queenelizabeth

I bought this car when diesels were a relatively unknown item in the USA; thinking this would be the last car I bought 'cause the engine would last forever. In the last year have spent over $5000 on injector(big bucks), alternator, cooling/heating system, and my husband wants to sell b4 even more $ is spent as the car gets older. Is this model just a lemon as the miles add up? Has 170,000 miles and gets regular maintenance at MB.

2slowcdi

That is the Million Dollar Question.
I have kept cars to long and others not long enough.

I feel the miles are adding up , motor mounts and front end work , ball joints maybe needed soon from what I have read in the forums.

My last car was a 03 VW diesel and with 200,000 miles the drive-train was still in great shape but the rest of the car was falling apart.

I feel my 06 CDI should last longer than the VW.
The drive-train will last on the MB and the rest should out last the VW but to what miles I don't know.
Go to the Dealer and get your 250,000 Km badge 155,000 miles " fill out the paperwork" for your grill that will make you feel better about keeping the car a little longer.

nelbur

I would suggest that you find a good independent shop familiar with your car. I personally would move away from the high dollar dealer repairs when the warranty runs out.

My neighbor has your car and it seems fairly reliable. Repair costs on older cars do increase with age and mileage, but the depreciation is dramatically less, so old cars cost less to drive than new cars. It just doesn't feel like it because the depreciation savings are hard to notice.

queenelizabeth

the car b4 another e class was serviced by an inde; he blew the engine;we had no recourse from him or the credit card;tuff 2 decide if the repairs beyond the warranty eventually make the( up to what age) car a poor investement? your thoughts pros?

zemun1234

I used to have 2005 E320 CDI and I have to admit that it was the best MB for me ...If I live a little bit south, I'd be driving this car today but being closer to Alaska than Panama , I don't have too many choices (read: 4Matic).

Inline six is the way to go ..

Keep it ....

harkgar

What about the S350 Bluetec with 4matic? Big bucks though.

Ever considered the BMW sixes? There is talk of a 300 horse diesel and there are X-Drive choices for the SUVs.

harkgar

What is "regular maintenance by MB"? Was the car serviced by MB according to its scheduled intervals? What were the big ticket items? Please share with us. I had replaced my ball joints but that was due to bad roads in my area. Nothing out of the ordinary with my car though it has only 66,000 miles (110,000 km).

Nor

I owned an Audi A4 1.8t for 8 years. I've owned my CDI for over a year. Overally, the E320 is a car that is much easier to work on, both for independant shops and even in your own garage. Take time to find a trustworthy indy shop and consider sourcing your own parts.

Sites like autohausaz.com and other offer parts at a serious discount to dealerships. Also, the rates at a good independant shop will be significantly less than the dealership. You can save a lot of money on mounts, ball joints, wheel bearings, transmission fluid changes, by going to an independant shop. The CDI is an awesome car, you wont find anything else on the market like it. Maintain it well and it will take care of you for years to come.

michakaveli

At 170k, you will have to put money into ANYTHING. Injectors from my understanding are BIG money if they need to be replaced. But with proper and consistent maintainence and decent diesel, it should run fine for a long time.

It has the straight six engine, tried and true. I would look for a respected indy for continued repairs though. Running to the stealership can get old and expensive FAST!

listerone

At 170K miles you've gotta expect that *any* car will need work,IMO....perhaps even major work.All things mechanical wear out eventually.I've never kept a car for nearly that long (70K is my record) but,IMO,you've gotta average out repair costs over time to determine which is the "lemon" and which is the normal piece of machinery.

queenelizabeth

FRIENDS/ this car has had many breakdowns in the last year/ no fun if u have to stay in motels/ over $6500 in 12 mos by MB itself( included 2 injectors) the latestwas the alternator & belts/ 7 days ago all the dashboard lites went on and off/ replaced a rusty fuse and we will see if that solves the problem/ we are about to sell the car bcause of these breakdowns. IS MB CAR QUALITY GOING DOWN DESPITE THE HIGH COST OF THESE CARS???

michakaveli

Not defending anyone here.... alternator and belt is expected to fail or need to be replaced by that mileage. At the very least that belt should have been replaced a long time ago. If it was original for 170k... I'd say it'd lived it's life and then some.

Snipe656

I'd say that who ever has been servicing it has not been inspecting much at all under the hood. But I am going to guess that belt was not original at those miles. But as others point out, at that mileage you just are going to run into problems with a lot of cars out there. What always worries me with high mileage is the transmission lasting.

michakaveli

The belt "may" have been original. I just got around to changing the belt on my Taurus with 140k, and the belt didn't look bad at all.

Snipe656

I suppose anything is possible. I changed the belt on my truck around 140k and it was certainly showing it's age. But in all honesty had I not been changing out the AC compressor then I'd left it alone until it got REALLY bad. But I bet anything a mechanic would have tried pushing me on a belt well before I did do it.

Personally I do not think two injectors and a bad alternator are really signs of a car turning into a problem child. The fuse sucks to happen but probably just one of those random old car items if it has not been having electrical issues it's whole life.

queenelizabeth

thanx for all the replies: we were once burned by an inde who blew our engine literally and had to sell the car: would appreciate any recommenations for inde's in the Naples florida area!!

Pierre Louis

I just sold my 2005 E320 CDI at 203,000 miles - to my German independent mechanic who loves it! Bought the last of the "Cobra" 335d's by BMW new.

My CDI was running great but had a few potential future problems: fuel pump and transmission were due to be replaced/overhauled according to some experts. $$ and $$$$.

The car started to have some breakdowns such as the radiator fan ($1000 for the part), the serpentine belt pulleys, a fuel injector blew a hole in the valve cover (also $1000), and the computer was putting the car into "limp home" mode or just shutting it off completely - and this was only when my wife was driving it. I am also worried it might need a turbo, water pump, starter, brake overhaul, radiator, steering pump, steering rack, etc. someday, all $$$$. The engine started to have a valve lifter type ticking noise on start up that I didn't like but it went away soon after startup.

Through the years, the car needed an alternator, ball joints, an EGR valve, a coolant heater controller, and the panoramic roof broke with too much of a repair bill to get fixed. A computer module controlling the trunk light and trunk opener deteriorated and cost $500 to replace and then the electrical harnass did the same for similar cash. Mechanic thought it was the "biodegradable" material the wiring is made of that biodegraded too soon! Oh, and the glow plugs went one by one, so it may be better to just replace them all at one time when the first one fouls, since the originals may not have been that good.

The 2005 and 2006 CDI's had the "sensotronic" brakes which need special care to stay healthy, otherwise you might end up replacing 4 master cylinders, one for each wheel, I suppose.

Overall, a fantastic car that "talked to me" at many levels, often fixed itself for some reason too.

Snipe656

My expire emcee has been if one glow plug or injector goes out then might as well do them all(all of which ever went out I mean). Just been that way for any diesel engine I have had. Maybe just bad luck but seems like everytime I'd just do the single one that went out then a few months later I'd be doing another.

harkgar

Your story sounds just like most gasoline cars. Diesels are little different. I guess we replace spark plugs all at once and should expect the same for diesel glow plugs. I am keeping my E 320 CDi for at least another 200,000 km.

harkgar

This is sensible. Parts are cheaper than labor, by and large.

harkgar

Agreed 100%. If you wish to keep your ride do the maintenance.

Snipe656

Well I got bit once with injectors. Had one fail in January, paid to have it replaced. Then in May, had another fail. The labor is typically no more to do an entire bank over just one. For glow plugs I actually only had to replace these in one diesel before and that was in my current 300SD. I have though had things like glow plug relays go out.

ImInPA

Here is a question you can ask yourself. If you had to spend 1-5K a year to keep this benz in in tip-top shape, is there another car that you could get for that kind of money that is a nice a vehicle as the benz? How you answer that one question is your answer. Keep in mind that it is unlikely you will have such high repairs each year. Hope this helps.

Snipe656

I don't recall if I said in here but my tipping point on any car is if repairs for one year reach $6k. The way I figure things is if I have to buy a new car with no real planning(saving) for it then my yearly car note will be around $6k. My truck this year ran me $4.5k and that was by May and does not include the $1k or so spent on what I consider maintenance items. I could easily see a Mercedes running me that, lord knows the ones I drove in the past did.

Beer Can

I have a 2006 CDI with 186k and in the two years I have owned it (50 k miles) all I have done is swapped out the thermostat (did it myself) and changed the oil. Don't want to jinx myself but I would say it is the opposite of a lemon.