STOP.....Forget it. Too Much bad press regarding the Mondeo Auto.
I have bought......and I await criticism, cos I have already had it from all quarters........A 97 'P' Mercedes E320 Auto. I downloaded all of the bumpf from car by car breakdown and I told myself and SWMBO that I would not buy for many reasons, all listed in cxc breakdown.. Only going to see it as my mate had arranged it. Honest to God!
Well.......Got there and I looked and I looked and I struggled to find a fault. 54K. Hardly a mark. Needs tyres soon, but I have never bought a car that didn't. All the toys work although it is only an Elegance. Goes like you know what, (shovel!) and at the money I thought, Boy, (I dream), You are a long time in your box. Took it home provisionally to 'er indoors to expect a fight and she fell.
Well it is quite nice and if................
OK.....Now go for it..Tell me why I have cocked up
VVBR.............MD..............avec Merc'
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Nice Car, good spec - why not ?
Now an E200/E220d Classic.... errrgggghhhh Don't ever buy poverty spec Merc's/BMW's = not good.
PS. I drive neither - Jap all the way !
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I have had a few of these through my hands and they are basically good cars.
Main thing is that it is rust free. Look on the paintwork on 'outside' corners for signs of rust under paint. Look for signs of respray.
Engine is pretty tough and durable - not so the transmission. Get a transmission service done by an autotransmission specialist. They are often considered 'filled for life' - but that fluid could be nine years old now. Get a transmission flush and fill.
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I have had a few of these through my hands and they are basically good cars. Main thing is that it is rust free. Look on the paintwork on 'outside' corners for signs of rust under paint. Look for signs of respray. Engine is pretty tough and durable - not so the transmission. Get a transmission service done by an autotransmission specialist. They are often considered 'filled for life' - but that fluid could be nine years old now. Get a transmission flush and fill.
Mr. Aprilia,
I have only a brief experience of an Auto trans specialist years ago in Plymouth and they were, blahblah,(I can't say cos I can't swear), so who do I go to who I can trust? I have an independent man here who is a star and who probably can do wonders, but he is NOT a transmission specialist. Is it just a case of removing the ATF and refilling or more? I appreciate your input.
Yours.............MD.
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Mr. Aprilia, I have only a brief experience of an Auto trans specialist years ago in Plymouth and they were, blahblah,(I can't say cos I can't swear), so who do I go to who I can trust? I have an independent man here who is a star and who probably can do wonders, but he is NOT a transmission specialist. Is it just a case of removing the ATF and refilling or more? I appreciate your input. Yours.............MD.
I don't know your part of the country at all, sorry, try looking for someone on here: www.fedauto.co.uk/
Ideally you need the transmission hooking up to a flushing machine and all the oil changing for fresh D-III. A simple drain only gets about 40% of the oil out.
It needs filling carefully by someone who knows these transmissions - they don't like overfilling and it can damage them.
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"OK.....Now go for it..Tell me why I have cocked up"
I don't think you have, necessarily. Any purchase is a gamble, and you could have had problems with a Mondeo. There are lots of us on this forum who have bought with their hearts as well as their heads - some of us even admit it.
Best of luck Martin. It's got a nice big engine for the body size and you should have plenty of enjoyment out of it.
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"OK.....Now go for it..Tell me why I have cocked up" I don't think you have, necessarily. Any purchase is a gamble, and you could have had problems with a Mondeo. There are lots of us on this forum who have bought with their hearts as well as their heads - some of us even admit it. Best of luck Martin. It's got a nice big engine for the body size and you should have plenty of enjoyment out of it.
Thank you Sir, I have now retired behind the Butts and I await the tirade.
Best Regards to you.........MD.
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Very nice cars the W210 E-Class, especially with the six cylinder engine. I especially like the classic Mercedes baroque dashboard and that "invincible" driving feeling. I know they don't have the best reputation among Merc products, but I've seen W210 taxis in Germany with over 600K on the clock.
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A really nice car. Aprilia is dead right - I have a mate with one of these, and corrosion and the gearbox are his biggest problems. If yours clunks from the front end, you'll probably find it's the anti roll bar drop links - cheap to buy from Euro Car Parts and easy to fix.
You could do with finding an independent Merc specialist in Devon - try the forum mentioned in the CBCBD. It's a good gearbox, but as Aprilia says, it needs a little maintenance. Some W210's seem to rust more than others, and with any luck yours won't be one of the bad ones. Watch for bubbles at the front of the wheelarches, on the doors and the lower bodywork generally. If it's lasted until now without this kind of bubbling coming through, you've probably got a good 'un.
But have the gearbox checked out!
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CBCBD????
VBR..........MD.
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CBCBD????
Car By Car Break Down
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dear team,
I cannot find any info on the cambelt change scenario. Is it a belt or a chain?
Over to the experts please.
VBR............MD.
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Chain
Is it safe to assume then that nothing needs doing at all?
Regards Sir
MD
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How many miles has the car done?
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Well my MiL bought an E320Cdi 2000 year a few weeks ago and its lovely and trust that yours is too. I love the ride and smoothness of power delivery.
All the best with it.
--
Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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Should just need regular servicing - either fixed intervals or variable according to the Assyst thingie MB indicator. Read your manual to find out which you've got.
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Should just need regular servicing - either fixed intervals or variable according to the Assyst thingie MB indicator. Read your manual to find out which you've got.
Strange though it may seem I find that the manual doesn't seem to tell too much and yes, I have waded through it. I always have the oil out of any car at 5k intervals and I am taking Aprlias advice and will get the ATF changed. Suppose I ought to do the same for the coolant and the Brake fluid. Is that right.
Goes very well I have to say, but one thing That I have found when driving other Merc's as well is that the throttle pedal travel is soooooooooooo long and of course hinged from the bottom makes for not the most comfortable situation if you want to press on.
I am still looking for a fault and as yet, I can't find it.
Thankfully SWMBO is taken with it too.
Best regards to all..............MD
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You need to change the brake fluid every year or two (MB used to say anually, I think they new say every two years).
You MB will have the 'older style' non-OAT antifreeze. This should be changed every two years. You should ONLY use MB-spec anti-freeze. You can either get it from the dealer or buy FEBI-branded stuff from ECP at a considerable saving. Mix it 50:50 with distilled water.
Also, on these cars, I generally change the power steering fluid every few years. If it looks a nice amber colour then it should be OK, if it looks a bit murky then change it. You must use ONLY the MB-spec stuff from the dealer (not Dexron III, as some people use). The MB fluid is an amber colour and comes in 0.5 litre bottles. You will need at least two bottles. IIRC you car will also have a small filter in the bottom of the power steering reservoir. Hook it out with a piece of wire and replace it (again ECP sell these).
To change the fluid I use the 'turkey baster method' (i.e. using a Wilkinsons 99p turkey baster). Suck out as much fluid as you can, fill with fresh fluid, run engine, suck out again and refill etc etc a couple of times and you will have changed 80%+ of the fluid.
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PS: don't forget to check the condition of the serpentine belt (change at least every five years) and the belt tensioner.
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I doubt that you need worry about the chain(s) until 100k at the earliest, unless Aprilia says different. Even then, if the car has been properly looked after there shouldn't be a problem.
I made the same enquiry of my W124 Coupé at about 50k and my trusty mechanic chuckled and said "150k maybe, but don't fret."
I do hope that your W210 is free of corrosion. As someone else has said, it would surely have manifested itself by now. I'd actually be interested to have you confirm that it is OK, as I could then feed some cheer back into the MB Club, where the lastest depressing news is that the W215 CL Coupé is suffering the same problem as has afflicted the W210 E-Class:
"We were told at the MB Technical Forum [at MB HQ in Milton Keynes] in 2005 by Richard Share that the CL suffers from the IDENTICAL corrosion problems that beset the W210s."
You may like to consider joining the MB Club. I'm not an officer (although I did create and do continue to maintain the links page) and I commend it simply because it is good value, with an excellent online forum and what people say is the best club magazine (monthly) of the lot:
www.mercedes-benzownersclub.co.uk/
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Chain should last a very very long time (poss 200k+) so long as the oil is regularly changed.
Corrosion is a problem, a lot of W210's have had a blow over, so check for any signs (e.g. overspray etc etc).
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What is the latest story on the merc rust issue? At various times I have heard that certain colours are OK, that some factories outputs are OK and that some build dates are OK. Which all leaves lots of confusion.
Is it ALL mercs ?
How long does it take to manifest itself and is there anything that you can do to avoid it ?
Can you hire those paint thickness things to check on evenness of paint or something?
thanks
(Oh and if the mods count this as hijacking - can you make it a new thread)
M
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Huge regards to all and thanks for everything. I guess there will be more and I will surely be back tomorrow, but for now I have to let the roast Beef and Yorkshires rest. They are a little troubled as they are being soaked from above by van rouge. Yes I know it's vin, but you must stay on motoring don't you know.
Goodnight and regards.................MD.
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Chaps,
What are the recommended tyres for the Merc.........Any ideas.
Will report on the body/rust situation soon.
Best regards............Martin.
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Roger Jones,
I have had the beast over the pit and I have to say that there seems little sign of corrosion at all. I can't see overspray either. My mechanic reckons he will waxoyl it in the spring/summer.
I have ordered pirelli P6000's for it. How does £85 + vat grab you. I thought it would be worse. 'w' rated of course.
One thing that my inspecting mechanic did say when he viewed it from his office was, "Did they come with black sills." I went white, as you would. Upon inspection he reckoned that they hadn't been lashed considering the condition underneath of the rest of the car. However, I still wonder, would a car like that have had black sills?
Still love it, but 'er indoors seems to have taken charge. When asked yesterday, "Was she going shopping in MY car," She said, "No, I'm taking the Merc." Taking something I say, but there......Bless 'em.
VBR.........M
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Martin
We had 3 E's in the company (1 1997 and 2 1998) UK cars from a MB dealer both dark blue - but with black sills (240 Avantegardes)
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Martin We had 3 E's in the company (1 1997 and 2 1998) UK cars from a MB dealer both dark blue - but with black sills (240 Avantegardes)
Phew..........Thank you Sir. A little relief at this time of night is most welcome.
Best Regards...........................M.D.
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Front engine cross brace rust badly, under the rubber seals round the doors, the two trailing arms behind the gearbox (most comon TUV rust failure in Germany on E class, body marks look like a spyders web.The most annoying fault if you get it is the clock segmants fail and you have to replace the whole dashboard to repair.They have lost all there carisma in Germany even the taxi drivers are changing to Ford and Toyota due to DB's poor build quality and unreliability.
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