Apparently the W202 C-class (1994-2000) body style Mercedes Benz has a defective wiring harness by using biodegradable insulation in their harnesses. I recently acquired a 1995 C280 with 109033 miles. As I was looking the car over, I noticed that the rear view mirror fuse was blown I replaced it with a new one. All of a sudden the driver side mirror housing started smoking real bad, so I quickly removed the new fuse. Now I cannot adjust the mirrors to be able to see what's behind, also the mirror harness is tied with the reverse/back up lights. Without having reverse/back up lights, other motorists and or pedestrians cannot know if I'm backing up. After spending countless hours online searching about the C280's and other C-class W202 body style, I learned about this defective wire harness. The dealerships would charge an arm and a leg for the part and labor to get it fixed but the problem starts from the manufacturer with the faulty wires and should be a recall or tsb (technical service bulletin) and should be replaced for free.

- Fort Hood, TX, USA