These cars are not for people who can't fix most things- otherwise they will bleed you dry. Been problem after problem, few months back had a ton of work done on it. Wouldn't start 6 weeks ago, had AAA replace the battery when they came out and did their diagnostics. On the way home tonight "battery charge" red warning comes on while driving on the interstate, lights start fading, radio goes off, ABS warning, no turn signals, car goes into limp mode. Luckily only a couple miles from home, made it off the highway after nearly being killed by a guy going 80 who didn't see me because the lights weren't working- and there was nowhere to pull off (I was in the far right lane, no shoulder there, got off at first exit obviously).

Looks like either AAA put the battery in wrong (seems unlikely since it worked fine for 6 weeks) or the alternator is bad, but anyway this is the end. After putting $1300 in it 3 months ago and told it was in great shape, 2500 miles later it goes to the junkyard tomorrow.

If I were close I'd take it off your hands.

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1990 190E 3.0L

Junking it is a foolish decision. Get the problem fixed. You can then probably sell it for what you paid for it. It is hard to sell a car that doesn't start unless you want to take a big loss. However, selling it as is is likely to get you more than junking it.

Any 5+ year old used car is not for people who can't fix most things - seriously.

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Prost!

To bad you are in the opposite Coast. I would take it off your hands.
Don't buy out off warranty in the future. Will save you a lot of disappointment and headache.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

And if you had a similar year VW Jetta you would scrap the car? How about any other random brand?

The charging system on this car isn't any different than most any other Euro cars ( many use a Bosch of Valeo alternator ) and in concept no different than any other car world wide.

There is no way a shop could predict a charging system failure ( or any other system for that matter ) without taking the entire car apart so don't blame them.

The the only bad decision being made here is to dump the car over a standard run of the mill repair.

iuecon99, how many miles are on this 1998 E320? It's likely the voltage regulator needs to be replaced ... a simple and inexpensive DIY repair. No reason to junk the car until diagnosing the problem.

You may have heard the adage "there is nothing more expensive than a cheap MB automobile". Before buying any MB automobile, it is prudent to have a MB-trained tech perform a PPI (pre-purchase inspection). That will provide you with an evaluation of the car's existing condition and what major repairs are pending. It's an expensive proposition to buy any vehicle whose owner failed to perform any preventive maintenance. MB automobiles are relatively inexpensive to maintain if one has basic DIY ability for brake pad replacement, rotor replacement, oil changes, air filter changes, transmission fluid changes, spark plug changes, etc.

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Fred Hoelzle

[QUOTE=Ferdman;3668085]iuecon99, how many miles are on this 1998 E320?

It has 178000. Passed PPI at 140K miles. So in 3.5 years, 38K miles I have put $6500 in repairs in this turkey.

You're driving an 18 year old car. Things can and do wear out, often at inconvenient times. Just because everything was "fine" 2500 miles ago doesn't mean they are now. From your description, you have a voltage regulator or an alternator that has failed. If it's original to the car, you got good life out of it and it doesn't owe you a d@mn thing. Fix the problem and keep driving the car, or if you're sick of it, sell it.

Over-reacting from a very common failure to ANY brand of car is a little dramatic...

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Current stable:
1995 E320 157K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 125K (SLoL)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)

Gone and wanting to forget:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™) [Definitely NOT a Benz]

I would bet the brushes are worn out. They are on an easily replaced part that includes the regulator, for less than $50, however the stealer would charge $500, or replace the alternator for a thousand. I just replaced mine in about a half hour.

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'97 E 300 D

I owned a 99 e320 from new. They were crappy cars out of the box. The problem rate over time doesnt seem to have changed much, but the used car crowd has a much higher tolerance.

This ^^^

My opinion of the model coincides, mxfrank.

The fact that the car is aged, doesn't help with it's dependability factor. It kind of should be expected that these cars will have breakdowns occur routinely. Should expect up to thousands a year in repair expense. Not to mention the inconvenience factor.

Not sure if you expect us to feel bad for you or something. It's given 18 years of great service and things wear and break just like any car. Don't buy a used car if you can't afford to fix it, or don't have the mechanical aptitude to work on it yourself. Just buy a warrantied camry and trade it in every couple years. These cars to me are way nicer and cooler than a honda or toyota, so I'd rather use my own time to fix it.

My advice to you is replace the alternator or regulator and sell it. If I lived closer I'd give you $400 for it and drive it for another 150K miles.

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Only diesels in this driveway.
2005 E320 CDI 243k Black/Black
2008 Chevy 3500HD Duramax 340k
2004 Chevy 2500HD Duramax 220k

In his original post he already acknowledged that the car wasn't meant for people who can't fix them on their own. No need to beat a dead horse. I'm sure he will make a more informed decision on his next vehicle whether it be a warrantied MB or a different make.

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1990 190E 3.0L

It's been a disaster. Literally everything is going wrong with this car since it hit 170000 miles. I'm replacing the alternator and then drive it into the ground, hopefully get 6 more months. It isn't worth even $1000 to a buyer and I wouldn't feel right selling anyone this piece of junk after everything that's going wrong with it.

Next time, a Honda or Toyota. Had great experiences with both. This is my first bad experience with a car but it's been bad enough to make up for all the good experiences there could ever be.