New and maybe broken....please help...
 

Hi - I'm new to the board, and I just bought a 1997 E420 - Loaded, mint inside and out, with 50,000mi on it. It was purchased as-is from a small dealership with no warranty. As soon as I got it home, I put my rear driver window down and I heard a shattering like noise (not glass though) and the window was no longer going up and down. About 15 minutes after that I got a "defective lamp" error, which turned into "check engine electronics" (P0455 Emissions Control Leak -large) So I brought it to a mercedes dealer two days later and of course the day I was bringing it there the error message went away. I did still need the window fixed however. The dealership called and said I also need to fix the lower control arm bushings, a rear axle leak, some oil leak at the oil pan, a serpentine belt, and of course the window all for about $2400. The car when I looked at it, drove it, and returned to purchase it did not seem to have these issues. So I'm wondering if anyone can offer any advice about whether or not I may be getting taken by the Mercedes Service dept, or is this common stuff? How major are these issues - are they disastrous or can they wait? The place I bought it from said they split only the cost of the window with me, because they both have driven the car on a regular basis and had it inspected and never had any issues whatsoever with the car, and they were stunned by my phone call to them about it. Anyway - anyone with advice would be appreciated. Thank you very much!

Welcome... sorry to here about the problems... but yep, ive heard those are things to watch out for... you might want to check this out...

List of Common W210 Problems




~ Mr. B ~ :cool:

the dealership may well want to charge you 2400 for all the problems you have, but what specifically are the problems? I've found that a lot of repairs on the W210 are fairly easy and can be done yourself. if you can do some of these repairs yourself, you can probably save several hundred dollars.

Let them do everything it needs and start out on a clean piece of paper. The defective lamp message has nothing to do with the check engine light. Its a burnt out bulb or a bad socket. The emmissions leak is most likely a hose leak or fitting. $2400 is not a lot to spend on this car and may in fact be one of the lowest bills you will see during your ownership.

Oil pan & rear axle leak: common story by Mercedes dealer the moment you bring in your used car for service the first time.

Control arm + bushing: unless you notice quite a vibration at cruising or at turning (or bring your car to track often), leave it alone, it's fine if the driving is fine.

Belt: you can look to tell whether it need replacement. Should cost about $200 -300part + labor

Defective lamp: look like one of the socket get loose or corrosion. Chance is fog lamp or headlight socket.

So the only thing that you have to work on is the windows regulator, very common problem. $90 part and quite a DIY work. Take about an hour or two. Search this or other forum, most of us have to change it more than once.

For the P0455, also quite common problem on the E420. Often, it's caused by what called "Canister Purge Control Valve", other problem that could cause it is ...fuel cap.

$200-$300 for a belt?

Belt price is about $50 and takes less than 5 minutes to install.

I totally disagree with this poster's suggestion. What he is saying is to ignore all the dealer has told you. If thats the case I would not want to ride in his car. Leaks should get attention, the worn suspension parts can cause not only a bad ride but a dangerous condition. I also do not believe that the defective lamp warning can turn on the check engine light.
Remember, your the one thats riding in the vehicle and your the one that could be in danger or at best case walking home. The window regulator is a known 210 problem and is not a big deal. They fail with no warning and work perfectly up to the time they fail. The serp belt is a normal maint item it replaces what used to be called a fan belt and drives all the engine accessories.Price is no where near what he quoted. As for the check engine light this was triggered by the leak in the emmissions system and the cause could be a miriad of things none of which are big problems. Gas cap could be the cause but unlikely as the low fuel light would have begun to flash before this occurred. The only mistake you made was to purchase from a non MB dealer with no Starmark warranty. You most likely did that as it was less expensive than those being sold by a dealer. You most likely have a nice car, now fix it correctly and enjoy it.

Thanks to everyone who has replied. I knew that the window regulator was common, and possibly the control arm. The dealership I bought it from is splitting the window cost with me so that's fine. Here is a more specific list of what the dealer told me.

Window reg.- $340
Oil level sensor leak - $365
Lower control arm bushings -
Serpentine belt - $165
Diffrential leaks - $745
Rear axle seals leaking - $800

I don't quite remember, but I think the C A bushings were linked to something else on the list. This car was meticulously maintained throughout it's life and I have all of the service records since 1997 in my house. Has anyone purchased an aftermarket warranty of any kind for their mercedes? Thanks again!!
-Ryan

thought:
if you can buy extended warranty at this time, that would be neat. ??!!

All prices look fair to me. Most items are normal maintenence. As for an aftermarket warranty, these are in effect not a warranty but an insurance policy. Many of the companies that write them are fraudulent and dissappear during your policy. They are for profit organizations and expect tp make money on your payment. I for one never purchase an aftermarket or, for that matter any extended warranty and I believe I have come out ahead by just paying for what I need in the way of repairs as I go. If you can't afford to do that you have bought the wrong product. My suggestion thus is to forget the "warranty" .

Thanks everyone, I'm going to pick the car up tomorrow. I appreciate the help.
-Ryan