Limp mode...on a Mercedes W204???

Its been 3 years but finally something has broken on the unbreakable Mercedes W204..
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[@RichieRouge206]

Glad it’s fixed! This is exactly why myself and a few friends have a laptop and VIDA for our Volvos. These are between 10 and 20 years old, newer cars are horrendous. Manufacturers are deliberately making new cars that are not to be touched by their owners. I personally hate it.

[@chappy2121]

You aren't wrong. Wonder if it's anything to do with how car ownership has changed. Now a lot of people lease then give back after a few years and never actually own one, I guess the manufacturers wouldn't want people messing with them?

[@mehrzahl2219]

@@chappy2121 right on the money!

[@bremner1701]

Good to see some W204 content. Even better that it was a quick fix so you can get back to the tinkering videos.

[@Mr_Cholmondley_Warner]

Two of the worst things in modern motoring - smart motorways and DPF’s.

[@ebutuoyYT]

SPECS speed cameras. The Holy Trinity.

[@iangascoigne8231]

@@ebutuoyYT It’s simple, don’t speed.

[@ebutuoyYT]

@@iangascoigne8231 If you think that watching your speedo like a hawk, instead of watching the road, to ensure you don't end up a few MPH over the speed limit is safe, them why not sign to allow the Gov to monitor your every bloody move. A few MPH over the speed limit is perfectly fine in many cases, other times even going at the speed limit is damn dangerous. I would prefer to see many more traffic police, that police actual dangerous driving, not speed cameras that are used as a stealth tax on the generally law abiding, you aren't going to pay a speeding ticket in a stolen car are you?

[@Swans_And_Ducks]

EGR valves.

[@furiousdriving]

And when the speed limit changes at every other gantry forget watching the road, just concentrate on the ever changing signs and your speedo

[@cosmicsman666]

It was inevitable. Surprised it took so long.

[@silvereith]

My 350 was always going into limp mode. MAF sensor, EGR valve position sensor etc. Always happened when I was overtaking a stream of lorries on the M62. Of course no danger to the engine, always megga money in parts and a nightmare to fit them. Thanks to you I sold it and bought an R8 Tourer. Blessed simplicity!

[@JamesAllen300]

Get yourself either an Icarsoft or a Foxwell NT530 and keep it in the car. Best DIYER code reader with loads of live data and manufacturer specific codes and descriptions. You will be able to keep an eye on DPF soot levels, DPF pressure sensor data etc etc. I used to be in the trade as a mechanic and have the FOXWELL NT644 at home and love it. The Foxwell NT530 has free lifetime updates too which is a bonus.

[@alfamonk]

Complex diesels will cost. EGR, DPF, all get clogged and cost big dollar to fix. Been there.

[@johnmcl7]

My first thought when watching this video was the DPF sensor and I agree with you about modern diesels being complex. I had the engine light on the night before a 1000 mile trip that was caused by a dpf sensor failure which meant getting a hire car instead and also had limp home mode at another time due to problems with the egr valve,this was all despite avoiding short journeys almost entirely. The car was running fine for a while but started intermittently being sluggish on acceleration and I'd had enough, that was my last diesel and in the last eight years I've had with this petrol there hasn't been a single issue. Just a pain shopping for large petrol second hand cars as so many are diesel.

[@andries514]

Not to mention injectors. They are very expensive and can be a pain to get out.

[@johnmcl7]

@@andries514 Yes, there was a recall on mine as well with people having problems after the recall. I can definitely understand going with diesels for the high mileages like those mentioned in the video but while the VED does sting and the fuel economy isn't as good, my mileage doesn't make a diesel worth it. Which is a shame as I liked my old diesels that sounded like tractors but no complex emissions systems and great mpg

[@alfamonk]

@@johnmcl7 exactly - some of the simpler VAG and PSA diesels would still be worth a punt but then they're in ancient cars now. I've gone back to petrol and don't regret it.

[@dietznutz1]

Yes that's why you want to delete all that crap and blank the egr valve in the constant war by the eu to reduce emissions they just strangle diesels

[@alexh2292]

I didn't realise cars went into limp mode. When buses go into limp mode, they won't go faster than 10mph.

[@gosportjamie]

Yes, pretty much anything with electronic engine management will have a setting that the vehicle will go into to protect itself from doing major engine damage... Well, usually. SOME vehicles can still manage to destroy their engines while in limp mode...

[@johndilloway9762]

My 2cv was built with permanent limp mode :

[@alexander1485]

@@johndilloway9762 not going in reverse

[@johndilloway9762]

@@alexander1485 well you get on a motorway and it feels as if your going backwards all the time :

[@d2factotum]

My brother's car seems to go into limp mode at the drop of a hat. It is a Vauxhall Corsa, though, so probably to be expected!

[@huwdavies6650]

The distances you do, The DPF itself should remain pretty healthy as it's getting the regular heat cycles it needs to regen.

[@furiousdriving]

I think thats fine, its just the sensor!

[@deejagers716]

@@furiousdriving i change my sensor and that helps for limb model on my w204 2012, but dpf full must be also checked and regenereated.

[@kevinnye5132]

Yep the days of fixing your car with a wrench and screwdriver are becoming history, it’s all technicians and code readers. Great that it was relatively cheap quick fix Matt , glad your crunching up the miles again , drive safe 👍🏻

[@dietznutz1]

It's sad that Mercedes has for the most part stopped making good cars

[@fuglyucker6238]

You have obviously been very lucky so far, time to change it or get used to limp mode, also tail light usually will have melted connectors, like I said very lucky so far

[@brianiswrong]

Happy it was a sensor and not the item it was sensing 👋

[@danthemanic8479]

I had the same issue. Cheap BT code reader and a free app told me it was the DPF sensor, not a blocked filter. Cleared the code myself, worked for a couple of days. Got a new sensor for 12 quid, and spent Saturday morning pulling the airbox out just to get to it. Simple enough fix, just a faff.

[@RichieRouge206]

The bulb failure circuit relies on resistance so if one bulb is going it may draw more current and trigger the warning. First thing I’d suspect with the engine performance is the boost pressure sensor

[@delukxy]

Yes, on modern computer cars replace both bulbs if one fails.

[@planestrainsdogsncars4336]

Unfortunately codes alerted in a cryptic way on the dash are designed for you to take it to a Merc dealer for service ...because ...money.

[@paulie-Gualtieri.]

Those alloys are crying out for a good clean. Brake dust is very unsightly. Glad it was a simple fix Matt.

[@furiousdriving]

luckily the whole car is ceramic coated so will shine up easily! Its been either too hot to wash (water dries as soon as it touches the car) or out on the road so not washed!

[@paulie-Gualtieri.]

@@furiousdriving That's good then

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Looking very smart.... Glad it was a easy fix, but surprised you do not have a fault code reader, I can see a idea for Junk in the Trunk ;)

[@furiousdriving]

I had a cheap one but it was rubbish so sent it back. I think you have to spend a bit to get one worth having

[@benholroyd5221]

Because the Volvo throws loads of codes? And the other Merc? And the 2 Rovers? And the C5 I guess the mini would have an OBD?

[@richardhunt1384]

Can buy code readers for peanuts money in various forms, although the better code reader the more you can do with it. You don't need a Snap On/ Mac Tools but a Launch (tablets based) is pretty good and free updating.

[@westcoast747]

My Ford Mondeo MK3 ST TDCI has the Egr valve blanked off, less smoke, more poke.

[@louiseelle3615]

I have a c220 cdi coupe. Went into limp mode the other day. Now check engine light is on. And occasionally stuttering on acceleration. I’m praying it’s a simple fix cause I bought this car for it’s reliability.

[@jackjacko8706]

Great stuff. It is middle winter in Qld Australia. Beautiful 23c days. But nights a bit cold. We don’t start to complain in summer until about 36c with 80% humidity. Lol

[@tasospappas6627]

I hope that when you short out the W123 completely it will be as reliable as the W204 has been

[@halexic1]

By the way, invest 100€ into iCarsoft OBD reader and you can diagnose everything by yourself. Is support every model of S204/W204 and you can also upgrade its firmware i.e. once per year to insert new data. I found almost no difference between this cheap one and Star Diagnostics Software.

[@giulianomarco]

Matt 👍- Mechanic 👍- Ice Cubes 👍- Smart Motorways 👎 😎

[@alansimpson835]

Always good when it's something straightforward and not unusual. I think there is a balance to be struck between home tinkering and garages and given that the Merc is the working car of the fleet, you certainly want to make sure issues are sorted quickly by those in the know

[@robc5955]

Like you I do a lot of miles, 500 yesterday alone for work at short notice, so for that reason I have something newish and let the garage look after it so if something goes wrong there is a relationship to drop in on, I’ve tried other ways and I just end up losing work or hiring cars until fixed but it’s a real pita that wouldn’t matter so much with just a hobby car or if little used. For the naysayers my last 2 have been diesels with DPF and never had an issue in 230+k with the DPF, more brakes and the odd suspension part that have worn out.

[@ebutuoyYT]

The Right-to-Repair legal fights should hopefully allow owners to access software diagnosis, in the future, maybe.

[@furiousdriving]

Its not just right to repair, I think any good code reader with the right software could do it but those are not cheap!

[@ebutuoyYT]

@@furiousdriving The hardware is not the expensive part, it is the fees that OEMs charge to decrypt the dataflows. If a fair access law were in place, it would force OEMs to hugely lowers their licence fee to access the data. The main benefit would be for independent garages, that can't do certain mechanical jobs, because they require flashing of OEM firmware / software, that is often crazy expensive, forcing us to go to main dealers. I don't believe Joe Public, should be able to hack their cars at will, because a computer, unlike a car doesn't weigh two tons, and drive at 70 MPH on the public highway, but safety isn't a valid OEM argument.

[@Марк.Фетнов]

Can definitely recommend the iCarsoft scanner if you're looking for one. It reads the Merc specific codes for all the car's systems which a lot of the sub 50 quid ones don't. To be fair I've used it more on my work Sprinter than the 204 which is like a mini S Class after driving the van all week!

[@Марк.Фетнов]

Actually, you might want to check your injector seals for black death (leakage). In the early stages there is little noticeable difference in the way the car drives, but the slightly lower compression can cause incomplete burn and more soot to build up thorough the exhaust / turbo / egr. It's something I've had to deal with on a few cdi mercs, but not too much of an issue to fix it just takes time.

[@benrage5373]

Cant believe youve had it 3 years didnt realise id been watching so long haha remember the mondeo

[@furiousdriving]

I thought it was less than that too!

[@Backwardlooking]

Always take my S212 to a Specialist. Had a similar problem. 👍🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@frothe42]

I'm surprised that you do not have a code reader! Get one ASAP! I knew it had nothing to do with the hot weather! I have noticed that you have been having a heatwave like here in upstate New York; heat, plus humidity, affects me like you. So, most of the time I'm indoors with the air conditioning going. Glad the issue wasn't major, and that the broken lamps were replaced as well.

[@furiousdriving]

I had a cheap one a little while ago but it was rubbish so sent back!

[@frothe42]

@@furiousdriving I do hope you get a good one soon. Advantageous on new vehicles. Do hope you give us an update on Quentin!

[@furiousdriving]

@@frothe42 Im still waiting on the paint shop, it should have been done a few weeks ago now

[@maxidyne]

EGR and DPF suck so much! Glad to hear it was a simple fix.

[@actuallyusingmyrealnameher5061]

Good job you have a manual, we had an intermittent engine warning light on a B200d auto (2017 so non CVT and the 2.1 engine) and when it was playing up it wouldn’t go past 3000 rpm and the flappy paddles didn’t work. The best part is we learnt that both the engine ecu and the transmission ecu both have a limp mode. 3 visits to Nelson Maindealer sorted it in the end though under warranty.

[@mehrzahl2219]

You jinxed it! By the way, some unclever engineering by Mercedes to put the electronics right above the turbo...

[@furiousdriving]

I guess the air box acts as a heat shield?

[@andybliss6538]

I had a similar issue in torrential rain a few weeks ago with my facelift W204. Light came on and into limp mode. Crawled into a service area and called out the AA. Fault code pointed to charge air pressure issue but the guy couldn’t find and problem. He cleared the code and the car seemed fine again. He followed us to the next service area and all seemed fine. As he couldn’t guarantee it wouldn’t happen again we decided to turn around and head home as if it did recur I didn’t want to be even further away. Ten miles later it did and the car ended up coming home on a flatbed. Next day I found I could get it to my local garage with the engine light still on by changing gear manually (my thought being I could keep the revs where they were producing most power without possibly activating the turbo) Garage had the car for a week while I was abroad, couldn’t find anything, drove it for a week (with my permission) trying to replicate the fault and nothing. I’ve had the car back for a fortnight now and been using it daily 15 miles each way to work and back (including 8 miles of 70 mph dual carriageway and still no re occurrence. A mystery. Got a 400 mile road trip due next week. Fingers firmly crossed!

[@rocasaamsterdam]

I had the same issue with my Facelift W204. We found out it was the sensors of the dpf. I would recommend to check your air filter because that also causes the engine warning light. I would recommend checking the air filter first and buy a new one and then test it out.

[@furiousdriving]

This was only serviced a few months ago, so thats nearly new. These guys are marque specialists so I trust their judgement

[@briananthony4044]

My 2009 204 C220 CDI went into limp mode and it was the DPF clogged up. It is a English import brought over to NZ. It had 150,000 km when it went into limp mode. The code reader said the DPF hadn't been in burn mode since 12,000 km. I presume it might have had a change of ownership and the new owners never went on a long enough trip to regen. I didn't know about DPF problems when I brought it, got it for the economy, diesel was a lot cheaper than petrol here and the car was very economical. Been retired for a few years so mostly city driving now, so looking at a 2012 C200 CGI wagon.

[@SuperFIFTHGEAR]

My MK4 Golf TDI has started playing up, struggles to start when its warm (turns over for 20-30 secs), runs fine and then either just dies and then runs fine once started. Few times its gone down to idle when I've been on the motorway and won't rev. Once I put it into neutral it'll rev up and I can then pop it back into gear. It started when I changed the fuel filter. Don't know why it sometimes starts when warm and other-times not. Always fine when it's cold. Taken it to two garages and both have said they can't do anything as there isn't a check engine light... I'm going to put on another fuel filter and change the bleed valve on the one I have, although I can't see how a fuel filter can fail...

[@raycroal]

maybe crankshaft sensor?

[@Motorsportsgeek]

Very glad I opted for the petrol c350, over 400k on in and still going strong

[@petergouldbourn2312]

I think you did the right thing to get mechanics to fix your car. It was a 10 minute job to have taken you hours of frustrating searching and fixing. Pete Birmingham 🇬🇧

[@gmcdon]

Completely agree with you on the smart motorway. Had a colleague’s company car cut it’s engine out and couldn’t coast to a refuge. She had to crawl out the passenger side as quick as she could to make it over the barrier to safety. Twitchy as owt.

[@Spookieham]

Mind-numbingly stupid idea that will cost lives.

[@alexr129]

if you do that many miles drop some archoil fuel additive in the tank, ive had my W208 CLK had running issues its the V8 model it cleared it after approx 40 miles, i had Mx5 2.5 with EML light on i put some in the tank it cleared that and car ran better, its all the detergents in the modern fuel's i swear by this stuff .

[@francoisworld9924]

i thought the noise was the alarm on your classic 80s/90s watch ! love them. Glad you got it sorted

[@xqqqme]

30 degrees C is 86 degrees F....and 86 is NOT "hot" by any stretch. Certainly not too hot for a car to operate properly. I remember my visit to England/Scotland in May of 1992, during which the London papers were blaring headlines about a dreadful heat wave. It was in the low 80s.

[@Spookieham]

Glad you got it fixed but it wasn't going to be the outside temp. Here in summer temps get high 30s/40s and cars are normally fine if the cooling system is ok. One thing I have learned is that European car air conditioning never has enough puff whereas Asian cars are much, much better.

[@tonyinit8488]

Your two cups in the middle hint that you've been using a fair bit of 'tea shelf' lately...

[@furiousdriving]

And a flask in the boot for refills!

[@alexander1485]

he needs to lay off the tea shelf and let it be a dashboard

[@davidhumpherson4904]

Matt, What's the manual gearbox like? Hear so much that Merc manuals are ropey. Thanks for your entertaining content👍😀

[@SPARKINTERESTTV]

I'm having this same issue with my 2009 c350. Can't seem to find the problem. And it comes and goes. One day it's in limp mode, the next, it perfectly fine.

[@Banglish123]

It's 'limp home mode'. Limp mode is something else.

[@fhwolthuis]

Time to get a good code reader, makes for some interesting content on your more modern cars 👍

[@jamesatkinson6480]

An interesting presentation. In Australia, for some time petrol as well as diesel cars have 'OBD' (on-board diagnostics) which is accessible via a plug and a code reader. There are many code readers available ranging in price from A$50.00 (ALDI stores as a special buy) to A$ several hundred, depending on the fault description as well as replacement item requirement displayed from its internal database. Much of the latter information is available on the internet, from a code obtained from the A$50.00 reader and cleared upon installation of the new part... The dealer is most likely to buy the dearer type of reader, as they would charge a service fee (at least 3 per week for sensors) for a very fast diagnosis, repair, and clear the OBD...

[@robscully3312]

Your lucky to get it in so quickly. My C250 engine management light came on 2 weeks ago . Fortunately not in limp mode but the first slot at my mercedes dealer was 2 weeks . It goes in on Friday. Hope mine is an easy fix.

[@furiousdriving]

Look for a good independent, like this one - they work hard to keep their customers happy

[@Parknest]

Matt, this sort of job is DIY-able but as you said, a scantool/diagnostic software is essential for these cars. The online forums are a font of knowledge.

[@Muushondje]

Superb video. But reliability of modern Mercs is a myth. Keep up the good work.

[@furiousdriving]

Pre and post W204 yes, this generation was the best in years, this is the only fault in a decade

[@darrenoconnor3402]

I bought a 2013 S204 last month based on your videos. Thanks.

[@furiousdriving]

Hope its proving as good as this has been for me

[@dmodeboy]

Be my ultimate nightmare breaking down on a motorway. It happened to a friend at work (coincidently in a mercedes). She broke down in the fast lane...it was the most terrifying moment of her life! Luckily she's still here!

[@furiousdriving]

That would be utterly terrifying

[@Bobwa2008]

What did the repair cost you in parts and labor ?

[@chrisblay]

A few years back I owned a VW T5 Shuttle that went into limp mode on the outside Lane of the M27 at 70 mph. It lost all power and dropped to around 20 MPH max with no warning. The VW Commercial dealership couldn’t work out what was wrong and even hooked it up to the VW factory in Germany. Turned out to be a combination of the DPF and a mapping upgrade done by VW at the previous service. They had it for a month and I lost all faith in the vehicle reliability after that.

[@Starlord85]

Jesus Christmas that beeping

[@QualityContentComingSoon]

Smart motorways are only as good as the drivers on them. The amount of times I've seen lorries and other cars going down lanes with X on them... Glad the car's repaired. My C350 CDI has served me well for 10,000 miles so far (total 169k on clock).

[@tonys1636]

Totally agree with RichieT5 manufacturers only want us to check oil and water these days anything else is Main Dealer territory and a very flexible bit of plastic to pay the bill. Oh for the days of a bit of head scratching and swearing and the problem was sorted.

[@ash7990]

I believe that is the same OM651 engine as the Mercedes Sprinter, and it does have its faults. I work for a Mercedes commercial group and there are a lot of warranty claims being submitted - NOX sensors (have been on back order for months) DPF pressure sensors, throttle valve seals, injectors, boost hoses, water pump transducers, dual mass flywheels etc. Also the quality of the vehicles are not that great either - splitting leather seats, window switches breaking etc.

[@bryanmower2703]

Australian driving 10 hours to weekend campsite, laughing at Pom saying he's been doing some serious miles 😅

[@benholroyd5221]

Well driving around London you could drive for 10 hours and get about 15 miles. So it's hard to get serious serious miles in.

[@davidcooke6803]

I hate smart m’ways, the incident on Sunday caused the pipe to fall off the bridge, we were behind a blood doner van that ran into the back of the car in front, it looked as though the pipe came down in front of a lorry that went over it and it landed in front of the van and railed the van into the car, from what I could see the pipe fell from under the bridge on both sides of the carriageway, I didn’t see anyone hit the bridge though. It was a miracle that no one died by being hit by the pipe! Scary moment.

[@sammydingdong4540]

My smart car went into limp mode when the brake light switch packed in ......Why is what I want to know ....love your video as usual.

[@konsta6012]

My 2013 w204 C220 CDI is on limp mode too rn. Waiting for my mechanic to come back from holiday. I hope it's just a censor too lol

[@SBBUK]

Have a Google about the "tactrix openport" and how it works with Mercedes xentry. I found it a bit hard to get my head around but basically you can purchase a Chinese clone version of this tool that lets you use the Mercedes diagnostic software without any special hardware. I havent had to use it to fix any problems on my car yet (2011 e350 CDI) but I used it to make the parking sensors work like a normal car (not just beep right when you're about to hit something) so it's ready for if I need to fix something!

[@allanconnor1013]

Didn't think it was the weather. 30C is not a hot day in most of the world.

[@Simon-ui6db]

totally agree on the not so smart motorways. Whoever thought of them needs a damn good thrashing.

[@danglee1786]

Sometimes when car goes into limp mode u can turn off an restart an sometimes it will go back to normal depending what the fault is

[@vspencer9764]

My Mrs has a 2004 diesel A class but in safe mode it gets to 3000 rpm but the turbo doesn’t kick in but she can still get it to 80 downhill…. Her car has been like that for a couple of years and we’ve driven it to Cornwall like it a few times lol. I can turn it off and get a recirculate problem error code and it’s okay for about half hour just long enough to get it through the mot and found a sensor which gets a slight film of oil on it which looks like it should have a cover over the filament but it’s the only way I can stop her from getting a speeding ticket also I don’t have access to a star machine and modern Turbo charged diesels are a mystery to me lol.

[@phillipevans9414]

Need to get yourself a OBDII code reader - they're not that expensive and invaluable for the home mechanic (tinkerer?). Very surprised you don't already have one (I mean you have a welder and heaps of other tools, but not a code reader?). Thanks for all the great video's, always enjoyable. Cheers!

[@krazova]

A high-mileage diesel, maybe more expensive problems on their way. You name it: injectors, EGR, dpf filter.

[@UncalBertExcretes]

Those arnt problems they are things that need replacing eventually. The way I see it, its still far cheaper to splash out on new parts to keep an old motor going providing the rest of the car is good, than to go out and spend thousands on another car.

[@UncalBertExcretes]

My car has been in limp mode for 4 years, runs fine with full power so I had the dash light disabled so it can pass mot's lol but I think your merc is probably worth fixing properly.

[@halexic1]

I had similar on the motorway - it went to the LIMP mode and was limited to 120km/h or even 110km/h (my is 200CDI) and I reliably drove 400km to my home. Car just limited itself because it could not locate the problem. The problem with my car was hard to find because there were no error codes and my mechanic found out finally that it was a problem with one small plastic motor that opens and close the turbo (how much air it allows into the cylinders). Small plastic that looks like a cross broke down, he changed the motor and everything started to work normally. He said, he never saw this small plastic park broke down.

[@aissammaouhoub240]

What is the Name of the small plastic

[@smoothmicra]

I hope the garage didn't charge too much for that simple fix? Always a relief to hear "faulty sensor" when your car is sick, though I wouldn't expect anything serious in a Merc with "breaking in" mileage. Boringly reliable German engineering, watching you break down in a live motorway lane would have made great content...such spoilsports those Germans!

[@BEGGARWOOD1]

Modern diesels ! My Citroen c6 used to do this every 10k miles . Stopped using cheap fuel and that seemed to help, but it put me off diesels for life !

[@michaeltutty1540]

Interesting. In North America, cars built after 1995 are supposed to be fitted with On Board Diagnostic II ports. The connections and codes were supposed to be standardized to a US Government standard. That seems to have been lost somewhere, but owning the appropriate scan tool is always good. You are lucky the limp home mode allowed this to happen. The urea injection system on my brother's Ford diesel pick up failed. Limp home was good for 35 miles at 35 mph. After that, it would shut off, and not restart until the computer was convinced it was fixed. Could have been worse. They were only 20 miles outside Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. Had they been in the middle of the drive home, they would have needed to activate the Aircraft Rescue Beacon, and had the RCAF rescue them from somewhere 300 miles from everything!

[@gosportjamie]

Well, that's definitely not due to the ambient temperature, even though they have been rather unusual for the UK for a while now, though temperature could be a factor in the failure as, like a lot of vehicle manufacturers, Merc do seem to have a tendency to fit what are pretty sensitive electronic components in places where anyone else would say that really doesn't appear to be a very good idea, i.e. very close to and above the turbocharger, an assembly that does get very hot when the vehicle is being driven. You only have to look at the old SAAB advertising which showed engines being run on test benches with the turbocharger glowing above red hot and on the way to white hot, which is a hell of a lot of degrees centigrade. Although diesel turbos do tend to run cooler, they're still perfectly capable of becoming red hot...

[@kentlau1337]

the aircon vent adjuster. my w204's broken multiple times .. never know why!

[@minidriversouthsweden5137]

I had a car with the same problem going out on the motorway changed gear first second third and fourth I believe pulling away from a green traffic light getting it in fourth gear clutch down to get fifth gear let up the clutch flooring it aaand nothing happened back to fourth gear but the car was more dead than tutankhamuns mummy on with the hazard lights and off to the hard shoulder and call for a breakdown truck and that day was going to the scrap heap. It was if I remember correctly a 2001 seat Arosa with little more than 16.093 km or 10.000 something miles on it. Worn manual five speed gearbox and heaps of other things wrong with it but it was going well. Glad you got the trusty Mercedes repaired. It’s might be something to invest in a code reader.

[@timhancock6626]

I think you got away quite lightly there. I don't touch my Octavia 4x4. I just take it to my Skoda specialist. It's less hassle.

[@jameswalker7874]

What speed trap detector do you use? Does it detect the van, or just warn you that it's a usual spot for them to sit?

[@aissammaouhoub240]

What is the solución becouse hay Gad the same problem? Its only de dpf sensor?

[@marcusoutdoors4999]

My 3 year old Mercedes SL was the worst car I have ever had. A machine full of sensors that are itching to go wrong. Fault after fault after fault, all insanely expensive to fix. The worst part is the hugely dangerous limp home mode.

[@marklawton5753]

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A SMART MOTORWAYS. (caps not aimed at you Matt) They are not Smart they are dangerous! The hard shoulder was there for very good reason and that was safety. Smart motorways are just a whitewash for cost cutting and to hell with our safety. You are correct Matt the thought of breaking down on one of these motorway sections is terrifying.

[@andyarmstrong1493]

Glad you're sorted.

[@angrymuffinsb]

The unsinkable Molly Merc

[@jambacardi2474]

Lets hope the bill wont be to excessive

[@mikeburnitt403]

I think the moral is to buy yourself a decent code reader and start saving on those garage fees, I bought an Autel one for £538, yes its expensive but its a one time purchase and it was already saved me over £300 in diagnostics and repairs against what a garage would charge, it doesnt take many problems for it to pay for itself over garage fees.

[@lesklower7281]

Limp modes engin light money to fix it my 1997 toyota hi lux dosn't have these things on it thank goodness and it has a carby

[@chriswood1984]

My SLK250 CDi has the same engine, and a few months ago went into the same limp mode. I guessed it might be to do with the DPF. It was intermittent and resolved itself after an Italian tune-up.

[@simonhodgetts6530]

I’m a keen advocate of the Italian tune up for a diesel - that and the odd bottle of injector cleaner. I’ve had major problems previously with split turbo pipes and sticky EGR valves. My diesel Giulietta is really lumpy on idle at the moment - I don’t think that a mix of supermarket diesel and 30 degrees plus temperatures help matters!!

[@andrewstones2921]

I had to laugh when you said maybe the high temperatures. These cars are sold In places where the temp never goes below 32 even in winter, they seem to cope fine 45 degrees day in and day out…. Also, on the last diesel I owned I opted to have the DPF and EGR deleted (I do not live in UK and it was perfectly legal for me), this made it much better, more economical and more power. In my opinion the sensor was correct, it detected too much back pressure in the DPF and triggered a code.. changing for a new sensor in my opinion did no more than clearing the code, ie a temporary fix.. I do hope I am wrong, I often am wrong about such things

[@furiousdriving]

Those sensors break all the time on cars this age, apparently they change a couple a week but f it was masking an issue those cars would be back in no time so I have to assume they are the fault. Ive done a DPF delete and it made a huge difference, but the MOT has stopped that here, and EGR blanking was the standard thing to do for years as they always clogged

[@alexander1485]

looks like a normal Italian and German thing (don't get UK or Euro specific cars in the USA)

[@danpullin6610]

Not only that but some/most code readers half decent ones at that don't tell you everything! needs a full on piece of equipment plugged in worth 1000s that me or you don't have, I had my freelander break down on me and it was water in my fuel, approximately 5L of it!!!! Sorted that out now it's not keen to start from cold as I'm losing fuel pressure for some reason now?!!!

[@shieldaigbencher]

Because the previous c class, c203? Was so dodge, the 204 model was massively invested in by Mercedes and are brilliant. We had a c180 kompressor which was the 1.6 Kompressor 6:speed manual where the gearbox was really odd. Brilliant car.

[@furiousdriving]

Thats exactly why I bought it! The car that had to be good or Merc were sunk

[@barryjackson8512]

Invest in a decent code reader, best thing I bought.

[@MINIMOTOMADNESS]

matt if your ever in the birmingham way you should look up rusty love/classic carbs,they are petrol heads like you,

[@aissammaouhoub240]

Y haf the same problem but mi Mercedes w204 c220cdi haf catalizador an not dpf filtire