Would appreciate any sage advice offered. I would like to drain, flush and replace the antifreeze/coolant in my '96 E320. I've always had MB dealer do this for me ... but now that I am retired I would like to tackle some of the easier preventive maitenance jobs myself, i.e., oil/filter changes, air filter changes, spark plugs and the like.

Can anyone provide a step-by-step procedure for draining the coolant, flushing and replacing same? I am a novice, so I need location of drain plugs and how to flush the system -- real basic stuff. Also, can you suggest how what kind and how much antifreeze I should add and whether there is any anti-corrosive additive that I ought to be adding? The car has nearly 52,000 miles on it. The last time the coolant was changed was about 2 years ago -- when I look in the pressurized overflow tank, the antifreze looks "spent" to me and there seems to be gunk in the little plastic tank. MB recommends a three year cycle, but I think the antifreeze is ready for change. The hoses look fine, i.e, no cracks or leaks, and they feel firm, but pliable. The hoses have never been changed -- should I change them when I do the coolant replacement? Thanks for any help.