Hi all, I've read the stickies and searched through the forum taking notes; but I know there's no replacement for experience. So any and all opinions are welcome.

I'm shopping for a E430 (W210) and am wondering what things I should be looking for. I'm aware of the rust & harmonic balancer issues.

Are any years better than others? Were most of the issues resolved by the 2002 model year?

Are there any options or packages I should avoid because they come with problems?

Since I'm not a mechanic I would take any car I'm considering to a shop to have them do a pre-purchase inspection. Should I have a dealer do the PPI or should I have an independent shop do it?

Does a shop being "Bosch Certified" mean they're trained to work on Mercedes? How can I tell if an independent shop really knows mercedes well?

I found a website called http://www.benzshops.com which lists some, and I thought I could use Yelp to help narrow the list. Are there any other ways to find a shop that would be proficient at servicing a mercedes?

What should a PPI consist of? What should I make sure they inspect prior to buying?

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I'm also trying to figure out what I should get replaced which may possibly cause problems if it degrades and it's not noticed (gaskets, hoses, belts, bushings etc..).

Where I live (southern oregon) there is no room for a lift, and the ground isn't flat enough to put the car on jacks with any confidence; so I would either have to find somewhere that would let me rent time on a lift, or else pay someone to do the work for me.

This is why I would like to have anything which could fail and cause damage preventatively replaced all in one go (hopefully at a discount for doing one big job).

• What are the things which should definitely be replaced?

and at how many years / miles?

• What are the things which should probably be replaced?

and at how many years / miles?

• What are the things which would need replacing but wont cause damage to other parts / systems if they fail?

and at how many years / miles?

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I'm looking at cars with anywhere from 70,000 - 220,000 miles. Most are around 120,000 miles.

I was reading through the forums and looking at some parts catalogs and trying to come up with a list of parts which should be replaced to make sure it runs like new for as long as possible.

If something is bound to need replacing, given the car is 12 years old & will probably have over 100,000 miles; I would rather replace it before it starts leaking, breaks, etc.. and potentially damages other parts/systems.

continued....

 

When looking at cars & their service records are there some things that I should check for being changed at different mileage or age intervals?

From the A & B service manual I downloaded, I know Coolant is every 3 years, Brake Fluid every 2 years, Oil & Oil Filter/gasket every 10k miles, spark plugs every 100k miles, & Fuel Filter 60k miles or 4 years.

How long do X last? Which will probably go bad with mileage and/or age?

Engine:

• Water Pump?
• Serpentine Belt? (or is it a V-Belt?)
• Tensioner & Pulley?
• How often does the timing chain need to be tightened or adjusted?
• Are there any parts in the timing chain assembly that wear out and need replacing? Timing Chain Link for double chain?
• Chain Tightener (same as Chain Tensioner?)?
• Timing Guide Rail?
• Oil Pump?
• Harmonic Balancer?
• Head Gaskets?
• Valve Cover Gaskets? (is this the same things as CYLINDER HEAD COVER Gasket?)
• Intake Manifold Gaskets?
• Exhaust Manifold Gaskets (1 per cylinder)?
• Oil Pan Gasket?
• Timing Cover Gasket?
• Crankcase Breather (aka Ventilation) Hoses?
• What other hoses should be replaced? (Cooling? Transmission? Vacuum? Pressure? HVAC? Exhaust? others?)
• Does it use EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) Valve(s)? Does it vary by state or year? California vs federal?
• Electric Air Pump?
• Valve seat rings? Valve stem seals? Valve Retainers? Valve Keepers? Valves?
• Camshaft seals?
• other...?

Ignition system:

• Spark plug tube seals?
• Spark plug Caps?
• Ignition Cable?
• Ignition Coil?
• Alternator?
• other...?

Fuel System:

• Fuel Pump?
• Fuel Hose / Fuel Lines?
• Activated Charcoal Filter?
• Fuel Filler Cap?
• Fuel tank / Expansion tank?
• Fuel Injection Valves? O-rings?
• other...?

Cooling system:

• Radiator?
• Cooling System Thermostat?
• Coolant Resivour / expansion tank?
• Radiator hoses?
• Transmission Oil Cooler?
• other...?

HVAC / Air conditioning system:

• HVAC Operating Unit?
• Blower?
• Blower regulator? (evenness of the blowers?)
• Refrigerant Compressor?
• Compressor Coupler (Clutch) with solenoid?
• Refrigerant Lines?
• Condenser?
• Evaporator?
• Heat Exchanger?
• Heater Sensor?
• Evaporator Temperature Sensor?
• Sun Sensor?
• Cabin Temperature Sensor?
• Gaseous Pollutant Sensor?
• other...?

Transmission:

• Gear select bushings?
• Guide bushing?
• Pilot bushing?
• O-rings?
• Drain plug?
• TCM (transmission control module)?
• Torque Converter?
• other...?

Driveline:

• Flexible Joint Disc?
• other...?

Rear Axle / Differential:

• Breather valve?
• Roller bearings?
• Bushings, washers?
• other...?

Exhaust:

• Catalytic converter(s)?
• Exhaust pipe?
• Mounts / clips?
• Muffler?
• other...?

Brakes:

• Brake Booster?
• Brake Pads?
• Rotors?
• Brake shoes?
• Calipers?
• Dust caps & boots on calipers? Bleeder Valves?
• Brake Lines? (would it be worth switching to stainless steel lines?)
• Parking Brake Cable?
• Electronic Stability Program (ESP) Hydraulic Unit?
• other...?

Front Suspension:

• Shocks?
• Dust caps?
• Springs?
• spacers, shims?
• Torsion Bar? (rubber mounts?)
• Wheel hubs?
• Bushings / Rubber Mounts?
• Ball Joints?
• Turning Angle Sensor (for turning headlights - Dynamic Headlamp Range Control)
• other...?

Rear Suspension:

• Shocks?
• Springs?
• Struts?
• Tie Rods?
• Bushings / Rubber Mounts?
• Ball Joints?
• Thrust Arms?
• Spring Control Arm? Rubber mount?
• Wheel Bearing (Carrier)? Flange?
• Torsion Bar? (rubber mounts?)
• other...?

Steering:

• Hydraulic Power Steering Pump?
• Steering pump intake Gasket? Other gaskets?
• Anything in Steering Column?
• " " " " " Steering Shaft?
• " " " " " Steering Gear?
• " " " " " Steering Linkage?
• " " " " " Steering Knuckes?
• " " " " " Control Arms?
• other...?

Frame:

• Subframe mounts?
• Engine mounts?
• Transmission bushings?
• (any other bushings?)
• Undercarriage covers, pans, trays, panels, screening, etc..?
• other...?

Sensors

• Mass Airflow sensor?
• Oxygen sensors? (what is the difference between this and a sender unit?)
• Cooling Temperature Sensor? (Sender the same thing?)
• Steering Angle sensor?
• Crank Position sensors & senders? (same as TDC : Top Dead Center sensors?)
• Camshaft Position Sensor?
• Knock Sensor?
• ABS sensor (G-Sensor)?
• Brake Pad Sensor? (should this be replaced every time brakes are?)
• Wheel speed sensor? (if it uses one?)
• ECU?
• TCU?
• Windshield Rain Sensor?
• Washer Level Sensor?
• Outside Temperature Sensor?
• other...?

Interior:

• Electric windows? Window regulators?
• Door Lock Actuators?
• Electric sunroof?
• Electrochromatic mirrors?
• LCD / LED readouts? Bulbs? Instrument cluster pixels?
• Power Rear Sunshade?
• Headliner sags?
• Leather wears in any spots?
• Dash cracks or shrinks from sun?
• Radio malfunctions / speakers break?
• Electric seat motors? Heated seat issues?
• Passenger Seat Sensor?
• Steering wheel tilt/telescope?
• Seatbelts?
• Noises from loose parts?
• other...?

Exterior:

• Paint prone to sun damage?
• Wheels prone to sun damage or clear coat peeling?
• Window Moulding degredation?
• Headlights / bulbs?
• Headlight washers?
• Taillights?
• Trunk issues?
• Parktronic parking assist?
• other...?

Routine:

• Oil / Oil filter / Oil filter gasket
• Air filter
• Coolant
• Brake fluid
• Power Steering fluid
• Automatic Transmission Fluid
• Automatic Transmission Fluid Filter
• Transmission Pan Gasket
• Differential fluid? (Does this ever need to be changed?)
• Spark Plugs
• Fuel filter
• Oil filler cap Gasket
• Battery
• Tires / Alignment
• Wipers
• Cabin air filter
• other...?

Annoyance fixes:

• Any rattles, knocks, creaks, squeaks, moans, or thunks that can be fixed w/ putting a better designed bolt, washer, etc.. somewhere?

• Any other bushings, gaskets, seals, boots, O-rings, bearings, springs, valves, caps, joints, straps, tubes, protective sleeves, grommets, dampers, cable harnesses, plates, mounts, hoses, tanks, clamps, fasteners, joints,
  
• belts, wires, electric motors, plugs, screws, bolts, nuts, washers, pads, shims, disks, pins, coupling pieces, misc plastic / rubber / wear & age prone parts etc.. that can need replacing?

Are there any parts that they improved & released under a updated new version that are more reliable?