercedes. Tilmans is a very well respected Mercedes and other foreign car auto shop.
Scott Cox said:I purchased a 2003 - C230 kompressor certified new at time of purchase with 14K miles in 2004. At the end of 2008, I had service performed for a "check engine light" and was told that the thermostat needed to be changed. After changing the thermostat within 30 days the engine seized. The dealership decided that they were not responsible nor was Mercedes. I have repeatedly tried to get the dealership to work this out with me and to try and work this out with the Mercedes. This has been useless. The car, after six months, is still sitting at the Mercedes dealership not running without assistance from the dealership nor Mercedes. I am very interested in finding a way to have Mercedes take care of this blown engine. Please reply, Scott.
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Permalink Reply by Patrick Sy on -
REGARDING ROUGH GEAR CHANGE AFTER TRANSMISSION SERVICE
SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE LOW TRANNY FLUID OR THE DEALER DIDNT USE FACTORY REQUIRED MERCEDES LUBRICANT I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM BEFORE WHEN THE O-RING IN MY RADIATOR OIL RETURN INLET SEAL LEAKED I DID WHAT HAD TO BE DONE...I REPLACED IT. I USUALLY DEAL WITH JAPANESE CARS IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTION REGARDING YOUR CAR YOU CAN ASK ME. I DRIVE THE SAME CAR MINE HAS 120000 MILES IN ITS CLOCK AND IT RUNS GREAT. JUST MAINTAIN IT RIGHT AND IT'LL TREAT YOU RIGHT.
1. Check your service invoice and look for the amount of transmission oil added if its 7.5quarts/liters u need more standard drain and fill is 7.5 but if they changed the filter in the transmission oil pan its roughly 8-9
heres the most important part if u got charged under $14.00-$18.00/per liter they did'nt use the right lubricant and now they're in trouble =) you can call Beareau of Autorepair in Sacramento.
2. IF LOW, go to a mercedes dealer parts department and buy the transmission oil should be around that price range Mentioned on line 1. BUY 2 QUARTS " ASK ABOUT RETURN POLICY ON LUBRICANTS" so u can return the other in case you only needed one you can get your nails done with money but NO COLOR.
3. Go to a local foreign car or european car service and ask them if they can check your TRANNY OIL give em the grease monkey lingo so they'll be a lil scared to fool ya. =)
4. THERES A SEAL FOR THE TRANSMISSION DIPSTICK AND MOST EUROPEAN CAR MECHANICS WILL GIVE U THE " I cant break that seal off we need to replace...$50 for replace" BULLSHIT I BROKE MY SEAL AND PUT IT BACK U JUST HAVE TO BREAK IT CAREFULLY. MERCEDES DID'NT GIVE US THAT DIPSTICK AND THAT PISSSED ME OFF !!!
5. If they can do it for free fine go ahead and let them do it. If they say no and gave you the bullshit just go drive around till they do it for you for free. IF THEY REVEALED ITS LOCATION u can do this at home all u need now is a funnel. JUST BREAK THE SEAL CAREFULLY AND DONT DROP ANYTHING IN THAT TINY HOLE.
6. ADD HALF A QUART PUT THE SEAL BACK ON DRIVE IT AROUND MAKE SURE U HIT THAT GEAR WHERE IT GOES ROUGH if still rough add the other half. Go on S mode. W needs to be set on wet surfaces only this avoids spin outs. Always drive on S on dry roads. W makes it consume more gas
7. OUR TIRES MUST BE SET AT 28 FRONT - 32 REAR COLD psi. ALL THE TIME !!! if u look under the spare tire theres a an air pump that you can plug in to your cigarette lighter. CHECK AND SET YOUR TIRE PRESSURE IN THE MORNING NOT AFTER DRIVING. KEEP THAT IN MIND..THIS MAY HELP U GET A CONSISTANT 22MPG CITY this is what I get with So. California traffic. TRUST ME ON THIS ONE.
MERCEDES CLAIM ITS A LIFETIME NO FILL NEEDED. " YEAH CAUSE THEY WANT YOU TO BUY A NEW TRANSMISSION OR A NEW CAR WHEN IT BREAKS." Bollocks!!! the transmission is consisted of synchronized gears running constantly it only stops when the car stops the hydraulic transmission fluid is its blood. MERCEDES ENGINEERS knew the variation in the fatigue strength of steel in friction in relation to the quality of the lubricant (ALL MECHANICS SHOULD KNOW THAT TOO) so they designed their own lubricant THATS WHY the price for the fluid is blooooody damn expensive....mate...but we only need to replace it after every 75000 moiles for German cars 50000 on Japanese cars and Domestics u always need a new one J/K or same as Japanese. IF U HAVE ANYMORE QUESTIONS DROP ME A LINE GOOD LUCK
Terry Rochioli said:I hope all goes well. So far my car is running good, however I can still notice the gear changes from 4-5 are not as smooth. I guess I will have to live with as is. The dealer quote me $5500.00 for a rebuilt transmission. I think I will save my money and hopefully get another 5 years out of it before I get rid of it. I will definitely never buy another Mercedes and I told my dealer that. There are a lot better cars out there that don't cost your next born to repair. It's funny but we ran our Mercury Villager Mini Van for 135,000 miles and the only major thing that went out was the intake manifold and that was on a recall. These were build as a joint venture with Nissan who sold the counter part Nissan Quest. These both were equipt with Nissan Maxima engines in them. It ran forever until we decided it was time to retire it and upgrade to a Honda CRV. I think what I hate the most is the Mercedes attitude. They seem to think just because you can scraped enough to buy one of their cars, you can afford to drop as much cash as needed to repair them.
cindy hudson said:Terry: I just got my car back on Friday. I have yet to see if I will need a new transmission. The dealer said that he was "unable to tell if any damage had been done", but he felt that everything was ok. I actually kept my Valero radiator and I have it in storage. I hope we can get a class action suit going.
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Permalink Reply by cindy hudson on
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Thanks Patrick. This is a wonderful email. I have never received this much information from the Benz dealer....(HA HA) I am going to check all of these points on my car. Thanks again. Keep in touch/take care.
Patrick Sy said:REGARDING ROUGH GEAR CHANGE AFTER TRANSMISSION SERVICE
SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE LOW TRANNY FLUID OR THE DEALER DIDNT USE FACTORY REQUIRED MERCEDES LUBRICANT I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM BEFORE WHEN THE O-RING IN MY RADIATOR OIL RETURN INLET SEAL LEAKED I DID WHAT HAD TO BE DONE...I REPLACED IT. I USUALLY DEAL WITH JAPANESE CARS IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTION REGARDING YOUR CAR YOU CAN ASK ME. I DRIVE THE SAME CAR MINE HAS 120000 MILES IN ITS CLOCK AND IT RUNS GREAT. JUST MAINTAIN IT RIGHT AND IT'LL TREAT YOU RIGHT.
1. Check your service invoice and look for the amount of transmission oil added if its 7.5quarts/liters u need more standard drain and fill is 7.5 but if they changed the filter in the transmission oil pan its roughly 8-9
heres the most important part if u got charged under $14.00-$18.00/per liter they did'nt use the right lubricant and now they're in trouble =) you can call Beareau of Autorepair in Sacramento.
2. IF LOW, go to a mercedes dealer parts department and buy the transmission oil should be around that price range Mentioned on line 1. BUY 2 QUARTS " ASK ABOUT RETURN POLICY ON LUBRICANTS" so u can return the other in case you only needed one you can get your nails done with money but NO COLOR.
3. Go to a local foreign car or european car service and ask them if they can check your TRANNY OIL give em the grease monkey lingo so they'll be a lil scared to fool ya. =)
4. THERES A SEAL FOR THE TRANSMISSION DIPSTICK AND MOST EUROPEAN CAR MECHANICS WILL GIVE U THE " I cant break that seal off we need to replace...$50 for replace" BULLSHIT I BROKE MY SEAL AND PUT IT BACK U JUST HAVE TO BREAK IT CAREFULLY. MERCEDES DID'NT GIVE US THAT DIPSTICK AND THAT PISSSED ME OFF !!!
5. If they can do it for free fine go ahead and let them do it. If they say no and gave you the bullshit just go drive around till they do it for you for free. IF THEY REVEALED ITS LOCATION u can do this at home all u need now is a funnel. JUST BREAK THE SEAL CAREFULLY AND DONT DROP ANYTHING IN THAT TINY HOLE.
6. ADD HALF A QUART PUT THE SEAL BACK ON DRIVE IT AROUND MAKE SURE U HIT THAT GEAR WHERE IT GOES ROUGH if still rough add the other half. Go on S mode. W needs to be set on wet surfaces only this avoids spin outs. Always drive on S on dry roads. W makes it consume more gas
7. OUR TIRES MUST BE SET AT 28 FRONT - 32 REAR COLD psi. ALL THE TIME !!! if u look under the spare tire theres a an air pump that you can plug in to your cigarette lighter. CHECK AND SET YOUR TIRE PRESSURE IN THE MORNING NOT AFTER DRIVING. KEEP THAT IN MIND..THIS MAY HELP U GET A CONSISTANT 22MPG CITY this is what I get with So. California traffic. TRUST ME ON THIS ONE.
MERCEDES CLAIM ITS A LIFETIME NO FILL NEEDED. " YEAH CAUSE THEY WANT YOU TO BUY A NEW TRANSMISSION OR A NEW CAR WHEN IT BREAKS." Bollocks!!! the transmission is consisted of synchronized gears running constantly it only stops when the car stops the hydraulic transmission fluid is its blood. MERCEDES ENGINEERS knew the variation in the fatigue strength of steel in friction in relation to the quality of the lubricant (ALL MECHANICS SHOULD KNOW THAT TOO) so they designed their own lubricant THATS WHY the price for the fluid is blooooody damn expensive....mate...but we only need to replace it after every 75000 moiles for German cars 50000 on Japanese cars and Domestics u always need a new one J/K or same as Japanese. IF U HAVE ANYMORE QUESTIONS DROP ME A LINE GOOD LUCK
Terry Rochioli said:I hope all goes well. So far my car is running good, however I can still notice the gear changes from 4-5 are not as smooth. I guess I will have to live with as is. The dealer quote me $5500.00 for a rebuilt transmission. I think I will save my money and hopefully get another 5 years out of it before I get rid of it. I will definitely never buy another Mercedes and I told my dealer that. There are a lot better cars out there that don't cost your next born to repair. It's funny but we ran our Mercury Villager Mini Van for 135,000 miles and the only major thing that went out was the intake manifold and that was on a recall. These were build as a joint venture with Nissan who sold the counter part Nissan Quest. These both were equipt with Nissan Maxima engines in them. It ran forever until we decided it was time to retire it and upgrade to a Honda CRV. I think what I hate the most is the Mercedes attitude. They seem to think just because you can scraped enough to buy one of their cars, you can afford to drop as much cash as needed to repair them.
cindy hudson said:Terry: I just got my car back on Friday. I have yet to see if I will need a new transmission. The dealer said that he was "unable to tell if any damage had been done", but he felt that everything was ok. I actually kept my Valero radiator and I have it in storage. I hope we can get a class action suit going.
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Permalink Reply by Nicholas on
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Scott, hopefully, you still have the paperwork you received when you brought the car in for the 'check engine' light. What has Mercedes told you about why the engine seized? They can fail due to low coolant, low oil, or catastrophic mechanical failure. In any event if they haven't disassembled the engine to investigate they are in no position to comment on who is to blame. If the car hasn't been taken apart DON'T let MB do it. They will try to cover their tracks. Take it to an reputable independent shop and get them to check it out. I would take a few pics of the all around and underneath the engine, taking close ups of critical fasteners. If it has been properly checked out, it should be obvious. Make sure that the independent mechanic keeps everything he removes and alllows you to take pics also. If this takes extra time, pay for it. And let them know upfront that you need a professional opinion so as to pursue Mercedes Benz.
My guess is that they repaced the Thermostat because the fault codes showed the engine was overheating. However, there was an underlaying problem that wasn't addressed (such as a coolant leak). If there was a coolant leak, and it got into the engine oil, your engine would seize in short order. If the independent mechanic removes the oil pan, SAVE THE OIL. If it's milky at all, there is coolant in it.
If memory serves me correctly, the C Class has a history of cylinder head gasket problems, and that would certainly fit the bill here.
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Permalink Reply by Ryan on
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I have a 2003 C 240 wagon, I bought last august with 39k miles. It now has 53k miles and on Monday the transmission began to give me problems. I had the car towed to garage and thats when I found out the ugly truth about the faulty radiator. I was informed that the antifreeze had leaked in the transmission. I had taken the car to the dealership because of a funny whining noise under the car and the techs said it was tire noise. I new better than that but had no idea about the faulty radiator. I decided to tow it into the dealership but to a local trusted mercedes mechanic he is trying to save the transmission now buy flushing it out several times and replacing the radiator. I should know something in the next couple of days. The owner of the garage told me he had seen the same thing several times in my area.
I can ask him for there names if you are interested in getting more people involved who had the same problem. Thanks for the post it was very helpful.
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Permalink Reply by cindy hudson on
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Ryan: Thanks for your email. This is basically the same thing that happened to me. My car had about 54,000 miles on it when the antifreeze starting leaking into the radiator. If you can KEEP YOUR RADIATOR. I have mine in storage. I think that we will need to have several of the radiators for evidence. There has been a lot of interest. I am trying to contact an attorney who will be willing to take on Mercedes. (they have deep pockets). Take care. Cindy Hudson.
Ryan said:I have a 2003 C 240 wagon, I bought last august with 39k miles. It now has 53k miles and on Monday the transmission began to give me problems. I had the car towed to garage and thats when I found out the ugly truth about the faulty radiator. I was informed that the antifreeze had leaked in the transmission. I had taken the car to the dealership because of a funny whining noise under the car and the techs said it was tire noise. I new better than that but had no idea about the faulty radiator. I decided to tow it into the dealership but to a local trusted mercedes mechanic he is trying to save the transmission now buy flushing it out several times and replacing the radiator. I should know something in the next couple of days. The owner of the garage told me he had seen the same thing several times in my area.
I can ask him for there names if you are interested in getting more people involved who had the same problem. Thanks for the post it was very helpful.
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