DEAD '96 E320

My mother has a 1996 E320 with 30k original miles in pristine condition owned since new. The car has never been in an accident and has rarely been on the freeway. The car has always had a problem of periodicly not starting. This does not happen often. When it cannot start it still has full power to accessories but will not start. The car has been to the dealer to have many things such as computer boards, batteries, wiring replaced but the problem persists. Now that it is out of warrantee I am worried that she will be paying big $$ to "repair" the problem or worse, get stranded somewhere. Does anyone have an idea what may cause the car to start sometimes and not the other? The car has had absolutely no mods to it-no aftermarket alarm. Thank You.

Forgot this: Can anyone comment on the reliability of this car-are they "keepers" or are they prone to problems. I believe that they are the only year with the straight-six which my mechanic suggests will last a long time. Thanks again for any information on this car.

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Dan Latta
'00 ML 320
'99 ML 430

[mbdoc]

On the 1996 E-class the electrical portion of the ignition switch seems to be somewhat a common failure with the no-starter symptom.

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MERCEDES BENZ MASTER GUILD TECHNICIAN (6 TIMES)
ASE MASTER TECHNICIAN
27 YEARS DEALER M.B. Shopforeman
190E 2.3 ITS RACECAR
1986 190E 16V