2002 Mercedes Benz C230

1319UNITY

MEMBER
2002 MERCEDES BENZ C230
6 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
86,000 MILES

My son owed me some money so rather than pay me back he gave me his 2002 Mercedes for payment. He said sell it for what you can get. The car had been in 2 accidents - one was just some right front fender damage. The other was when the driver rear ended a honda (had a tire on the back of the Honda) and this caused damage to the radiator (I think). He took it to Honda dealership and when they repaired it they accidently hooked up the transmission hose to the radiator place. He took it back but the car has not been working exactly right ever since. He thinks it may need a new transmission. Problem --when the car sits for 2 or 3 days in the driveway without being used, it won't start without being jump started. If you jump start it, and it is turned off after a few minutes, it will start again but if you let it sit for 2 or 3 days, it won't start. What do you think I should do? There is a place called Crazy Dave's that will give a person $300. For a car but the car is nice and clean and the mileage is good, all I need is someone who knows what they're doing to give me some ideas.

1 Reply

GFIMOTORCARS

MECHANIC
673 POSTS

If I am correct in my inderstanding the only issue with the vehicle is that when it sits for a couple days it won't start. Battery is dead, right? Almost like the car is draining the battery over night. This is a very common issue with this model. What you are experiening is an low amperage draw. This draw will kill your battery only if the car sits for a while because it drains at such a low amperage. The component most frequently responsible for this are the front seat control modules. These are black boxes approx 7x5" under both front seats. Try this to verify their fault. Look under the front side of the seat and you will see the box mounted under it. There will be one electrical connector to this cotrol unit. You will slide the bottom portion of the connector to the side and it will unlock so that you can pull it out. Do this to both seat modules but note that your seats will have no function. Let the car sit over night or for a couple days and then try starting it. It should start right up if this is the problem. These modules are expensive to replace but will solve your problem if this is the issue.