Group,
I just wanted to introduce myself and see if I can get some feedback on my new car. I am active in the New York BMW club and autocross and track my 1 generation M3. I just bought a 1993 300E sedan for a daily driver.

The car I bought is Dark blue with Tan leather, auto with the 3.2 engine. Is there anything that the techs on this list can recommend that I do to/for this motor to insure that I can rack up 200k without major problems. The car was serviced at MB Manhattan, and was garaged.

So here is my question Did I get a good model or should I have opted for a diffrent configuration on engine,year body?

Looking forward to picking all your brains,

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Sold the Benz, sayin' goodbye. Thanks for all the info you guys and girls provided.


www.ownster.com

Aside from choosing an MB diesel which members here can boast 500+K miles, I feel you have made a wise choice for a daily driver. I too, am a proud owner of a 93 300E 3.2L (referred to here as a W124 with the M104 engine.

The W124 is a solid vehicle, balanced in almost every respect, and was probably the largest production volume in MBs history.

This has the advantage of easy availability of parts and information related to this vehicle. We have many W124 owners in this forum, and many of us here can share our experiences.

The M104 has a bulletproof bottom end, so unless you inherited an incredibly poorly-maintained vehicle, you shouldn't have to attend to this area. Same for the tranny, and while there are two schools of thought regarding tranny fluid changes (do or don't), I find that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

The top end is also fairly reliable, but the most documented weak point is the head gasket. If you haven't had that replaced yet, it may need one if you see visble oil leaks, excessive coolant pressure, etc.

If you notice increased oil consumption, valve stem seals may need to be replaced. Visible oil leaks may also be the result of a leaky timing cover gasket. The timing chain is pretty robust, but the chain and tensioner should get replaced for insurance if you wind up opening up the top end for servicing anyway.

Most W124 owners in this forum find that it's best to address all of the above issues at once, so that no attention will be necessary for at least another 100K miles.

As far as ancillary engine components, the coolant pump and radiator (if original) will probably fail on or after 100K miles. If your car has a loud knocking sound during idle, the belt tensioner also needs to be replaced. If the overvoltage protection relay is original, failure of that part will result in hard warm starting and possible false alarms with the dash indicator lights.

There was a service bulletin regarding the main engine wiring harness on these cars...originals were defective, to the point where the heat would erode the insulation, causing adjoining wires to short out...needless to say, numerous performance problems could occur with this. Make sure your this has been taken care of with your car.

Interior parts are of high quality, but the console wood piece will probably have a crack or two on the veneer. It can be fixed ($$$), but some of us chose to just leave it alone. The power window assemblies for the rear will give up the ghost where the track attaches to the cable.

The good news is that parts for this car are pretty cheap. Much of what has been discussed as possible repair items can be done in your own garage with modest tools.

Note that this is a list of most commonly discussed problems, and does not necessarily reflect what will happen during your ownership. If something does call itself to attention however, you have a good idea where to begin.

__________________
2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car