Finally got my VMI
 

While at the dealer yesterday for an alignment, I got them to pull the VMI on my car.

Two items of note on it:
Wiring harness replaced at 62k miles!
Instrument cluster at 25k.

The instrument cluster was a concern for me, as the car is a '92 300SE, but it has a digital odo/trip. Cars of this vintage had mechanical odo/trip meters, and I was concerned how this cluster got into this car. I was afraid someone had swapped a later, low mileage cluster to cover up extreme mileage. The condition of the interior when I got the car either speaks of really, really poor treatment, or high mileage.

Since it was swapped by the dealer, I'm fairly confident that they would have transferred the mileage from the old cluster to the new one. The current one only shows 129k.

Unfortunately, I didn't see the most desirable replacement - the evaporator core. That doesn't mean it hasn't been done, only that it wasn't done as a warranty repair.

I guess eventually, I'll find out the answer to that question.

MB went digital on the clusters in 1994 & all of the replacements were digital starting in 1995. Mileage was set at Baltimore parts depot.

Inst cluster
 

Was wondering if MB is using a new manufacture for the Insrument cluster ? I have a 01 E320 the cluster works fine and fortunatly I am still under warranty until 03 2009 ( extenteded war.) .

I was thinking to have the current one replaced to cover my self in case of a future failure, reduce risk. Would be replacing something that works for the same risk of failure in other words don' fix what works.

Note the serice advisor did not blink when I mentioned a replacement , under warranty of course.

The car only has 22K miles on the clock and I am in the process of running the miles up.

Lee

He didn't blink because he was trying not to laugh!!! MB warranty has dealers under a microscope. There are more documentation requirements for submitting warranty claims than I can count. MB dealers have to prove the claim is factual. Many parts require Pre-Authorization prior to replacement! It's like the health insurance business! It's not that MB is being stingy, though. They'll gladly pay for legitimate problems. Replacing good parts because they might fail at some point in the future is not what the warranty was meant for. If you're a loyal client, they might consider some "goodwill" if, and when, you have a problem out of warranty.

If you want to BS your way to a new cluster, make up some nonsense about intermittent problems. Use your imagination! Be creative! Lord knows, people try to pull that kind of stuff on me all the time. :)

MB randomly examines warranty items, and if they cant duplicate the problem they can charge back the item and labor