Mercedes-Benz A-Class 1.5 A180d AMG Line (Executive) 7G-DCT

A180d is the smaller-capacity diesel A-Class. Executive is an equipment pack. The address gives no emissions standard, and on a diesel that is the difference between free entry to the London ULEZ and a daily charge.

What to check on this specification

Settle the Euro standard first

Diesel cars need Euro 6 for the London ULEZ. Section D.2 of the V5C carries the Euro status on newer vehicles, the DVLA vehicle enquiry service returns the European emissions status against a registration, and the TfL checker answers the charging question directly.

The 7G-DCT dual-clutch gearbox

The seven-speed dual-clutch automatic in these cars has documented issues. A build-window recall covered a weld inside the gearbox that could crack and put the car into limp-home mode or take drive away entirely, and separately owners have reported a surge at low speed around the first-to-second change that dealer software resets did not always cure.

Drive it in traffic, not just on an open road. Pull away repeatedly from a standstill, let it change up through the low gears at light throttle, and check reverse engages cleanly. Then run the registration through the DVSA recall service.

The particulate filter

Every diesel of this era leaves the factory with a diesel particulate filter. Two things follow from that. First, a filter that was fitted when the vehicle was built and is missing at test time is an MOT failure, and removing one will normally put the vehicle outside the emissions standard it was type-approved to — which makes it unlawful to use on the road. Second, a filter only clears itself properly on a run long and hot enough to complete a regeneration; a car used for short cold journeys accumulates soot and, worse, fuel in the sump from interrupted regenerations.

On a viewing this shows up in the paperwork rather than the metal. Look for oil changes at or before the stated interval, and be wary of a car whose recorded mileage is made up of very short annual totals.

Diesel emissions software actions

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 particular car has had the update applied is a matter of record: check the registration on the DVSA recall service and ask the seller for the paperwork.

Ownership notes

AMG Line brings larger wheels and firmer suspension; check the rims and tyres.

Owner survey results for this generation of A-Class are mixed and Mercedes-Benz ranks low among manufacturers in recent reliability rankings, which makes an independent inspection worth its cost on a car being bought without a warranty.

About this page

The address you are on was part of a used-car dealer site that no longer exists. The individual vehicle it once described was sold years ago; there is no stock here, nothing is for offer, and no enquiry goes anywhere. What has been kept is the specification the address itself encodes, written up as a reference for anyone looking at the same combination of model, engine, transmission and emissions standard on the used market today.

Nothing here is advice about a particular vehicle. Every point above is a thing to check on the car in front of you, and the official services linked below answer against a registration number rather than a model name.