(Mostly for UK Owners) Chrysler 300C Owners

[The Evil Overlord]

Title is not exclusive to UK owners alone

 

I've been woo'd by this car for the longest time, and suddenly find that some are now old enough to be within my budget without hurting my pocket anymore..

I love the looks, I've never driven one, but I have driven the old s class merc it's allegedly based upon.

 

What I would like to know is what this car is like to live with

experiences with reliability, maintenance, common faults, etc for both fuel types please

 

 

[+Raze Subscriber²]

Check out this site, click the model year for more info.   Hope it helps, but to be honest my experience with Chrysler, especially Dodge pickups, was terrible.  Cooling, exhaust, fuel system problems one after the other.   Of course, others experiences may be different.

 

http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/Chrysler_300/Reliability/

[FunkyMike]

Haven't driven a 300C but it seems like they were based on the W210 E-Class and some parts of it are based on the W220 S-Class. (The english wikipedia only mentions the W220 but the german site goes into detail into the W210 platform) It also seems to have a 4matic drive. There is a Diesel variation with the Daimler OM 642 motor which was present on some W221 S-Class 320 / 350 CDI 4MATIC models up to 2010.

 

There seems to be some confusion on the wiki pages about which E-Class platform it is based on. The german sites mention the W210 platform extensively but the English site mentions the W211.

 

I like the look of these cars, they are really appealing and have presence. 

 

Have you checked out any W220 / W221 cars? They are pretty cheap these days and come in good condition. The diesels are easier to maintain and have fewer issues. The 4MATIC / AIRMATIC suspension is also preferred over ABC since it can get quite costly if the Active Body Control has issues.

[The Evil Overlord]

10 hours ago, Raze said:

Check out this site, click the model year for more info.   Hope it helps, but to be honest my experience with Chrysler, especially Dodge pickups, was terrible.  Cooling, exhaust, fuel system problems one after the other.   Of course, others experiences may be different.

 

http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/Chrysler_300/Reliability/

Thanks man, I know it's not the most loved or reliable car, but hey, I'm a GM guy.

[The Evil Overlord]

1 hour ago, FunkyMike said:

Haven't driven a 300C but it seems like they were based on the W210 E-Class and some parts of it are based on the W220 S-Class. (The english wikipedia only mentions the W220 but the german site goes into detail into the W210 platform) It also seems to have a 4matic drive. There is a Diesel variation with the Daimler OM 642 motor which was present on some W221 S-Class 320 / 350 CDI 4MATIC models up to 2010.

 

There seems to be some confusion on the wiki pages about which E-Class platform it is based on. The german sites mention the W210 platform extensively but the English site mentions the W211.

 

I like the look of these cars, they are really appealing and have presence. 

 

Have you checked out any W220 / W221 cars? They are pretty cheap these days and come in good condition. The diesels are easier to maintain and have fewer issues. The 4MATIC / AIRMATIC suspension is also preferred over ABC since it can get quite costly if the Active Body Control has issues.

Thank you, I guess I was wrong when I stood firm on it being based on the s class, not biggie, ok e class it is, 

Thing that niggles in the back of my mind were the 'how much of this car is based on the merc' and 'how much of the car is prone to some sort of common fault' 

My Omega has a very common known fault, the v6 rocker covers are known to warp, or at the very least break the gasket seal when the engine is pushed hard. I don't live on the red line, but I have towed some vans and trucks with it, and every now and then I do push the car in the wet

 

The main concern I have is basically what type of abuse can this car handle, as it's a bit pricey when it comes to maintenance.

 

An example I can give is when I was young, and just got my license, I had an old Volvo 340, it was a nail, and no matter what I did, I couldn't kill it, and believe me, I tried.

 

Nowadays, I kill cars all the time, sometimes when I thought I was driving with mechanical sympathy.

So the bad points mean a lot to me, as I can cheat a little and try to avoid certain situations known to cause problems.

[FunkyMike]

20 hours ago, The Evil Overlord said:

Thank you, I guess I was wrong when I stood firm on it being based on the s class, not biggie, ok e class it is, 

Thing that niggles in the back of my mind were the 'how much of this car is based on the merc' and 'how much of the car is prone to some sort of common fault' 

My Omega has a very common known fault, the v6 rocker covers are known to warp, or at the very least break the gasket seal when the engine is pushed hard. I don't live on the red line, but I have towed some vans and trucks with it, and every now and then I do push the car in the wet

 

The main concern I have is basically what type of abuse can this car handle, as it's a bit pricey when it comes to maintenance.

 

An example I can give is when I was young, and just got my license, I had an old Volvo 340, it was a nail, and no matter what I did, I couldn't kill it, and believe me, I tried.

 

Nowadays, I kill cars all the time, sometimes when I thought I was driving with mechanical sympathy.

So the bad points mean a lot to me, as I can cheat a little and try to avoid certain situations known to cause problems.

You might have confused it with another car which was based on the W140 and W220 : ). There were quite a few developments like that during the merger. I think the Chrysler Crossfire was based on the SLK platform if I recall correctly.

 

The W210 E classes were prone to rust. Towards the end of their cycle they sorted out those issues but I doubt that these issues carried over into the 300c which seems to have taken parts from multiple different platforms.

 

If you have tried the W220, there are some common faults with the W220 that I know of. Akin to the cover warping issues because of heat, there is a Crankshaft positioning sensor which can get faulty every 400,000 km or so. It overheats and will require replacing. Not a big issue in all honesty since it doesn't cost much. Windschild wiper housing is known for its wear on the metal contact rings / pads which causes the automatic wiper function to degrade. But that too is easily replaceable and from what I gather spare parts are quite cheap since there are so many of these cars around. Xenon bulbs might cost a bit but can also be replaced easily.

 

Another issue would be the Airmatic with anything prior to the facelift. The last batch of cars around 2003-5 didn't have this issue. I have seen diesels with 800,000km with the same motor and only wear and tear parts being replaced.

 

Am sure that this car could be killed but from what I have seen they are very reliable and the diesels are known to be workhorses. You might be able to tow stuff with it since the torque is quite high but I wouldn't make it a priority ; ).

 

So anything past 2003. I would look at cars from 2004-5 if you are considering this model. Maybe a 4matic would be of benefit since the rear wheel drive models like to slip on ice - also forget going up mountains on icey roads with rwd.  Naturally you would need to make sure that it is in good condition. Electronics, leaks, checking for rust I would look into but with a good service record and 1 pre owner this won't be an issue. Quite important to check the service record since a lot of sellers try to cheat and hide issues.

 

Check out this thread: http://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w220/342824-w220-s-class-owners-start-here.html

- QUALITY AND COMPARISONS, BUYING ADVICE

 

http://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w220/254960-differences.html#post2969848

 

It lists a lot of potential issues.

 

Maybe you are looking for an Offroader! 

 

 

 

 

[The Evil Overlord]

8 hours ago, FunkyMike said:

~snip~

My sincerest thanks, this is the sort of thing I'm looking for.

The bad points gives me an idea aof what it's going to cost me beyond wear and tear maintenence of the vehicle.

 

Interesting you mention 4matics, I wasn't aware the 300C was available in 4matic.

 

I was however, looking into a Subaru Legacy Estate (station wagon) but that was because  it is AWD, but as an idiot, I decided to reconsider the 300C, and the kid in me wants the cooler looking car, which is still ok as my Omega was RWD.

 

I would have replied sooner, but this is the first chance I've had to sit down and I will read the info you've linked.

[The Evil Overlord]

Something I forgot to mention in my opening post, sorry

 

I was looking into 2010 or newer models

[The Evil Overlord]

11 minutes ago, The Evil Overlord said:

My sincerest thanks, this is the sort of thing I'm looking for, for the 300C.

The bad points gives me an idea of what it's going to cost me beyond wear and tear maintenence of the vehicle.

 

Interesting you mention 4matics, I wasn't aware the 300C was available in 4matic.

 

I was however, looking into a Subaru Legacy Estate (station wagon) but that was because  it is AWD, but as an idiot, I decided to reconsider the 300C, and the kid in me wants the cooler looking car, which is still ok as my Omega was RWD.

 

I would have replied sooner, but this is the first chance I've had to sit down and I will read the info you've linked.

I'm not into the big off road SUV type of vehicle, more of a saloon, (sedan) kind of guy.

WTF is wrong with this damn site, when it's easier to quote myself as opposed to editing my post to add a little clarification.

[FunkyMike]

Quote

The 300 AWD is basically the older Mercedes' 4Matic system. 62% of the engine’s torque goes to the rear wheels and 38% to the front, fixed, at all times. That way it keeps the rear drive handling feel. It's not considered very sophisticated, compared to Audi or Subaru set ups, but it's effective nonetheless. AWD is AWD: Floor the throttle in wet conditions and you get no wheel spin, just instant forward thrust. Stay into the throttle on turns way past sane speeds and the car simply hooks up. 2009 and up AWD models feature a front axle disconnect system that only spins the front axle when AWD is needed. 

Here is an interesting snippet taken from another site.

 

15 hours ago, The Evil Overlord said:

My sincerest thanks, this is the sort of thing I'm looking for.

The bad points gives me an idea aof what it's going to cost me beyond wear and tear maintenence of the vehicle.

 

Interesting you mention 4matics, I wasn't aware the 300C was available in 4matic.

 

I was however, looking into a Subaru Legacy Estate (station wagon) but that was because  it is AWD, but as an idiot, I decided to reconsider the 300C, and the kid in me wants the cooler looking car, which is still ok as my Omega was RWD.

 

I would have replied sooner, but this is the first chance I've had to sit down and I will read the info you've linked.

No worries! Official Mercedes repair shops can get a little expensive but there are a lot of other places where you can service these cars for much cheaper. If you were to go for one of these and if it didn't show any symptoms / issues / had a good service book then I would take it to the official place once for checkup and do the rest via a different mechanic. Before buying it is generally good practise to get an appraisal from an official workshop technician. They know the cars inside out and can hook them up to their star diagnostic tool to check for any issues that someone else might overlook. Granted that these days there are a lot of experienced technicians since a boat load of these cars were made during its day.

 

The 300C does look very profound and 4matic sticks to the road quite well, so it is definitely something to consider. I would keep searching for reports from people. It is generally a lot to read when going through car sites and can be a bit confusing but most issues are easily broken down into important and what other people think is important. There is a huge section on MP3 compatibility for example. ; )

 

 

14 hours ago, The Evil Overlord said:

Something I forgot to mention in my opening post, sorry

 

I was looking into 2010 or newer models

 I think all models past the 2004-2010 are not based on the Daimler platform any-more so I cannot really comment much : D. I do prefer the look of the 2004-2010. 

 

There is one more car based on the E class platform which looks rather angry and sleek but costs a bit more. C218 / Mercedes CLS from 2011 onwards seem to go for around 29k Euros in very good condition. They also have these in a shootingbreak config and come equipped with 4matic. These cars generally are much more modern and pack a punch. There are generally no issues to be found with this platform on the MB forums. There was one recall but it was a small fix.

 

Not sure if a Subaru Legacy can compete with the looks of a 300C. ; )

 

15 hours ago, The Evil Overlord said:

WTF is wrong with this damn site, when it's easier to quote myself as opposed to editing my post to add a little clarification.

Something has also been changed in the way pasting articles into comments works. I guess there are still a few bugs to iron out.