When were rain-sensing wipers made standard on w140s? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

WANT '71 280SEL · #1 12-20-2007, 03:23 PM

I am about to take possession of a 1994 S320 and am curious about some of the options that are available. I know post-face lift w140s had rain sensing wipers, but what about pre-face lift?

Also, what other options were standard on the car, or what other neat toys existed? For instance, I know that it has double-pane glass, self-closing doors/trunk (with the chrome handle that pops out), ability to keep the car warm after being shut off (does it cool the car as well in rest mode?), and that's about it. What other sort of toys were standard? I've been doing searches here for the past couple days about w140s, thus what I know so far. BTW, are the rear view mirrors heated along with the washer fluid?

Thanks,
David

wbrian63 · #2 12-20-2007, 03:58 PM

I'm not sure that rain sensing wipers were available prior to the face lift.

Rest mode only works with heat - there's gobs of hot water available in the block to keep he heater cores warm - not so with freon.

Outside mirrors are heated electrically, and are sadly tied to a thermostat. They don't come on unless it's below a certain temp. I'm pretty sure they're in the same circuit as the electrically heated windshield washer nozzles, which come on below 41f and cut off at 59f. On previous cars I've owned, the heated mirrors were tied to the rear window defogger, which on misty mornings works really well to clear the mirrors.

The windshield washer fluid is also heated, but by a heat exchanger coil in the tank (which is up inside the front bumper on the passenger's side) which passes engine coolant through the tube. This also has a thermostat on it - also opens about 40f. Many people confuse this tank as being an alternate overflow for the radiator, since they see radiator hoses going into it.

The PSE pump under the passenger rear seat cushion does a lot of work for these cars:
Lock/unlock doors/trunk/gas cap.
Extend/retract trunk handle.
Assist trunk closing system by extending the retracting pawl when the trunk is opened.
Extend/retract parking assist masts in corners of rear fenders.
Provide vacuum to release rear headrests when commanded from button on console.
Provide air pressure to inflate lumbar supports.
Provide assist vacuum to operate HVAC, especially in REST mode.

The system that handles the auto-close of the doors and trunk is a separate pump mounted inside the trunk on the driver's side up behind the back seat under the package shelf behind the covers. It can be very finicky about the doors, uses a time/pressure system to figure out when a door is latched, or if one of the doors has a latching failure. Repeated failures of a particular door to meet the parameters the system has outlined for a successfuly close event will result in that door being taken "off line". Visit www.v12uberalles.com for a great writeup on how to adjust the pump to virtually eliminate these off line events.

I'm pretty sure your model is sufficiently old to allow you to pull codes for the various computer controlled systems by building a simple code reader. This website has a lot of useful information on building the reader and reading codes: http://pages.prodigy.net/jforgione/MB_S500.html.

Being able to wrench on these cars ourselves makes them affordable to "mere mortals".

If you have any questions - don't hesitate to ask - that's what we're here for.

WANT '71 280SEL · #3 12-20-2007, 05:15 PM

Does the rest mode function work very well? Also, how long does it stay on after the car is shut off?

Thanks
David

wbrian63 · #4 12-20-2007, 05:19 PM

Here in Houston it works very well. I think it functions to the limit of the heat available in the water. Down here, it usually "coasts" - the fan stays on low speed. There are computer-controlled limits:
engine water temp must be above 122f, and battery charge must be at an acceptable limit. Runs for a long time in our moderate climate.

If the water temp drops below 122, it shuts off. If the battery voltage drops too low, it shuts off.

Up in your part of the country, probably won't run as long - just mainly because of the cold.

WANT '71 280SEL · #5 12-20-2007, 05:35 PM

Are there any other "cool" things that a '94 S320 has standard which makes it unique? The car has ASR and front heated seats, but those are both options. I wanted to get a lot of this info in this thread for future search reference.

Thanks,
David

jlomon · #6 12-20-2007, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WANT '71 280SEL

Does the rest mode function work very well? Also, how long does it stay on after the car is shut off?

Thanks
David

It works great in my W202, keeping the car quite warm. It runs for upto a half hour, so it is great for when you are just running into the store for a brief trip or if you were parked somewhere waiting for someone and you want to keep the interior warm without running the engine.

A. Rosich · #7 12-21-2007, 01:52 AM

The rain sensor started to be fitted on W140s on mid-1996. So, post facelift 1995 and early 1996s models will not have it.

Going back to your original question, about some of the cool options:

-Rear electric bench seat or individual rear electric bucket seats.
-Rear armrest fridge (2 bottles or 4 alluminun cans capacity).
-Trunk mounted fridge (6 bottles or 12 alluminun cans capacity).
-Rear side window shades.
-Rear electric sunshade or rear electrically operated curtains.
-Radio wireless remote control.
-Individual rear A/C system.
-Two-tone nappa leather.
-Multicontour adjustable front and/or rear seats.
-Trunk double safety lock.
-Driver's side factory mounted fire extinguisher
On post 1996 models:
- Parktronic
- Xenon headlights
- New wood finishes (besides zebrano and burlwood)

Note: Some of the options mentioned might not have been available for the U.S. market

WANT '71 280SEL · #8 12-21-2007, 03:06 AM

What about the standard "cool" options? Have they already been covered? This thread will be a good reference for searchers.

Thanks
David

A. Rosich · #9 12-22-2007, 11:15 AM

Well, standard equipment which was relevant at the time of the W140 introduction and made it unique:

-Double pane side windows which prevented interior fogging and made the ride more quiet. This feature makes a lot of misinformed people to think the car is armored. Also, the feature is so EXPENSIVE and HEAVY that actually only the W140 (as standard) and one BMW 7-series (as an option) ever had it.

-Self closing doors and trunk. The hydroneumatic assist feature was first introduced by the W140 and copied everywhere by everyone. What makes the W140 system so unique is its over complexity. Shut a door or the trunk softly and see how the system sucks the door further than its normal closing resting point. It holds there for 4-5 seconds and then releases to rest. Other self closing sustems don't do this, which is basically done to be sure the door has been properly shut.

- Express up and down side windows with safe detent feature. Put your arm when a window is closing and see how it safely stops its run. (When you do this on questionable mantained cars, be sure this feature is working properly).

- The Bose Sound System. The top of the line concert system gained many awards and to me it still one of the best sound systems ever factory fitted on an automobile.

- The electric seats had more ways to adjust than any other seat on the market, including thigh lenght.

- The trunk mounted self hidden handle.

- The rear electric corner locations assist antennas (standard) which were later changed to Parktronic (as an option).

- The rear lighted courtesy mirrors which open from the ceiling.

- The individual left and right automatically regulated A/C system (some market did not have did feature as standard).

And just plain and simple: the sheer size, quality of materials and attention to detail. No other vehicle ever had, nor will ever have, the engineering achievements the W140 carried, period!

smharr4 · #10 12-23-2007, 02:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A. Rosich

And just plain and simple: the sheer size, quality of materials and attention to detail. No other vehicle ever had, nor will ever have, the engineering achievements the W140 carried, period!

I've seen many W140's over the years, and if I thought I had room in my garage for another RWD car, a 1999 S500 would be it. They still look very contemporary, they'll go fast when you want and be refined when you need them to be.

Hatterasguy · #11 12-23-2007, 01:22 PM

The W140's sheer attention to detail is what attracts me to them. You have to either shell out $100k for a new W221, VW Phaeton, or a Rolls/Bentley to get the same quality and attention to detial.

WANT '71 280SEL · #12 12-24-2007, 03:34 AM

I just picked up my S320 and I definitely have to agree with you Hattie. In fact, it seems that most people who knock on the car are those who have never owned one, mainly w126 owners. I owned a 300SDL if you may recall, and it was a good car, however the w140 does have a unique quality about it. Here's the kicker...I've never driven the car yet. I bought it with a bad tranny so I've only heard the engine run but have had to push it on the lift in order to pull the tranny. I actually just got the tranny out today and can't wait to get it back from being rebuilt and drive the car. Actually, on Jan. 2 I'm driving to CT to visit a friend in Cheshire. I'm stopping in West Hartford on the way to visit another friend. I'm really looking forward to it but am afraid that I won't be able to drive the car because of some unforeseen problem since I haven't actually driven it yet.

Thanks
David

Hatterasguy · #13 12-24-2007, 04:19 PM

Give me a call, we could meet up. I have the beater VW now so you can't see the SDL I outbid you on.

Yeah don't drive the S320 yet, you need to sort it before going on a trip like that.

I have driven my friends 1997 a lot, and I would buy it if I had the money. He just said yesterday I could for $10.5k. But I have to pay for school and stuff so I'm not going to. They drive much better than the W126. Much less lean in the corners and a much smoother ride. His has 18in AMG wheels and the ride is sitll far better than my SDL's. The interiors are nicer as well.

Don't listen to people who talk trash about the new cars, they usualy don't know what they are talking about. They will bad mouth newer MB's, then if you ask them how they know its because a friend, of a friend, or this guy at the shop said this and that.

Hatterasguy · #14 12-24-2007, 11:21 PM

Nothing wrong with taking risks, thats what I do. Just hedge, always hedge. Get a AAA membership.

WANT '71 280SEL · #15 12-24-2007, 11:27 PM

My parents have an Allstate membership

They wouldn't pay to ship the car across the country though.

My biggest worry for this trip is not having a radio. Several of the buttons don't have a "click" feel to them when pushed. The seek up button is one example, and, I have to figure out how to enter the radio code. I have the code, but when I turn the radio on it says to wait. It said radio code once but I pushed the tune button and ever since then it keeps saying "wait," even after disconnecting then reconnecting the battery. Since the tranny is out as well as just about every major component under the car, I am hesitant to reconnect the battery and turn the key to on in fear that something electronic will go haywire and trip the CE light.

Thanks and Merry Christmas
David