advice on E270 cdi

[ozzie]

hi can anyone give me advice on a e270 cdi i am thinking of buying it's a 53 plate avantgarde 62,000 miles half leather radio nav cd changer etc full service buying from mb dealer i have always wanted to buy a merc and this will be my first . I can afford to run it but am a little worried about future bills is it a reliable car and how long will the engine last as i hope to keep it for around 5-6 years as i only do 10-12,000 miles a year also does anyone know of a good independant in or around birmingham would welcome any advice

ozzie

 

[Blobcat]

Hi & Welcome,

jberks runs an E270CDI so I'm sure he will be along soon with some good advice.

 

[jberks]

Hi Ozzie and welcome to the forum.
The 270 is generally regarded as very reliable. Its the same engine used in many of the vans and they happily do 250k+.
I have to admit that the 270 engine is rough by modern Merc standards but quiet and smooth enough at speed and quite nippy round town once you get past the turbo lag. 31-45mpg quite achievable. I'm generally very happy with mine.

Fault wise, nothing much comes to mind. Going through what I've had done on mine ...

They do seem more prone to engine mount issues than others and I've had mine replaced which reduced the vibration dramatically, though you can still tell its a diesel.

They recently replaced the front suspension arms under warranty/recall - make sure all recalls are up to date.

I recently had the rev counter back light fail - be warned, these are not simple bulb replacements and officially requires a new cluster (£850!! hooray for the warranty!) so make sure everything lights up. I suspect its not a common fault and my Dads E class is fine, despite being older. plus, there are firms out there that would fix it but I'd guess you're still looking at the thick end of £200.

Pop the bonnet when the engine is running, watch the air filter box and put your hand on it. The mounts weaken and you get heavy vibration which makes it sound like a B52 bomber. Easy cheap fix but worth knowing about.

Not sure if the 270 if that era was affected by the Valeo radiator issue (do a search on Valeo) but forewarned is forearmed.

Provided it has a decent service history it should be fine and buyinbg from the dealer make sure you have a good 12 month warranty in case there are any hidden gremlins. The early E's electrics could be troublesome. Most were fixed with software updates so I wouldn't worry too much but a warranty will ensure you know the nature of the car before it approaches your pocket and I've never had a used merc yet that didn't have to go back for something.

One question. the diesels command a fair price premium over the petrol and given that your mileage is relatively low, are you sure that the fuel savings justify the extra cost of the car?
Normally, when you do the sums, you are looking at a lot of miles before you break even on the deal and to be honest, aside from the new V6 diesels, the petrol engines are far nicer. Also, the 220s are no slower in town use and can be cheaper. I was doing a lot of motorway miles so bought the 270 for that extra 60-90 grunt but with your kind of usage, I may have considered a 320 petrol or a 220 diesel, both of which would have been cheaper to buy.

Whatever you go for though, they are a lovely car.

 

[ozzie]

ozzie 270cdi

hi jberks
thanks for your reply most helpfull. I did think about petrol but insurance fuel and if i need to re-sell i thought the diesel is the one for me. the car is in leeds one owner i guess if it was trouble he would have changed it before now.
I have been told that the auto trans fluid should have been changed around 37,000 miles but because it cost £200 and the box was working ok many owners didn't have it done if this is the case then to walk away, this is from a mb service centre guy is this true also what is the issue with the radiator how do i check mine when i go to view
regards ozzie

 

[Blobcat]

The auto boxes used to be sealed for life, now the recommendation is for a one off ATF change at 40K miles. If it hasn't been done then I don't see it as a big issue considering the miles. I would just get it done fairly soon (although I had my previous E done at ~90K miles)

 

[ozzie]

ozzie

thanks blobcat feel more reasured now

 

[mattsurf]

As for an Indi near Birmingham, WDM in Perry Bar is excellent tel 0121 3561020

I am sure that they can provide some local advice about buying an E270 CDI

 

[jberks]

Which Leeds Dealer (MB Leeds on Geldherd Road?) I'm down there myself on Friday for an MOT.

As Blobcat says, the gearbox oil is fairly flexible. I had mine done a few months back as it flagged up as a service item, but I did dither on whether to say yes as my previous E class with exactly the same gearbox was never touched in over 80k. in the end I figured better safe than sorry and ok'd the work. If it's not been done then maybe suggest they do it as part of the deal!


On the radator - some 02-04 mercs had a combined water and gearbox oil radiator made by Valeo. Some had a design/manufacturing fault which allowed coolant to seep into the gearbox fluid. The result was at the very least a new torque converter and worst case new gearbox. MB haven't been as forthcoming as they should have been with goodwill repairs, leaving some owners with horrific bills.
Worth asking the service manager and getting a written assurance that this car is safe from this issue. I believe ok radiators have a white dot on them. Do a search on this forum for the word "Valeo" as it has come up a few times.
Also Malcolm (television) has the details and will hopefully add to this.

 

[ozzie]

ozzie

yes that's the dealer gelderd rd.

 

[ozzie]

thanks matt i'll check them out

 

[Blobcat]

This really is a very good forum