I was wondering how many miles/years everyone was getting on their 210 alt./starters.
It's been my experience that sometimes you get a warning, but often not.
So, should I just wait until they stop working or at some point replace them.

Welcome aboard Saber.

Personally I run em till failure. I would rather install a good, used original MB alternator or or starter from a breaker yard or pull a parts than a new one from McParts.

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Jim

The original starter and alternator are easily rebuildable. The starter can be a pain to remove since you have to make a few tools IE a short allen wrench piece... but in honesty once you have done it a couple times, it becomes fairly easy. The starter is super simple to refresh. Out of the 6 I've now redone, only 1 was actually beyond the point of repair, because it was literally burned up inside. I'm talking the guts melted, someone REALLY got on that one... If your starters is acting up take it as the sign to drop it tear it down and clean, lube it. Sandpaper and a good high temp grease are your friend.

What, exactly, are "210 alt./starters?"

I kind of assumed he meant alternators and starters fitted to

Mercedes-Benz W210 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Am I right?

Anyway my answer is to pull them apart before they fail and replace bearings if necessary.

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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!

1999 E300td bearings got bad at 145,000 miles allowing the armature to move back and forth and rub (squeak) the pulley against the body of the alternator. Unfortunately it happened on the other coast from home and due to tight scheduling it became a dealer replacement. $$$$

Starter, touch wood is original and fine.

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1999 Mercedes E300TD daily driver sold at 238K miles 106K miles were mine, rust worm got it :-(
2006 Mercedes CDI new daily driver! 56,000 miles May 2016 now 85,625 Apr 2018 and Apr 2019 101,000 miles Apr 2020 109,875. March 2024 135,250

If your alternator is like many other model years, then replacing its voltage regulator / brush is a quick fix ...if you are noticing "no charge".

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Cheers!
Scott McPhee

1987 300D

Deciding which parts to replace as part of PM is always the tough part of keeping up a used car. The decision is a function of the risk of any particular part failing at your current mileage coupled with where you are when it fails. Around town and close to home you're OK as long as the failure doesn't kill someone. A road trip in (for example) northern Canada is another matter.

The starter on my '96 E300D (W210, OM606NA) started acting up at about 270,000 miles. I bought a Bosch rebuilt on-line and replaced it. Starters usually give some kind of warning before they fail.

As to the alternator, the brushes (part of the regulator) are usually the first part to go. I advise buying a new regulator (about $50) and installing it, then put the old one in a corner of the trunk as a spare. This (a) puts a new regulator and brushes in the alternator, (b) gives you a known good spare to keep in the car, and (c) provides experience in regulator replacement that you can use, even on the road, should the new part fail.

Jeremy

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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

Jeremy--Thanks, Wow nearly 300,000 on your starter, that's reassuring. Mine has
150,000 and is 1999 E300, I'm not sure why that info does not show in the
post.

This is my approach also. The life of them is quite unpredictable and niether of them are particular difficult or time consuming to change.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Unless you are experienced in starter/alternator rebuilding you could easily cause more problems than you prevent.

My $0.02,

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2001 SLK 320 six speed manual
2014 Porsche Cayenne six speed manual

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