anyone have a '98 E320...???? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

vwbuge · #1 10-17-2005, 07:05 AM

I posted this over at the crappy site in the W210 specific forum. It was viewed over 25 times without a response. Go figure. I hate to post it here but I thought one of you might know a little about this car.

For sale locally. 103,000 miles. Looks like it was dealer maintained up until about 40,000 miles.

What are the problem areas on these cars? What should I look for and what should I expect to replace down the road ($$)?

What should I expect to pay?

103,000 miles
road nicked front end
chrome wheels
decent interior

Haven't had a chance to test drive yet.

Charlie_M · #2 10-17-2005, 09:46 AM

Isn't the e320 a gasser? I wouldn't know about those, but I've been keeping my eyes open for a nice E300 (98 or 99). Looks like you'd pay about 16k for one of those in good shape with <150k miles. That's in our market here (San Jose, CA). THe thing is that there aren't many around. THere's a guy with one in San Jose and he wants 19k for it - and seems to be uninterested in moving on the price. Might be worth it I don't know.... just more that I'd pay.

vahe · #3 10-17-2005, 12:28 PM

I have a 97 E320, 97's have in line six, 98's have V6, the big problem with the V6 is the harmonic balancer, you must change the HB on these cars before they pop lose and mess up every thing at the front of the motor.
Are the front spring perches original on this car? you need to worry if the car has been driven in the great rust belt.
Is A/C original? If it is original you are in for a big one, their evaporators are a ***** to get to and cost over a grand to replace.
Has the transmission been serviced lately, they come with a sealed unit, good for the life of the car, the life means 100K, be advised that these transmissions have an unusually high failure rate.
Front wheel bearing on these cars do go bad and freeze, have they been repacked lately?
Lots of cheap quality electronics, expensive to replace.
Very expensive car to maintain and repair, but then it is a Mercede$.

Other than these few minor items they are fine automobiles.

Vahe
240D 77/350K
E320 97/66K wifes car

vwbuge · #4 10-17-2005, 12:28 PM

Yes it is a gasser. I would rather have a '92/'93 400E. They want $10k for this one. Seems like a really good price but it is not the car I want.

Nabeel · #5 10-17-2005, 01:03 PM

That is indeed a good price for the car. The M112 V6 has the harmonic balancer issue, but other than that is a very reliable engine. They are nice, torquey, and deliver fantastic fuel economy as well. '98 was the second year for the 722.6 5-speed automatic. The later the build date, the better your chances of having one with its issues sorted out. Personally, I would not worry about the tranny too much on a '98. It was the '97s that had the vast majority of the problems. '98 was the first year of the electronic key, which is a nice security touch and has a far better remote entry system than the earlier mechanical keys.

The A/C on these cars isn't nearly as bad a problem as they are on the W124 cars. The rate of failure is very low, and in any case it is an easier job than on the W124 cars. Do look out for the spring perch issue though, especially if the car has been in snowy climates earlier in its life.

Overall, I would say that among the gassers, the W210 and W202 are probably the most reliable used Mercedes cars. If the car is in good shape, this seems like a solid buy. Our '96 E320 and '99 E430 have been extremely reliable so far (about 86K miles on the E320, 78K on the E430).

diametricalbenz · #6 10-17-2005, 01:14 PM

My Dad drives a 98' E320 that we procured from my uncle. It has 109K or so on it and it's running great. There haven't been any transmission or AC problems. It's a CA car so the spring perches are fine. The radio does go haywire from time to time and has intermittent volume control. The car just went in for the harmonic balancer recall so it should be good to go. Other than that it's comfy and gets great fuel economy on the freeway.

vwbuge · #7 10-17-2005, 02:24 PM

So if this car hasn't had the MB recall work it sould be done? Will MB do it free of charge?

pawoSD · #8 10-17-2005, 02:33 PM

Wow a 400E, I wouldn't mind one of those either....though I'd probably prefer an 80's SL of the 560 variety.

Or an early 90's 600SEL or 600SL....now THAT would be some fun. (on sundays)

diametricalbenz · #9 10-17-2005, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vwbuge

So if this car hasn't had the MB recall work it sould be done? Will MB do it free of charge?

My dad called into the dealer with the VIN number and they ran it through the system and said it was OK for the recall so they set up a service appointment and took care of it free of charge.

Hatterasguy · #10 10-17-2005, 07:27 PM

MB has a recall for the harmonic balancer so that is really not a problem anymore.

I'd have a PPI done, the lack of records would concern me.

That is an M112 V6 they are a great engine. Just remember at 100k miles its spark plug time. Their are 12 plugs in that engine.

The trans is also due for a change if it hasn't been done already.

Other then that they are a pretty basic car. I am amazed at how easy it is to work on W210's. For example compared to my W126 taking out the center console is a walk in the park. Whoever built that car spent time working on the older ones.

Graham · #11 10-17-2005, 08:28 PM

vahe,

Do you have shop repair experience with these cars or are you just an owner like me?

Quote:

Originally Posted by vahe

the big problem with the V6 is the harmonic balancer, you must change the HB on these cars before they pop lose and mess up every thing at the front of the motor.

Our'98 E320 has done about 59k miles. A few problems, mostly fixed under warranty or recall.

The harmonic balancer was not a BIG problem - It is covered by a recall only applies to some cars that happened to get a defective balancer. See this thread:

Quote:

Are the front spring perches original on this car? you need to worry if the car has been driven in the great rust belt.

Some cars developed rust in seams - Repair is covered by recall. There was another corrosion recall for other seams under car. I also had some surface rust in door seal channels and on trunk lid - MB repaired them for me at no cost out of warranty (and I am not original owner!)

Quote:

Is A/C original? If it is original you are in for a big one, their evaporators are a ***** to get to and cost over a grand to replace.

Most MB A/C's seem to last for about 12 or 13 years - then they cost the same to fix as many other cars, but if evaporator or condensers need replacing then cost is high. Have thse cars been around long enough to have a history of evaporator replacements?

Quote:

Has the transmission been serviced lately, they come with a sealed unit, good for the life of the car, the life means 100K, be advised that these transmissions have an unusually high failure rate.

How IS transmission serviced, if it is sealed? Do you have information that i could link to that confirms that transmission failure rate is high? I would like to know!

Quote:

Front wheel bearing on these cars do go bad and freeze, have they been repacked lately?

What is it about the wheel bearings on this specific car that would cause them to fail? Again, do you have information that I could link to to read about this?

Quote:

Lots of cheap quality electronics, expensive to replace.
Very expensive car to maintain and repair, but then it is a Mercede$.

What electronics are you referring to - Instruments, radio?? I have had no problems with these items.

The electronic part that I HAVE had a problem with, is the MAF ( Mass Air Flowmeter). These are hot film flowmeters made by Bosch and are troublesome. All that really happens, is that dirt that gets through the air filter deposits on the hot film. The computer adapts to the changing values, but eventually they get out of range and you get the dreaded Check Engine light - I cleaned mine and got 6 months out of it. I then bought a new one for several hundreds of $$ and it has been in for a year.

Quote:

Other than these few minor items they are fine automobiles.

The only expense I have had other than services (just 4 since new with FSS!) has been the MAS replacement which is an easy DIY job.

Our '98 E320 is a fine automobile and a pleasure to drive. ( but I was happier when it was under warranty). I don't think that the W210 is much different in quality or reliability than any other MB's built in the last 10 years.

They are a heck of a buy on the used market - Our car at 57k miles, would sell for about the price of a new compact Kia! Which one would you prefer??

Hatterasguy · #12 10-17-2005, 10:11 PM

Graham the trans has been well documented on this forum. The "filled for life" fluid has been documented to get really dirty as the mileage goes up. If you plan on keeping the car changing the fluid is cheap ($200) insurance. Your local MB dealer can do it, MB fluid must be used. The fluid is changed like any other trans the pan is drained and then dropped to change the filter. The tc does have a drain plug. Since their is no dipstick the MB dealer has a probe that measures the fluid level. I guess it is very temp sensitive and the level must be checked with the fluid at the right temp.

Some W210's have the evaps fail, my friends E300D is one of them. $1,500 seems to be the going rate to change them. However this problem is much more rare then say evap failures in W140's.

All MB's have crappy climate control systems and the W210's break climate control parts just as much as any MB.

I have never heard of any MB having wheel bearing problems. They probably should be checked and maybe repacked every 100k or so though. Although most people never check them.

vahe · #13 10-17-2005, 11:12 PM

Graham,

I am an owner and do very little work on my E320, I do lot of work on my 240D.
Some of your questions:
Regarding A/C, ours needed a new compressor at about 60K, we also have a Honda in our family that one needed A/C compressor at about 120K.
Regarding transmission service, someone posted a good recommendation.
Regarding wheel bearings, had no problems but a mechanic I know told me about the problem and suggested re-packing frequently.
Regarding cheap electronics: Had to replace both xenon headlight electronics under warranty, $1000 each.
had to replace one of the tail light assemblies, complete, for bad computer connection.
Had to replace the rear view mirror, tried to adjust, it broke, about $450.
Had to replace the upper engine seals at 40K miles, leaking oil.
Had to replace the transmission seals, they were leaking @ 59K miles.
After a recent oil change the oil level waning light is on, the mechanic tells me that the oil level indicator is stuck in empty position, another one of those cheap parts.

Aside from that the car is in mint condition, my wife never drives it on freeways.

Vahe

Graham · #14 10-17-2005, 11:51 PM

Thanks vahe and Hatteras for the W210ninfo. I guess it's stime to get back to diesels

I too have worked a lot on our W123 '85 300D. I like it's simplicity. I have owned it for 15 of it's 20 years and it has not been without it's fair share of problems! Same goes for our '72 SL!

I have done some work on the W210 - Troubleshooting the Check Engine light to determine problem was MAF and a brake job (easier job than on W123.)

Owning a new MB (or any modern car) is a bit scary - so many things to go wrong and many are expensive to fix. If I could afford it, I think I would lease or buy so as to maintain full warranty for 4 + 3 year extended.

vwbuge · #15 10-18-2005, 12:21 AM

So, in short what would I be better of with?

W140 (400e)
W210 (e430)