Help with my ever first M/B E320 CDI A/G 01

[Dycer]

Let me start with saying hello to all you M/B owners. I am new to the M/B world my first one. E320 CDI AVANT GARDE 01 SALOON AUTO 90K FSH. If anyone could help with information on the paint condition of the car and M/B garages as to mine as got the rust on all for wheel arches boot lock around the lights front end and middle of drivers door. Also information to the servicing and maintenance of the vehicle would be great and never forgot. My wife picked the motor and i went with it was it a mistake to do this with what i have been reading about the faults with this motor.

Cheers

Gary

 

[rpe2]

Not a mistake, but you have found the inherent weak spot.

Wheel arches, along the tops of the doors under the seals, if your car has full MBSH, you may get some done under warranty.

As for servicing, you will get a countdown on the dash, but best not to go longer than 10/ 12k miles as a general rule of thumb.

Best to find an independent in your area as it will keep bills down, and service levels up...

Richard

 

[Blobcat]

Hi & Welcome,

The motor is very good, the bodywork may be an issue however. If it has full Mercedes service history and you keep it up then you may well be able to get Mercedes to undertake the work. It is a bit of a lottery and some dealers are more likely to entertain a claim than others. A good relationship with the dealer and having the car for a few months (>6) is a good start.

 

[television]

As above with Blobcats post,,often said that better to have the car for 6 months, though some have had done work done.

Maybe I am wrong but I understood that the last service needs to have been done with MB before they will entertain it.
The other rule that applies is that the body work must not have been repaired by anyone other than a MB workshop as the paint thickness is done when they asses the position

 

[Dycer]

Thank you senior members

I thank you for your time and advice. I do have plans to try and restore her back to pretty neat condition if the run gear and motor proves to worth its build. Invested in her for a big car to pull the caravan so she will be a weekend car holiday car. So any future advice on tricks of the trade would be much appreciated. Again thanks.

Shaimaa&Gary

 

[OlafMaxwell]

W210 E320 Cdi

She will pull a caravan very nicely indeed.

You found the weak spots, there are a few, rust being a big one but if MB dont help there is a good volume of motor traders selling doors and wings. Wheel arches take work but in all a good body shop will sort them out. I did have one minor incident where a door needed to be repalced due to accident damage and a body shop I normally used in previous years would not touch them because of airbags etc.

A few things you must do if history is missing or suspect:

Check the front balljoints. Mine were done about 105k.

Front drop links give a knock, cheap, they last 25-50k depending on roads and how the car is driven.

Transmission fluid needs changing, if not done or no record of it. Book says its sealed for life but this was changed to about 60k or thereabouts. Important to do this.

Glow plug light if it stays on means you have a dud glow plug. They are not really a diy replacement as they are prone to breaking.

Air con can go wrong, condenser radiator is a weak link.

If you have the detachable towbar and fold up trailer socket, it was an option and a good one, check you have the keys and make sure it is working. There is a lubrication and check requirement for this, done as part of MB service. This is a neat option because the bulb failure system also monitors the trailer lights too.

Make sure you have two electronic keys and one manual key.

The front engine cross member is prone to corrosion, the undertray needs to come off to inspect. If the tray is off make sure to put spacers/washers to keep it below the cross member so it cannot hold water. MOT wont show this up because they do not remove the undertray for an MOT check. Car Mechanics ran a feature project car on this last year on a 1999[?] model.

The specifications for coolant fluid and brake fluid require a change every two years, make sure this is done, particularly if you are towing. I have found down in France and Spain in summer the temperature gauge can go very high in hot or hilly areas if you are towing and running air con and good fluids are then critical, particularly at higher mileages.

The engine is great and reliable, the two main items are MAF which you can search out here, annoying but cheap enough to fix, transmission is another with a known but easily fixed electronic issue resulting in second gear running max 2000 rpm. Mine went at 115k.

There is a cooling fan associated with the ECU which fails, its mostly time related, I would look at replacing this. My own MB main dealer is one of the few trustworthy ones and i still use him, his advice was replace it as in a hot weather failure the ECU can be fried. I hope I got that one right but I do remember his advie and it was not expensive.

Enjoy the motor, the previous owner/s will have encountered and hopefully dealt with most of the issues that arise. Mine was a pain in the arse, to put it mildly, up to 75k but has been fine since.