Floobydust

I am considering an E320 Cabriolet for some summer convertible fun. I RTFF and it seems the big items to look for on these cars are:

1. Engine wiring harness (OEM ones decay due to insulation type).
2. A/C system leaks, in particular, the evaporator. Replacement is a 24 man hour, big dollar job.
3. Head gasket issues.
4. Transmission shifting issues.

Can anyone point out some other issues I should be wary of? Is the wiring harness limited only to the engine harness, or do all harnesses in the car potentially have issues?

Thanks is advance,

- FD

ds190

Basically limited to the engine wire harness because of the heat there, but hard to say for sure about other areas in the car that get baked by the sun.

Issues I'll add:

5. Leaking hydraulic cylinders of the convertible top system. The factory did not make any mention in the Owner's Manual of changing the hydraulic fluid regularly. Absolutely pathetic on their part, as the reservoir is open to air, the fluid absorbs moisture over time, the fluid turns greenish from the water in it, and seals in the hydraulic cylinders break down and leak.

The cylinders can be rebuilt, but it is a pita to get them out.

6. Vibration damper on left strut. It's a big piece of lead imbedded in rubber bolted to the strut mount under the hood. When the rubber cracks and breaks, the damper doesn't dampen and bangs around, and there may be shimmy in the front suspension that no amount of wheel rebalancing will remove.

And, here's an odd thing about the blue interiors. The hard plastic parts (covers over sun visor mirror, sun visor mount covers, plastic around overhead lamps, and other pieces) become partially soft over time, and get gouged up with marks and scratches. Think of a piece of hard candy that has been left in the glove box or a coat pocket for years- it gets sticky and soft on the outside while remaining hard on the inside. Only the blue interior! I've replaced sun visor mirror covers and the plastic over the visor mounting screws.

That said, I enjoy mine very much!

Kestas

As far as the convertible hydraulic cylinders, I doubt moisture is the biggest concern for this design. The problem is that the cylinder seals were made of polycaprolactone. This material is biodegradable and not resistant to the high temperatures that a car may experience parked outside in the summer. I had all the cylinders in my car rebuilt with polyurethane seals, which are considerably more robust for this application.

ds190

Kestas, excellent info on hydraulic cylinders!

Mine are not leaking (yet), but who rebuilt yours?

Thanks, Dave

Kestas

Search "Dennis Ficken" on this and the R129 subforum, and you should get all the information you need.

Floobydust

Thank you everyone for the information. It is my understanding that the cylinders are the same as on the R129 (since these cars were factory conversions, MB had to use as much of the existing parts bin as possible and I believe the R129 was the only convertible in production at the time). It's interesting that MB used polycaprolactone for the seals - that's primary a material used for prototyping. I have not had to have the cylinders rebuilt on my R129 yet, probably because it's never warm in New England. I also added a small quantity (about 10 ml) of Lucas hydraulic fluid conditioner several years ago to help preserve the cylinder seals.

And after that protracted post, the question. Given the New England environment, the odds of finding a decent example nearby are slim and none, so I'm considering long distance. Would in be reasonable to consider buying one of these cars from a distance (e.g., ebay, other internet sources, etc.) or is the feeling of people with direct experience with them that a personal inspection is a must (my car forensic skills are generally very accurate).

Thanks again,

- FD

panorth

I recently bought another E320 through an auto trader search. Go to their advanced search and pick your years and mileage. You can also dial in the distance from your zip code. Try it both ways dial in a reasonable distance from your zip and then unlimited and look at the choices you get. You may find a cabriolet in new england that was only driven summers. There are a bunch of cabriolets for sale in Florida just make sure you buy one that sat in the garage most of time. I wanted a cabriolet but could not justify the dollar difference. You also might want to try an on-line subscription to Want advertiser or Uncle Henry's. I found my first one through the Want Advertiser. Personally I think the key is to find one that has low mileage and was only driven seasonally.

In my case I favor the 94-95 years. I originally bought my first E320 in 2000 it was a black 95 with 32K miles for $20K. This past summer I found a nice green one in Sarasota with 39K miles and paid $8K. Drove it to a home in Jacksonville and drove my older black one to Maine now with 109K miles. I figure that based on driving each one less than 10K a year they may outlast me .

RHW

It is a great time to buy a Cab, they seem to be a solid 25% - 40% lower priced now than 3 years back. I am real partial, and after enjoying a Cab for a summer...I bought a second as a spare / back up.

I used crazed list to search craigs list, found (all the) great deals in Cali, and paid a friend to inspect before I had my white one shipped to NJ.

2 years in, the Cab remains my favorite car I have owned.

Floobydust

Thank you again everyone for your comments. I have two more questions:

First - I may have found a cosmetically decent example, but it has two of the three main diseases - the wiring harness is cracking and the head is leaking oil via the head gasket. I know the scoop on the harness and can easily replace that myself (I did a complete, ground up digital fuel injection, hardware, firmware, and fuel maps, for the TR8 I have) even though the harnesses alone on the cars are approaching a kilobuck in price. The question is how urgent/serious is the oil leak at the head? Is that something that you just put up with like oil leaks on my Triumph (they are just marking their territory) or is that a sign of imminent failure?

Second, RHW, what wheels are those are your cab? I think they are AMG monoblocks, but I'm not sure. What size/years/models, etc. are the from?

Thanks again,

- FD

RHW

The wheels in that pic are the common/classic Aero II Monoblocks, 17x7.5 et35, not sure which model they are from.

KSing has been bothered by a headgasket leak...I think for well over a year and maybe over 2 years. Due to his comments, I am tolerating a leak at this moment in one of my family's 7 124s. I'll let others speak of the risk, but for me, the worst outcome...is a tolerable risk right now.

E320A

I have had my cab for ten years now and have not done anything but routine maintenance. It is a 1995 with 94K kilometres, never seen winter or rain, lives in the garage under its blanket and have not had any of the harness, head gasket, etc, problems others speak of. Brakes, rotors and basically changing fluids as required is all that has been done. I have all the books and records from day one. Always put away for the winter properly including stabil and she starts right up every spring ready for another summer of sunny driving conditions.
If you can find a good one with records, although you may have to pay a premium, I'm sure you will be very happy with the convertible. Good luck with your search.

vexed

What is the market these days? There is one for sale locally, allegedly a one owner car with 15,000 miles dark green over tan.

ps2cho

I wouldn't doubt the owner will be looking for $18,000+ for that.

vexed

Thanks, he is actually asking much less. My antenna are up, I am seeing it a little later. I will call in the vin to my wife to run it. Usually when it is too good to be true.....

Floobydust

The cab I'm considering is a '95, 95K miles, cosmetically very good, but with the above mentioned issues. The seller wants $10K for it. Worth it?

Thanks,

- FD

BJaltima

with the above issues (wiring harness and head gasket?)....10k?...not at all!

RHW

I agree w BJaltima

Between CRAZED LIST and ebay you will find better deals.

I'd drop an extra $1000 though just to get my fav color (s), while green would have the butterfly effect on my final offer...1000 less than my non-color-influenced offer ... at least.

Floobydust

I agree about the color - to me it's worth extra for the right color. The car in question is black/tan. This and white/tan are my two favs. My understanding is that both of these combinations are somewhat hard to find.

Color aside, given the issues with the cars, what do you think it might be worth? I have been searching crazedlist and ebay religiously and $10k seems to be in the bottom of the range for decent examples (under 100k miles), even in the wrong color.

Thanks,

- FD

mislums

I was in your shoes in 2007. Bought a Smoke Silver/Parchment e320 Cab out of Arizona with 31K miles for $16,500 and shipped it to Seattle.

I would look in the Sunbelt area for a good car, I looked on the Web for rwo years before I found the right one! Mine hasnt had any major problems, wiring harness was changed already and the previous owner (2nd) had bought it with a Starmark warranty -- so the MB dealer either freshend everything (including a new top) or fixed all the probelms that arise -- got real lucky!

The car has 40K on it today and the only work I've had done are oil changes, brakes, the antenna mechanism, and re-wiring the third-brake light that goes throuhg the trunk hinges -- it was worn. I did buy an extended warranty for around $2,100 to cover any major surprises -- which as we know can be expensive.

RHW

Floobydust, I just scanned California on crazed list and ebay...was surprised at slim pickings. I'd want to pay less, more like 8k, but a black benz cannot be beat.

In another month or 2 there will be far more showing up.

Floobydust

Found a black w/ tan that appears like only the wiring harness is a mechanical issue. But while the interior is generally in good condition, the front seats are showing some cracking lines. Are replacements or replacement seat surfaces available? If so, are they big bucks? Other suggestions/thoughts?

Thanks,

- FD

mislums

That's why I looked for a lower-mileage car --so I would never have to buy a new/replacement interior. It will break the bank unless you get lucky at a junkyard or eBay.

Ok, everyone take a deep breath -- I cleaned my Tan interior with "Goof Off" and all the plastic/leather looks 110% better and finally clean. I guess I could have used diluted vinegar -- but I'm a gambler.

Kestas

I replaced the seat on my 95 E320 cab. There are a few upholstery places that sell the material for $800-$1000 per seat. You send in the old cover and they transfer the seat heater unit to the new cover before shipping.

ds190

Used seats are around (ebay, Potomac German Auto), but you already know the problem with a cab- it has the button seat back release. Only found on the cabs and CEs. So that eliminates all the sedan and TE sets.

I would say a used tan set of seats would be very very difficult to find.

Also, performanceproducts sells the front seat leather for $550 or so, and then you pay someone to install it.

WDB124066

ds190 Can you please take a photo of the vibration damper, I don't think there is one fitted to my front strut........

Best regards, W.