Test driving a '01 E430, advice on my new purchase?
06-05-2010, 10:23 AM
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2002 C32 AMG
Test driving a '01 E430, advice on my new purchase?
Hello all!
I am a new member to this forum. I will be driving an '01 E430 RWD while I decide if I am going to buy it or not.
The car has 65,450 miles on it and is in relatively good shape. The interior is in great condition, the engine bay is very clean and it runs great.
The only oddity so far is that the engine stuttered on me once as I accelerated. I had a rolling start from an on-ramp and accelerated at pretty much WOT until about 120mph. At 90mph I got a slight stutter or "hiccup" from under the hood. I have not been able to repeat this. Any thoughts?
The only other issue is that the previous owner lived at the beach.. The front right fender has a good amount of rust and probably will need to be replaced. The rest of the paint job has some minor rust. I plan to replace the fender and have the whole car repainted. I will post pictures soon. Are there any other rust prone areas I should check for while the car is on a lift? With this car's extensive reliance on an advanced electrical system, should I be worried about salt corroded wires/control modules?
I have read many reviews (for example http://repairpal.com/cars/mercedes-benz/e430) and I have a basic idea of what to check out on the car. Can anyone suggest areas that I should have my mechanic focus on to ensure the car doesn't have any major existing problems?
Thank you all and I look forward to contributing to this forum (I am leaving behind cadillacforums.com as soon as I sell my seville!)
I am a new member to this forum. I will be driving an '01 E430 RWD while I decide if I am going to buy it or not.
The car has 65,450 miles on it and is in relatively good shape. The interior is in great condition, the engine bay is very clean and it runs great.
The only oddity so far is that the engine stuttered on me once as I accelerated. I had a rolling start from an on-ramp and accelerated at pretty much WOT until about 120mph. At 90mph I got a slight stutter or "hiccup" from under the hood. I have not been able to repeat this. Any thoughts?
The only other issue is that the previous owner lived at the beach.. The front right fender has a good amount of rust and probably will need to be replaced. The rest of the paint job has some minor rust. I plan to replace the fender and have the whole car repainted. I will post pictures soon. Are there any other rust prone areas I should check for while the car is on a lift? With this car's extensive reliance on an advanced electrical system, should I be worried about salt corroded wires/control modules?
I have read many reviews (for example http://repairpal.com/cars/mercedes-benz/e430) and I have a basic idea of what to check out on the car. Can anyone suggest areas that I should have my mechanic focus on to ensure the car doesn't have any major existing problems?
Thank you all and I look forward to contributing to this forum (I am leaving behind cadillacforums.com as soon as I sell my seville!)
06-05-2010, 10:58 AM
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GL450
Check all the doors, trunk, suspension, and the spring perches for rust. You'll want to get the car on a lift. That could be a serious issue.
Also check this thread: https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...-problems.html
Also check this thread: https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...-problems.html
06-05-2010, 11:52 AM
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check motor mounts, ball joints, rear tail lamp/sockets, pull up the right side covering under the hood and disconnect the etc module and check for oil contamination. personally id avoid a car with rust, but thats just me.
06-05-2010, 12:09 PM
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2001 E320 - RIP
ditto....don't need to deal with any rust if you can help it....it eats away silently, no matter how hard you try to get rid of it (short of replacing all rusting panels/parts) - not to mention the sea salt damage on top of the rust - it's like feeding the cancer!....MBs with rust are prone to more rust!
....double check behind rubber moldings underneath the doors...run a magnet all along seems and where water could collect to check for bondo work....any sign of bondo, walk away, there are better deals out there, even with a few more miles on them but NO RUST! ....if exhaust system is original, then all flanges/bolts/hangers should be double checked....also check all wiring and electronics....salt can easily corrode your copper electrical cables to where they appear fine but inside, the wires are corroded and therefore not as conductive!....good luck!
....double check behind rubber moldings underneath the doors...run a magnet all along seems and where water could collect to check for bondo work....any sign of bondo, walk away, there are better deals out there, even with a few more miles on them but NO RUST! ....if exhaust system is original, then all flanges/bolts/hangers should be double checked....also check all wiring and electronics....salt can easily corrode your copper electrical cables to where they appear fine but inside, the wires are corroded and therefore not as conductive!....good luck!
