What to do...buy CDI or not... - Page 3 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

jbach36 · #31 09-12-2021, 01:08 AM

I'm surprised to hear such negative comments about Mercedes repair costs and the headliners falling down??? That's just uncalled for. It's not even a moving part.

All that said, one person once wrote that if you buy a Toyota Corolla (or Camry, etc.) and have it for 10 years you will have had a mediocre driving experience the entire time you owned it. But a Mercedes is a car that you actually look FORWARD to driving. It seems to me that the reviews on a lot of the Mercedes diesels were really good with the exception of the 1997 model which had some transmission issues.

Additionally I saw a video on YouTube that talks about the tremendous torque that the w211 has. What do you think people do with cars like that? They start getting used to it and use it a lot but such acceleration is really hard on cars.

If you got 300,000 miles out of a VW.... you did very well. That's a lot of miles for an mid priced non luxury car.

pawoSD · #32 09-12-2021, 01:56 PM

The only MB I've ever seen have headliner issues were some very old W201's and some W210's. None of the W211's my family has owned, or that I've looked at (many) ever had a single issue or even a hint of an issue with the headliners. Also owned a W203 of the same era and that didn't have any issues either, in fact I'd rank that interior as top notch for durability (2005 203 wagon)

jay_bob · #33 09-13-2021, 05:15 AM

Agreed on the durability of the W211 and later interiors. On my son’s 211 the interior still looks great, nothing falling apart/loose after 13 years and 260k miles.

Volvo Diesel · #34 09-13-2021, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawoSD

None of the W211's my family has owned, or that I've looked at (many) ever had a single issue or even a hint of an issue with the headliners.

I think climate can play a role in how well the headliners hold up. I am in central Texas and there's a lot of heat, sun, and humidity. I've never owned a car with a cloth/adhesive/foam-type headliner that didn't need to be replaced at some point past the 10-year old mark here. My wife's car is garaged (non-climate controlled) and work and at home, but it is the soccer game, grocery store, and summer vacation vehicle so it has spent a fair amount of time in high heat and humidity conditions.

To be clear, I think the interior quality of the W211 overall is good. Our interior still looks quite nice given that our wagon has been the primary means of transportation for a four person family for the better part of 13 years. My comments about the headliner earlier in this thread were mainly because I thought that it was interesting that another member had the same "the headliner let go all of a sudden" experience as I did at pretty much the same time on a car of identical age.

shertex · #35 09-13-2021, 10:22 AM

This is consistent with my experience. The headliner in the CDI that spent most of its life in the South began to sag about a year ago. The one that spent most of its life in New Hampshire is in perfect shape.

Overall, thought, I have no complaints about the W211 interior. On both of my CDIs they are virtually "as new."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Volvo Diesel

I think climate can play a role in how well the headliners hold up. I am in central Texas and there's a lot of heat, sun, and humidity. I've never owned a car with a cloth/adhesive/foam-type headliner that didn't need to be replaced at some point past the 10-year old mark here. My wife's car is garaged (non-climate controlled) and work and at home, but it is the soccer game, grocery store, and summer vacation vehicle so it has spent a fair amount of time in high heat and humidity conditions.

To be clear, I think the interior quality of the W211 overall is good. Our interior still looks quite nice given that our wagon has been the primary means of transportation for a four person family for the better part of 13 years. My comments about the headliner earlier in this thread were mainly because I thought that it was interesting that another member had the same "the headliner let go all of a sudden" experience as I did at pretty much the same time on a car of identical age.

barry12345 · #36 09-13-2021, 12:01 PM

There was a correction in materials used for headliners. Possibly around the vintage times of these models under discussion. It may have been a running change through one years production. Or even two suppliers of the headliners. My old 2006 Jetta headliner shows considerable shrinkage.

To be fair the old Jetta did spend the majority of winters in Florida. Much newer cars headliner material looks much the same but probably is fine.

This reminded me of a fault of many cars that have good durability. Far too much road noise transmission to suite me. Possibly a marketing ploy to drive you upward in their model range you buy. Honda Accords went to sound insulating glass windshields a couple of years ago.

I have to wonder what a replacement costs. A glass guy told me some of the cars now have very difficult windshields to change as well.

Skid Row Joe · #37 09-13-2021, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barry12345

There was a correction in materials used for headliners. Possibly around the vintage times of these models under discussion. It may have been a running change through one years production. Or even two suppliers of the headliners. My old 2006 Jetta headliner shows considerable shrinkage.

To be fair the old Jetta did spend the majority of winters in Florida. Much newer cars headliner material looks much the same but probably is fine.

This reminded me of a fault of many cars that have good durability. Far too much road noise transmission to suite me. Possibly a marketing ploy to drive you upward in their model range you buy. Honda Accords went to sound insulating glass windshields a couple of years ago.

I have to wonder what a replacement costs. A glass guy told me some of the cars now have very difficult windshields to change as well.

Tires also have a lot to do with the road noise factor. My CDI has zero tire road noise. Same for the transmission, zero. The wind noise factor is near zero as well. My 2017 Corvette has zero transmission torque tube noise. But plenty of road noise from big wide runflat, low profile Michelins. Zero tread pattern noise.

Skid Row Joe · #38 09-13-2021, 03:00 PM

Another high wear point on the W211 06 CDI has been engine mounts. My CDI is on it's third set of mounts now. The transmission mount was basically "gone," and worn through @ 80K. You could hear the metal on metal grinding noise from it, and of course the worn engine mounts. Price out a set of mounts at Mercedes sometime, if you don't know their cost - then add labor too if you're not able to DIY as I usually do on all my Mercedes' going back 31 years now.

The ride factor of all the W211 diesels I've driven share the same front end characteristic. None take sharp bumps well, as there's little vertical travel in the front. New Bilsteins all around did not change the ride factor one bit. The front travel feels flat, but the rear seems to travel. A pre-owned 2008 I test drove with 15K miles 9 years ago, same exact ride, when I was shopping for one. Ditto a 2008 with 6K miles. Identical flat front ride.

RRGrassi, check all three mounts on the CDI. Also, check your lower ball joints/wheel bearings for wear. Mine is on it's second set of those. Check your engine pulleys for wear/misalignment, and belt tensioner too.

rrgrassi · #39 09-13-2021, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skid Row Joe

Another high wear point on the W211 06 CDI has been engine mounts. My CDI is on it's third set of mounts now. The transmission mount was basically "gone," and worn through @ 80K. You could hear the metal on metal grinding noise from it, and of course the worn engine mounts. Price out a set of mounts at Mercedes sometime, if you don't know their cost - then add labor too if you're not able to DIY as I usually do on all my Mercedes' going back 31 years now.

The ride factor of all the W211 diesels I've driven share the same front end characteristic. None take sharp bumps well, as there's little vertical travel in the front. New Bilsteins all around did not change the ride factor one bit. The front travel feels flat, but the rear seems to travel. A pre-owned 2008 I test drove with 15K miles 9 years ago, same exact ride, when I was shopping for one. Ditto a 2008 with 6K miles. Identical flat front ride.

RRGrassi, check all three mounts on the CDI. Also, check your lower ball joints/wheel bearings for wear. Mine is on it's second set of those. Check your engine pulleys for wear/misalignment, and belt tensioner too.

Will do. She opted for the Jetta, but I might pull the trigger for a CDI.