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.
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?
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!
@@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?
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 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
@@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.
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
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.
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 👍🏻
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
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.
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!
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.
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
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.
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...
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...
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 🇬🇧
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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...
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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 .
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.
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!!
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.
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...
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!
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.
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.
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).
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.
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!
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.
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.
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 !
I'd probably just go the route of deleting the DPF and even EGR all together, they give endless trouble once they start. Decent garages are also able to delete it from the computer too so you don't get any warning lights etc come MOT time.
Ahh modern motoring. Isn’t it fun? My latest complaint is that my usual petrol station has already switched to E10, almost two months early. So that’s grand for my old MX5.
From what I heard it may be start of loads of problems associated with MB. The fact that the dealers is rammed all the might tell you something. I thought it was common knowledge that having a code reader these days is essential.
Code readers are all well and good IF you can sort the issue yourself that the code reader tells you. With MB you need access to STAR to really pull the codes and drill down into the systems, and talk back to the Mercedes. Many people with code readers will go to a garage and say such and such is wrong because my code reader says so - a garage will often still want to diagnose the issue themselves [and charge] for it.
@@londonrascal probably all done to try and baffle people into taking it there. I put a basic one on my daughters Hyundai once, found the problem and fixed it with a genuine coil pack from eBay. Most satisfying!
A similar thing happened to my pal's old S60 D5 Volvo, en route to me getting a retinal detachment fixed at Bristol Eye Hospital. Can you not get your car remapped and junk all the DPF shit, sensors included, yet still have it MOT legal ? My pal sold his car in favour of a 2016 S60 D4 but the engine light appeared on that soon afterwards. A good thrashing cured it on that occasion. Personally, I could never tolerate this bollocks, which is why I'm still driving a 1997 IDI Peugeot with a straight through pipe and no cat, and it easily passes the MOT.
@@furiousdriving Damn, there's no way around it then. My MOT guy doesn't even bother with the exhaust sniffer for my old bus, but I am paying a fair amount for road tax at a yearly £280. They've got us all ways ! Have a good evening.
@@michaelarchangel1163 Older cars like my Golf don't have to have an emissions test, just a visual smoke test I think to make sure there aren't plumes of smoke coming out of the back.
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.
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.
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.
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?
@@chappy2121 right on the money!
Good to see some W204 content. Even better that it was a quick fix so you can get back to the tinkering videos.
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!
Two of the worst things in modern motoring - smart motorways and DPF’s.
SPECS speed cameras. The Holy Trinity.
@@ebutuoyYT It’s simple, don’t speed.
@@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?
EGR valves.
And when the speed limit changes at every other gantry forget watching the road, just concentrate on the ever changing signs and your speedo
It was inevitable. Surprised it took so long.
Complex diesels will cost. EGR, DPF, all get clogged and cost big dollar to fix. Been there.
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.
Not to mention injectors. They are very expensive and can be a pain to get out.
@@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
@@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.
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
The distances you do, The DPF itself should remain pretty healthy as it's getting the regular heat cycles it needs to regen.
I think thats fine, its just the sensor!
@@furiousdriving i change my sensor and that helps for limb model on my w204 2012, but dpf full must be also checked and regenereated.
Happy it was a sensor and not the item it was sensing 👋
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
Yes, on modern computer cars replace both bulbs if one fails.
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.
It's sad that Mercedes has for the most part stopped making good cars
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 👍🏻
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
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.
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.
My Ford Mondeo MK3 ST TDCI has the Egr valve blanked off, less smoke, more poke.
Those alloys are crying out for a good clean. Brake dust is very unsightly. Glad it was a simple fix Matt.
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!
@@furiousdriving
That's good then
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.
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
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.
I didn't realise cars went into limp mode. When buses go into limp mode, they won't go faster than 10mph.
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...
My 2cv was built with permanent limp mode :
@@johndilloway9762 not going in reverse
@@alexander1485 well you get on a motorway and it feels as if your going backwards all the time :
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!
What did the repair cost you in parts and labor ?
I hope that when you short out the W123 completely it will be as reliable as the W204 has been
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...
maybe crankshaft sensor?
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!
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.
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.
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.
This was only serviced a few months ago, so thats nearly new. These guys are marque specialists so I trust their judgement
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!
EGR and DPF suck so much! Glad to hear it was a simple fix.
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 ;)
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
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?
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.
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.
Matt 👍- Mechanic 👍- Ice Cubes 👍- Smart Motorways 👎 😎
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.
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.
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 🇬🇧
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.
Matt, What's the manual gearbox like? Hear so much that Merc manuals are ropey. Thanks for your entertaining content👍😀
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.
Mind-numbingly stupid idea that will cost lives.
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!
That would be utterly terrifying
The Right-to-Repair legal fights should hopefully allow owners to access software diagnosis, in the future, maybe.
Its not just right to repair, I think any good code reader with the right software could do it but those are not cheap!
@@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.
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.
You jinxed it! By the way, some unclever engineering by Mercedes to put the electronics right above the turbo...
I guess the air box acts as a heat shield?
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.
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...
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.
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
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
It's 'limp home mode'.
Limp mode is something else.
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.
What is the Name of the small plastic
...Dodge Monaco video coming by any chance?
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!
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.
Very glad I opted for the petrol c350, over 400k on in and still going strong
the aircon vent adjuster. my w204's broken multiple times .. never know why!
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.
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 .
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.
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!!
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.
Look for a good independent, like this one - they work hard to keep their customers happy
Cant believe youve had it 3 years didnt realise id been watching so long haha remember the mondeo
I thought it was less than that too!
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?
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.
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...
totally agree on the not so smart motorways. Whoever thought of them needs a damn good thrashing.
looks like a normal Italian and German thing (don't get UK or Euro specific cars in the USA)
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!
Always take my S212 to a Specialist. Had a similar problem. 👍🏻🏴
Your two cups in the middle hint that you've been using a fair bit of 'tea shelf' lately...
And a flask in the boot for refills!
he needs to lay off the tea shelf and let it be a dashboard
Lets hope the bill wont be to excessive
Hi how much did it cost to get sorted.
Time to get a good code reader, makes for some interesting content on your more modern cars 👍
Glad you're sorted.
A high-mileage diesel, maybe more expensive problems on their way. You name it: injectors, EGR, dpf filter.
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.
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.
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).
Superb video. But reliability of modern Mercs is a myth. Keep up the good work.
Pre and post W204 yes, this generation was the best in years, this is the only fault in a decade
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.
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!
What speed camera detector is that?
I bought a 2013 S204 last month based on your videos. Thanks.
Hope its proving as good as this has been for me
Just curious 🤔 What line of work are you in?
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.
Useful to know if/when mine does it! What make/model Dashcam do you use?
How did you get that screen fitted?
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.
I had a cheap one a little while ago but it was rubbish so sent back!
@@furiousdriving I do hope you get a good one soon.
Advantageous on new vehicles.
Do hope you give us an update on Quentin!
@@frothe42 Im still waiting on the paint shop, it should have been done a few weeks ago now
30 oC is hot? We had a few days of almost 40 oC in Serbia in the past few weeks. :/
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 !
What is the solución becouse hay Gad the same problem? Its only de dpf sensor?
I'd probably just go the route of deleting the DPF and even EGR all together, they give endless trouble once they start. Decent garages are also able to delete it from the computer too so you don't get any warning lights etc come MOT time.
They do a visual and emissions check now, so even the fake DPF boxes dont get through
@@furiousdriving ah out of luck there then. I'm in northern Ireland so I'm used to no emissions test here.
@@VeyronBD the only trick here is to swap it all back in for the test, which is more hassle than Im willing to put up with!
Ahh modern motoring. Isn’t it fun? My latest complaint is that my usual petrol station has already switched to E10, almost two months early. So that’s grand for my old MX5.
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
My guess would be a boost leak like you say, had a very similar problem with my diesel BMW recently
Have had it on an Alfa, it almost stopped!
From what I heard it may be start of loads of problems associated with MB. The fact that the dealers is rammed all the might tell you something. I thought it was common knowledge that having a code reader these days is essential.
Code readers are all well and good IF you can sort the issue yourself that the code reader tells you. With MB you need access to STAR to really pull the codes and drill down into the systems, and talk back to the Mercedes. Many people with code readers will go to a garage and say such and such is wrong because my code reader says so - a garage will often still want to diagnose the issue themselves [and charge] for it.
@@londonrascal probably all done to try and baffle people into taking it there. I put a basic one on my daughters Hyundai once, found the problem and fixed it with a genuine coil pack from eBay. Most satisfying!
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.
How did you get your Mercedes out of limp mode my Mercedes need a new gas pedal it got me out limp mode
the garage changed a sensor and cleared the fault
Australian driving 10 hours to weekend campsite, laughing at Pom saying he's been doing some serious miles 😅
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.
A similar thing happened to my pal's old S60 D5 Volvo, en route to me getting a retinal detachment fixed at Bristol Eye Hospital. Can you not get your car remapped and junk all the DPF shit, sensors included, yet still have it MOT legal ? My pal sold his car in favour of a 2016 S60 D4 but the engine light appeared on that soon afterwards. A good thrashing cured it on that occasion. Personally, I could never tolerate this bollocks, which is why I'm still driving a 1997 IDI Peugeot with a straight through pipe and no cat, and it easily passes the MOT.
You can remap but the MOT checks for the DPF now, visual and emissions
@@furiousdriving Damn, there's no way around it then. My MOT guy doesn't even bother with the exhaust sniffer for my old bus, but I am paying a fair amount for road tax at a yearly £280. They've got us all ways !
Have a good evening.
@@michaelarchangel1163 Older cars like my Golf don't have to have an emissions test, just a visual smoke test I think to make sure there aren't plumes of smoke coming out of the back.
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.
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.
Thats exactly why I bought it! The car that had to be good or Merc were sunk
i thought the noise was the alarm on your classic 80s/90s watch ! love them. Glad you got it sorted