Wanting to purchase a 94-95 E320 wagon..........
 

We want to purchase a 93-95 e320 wagon for our family.

Do these cars have any weak points I should be looking for?

I see alot of them for sale on Ebay between 100-150k miles.

How long will these cars last before the engine or transmission call it quits?

Is ebay an option if it is from a person with excellent feedback?

Thanks for looking Barry!!

Do a search on the M104 engine and W124 type and you should find all the information required on this model.

Be sure the A/C is working properly and there are no problems with the evaporator.

Also check the condition of the rear self-levelling suspension. There should be no leaks at all and the car should ride smoothly.

Even though the S124 (W124T station wagon) has slighter more headroom, bigger brakes, and better weight distribution (almost 50/50) than the sedan, you should be aware that the wagon is noiser on the road.

Be sure to find an example with a full service history.

I have owned three of them >
 

[list=1][*]Stay away from a 4Matic - it will be nothing but trouble (just in case you are tempted like I was by an older wagon)[*]Try to make sure the head gasket has been done recently since they fail every 50-100k miles[*]Wiring harness - if it has not been replaced figure $600 for a new one[*]Oil leaks - aside from the poor head gasket design that leaks oil in back, the timing cover seal leaks in the front[*]Service History - you will be incredibly lucky to find the car you want with one. Most Americans don't bother.[/list=1]
I love the design of the car - it is just the right size and rides like a dream, but it costs like a nightmare. Plan on $2000 a year in repairs and maintenance. Some years a lot more!

I have just recently bought a 1995 E320 wagon, Euro model, 39k on it. Very nice car and you should be able to expect very high mileage out of particulary the engine but the transmission as well. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 300-400 thousand miles, given basic maintenance is observed. Really a nice car to drive and easy to work on if you do it yourself. The engine is strong, especially in the upper rev ranges. The monowiper is streaky, if you can live with that.

The original head gaskets were bad, but the latest design doesn't leak. They have metal inserts that prevent the head gasket from slipping.

The wiring harness can be purchased for around $450.

In no particular order in addition to above:

-seals around the two tailgate windows, make sure not leaking and no corrosion inside or out
-climate control filter, make sure it's clean (and not the original one) or look to replace the climate control fan
-climate control fan, make sure it does not squeak while running on auto for long periods of time
-radiator neck thing not the original plastic
-runs at the right temperature
-transmission shifts smoothly from park to drive, etc
-breaks smooth, i.e... rotors not warped and calipers good
-cruise control functions perfectly, what's the name of that $1,000 part that controls this?
-back wiper and squirter, check back squirter reservoir not leaking
-all idiot lights light up (and then go out properly), same for interior lights, especially the four in the tailgate
-bouncing speedometer
-tailgate close-assist works
-struts that push up and hold the tailgate
-If you want the cargo cover/partition net, make sure the car comes with it
-all seats (front, middle, and tailgate) fold up and down properly, there's a section in the owners manual that shows you.
-three headrests across the back that all come out the way they should
-all the speakers working

Fantastic wagon. So smart and easy to drive. GREAT kid vehicle. My wife and I love ours.

Make sure these have been done at a minimum. Stay away from the 4matic.

Head Gasket - $1200-1500
A/C Evaporator - $2000
Wiring Harness - DIY $400-500 for part

This is THE wagon. Drives much better than Volvo/BMW etc. My wife loves ours.

There was a very nice 95 in Atlanta at a dealer with all of the above taken care of for 15K last month. It was on trader online.

Ed C.

Consider This...
 

Head Gasket done by MB specialist: $900

Wiring Harness: Obtain from MB for free (with some pushing)
Install for free (relatively easy to do yourself)

Great car...but my 960 Volvo does, in fact, handle better
The Mercedes will dust it in a speed contest
The Mercedes has a far superior ride
The Mercedes gets excellent MPG

The cruise control function is part of the throttle actuator (also called the ISC / CC / EA module) which controls three functions: Idle speed control, cruise control, and electronic accelerator.

The cruise control is also part of the break light circuit. It is $15.00 and for some change reason can interrupt cruise control function.

My head gasket was done by an extremely well-regarded Mercedes specialist in So. Cal, and I paid $1,400, but that included getting the head honed and installing new valve guides and seals, which many consider unnecessary on an M104 engine.

One thing to add. The 124 wagon, while an excellent family hauler, is not the roomiest car, width wise. I'd load up your family as a test and make sure they all fit comfortably. I've found it works great for skinny families and not so well for larger folks.

Great vehicle. Good luck,

Thanks Michael! Thats good advice. We already got the kids in and everyone likes it.

I can't think of anything that hasn't already been mentioned pro or con about the W124 wagon. I'll never give mine up. 216,750 miles and counting. Oh yes, the fan clutch bearing goes south at about 200,000 miles. I've had to replace a ball joint, not trivial on a '94-'95, a couple of steering shocks and an idler arm. If they fail every 200,000, like the original ones, I win.

So milage is actually not bad. Cruise controll set on 65 is 32 mpg. Increas speed and milage starts going down (it's a beautiful wagon but not the most aerodynamic, be sure to take off the roof rack cross bars if you're not using them). The M104 is a real performer. Given enough pedal, it will really fly. A heavy foot in town, in traffic milage tips to the high teens. Normal surburban driving is like 24 mpg. Rev the engine to 3,000 and see if you like how it sounds.

Also, it likes expensive tires that are well set up and and permium fuel. Unless it's been done, expect minor suspension parts like sway bar bushings, steering shock, etc.

Please consider seriously the abovementioned inputs on the MB wagon you are planning to buy. I own one but would not recommend it to anyone one unless he or she is a mechanic. Read all the potential problems and maintenance expenses you are about to encounter ...it's a massive problem for a non mechanic guy. The appearance is impressive but the mechanicals...quite depressing. I love its handling and safety features but I will not use it for long distance driving, only for grocery transport.

Seems like you know what you're getting into. Maintenance wise, I'd say it'll be not unlike keeping your SDL on the road... not the simplest machine in the world, but very robust.

If you would tolerate a sedan...My uncle wants to sell his '94 E320. I think it has 130,000 miles. Or somehwere around that. He just had it professionally detailed.
Thanks
David

David, we've got to have a wagon with all the traveling we do with the kids but thanks anyway!!

If this newer w124 chassis is even close to the quality of our 300SDL I'll be happy! There are always "bugs" you have to fix with these cars, but I am amazed how a seventeen year old car drives like a two year old car!

BJ,

If you got a lot of travelling to do then the MB wagon model you mentioned is not the right car for you, unless you plan to stay overnight in between travels to have it fixed at shops.

Bluerhino sounds like you've had some bad experiences with the W124 chassis before.

BJ,

It's not only me but significant numbers of members here, as can be gleaned from their advice to you, experienced major problems with the model you mentioned. Basically, it is not a practical car to own unless you plan to use it on occasional basis such as going to the grocery or doing shopping. To use it for long distance or on a regular basis is not recommended, unless, as mentioned, you're a mechanic or has a lot of money to burn.

We rely on a '95 E320 wagon as our primary family/commuter car. I bought it 3 years ago with 67K miles...it has 127K now! It's been absolutely great! We've suffered common W124 issues...wiring harness and very soon will need a new head gasket. Also replaced the water pump and air (smog) pump and just recently it needed new front wheel bearings. Maybe it's me, but these seems like "expeceted" items given the mileage.

This car makes the daily (20 miles one way) commutes in bumper to bumper traffic easy to deal with. It's taken us to Las Vegas, Carmel, Fresno and lots of places in between with no trouble and I wouldn't hesitate to take any long trip with it. I've upgraded the suspension with E500 bits and 17" wheels to improve handling without sacrificing ride quality.

It has plenty of power for family use (ok, yes it does feel underpowered after driving the E500) and returns acceptable fuel economy given the way we drive it.

If I were looking for another wagon, I'd easily choose a W124 over a W210 or even a W211. I'm old school and W124 wagon just looks better to me. :)

Please don't let bluerhino influence your decision to buy a 94-95 E320 Wagon. Sure there are some known problems (head gasket, wiring harness) with these cars, but what cars don't have some flaws if you dig deep enough. If you're purchasing the car for the longterm and you shop for one with a service history, plus have a PPI done you should be fine. It will serve as a daily driver very adequately too.

Love mine and would drive it anywhere. It's a 95 with 95K, and the wheels are off a 97 E420. :D

These ARE good cars BUT>
 

Consider that within the first 100,000 miles you may need head gasket ($1200), wiring harness ($800 or so - forget any good will from Mercedes unless you are the original owner and a very good customer), throttle actuator ($1500, apparently also because of the bad wiring harness), timing chain cover seal ($900), automatic load levelling system (varies) and the biggest shocker of all, the evaporator box on the a/c ($2500). These major items are on top of already high maintenance costs and the usual repair suspects such as water pumps, belt tensioners, suspension components, cruise control amplifier, and hopefully not the computer if you took care of the wiring harness in time. This is not normal - most of the major items are the result of defective design. It is not a good shade tree mechanic car either, since info is very hard to come by - the cd that others mention is very hard to navigate and find the info you need, and often is incomplete. My other car is a 1987 Saab 900turbo. Not known to be the most reliable car in the world, but EASY to work on due to several manuals readily available (Chilton's, Bentley) and (fortunately) a good web site like this one (SAABNET). Good luck - doesn't sound like I love the car but I do - but it is expensive.

If you paid $900 for a timing cover seal, then I got a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn.

$900 will almost pay for a head gasket replacment plus timing chain cover seal.

Engine wiring harnesses cost about $450. You can do it yourself, or pay an independent 2-3 hours of shop labor.

The automatic load leveling system is not problematic. It is the same one used on 560 SEL's and 500E / E500's. The replacement items are usually the nitrogen cells, and they are not too expensive.

The a/c evaporators were problematic on the earlier models. They do go out on the later models, but not nearly as frequently. It is 16.5 hours of shop labor to replace one, so you do the math. $2,500 is way on the high side.

You know I drove past the ford dealer today and they have left over 03' Sables on the lot for 10,988. But to me I'd rather get a well maintained used MB and fix it up.

Because in the end that MB is a H@#$ of alot nicer car at 10 years of age the that Sable is right off the lot.

And another thing who expects to own a 10 year old car and have no maintenance? Lets see ya buy that Ford well see what kind shape it is in in 10 years and 125k. I'll bet it won't hold a candle to that Benz. look at that wagon that PJG56 owns, that car looks like it is an 03' model!!

Another thing, if someone doesn't trust their car to do anything but get groceries you've either got a lemmon or a mechanic that can't fix meal let alone a car.

It's good that pros and cons are discussed in this forum. But no matter how you look at it, the fact remains that the subject model, in comparison to other cars in its class or even those under its class has serious problems. Can you imagine a 57,000 dollar car with a leak problem, that's the model you're interested in. To this date, MB would not even admit that the problem exist, hence, left to us- consumers to bleed. The wiring harness problem alone considering the safety issues involved, is being handled on a case to case basis, and so on and so forth. Anyway, its your call but please read all the comments in this forum about the model you're interested in and decide for yourself if it is really the car for your family. You will be surprised about the agony that the owners have gone through.

Suginami is correct about the Timing Cover
 

I checked my records and only $566 was the timing cover seal, parts and labor. The other $350 was other repairs. And $2500 is probably on the high side for the evaporator - but it is certainly $1500+ even at a labor rate of only $65 per hour, with parts. I have seen references on this board to people paying $2500 for that repair, however. Remember, I think this is a wonderful car, with wonderful repair bills to get through. Mercedes' reputation for high quality began to go downhill with this car, and it is still dropping like a stone. That makes it a great hobbyist's car, but not so fine as a primary means of transportation for my wife and family. I certainly use it for alot more than getting the groceries, however. Do I sound of two minds about this car? YES!

Well, this discussion is certainly going downhill.

For comparison purposes, how much does it cost to keep a 1994 Toyota on the road, in excellent condition, with functioning a/c and other goodies? I wish I knew. But I don't know _anyone_ who drives a Toyota that old. Shoot, I don't know anyone driving a Toyota or Honda older than about model year 2000. So I cannot compare the cost of maintaining the Mercedes against anything of equivalent age/miles.

I find the argument that a 124 is too expensive and too unreliable specious at best. There's nothing to compare it too. My newest car is five years older than the oldest thing for which Consumer Reports collects its fabled red and black dots. There's simply no data. How much should it cost to maintain and repair a 10 year old car?

We've had discussions on this board about the cost of maintaining an LS400 or Q45 of similar vintage, and it's not inexpensive.

- JimY

Here's a good prospect I found in the Pittsburgh paper (www.pittsburghpostgazette.com)....95 e320 wagon,dark gray,black leather,sunroof,cd,1 owner,garaged,exec cond,52,000 mi,nice,$11500,412-607-1369.....might be worth checking out if you're willing to travel! Good luck in your search, Dan

I have put 15,000 miles on my E320 wagon in 6 months. Needless to say, it is driven a lot. I wouldn't hesitate to drive the car from here to California and back, right here right now without doing anything to it. I have complete faith in the reliability in the car. The car has 52,000 miles on it right now, but I plan to keep it until close to 200k miles, where it will be well-maintained and running better than many newer cars. Does Mercedes have their problems? Definitely. It should not have the headgasket leak nor the wiring harness. The other problems are acceptable as replacement items to me. I just threw in $100 worth of parts last weekend. Now the brakes are excellent, and some trim pieces are new. Recently, the old vacuum analog auto-climate control unit gave me some problems. Many people complain at this system, but $8 cured the problem. My neighbor just purchased a new Volvo S80 T6. The car's climate control system will not blow heat on these cold mornings. Nice! The replacement part will cost him maybe a couple of hundred. I would not discourage anyone from buying this car, so long as they are somewhat mechanically inclined to do work on their own vehicle (This is a very nice car to work on, for the most part) and are willing to maybe have to travel to get parts and pay a little bit of a premium. The car is worth it. The m104 powerplant is strong and smooth. Recently tried out a 1988 420 SEL with 212,000 miles. The car ran flawlessly, no smoking, clean oil, no underhood odd noises, raps, or rattles. The outside body had no rust; the seats really weren't that worn. The dealer was trying to get 5k for it, and they did. The car is 16 years old with high miles and really is still pretty sweet. This is why people buy Mercedes Benz products. People say Mercedes quality goes downhill after 1995, but it is not necessarily true. Cost-cutting measures were implemented so as to compete with Lexus, etc, but you can still expect high longevity out of a new Mercedes. Quality is an integral part of a Mercedes-Benz automobile, even if you cannot see it initially.

I've owned my 1991 300e (m103) for almost 8 years now.I've had to do the following in the last 90k mi:water pump@60k,head gasket(small oil leak)@115k,eha@132k(very slight leak).These were the only items other than my regular mtc. I also added bilstien heavy duty shocks and eibach front and rear sway bars and 15x7 inch 8 hole replica wheels w/ bridgestone re950 tires to tidy up the handling.The car is a joy to drive and still looks like new dispite covering 135k miles.I dont ever plan on parting with it........unless I find a cherry 400e,e420,500e,e500 124. These cars are built like tanks and with proper care and mtc. will outlast just about any car out there.

You know, I agree with all of you, but
 

maybe I am just a little down after the last week, when the head gasket, wiring harness and evaporator all went south on me. I will end up spending $2300 on the head and gasket (head will be machined to remove corrosion), $480 on the wiring harness, (wholesale price), another $500 or so on the water pump that started this whole mess, and will defer the $3000 for the evaporator - maybe I can find someone cheaper to do it, as long as they replace all the vacuum actuators at the same time, or try to do it myself. They are very nice cars. Not great value for money - at least not for me, not today.

ChipJ
1994 E320 Wagon, 87,000 miles
aka "moneypit"

What happens to the evaporator on these cars?

How about a 1995 AWD Subaru Legacy Wagon vs. a 1992 MB 300TE 4Matic Wagon? I have both, though the Subie has only 118,000 vs. 139,000 miles on the W124. So which is more maintenance free? Three guesses and the first two don't count. But which would I rather load the family into for a long trip? or drive home in a blinding snow storm? or on the highway with trucks? the W124 hands down!
While the MB is more labor intensive, and I have a love/hate relationship with it: love it when it works, hate it when it breaks, it is all well worth it. And contrary to someone's post, I have found the repair CD quite good and very helpful, not only in finding the correct part numbers, but also the schematics for doing the job. If you are moderately adept at auto repair, and willing to try new repairs that appear challenging, you will save lots of $$. This forum is also an idespensible source for information as you know.
We got our W124 used and have since paid a professional to replace the timing belt and transfer case. In a non-4matic you won't have to do the latter. I have replaced the water pump, the serpentine belt tensioner, all brakes and rotors, all radiator hoses, the radio, (rebuilt by Becker), rebuilt the power antenna myself, and added Hella Euro lights, not to mention the routine preventative maintenance. Have we put money into the car? without a doubt. But the way we look at it, for about $20k including the initial cost of the car, we have a spacious seven seat vehicle which is better built and styled than any comparably valued vehicle, and certainly much less than a new MB or other make would be. Plus, the insurance and yearly taxes are much lower than that of a late model car, and even a new car is not without repair costs.
I think you are smart to look for this model vehicle. You can't go wrong with a used W124, but be sure it comes with a complete service history. If you don't get a used W124, get a Subaru - it'll cost you only for gas and an occassional oil change - but you could do that yourself. Enjoy. And remember, the hunt is half the fun.

1962 MB 220SEb "Fintail" Sedan
1963 Vespa VNB Motor Scooter
1992 MB 300TE4Matic Wagon
1995 Subaru AWD Legacy Wagon

They leak, causing the loss of freon (r134a).

The evaporator is much more accesible on W126s, but on W124's, book time is about 16 hours.

The evaporator's themselves are not terrible expensive, but 16 hours of shop labor is not pretty.

If you are a competent DIY'er, you can do it in a weekend, as many on this site have. It's just a matter of disassembling the dash to access the evaporator.

BTW 1992 400E / 500Es and all 1993 and newer MB's come from the factory with the new R134a refrigerant.

You weren't nearly such a fan back in 2002
 

!On 04-01-2002 you posted this:
It seems that I'm experiencing nearly all of the shortcomings that these W124's have.

When Benzmac says he has replaced hundreds of mass air sensors on MB's (including these on new cars), you can put my car on that list.

When Benzmac says he has found that throttle actuators are a weak point on W124's, where the insulation on the wires disintegrates, you can put my car on that list.

You may also include on this list but certainly not limit yourself to: engine wiring harness, fuel pumps, brake rotors that warp prematurely and can't be turned, virtually every sensor in the car going bad, leaky head gasket, leaking power steering pump, spark plug wires w/ bad 'ends', plugged 'inlet pipes to the intake manifold', O2 sensors, catalytic converter, leaking axle seals, collapsed motor mounts, a/c blower fan failing, central door lock vacum pump failure, egr valves, random check engine light illumination with 'no codes' to speak of...

If I didn't tell you this was a Mercedes, and asked you to guess what car I am describing, what would your guess be?

Jaguar? Or for that matter anything from Great Britain?
Peugot?
Any car make that comes out of Italy?
Yugo? (a fully-loaded model).

Come on, be honest.

Anyway, that's pretty much how I have been feeling lately. I hope to be a big fan again someday.

Hey, what can I say, I was having a bad day.:D

The performance of my car from a reliability standpoint was perfect from new until about 127,000 miles. The only item that was replaced that wouldn't be considered a normal "wear" item would by the OVP.

From approximately 127,000 miles to about 135,000 miles, a huge number of items broke that you see on the list.

I was depressed and demoralized. I was considering selling the car and buying a newer w210 E320, but the car looked so good that it was hard to let go. After every repair, I kept telling myself that I was over the hump.

However, after finally replacing all of those items, and finally biting the bullet and replacing the head gasket, the car has been perfect and as good as new.

From approximately the 135,000 mark to the current mileage of 153,000, it has been flawless.

Many of the items I mentioned are wear and tear items.

There are two, though, that I still feel are unforgivable, especially for a Mercedes: the faulty wiring harness and the poorly engineered head gaskets.

I own a 95 E320 wagon and I guess that I am just starting to learn about these problems now. I purchased my car used in 1998 (just shy of 3 years & 8,000 miles). It had just been turned back from a MB lease. I noticed the oil leak and they replaced the head gasket then under warranty. It now has just under 80,000 miles and I noticed a oil leak and I assume it is the head gasket. What are the symptoms of the wire harness problem that is mentioned? My check engine light has just come on for the first time this week also. I have not experienced any prior problems with the car like those mentioned in this thread, and being new here, I have not had time to read old postings to come up to speed. Thanks for the help.

Paul, same here, the headgasket and wiring harness fault is unforgivable aggravated further by MB's arrogance in handling the matter.

Dusty, It seems that we will have the same car history. My 1995 wagon headgasket was replaced by the dealer at 40K then at 80K and then recently at an indy 130K. The funny thing is that when I tried to trade my car at the dealership that performed 2 head repairs, they would only offer me 6 thousand because according to them....leak problems with the model we've got that they are having difficulty selling and maintaining them @#&^$%#*!.

I noticed in one of the above responses that a poster claimed that the head gasket had been redesigned. Is that a fact or is it an assumption. Are head gaskets that have been recently replaced holding up any better? Is this a failure that is determined by mileage or is it time related or both? Is the wiring harness been redesigned to eliminate the problem? Is there a way to repair the wire harness or do you have to replace it? Can a person with average mechanical abilities do the wire harness job or is it involved and require special tools? I have/had a problem with the directional lights not working and found the problem in the fuse box, but was never able to locate the exact source of the loose wire. I found that if I put tension under the fuse box with a piece of cardboard that they would work properly. It has had that "solution" in place for 3 years now since I found it easier than tearing half the car apart to locate whatever was loose. I call this my quick and easy fix to a difficult problem. :D

The head gaskets were redesigned numerous times, maybe over a dozen times.

I don't know when the last design was completed, but I do know that it hasn't been redesigned for several years.

The last revision has metal inserts in the gasket itself, that lock it in in the block, which prevents it from moving.

Every technician I have talked to, including mine, has told me that they have never seen a leak from the latest gasket.

I'll chime in here. I had my head gasket replaced at 67,000 miles, 1,000 miles after I bought it and it has been solid up to 217,000 miles right now on the odometer. Sure, bad design, but realize that with the design flaws come the cars that have multiple problems in addition to the design flaws. Lexus, BMW and other high end car companies all have them just like inferior companies like Kia and such may have bullet proof cars. All said and done - I would buy my car(s) again and again knowing what I had to repair/replace so far. Maybe we need another forum for MB disgruntled owners and MB bashers?

Paul, you are so lucky being close to a good shop. I just hope that my latest head job will be different, but who knows. I guess our situation is reversed. Now I am having major problems with my car that I do not want to use it except for going groceries. We have spent so much money on these MB that is not part of the normal wear and tear. No wonder the consumer report is thumbs down for our babies.

Dusty my wiring harness was replaced by the dealer free of charge after a lot complaining, threatening lawsuits, etc...

anyone have a transmission issues?



I just bought a 1995 with 228K. All service history from new 1 owner .
Pretty much everything mentioned has been replaced or rebuilt at some point.

Anyone have any Transmission problems?
I've noticed that when shifting from 1st to 2nd (around 15mph) the car "kicks". from 2nd to 3rd gear it "hesitates" to shift for like a second then when it doe's shift it"kicks" harder( car rocks a bit) .
However when I shift it with the pedel(ease off the gas when I expect the tranny to shift) the "kicking" is not too bad.
Are these signs of the tranny on it's way out?
would a bad transmission mount cause this?
Anyone have this issue or something similar?
What should I expect to pay?

Thanks,
Tony

BTW
I absolutely love this car. great ride, comfy roomy interior, stylish body. ETC

My 94 E320 Wagon just turned over 200,000 miles. It is a fantastic car--I intend to drive it at least another 100,000 miles. The interior still looks like it did when it rolled of the assembly line, and the performance rivals many new cars I have riden in or driven. Having said all this, I would still only recommend this car if you are a DIYer or don't mind paying for expensive maintenance. Here's my list....

wiring harness DIY
head gasket DIY
rear suspension accumulators DIY
blower motor DIY
EGR tube DIY
temp sensor for climate control DIY
AC evaporator DIY
belt tensioner DIY
ignition coils DIY
ignition wires DIY
smog pump (rebuild) DIY
throttle actuator rewire DIY
brakes DIY
radiator DIY
steering tie rods DIY
and of course all the routine stuff...

One of the previous posts mentioned multiple head gasket failures. There are at least two different manufacturers of head gaskets. Only one has the reinforcement that prevents leaks at the right front corner. If a gasket was replaced with the non reinforced one, it will fail again.....Also, I think the wire harness is more in the $800 range for just the part.

J. M. van Swaay