The infamous evaporator issue persisted through out the ENTIRE production cycle of the W140, up to 1999 U.S. models which were the last to be built before production ended.

It used to be a less frequent problem on 97-99 models, but I think it was because, at the time, they were more recent models. By now, all 97-99 should be rolling over as the 92-96 did.

The main problem with the evaporator was the combination of metal alloys used to manufactured them (alluminun and copper). These two materias did not mix very happily, hence deteriorating very rapidly creating leaks.

Aftermarket companies manufactured a full copper evaporator which is warrantied from leaks for LIFE! Many costumers who substituded the original M.B. unit with this aftermarket unit did O.K. Owners who fitted again the original M.B. should find themselves with trouble in a few years.

With luck, the original unit should last up to five or six years. But some customers began to find trouble as early as six months.

__________________
A. Rosich
CL 500, 1998
S 500 L, 1998
E 320 T, 1995 [Sadly sold ]

Greetings,
This is my first post. I have read this forum for years and wanted to commend all of you for such a great community. I currently have a 1985 300SD with 138,000 miles on it which I keep in great shape. However, Today I saw a 500SEL for sale for 11,000 and I was curious if the W140 has any major issues I should be concerned about? I have never driven a gas powered benz, but this model seems interesting. I heard some had tire wear problems? I was considering purchasing it, but before I procede I wanted your advice.
- CubanDiesel

A fellow member recently posted this picture of what the new W221 S-class will look like.

I think this thread is the appropiate to place a comment on some of the issues regarding the new W221:

According to all european car magazines, the W221 is very close in exterior dimensions and interior proportions and quality to the W140. Making clear once more what a big mistake the W220 was.

Design wise the W221 is much prettier than the W220, although, it clearly has two big flaws: it looks to much like the new Hyundai Sonata (especially the front light fixtures) -who copied who?- and the front side fenders look to much like the design done on the current Mitsubishi Montero.

Now: will have to see if the interior is really up to old M-B standars again and if the electronics are at least 50% more reliable than on current production models.

Only time will tell if the W221 can recapture the legacy of the W140 and previous S-classes.

Attached Thumbnails

 

__________________
A. Rosich
CL 500, 1998
S 500 L, 1998
E 320 T, 1995 [Sadly sold ]

More and more of their designs seem to attempt conformity. These makers always had distinct looks and lines.. now they are just one of the bunch.. what a pity!!!

Maybe they didn't they could keep going in the long run like they were.
If they had kept going ,pricewise, as they were can you imagine how much the cars would cost now?

and it seems that over half of their business is lease business where they drive the car then turn it in..maybe they thought it was the way to go

they do after all sell many more cars than they did back in the old days...I think 2004 was a record year for sales as a matter of fact



turnne
1992 300SD(sold)
2000 BMW 740i w/full sports package
Columbus ohio

They can "work' towards reducing their prices as you mentioned. without departing for the identity of their cars... In past, you woud never hear a comparison in looks between a Hyundai and a Merk.. or a Bimmer and a Toyota Solara... and even worse.. in the case it was not Hyundai or Toyota that copied the lines... All I am saying I guess. is that these makers are losing their 'cliche'.. their pedigree.

I think that is what they have done in essence.
You have to sat at some point who is your target buyer and what do they want..what will they pay.......think about the prices of the old 140 cars when they were new.....what would have happened if they had come out with a new version that was 20-30K more than the outgoing 140?....is there a mass market buyer for the car?

I think they have sold more 220's than they did 140's....remember its about making a corporate profit

Warren
1992 300SD(sold)
2000 BMW 740I
Columbus Ohio

Hello Cuban Diesel...Is your diesel "pre-1959"

De que parte de Cuba eres?

__________________
Current Benzes

1989 300TE "Alice"
1990 300CE "Sam Spade"
1991 300CE "Beowulf" RIP (06.1991 - 10.10.2007)
1998 E320 "Orson"
2002 C320 Wagon "Molly Fox"

Res non semper sunt quae esse videntur

My Gallery

Not in this weather!

Greetings,
Thank you for your feedback in regards to my previous message. I did not get the W140. By the way, where is there a good place to buy 126 Euro headlights? I am looking to do this by August.
By the way, my family is from Banes, Cuba. My ancestors are pre-1959. I was born in California.
- Buenas Noches from CubanDiesel.

I found a place in Simi Valley, California, that sells Euro aftermarket parts for Benzes. I bought Euro lamps from them for my old 420SEL. The problem is that when I sold the 420SEL I threw away a lot of the paperwork.

Maybe you can Google "Euro parts" + "simi Velly" or something like that and see what it comes up with. There was also a place in Florida (Miami?) but people here had bad results with them.

If you are in the L.A. area, check with Enrique, at MR. M.B. MOTORS. He may know of a source.

It is good to see a fellow Cuban here.

__________________
Current Benzes

1989 300TE "Alice"
1990 300CE "Sam Spade"
1991 300CE "Beowulf" RIP (06.1991 - 10.10.2007)
1998 E320 "Orson"
2002 C320 Wagon "Molly Fox"

Res non semper sunt quae esse videntur

My Gallery

Not in this weather!

Concerning the design, I wonder how much of it comes from engineering rather that artistry? The smoothed lines and curved outter surfaces look like an aerodynamics design rather than art. I don't mean to be uh, ugly, but I'm thinking of the Ford Taurus or the Chrysler full-sized cars or the Infiniti J-30 or the older 939. They all look like they have the same basic plan of curving gently out from teh grill with rounded corners and a severely raked windshield and a gradual downward taper to the trunk.

Also, to save weight the cars all take advantage of curves through two dimensions to get 3-D rigidity probably lowering the need for structural framing.

Every decade brings a teardrop nearer in both engineering and poetically.

I love my 99' Grand Edition S500. She only comes out when the weather is nice.

__________________
Ed
-1984 Mercedes 190D 2.2 5-speed gray market(bought@30,000 miles) (Sold back to original owner@170,000 miles)
-1999 Mercedes E300DT (245,000 miles)
-1999 Mercedes S500 Grand Edition (80,000 miles)

I don't believe the W220 was a mistake in any way at all. It came at a time when luxury cars were getting slammed for being overweight and wasteful of resources. MB engineers produced an excellently engineered vehicle that was at least 500 pounds lighter than the 140 while being structurally better and handling much much better. Consumer Reports has stated many times that if you disregard reliabilty, the 220 is the very best car they've ever tested. That alone says a lot. May reviews have stated how much better than the 140 it handles. I've driven both cars and just have to agree. At times while driving a 220, you forget that you're actually piloting a huge, full size sedan. Of course the interior wasn't where it should have been, but if it was, no one would have paid the price that would be required. A lot of complex and expensive technologies debuted on the 220 and my guess is that those technologies consumed the money that could have been spent on the interior. That said, everyone sings praises about the 140 interior as if it is that great. Indeed, there are parts of it that are well furnished and finished, but panel gaps and overall construction quality (not material quality but fit and finish) lag the 220 by far. MB claims to have addressed the 220's major short coming which is the interior, as well as reliability of electronic systems.

Tell you what, when the 140 came out, I understand that many people were busy saying "only time will tell if it will live up to the legacy of the 126." Well guess what, de ja vu time! We're hearing the same crap about the 220. People just love to talk!

Absolutely. It's all about profit. So far, over 450,000 W220s have been sold in 6 years compared with 340,000 W140s sold over 8-9 years. And W220s are still selling strongly to date. With the 220, MB avoided the mistake made with the W140: an over engineered product that made no money because if it was priced to be profitable then very few people would have afforded it. Reading about the evaporators makes me just wonder how such an over engineered product could have a flaw that the cheapest Kia doesn't have!

__________________
1999 Mercedes-Benz S600, 103K miles - garage queen
1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL, 89K miles - daily driver
2007 Hyundai Sonata Limited, 31K - daily driver

I hate to repeat myself, but I guess I must:

THE ORIGINAL W220 WAS A PIECE OF CRAP!!!*

*pre-facelift models.

If you call an advantage having the latest electronic gadgets mixed together with the quality of plastics and fittings worth of a Korean cab, its your call. I definitely rather have an interior worth the quality of a true S-Class than a piece of junk that would lay FLAT on all fours due to malfuntioning AirMatic suspensions.

At least when the evaps on the W140s go out you can still open the four side windows and DRIVE yourself wherever you want. Try that with a defunct AirMatic W220!

Even hydroneumatic suspension equipped W140s could be driven when the system failed. A little rough, I agree, but still you can still drive them...

Oh, and of course the W220 was a sales success, with a 40% price cut over the equivalent W140s they needed to be. And finally, when the W140 came out, NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE doubted about its technological superiority over the W126. The W140 over-engineered roots and blown out of all proportion budget proved that.

Design wise it just comes down to personal taste (to me the W140 is another one of Bruno Sacco's successes, not as well proportioned and gorgeous as the W124, but still a great design).

__________________
A. Rosich
CL 500, 1998
S 500 L, 1998
E 320 T, 1995 [Sadly sold ]

I saw the conversation about this and I had to put something down.I have three W140'S.One is a 1998 S500 which is mine, 1994 S500 which is my brothers and a 1995 S320 which is my nephews. My story is that I owned a 1993 500Sel (Custom MB paint job,Beautful), then I sold that car and bought a 2000 S500 and I drove it straight out of the showroom. Silver over Black with every option available.After one month of owning the car it had been serviced many times and had many problems. I dont abuse my cars and I take great care of them(There is not a scratch on any of our MB's including my 68 Fintail which is for sale, drop me an email at Snp8990@yahoo.com if your interested)then the battery died,these cars are all computerized.Then me and my brother went out to somewhere and he let me drive his 1994 S500. MAN WAS I FLYIN!!The car felt more solid then my 2000 S500.After driving my brothers,I went straight to my MB Dealership and purchased my baby a 1998 Mercedes-Benz S500 in Obsidian Black over Beige leather.These cars are built like tanks.The windows are nearly bullet-proof, the doors weight a ton, and one thing I noticed as I left a restauant. I saw a brand new E-320 and the rear taillight was cracked,I checked out the thickness of the glass and it was sooo thin that I felt it would break if I just gently tap it.I would just like to say that old Mercedes-Benz's are life savers.My neice had a 1997 Mercedes-Benz C230 with all the goodies.She was driving to work one day when she got into an accident.The car was completly totalled.The cd's in the car were even broken,the doors wouldnt open except for the two front doors.You will never believe this too,my neice(THANK GOODNESS) did not even have a scratch not even a scratch on her.Nothing.and if you take a look at the new C-Class there nothing compard to the old ones.My S500 is a beast.Smoothest ride and most comfortable and most fun to drive.When you drive it man people will stop and stare and be like "WHo is that" and the new MB's are just nothing.My car originally costed $115 thousand and I paid $90 for my 2000 S500, because I quality is terrible.New MBZ are terrible.The new MBZ dont even have the hood ornaments on most of them, and that the MB identity.I wish someone from Mercedes would read this and realize what they are doing.When you drive one of these you wont realize how fast your going you cant tell, the engine just purrs.The car is a beast. THE BLACK BEAUTY. SO far all I have done to it is added a wooden steering wheel,and 35% tint job, and a Navigation.Not tv's.This MB is beautiful!!!OLD MERCEDES ROCK!!i LOVE MY OLD FINTAIL

N.PATEL
1968 MERCEDES-BENZ 230S FINTAIL FOR SALE SEND EMAIL TO SNP8990@YAHOO.COM IF INTERESTED,AD POSTED ON THIS WEBSITE AS WELL
1998 MERCEDES-BENZ S500
1994 MERCEDES-BENZ S500
1995 MERCEDES-BENZ S320
1954 MERCEDES-BENZ PONTON IN RESTORATION

RECENTLY OWNED
1988 MB 560SEL
1993 MB 500SEL CUSTOM PAINT JOB FROM MB
1965 MB FINTAIL (FIRST CAR)
1965 MB FINTAIL (BROTHERS FIRST CAR, BOTH EURO EDITION)
2000 MB S500 (NOT A GOOD CAR)