140 resale value falling like a stone?
 

Has anyone noticed the prices of the 140 vehicles on the used market lately.
Did something happen and they have become undesirable?
Seems you can get late model (97-98) S500's that are clean and with records for 17-18K( or less with 100K miles or so)...I even saw a 97 S320 for sale near my house the other day for $9999.00.
If they fall much further in the next year the car will then become what I call a boat anchor...as the price to repair them over the course of a period of time will be more than the purchase price...I mean ,how many people are going to replace an evap core and closing assist pump on a 5-6K car?

on the other hand I guess if you like the body style...they are an incredible deal right now


Warren
1992 300SD(sold)
2000 BMW 740i
Columbus Ohio

it doesnt
 

surprise me. they are big heavy and complicated. all negatives on a used car. some folks seem to be able to keep them on the road themselves, but they clearly arent as mechanic friendly as their predecessor the 126, which is a lot more to maintain than the 123 but still basically the same car with more stuff added (mechanically).

tom w

The real problem lies on the fact that most W140s on the used car market today are third or fourth hand vehicles that had been highly neglected by their owners due to their incredible high mantaince costs.

Now these owners want to get rid of their W140s because their cars are getting to a point that they refuse to run anymore.

Prospecting buyers would have to at least equal or maybe even double the cost of purchase to get the vehicle to an acceptable performance.

The few first hand W140s available are difficult to find, and most prospective buyers are just plainly scared of what they would have to put up front to keep the car running.

Sounds like the perverbial boat anchor to me.

and unless you live in a larger metro area the only person that can work on these in your local MB dealer...which probably further complicates the value of the car to certain people


Warren
1992 300SD(sold)
2000 BMW 740I
Columbus Ohio

A good deal only if you do your own maintenance, not viable for those that don't. That why they're cheap. It seems to me that they have been falling like a rock for several years now - they had a long ways to go. They need to be put into use where they don't have to be driven, perhaps small but opulent homeless shelters.

[QUOTE=deanyel]A good deal only if you do your own maintenance, not viable for those that don't. That why they're cheap. It seems to me that they have been falling like a rock for several years now - they had a long ways to go. They need to be put into use where they don't have to be driven, perhaps small but opulent homeless shelters.[/QUOTE]

I don't think the 140 was ever meant to be a car where you did you own maintenance ,for the most part...an absolute marvel of engineering...however some of those marvels didn't have all the bugs worked out.

I had seen a few 220's with what I thought were unrealisticly low prices(like mid 20's)...which made me look at the 140's and get the same outlook...which makes me wonder what can you buy a late model (90-91) 126 for ....$3500.00?

It amazes me how much money these cars lose...it seems to me that it also makes sense to buy it when it is 3-4 years and get rid of it after 2-3 years...as it seems that the first 3 years it takes a a beating..then after about year 7 it takes another massive beating on value...which at that point it would have to be at the bottom I assume.
And I would imagine that after year 7 the car is no longer warrantable...which effects the value negatively


Warren
1992 300SD(sold)
2000 BMW 740I

Well... People probably said the same things for the 124 series...although they are probably much easier to maintain and repair.

The two I own, I bought for about 9 cents on the original dollar value of the cars.

I think the price I paid is probably typical of the depreciation after 15 years or so. I think it's a good deal if you do your own work and buy parts wholesale.

Terrible deal if you have to go to the stealership.

My 1972 108 I paid 50 cents on the original dollar when it was 14 years old. I sold it 12 years later for about 44 cents on the original dollar.

Don't know if that says or means anything. I am just pointing out my experiences.

Its really sad to see such a magnificent piece of automobile go to shame...but its hard to stop that due to its maintenance/unreliability.

Its almost tempting to buy as this is my favourite MB of all time!

" Cents on the dollar "!
Hmmmmm......must be in the bankruptcy business. :D

[QUOTE=lee polowczuk]Well... People probably said the same things for the 124 series...although they are probably much easier to maintain and repair.
QUOTE]


actually the 210's have fallen quite a bit also...a mid to late 90's model is quite reasonable
...is the whole MB line worsening in resale value?

But as I heard years ago...something is only worth as much as someone is willing to pay...so these values reflect what the market thinks the product is worth ...I guess

seems like certain cars... the 3 series BMW, the New Mini, Honda Accords, 5 series BMW's of the V8 variety and several Lexus models all are holding value well.....comparatively that is

Warren
1992 300Sd(sold)
2000 BMW 740I
Columbus Ohio

MB's just seem to be losing their value more, at least late 90's models are. You can pick up a very nice E320 in my area for $10k-$13k. My friend just bought a 1997 S320 for $11,500 that is pretty decent. The po hid a MAF problem that he got nailed for to the tune of $600.:mad: So now it is a $12,100 car but at 72k miles thats not bad. The body has a lot of dents though and it will cost $2,500 to get it looking like new again.

Don't let those low prices fool you their are a lot of beat pos W140's out their. We looked at at least 20 cars before finding one that was decent. The nice ones are still worth a few bucks. I know a guy who owns an import car lot and he sold a mint S500 for $21,500. Late 90's flawless full service records, one owner, just had the 65k major service done, dealer maintained since day 1. It was a stunning example one of the nicest ones I have seen.

The scary part is nice W126's will be worth more then W140's in a few years. A cherry 91 560SEL will still comand $10k. Price out a cherry low mileage 350SDL, the prices on those is off the charts.

[QUOTE=Hatterasguy]
The scary part is nice W126's will be worth more then W140's in a few years. A cherry 91 560SEL will still comand $10k. Price out a cherry low mileage 350SDL, the prices on those is off the charts.[/QUOTE]

I am not sure a 126 will bring more than a 140( all things being even)...I agree about the diesel cars...they seem to have a value of their own...especially the 210 turbo models...commading thousands more than their gasoline counterparts that were, in cases, more expensive new

I have seen late 140's(s500's) in the low to mid twnties...usually very low mileage,under 50K, and unbeliveably clean..there is one for sale at the local Lexus dealer...one owner ,45K miles..$24,900...however they have had the car about 2.5 months...so I don't think that is a realistic market price

however...the first time I have ever seen this type of advertising..one of the loacl MB dealers was advertising 10,000 off the sticker of all 2005 e class cars and 15,000 off all S-class cars in stock.
That reminds of GM/ford type of advertising...not that MB didn't have a huge discount from the new car sticker before( espeaially 126,124 and 140 cars)...however never seen a half page ad in the paper like that


Warren
1992 300SD(sold)
2000 BMW 740I
Columbus Ohio

I was at the dealer friday, sticker on a decently equiped E320CDI was $51,225. I didn't get the impression that they would budge much, not that I was going to buy it(I wish) but the don't hang around the lot thats for sure.

MB always runs a sale in December, they have been doing this for a few years.


I bet a 1991 560SEL with 50k miles on it is worth more then a 1992 500SEL with the same mileage. Old W140's are not worth much. My friend that owns the car lot offered me a 1993 300SE over the summer for $7,500. 130k two owner car, it was pretty nice. The body and interior were 7-8 out of 10. The evap core was done 3-4 years ago, and the head was just done after the head gasket blew. (po worked at a MB dealer, big bill for the head!) I should have sold my SDL for $8k and used the difference towards wheels.:D

I am not sure if the dealer here a CDI on their lot( for the 10K off the sticker)..new that is...they did have a used certified one with a few throusand miles that they listed for $42,900 with the 100K warranty...but I think the diesel cars, in general, are a different market.

I am not sure that a 1991 560SEL with 50K miles is worth more than a 1992 500SEL...I think the market for either one is small...now if it was a 560SEC..or a 350SDL with those type of miles then I would say either of those cars would be worth much more than a 91 560 SEL of 92 500SEL.

I have seen 420SEL's from the 88-89 era's in fair to good condition for about 3,000 to 4,000 dollars with say 125k to 150K miles..I am sure the diesel of 86-87 with bring more than that

and look at the early 210 cars..96-97..you can buy a clean one all day long for 12-13k...when I know personally that those sold for sticker...the CLK seems to be holding value..as I know those sold pretty much for sticker also when they came out

as for the December discounting..I am sure that holds true to a certain extent...however find some one that bought a 126(or 124) model back in the early 90's and you will find the discounts( even non december sales) were 8-12K off the sticker

I always like to look at resale on a car as an incentive(or vice versa) for a partular model. The three particular MB's that I persoannly owned were all diesels and bought somewhere between 3-6 years old...so I fared pretty well when I got rid of them...and I was thinking about getting back into an MB the next time...however these latest figures I am seeing have me soemwhat concerned. Since a car, in itself , is something that loses value every day..I like to at least cut my losses at to what I can expect


Warren
1992 300SD(sold)
2000 BMW 740I

Resale values of MBZ models
 

Unfortunately the MBZ 'reputation' is their early 90's to 2004 were/are POS's.

The 140 deservedly are permanently devalued by reoccurring costly failures (door assist pumps, wiring, eta's, etc.) Have you checked the prices of these 'common' repair parts in the last 6 months? Prices have trippled in the last 18 months on many parts for 90's cars.

People DO read consumer reports ratings and other trade mags--and see LOTS of solid black circles for MBZ vehicles. Who ,in their right mind, would want to buy a 'black hole' to throw good money into. They are real nice cars--when they run, but keeping them operating is just about impossible. Lease rates are climbing quickly because resale is plumeting.

I bought my 92 500sel with broken engine. It has rebuilt transmission (po paid $3000), new radiator,O2 sensor,collant temp sensor ( for those 3 po paid $1100), new A/C compressor (po paid $1200), brake pads/rotors. Car is 8-out-10 shape with 150k miles on it. PO was so tired of spending money to keep the car on the road and when the engine broke he just gave up. He sold car to me for $1500. For the whole S-class so little. Its a shame that these awsome cars are that cheap now. But I can understand a person who keep putting big money into the car to keep it on the road doesn't want to deal with it anymore. For prices po paid to fix car he could have buy used japanese economy car and drive it hassle free. Probably that is primary reason for resale prices to fall.

I've been working on a '95 S500 for a friend up at a local shop for another car he has there I'm going to pick up. Anyway, that W140 is pretty complex beast... even for basic PM.

I did the wiring harness on it, misc vac lines, motor mounts, trans mount, service misc stuff, etc. It's almost as irritating as an LS400 to work on. Some of the front suspension looks easier to rebuild than a W126 but not totally. All the doors still pull themselves shut too. The car has around 130K mi on it currently. I'm amazed at all the on board computers it has...

If I ever opted to purchase one, I'd spend the extra cash up front for a better vehicle. The infamous Evap Core, working vac system, etc. I don't mind fixing problems as they arise but there's only so much I can keep fixing before the car needs to be sold...

I don't think they all fall apartand/or have the nasty recurring issues like the evap core etc...which on my particular car that I formerly owned, was fixed twice...both times at MB dealers.
Don't think that if you are looking at one of these that if you see the evap core has been done you are out of the woods..it can and does break again..trust me

anyway..looking at the higher end Lexus and infiniti vehicles that have 150K or so miles on them now...sure they may be expensive to fix..but the don't have near the shop time..in fact that LS400 from the late 90's astounds me with its realibility...I have been told by some that have owned them for several years that they never got their money back from the extended warranty they bought...which I think is very interesting

For me..I paid about $2000 for the 24 month warranty when bought mine in the late 90's and it paid almost $20,000 in claims


Warren
1992 300SD(sold)
2000 BMW 740I
Columbus Ohio

While I do agree that the resale value of the 90's MB's are falling, so is the resale value of every other car.

If you look at the competitor of the w140 the 90s BMW 7-series their value is thousands below the MB's. I don't know what the 7-series sold for new, and I'm guessing it was less than the MB. Even so, I would be that the depreciation on the two cars is pretty similar. You're looking for someone who is willing to pay 10 - 15K for a ~10 year old car. Obviously you can't expect new car reliability from a 10 yr old model (often with 100k miles or more) BUT you can buy a new or nearly new car for 10 - 15k.

Just my .02...I like the 140's esp. the coupes.

But if you care for the car reallly well and do preventative maintennance wont it go for a long time?

Too bad there isn't a way to bypass or disable the expensive gadgetry and just keep the basic car operational. If it can be reliably reverse engineered to the technological equivalent of a W126, there would be a market.

I think if you look at a 2002 S500( about $88,000 sticker) and 2002 BMW 745( about $78,000 sticker) you will find that the BMW was priced about where the S430 was..and is now valued at a bit more than the S500 is ..in regard to the 2002 cars.....so it seems that this falling resale value is going to be an issue with the 220 cars also.
I have already seen S430's(2002 models) in the 75-80K mileage range going in the mid 20's

by the way I do like the 140 coupe also...but the 220 coupe( in my opinion) is an even better ride


Warren
1992 300SD(sold)
2000 BMW 740I
Columbus Ohio

7-series BMW are much the same

V-12s are especially cheap

I agree the 12 cylinder models...both BMW and Benz have crazy low resale
in fact there is point in life where I think its not worth anymore than the V8 cars are

another car that is going to be a real dog is that new Volkswagen Phaeton...there are 2004 's out there that were 72K new...selling for mid 40's with 5000 miles on them



Warren
1992 300SD(sold)
2000 BMW 740I
Columbus Ohio

there are many parts to the equation of falling prices. the v-12's (750il's in particular) are dropping at much faster rate than 8 or 6 cyl versions because of the higher cost to fix them. while the cars value drops, the repair (at dealer level ALWAYS remains same as it ever was or rises.
then if you compare the 7 series to the 3 series, the 3's are holding thier value very well. A 1992 740il goes for the same as a 325i (given both have around 100-120k miles and are in similar condition).
the upshot for buyers of used high end cars is you can buy them cheap and keep them running if you fix it yourself. the down shot is that if you happen to get one that needs super costly components, fixing them doesn't protect you from the next expensive component going down a few days later. and when these breakdowns hit their stride (read..part after part needing replacement) thats when you break out and curse MB or BMW for making a lousy product.
in my opinion, buying new guarantees your car will depreciate immediately and you will lose 50% of what you paid in 3 years. for me, it's worth the risk to buy 3 years old at 50% and take my chances with repairs.

Bingo - they have just not figured this out yet. If they made these complex, gadgety systems dis-ableable the car could age gracefully in use. They could be passed from one type of owner to the next, as older Mercedes used to be. It couldn't be that hard to do and if you consider resale values, lease factors, long term parts sales, brand image, etc, it is very much in their interest to do it - but I'm quite convinced they haven't yet figured this out and I'm not entirely sure that they will.

and it seems that if don't get rid of it after you have owned it for about 4-5 years..then you too will lose 50% of what you paid( or more)

yes..some cars seem to have great resale...the 560 SEC couples...the old 124 convertibles..the CLK series...the BMW Mini...some of the BMW 5 series cars...and definitely the 3 series ( in any form), the Lexus ES300 ,Honda Accord,Any Porsche

Warren
1992 300SD(sold)
2000 BMW 740I

I saw two '97 S420's one on the East cost with 65k miles, the other on the West cost with 45k miles and bumper to bumper warranty till 2008. Both are one-owner cars regularly maintained at the dealer they were purchased from. I offered $15k for the east cost car and $17k for the west cost car. Could've had them for $16k and $18k respectively, but I am not in a rush to buy a car as I won't need one for another 6 months or so. I also saw an ad for a '95 S600 with 65k miles. It still has warranty to end of 2006 and 100k miles. Asking price is about $23k. I think the two S420's I saw are good value given their excellent condition, regular maintenance record and included options. Not sure what to think of the S600 with warranty, but it's really tempting.

Once you get through the perceptions that seem to follow the W140s around, most of this thread is good news for the average guy. They are not possessed by the devil, they aren't unreliable (in my experience), but they aren't a simple car either.
Lets talk facts.
My W140 Coupe, in 1996, cost the original owner a bit over $105,000. That was a pretty significant chunk of change ten years ago. To me, its still a pretty good chunk of change.
Frankly there isn't much of a used market for luxury cars. Check any newspaper, its not unique to Mercedes.
I bought my Coupe when it was a little less than seven years old for just over $20,000 with 75K miles.
I bought it from a wholesaler, so the original owner got less than that. On my calculator, that's over $85,000 to enjoy this car for the first 6 or so years. The way I look at it, the heavy depreciation is over.
I drove it home, some 350 miles, without incident, on its first trip.
I'll estimate that its cost me somewhere around 750 dollars (not counting a bent wheel and new tires) in repairs over the last couple years of driving this car.
I now have 118,000 miles on it. Everyhing works as it should.
Just returned from a 410 mile round trip run with it... averaged 23 mpg.
I own 7 cars. Over the time I've owned it, the W140 Coupe has been the most reliable of the bunch, and its been the cheapest to keep.
Most folks that have ridden in it think its a new car.
Of all the cars I've owned, this is certainly the most enjoyable. Everytime I drive it, it repays me with a smile that lasts for a long time.
Because of this, I'm going to drive this thing forever. I've bought a number of spares and the electronic net scanner I need to work on it. (not included in the 750 bucks mentioned.
I think the bottom line is that they are a real buy if one understands what they are buying and has the ability to do their own troubleshooting and repairs.
As for me, I hope the prices continue to fall. I'm not selling mine, and when they get to a grand a piece, I'll buy a dozen for spares. :)

[QUOTE=KenP]Once you get through the perceptions that seem to follow the W140s around, most of this thread is good news for the average guy. They are not possessed by the devil, they aren't unreliable (in my experience), but they aren't a simple car either.
Lets talk facts.
My W140 Coupe, in 1996, cost the original owner a bit over $105,000. That was a pretty significant chunk of change ten years ago. To me, its still a pretty good chunk of change.
Frankly there isn't much of a used market for luxury cars. Check any newspaper, its not unique to Mercedes[QUOTE]

you are very lucky...and not a typical case. I don't think..as that AC issue ,that just about all of them seemed to have, with the evap core is very real. I have yet to talk to anyone that one over 3 years that has not has that occurance. And in some cases(mine included) more than once
As for resale amng luxury cars....look at any porsche vehicle..or evel the 2001 and newer LS430
As for the 105,000 sticker that you mentioned...I am absolutely sure that the car sold for WAY below that figure...almost like those GM cars that have that sticker but actually sell for 10-13K below that price
I don't think any 140 (perhaps the first few delivered maybe) sold for anywhere near their sticker..my thoughts are that realistically the retail sales were somewhere between 10-15% off the sticker price,,,,still a substantial amount of money for sure...but 10-15K less than the sticker


Warren
1992 300SD(sold)
2000 BMW 740I
Columbus Ohio

Not to go off-topic, but this one hits home. Depreciation on the Phaeton is admittedly abysmal (and it'll get worse since VW announced it won't be imported to the US after 2006), but like many W140s, no Phaeton ever went out the door at list price. I leased mine with $0 down and a lower monthly payment than an E Class or A6 (and it's far superior), and most who bought got huge discounts - a couple of weeks ago a Boston dealer was advertising a new '05 Phaeton V8 with a $73k MSRP at $20k off list - a lot of the imputed depreciation is coming out of the dealer's hide, or VWoA's, not the first owner.

That very believable....I knew some families(not mine I assure you) in Texas when I lived there that bought new MB's in the early and late 90's and they gave huge discounts....as I recall something like...$8000 off a 93 300D 2.5 turbo....$12,000 off a 91 560SEL and $13,000 off a 98 S500 are some transactions that I remember the buyers telling me the stats of
Honestly from what I see the 220 is going fall the same way..they seem to be 50% off after 3 years...but hey again its a great deal if you like the car.
I don't know anyone who has owned a 220 since day one ..just those who have leased and fell under the full maintenance umbrella and turned the car in after the lease was up

Warren
1992 300SD(sold)
2000 BMW 740I

I know a Dr who has owned a 2000 S430 since day one. I think he is up to 40k miles now and couldn't be more happy with the car. He has never had an issue. His major complaint is the new water based paint is to soft. I bought my 300SD from him and he prefered the harder paint on the older cars.

My friends dad has had his S600 for almost two years and he hasn't had a problem, other then an egr breaking when he first got it. Granted the car isn't driven much.

I just helped another friend buy an S320 and it seems to be in great shape. The jury is still out on whether it will be a reliable car.

I think their is a lot of hype about these cars. They are not as bad as people make them out to be. Think about it happy owners are not on the tech forum complaining about how trouble free their S class has been.

FWIW, I paid $13k for my 97 C230 18 months ago, and that was with 61k and 2/100 Starmark. I thought that was a helluva deal, especially estimating that the warranty saved me 6-8k in repair and disgnostic costs.

As of now, trade-in is around $5000, and in 1st qtr '05, it was over $7k. That's a huge drop in 8 months for a cheap car. And this is the simplest car mechanically that they made that year.

I beleive aswell that the "hype" esp on forums about the W140s is a bit much....I recently spoke to a local MB mechanic and said they are not bad at all.

I'm not sure I'd go as far as calling it hype, because some folks have had real problems. But, I think that's true of any car.
Everyone seems to call out the evaporator failure rate as a problem, yet I've never seen any statistical data. Granted, several of the techs on this forum have mentioned it as a problem with W140's so I'm happy to accept their word for that. I guess I have been lucky in that regard.
Having said that, what is the real criticism? Is it the high labor time/rate that runs the bill up to a couple of grand to change the evap?
Mercedes isn't unique in that regard. After changing the heater core and evap in a mid 80's Audi 5000, I fear no heater box.:) I think the spare tire is the only thing I didn't have to disassemble.
As far as having to take stuff apart, look at the procedure for changing a heater core for a mid 90's plain Ford Taurus. The whole dash, console, seats, etc has to come out. Sound familiar? Around here, many of those Taurus have bypassed heaters as a cheap fix.
Anyway, if you do your own work, the evap for a W140 isn't all that expensive and is available from several aftermarket places.
It really comes down to what you expect when you buy one of these cars. If you think a ten year old automobile will be as reliable as a new car, you'll probably be disappointed. If you think a car with triple the complexity will be as trouble free as a basic grocery getter, you'll also be disappointed. And the bills from the dealership will kill you.
Want to see problems with super reliable Hondas, etc? Go read forums on the web for those makes. As someone pointed out, you read about problems on forums like this.
I do know that there are a number of folks on this forum with W140's that love them and intend to keep them. You can put me to that list.
One of the reasons I've been able to keep mine is all the valuable advice and pointers I've gotten from the good folks on this site.
Many thanks to all who have helped me over the last few years. :D

Geez, real men don't NEED A/C. But if you must have it, save the $2-4,000 you would spend to the replace the evap. core and buy a $500 beater with cold A/C for the summer months.

couple of grand?..I would love to know where you can get that done,reliably, for a couple of grand...they compltely disassemble the dash...and put it back together again...and my personal thought it...why buy an aftermarket product(evap core) when the money you saved is liable to cost you another $2500.00?...by the way my personal car had the job done twice...once at Mercedes of Morristown NJ in 1997 shortly before I bought it and the second time at Crown Mercedes in 2000
and by the way I called MB Zone rep and questioned how this major issue could happen a second time and he said...oh well..it was done 3 years ago..its an old car and its not costing you anything!!
By the way I am sure both MB zone reps that I dealt with in the years I owned this car remember me and this 1992 300SD. They never seemed to understand why I was calling and complaining when I was not incurring any of the repair expenses.

I think some of the later 140 cars(97+) are much better( however resale is not reflecting it I guess)..After patronizing the same MB dealer for about 5-6 years I was able to see a cross section of the cars they were always fixing...btw I don't live in a luxury market where the sold a boattload of 140's to start with

Don't get me wrong...I loved the one I owned..it is still may favorite car that I have owned...and due to the warranty I had anything that was broken..out of spec etc was replaced at the local MB dealer...however had the $20,000 worth of repairs come out of my pocket I am sure I would be singing another tune.
And by the way 3-4K bills from the dealer are very common on these cars....check with your local dealer...they love the 140's...they had to be a great moneymaker for the MB dealer



Warren
1992 300SD(sold)
2000 BMW 740I

I know of a very good shope in NJ that will do the evap job for about $2k, maybe a little less. I can get their contact info if you would like. The aftermarket cores are usually better. I'd find an aftermarket all copper core if I ever needed to do one.

It is pretty easy to rack up $20k in bills from a dealer with any MB. I remember looking at a 420SEL that the dealer just did $8k worth of work on. It wasn't that much really.

If I remember correctly, my MB tech (worked for MB for a few years) does them for $2700CDN. That is using the standard evap core. He recommends spending the additional $ (not sure how much but I think a few hundred) to buy the all copper core so you will never have to do this job again.

So figure US$2300 for the job at today's exchange rate. He mentioned 22-23 hours for the job off the top of his head.

He's done a ton of these (including his own car) and almost has the process memorized.. He doesn't seem to think this is such a huge issue at all.. He said "most of the cars have had them done by now (especially the earlier ones), and it's not too big of a risk you run on a one-time repair that MIGHT need to be done"

Neal

22 - 23 hours for the evap on the 140? how does it compare to the job on the 124? I mean, theres a few DIY-ers on this board who have taken the dash out of the 124 to replace the core, anyone here ever do a 140 on their own? MB's are usually engineered well so that theres only one way for things to go back together - I would think that with the right manual and this forum that someone could tackle the evap in a long weekend. Maybe I'm wrong...I dunno.

i believe the dealers are quoting around 15-16 hours for the W124 evap.

As I recall the warranty company paid for 28 hours of labor( per their labor book) to do this job when mine was done on the SD back in 2000...althought I think the tech did the actual job in about 20 hours...as I recall it took him 2 full days...however he also had to replace the climate control push button unit and a couple of lights that illuminated the temp gauge in the dash and one of the dash vents as I recall.

My thoughts on a job this intense is I would be very careful about who I let tought the car. I have seen the complexity of all that wiring that has to come out of the 140 to get to the evap core..and my thoughts would be if the dealer screwed up you always had the zone rep(whom I had several conversations with while I owned that car) that was going to take care of you ..perhaps at MB's expense ay another dealer if necessary

I was was very anal about the car and everything had to work 100% and to MB spec..maybe that why my repair costs were so high.
In fact my dealer tech used to tell me that I was a little too picky to be driving a car that old

But honestly whomever owns that car now should be enjoying as it should have had every bug/update done. My tech used to tell me that many of the parts that he replaced,including the engine, had many changes compared to the failed part that was removed.
Would I own another 140?...probably not...its not that I don't think they are great cars I think I honesly like the handling of the new 220 of the 7 series car better...although honestly I have never driven another car that offered the ride and comfort of the 140 car...and who knows as inexpensive as they are getting to be..I might consider it again....
I paid $25k for the 300SD ,that I owned, in 1998 and it was a one owner car with full MB dealer records(sold and serviced at the same place) and it was the right color,silver. These days you can get a 1999 S500 with 45K one owner miles for less than that. That still amazes me


Warren
1992 300SD(sold)
2000 BMW 740I
Columbus Ohio

I'm told by a local MB tech that he can do an W140 evap in about half the time that that dealer charges. He says its not particularly hard, but it is labor intensive cuz of all the stuff that has to be moved. He also says that once you've done one, the work goes considerably faster. I know that on my car, there are things that have to be done "just so", or it will take forever. So, I'd agree, this is probably a money maker for the dealers. I'm sure its not the only one.
I've not done mine, and with any luck, may never have to. But, after studying this car in depth, I'd much rather do this job than chase a random electrical gremlin in the powertrain data bus. Grab a case of beer, take a week off from work, and spin some wrenches. If anyone on the forum has done their own, it would make a great "do it yourself" article.

Heck, once you get to it, it doesn't look bad at all. :D

this is why cars like the 123 and 126, and to a lesser extent, the 124, have near cult like followings. mostly mechanical and solidly built. and the relative ease and cost of repair relative to the newer models. i firmly believe that these cars will be worth more than thier newer counterparts, and still be comtemporary, in the next ten years.

look at how many people love thier 123s and 126s.
and look at how many of them are still in use compared to any car from the same era. not many people are willing to take the time and effort to research the foibles of their 1993 fill- in- the- blank in order to maintain and keep it.

i drove to san francisco a few months ago and most of the cars on the road were newer/ new-ish, cars; 5 model years old or younger. by and far the most popular car that was from before 2000 was the W124, including mine. impressive for a car that was first released, in 1985!!!!

i didnt take a statistical sample, so i cant be quoted as gospel. most cars looked like rentals, newish camries and accords and SUVs. and of course this being california most of them were imports.

Ken thats what I was thinking. If I had a W140 and the evap went I would just take a long weekend and figure it out. It ain't rocket science just take your time and take a lot of notes. I'd also replace it with the copper core.

Not exactly a DIY, but lots of pictures from a change
of heater element on a S500 (in german);

http://community.forenshop.net/forums/index.php?mforum=W140&showtopic=1847

br,
syljua