Mercedes-Benz

The address of this page was a stock listing on a used-car dealer site that no longer exists. The stock is gone; what follows is a reference to the marque itself — what you will meet on the UK used market, and what is worth checking. Nothing here is offered for sale.

Mercedes-Benz badging encodes the class and the output — an A180d is an A-Class with the smaller diesel, a GL350 BlueTEC a GL-Class with the V6 diesel and selective catalytic reduction. AMG Line is an appearance and suspension package, distinct from an AMG car. 7G-DCT is the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic; G-Tronic the torque-converter one.

The 7G-DCT gearbox

This is the item to concentrate on across the A- and B-Class range. A recall covered a weld inside the gearbox on a narrow build window that could crack and put the car into limp-home mode or take drive away entirely. Separately, owners have reported a surge at low speed around the first-to-second change that dealer software resets did not always cure. Drive the car in traffic, not only on an open road.

Diesel emissions software

Mercedes-Benz has published an overview of the service measures and recalls involving software updates applied to its European diesel fleet, covering Euro 5 and Euro 6b engines, with NOx sensors replaced where technically necessary. Whether a given car has had the update is a matter of record — check the registration on the DVSA recall service and ask for the paperwork.

BlueTEC and AdBlue

BlueTEC diesels carry a separate tank of urea solution that is consumed in use and must be topped up. A fault or an empty tank produces warnings and eventually prevents a restart, and sensor faults on these systems are a recognised cause of repeat garage visits. Check the level display and ask what has been done to the system.

Reliability context

The picture within the range is uneven. Recent owner surveys have placed the B-Class at the top of its class while ranking the A-Class below average in its own, and the marque as a whole low among manufacturers. Judge the model and the individual car rather than the badge.