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1995 E300 - Update (Batmobile)
I have now had this car a little over a month (bought here on the forum from Tyler) and want to give you my impressions (good and bad) as well as what has been done as a new owner.
First, I am pretty anal about my cars. I set high standards for the cars, spend some $$ getting them there, and then find that good maintenance keeps them there. Here were my first impressions: 1) Car looks great. Body and interior are very, very good for the age. 2) Engine/transmission are strong. Car is quicker than I expected, and quicker than my old '93 300d. 3) All controls work as they should. good AC! Car was worth the price for these two, alone. However, my driving impressions were as follows: 1) Steering had a lot of play 2) Engine was very loud, especially at idle 3) Car "wandered" all over the road at any speed over 50, and didn't feel "right" like my '93 did. I took it over to my trusted indie (71 year old german mechanic that is a legend in these parts) and asked him to go over it and tell me what it needs. Here is what he recommended: 1) Most of the noise is coming from the belt tensioner. He recommended replacement. 2) The steering feel and play was due to one bad tie rod end, and also recommended new steering damper. 3) Rear shocks were bad ( I suspected as well). Front shocks acceptable. 4) Alignment way out - all four wheels. Needs to be done anyway with tie rod end. 5) Replace the cabin filter (when he later showed me these they were black. He thought they were original). We went ahead and took car of all five. Results were dramatic. Car now tracks straight and true, and the road feel through the steering wheel is very good. The engine noise is greatly reduced, but not as much as I would like, and is still quite a bit louder than my '93 at highway speeds. I noticed that the undercarriage cover is missing - would a new one reduce the interior noise appreciably? Can anyone else suggest why this car would be louder than my '93? Anyway, I am pleased with the car - I always expect to put some money in them when I first get them to get 'em where I want 'em. I just drove it a few hundred miles over the weekend, and with gas and diesel here at roughly the same price and so high, it beats hell out of my SEC for expenses. It is just what I was looking for and plan to keep it a long time. Will update as time goes on! John
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John Gillespie 1988 560sec - 192k miles 2006 CLK500 - 40K miles 1995 E300 - 202k miles |
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Can you post a pic of what the exh system looks like underneath? I'm wondering if it is original?
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Jim |
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panels
Sound encapsulation panels in place won't make a big difference in the amount of noise, however they do keep the engine compartment pretty clean.
What is the condition and age of the tires? They could be making the noise. Also, two years ago, I replaced my trans mounts. It was howling inside the cabin. Now its quiet(er).
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2009 E320 Bluetec 117,000 1995 E300D 306,000 Sold 1996 Ford Taurus LX 130,000 Sold 1985 300TD Still 225,000 Sold 2016 Ford Fusion 24,900 |
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Did your 93 have a turbo? I'm assuming it did. Turbos muffle quite a bit of sound.
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It is nice to read a follow up thread like this - thanks for posting.
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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver 1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone 1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy! 1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits! |
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Sounds like she's all sorted. I know I mentioned you the suspension/shocks being original but still solid and very usable. I only heard a few other 606 for comparison for the noise level, and it sounded the same to me. I thought it was just the resonance of that crossover pipe.
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1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k 1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k 1980 240D Stick China 188k 2001 CLK55 AMG 101k 2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!! |
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Those rear shocks were tired a couple of years ago, so no surprise there. They worked OK and never bottomed, but they were a bit soft.
I never ever got the feel of wandering in that car. Surprised about that. The engine cover was there. Tranny cover wasn't when I got it. Engine tensioner eh? Won't be the last..... Isn't that interior ridiculous!! So those have cabin filters???? Enjoy that thing. Glad it found a great home! It is worthy....... Oh, and I absolutely loved the exhaust sound that that car had. Loved it!!
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Jimmy L. '05 Acura TL 6MT 2001 ML430 My Spare Gone: '95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black '85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White '80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed '81 300TD 240K "Smash" '80 240D 230K "The Squash" '81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John |
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I think the belly pans make a great deal of difference, esp outside the car. I plan on junkyard finding some for mine ( out of my 97 which is at the salvage yard!).
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I'm not sure what you mean. Outside?
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2009 E320 Bluetec 117,000 1995 E300D 306,000 Sold 1996 Ford Taurus LX 130,000 Sold 1985 300TD Still 225,000 Sold 2016 Ford Fusion 24,900 |
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Hopefully we won't find this one listed for sale for $12,000 here in a few weeks like poor Ol' Turbo.
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1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k 1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k 1980 240D Stick China 188k 2001 CLK55 AMG 101k 2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!! |
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It doesn't really matter what they are "listed" for. Both of those together would be lucky to fetch $12,000......
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Jimmy L. '05 Acura TL 6MT 2001 ML430 My Spare Gone: '95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black '85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White '80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed '81 300TD 240K "Smash" '80 240D 230K "The Squash" '81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John |
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