About this model
The Mercedes B-Class W245 generation was produced between 2005 and 2011, and for fifteen years now it has been arriving in BiH as a typical family compact MPV imported from Germany and Austria. It is a very common sight in Banja Luka, especially in the B 200 CDI version with the 2.0 CDI engine (designation OM640.940/941, 140 hp), which at the time was one of the best-selling diesels in the compact Mercedes lineup. Today's examples are typically in the 200,000-300,000 km range, and the buyer is most often a family driver looking for a high roof, a big boot and the Mercedes star at an accessible used-car price. The W245 is the successor to the A-Class W169 with the same sandwich floor, but with significantly more room and comfort, which sold it especially well in BiH to buyers stepping up from a Golf Plus or Opel Zafira. We see it in the shop on a regular basis, with a recognisable set of faults that come with age and our driving conditions.
Engines and variants
This model is most commonly available in BiH with the following engines.
2.0 CDI OM640.940 (140 hp, B 200 CDI) - the strongest and most sought-after diesel version of the W245, available with either a 6-speed manual or the Autotronic CVT 722.8 automatic gearbox. This is the engine we see most often in our shop, because it combines decent torque (300 Nm) and reasonable fuel consumption. Early examples (up to roughly 2008) have a greater tendency for the balance shaft chain to stretch, which Mercedes acknowledged and covered with a service bulletin. The typical buyer is a family driver looking for more torque for city and motorway driving with a fully loaded car.
2.0 CDI OM640.941 (109 hp, B 180 CDI) - the weaker version of the same engine with the same architectural weaknesses, but with slightly less load on the timing and turbo. It mostly came with the manual gearbox; the automatic is rarer. It is more economical in town, but on the motorway with a heavy load it shows its limits. In terms of faults, it is practically identical to the B 200 CDI - balance shaft, swirl flaps, EGR and DPF all follow the same schedule.
B 200 (petrol, 136 hp, M266) - we mention the petrol version because it also shows up on our market and does not have the diesel set of faults (no DPF, no EGR, no balance shaft in the same way). It has its own weaknesses (timing chain that can seize later in life, ignition faults), but is generally the calmer choice for a driver who doesn't cover many kilometres per year. If somebody is choosing between a B 180 CDI and a B 200 petrol for 10,000 km a year in town, the petrol is usually the smarter pick.
Reliability and reputation on the BiH market
The W245 B-Class has earned the reputation in BiH of being a "Mercedes with the soul of a Golf Plus" - practical, spacious, with a star on the bonnet, but far from the carefree ownership that older E-Classes used to offer. Parts are accessible, the network of Mercedes and independent shops is well developed, and most spare parts for the OM640 engine overlap with the A-Class W169 of the same generation, which makes sourcing easier. The main weakness of this car is not the bodywork or electrics but two specific items: the balance shaft chain on early OM640 engines and the Autotronic CVT 722.8 gearbox, which in its class is one of the most problematic automatics we have had in the shop. Buyers who picked up a manual B 200 CDI from 2009-2011 are usually satisfied and the car runs without major drama to 250,000-300,000 km, while early CVT examples from 2005-2007 often find an owner who struggles with them every month. In Banja Luka the typical buyer is a family driver in their late forties, choosing the W245 for the higher seating position and space for kids, and this is often the first diesel in the household. In the shop we most often see that the difference between a W245 that runs reliably and one that keeps coming back is whether the previous owner serviced the car every 10,000 km, or waited for Mercedes' "Assyst" longlife of 20,000+ km, which is not realistic in our driving conditions.
Common faults we see
From our practice, here is what most often comes in for repair on this model.
1. Stretched OM640 balance shaft chain
Symptom: Metallic rattle on cold start for the first 3-10 seconds, rough idle, sometimes the check engine light with a correlation error between crankshaft and camshaft.
This is the best-known weakness of the earlier OM640 engine series (up to roughly 2008) and Mercedes issued an official service bulletin for it. The balance shaft chain stretches before the timing chain, because it is thinner and more heavily loaded, and the consequence is that the tensioner can no longer keep it in check. In the worst case the chain jumps or snaps, which leads to bent valves and a full engine rebuild. Later examples (produced after the factory correction) have a reinforced chain and this problem appears less often.
Advice: When buying a W245, always start the engine cold before agreeing on the car. If you hear a rattle that fades after a few seconds, that is the early warning. Preventive replacement of the balance shaft chain is significantly cheaper than the rebuild that follows if the chain jumps.
2. Autotronic CVT 722.8 gearbox - jerking and slipping
Symptom: Vibration when pulling away from a standstill, jerking when changing range, loss of drive in seventh, limp mode and the gearbox warning light.
The 722.8 Autotronic is a CVT (variator) gearbox that Mercedes used only in the A-Class and B-Class of that generation, and which has proved in practice to be one of the weakest points of the entire W245. The oil pump inside the gearbox is a frequent source of trouble - once it starts losing pressure, the variator can no longer hold its ratios and the car jerks. Mercedes initially listed the ATF in the CVT as "lifetime", which later proved to be a mistake, because the oil ages and its lost properties are a direct cause of variator failures.
Advice: If you have a 722.8 CVT, the oil must be changed every 60,000-80,000 km, do not wait for "lifetime". At the first signs of jerking we first run pump diagnostics and pressure measurement, because the pump is significantly cheaper than the whole gearbox. If you are picking a W245, the manual version is the calmer long-term choice.
3. Intake manifold swirl flap actuator
Symptom: Loss of power above 2000 rpm, check engine light, a "flat spot" when accelerating, P2004/P2005 fault codes on diagnostics.
The swirl flaps in the intake manifold serve to optimise airflow at lower revs, and the actuator drives them electronically. The plastic flaps eventually seize from soot and oil returned by the EGR, and then the actuator gets mechanically damaged trying to move them. It most often appears in the 150,000-220,000 km range, depending on how much the car has been driven in town. In the worst cases a flap breaks off and ends up in a cylinder, which finishes in a head rebuild.
Advice: At the first fault codes it is worth removing the intake manifold, cleaning it mechanically of soot and checking the condition of the flaps before buying a complete actuator. We often also offer flap deactivation as a permanent solution on cars already late in life - no impact on the technical inspection.
4. Fuel filter housing and suction jet pump leaks
Symptom: Smell of diesel in the cabin or engine bay, wet patches under the car, hard hot start, occasional loss of power.
The fuel filter housing on the OM640 is plastic and over the years becomes brittle - it cracks at the joints or around the filter heater. On top of that, the suction jet pump (a small ejector that returns fuel to the tank) often leaks and creates a diesel smell in the engine bay. This is a typical fault after 8-10 years of age and in practice we see it on nearly every other W245 that comes in for a detailed inspection.
Advice: A fuel leak in the engine bay is not something to put off - diesel aggressively destroys the plastic and rubber lines around it. We usually replace the whole filter housing as a kit together with the heater, because repairing just a crack rarely holds long-term.
5. Seized glow plugs - snapping during replacement
Symptom: Hard cold start (the engine has to crank longer), white smoke from the exhaust for the first few seconds, glow plug warning light.
Glow plugs on the OM640 oxidise into the cylinder head over time, and at the point of replacement they tend to break off inside the head - the tip of the plug stays in the bore and the job suddenly becomes far more complicated than a routine replacement. In the worst cases the head has to come off, or it goes for extraction with a specialist tool, which is a workshop-heavy job and a more serious bill.
Advice: We replace glow plugs preventively at around 120,000-150,000 km while they are still "healthy" and come out whole. If the engine is hard to start in winter, do not wait - the longer they sit, the higher the chance they will snap during replacement. Penetrating oil 24 hours before the job is a mandatory step.
6. EGR valve and clogged DPF (city driving)
Symptom: Check engine light, loss of power, increased fuel consumption, smoke from the exhaust under acceleration, entering limp mode, sometimes also fuel dilution of the engine oil.
The OM640 uses a high-pressure EGR which quickly clogs in city driving - the valve sticks open or partially open and the ECU starts working in backup mode. In parallel, the DPF starts filling with soot because regeneration cannot complete (the driver mostly does short city runs), and a vicious circle sets in. It is especially dangerous when the differential pressure sensor on the DPF gives false readings and forces regenerations that end up diluting the engine oil with fuel.
Advice: We first do a mechanical clean of the EGR and intake manifold, then a forced DPF regeneration through diagnostics. If the car mostly drives in town, once a month take it out for an extended motorway run of at least 30 minutes - the DPF and EGR need this for healthy operation.
7. Turbo wear and intercooler hose leaks
Symptom: Loss of power above 2500 rpm, entering limp mode, occasional blue or grey smoke, increased oil consumption.
The Garrett variable geometry turbo can seize up from soot, especially on cars that have done a lot of short runs. The geometry vanes lose their mobility, and the actuator can no longer control them. In parallel, the rubber intercooler hoses eventually split (most often the lower hose towards the intake manifold), which gives similar symptoms to a turbo fault - loss of boost pressure and a code for insufficient intake pressure.
Advice: We first check the intercooler hoses and clamps before going for the turbo, because a split hose gives the same picture but the repair is ten times cheaper. Never shut the engine off immediately after a long motorway run - let it idle for 30-60 seconds so the turbo cools down.
8. Accelerator pedal position sensor and electronics
Symptom: The car "doesn't react" to the throttle, occasionally goes into "fail safe" with limited revs, check engine light with a pedal sensor code.
Mercedes models of that generation have an electronic throttle pedal with two sensors inside the same unit, which over time start sending out-of-sync signals to the ECU. When this happens, the ECU switches the engine into a protection mode with limited revs (often capped at 2000-2500 rpm). The fault appears intermittently and at first tends to disappear after cycling the ignition, which leads the driver to think the "electronics sorted themselves out".
Advice: Do not wait for the fault to become permanent - once it starts appearing intermittently, the sensor is already failing. Replacing the whole pedal is a relatively quick job and leaves no room for "half-measure" fixes.
Service and maintenance
The Mercedes "Assyst" system will only call you in for service at 20,000-25,000 km, but in our driving conditions that is too long an interval - we strictly recommend changing the engine oil every 10,000-12,000 km, specification MB 229.51 (5W-30 ACEA C3 low-ash oil for DPF). Change the fuel filter every 30,000-40,000 km, do not wait for 60,000+ as some shops do. If you have the Autotronic 722.8 CVT, change the ATF every 60,000-80,000 km, even though Mercedes says it is "lifetime" - on this gearbox that is the best way to extend the life of the pump and variator. Glow plugs preventively at 120,000-150,000 km while they still come out whole. Cabin filter twice a year, before summer and before winter. If you mostly drive in town, once a month take it out for an extended motorway run of at least 30 minutes so the DPF can complete a full regeneration.
Owner tips
- Change the engine oil strictly every 10,000-12,000 km with MB 229.51 specification - "Assyst longlife" of 20,000+ km in city driving in BiH kills the balance shaft chain and the turbo.
- Before buying a specific example: use the VIN to pull the full history of the car through carVertical. The report typically shows real odometer readings by date, recorded accidents, the number of previous owners and indicators of theft or total loss. We consider it mandatory before buying any used car, especially with German and Austrian imports like the W245. When paying for the report, use the code GAGA for 20% off.
- When buying, always start the engine cold - if you hear a metallic rattle that fades after a few seconds, that is an early signal of the balance shaft chain and a bargaining chip on the price.
- If you are choosing between the manual and the Autotronic CVT 722.8 - take the manual. The CVT is one of the most problematic automatics we have had in the shop.
- Fuel filter every 30,000-40,000 km, no exceptions - this is the cheapest protection for the high-pressure pump and the injectors.
- Glow plugs preventively at 120,000-150,000 km, while they still come out whole - later on they stay in the head and the job triples in cost.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Mercedes B 200 CDI W245 a reliable car for 250,000 km?
With regular oil changes every 10,000 km, a fuel filter every 30,000 and avoiding the Autotronic CVT - yes, the engine easily passes 250,000 km. The biggest risks are the balance shaft chain (on early examples up to 2008) and the 722.8 CVT gearbox. A manual B 200 CDI from 2009-2011 is the calmest long-term choice in the entire range.
Which is worse on the W245, the balance shaft chain or the CVT gearbox?
The CVT 722.8 is in practice the more expensive headache, because a gearbox rebuild or full unit replacement is a more serious bill than a preventive balance shaft chain change. The chain can be replaced preventively if caught in time, while a CVT pump failure usually arrives without much warning.
How do I recognise an early OM640 series with the problematic chain?
Early examples produced up to roughly mid-2008 have a greater tendency for the balance shaft chain to stretch. The safest way is to check the VIN and production date against Mercedes' service history (service book or EPC). In any case, the cold start is the main diagnostic - if there is a rattle, the engine is the issue, regardless of the year.
Can autogas be fitted to the W245?
On the 2.0 CDI diesel engine no - LPG is not fitted to diesels in civilian use. If you have the B 200 petrol (M266 engine, 136 hp), an LPG installation is perfectly doable and in practice works well. Get in touch and we will take a look at the variant and work out whether it pays off.
How much does balance shaft chain replacement cost on the W245?
The price depends on the specific condition of the engine (just the balance chain, or both chains, or a full rebuild already needed because the chain has jumped) - get in touch for an estimate. In any case, preventive replacement while the chain still holds is significantly cheaper than the rebuild that follows if it jumps.
Does it make sense to buy a W245 with the Autotronic CVT today?
Only if the full gearbox service history is on paper (ATF changes, possibly a pump repair) and the test drive is flawless across all ranges. If the gearbox "jerks" or vibrates when pulling away, it is not a car to buy except at a price that accounts for a new gearbox. The manual B 200 CDI is the calmer long-term choice.
What about glow plug replacement - why do they snap?
The OM640 has glow plugs that oxidise into the cylinder head over time and tend to snap during replacement, leaving the tip stuck in the bore. We replace them preventively at 120,000-150,000 km while they are still "healthy", with penetrating oil applied 24 hours before the job. If they break off inside the head, the job triples in cost and time.
If you notice any of these symptoms, drop by the shop - it is better to check early than to pay for an expensive repair.