The W210 suffers from the same poor performing main rubber bushing on the lower control arms.

I located a source in California (Duarte, CA) and ordered a polyurethane bushing for my W208 CLK55. According to their website, the bushings are also available for the W210 and W140. www.lpdauto.com

Mine should be arriving soon and will give feedback after install.

I did put Bilstein HD's on my W210, and it helped a lot, but not completely. It is about a 70% improvement.

I've been thinking about putting on a thicker sway bar.

Guy's, I own a 97 E420 and while the steering is a lot lighter, it is very precise. The W210 rides very well, better then any car that I've owned or driven. It does feel like it floats on the road, but I have also had to hustle it around corners and it's pretty well composed.

I also own a 6.9 which was the flagship from 20 years before and it's a hoot to drive. But the E420 pretty much does everything better if not through power, then through gearing.

I drove a CLS500 a short while ago when I helped a Mechanic friend who had to collect a car from a customer. This one had 20 inch rims on it and drove like crap compared to my E420. I can say that my car is better then the CLS but the reality is that it was probably the wheels :)

The fit and finish on Mercedes is excellent, it was 40 years ago and it is today. I have friends who own 97 BMW's with similar mileage and bits are starting to fall off and the scuff. Another friend has 2001 A6 2.7T and you wont believe the crap he's had to deal with.

The A6 feels like a bank vault when you sit it in, but IMO it's not as nice to drive.

Do you really believe it's the lower control arm bushings that are the source of "wallowing"?

I might have to look into this.....

The lower control arm bushings cause a shimmy between 50 and 70 (as if the wheels are out of balance)

Oooh no, that symptom just surfaced on my E430 last week. I'm planning on having the front wheels rebalanced to see if it goes away...

I bought the control arm bushing tool and had a mechanic friend do the work for me. It didnt cost a lot.

If you lived in Atlanta, I could hook you up with the guy who did the work for me. He's pretty cool and easy to work with.

Well, comparing the factory bushings on the 210, 208 and 202 with the 124 and 126 bushings, you'll see exactly where I'm coming from. The newer bushings are what I would describe as "skimpy" with very little support, even on the OE AMG bushings.

I was disappointed. "Mbenzman" and I have been researching this issue and he advised a fix for his BMW customers was to use a urethane bushing. It did not decrease the ride quality, just gave a slightly sharper turn in and eliminated the shimmy. BMW aftermarket stuff is plentiful, unlike us un-loved MB owners (there's very little market for many of these types of things).

So, we went on the hunt. Even to the point of getting some designs sent over to have some polyurethane bushings custom made. Then I tripped across LPD Auto and they have been selling these to W202 owners for the past 2 or 3 years at least. It wasn't until I went to their website that I learned they offer the same for the W140 and W210.

I have ordered a set for my W208 and they have shipped. I anticipate receiving them soon and will provide feedback. I'm placing a lot of hope that this small modification will be the ticket! :)

Duarte is only about 15 minutes from where I live. I just need to hop on the 210 freeway and head west towards Pasadena (you know, where the Rose Bowl is). I wonder if they are just a warehouse or if they allow the public in.

How much did you say these cost you?

How much would a mechanic charge to install this, or rather, how much time would it take?

Maybe your bushings are simply worn?

My 98 E430 feels very tight and responsive. Not as nimble feeling as the W124, but certainly not wallowing or floaty.

Hmm...maybe I need to drive a bit harder...;)

I paid $110 for both sides (2 bushings) including insured shipping. LPD is an auto parts recycler and also sells new parts.

FWIW, I've had a small shimmy at 60 since the car was new....but I'm REALLY picky.

I concur...
 

I picked up a new to me '97 E420 and drove it 70 miles home. It does feel more like every other luxury car. My '94 E320 Sedan and '95 E320 Wagon had better road feel. I like the re-circulating ball much better. The W210 seems larger and I like the climate control much better. I loved the W124 but I couldn't stand the ongoing head gasket leak or the chance of the evap core going so I'm not going there again. I loved my wagon until the evap went. And oh, the W124 seats are much more comfortable than the hard W210 seats.

Roger that.

It's hard to describe, but two things stand out as being different with the W210 seats. They have much less lumbar support, and the backrest is much shorter. The top portion of the backrest is too low and angles inward, pushing my shoulders forward.

However, even better than the W124 are the seats in my wife's Volvo S70. They are by far the most comfortable seats I've ever sat in.

My new (to me) e430 came with the AMG sport suspension installed, by the Mercedes dealer. Sway bar, springs, shocks, etc. The difference in the ride between this car and the previous 1998 E430 I had a couple of months ago is dramatic.

This one sits lower by at least 1.5-2" and it is very stiff. Almost un-Benzlike, if I could use such an adjective. ;) You can see pics of it in the post I made in OD (and my profile).

Downside is that I definitely feel every bump and pothole. The trunk CD player is useless - on a rough road it skips constantly. Not an issue as I use my iPod anyway. I also broke a foglight housing taking a downramp in my parking garage too quickly - previous Benzes cleared the ramp no problem, this one I have to slow down a bit, it's too low.

But in terms of performance, the car is a blast to drive. It corners harder and I really notice the stability at higher speeds. Lane changes, etc. the chassis barely rolls at all.

It's a nice upgrade, but it does change the character of the car significantly. Which is a good thing if you drive like I do. :D

Funny thing - I also have a slight shimmy at around 80-90 Km/h, which is in the range you guys mention. It's slight, but noticeable. I thought it was my tires. Alignment was just done and it tracks perfectly. I'm buying new tires anyway - will see if the shimmy goes away or not.

W210 - any difference among 2000, 2001, 2002 model years ?
 

Greetings. I'm toying with the idea of acquiring the face-lifted W210, M.Y. 2000 - 2002.

Browsing thru MB USA's website, 16-year model review, the only difference I notice is that 2000 has ME 2.0 engine management, vs ME 2.8 for 2001 - 2002. Not sure if that is software / hardware upgrade, and the significance ?

Any other difference besides engine management ?

Not in a hurry to buy, as I still have a resonably good ride, 95 W124 E320 coupe in good conditions :-)

Thanking in advance.

Generaly any W210 after the face lift is a safe bet, they had them pretty well sorted out by 2000. But as one Mercedes dealer I know put it when I asked him which was the best W210 to get; "2002 E320". According to them they have very few problems with the 2001-02 W210's.

Thank you Hatterasguy. My research so far also suggests 2000 - 2002 are all good years, however just curious what differences are there between 2000 and 2001-2002... should one focus on the last 2 years only, or just snap up any one of these 3 model years when the 'right' car comes along.

I don't think their are any major differences. Its just that MB does a ton of little updates to parts, and the later production cars have all the little updates.

MB is famous for continuing updating and changing parts even years after a car stops production.

The only difference I've noticed is that with 2001-2002 E class cars, the center screen in the speedometer cluster contains one more menu that 2000 cars do not have: a digital speedometer that shows your speed in large numbers. Otherwise, all of the different menus are the same: odometer / tripodometer, Radio Station presets, MPG / fuel remaining to empty, Navigation, etc.

I think that E430 is a good car but i like better W140 ;)

Well.......the dream is over.

About 10 days ago I was involved in a very minor traffic accident. I was swerving to avoid a car that was changing lanes into me, and slammed into a curb.

The right front wheel took most of the damage, bending the wheel inward. After the right front wheel hit the curb, the rear wheel then slammed into the curb, damaging that wheel, and causing the side curtain airbag and rear side airbag (in the door) to go off. Surprised the heck out of me.

It took 10 days for AAA to call me and tell me that the damage was about $15,000, and that it was to close to the value of the car, so they are totalling it out. :eek:

I am absolutely beside myself that what appeared to be relatively minor ended up costing $15K.

Buy it back and fix it privately, you could probably save a bunch of cash.

I briefly considered that, but they told me there is probably frame damage, too.

Not worth the risk.

well if you want another one , they are getting pretty cheap and cheerful now. Glad to hear that it did ok and kept you safe.

Sorry to hear about that Paul. Unfortunately, those type of accidents can be a lot worse than they appear up front. My brother hit a curb in our family car several years ago - low speed impact. We figured it would be a minor repair but even after the repair, the frame failed several months later and the car was a write-off.

Think of it as an opportunity to get a nice, newer one, perhaps in a color you really want. As I recall, white wasn't your first choice?

Other benefit is that you are perhaps even better educated in terms of what to look for in a W210 - should make shopping for one easier.

I am still considering buying another W210, and yes white wasn't my first choice, but it grew on me. If I were to buy another one, it would be white or silver.

The reason that I am still leaning against another one is that the seats are not very comfortable. I am 6'1", and the top of the backrest isn't tall enough. It hits me in the middle of the shoulder blades forcing me to slouch forward.

Every time I sit in my wife's Volvo S70, I say to myself, "damn these seats are comfortable".

The seats in a 2002+ Honda Accord are still much more comfortable.

Another issue is the dash cracking. They are all cracking. Mine was starting to crack in several places, and it was always garaged. My mother's '99 E430 dash cracking was horrible. It bothers me that well into the 21st century, Mercedes produced a plastic dash that cracked.

Other than those issues, I loved the car, especially the engine.

At this moment, I'm leaning towards: (in no particular order)

1. Subaru Outback (2001-2004)
2. Honda Accord EX V6 (2002-2004)
3. Volvo S80 2.9 or S80 T6 (2002-2004)
4. Acura RL (2002-2004)

Paul,

Sorry to hear about the accident.

pssssttt.....AMG :D

mmmmmhhhhmmmmm. I'm writing this down. "AMG".

When I saw this, I thought you had already bought a new Benz, Paul.

Jeeez, looking at the date of the first post, I am shocked that I only owned the car a little over 2 years. Feels like 3 -4 years.

And in those two years, I had to change the radiator (leak), the crankshaft balancer (failed during the recall), and the rack and pinion.

Well, as you proceed into two years of Honda Accord ownership, be prepared to change...the oil.

See this post to see my new purchase.

Details are in my signature. :D

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/off-topic-discussion/198077-my-e430-totalled-post1605121.html#post1605121

There are some beautiful new MB's out there, but my wife and I have been driving my '84300CD (123) and her '82 300SD (126) for the past 23 and 25 years because it seems like every time we've gone to look at the next "new" models, we have not seen anything about them that makes them a better choice of what to drive. Yes the newer MB's are quieter, faster and have cup holders, but with every model change since the mid-80's they seem to slip-slid away from the classic - I can recognize it's a Mercedes from a block away - chrome and steel - build it the best you can and then price it accordingly Mercedes.

Nice-looking ride, Paul. Schweeeeeet!

Amen and absolutely correct, James. Knowledgeable mechanics, almost to a person, will tell you that the M119 is a far better engine than the M113 that replaced it.

The M119 and the W124 were the last engine and chassis that MB engineered and then priced, rather than engineering TO a price.

Cheers,
Gerry

I'm back into a W124! I pick it up on Thursday -- a 1995 E300 Diesel. 37.8K mi on the clock.

I got it about $5K less than the current bid price of the enarest comp on eBay.

Feelin' good? yeah!

B

Excellent !!

Way to go, B.

Why, oh why, haven't you posted pics yet of this rare find?

You should be arrested, for that price you stole it.:D

Good luck, we always knew you were not a heathen at heart.

Sweet! .....wanna race? :P

Paul, if I knew how to post hi res pix I'd do it. My camera takes huge photos and dumbing them down to 65K (isn't that the limit?) makes them horribly grainy.

No, I don't have a website.

Back to the car. The owner has Alzheimers and so her daughter had to have her committed. The car has been driven about 1-2 times per month for about a 60 mile interstate round-trip, for about a year. Before that it was church-on-Sunday type driving. The daughter also has a 240D that she has decided to keep and uses it as her daily commuter. The 240 is freaking immaculate and has under 75K, too. Daughter just likes it more than the 300.

The car is white. It has been serviced only at the dealer. It has some door dings and paint chips. The rear bumper has some compression marks where it looks like mom backed more than she should have. Underneath the car is clean and shows no wear or bends, cracks, flexes or breakage. The engine compartment is road dirty but not filthy. Oil is dark and clear, rubbed between fingers is consistently oily -- no grittiness or traction. Smells alnd looks clean as does the transmission fluid. Radiator coolant is a weird color -- maybe dark bluish? I'm used to greenish so I don't know what that stuff is. Wiring appears supple and flexible. I saw no cracking or stress lines.

The car is sluggish in town compared to my E320 gasser (also 95). But it is more spritely than the diesel W126's I've driven. In any case, the slower acceleration at low RPM isn't off-putting to me. It's just a factual difference. Once above 30, the E300 accelerates smoothly to 100 and tracks perfectly -- no pull, no vibrations and no loud noises. If you stomp that sucker at say, 60 and make it kick down it has good acceleration. That surprised me. Cruise works.

Radio works. Tires are nearly new Perelli's (they sure are quiet tires). Lights & horn works. A/C works.

The interior looks brand new, front & back, and smells of nothing.

Now some issues:
The antenna doesn't work. How do you get the trunk liner out of the way to get the antenna out?

The driver's side door doesn't unlock with the key -- I have to unlock using the passenger's door. The key will not rotate the tumblers to the left (unlock) but will lock (rotate to the right). I'll try some Marvel Mystery Oil in the lock and see what happens. Any other ideas?

Both of the clasps that hold the sunvisors close to the windshield are broken. Can I buy them here?

The paint is not bright. Perhaps it just needs a good bath and a thorough waxing. But it looks to me like it is just a dull white.

Yeah, I'm feeling pretty good. It will be my daily driver. I'm defintely going to do the biodiesel thing -- how can I not? I'm a freaking biologist for cryin' out loud!

B

PS I have been reading all of the fuel threads on the diesel board. That is some fascinating, well-informed stuff over there.

PPS I downloaded an organic chemistry podcast. Hopefully it will give me a refresher so that I can get a handle on this biodiesel thing. Mrs B claims I'm entering the manic-focus state that makes her crazy. I'll probably be on "ignore" at home for a couple of weeks.

Bot, email them to me justinwrock@gmail.com, and I will post them.

It's nice to see my thread is still alive and well. :)

I failed to update this thread when I got into a very minor traffice accident with this car, and the insurance company totalled it. This was in August of 2007

I toyed briefly with buying a 2005-ish Honda Accord EX V6, but found an E430 in the color of my dreams, Bordeaux Red, at Beverly Hills Lexus. It was a 2001 model year car with about 77,000 miles. The original owner bought it new at the Mercedes dealer in Santa Monica, and serviced it at that dealership and traded it in on a brand new Lexus at Beverly Hills Lexus.

Beverly Hills Lexus had it originally priced at just over $20K, had marked it down to $18,995, and dropped it to $16,995 when I negotiated over the phone.

When I got there, I discovered it needed motor mounts (badly) and the front brake rotors were badly warped. I negotiated it down to $14.6 and drove it home. I think I got lucky on this one because it had been sitting on the lot for so long that they just wanted to get rid of it. There just isn't much of a market for a used Mercedes in Beverly Hills, I guess.

A little more than two years later, the car now has 99,700 miles on it, and I'm getting ready to change out the 16 spark plugs. :(

At any rate, I am still a very big fan of this chassis, particularly the 4.3 liter V8. It is a powerhouse of a motor, is incredibly quiet and refined, and gets fantastically good fuel economy. I'm getting 21-ish in mixed driving, about 19 in purely city driving, and 26-ish in 100% freeway driving.

The only failure I've had on this car is a radiator replacement due to a leak at the right rear corner of the radiator at the plastic seam. This car has only had factory MB coolant, so I assume this was a manufacturing defect. Interestingly enough, I had the same failure on my 2000 E430.

I also installed in IceLink iPod cable that uses the CD changer port at the back of the head unit, and allows a digital connection of your iPod, allowing you to use the buttons on the head unit as well as the steering wheel when listening to your iPod.

Thanks for the update, Paul. I do like the W210's. My friend with the '97 E420 that I posted on in the C4C thread got it back from Enrique last week, lots of work done, a $3k bill, a bit less then E. had estimated. It's low miles for the year. My friend is ready mentally for a new car now that he's got a car seat to wrestle with - which may mean his car is ready for me. :D I've been a passenger and occasional driver in it since his mom bought it Starmarked 9 or 10 years ago, and it's my favorite color - white with gray interior.

I'm finishing up my annual 2 month summer stint in the 300SD before I get it serviced, stick some Stabil in the tank, and put it in the garage with the batterytender 'til April. I do love that car, and it still gets 27-28 mpg like clockwork [end of non-W210 threadjack].

Btw, I was going through an old computer a couple of weeks ago and found your detailed service cost spreadsheet for your 124. These beasts do nibble you to death over time; I've never done one for the SD, I'm afraid of the results...

Save yourself from the trouble....nothing good can come of it. :D

$3k? What did he have done, that's 50% of the value of the car.

I'll see the car tomorrow and get the details (for that matter, I'll probably drop by Enrique's shop in the morning and ask him as well). I believe my friend said the heads were warped and had to be replaned after a bad gasket, I think there were a few other things.

Your point about cost and value is spot on; that's why my friend was thinking about selling it in a C4C deal and getting a new car. He ultimately decided that this surgery should get the car another 100k miles of life, and so was worth the cost despite the value implications. I might just buy it; it's low miles and in beautiful condition.

Interesting post, thought I'd chime in my opinions

Having previously owning several (6 in all) BMWs, late 80s and early 90s 3 and 5 series, I decided to try a Merc.

My first was a 93 190e 2.6 with close to 200k miles but very well maintained and clean. I did a stereo upgrade and added larger AMG Monoblocks and it drove great.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LUZgHSkN9t0/Sr...ont%20side.JPG
But I missed the higher HP and 5 speed of my past bimmers. So I sold that and had this great 95 5 speed 525i
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LUZgHSkN9t0/Sj...5091755-00.jpgAfter installing a performance chip and putting 20k miles on it I grew bored of having the same car (bad habit) and wanted a different one.
Found a deal on a W202 96 Mercedes C280 Sport
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LUZgHSkN9t0/St...7091601-00.jpg
I was surprised on how quick it was and I like the style since the previous owner had put a trunk spoiler, CLK rims, and a Lorinser exhaust. I thought the interior was a great upgrade to my BMW 525i.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LUZgHSkN9t0/St...6091219-01.jpghttp://lh3.ggpht.com/_LUZgHSkN9t0/Sn...ift%20knob.jpg
I didn't like the big gap and no cup holder option that BMW decided to go with.

I really enjoy the acceleration of the C280 but I wanted more HP and top end

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEXNQCRCPYQ


So I sold the C-Class and got a W124 93 400E
Pictured here with my sisters 2000 E320 4MATIC
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LUZgHSkN9t0/Sy...3091156-01.jpg

I've got say I do enjoy the 275 HP V8 for getting around cars that want to play blocking games or hog up the fast lane on the freeway, but I do think the 4 speed auto is lacking in the response department

To testify in the W210 E320 4MATIC with 722.6 Manumatic transmission behalf, it is an absolute dream to drive in the snow with the proper tires (Michelin MVX I think they're called).
When I had to drive from Nevada to California in the middle of a snow storm it blasted through at 40-50 mph effortlessly while others were crawling around at 10-20 mph speeds

The only problems or week spots I see with the W210 is the faulty LED clock and outside temp displays in the cluster, the "Life Time" no dipstick transmission, and I did have to replace the passenger side front axle seal to the differential because it seeped fluid and it's tricky to install properly.

My 400E, I found they upgraded the front brake rotors from 22.4mm thickness to 25mm in 11/92 (when my car was made) so I have to reorder the larger ones. I missed the coil packs of my 2.8 M104 engine vs the 4.2 M119 cap and rotor design although the 2.8 is just as quick off the line it can't carry you up to 150 mph like the 4.2 M119 can :D

I just purchased the car and refreshed some fluids, new wiper, new head light doors, repaired the head light wipers, new Alpine stereo, and now tackling the brakes. So I'll give it some time before I provide a better opinion. First off I'm disappointed with the wimpy 15" 195/65 wheels, but smaller is better in the snow (no plow effect like with wider tires). I'll leave it until summer time to go to 16 or 17" rims.

I enjoyed reading your post.

I also had a problem with my LED temp display, but they can be fixed. There is a guy in the San Fernando Valley (Southern California) who fixes them while you wait.

If you want your 4.2 liter M119 engine with coil packs, you can buy a 1997 E420. That is a one year only offering in the W210 engine.

You could also buy a 1998-2002 E430, which also have a coil on plug ignition

I ran a 1997 E420 for about 5 years, it gave me very little trouble and was silky smooth. Of all my cars, that was the car I would be most willing to do a long distance trip in.

It also gave back 25mpg on the highway.