Believe it or not, the washer bottle level sensor or coolant level sensor will cause a 'display defective' message on the W210. They are wired in series and work on a voltage coded system read by the instrument cluster. If the voltages are not within its parameters it displays this message "DISPLAY DEFECTIVE" - it is more commonplace to find the washer level sensor at fault.

HTH...

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Did you just pass my 740 at 200 kmh in a 300SD?????

1978 300SD 'Phil' - 1,315,853 Miles And Counting - 1, 317,885 as of 12/27/2012 - 1,333,000 as of 05/10/2013, 1,337,850 as of July 15, 2013, 1,339,000 as of August 13, 2013



100,000 miles since June 2005 Overhaul - Sold January 25th, 2014 After 1,344,246 Miles & 20 Years of Ownership

It seems that all CAN bus cars have those kinds of issues. Battery voltage is an issue for the W210. Less than about 12v and electrical 'gremlins' begin to appear.

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Good luck.






1998 E320 Wagon

I don't think the W210 cars got the Can bus until 1998.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

My brother has been driving his 2002 E320 for almost 10 months now...close to 13k miles....no issues or problems at all other than a couple ESP/ABS error alerts that went away the next time he started the car, likely needs a new brake light switch.

They seem to be quite reliable cars. My dad has had a 2001 for about 2 months now...no issues.

From a working-on-them perspective....I actually prefer the W210 to the W123.

__________________
-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

I'm on my second E430. The first one was totaled by the insurance company because of a very minor accident.

They have been the most trouble free Mercedes I've ever owned.

__________________
Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

Good to know, thanks for the info.
My 97 diesel is can bus. I can access all the powertrain, body and chassis trouble codes through the climate control unit without any special tools. It makes diagnostics a breeze.

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CENSORED due to not family friendly words

I've seen references to CAN bus on MB models starting in 1992 but not sure when it was implemented on E-Class.

__________________
Good luck.






1998 E320 Wagon

Yeah, you're right. Turns out, it looks like all W210s have a CanBUS

The W124 has a hydraulic box and no box ECU. It doesn't have CanBUS

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

To clarify the CAN bus confusion, MB has been using CAN networking on the engine since the early 90's. The interior CAN was introduced in 1998. They run at different speeds and use the EIS as a gateway to allow information to be used by both systems.

I just got this warning after accidentally running the battery down by leaving the lights on. I would be surprised if the sensor actually failed at the same time but I can't seem to get the warning to quit. I may need to disconnect the battery for a while to reset something.

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-Evan


Benz Fleet:
1968 UNIMOG 404.114
1998 E300
2008 E63


Non-Benz Fleet:
1992 Aerostar
1993 MR2
2000 F250

Got my new washer sensor today and swapped in. "Display Defective" warning gone! $20!

__________________
-Evan


Benz Fleet:
1968 UNIMOG 404.114
1998 E300
2008 E63


Non-Benz Fleet:
1992 Aerostar
1993 MR2
2000 F250

All cars from the mid nineties with concentrated electronic controllers require a good battery.
Even the W202 Class was stipulated with a DIN85L +
W210's with DIN95L +

Even the W124's with their cruder KE injection system should not use a battery under DIN66