ARISTO

New to the board, BTW, hello all-

I am going to be replacing my 96 GS300 in 1-1.5 yrs, and I have been daydreaming about a few cars, some Lexus(GS/LS/SC, some Beamer(740i), some M/B(E430).

The thing I want to ask is, how reliable are the E430s from about 00-02?? I have to be honest, the reliability of Lexus has really spoiled me, and I'm in no mood to start arguments on this board, so please dont get the reliability vs passion crap going. I just figured that 5-6 years into the design cycle, the Eclass should have most likely been the most reliable M/B you could buy during the aformentioned years. No offense to the new Eclass owners, but I think the 210/208 chassis, have aged very well, and still look "fresh".

I would appreciate any 00+ E430 owners posting thier likes/dislikes, etc regarding these vehicles.

Thanks in advance

AJChenMPH

Well, FWIW, my mom's 2001 E430 hasn't stranded us...yet.

She got her car in July 2001, and it has just about 20,000 miles on the clock. So far, the a/c has died twice (the electronic controller once, and the compressor once) and the alignment went outta whack once. But that's been about it.

Good luck, they're quite nice cars.

Bruin2

I have a 2002 e 430. I like the car except for the sound system. I test drove a gs430 which had a great sound system ie Mark Levinson, but the car felt very heavy and thick, if you know what I mean. The e430 felt more agile and nimble, not like the BMW, but definitely better than the lexus. The mb feels so much more luxurious than the bmw, and so much more car, that I went with the mb, and but for the radio am happy. (The engine is soooo sweet!) I figure you can replace the radio, but you can't replace the engine.

ARISTO

Thanks guys, I'm sure if I extend this post back to the earlier year owners it will probably uncover some more problems. No offense but, I think anyone will agree that the more time a manufacturer makes a car for a longer time, it works out the "kinks". i.e. 96+ 140 S classes.

Radio quality doesnt matter, its coming out anyway!

6.3

I have a 98 e430 (first year) and I bought it last year in september starmark warranty with 38000 miles. The car is like new. Strong engine, comfy multi adjustable/inflatable heated seats, electric rear sunshade, not too soft but durable leather. Loks new after 4 years. Love it.
I had only one problem with the sunroof with snapped linkages (promtly fixed under warranty) it would not open all the way and made this horrible sound, and 2 stop light bulbs replaced. The 210 like to eat bulbs. Other than that the car is great.

MikeyE430

Aristo,

Welcome aboard! I have a 2000 E430 Sport with 28K miles that I bought new. AC system and audio system have both been out twice. Fixed by warranty. Engine and transmission are nearly bulletproof. No other problems in 3 years of driving.

Good luck with your decision. You can learn a lot from this forum. I sure have.

phungpho

Aristo,

I have a 2000 E430, only 10K miles. So far, the car has 3 'minor' problems:
1. Differential leaking (when brand new)
2. ABS, ESP is not working after 8K miles. Change the Controller Unit.
3. Fuel sensor is not accurate. Too lazy, not fixed yet!

Other than that, I really like it. I test drive the BMW 540, Lexus LS430, I still like my E430. Hopefully, I don't scare you.

Dema

I do not recommend E430. Car is nice, but doesn't cost the money. I had no mechanical problems yet, but it has only 14K. The worst thing in the car is transmission. I can't predict when it downshifts when I need to accelerate. So, engine power is useless, or you need to do downshift manually. Car is lacking some standard luxury features like auto dusk lights, and one touch sunroof closing. Stereo and navigation are awful. a/c is good, but not responsive. Most of Es have alignment trouble, so you need to do steering all time to hold car straight. New Accord or Maxima are twice as cheaper and have twice more luxury features and enough power considering transmission problems of E. I test drove new E and didn't find it better, so it looks like I need to forget about MB and look for something else, like new 5 series or even Cadillac CTSv.

ARISTO

i really appreciate the honest feedback, but I keep in mind that a few probs among a few owners does not mean the model line is crap!! to be honest, I'm really liking the car lately from a rarity standpoint. Modded GSs and 5series are the norm! Eclasses are little more rare.

paomien

I know you wanted to know about MY2000+ E classes, but FWIW, my 99 E430 has had a plethora of things replaced under warranty, including new radio unit, new headliner (bad rattle from the sunroof shade), BAS/ESP/ABS control unit, O2 sensors (giving me a check engine light), front control arms, not to mention it eats bulbs like no tomorrow
and....... i don't abuse my car! unfortunately, I have a 91 LS400 with 162K miles w/nakamichi sound that sounds 10 times as good as the bose in my E, and doesn't have 10% of the problems my E had... my $.02
(please no lexus bashing)....

jago1244

some interesting observations out there. i think there are several common items, which i experienced also..
-diff leak early on, dont know if my 4matic is more vulnerable than rwd on that....
-bulbs, buy them in bulk. also my fogs are somewhat unreliable, i changed one entire assembly and the harness in the other (just today)
-sunroof bangs at full open over bumps
-stereo is not impressive indeed

i have found , however that for my taste, driveability is great, smooth as silk imho, if a mite harsher than say a bmw 5 over bumps,i detect zero squeaks and rattles (exc. sunroof thing) , zero any other mech probs in 10k miles / 9 mos.

interesting points re 'rarity'..i think the package matters a great deal. there are loads of say, silver/blk e320s rwd out there with 2 or 3 buttons blank on console, but i bought my car partly for what i perceived as the rarity of it, blk/char , e430 4matic, hot seats, xenons...so the console's loaded , which just to my eye is soo much better (not to mention the features themselves of course).

as i waited for fix today, i chatted with mb rep , mentioning that i was a mite frustrated with taking care of my 040 black car and asked him to search for like model in other color..and nothing out there. my own web searches confirm same. and this is with new e-class out there too. maybe more show up if/when e500 awd appears.
good luck , j.

6.3

When I got mine last year used it was the only E430 on the lot and like 20 E320s.
Mine is also full of buttons and I like it. Heated seats rule, xenons great, rear electric shade, ESP, MultiContour adjustable seats, useless now phone, rain sensor wipers (not sure if this was an option) etc.
BOSE suits me ok. Not bad in my opinion.

MikeyE430

Oh yeah, I forgot about the "useless" phone. Yester-Tech technology since they do not make StarTacs anymore that work with built-in audio system. None of the new phones work with old system either. It's a shame that M-B is so behind the times and will not come up with a retrofit.

The sunroof problems are why I ordered my 2000 E430 Sport without one. Hate 'em. Never owned a car with a roof that didn't have some type of problem. Just didn't want a hole cut in the roof of my Benz. The squeaks and rattles associated with sunroofs drive me nuts.

Mine also goes thru headlight bulbs way too often. Other than the previously mentioned AC problems and audio system problems, it is a solid car. I think the Bose sound system sux. However, I am going to take a hard look at Audi for my next car.

paomien

gotta love full buttons on the dash buttwarmers, headlight washers, sunshade...the only thing that I find strange is that parktronic was not available on the 99 models. It was available in 98 and 2000+, but not 99...i couldn't even pay extra to have it ordered.
re: the yester-century phone; i don't know anybody in 99 that still used analog systems. It's strange how MB didn't come out with a retrofit package for this car; I've heard somewhere that they're coming out with a bluetooth adaptive package that supposedly fits all W210 and W211 cars, could have been just a rumor....

rabbitstrudi

Hello

I have a flooded e430 transmission control module. Currently my car has
been in the transmission shop for over 10 days. I am waiting for the replacement
unit from the factory in Germany. The cost will be $1500 for the part and $250
additional to reprogram the unit after installation. Does this sound like a
reasonable cost? Also how long does it usually take to receive parts from MB
factory in Germany? I live outside of Chicago. Other than that my car is
simply the best.

Rabbitstrudi

Musikmann

The cost for a complete replacement sounds about right. But why didn't you, or your shop, try to clean the old one first? This is a pretty common occurrence and several members have been able to save their old one. Plus you need to replace the plug (connector) that caused this in the first place.

Figuero

I've owned 2 W210s the first being an E420 purchaced new and driven 100,000 miles - 100% Dealer Serviced. The second a used E430 that I purchased 4 years ago now with 140,000 miles.
These cars are not Japanese - drive until they break cars. You must be diligent with regular maintenance or they will become a money pit. The maintenance history will determine the relibility of a used W210 - not the model year. All of the design problems will have been rectified by now if properly maintained. Beware of rust.

C280 Sport

I knwo thsi thread is very old but for future referances from those coming from Lexus to MB: The cost of running on the E430 will be a little bit more then what one is use to on the Lexus but if you find a good Mercedes indi and keep clear of the dealer then you should be great! 00-02 E is the post face lift and are much better built then the pre-facelift ones from 96-99. Get a PPI(Pre purchase inspection) and make friends with a good quality indi shop who knows MB's. Remember MB is a more specialty kind of car with parts that do not come from Toyota(Lexus) or Honda(Acura) or Ford(Lincoln).

Look out for:

-Rust
-Working A/C, Evaporator, blower motor
-Suspension
-Heated seats

Personally my 2002 has been great with now 123,000 miles. Only issues were sunroof motor died, aux fan, front suspension clonks and wheel bearings. Not hatefull for a 12 year old car. One small small little rust spot on the trunk near the key lock

armanchosbenz

The way i see it is...all cars have their issues.Whether it's a lexus, bmw, or any high end vehicle. But, one thing i know about benz's is that they are built solid like tanks.Of course something is going to break on any car that is 10 years old, but you take it with a grain of salt. You have to remember though, that having that merecedes emblem on your hood is more pretigious than any other high end vehicle out there.

Dema

Not good, it looks like 550i gets my priority after owning a car having 4.8s, can't accept anything slower.