91 4matic. gas a good choice?
03-22-2004, 09:38 AM
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2002 E320 4Matic Wagon
91 4matic. gas a good choice?
I AM CONSIDERING A 1991 300TE 4MATIC. 3.0 GAS. WITH 148,000 MILES . ANYONE HAVE A GOOD/BAD OPINION OR THINGS TO BEWARE OF? MY LAST MB WAS 300CD, BEST CAR I EVER OWNED.
03-22-2004, 09:57 AM
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93 320CE, 72 280SE 3.5, 55 220A, 05 E280CDI, 88 Mini Mayfair, 90 Peugeot 205GTI, 04 Mini Cooper
300TE is good but be wary of 4-matics. Usual MB minor problems apply ( head gaskets, relays etc. )
Compared to a diesel the fuel consumption will be significantly higher.
A friend of mine bought a 90 300TE 4-matic last month a thinks it's great but he took it to a local MB dealers to have it checked over and no-one knew anything about the 4-matic system!
(He's had it coverted to LPG to reduce fuel consumption)
Who do you turn to if it goes wrong?
Compared to a diesel the fuel consumption will be significantly higher.
A friend of mine bought a 90 300TE 4-matic last month a thinks it's great but he took it to a local MB dealers to have it checked over and no-one knew anything about the 4-matic system!
(He's had it coverted to LPG to reduce fuel consumption)
Who do you turn to if it goes wrong?
03-22-2004, 11:15 AM
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93 320CE, 72 280SE 3.5, 55 220A, 05 E280CDI, 88 Mini Mayfair, 90 Peugeot 205GTI, 04 Mini Cooper
He was getting about 18mpg ( don't forget a UK gallon is bigger than US)
With the LPG conversion he gets the equivalent of about 36mpg. but the laod area is taken up by a big tank. A waste in an estate, ok in a saloon.
With the LPG conversion he gets the equivalent of about 36mpg. but the laod area is taken up by a big tank. A waste in an estate, ok in a saloon.
03-29-2004, 08:45 AM
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The 4-matics, early ones mostly, usually break up front in the drivetrain and are problematic according to my dealer parts guy. He steered me away from a 1992 one.
Hopefully the one you are looking at has been repaired properly. Once they are fixed up they are just as solid and nice as any other W124 IMO....but the repairs can be costly....no different than any other 4wd car though I'd suspect.
Hopefully the one you are looking at has been repaired properly. Once they are fixed up they are just as solid and nice as any other W124 IMO....but the repairs can be costly....no different than any other 4wd car though I'd suspect.
04-08-2004, 02:07 PM
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Mercedes Benz
I've owned two 300 4matics and done all repairing on them myself. These are reliable cars, but when it comes to what youŽd call routine maintenance, some parts are somewhat more expensive. There are also more things to maintain. E.g front axle CV boots, more expensive sway bars and ball joints and a hydraulically operated transfer case to maintain.
-But of course, there are good and bad specimens, like you will see everywhere.
The 4matic system is relatively trouble free. A special 4matic computer operates hydraulic/electric valves located underneat the rear of the car, which control the hydraulic fluid flow into the transfer case.
It uses ABS sensors as speed input and when wheel spin is detected, it locks the rear diff and the transfer case in three stages.
The transfer case itself has special oil for lubrication, and also a separate hydraulic fluid, operating the pistons inside it which engage the front axle. A yellow triangular light in the centre of the dashboard illluminates when the system is operating.
But a common issue is when the 4matic light itself illuminates. Then the system needs resetting( which is a simple procedure ), and a built in diagnostic blinking system tells you what is wrong by how many times the light blinks.
-Overall.. great cars in my opinions...
-But of course, there are good and bad specimens, like you will see everywhere.
The 4matic system is relatively trouble free. A special 4matic computer operates hydraulic/electric valves located underneat the rear of the car, which control the hydraulic fluid flow into the transfer case.
It uses ABS sensors as speed input and when wheel spin is detected, it locks the rear diff and the transfer case in three stages.
The transfer case itself has special oil for lubrication, and also a separate hydraulic fluid, operating the pistons inside it which engage the front axle. A yellow triangular light in the centre of the dashboard illluminates when the system is operating.
But a common issue is when the 4matic light itself illuminates. Then the system needs resetting( which is a simple procedure ), and a built in diagnostic blinking system tells you what is wrong by how many times the light blinks.
-Overall.. great cars in my opinions...
