98MBE320

Does anybody know all of the official recalls from MB for the W210?

I know the Harmonic Balancer is one (and had it taken care of). Are there others that I need to be aware of??

I've heard rumors about recalls for rusted-out spring mounts and rubber door seals, but I've heard nothing to substantiate the rumors. Any others?

Thank you.

Peteski

Funny you should ask... I went in for the harmonic balancer today, and they informed me of the door seal recall; it's #200503005, and they move the seals and apply a wax sealer on the top. They didn't have the spring tower recall for my '00.

enzo430S

are manufacturer recalls still covered if the car is out of warranty? sorry if that's a dumb question.

Peteski

Yes, you're covered if you own the car, regardless of warranty status, on recall items. At first my local dealership said I had to wait until I got the notice letter from MBUSA, but the other day they made an appointment for the harmonic balancer inspection - and that's when they told me about the door sealant thing. I took it in today for the "inspection" and I did qualify for a replacement; they had one on hand from someone who hadn't been in for several months, so they even replaced it on the spot. If you call MBUSA they'll give you the general parameters if your car is covered. You may have to wait for their letter, but talk to your local dealer(s) [I get my work done by a terrific indie 200 miles from here, and this is the only dealer within 100 miles].

enzo430S

thanks! i need to bring my car in for the 35,000 service soon, so i'll ask them then.

by the way, what is a harmonic balancer? and what does it do?

Peteski

I'm no wrench-head, but I believe it "smooths" out the running of the "V" engines which are inherently non-smooth running - like both sides of the V are battling one another. From all I've been told very few of them have actually failed; but if they do all sorts of hell will result. The good news is that M-B has repaired that damage as well if it has occured as a result of that particular failure. I've also heard that if it is going to fail it will probably be at much higher mileage than you or I have (I just turned 46,000 miles). When you take yours in they can at least tell you if your engine and balancer are under this program.

RobertG

the harmonic balancer is the round disc in front of your engine and the serpentine belt is wrapped around it .It's a place where all the accessories will get driven.Peteski is right it smoothes out the operation on all multi cylinder internal combustion engines where you have controlled explosion on top of the piston forcing the pistons downward which causes flexing and vibration of the crankshaft.Without it the engine will shake itself appart over time .

zstig

Is the spring mount a recall issue? I had to just replace/fix my left front on my '96 as it was tearing away from the body, $300 which isn't going towards a coveted playstation portable purchase. Noticed it while doing the brakes.

98MBE320

Rusted out spring mounts have been an issue for many MB owners I've heard. I've even seen pictures of what it looks like. Apparently moisture builds up on the weld joints and corodes over time and can make the whole unit, to include the spring, to tear away and make the car collapse on that side. You can only imagine what would happen if that occured while driving the car on a freeway. I turned the wheels on my '98 and got in there with a flashlight to check out both sides and they looked okay (car has 56k on it) no noticeible rust or corrosion.. It probably should be a recall issue.

I'm going to check on the door seals recall next week.

MB Enthusiast

How do I find a list of Recalls for my 1997 E320

adv074

When I brought my car in last week to have the catalytic converter replaced (under emission warranty) and my power window fixed, they went ahead did that door seal recall. It stated "Preserve door frame under door seal per service campaign 2005030005. Apply preservcation wax to door frame underneath door seal." My car already had the updated harmanic balancer in it already when I bought it.

MB Enthusiast

Will my 1997 E320 have the same issues the forum is describing and where can I get a list of the recalls

guitarplayer

Do I need this door seal thing done on my 2002?

Peteski

I don't know for sure, Guitarplayer, but I'd get it checked out!

michaeljacob

i just had my harmonic balancer replaced under the recall. the dealership was great about it, and they did the door wax thing, but i'm still not sure what thats all about. my car does seem to feel smoother when idling in park.

-mike.

Kevin300TD

Couldn't find any recall information on the HB or door seals at NHTSA recall website -- other than what I've read here at MBwold.
I've a 2001 (W210) E320 Wagon and was curious if my vehicle is affected by these HB and door seal recalls?
Kind thanks,

lkchris

Your 2001 is too new for the harmonic balancer recall, but needs the door seal fix.

gujupimpster89@

now how do i go about getting these recalls done? do i call mbusa, or should i call my dealership and ask them about it?

raymond g-

Recalls are performed at no cost by the dealer. You should be able to contact
the dealer for scheduling of the repair. They will plug in your VIN and be able
to determine whether compliance with recall is outstanding or if already resolved.

Door corrosion TSB for 99 E320

Harmonic balancer TSB/service campaign

I should have nearly all TSBs in detail for 97-03 E320s. PM me and just be aware
that you'll need broadband as the files can be roughly 20-60mb in size. The
files are bloated as I didn't spend the time to deleted dead pages. I just
downloaded them en masse.

gujupimpster89@

k thanxk

1stbenz00e55

Hey All.... are the AMG engines included in the Harmonic Balancer Recall? And Door Seals?

Thanks

RJ.... 2000 E55

raymond g-

see PM

kjp-e430

I got my harmonic balancer changed for the second time at 40,000 miles. My car is not in any replacement/recall campaign.

If you smell burning rubber from under the hood, open the hood and look at the crank pulley to see if it's wobbling. A failed harmonic balancer can take out your oil pan!

Racin_fool

It can take out alot more than just your oil pan. The upper section of the oil pan is most often what gets damaged, but does not always get damaged to the point of it needing to be replaced. Sometimes when the Harmonic Balancer fails, it can also take out the engine belt and the front engine cover (which would be quite costly to replace by itself). If you know what to look for, the part numbers on the harmonic balancer that are affected and need to be replaced have the last four digits of either 00-00, 03-00 or 06-00.

I cant remember the rest of the part number.

kjp-e430

The original one I had was an 00-00 - the second one that was replaced was an updated one - but there is one newer than this one (with a special part number suffix made for the 97-00 recall campaign).