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Looking for a b class

2K views 18 replies 9 participants last post by  DEVOURS 
#1 ·
Looking to buy a B class, and wonder if there is any particular problem or year I should avoid? My first search lead me to think that the most problems they have is cvt and sunroof, should I avoid those two? Found a nice N/A without the roof and with cvt should I be better with a turbo?

My usual daily trip is about 60 miles to go and come back to work, 95% on highway, so what king of mpg should I expect.

Thanks for all the input

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#3 ·
Thank like I've said all I can see with my search, is related to either the CVT or leaking roof.

Am not on a budget, my trusty old passat need to be replaced, and we looked at the vw sportwagen tdi, and a B class was trade in at the dealership I work for and I looked at it and it's about the same size as the sportwagen, so it might be an interesting alternative.

But I just don't have time to work on my car so I need something reliable to go to work.

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#4 ·
Roll of the dice then.

I bought the last model year with one owner and maintenance records. Had the CVT tcm fail and then the alternator six months later. Thankfully it was under extended warranty. Those repairs own my own would have been a bit over $3000.
 
#6 ·
Stay away from the CVT if possible. If you can't work on this car,..then expect to pay big repair bills when little things go wrong..
Paulo just dropped $1100 to fix a sensor as an example..and he's a mechanic and knows these cars very well.. the MB dealer will always get you....

It can get very expensive in no time at all on an older used B Class....be warned...!!
 
#12 ·
Hi britishrocco,

I think I can jump in on this one. We bought a used 2008 B200 turbo a bit over 2 years ago; august. It is a manual without a sunroof. I did a great deal of research before buying, including talking to independent mechanics and benz dealers. Ours had 60,000 kms on it. We love the car; it is brilliant in many ways and I despair of finding another if something happens to ours.

I would say that the majority of problems I was cautioned about related to the CVT and the lamella sunroof. I guess that I would avoid those if you can. The dealer who inspected our car said the turbo motor was excellent; he also said, 'no sunroof, no CVT so this is a good one'. The engine is tucked way under so as noted, some things are out of reach of the casual mechanic. The starter motor apparently requires lowering the engine to get access for replacement. Fortunately they go a very long time.

We had a 2006 subaru outback wagon before the B. It is a fine, extraordinarily dull car, and not necessarily cheap to service. Rear wheel bearings were over $800 and the timing belts cost over $1,500.00 to change; both at a competent independent shop. I had the front brakes replaced at an independent shop last year; $600.00 incl tax.

So, I think that a basic B is a very good car, but not a corolla. BTW we had a 2005 Passat wagon before the Scoobie. That was an expensive car to fix, and I wish I had not waited so long to sell it.

We would certainly recommend the B, but if at all possible, look for a manual trans and no sunroof. You may need a dealer service for some things, but also look for an independent shop for normal service.
 
#13 ·
Thank, got the same passat here, but fortunately I haven't had any major problems during my 10 years of ownership. As I can see with my search, cvt and sunroof are the only downside of this car.

Might try to get a 2008 and newer ones, in manual and without the sunroof, not sure if turbo or not.

Am still in the thinking mode about getting a new car, I first have to decide if I keep my job or get a new one closer to home.

Lol that's quite a compliment, I think. :)

I'm not a mechanic. Draftsperson by trade (AutoCAD is my specialty). Yeah, Mercedes screwed me (by design, lol), because after changing the crankshaft position sensor, you have to hook the car up to their own proprietary computer at the dealer (you can get knock-offs - search "xentry" on ebay). Basically, a simple change of a sensor in this case required me to go to the dealer. So being a DIY'er doesn't always help on this car - IF you can't do the WHOLE job. Then you're at their mercy, because when you ask them to finish the programming, they say they have to do a standard diagnosis, blah blah blah. Told me it was the wiring to the sensor (how do I know if that's the truth?), after they replaced the sensor I had replaced (aftermarket), with an OEM one. If the problem was the wiring, then do you think they put in my sensor back and the OEM part on the shelf? If they did, they'd still charge me for the labour anyway. LOL, it's kind of funny, except for the money spent part. Of course I understand their point of view too. It's a business after all.

I did replace the balljoints this past month (went with OEM's cuz the price wasn't much more), and that went well, so I'm still pleased, lol.

It's been a good car overall. If you can, avoid the earlier years (esp. 2006) due to rust at the bottom of the doors, get a manual transmission, no turbo to make things simpler (more reliable), and no pano roof (although it's not the worst IMHO).

Also, another reminder that because of the engine position in the car, a lot of stuff is not easily accessible.

You didn't say how reliable your VW was, but basically, most German cars are now over-complicated and less reliable than 20 years ago. So you're kind of coming from a familiar place.
Those TDI are as reliable as any modern day German car, it's always a roll of a dice. They got too many sensors. I want to lower my fuel consumption, but my Eco friendly conscience tell me to stay away from diesels, and pure electric car are out of my range right now.

I will also take a look at the ford C-MAX energy, but the trunk space seems a bit on the low side, and they are more expensive than a good B class, so not sure the economy is there.

Talked to a friend of mine who is working at a benz dealer and he said that they are great car, except for the CVT and sometimes the sunroof.

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#17 ·
I think Danieli means that, the "wavy" weld seal that runs the bottom of the doors on W169 and W245, was replaced by a smooth weld seal around 2008-2009.

The original wobbly weld was causing severe rust problem*.

Up until about 2010-2012 it was possible to get MB to rectify the problem (i.e. replace the doors) or at least contribute to the cost. Sadly, not anymore - I got refused on mine 2006 A200 C169, even though it was only ever serviced by MB and is very low mileage car.

*Not that the new one is completely rust-proof, far from it - it's a Mercedes after all, but at least it is not exacerbated by a horrendous conductive stress due to wavy structure.
 
#19 ·
I can see on mine through the bottom door drain hole how much wax was used.
I did add wax to mine but I never had heard that the MB build had included wax in the doors of the W245.


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The flexible caulking on the first few year models was less than well applied and that did trap water and salty humidity in the seams causing a lot of rust on many B's..especially those B's in the Eastern Canada "rust belt"..Quebec is the worst for rust caused by road salt....,.. and that did accelerate the rust on the early ones.

MB did apply the door seal caulking better in the following years.
 
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