update and thoughts on my new 99 e300 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

courtney · #1 06-25-2012, 08:18 PM

so far i am very pleased with the car, i have put maybe 3000 miles on it

took it to the dealer for an oil change last week and they said the motor mounts and trans mounts were completely worn out and some bushings needed replaced

these are not things the indie picked up on in north carolina, so i am not sure what i think on that

they also said it has some minor oil leaks and i do see oil on the bottom of the car so that much is true

either way it goes to my indie shop for an overall inspection on thursday, will be very interested to see what they say about it

the car is a bit floaty and i am going to replace the shocks for starters and go from there

fuel mileage has been a consistent 33mpg with about 50/50 hwy/city

we have several truck stops and safeway stores here that carry a bio diesel blend from 5% to 20% and i have been running only that in it

the only thing that seems to have any issues as far as function is the sunroof switch is not working all the time
i actually would like to replace the entire light console and switch assembly up there anyway if i can find one

Aquaticedge · #2 06-25-2012, 09:07 PM

Email Phillip@peachparts.com he may be able to find you that light assembly and for a reasonable price.

Air&Road · #3 06-26-2012, 07:35 AM

This is the most desirable of the W210 diesels. Work through the issues. Get it in good shape and enjoy!

Best of luck with it.

engatwork · #4 06-26-2012, 07:49 AM

^x2

I agree with the exception of the pricey modules. The ultimate would be one with manual seats, windows, sunroof and a/c with a 5 speed manual transmission.

Jeremy5848 · #5 06-26-2012, 11:00 AM

An experienced wrench can see whether the motor mounts have collapsed or not; perhaps the NC guy wasn't familiar with OM60x engines. These motor mounts are hydraulic -- they last about 100,000 miles, more or less. The rear mount is just a block of rubber; it usually doesn't go bad so I find the dealer's comment strange (but not impossible). How many miles does the '99 have?

My picture shows a new mount alongside a collapsed mount ('96 E300D) with the wristwatch included for scale. This was at 249,000 miles -- no record of previous changes so this was way overdue.

This is a DIY job if you care to do that sort of thing (I am guessing "not" since you took the car to the dealer for the oil change).

Jeremy

Jeremy5848 · #6 06-26-2012, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by engatwork

^x2

I agree with the exception of the pricey modules. The ultimate would be one with manual seats, windows, sunroof and a/c with a 5 speed manual transmission.

How about all of that in a 1996 chassis (much less electronic) with the '98-99 turbo engine? You'd have to rebuild a 1996 IP to handle the greater high-end fuel flow of the turbo but the engine should bolt in with perhaps a little work to fit the intercooler.

Better yet, a 1995 E300D -- same engine in the 124 chassis. With the manual options as above it would have maximum stock diesel performance in an almost non-electronic chassis.

Jeremy

TMAllison · #7 06-26-2012, 11:10 AM

The top most part of the mount in Jeremy's photo measures 17mm when new; at 12 or 13mm they are considered fully collapased.

aaa · #8 06-26-2012, 11:21 AM

The easiest way to test your motor mounts is simply "is the car vibrating". The car should not vibrate at all. If it isn't, then leave the mounts alone. If there's even a little vibration, the change them.

courtney · #9 06-26-2012, 07:18 PM

thanks for all this info and the pics of the mounts, i feel like the car runs very smooth, but it does have 156,000 miles on it

will see what my indie says about it on thur, and what they charge to do it, etc

if it is not too difficult i might try it myself

jcyuhn · #10 06-27-2012, 10:06 AM

I had an early 1998 E300 for 5 years from new. I actually bought the press car out of the MBUSA corporate fleet. I did like the car, but it was a bit of a shop queen unfortunately. I had motor mounts replaced at about 50K miles. Symptom was unpleasant noises when making a sharp turn. The new mounts did smooth out the motor, not that it was bad prior to the change; funny noise excepted.

Your fuel economy is spot on, so it's running properly. The 150K mileage is nothing on this engine.

Jeremy5848 · #11 06-27-2012, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcyuhn

The 150K mileage is nothing on this engine.

I agree. My '96 engine (same as the OP but no turbo) still looked new inside after ~275,000 miles. For those with sharp eyes: the bolt in the intake cam gear was there for a chain-stretch measurement (result: maybe 1 degree of stretch).

Jeremy

courtney · #12 06-29-2012, 06:19 AM

had it at my indie shop today, they thought the motor and trans mounts were fine

they felt the oil leaks were small and not worth chasing at this point

overall they were pretty happy with the car and the shape it is in

but the big bushings on the front lca's are shot

so i am most likely going to do the polyurethane bushings instead of rubber ones again, read a lot of threads with good reports on these

any thoughts before i put this order in?

colincoon · #13 06-29-2012, 07:06 AM

Poly bushings are okay, but in this case I would stick with the OEM bushings. I have poly bushings in my Miata and while they are nice, they are kinda noisy.

courtney · #14 06-29-2012, 01:19 PM

from the many threads i read last nite it seems that for this particular bushing the squeaking is not an issue because of how it is made and where it is in the car

that the squeaks are more of an issue with sway bar bushings etc

does anyone have them in their mercedes w210 and not liked them?

engatwork · #15 06-29-2012, 04:19 PM

I did not realize they were available for the application.

Sway bar bushings should be pretty easy to change out.