Late Model (W210) E-CLass Owners, I Need Your Help
 

For those of you who currently own or have owned a 1999 - 2001 E320 I was hoping you could help me out. My dad is considering purchasing either of those years E-Class and he's asked me to help him. He is also considering a Diesel in stead of the 6, persuade me why one is better than the other. This is strictly reliability, performance won't be a top priority.

1. What mechanical problems have you experienced? (please be specific)

2. When looking at these cars should I be looking for anything in particular (Vibration, corrosion, poor wiring, AC problems etc..)

Before he purchases the car I will first run a carfax report, if it's clean I will do a thorough visual inspection myself to determine if any bodywork was done. If it passes both of these I will then have a different dealer or my mechanic inspect the vehicle. The car will only be purchased with Starmark Warranty to cover future issues.

Everyone, thanks in advance for your help!:)

Lots of commentary recently about the W210 E320 in the last few days. Do a search and read it carefully. If your dad is not afraid of routine and non-routine maintenance work then the E320 is a great car, one of the best I think for what it delivers.

Read the first post in this forum about the balancer failures and do a search for other mech. problems too. This site has a very good search engine (no pun).

All cars have problems but if you are looking for the reliability of a Toyota or Honda the W210 is probably not that car. If you are looking for a great, consistent ride, plenty of power and an unearthly feel of a car then the Toyota or Honda is not your car and the E320 is.

Between the gas or diesel W210 - I lean toward the diesel because I own one and love it dearly. It is the ultimate cruising car that can chirp the tires too on initial acceleration. Good luck and do plenty of research.

DTF,

Thanks for the reply. I've definitely been reading all the recent posts on the W210 mainly dealing with the recent JD Power report. I've also noted the thread above.

But I really wanted to hear things first hand from owners or even mechanics. Are problems a regular occurrence with these cars. Is the interior built well or are parts fragile?

I know my dad wouldn't be afraid of normal wear and tear but I can predict he would be upset of the car was in the shop all the time.

Anyone else please chime in.

Things I've seen in my W210 are the typical cracked dashboard although mine is not bad - it is just beginning. The message computer goes a little haywire sometimes with low oil level messages. The belt tensioner just blew. The Glow plugs have just been done. The diesels also lose motor mounts quickly in '98 and '99. The earlier W210 had seat rail problems. Mass air flow sensor is common in the diesel too. Hope this helps.

DTF that's exactly what I was looking for. Sounds to me those items are typical wear and tear.

Dissapointing to hear that the dash is cracking already but again that's minor compared to what I've been reading lately. Hopefully seat rails have been taken care of by 2000 model year.

Has anyone else experienced anything worse???? Techs your thoughts?

Afshin,

Look in the archives for posts by BlackMercedes on the W210 diesel he and his wife once owned. It was such a lemon and in the shop more than they drove it, that they gave up on it and traded it in on the Subaru Outback wagon.

The experience so soured his wife that she refuses to ever drive a Mercedes again...

W210
 

I Worked for Mercedes and Saw the W210s Every day
The Early W210s had the Dreaded 104 problems..But the late ones are MUCH better.......
Cracked dashes
O2 sensors ..
Leaking/defective cat converters
Mass air sensors..most of them fail because of over oiled air filters
Crank Pulley..Failure
Mono Belt tensioner
Lower control arm Bushings @60k
Seat frames Rocking/clicking
Window regulators...cheap Plastic
A/C Evap Temp Sensors...
The cars Havent had any oil Leak problems...yet!
The Trans are Good If The Trans fluid is Changed @30k No Lifetime Fluid!..same with The Diff and Coolant
The W210 Model year 2000 is Well Sorted ...Few Problems
I Enjoy My W210 wagon..Its been a Great car..so far

If you're interested in the W210 with a Diesel engine, trying for W210 or E300 in the Diesel Discussion forum. Everything you want to know has been posted there. BTW, 1999 was the last year for a W210 Diesel in the U.S. The 96 and 97 were normally aspirated, while the 98 and 99 got a turbo.