jakel01

I'm starting to get some persistent annoying issues and cannot decide if to dump the car or keep it going. I'll give a quick and dirty of good and bad.
135,000 miles.
My driving is mostly residential/city stop and go, and my drive to work is only 1.2 miles.
Top of my list of concerns are:
A/C leaks from unknown location and only blows cold on passenger side,
engine thermostat seems to need replacing every 2 years, and
In wintertime the transmission shifts firm but sluggish and once in awhile slips from a start until warmed up. Otherwise shifts great in summer and I love how it shifts so intelligently based on throttle position. Always used OE filter/fluid.

Good:
I'm the second owner since March 2016 @ 85,000miles, my Grandma bought it new. She always had it serviced at the dealer she bought it from. There are no service records or history about the car however, they died with her.
Everything electronic works except occasionally not the rear wiper, and LF speaker.
Power windows work great.
My former mechanic who loves W210's said this car is in good shape
Interior is good, no seat rips or tears, all power functions work including memory settings.
Tape deck still plays tapes. Did the AUX cable mod (which sounds OK depending on content)
Hydraulic rear suspension serviced (New springs, accumulators, control arms, bushings, wheel bearings)
Transmission filter and fluid changed twice since I owned it. Second fluid change was because the input cable sleeve tore and started to leak fluid.
Engine purrs like a kitten, motor mounts are in great shape.


Bad:
Salvage title. Grandma started doing a u-turn with cars behind her and one ground along the drivers side doing body damage to the front fender, hood, and headlight. She loved the car and had it fixed anyway, so, salvage title.

Driver's auto dimming mirror is clouded.
Corrosion in the usual spots, starting to bubble in many places on the hatch and around the tail lights.
Windshield wiper does a bad job no matter the blade. (new windshield made no difference, weak spring suspected)
Washer fluid hose system so worn the spray barely gets halfway up sitting stopped.
One headlight takes on water and gets foggy with some standing water inside. (Tried sealing with silicone, did not work)
A/C system needs a can or two each season and doesn't blow cold on driver's side, shop cannot find leak in system (evap core leak suspected).
Needs a new thermostat every other winter or it takes long time to warm up (takes 5-10 miles of driving to get above 80C), in summer temp drops 5-10C when coasting on offramp from highway speeds.
No block heater.
Still plays tapes.
Twice replaced front right CV boot.
Front end squeak not fixed with recent ball joint replacement.
Winter city mileage is 15-18
I do love this car, but I value objective opinions from strangers on forums

Thanks

190Efan

I certainly understand the sentimental value of this car to you and there's something to be said for that. 135,000 miles really isn't alot for an MB. So long as it's still running reasonably well and doesn't do anything really major, I would keep it and drive it. You won't get much for it with a salvage title anyway. I would look into the rust showing on that rear fender. Serious rust is a known issue for the W210 model line. It wouldn't hurt to put it up on a lift to see what other rust there might be in the undercarriage. If it's not alot, I would have the undercarriage coated with the NHOU oil to protect the undercarriage from further rust. I would also suggest you take your S210 out on an interstate highway probably a couple of times a month in order to really exercise it and cut down on carbon build up. All of the short local only driving you're doing is very strenuous on your S210. BTW, I happen to love the blue color of your W210. It's a pretty rare color. My W201 is the same dark blue. Hope this helps.

jakel01

I appreciate the advice. I'm not really attached to the car even though it was my Grandma's. I'm more attached to the body style and comfort of it, and the ease of repairs.
I do get it on the highway a lot more in summer time when there is disc golf to play, among other reasons. As for the rust, the underside is in good shape near subframe mounts and other critical points, like spring perches. But it's just getting really ugly and will only get worse...

jakel01

Ended up selling it for 2K. No regrets.

Plutoe

I wouldn't sell the car. I use it to store dog food or bales of hay or an overflow silo

chassis

Congrats on the sale. In the original post, I would have placed "still plays tapes" in the "Good:" category.

jakel01

Its been about a month since I sold the car and I don't miss it one bit. It's just a car. Plus now I have more time and money to get the C32 back to stage 0 condition. Anyone have a crank dampener that isn't 500 bucks new or 100 bucks used but in worse shape?

190Efan

Glad you're happy with your decision. You might want to post you C32 question in the C32 section of the forum. I think you'll be more likely to find someone there who either might have a crank dampener or who knows where to find one for a reasonable price rather than the W210 section of the forum. Just my 2 cents