The harness costs about $1100 plus the labor to install it.
This harness represents the main nervous system of a car's operation.

Therefore it would seemingly be worth the engineering focus to insure that it operated free of problems. Especially in a luxury car.
Not to mention other expensive parts that may fail irepairabley

The dropping of money may not be a problem to you, but for many, the loss of time and exposure to potentially dangerous situations arising from the sysmptoms of the failed harness are a greater concern.

ho hum.

did you think that the lawsuits against Firestone for faulty tires were of merit???

same difference

__________________
1979 300D 220 K miles
1995 C280 109 K miles
1992 Cadillac Eldorado Touring Coupe 57K miles SOLD
********************
1979 240D 140Kmiles (bought for parents) *SOLD.
SAN FRANCISCO/(*San Diego)
1989 300SE 148 K miles *SOLD

Sure you could pay $1100 but the general premise of our economic system is that you'll try to pay the least, not the most. It can be purchased for about $700, and DIY installation is pretty easy.

post your parts source link. I am sure cost may vary for each model number.....

__________________
1979 300D 220 K miles
1995 C280 109 K miles
1992 Cadillac Eldorado Touring Coupe 57K miles SOLD
********************
1979 240D 140Kmiles (bought for parents) *SOLD.
SAN FRANCISCO/(*San Diego)
1989 300SE 148 K miles *SOLD

No links, it's a dealer part, some dealers are more interested in mail order business and have more aggressive pricing, e.g. Caliber in LA, Park Place in Dallas, Duval in Jacksonville. $700+/- is the high side, the 104 motor sixes, 119 V8s are more like $500.

Your opinion is well taken.

I stick to my opinion also.

Mercedes is choking on their own puke as I write.
The ups and downs of life.

__________________
1979 300D 220 K miles
1995 C280 109 K miles
1992 Cadillac Eldorado Touring Coupe 57K miles SOLD
********************
1979 240D 140Kmiles (bought for parents) *SOLD.
SAN FRANCISCO/(*San Diego)
1989 300SE 148 K miles *SOLD

MUST HAVE DATA:
* VIN#
* YEAR
* MAKE
* MODEL

Call or e-mail Lee if you need a new harness.
1-888-333-4642
Lee@peachparts.com
9AM-6PM ET


I get a steady stream of questions on this wire harness issue.

Q: My car does not have any issues "yet", can I add an aftermarket radio, alarm, remote start, etc.
A: Note: the harnesses need to be inspected BEFORE installation.
Yes, however it must be done by someone with knowledge of the wire issue, and serious electrical/technical knowledge of this vehicle.

Q: Can I install this new harness DIY ?
A: Yes, take your time, don't rush, use a camera to document connector locations BEFORE removing the old harness.

Q: can I just tape up the damaged wires ?
A: NO, the total harness would need to be removed, split open, insulated one wire at a time, re-wrapped in the exact original shape/contours to fit the engine routing = extreme effort/time involved. Danger/Liability, the attempted repair generally fails catastrophically = causes fire, cooks other harnesses, fry the ECM/BCM, etc.

Q: Is there any way to fix this ?
A: Two ways:
* Replace with a NEW harness.
* Rewire the old harness = remove and replace all the wires one at a time (has been done by a few members), Warning; any mistake in rewiring the old harness can causes fire, cook other harnesses, fry the ECM/BCM, etc.



Due to the huge volume of data, you need to read much of this thread, and the related links found in it, before making a decision.

More information on the Mercedes Wire Harness Defect can be found in http://www.MercedesDefects.com

This very dangerous defect is a result of poor engineering and intentional negligence on the part of Mercedes-Benz. There are several attorneys looking into a class action. The age of the vehicles is not a factor as far as safety defects. Unfortunately, the NHTSA is a politicaly-controlled agency, indirectly depending on political campaign financing from... Auto makers like Mercedes ...

As far was the S-Class goes (aka W140s) I have been told that this only was an issue on the 1992-1994 models and the harness changed for the 1995 model year.... did it?

Data is clear that the issue is 1991 - 1996.

Thanks. I want to be clear- when they say 1991, are they referring to the W140s that came out in mid-late 1991 (which were sold as 1992s), or does this even affect the late 1990-early 1991 W126 models as well?

I was originally wanting to know what the last year was that the W140 was affected because I was looking at a 96 W140, but now I just want to be sure the 1991 W126 I am probably going to buy does not have this dreadful wiring.

The correct info is 1992 -96 on engine wiring harness issues.

Many W140 door & mirror harnesses were also affected thru 1997

__________________
MERCEDES Benz Master Guild Technician (6 TIMES)
ASE Master Technician
Mercedes Benz Star Technician (2 times)
44 years foreign automotive repair
27 Years M.B. Shop foreman (dealer)
MB technical information Specialist (15 years)
190E 2.3 16V ITS SCCA race car (sold)
1986 190E 2.3 16V 2.5 (sold)
Retired Moderator

Thanks Doc! Good to hear that the 91' W126 does not have the dreaded wires.

I just got the news, the wiring harness on my 93/3.2 /300E is disintegrating. The injectors were not firing,mech was ready to replace injector. they had already replaced plugs & plug wires. Everything they touch falls apart. they tried to replace wire but can not find any good wire to connect to. I told them about this site (Christian Brothers Auto ) My question is the car has 160000 miles if the harness is 1000.00 will that for sure fix it ? Do I just wait for some other wire to disintegrate ? Is it worth fixing ? Do I junk it? I thought Mercedes built cars to last, seems they built these to self destruct!!!!!

Your situation sounds very systematic of a problem related to the wiring harness. I'd even venture to guess that the head gasket was replaced some time ago. The head gasket job is very traumatic to the brittle wiring harness.

You won't be wasting your money to replace the wiring harness. In fact, some mechanics refuse to work on a problem such as yours unless the wiring is replaced. Go ahead and replace the wiring, then continue on the injector problem. It's a good bet that the injector problem will go away with new wiring.

I share your sentiment with MB vehicles. Not a year goes by where I don't have to repair or replace some major electrical function on the car... and I only put 5K on this car every year! Once I've finished my term with this vehicle, I'll be looking for something else. I've never had such problems with any American make.

__________________
95 E320 Cabriolet, 169K

I have added my complaint to the nhtsa. Hope they open thier eyes!