Which COE car should I buy?

[awhtc]

3 hours ago, Vinceng said:

Why are continental cars more erratic with the frequent appearance of warning lights on the dash with age, as compared to Jap, Korean, Malaysian cars?

Generally, the use of more electronics, short lifespan of parts and high temperature and humidity in our region will mean more maintenance to keep the entire car running well.

[Mkl22]

3 hours ago, Vinceng said:

Why are continental cars more erratic with the frequent appearance of warning lights on the dash with age, as compared to Jap, Korean, Malaysian cars?

Conti under bonnet temperatures are hotter than Japanese makes. 
more of their sensors and parts are made by European part suppliers. Japanese use mainly Japanese suppliers who have a much higher quality standard. 
comparatively the Japanese still has better quality control methods. Although I must say  that overall standards and quality has declined overall for everyone. Things no longer last, cause if they do, how do companies make money. 

[Vinceng]

Probably the same concept that Thai made Michelin tyres are more suited for SG local climate, as compared to the European made ones.

[Ct3833]

Both my Altis and E200 are coming to 12 year old,  i have repaired the left tilt down reverse mirror, remote power boot lid actuator,  turbo return hose on the e200, but the Altis is so simple that it has none of these feature at all. Other than that, both have replaced shocks and alternators. Fortunately i replaced and repaired all the 3 items on the e200 myself, that save me some money. So yah, conti may have more to breakdown😀. But for the ride comfort and a little more convenient features, i will still go for merce.

 

[Volvobrick]

1 hour ago, Ct3833 said:

Both my Altis and E200 are coming to 12 year old,  i have repaired the left tilt down reverse mirror, remote power boot lid actuator,  turbo return hose on the e200, but the Altis is so simple that it has none of these feature at all. Other than that, both have replaced shocks and alternators. Fortunately i replaced and repaired all the 3 items on the e200 myself, that save me some money. So yah, conti may have more to breakdown😀. But for the ride comfort and a little more convenient features, i will still go for merce.

 

Rear shocks still easy to DIY. Front is a pain. Need to compress the springs etc. 

[Ct3833]

23 minutes ago, Volvobrick said:

Rear shocks still easy to DIY. Front is a pain. Need to compress the springs etc. 

I didnt do the shocks myself, just the boot lid actuator,  mirror tilt down motor and turno hose. Simple stuff 

[inlinesix]

4 hours ago, awhtc said:

Generally, the use of more electronics, short lifespan of parts and high temperature and humidity in our region will mean more maintenance to keep the entire car running well.

In temperate countries, the weather is harsher than our tropical weather.

Within 12 mths period, temperature can be -10 deg to 40deg c.

Within 12 mths period, humidity can be 10% to 90%.

 

[inlinesix]

3 hours ago, Vinceng said:

Probably the same concept that Thai made Michelin tyres are more suited for SG local climate, as compared to the European made ones.

More suited in what sense?

[Tohto]

COE renewal with 5 owners with mileage of only 120K, I don't thrust it. That might be the caused of the problem you are facing.  Car has a lot more higher mileage. 

[keechiu]

On 1/22/2021 at 11:45 AM, Car_byte said:

re-appearing of engine warning, sound familiar. Also symptom same and also did the same thing.

Had a similar situation and fault then was "engine starter", something like this, cannot recall exact fault.
back then mechanic also suspect ICU but wasn't sure.
so change ICU was ~ 1xxx or change starter ~ 3xx, choice was offered.

Took (wrong) gamble and change starter.

weeks/months later, same , light re-appear and this time was another fault. Mechanic then say surely ICU as ICU will show first likely fault.
bit bullet, change ICU and thereafter , all "swee swee" :-)

 just sharing.

 

the engine light came on again yesterday morning Tuesday 26th January. This time together with the ESP light. I switched off the engine, waited 15 mins and then restarted engine. Still the same 2 lights. Switched off engine again and started engine 10 mins later. This time ESP light disappear but engine light remained. still able to drive and reached my destination. Switched off engine and started again an hour later. This time both engine and ESP light did not come on. 

On 1/22/2021 at 2:06 PM, Naimed said:

Bro, my opinion is $1500 is slightly high for the items listed. 

thanks for the info. how much should the actual cost have been or could be at other workshops? possible to name these workshops? 

On 1/22/2021 at 2:07 PM, Mkl22 said:

Yeah, check carousel and you will find many offering Mercedes ecu and ecu repairs. If no demand why so many offering. I have been there too. 

On 1/23/2021 at 3:58 AM, Vinceng said:

Why are continental cars more erratic with the frequent appearance of warning lights on the dash with age, as compared to Jap, Korean, Malaysian cars?

the SG merc FB group has many of them facing all these sensor, ecu problems and many have remarked that this is a well-known problem for mercedes cars. I also saw the same problem in the Malaysia merc FB group. A couple of them said they faced this problem even for brand new Mercedes that they bought. One owner said that from warranty period until warranty ended, this ecu/sensor problems still persisted. I also saw many similar posts in the W204 enthusiasts FB page which has people from all over the world. and a few of them changed one sensor after another, one cable after another and the problem still remained. 

On 1/22/2021 at 2:11 PM, Mkl22 said:

Had this problem on my old merc before. changed throttle body and the problem came back off and on. Especially when the bonnet was slammed shut.  Finally figured out it myself that the wire and connection to the throttle body that was not so good. So every time the bonnet was shut it sort of bumped it. Bought an extension wire and reconnected and was fine after that. 
so it the end it might have been an ok throttle body. 
not too sure about the kompressor throttle body. My kompressor model didn’t have one. Would suggest to change only throttle body and see how it goes. 

I will be sending the car in to do the throttle body replacement. hopefully the engine and ESP light doesn't come on after the replacement is done. Will update here. 

On 1/22/2021 at 2:13 PM, Naimed said:

ESP light comes up could be just sensors. If they clear it and it goes away, good. If it comes back again, then perhaps something to do with the ABS system or pump. Can repair/refurbish for $600-700.

Since you just got the car fixed at Elite, they should solve the throttle valve actuator problem for you. Also, if this car has been serviced at Elite all along, the codes should have popped up during previous services and not until you bought it. This throttle valve actuator issue doesnt seem to be a common fault for W204 kompressors. 

The dealer's workshop in Defu Lane is charging $500 inclusive of labour. I got a second opinion from Elite Car Ventures and they advised me to change the manifold throttle body and supercharger throttle body at $1580 inclusive of labour. I then got a third opinion from Kee Yong who was recommended to me by someone from the SG Merc FB group who apparently had the same problem. Kee Yong said to replace the Bosch throttle body for $620 with installation. I have to make a decision on who to go with but with 3 different suggestions, it is definitely going to be a problem deciding who to go with. 

On 1/23/2021 at 12:13 PM, Tohto said:

COE renewal with 5 owners with mileage of only 120K, I don't thrust it. That might be the caused of the problem you are facing.  Car has a lot more higher mileage. 

Is there any way to check besides calling up cycle and carriage?

[Ct3833]

15 minutes ago, keechiu said:

the engine light came on again yesterday morning Tuesday 26th January. This time together with the ESP light. I switched off the engine, waited 15 mins and then restarted engine. Still the same 2 lights. Switched off engine again and started engine 10 mins later. This time ESP light disappear but engine light remained. still able to drive and reached my destination. Switched off engine and started again an hour later. This time both engine and ESP light did not come on. 

thanks for the info. how much should the actual cost have been or could be at other workshops? possible to name these workshops? 

the SG merc FB group has many of them facing all these sensor, ecu problems and many have remarked that this is a well-known problem for mercedes cars. I also saw the same problem in the Malaysia merc FB group. A couple of them said they faced this problem even for brand new Mercedes that they bought. One owner said that from warranty period until warranty ended, this ecu/sensor problems still persisted. I also saw many similar posts in the W204 enthusiasts FB page which has people from all over the world. and a few of them changed one sensor after another, one cable after another and the problem still remained. 

I will be sending the car in to do the throttle body replacement. hopefully the engine and ESP light doesn't come on after the replacement is done. Will update here. 

The dealer's workshop in Defu Lane is charging $500 inclusive of labour. I got a second opinion from Elite Car Ventures and they advised me to change the manifold throttle body and supercharger throttle body at $1580 inclusive of labour. I then got a third opinion from Kee Yong who was recommended to me by someone from the SG Merc FB group who apparently had the same problem. Kee Yong said to replace the Bosch throttle body for $620 with installation. I have to make a decision on who to go with but with 3 different suggestions, it is definitely going to be a problem deciding who to go with. 

Is there any way to check besides calling up cycle and carriage?

You ask your workshop if he could find a spare ecu to swap out for a few days for you to test it out,  that may help isolate the cause. 

[Hamburger]

Afraid not gonna be that simple. 

Swapping of ecu needs to be programmed and not plug and play. 

There are ways to test the ecu for different ports on the ecu by measuring the individual impedance. 

At least that's how I saw the mechanics work on my ex car. 

[Vinceng]

Never knew Mercedes can be so problematic with sensor issues, although I know BMW is notorious for electrical issues.

[Ct3833]

I didnt know it can be so sticky too. 

[Mkl22]

7 hours ago, Ct3833 said:

You ask your workshop if he could find a spare ecu to swap out for a few days for you to test it out,  that may help isolate the cause. 

Ya merc ecu cannot be easily swapped. You need the factory authorization key to reprogram. W212 will be the same. The ecu, the key ignition and steering lock are tied together. 

[Mkl22]

48 minutes ago, Vinceng said:

Never knew Mercedes can be so problematic with sensor issues, although I know BMW is notorious for electrical issues.

German! Japanese makes also have some electronics issues but comparatively less for the volume of cars sold. If you work with Japanese auto part suppliers, you will know why. 

[Toeknee_33]

36 minutes ago, Mkl22 said:

German! Japanese makes also have some electronics issues but comparatively less for the volume of cars sold. If you work with Japanese auto part suppliers, you will know why. 

Can share the reason why?

[Mkl22]

8 minutes ago, Toeknee_33 said:

Can share the reason why?

generally speaking, the Japanese are much more meticulous. although i must qualify that the standards have also dropped over the years. the young engineers everywhere these days are more similar. a lot more bochap then their seniors.