Quote:
Originally posted by turnne1
Why is there never anyone that says "yes I have owned one and replaced my engine"...rather than a bunch of here say.
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Wait a minute. Warren, don't you fall into that category? I thought your engine was replaced when the car was relatively young. Also, if I remember correctly, our moderator JimSmith had a 350 that had an engine replacement.
I've never owned one, but will contribute what I can from reading this forum for 5 years and other Mercedes related literature for even longer. All of the original engines were suspect, so you can't look for a particular year, say the very last ones, and be assured that the engine won't blow. However, cars with replacement engines can generally be assumed to be fine.
You guys with the 350s keep telling us how good they are, so it stands to reason that a good one goine up for sale would be VERY RARE! You can pretty much assume that when is offered for sale that there is something seriously wrong with it. Combine that with their
known problem of weak rods (Mercedes doesn't update parts multiple times just because they feel like it), and you can see why we caution people against them.
If somebody comes on this board asking for information about a 350 because they're about to buy one, then it would be totally irresponsible of us to simply say "They're great cars, buy one." Rather, this board is all about sharing information and supporting our "diesel community," so we advise people to do their homework. I wouldn't tell someone
not to buy one either. Simply do some research so you know what you're getting into.
Finally, regarding the W140, you guys cannot deny that the early years had significant problems. Mercedes-Benz
lost a class action lawsuit regarding their front suspensions. And they're also well known to blow evaporators that cost
thousands of dollars to replace. Great cars though they may be, they're not a purchase to be made lightly.