Losing my religion (should I fix the A-class?)

[Bear]

Mercedes' W168 is a design classic, an icon of true (almost) 21st-Century thinking, the ultimate in small car design. It is, perhaps, the most worthy successor to Issigonis' original Mini (note: other small cars of the era are also well packaged) and bar some stupid publicity from people doing improbable things, was pretty much a success at what the designers set out to achieve and in sales terms, with decent seven-figure sales from launch to the W169 revamp.

 

Generally if anyone asks me "which small car should I buy" my first answer is "An A-class".

 

Added to this, I'm a huge fan of working on Mercedes. As a rule, they are well made, as well as well engineered, body rust and biodegrading looms aside.

 

So Jen's much abused 113,000 mile A160 LWB is proving to be A Problem.

 

First, it has had very reactive, very late maintenance for the past few years. If something has broken that didn't stop the car, it's been ignored until it did. It has been running on the spare for 2 years. The brake discs have bigger lips than Angelia Jolie. The pads have as much meat as a vegan's dinner. The bonnet has rust around the edges, the serpentine belt is making noises, it rattles like a Simca when first started and the autobox, whilst more reliable than the reputation suggests they are (helps to realise they aren't sealed for life) has gone into limp home mode more than once in the past few years.

 

On the plus side, it is a LWB A-class in a nice shade of sort-of turquoise, and it has the desirable lamella roof which still works well.

 

It's been forced off the road because the ABS reluctor ring disintegrated. To refit, I have to pull the front hub off, and the end of the driveshaft looks pretty bad anyway, like I'll fit the new reluctor and it'll just snap or get clogged with rust. The bolts for the ABS sensor snapped and rounded. Yet the new ring is £14 and the bolts are just old car bolts.

 

So I feel torn between fixing the car, which has MOT still and does start/drive generally - or just suggesting she gives up having got her Saab to drive, and sells it to recover the money spent on the new car.

 

Really can't decide if I should just try anyway. And the reason the missing ring is a problem - if the ABS/ESP can't sense wheel speed, it limits the car to 30mph.

 

[MarvinsMom]

bridge it.

 

it was a nice idea let down by bean counting accountant types.

[Cavcraft]

I drove one about 250 yards round the auction once, and that was too much.

 

Verdict: BRIDGE.

[gordonbennet]

That reluctor ring might prove more difficult than you might imagine, trying to remove the hub on my lads 07 plate Volvo S60 bent my puller, it broke his garages puller, ending up with cutting the drive shaft off...all for the sake of a wipe of something rust preventative on the splines when made.

 

If the ring is doable then it's possible to sell on as a runner, and any vehicle of an MPV design like seems to sell.

 

It's been neglected and it needs brakes and possibly belts/pulleys and possibly another oil change for the autobox at the very least, trouble is you could end up throwing £300 at it and then something really nasty like a starter motor dies 3 months down the line.

 

If the hub won't play ball bridge it is my tuppenceworth.

 

Whilst i like Mercs generally they need good regular maintenance or they kick you straight in the wallet.

[New POD]

Two words "Yugo Brakes"

 

Back in the 90's we were having a conversation with the Chief Engineer of Lucas Car brakes, and he said Mercedes came and asked them for a brake for some prototypes, of a new car they were working on.  So they looked at the requirements based on size of car, etc. and sent them a Fiat brake (or rather a batch of them), and started working with them to make sure they had a range of friction material to try.

Later in the project they wanted some more brakes, and they didn't have any Fiat one's so they sent them a Yugo one.  The only difference being the cast in name.

 

Merc Engineering sent them back. Refused to use them, asked them to design a complete new brake.  They were making Millions of the "Collete" caliper family for every manufacturer in the world and making them in every continent, so why would they design a new brake.  Accountants won in the end, as using a design that is well tested requires less cash to design (as you don't have to) and costs less in warranty costs, and is quicker.

[cort16]

Are the engines in these not in the headliner?

[cms206]

[Mr_Bo11ox]

These are an interesting car. When a major manufacturer build something completely different to their usual fare you can't fail to end up with a few good quirks and likeable, unusual features. I reckon id love to try one even if they look like a right PITA to repair.

[MrDuke]

I've never been in an original A-class, but if they're anything like Fatha_Duke's 05 plate, I'd have to vehemently agree with the hatred. Truly dire build quality, difficult to work on outside of a fully-equipped workshop, and above all utterly impractical for any UK road other than M-ways and A-roads - not just because it's supremely uncomfortable, but because it grounds over even the smallest speedbumps and can barely negotiate country lanes. MB insisted it was meant to be like that.

[brickwall]

I feel there is simply way too much work here on this and it will have to go. I don't feel they are worth the effort.

 

2 cents etc/.

[Bear]

I've had three W168s, two LWB and one SWB. SWB pitches a lot - LWB is fine. Have never grounded one on a speedbump, and I find the handling - if not the feedback - entirely acceptable. Properly driven the A-class will corner quickly and maintain a good, fluid pace but the steering is a touch remote (like the bigger Mercedes, really). Build quality isn't bad on the facelift ones - certainly above the level of other mass-market small cars.

 

Working on them is a mixed bag - servicing is generally easy, things like rotating cartridges to install air filters, but if something breaks then a lot of it is difficult. Thing is, if you do have a proper lift then you can drop the engine pack fairly quickly - think of it as a backwards VW Beetle - and then timing chain (weak point with infrequent/ASSYST-led servicing), accessories, everything is easy to work on.

 

I haven't got as far as the hub yet as I need a small track rod end balljoint tool and whilst I had a go at the shock bolts, they seemed a bit reluctant to budge (plus if i disturb them it needs setting up again). And yeah, there's probably about £300 of stuff I can see - at least two tyres, brake discs and pads (wear and tear, fine), plus the risk of not being able to pull the hub. I'll give it a go though - it's probably worth as much with an attempted removal of the hub as it is just untouched and waiting for it!

[hairnet]

when easyjet started the hire thing i used them regularly because bike was outta action at that time so camped inthem and ragged them senseless up and down the country

 

even new they were tinny, rattled and if manual - clunky and lethargic

 

verdict - buy a chevy

[MrDuke]

Actually, in fairness you did state in your first post that you see them as a spiritual successor to the Mini, so surely any unpleasantness is all part of the 'joy' of ownership?

 

Anyway, if you really like them then it's just a case of how much money & effort you're willing to invest in fixing it, sod whether anyone else would or not.

[cort16]

Mercedes gave up on the whole idea with the latest A-Class and went back to building an ordinary looking hatch, which means what ever appeal it to the mass market had has worn off.

 

They're definitely an oddity, come back in 10 years once they've thinned out a bit then they might be interesting but for now. Meh. Also I think the LWB ones looks particularly weird.

 

[JohnK]

I quite like these. I'm not sure why, small cars really aren't my thing. Didn't know they did a LWB one as well. I quite like that one pictured above.

 

I nearly bought one as a runaround last year but plumped on a 306 dizzler instead.

[cort16]

That's the AMG one. Don't get too excited though it's only got 140bhp

[Cavcraft]

Don't the (automatic) versions of these also have a gearbox that spazzes up every few thousand miles? I'm pretty sure there's some internet 'fix' for them which involves turning the ignition on/off three hundred times, turning the battery round to face Mecca and spitting on the fuel cap release.

[cort16]

You have to sacrifice a duck every 3000 miles and put it still beating heart in the washer fluid reservoir or the gearbox warranty becomes void. That's what I read on the internet anyway.

[Bear]

Gearbox on this one (full auto) has 113,000 on it and still works fine (maybe twice it has had an upset, but that's been in heavy motorway on really hot days). Mercedes said "sealed for life" at first, then revised it to 44,000 mile intervals but not everyone got the memo (read: British car buyers with 3-5 year old cars don't give a flying fuck about maintenance). I had the ATF changed at 48,000. Primary failure is low fluid - like the RWD 722.6, there's a float/switch that if the level drops too much or is too high, will put the box into limp home mode, 2nd gear only.

 

As there's no dipstick on them owners don't have a way to quickly check levels. So, gearbox reputation for spazzing generally applies to the semi-auto clutchless manual setup, but when the auto goes "ARGH" and puts an F on the dash, clueless owners get into headless chicken mode. Likewise if you spill crap in the selector - it's a big electronic module. You wouldn't pour coke into your laptop and expect it to work, so why expect the selector to put up with the spillage from your Big Gulp?

 

My diesel was a manual one. The gearchange wasn't exactly MX5 click/snick smooth, but it was better than the last Laguna and Clio I drove.

 

LWB model has 1600 litres of space with the rear seats out. In a car about the same length as a Mk 2 Clio.

 

There are true weaknesses, not just pub-bore 'wisdom' - the subframes can rust quite badly, the rear radius arm bearings wear out quite quickly (and if ignored you get a three-wheeled Mercedes, the coils snap, and the starter motor fails and is horrid to remove. Everything else is no better or worse than any other small car of the era really.

 

I want an A210 Evo, but reputedly the ride is worse than a regular one and they're damn hard to find with sunroof and auto so I stopped looking and hope to add another W124 to the fleet instead.

[stripped fred]

I like it that they are different from the norm. I suppose autoshite is all about running something others wouldn't have as a first choice. I salute your free thinking and wish you luck with fixing it.

[TagoraSX]

Bridge and buy an Audi A2.

[Talbotman]

Me and my ex missus had an A class. Part of the appeal was the genuine lateral thinking that Mercedes had put in to the packaging and engineering. The seats were about as supportive as an old park bench, the ride crashy and play in the steering uj almost from new, but it was a surprisingly endearing thing that bar some new springs and a reconditioned maf rattled it's way with us over a decade and 120k.....I'd say if u like it and your prepared to spend out a couple of quid to keep it going...crack on with it. I think it's a travesty that Merc have abandoned developing and honing this platform.

[Bear]

I think it's a travesty that Merc have abandoned developing and honing this platform.

 

Damn right there, and I wish they'd focused on the potential it had for AWD, hybrid and so forth. The new A-class is competitive but painfully similar to any other modern hatchback.

[Lacquer Peel]

Daimler AG shite.

[MarvinsMom]

or just german shit.