1995 S320 Reliability

[Tully Lee]

I just purchased a 1995 S320 with 69k. Original one owner
car. After reading past post on the S series I am freaked.
It seems the evaporator core issue keeps coming up. Is
this something that fails often? How can I tell if my core
was ever repaired? Should I buy a after-market warranty
for the car knowing that the core will 100% fail? Climate
control switch/s seem to be another issue.

Wheel shimmy among other items.

What are some of the actual cost of repairs for an alternator,
power steering pump, water pump- etc...?

I had owned a 1980 Porched 928. Found certain companies
that sold after-market parts that seemed to work fine. Found
a mechanic to work on after hours for a decent price. Can the
same thing not be done on the S320?

If the evap. core job is $3000 then would it not be in my
best interest to get at $2000.00 warrant?

I am a little freaked out now that I am hearing about all
these problems. I do not mind payment $300-$400 to have
an alternator replaced. However, $1000.00 scares the
H*L* out of me.

Any thoughts or input please.

Tully Lee

[loubapache]

Tully:

The W140 car is very expensive to maintain and repair if you do not do the work yourself. I think that is one of the reasons why these cars are selling (relatively) inexpensively on the market today becuse a high percentage of owners of new S class cars do not do maintainance and repair work themselves. A 95 E320 at your mileage would be running around $18k. So you can see the S320 is not holding its value as well as the E class.

When I bought my 97 E320, the sale people were trying to push 95 or 96 S320 with similar mileage and price.

<<
I do not mind payment $300-$400 to have an alternator replaced.
>>
Well, a rebuilt Bosch alternator runs over $300 (list) for your car and that is parts alone.

[loubapache]

I found this on another list:

The model 140 S-Class sedans and coupes are equipped with a very sophisticated HVAC system. There are three separate air filters in the system. The service department at my local M-B dealer gave me a quote of $1100.00, parts and labor, to perform this job. I ordered the parts for a total of $566.00, including shipping. Spending a few hours of my time on this procedure allowed me to put $534.00 of folding money back into my pocket, and gave me the satisfaction of a job well done.