Trolling Craigslist, found this:

1998 mercedes turbo diesel, parts car,

So thought I'd call just out of curiosity. Car has 220k, all mechanicals are good, interior and exterior are fine. Owner got in the car one day and it just wouldn't go. I'm forgetting some of this details, but this began an odyssey of trying to figure out what's wrong with the car's electronics/computers. He's spent months and months investigating, has had various indie mechanics with MB experience look at it, and has come to the conclusion that the only recourse is to take it to the dealer and have MB start replacing and reprogramming various modules....to the tune of thousands of dollars. So he's done with it.

Now, maybe he and his coterie of mechanics aren't the best diagnosticians. Still, it's a little sobering that the electronics could go out like that and resist diagnosis and repair to that extent.

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14 E250 Bluetec "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 153k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 171k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver, 142k mi, wastegate conversion

19 Honda CR-V EX 61k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife

Not really a very compelling indictment of computers without more information about the technical abilities of the people doing the diagnosis.

I will agree that it's very difficult to do any meaningful troubleshooting on these newer cars without access to a Star Diagnosis machine or a clone version available on e-bay.

If you do have access to such a tool its quite eye-opening to see what can be diagnosed without even picking up a wrench.

As a quick aside why would someone buy a car that didn't come with a title? How in the world could you deal with the issue that it may be stolen?

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98 Dodge-Cummins pickup (123k)
13 GLK250 (135k)
06 E320CDI (323K)
16 C300 (62K)
82 300GD Gelaendewagen (54K)

Its from 1,500 miles away and he doesn't have a title, that's not a red flag or anything.

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68 280SL - 70 280SL - 70 300SEL 3.5 - 72 350SL - 72 280SEL 4.5 - 72 220 - 72 220D - 73 450SL - 84 230GE - 87 200TD - 90 190E 2.0 - 03 G500

Nissan GTR - Nissan Skyline GTS25T - Toyota GTFour - Rover Mini - Toyota Land Cruiser HJ60 - Cadillac Eldorado - BMW E30 - BMW 135i

In RI cars 10 years and older don't have titles....assume some other states as well.

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14 E250 Bluetec "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 153k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 171k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver, 142k mi, wastegate conversion

19 Honda CR-V EX 61k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife

I didn't catch that part..... just drove it up from Florida? and no title? I wonder if he was in a high speed pursuit up I95 Well, maybe a medium speed pursuit?

If I was looking for a cheap W210 maybe I'd take a shot at the $1k level but without a title? No way, again how does someone get into circumstances where they posses a car but they don't have access to the title?

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98 Dodge-Cummins pickup (123k)
13 GLK250 (135k)
06 E320CDI (323K)
16 C300 (62K)
82 300GD Gelaendewagen (54K)

If the K40 relay faults, no codes will get set. Makes one wonder if any of the guys mechanics have ever heard of that relay.....

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Terry Allison
N. Calif. & Boca Chica, Panama

09' E320 Bluetec 77k (USA)
09' Hyundai Santa Fe Diesel 48k (S.A.)

Auto electric can develop really difficult problems to sort out sometimes. Something as simple as taking or giving someone a boost can unleash a nighmare.

Does not happen often but the potential is always there.

Again, no details about what's been done to try to correct the problem, no details on the symptoms makes it impossible to diagnose. Do you have access to the car's wiring diagrams? Have you gone through the OBD2 port yet? Have you looked at any trouble codes or sensor data from the CCU?

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CENSORED due to not family friendly words

I owned a w210 from new. Among the most troublesome cars I've ever owned. HVAC reliably blew cold from November through March, hot from April through October. Replaced lots of electronic stuff, mechanicals, and it rusted like an old tin can. Fortunately, I took the extended warranty from, so the dealer gave it lots of love. It did look great, high above the traffic on a flatbed. It's a generation that you should skip.

Florida is not one of those states.

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68 280SL - 70 280SL - 70 300SEL 3.5 - 72 350SL - 72 280SEL 4.5 - 72 220 - 72 220D - 73 450SL - 84 230GE - 87 200TD - 90 190E 2.0 - 03 G500

Nissan GTR - Nissan Skyline GTS25T - Toyota GTFour - Rover Mini - Toyota Land Cruiser HJ60 - Cadillac Eldorado - BMW E30 - BMW 135i

Got some clarity....guy bought it from auction two years ago. Says "it has always had electrical issues." Can you say FLOOD?

Needless to say, this car's unhappy fate no longer concerns me as an indicator of W210 electrical woes.

As to the title, apparently he's in some sort of legal dispute with the lien holder. (Who knew...I guess people that buy cars at auction sometimes have loans).

Worth somebody pursuing as a parts car...but not I.

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14 E250 Bluetec "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 153k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 171k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver, 142k mi, wastegate conversion

19 Honda CR-V EX 61k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife

Interesting to see the wide variety of W210 experiences people have. While everyone acknowledges the rust issues, lots of long-term owners have no other complaints. I'm only 7k miles into mine....so we'll see.

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14 E250 Bluetec "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 153k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 171k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver, 142k mi, wastegate conversion

19 Honda CR-V EX 61k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife

Yeah. Which means it can be repossessed from the future new owner, despite that oh-so-helpful bill of sale...

Steering clear is a good idea, unless it's strictly being parted, never driven again.

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1979 300D 040 Black on Black - 1985 300D Maaco job (sadly sprayed over 199 Black Pearl Metallic) on Palamino

http://i.imgur.com/LslW733.jpg

The Baja Arizona Oil Burners Send a message if you'd like to join the fun
Left to Right - UberWasser, Iridium, Stuttgart-->Seattle,, mannys9130

Visit the W123 page on iFixit for over 70 helpful DIY guides!

The rust problem is manageable if you periodically go over the whole car and fix every stone chip. This includes the underside, suspension hard points, inside fenders and bumpers, water drains at the bottom of the doors and areas underneath the door and trunk seals. Even California cars are susceptible. I wouldn't own a 210 one of these cars if I lived in an area where they use road salt.
Picked up a 1997 E300

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CENSORED due to not family friendly words

Back to the original point, assuming its not a flood car

Bad K40 relay
CAN bus shorted or disconnected

Remember all the power train controls talk over the engine CAN bus.
There is a second CAN bus for the body systems.
They meet at the instrument cluster.

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The OM 642/722.9 powered family
Still going strong
2014 ML350 Bluetec (wife's DD)
2013 E350 Bluetec (my DD)

both my kids cars went to junkyard in 2023
2008 ML320 CDI (Older son’s DD) fatal transmission failure, water soaked/fried rear SAM, numerous other issues, just too far gone to save (165k miles)
2008 E320 Bluetec (Younger son's DD) injector failed open and diluted oil with diesel, spun main bearings (240k miles)

1998 E300DT sold to TimFreeh
1987 300TD sold to vstech