FlatlineEF9

Oh yeah, and your tire thing is right. When i had my stock 16s on there, the tires lasted 70k miles. When I had my 18 inch AMGs on there, tires lasted 20k, now Im on 19s and well see how long these last.

OceanView

Yes, MB's are scary to own after the warranty period.
I kept mine as an experiment. I wanted to see how long I can make it last.
But I am no mechanic by any means.
Like you, I can do the basic stuff and I try to learn what I can from researching the forums.
But when something major happens, I have to dump more money into it to keep it running.
Right now, my AC is out so I will have to spend $1500 to get it fixed.
That's gonna put me over the $2000 average for the year.

tirona

ohlord is actually right, no need to replace plugs before 100k miles, unless something is wrong. maybe on the older engines (m104) which i have you should change the plugs more often, but on the 1998+ w210s you should change them after 100k miles. it's in your owner's manual, read it.

Semikolon

I don't understand how the hell you people can do 40-50-60-70k miles on your tires. My Kleber dynaxer hp2 215/55R16H is now almost worn out on the rear wheels after only 7000km/4400miles, on the front they probably got the same mileage left before they have to be changed. and that is on a 290DT with 129hp and automatic gearbox. I can't get the rear wheels to slip even if I want to.

it's the same with my old toyota on 205/55R15 federal tires..

is it because of the crappy roads we have here? my driving style (relatively aggresive in periods)? or have I just chosen the wrong tires?
will this be better if I choose michelin -something- V next time?

at this rate only tires will cost me at least $1500-2000/year..

OceanView

Humm, Hard to say, I am not familiar with Federal Tires.

Your tread life will vary depending on many factors such as the weight put on the them, proper inflation, road conditions, proper wheel alignment, quality of the tires, driving styles.
If your rim size is 15" there are plenty of cheap good quality tires from major manufacturers. Inquire about the tread wear number. The higher it is, the longer it will last.

galleryvw

30K between spark plug changes is pretty much the consensus on an E420 if you want to maintain your horsepower and gas mileage. I assumed it to be the same on other w210s as well.

ohlord

i'M THE IDIOT,that changes the plugs to spec according to the factory manual at 100,000 miles,and they still spec at 39 tho in. and look new,if your changing them sooner, or in your case changing them at the dealer you're pissing money down a hole.Not my first lux car,and in 40 years that totals,sports cars,race cars,drag cars,collector cars,and more.I know things can jump up and bite you,my point is this is not a Ferrari we're talking about.If it's 7 or 8 or 10 years old it's less than a new Hyundai,treat it right,maintain it and,she will treat you well in return.Even you admit to 100-150 a month,but $333 no way.
BTW if I'm the guy that's responsible for the poorly functioning used cars on the road,why has not a car I've maintained ever been towed?Why do the neighbors and friends come knocking when something needs fixing?I've been doing this for longer probably than you've been alive,so maybe I am an idiot,but I'm an experienced idiot!!The dealer going to do your sec air repair,the book shows 20 hours and a good tech will have it done in 9 hours and guess who's paying the profit.GVW.know the drill,my wife was a service writer for a large mb dealer,back in my college years,saw how they work and the theory behind it.Maybe you don't know the front from the back of a wrench,I don't know,one thing I do know if your spending 333 a month on a maintaining a benz that's 8 years old,you had better learn to do it yourself,or quit complaining about the dealers charges,or get a new ride:that ones a hoopdie!
ohlord
"GOT CODES?"

galleryvw

*yawn*

meooem1

still got a tire on my car that is original...93000 miles 7-8 years old. probably should have changed it two years ago, but squeezing the life out of it....probably gonna have a blow out on 110 fwy but ohhh well. gonna get a couple of new ones at costco in the next week or two. by the way they are Michelin energy 225-55-16 i think. i am sooooooo glad i hate 18 or 20 or better yet 22" rims. that is a lot of money on tires for a grandfathers car.

ohlord

have you at least ran the climate diagnostics?So you know what is going wrong with the system,with these old cars if you are not armed with the knowledge of what is the problem,the dealer is able to tell you anything,and justify the bill.

Come on guys at least give me this! Find out what is wrong first,before you enter the dealer with wallet in hand.
ohlord
"GOT CODES?"

tirona

is different on 1998+ mbs. for 96-97 e320 (m104) and for 97 e420 (m119) you are supposed to change the plugs every 30-35k miles. but on 98+ e320 (m112) and e430 (m113) the plug change interval is 100k miles.

and about the tires, what the hell are you guys doing burning all the rubber in 10-15k miles??? buy some good tires next time, quit bying the $30 tires. i drive my car like i stole it and never changed tires earlier than 25-30k miles. on my s-class which i don't abuse as much, i haven't changed the tires yet after 50k miles, probably good for another 10k.

OceanView

yes, I did the codes. It showed that I am a bit low on R134.
But I just had it evac and filled about a month ago.
So I have a leak in the system.
An indy believe it to be the compressor and quoted $1,500

ohlord

And if this is the premise that you're going on then I can see why thousands of dollars a year is expected for maintenance .An indie that's taking a crap shoot with your money,thinks its compressor? I can go to vegas all I want and Think of a straight flush,and be right one in a thousand times,However is that what you want out of a mechanic?
what were the codes,what were the errors?post them.Find the leak.repair the faulty sensor,not the sun sensor if you have that code ,it doesn't affect a/c operation.Is the ec light on and you can't turn it off?if not run the tests
ohlord
"GOT CODES?"
"GOT INDIE,GET ANOTHER"

Quadcammer

wow, the messiah of MB speaks.

OceanView

Here you go, knock yourself out.


26
26
17
17
18
65
10
37

E FF

And this is what the website sez about my codes:


# Your climate control data has been received.
# Your sensor values were automatically converted from Celsius to Fahrenheit. All temperatures on this page are given in Fahrenheit and pressure in bar unless otherwise noted.
# Your refrigerant temperature sensor indicates 98.6 degrees, which is warmer than the outside air. This is good. When the refrigerant is warmer than the outside air, it can transfer heat out of the car. This means that your A/C is working -- but just barely. This is a sign of low refrigerant rather than something more serious like total compressor failure (although your compressor may be leaking!).
# Often you can tell you're low on refrigerant by a hissing noise coming out of the center vents. The hissing is the sound of the refrigerant rapidly expanding to fill the evaporator. This only makes noise when you're low on refrigerant. Do you hear this hissing noise?
# We hope that this diagnosis tool helped you solve your air conditioning problem and maybe even saved you a bunch of money. If you found it helpful, and would like to say "thank you," please consider making a contribution.

ohlord

maybe it not the compressor,like mechanic believe it to be,worth having someone more qualified checking the leak out,before spending $1500 on a "I think it may be.
ohlord
"GOT CODES?"

OceanView

What? You couldn't figure it out?
Common, don't throw in the towel already.
I was hoping that you were going to save me some money.

ohlord

you're trusted tech nor you can,so since I can't be there,better get your car to someone that can repair it
ohlord
"GOT CODES?"

galleryvw

sound advice!

"Get your car to someone who can repair it"

Paxfobiscum

Dude, I brought my 98 e class to the dealer and told him to replace my plugs and he laughed at me. He said plugs don't need to be replaced until more than 100,000 miles. How often do you replace your plugs?

amgqmp1

I just replaced plugs...they were the original Bosch Super plugs...with 117K mi., on them. I didn't replace them because of poor fuel economy, poor performance, or any other rational reason.

I'd just never done an E320 before and wanted the experience. I threw Bosch+4's in (I know they're a waste of money, but, you don't have to gap 'em and I'm lazy like that). The performance increase was more noticable then any other vehicle I've seen before. The point is...the factory plugs weren't optimal, but they were still working fine.

amgqmp1

The tires on my '97 E320 are Goodyear Assusrance (Comfortred). Not my first choice, but that's what was on the car when I bought it. They're good tires and ride well (quiet, smooth, like you want in a Benz). They have a treadlife *warranty* of 80K miles. I wouldn't warrant a rubber for that long, but, Goodyear has been selling tires for a *long* time...so I suppose they must know a little bit about the bidness.

Oh, and folks living in areas that don't see a real winter every year will get much longer life out of their rubbers.