Mercedes-Benz B-Class 1.5 B180d Sport (Executive) 7G-DCT Euro 6

The B-Class is the taller, more practical relative of the A-Class, sharing much of its hardware. B180d is the smaller diesel; 7G-DCT is the dual-clutch automatic.

What to check on this specification

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.

The practical body

The B-Class is bought for space, which means it carries children, dogs and loads. Check the boot floor and the rear seat mountings, lift the load-area trim to look for water, and test the rear seat adjustment through its full travel.

Ownership notes

The B-Class has done markedly better in owner reliability surveys than the A-Class it is related to, topping its class in one recent survey. That is a useful counterweight to the marque’s overall ranking.

Euro 6 means the car meets the diesel standard for the London ULEZ and for the charging clean air zones in England.

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.