chamnya

Hi all,

A newbie here. was originally looking for an E320, but settled for 2002 E430 AWD. It has one yr of extended warranty left on it. I guess it is too late, but I am taking the car to dealership first thing tomorrow. Found out that blower (the center one) doesn't blow even 20% compared to the side ones.

One more thing I noticed with the car is that it shakes (steering wheel esp) at high speed 60+ mph. Anything that I can ask dealership to look into or is it just tire balance thing?

Also, tranny and brake fluids were recently done. New brakes 8K miles ago and tiers have 12K on them (unidirectional ones). 5K miles since oil change and 7800 miles to go for Service A. Anything that I should consider in terms of maintenance and repair?

Thanks a lot folks.

Fraser

Pre-purchase inspection?

chamnya

cardinal mistake! dint get it done.

fosmith

You don't say how many miles are on it. If it's nearing 100K, you will need to do spark plugs. The shimmy is probably balance but could be an out of round tire or wheel. You might want to replace the shocks, as well. I'd recommend Bilstien HDs. And you might want to get a wheel alignment, too. If your warranty covers the A/C, I would make sure that gets sorted out before the warranty expires or it could get expensive. And make sure they get it working properly. It should blow cold air, not just cool air.
Good luck,
Fred

chamnya

Thanks! Sorry forgot to mention milage - 73K. Previous owner had got transmission and front struts done at dealership.

Got a loaner and the difference between quality of ride was more than obvious. I guess I will need to get mine fixed or I wouldn't mind keeping the loaner I wanted some opinions so that I could deal with dealership more effectively. will look into tiers first and then shocks.

thanks for your help.

lgconti

Just bought 2000 E320 4 matic. Car runs great but it just started showing three malfunctions. ABS, ESP and BAS faults...any thoughts before I get raped by the dealer

Air Marshall Eldritch

First thing to replace is the brake sensor under the dash. You will find specific details on how to replace this if you do a search here. The part is under $20 and takes 15 minutes to swap out. Clear your codes or drive about an hour or so and they will clear themselves (mine did).

If that fails to fix the problem, I'd suggest looking in your yellow pages for a local indie MB specialty shop. That will save you on dealer prices to begin with.

fosmith

I would be cautious about selecting a shop by just looking in the phone book. Just being an indie doesn't automatically mean being cheaper than the dealer and they may or may not perform quality work. Right after I got my car, I took it to an indie (recommended by a neighbor) for the "B" service. Cost me $352 which is about $150 less than the dealer but I later learned that they put non MB spec oil in and didn't change the cabin filters (which is part of the "B" service). So I basically paid $350 for an oil change that I had to have done again two months later. I now take the car to the dealer for service that I can't or don't want to do myself and at least I don't have to worry about whether they know what they're doing.

Fred

lgconti

The Brake light sensor works...brake lights work at least. Are you saying that there may be another circuit tied to the brake light switch besides the on off positions?

Air Marshall Eldritch

Yeah, I know, but I can't recommend anyone in his area. If he was in Jersey, it would be different.

Air Marshall Eldritch

Yes, the lights still work, but the sensor itself goes bad. There are many other examples of that on these cars. Paying to fix sensors instead of the part being 'sensed'.

lgconti

OK guys I will grab one and install it this weekend. I will keep you posted... I appreciate your help. Thanks a bunch

Hirnbeiss

Check for worn motor mounts too.

livetodrive

I agree with the comment to check the wheels. I had the same steering wheel vibration on my 2001 E430 4Matic, even after checking the front end and having a wheel alignment done. The problem turned out to be two out-of-round wheels.

lgconti

Ok Guys...Update on the brake switch... put one in and still no glory. Still showing ESP/ABS/BAS issues. Any other suggestions> Is there a good comprehensive manual out there that anyone can reccomend? I purhased the Pocket Mechanic Manual by Peter Russek, but it's focus is the mechaincal side of things...doesnt dive into anything other than the engine, brakes, transmission etc...

fosmith

Aren't these systems controlled by some kind of module? I would think that it can probably be hooked up to a code reader that will read the diagnostic trouble codes and tell you what's wrong. This is probably something that you should take to the dealer or QUALIFIED indie and have done.

Fred

lgconti

Yes Fred they are and youre also correct that I need to find a qaulified Indie or deal with the "Dealer" I have two W 210 models at home and I try to learn whenever I can as I am a huge DIY guy...grew up in a car shop and working on the cars is a bonding session for my son and I... it 's kind of a 2 for 1 special. Thanks for your input...it's probably the shortest path to finding the truth.

lgconti

Well Gang...just an FYI on the ABS,ESP,BAS issue. Started looking at all of the strings associated with this and thought that if the reset was tied to the steerring, that there must ba a feed back loop in the wheel as well. Sprayed some electronic cleaner just under the base of the steering wheel cover right along the joint and Voila !!! the system reset and life s good... been 24 hours and all seems well. Didn't need to visit the Dealer for a "fix" and the car is back to normal.

Thanks for being a source of information and input gang!