I recently bought a 98 e320 4matic sedan. It is the first Mercedes I've ever owned and I'm loving it. I may have spoiled myself. I feel like it would be very hard for me to ever own a different brand of vehicle after this. But on to the problems...

#1: I'm getting a slight buzzing from my overhead console. From what I've read on the board already I believe it is coming from the aspirator motor... can anyone help me figure out if this is indeed the problem. I would also need to figure out the exact part I need to buy and if it's possible for me to replace it myself...?

#2: 3rd brake light is not working. I replaced the bulb and tried messing with the connection a little because it didn't seem to be touching the bulb very well. Still no dice.

#3: Trunk switch in the center console is broken. It's still actually there and works fine, but I can pull the switch off very easily. It looks like the plastic that holds it down just broke... Should I just try to rig it together or is it worth trying to find a new switch at a junk yard / online? How much work would this be to replace? It's not a big deal to me really, but owning a Mercedes I'd like everything to be fully legit.

#4: Biggest problem of them all... The drivers side window is acting funny. If I roll it down all the way, once I go to put it up it will sometimes, not always, stop half way and start going back down. I'll usually have to mess with it a few times and then it goes up. I never have the problem if I put it down less than half way. Any ideas?


Thanks in advance, any help is greatly appreciated.

 

Congrats on your 'new' car and welcome

#1 - No experience but I too have read of a buzzing sound caused by the aspirator. Most repairs like that are pretty straight forward DIY

#2 - I believe the 3rd brake light has two bulbs. At least my 98 wagon does. Could you have missed one? Bulbs are one of the common 'problems' with this era E-class. Mostly caused by a faulty contact in the socket not an actual burned-out bulb. Rear tail lights and brake lights most common.

#3 - On something like that I would just get one from the dealer. Usually not too expensive. And even if you find one in a junkyard it's going to be 12 years old. An alternative is someone parting out a W210. Often the best deal but you'll have to be patient and again it won't be new.

#4 - Two possibilities. Do you have an Owner's Manual? Look for the section on synchronizing the windows. The window buttons have two positions -- light touch and full pressure. With light touch (first detent) you must hold the switch until the window reaches the top. With full pressure (second detent), you press and release and window goes all the way up by itself. If the battery is disconnected for service, replacement, etc. You will lose the second 'full close' until you resync all the windows. Same with sun roof.

These cars are also known for failing window regulators although mostly on the rear windows.

One final tip - these cars are sensitive to battery voltage. If the battery loses voltage overnight, electronic gremlins will appear in the form of error messages such as 'oil level sensor bad', loss of window sync and sun roof sync, etc. Once the battery dips below a certain point, the car will not start even though you have headlights, etc.

Good luck and don't be afraid to ask questions.

 

Thanks for the reply. There is only one socket that I can find on the 3rd brake light. Unless there is another one that I have to dig deeper for...? I'm still not 100% sure it's not just a contact problem, I'm going to try and mess with it a little more in the morning.

Checked out the manual for the window synchronizing, I'll try that in the morning also. It's been raining all night and don't want to even chance it getting stuck down all night.

I'll probably just leave the trunk switch for now since it's still working and looks fine... It just pulls out real easy.

 

Don't waste any time. I checked and sedan is only one bulb.

If you have some electrical contact cleaner (RadioShack, auto parts store, etc), try spraying the socket and bulb base thoroughly.

 

Tried cleaning it out real well with this electric cleaner I have. Still no go on the 3rd brake light. I read somewhere on here to look for burned wires, no burns / singes that I can see. Any other ideas?

Synchronized the windows, it went straight up 2 times in a row afterwards so it may be fixed. The last owner did tell me they had just replaced the battery. We'll see how it acts over the next few days.

Still have to get to the aspirator motor... I read a few threads with people suggesting to try cleaning it out first, so I may try that.