I am really happy to hear about the kick-down switch short / close...but still hesitant. They way I understood it, it will only work when you floor it, of course, and it immediately changes gears given low enough RPM's. Are there really no side-effects? Or am I to understand shorting this button out is like having the trans permanently in "sport" mode, a feature my car does not have?
As to finding a low-mileage 124, possibly one with "average" miles is better. A 124 with over 100k miles will have had the headgasket and / or wiring harness jobs done, and if well kept, will run smoothly forever. I bought mine with 30k miles on it almost 2 years ago, but you get slammed with head gasket, ($$$) brakes, window reg, etc. Wiring harness appears ok.

Finally: Brakes! I replaced the front pads only at 40k miles. Car now has 71k miles on it. The front pads are shot again, wear sensor on, and I checked--they're junk. These are OEM pads I got from Mercedes, $70. Do they really only last 30k miles? Brakes are very smooth, silent, and work great. No ABS issues. I'm doing a complete job this time, rotors front, pads front & rear, all MB parts.

4-Matic or not? My E320 is helpless in deeper snow, even with a more aggressive tire on it. Because of the low ground clearance of Mercedes AWD cars and wagons, i would think their usefulness in very deep snow is quite limited. Someone with a Volvo S60 AWD said it was useless in snow over 7" deep. We park the Benz and use the Range Rovers.

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2002 Mercedes-Benz E320 4Matic
1995 Mercedes-Benz E320 Wagon
2005 Land Rover LR3 V8 SE
1999 Audi A8 4.2L quattro

Actually 30k miles is really good from a set of MB pads. MB uses very soft pads to give you a nice bite and quite stopping. Textar is MB actually and you can probably get them cheaper online.


I will be happy if I get 20k-25k out of mine and I know of people who only get 10k-15k.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

...like ME! 15-17K tops. I think frequency of rotor replacement has much to do with the mileage on the pads.

My W124 just got on the dark side of 150K and still no headgasket issues. Evap replacement, yes! Other usual W124 anomalies have come and gone, but overall, it holds up well under daily use.

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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

Well, I've owned the car for over a month now, and I've put some miles on it in the week since I started this thread.

My opinion of the car has changed a bit. This is partly because I've driven the car much more, but also because my mother bought a brand new 2005 Lexus ES330, and I was able to drive it back-to-back with my E430.

I carefully reviewed my first post, and would like to amend with the following thoughts:

Perhaps I over emphasized the Lexus-ification of the car. The Lexus was quiet, and had good road noise isolation, but I was completely underwhelmed with the car. Frankly, the E430 is equal to if not better than the ES300 in every regard. It was as quiet, and while it was a draw as to which had better road noise isolation, but the Lexus did so at the expense of driver's feel. I believe the Stuttgart engineers hit the nail on the head. I still stand by my statement that a bit of "Mercedes-ness" was engineered out of the car when compared to the W124 car, it still feels like a Mercedes when compared to the Lexus. It frankly makes the Lexus' driving characteristics feel like that of Buick's Dynaride.

I still feel that the E430 is way over damped. I stated that my car wallowed like a whale. Let me be more creative. The ride on the E430 is like a bobblehead doll, that keeps moving up and down, and side to side after it has been shaken. I just can't take it anymore. Starting from today, I am going to investigate different suspension setups: springs, shocks / struts, and swaybar combinations to fix the deplorable ride.

Further, the fit and finish and quality of materials on my 2000 E430 is every bit as nice as my mother's 2005 ES330.

Last, at full throttle, the Lexus V6 made a gargling sound like a garbage disposal. And was sluggish. I can't believe that the engineers of this car paid so little attention to engine noise, harshness and vibration.

My V8 purrs like a kitten, with a sweet swiss-watch-like mechanical symphony.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

IMHO, the best compromise is the E55 AMG suspension, or the "SPORT" suspension. If you can ride in an E55 AMG, or a W210 "Sport" so much the better.

Start with the E55 AMG shocks first, then move to the swaybars, and then the springs. Live with each little mod for at least 2-weeks, also do things as a complete set (e.g., ALL shocks; front AND rear swaybar; ALL springs).

You can also do the E55 AMG bushings, but that will really INCREASE the road feel.

:-) neil

Is the E55 AMG suspension different than that of a W210 Sport suspension?

Can the above shocks be used with standard springs?

I ask this because sportline shocks on a W124 must be used with sportline springs.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

Hi Paul,

Excellent summary, thank you for closing the loop on this thread. I would be very curious how/if your Lexus opinion might change after driving a GS430 though :-) I still plan to push my 124 to the limit, but the GS430 AWD continues to skirt the horizon for me...

-DM

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1995 E420 SE black/black
2004 Volvo V70R AWD

Yes the AMG suspension is more aggressive than the SPORT suspension.

My understanding is that the E55 AMG shocks will work with the stock springs, since there is no limiting spring in the shocks and the stroke is virtually the same.

Of course the perfect match is the AMG shocks with the AMG springs, but IMHO, it is OK to have a 20-30% stiffer shock vs. springs, but not the other way around (otherwise, the springs never get really dampened).

:-) neil

Hey, thanks for the info.

To tell you the truth, I was a passenger in a CLK55 AMG once, and I thought the suspension was a little harsh for my taste.

I wonder if the Sport suspension is a better fit for me.

Do you know if the the sport springs are different than the original springs?

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

CLK is a very different chassis than the W210. I would ride in an E55 AMG just to make sure.

I don't know if the Sport springs are different than the original.

:-) neil

I drove a 01 E55 AMG. The ride was not bad. It absorbed road imperfections fairly well. My friend bought it for $31,000 on ebay with 56K miles, 1 owner, upgraded seats/navigation etc.

Instead of spending several thousand dollars on suspension upgrades, you may want to replace your car with the E55 AMG. That way, you will be able to use the factory specs for alignment etc.

I drove a 05 ML350 for a few days, that vehicle has an unacceptable ride, bouncy, choppy with uncomfortable seats and lots of engine, road and wind noise. along with vibrations. The ride was too sporty, at the cost of comfort. It was not bad in the city, but lacked power at highway speeds. As comparison, my 94 E320 comes to life at highway speeds!

The W124 was designed for the autobahn, but some of the newer models like the ML are for the local US consumption.

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Zafar
94 E320 58000 Miles

I was hesitant at first, so I just took off the connector and temporarily jumpered it for two weeks.

There really is NO side-effects, because it won't just drop down a gear without other factors being present (e.g., speed; throttle position; etc.).

Try it, you'll like it, and nothing to fry.

:-) neil

There is no difference between the E430 Sport and the E430 suspension. The "sport" is just a wheel and tire package and a body kit.

The ES330 is a tarted up Camry with Lexus badges glued to it. I would hope the W210 is better.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Ditto to the above about the Camry / Lexus. There are only two Lexus cars to worry about: The LS430 and the LX470. The reast are junk; those two can be bettered by European competitors.

Thanks for replies about the kickdown switch. Just to clarify, are you saying there will be a difference now in going up a hill, the car will actually change to a lower gear, whereas before it would not change at all unless floored or shifted? Like "sport" mode?

Thanks, sorry to get off topic a little.

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2002 Mercedes-Benz E320 4Matic
1995 Mercedes-Benz E320 Wagon
2005 Land Rover LR3 V8 SE
1999 Audi A8 4.2L quattro