I once talked to a Mercedes Mechanic, a really nice guy who was the Chief at the dealership, and who used to lend me tools and even dug up a part or two.. he was very respected and he told me that '93 was about as high as an amateur could go before things got a little too complicated. Yesterday I was athe dealership and there was a lady complaining about her 2003 car making some engine noise and I could tell the mechanic was even clueless, i mean I'm sure he was well trained and very experienced, but it sounded like a problem you needed 20 5 years of experience and advanced training to solve..
Is this true? Is '93 the limit? After all they still put them together and they can be taken apart, right? the diesel goes in the tank and the pistons fire and the wheels turn...

I consider 1985 my limit.

And as Mr Eastwood is famous for saying...

"A man's got to know his limitations....."

Engine/transmission issues in newer cars can be tough to work on without specialzied diagnostic equipment but many non powertrain items (brakes, suspension, maintenance) is not really any different on a newer car than an older one. You will also find as time goes by more information available on the newer models - right now there is not all that much about the W210 chassis on this board because not that many people that own them hang out here. On the other had there is lots of info on W123 and a little less on the W124 chassis.

As you are discovering working on a W124 isn't really all that different that a W123. I can remember thinking a W124 was way to complicated to work on but after owning one for several years I don't think it's really much worse than a W123. I suspect the same thing will be true when I've had a W210 for a few years.

still struggling to keep up with 1982. Despite my best efforts, small electrical quirks drive me nuts

It depends on the model. For instance, lots of people here know the W126, but a W140 would scare me to death. So my limit for that one is 1991.

For the E class I think you can go much later. The W210 does have some fancy electronics, but so far they seem to be very reliable. And as long as we have people like stevebfl to help out with diagnostic procedures, we should be fine. I wouldn't touch the transmission in this thing, but suspension and brakes are no worse than the earlier models.

Where you really run into problems is with the W211. On that car you can't even change the brake pads without having the electronic scan tool from the dealer. Any time the computer feels like it, it might run a pre-drive check which includes squeezing the brakes. So you could loose a finger or shoot a piston across the garage. Yikes!

LarryBible has a W203 C class, so maybe he'll comment on its complexity. But I thik it is probably no worse than my W210.

Hope spring eternal, though. According to a recent article, MB has gotten the message and is removing the electronic doodads. They've supposedly already removed over 600 (!) electronic functions that nobody wanted or knew how to use. So it looks like they are headed in the right direction.

__________________
Rick Miley
2014 Tesla Model S
2018 Tesla Model 3
2017 Nissan LEAF
Former MB: 99 E300, 86 190E 2.3, 87 300E, 80 240D, 82 204D Euro
Chain Elongation References

Hello,
Anything after the W124 I will not want to touch, that would place it at 1995. Will never be able to afford a W140, so that is it.
If I could find a good one, my next *new* Mercedes will be a W111 coupe or cabrio, plus a black 220S 4 door would be the ultimate Saturday night cruiser. I am actually going backwards in the sense that I am looking to buy the older cars!
My friends and family think I am losing my grip on reality whenever I go to look at another old Mercedes, but nobody complains about being seen in the 107SL!
Have a good week.

__________________
Nachi11744

My mothers 1990SL frustrates me. It's not even that bad to work on but when I spent hours trying to put the seat back together after adjusting the cable so the seat back would go up i became a little disenchanted. nothing past 91

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W126 1983 300SD 286,000 miles and ticking
Baby blue exterior Grey MB tex
Recent work:
Replaced air cleaner mounting brackets and heat shields
Replaced alternator, fan and power steering belts
Replaced positive battery terminal
Replaced negative battery terminal and cord
New Duralast Battery

My car needs work.

Probably the harmonic balancer coming apart.

__________________
Rick Miley
2014 Tesla Model S
2018 Tesla Model 3
2017 Nissan LEAF
Former MB: 99 E300, 86 190E 2.3, 87 300E, 80 240D, 82 204D Euro
Chain Elongation References

computer controled..... I simpely don't have the equipment to mess with computer controled stuff, and don't see me buying any eirther. Its cheaper to have them trouble shoot it an if its not to hard, then I'll replace the bad part myself.

chip

After that, the electronics crept in, followed by a flood of stuff that only the dealer is equipped to work on...eventually, this will stamp out independent shops, as well as the shade-tree mechanic.

To me, the '80s diesels are the ultimate and final iteration of the "mechanical" automobile, which mere mortals could keep together with a little skill. The age of the "electromechanical" car means that, basically, cars (even Mercedes) are meant to be used up and discarded after a pretty much finite period of service. Think BIC lighters vs Zippos; BIC pens vs Parker Duofolds..."living machinery" vs "dead machinery".

No real reason to buy an MB anymore, unless you just want to show off, IMHO.

It depends on the model and your comfort level. I don't think an S320/S420/S500 W140 would be to much harder to work on than say a 560SEL. But if your talking about an S600 than yes that V12 is complicated. The W123, W124, and W126 cars have been in the hands of diy people for so many years, so more people are comfortable with them. The problem with the new Mercedes is that you have to spend 1/2 hour removing all of the stupid engine covers and under body panels to get to anything. Remind me again why do the cover the engines in plastic now?

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I hate that the most

__________________
W126 1983 300SD 286,000 miles and ticking
Baby blue exterior Grey MB tex
Recent work:
Replaced air cleaner mounting brackets and heat shields
Replaced alternator, fan and power steering belts
Replaced positive battery terminal
Replaced negative battery terminal and cord
New Duralast Battery

My car needs work.

Noise encapsulation

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63 220S W111
76 300D W115
2013 VW JSW TDI M6

previously-
73 280 SEL 4.5
86 300E 5 speed
2010 VW Jetta TDI M6

protect from dirt/water the electronics that have no place under a car's hood to begin with.

Too keep a prospective buyer from peeking under the hood and exclaiming "Oh my gawd, there's way too many parts in there!!!"

__________________
Rick Miley
2014 Tesla Model S
2018 Tesla Model 3
2017 Nissan LEAF
Former MB: 99 E300, 86 190E 2.3, 87 300E, 80 240D, 82 204D Euro
Chain Elongation References