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Wow...glad i found this board after 4 years of ownership
So i dont know whether to be scared, or just cautious after seeing all the complaints about the W210.
This 02 E430, knock on wood and hope im not jinxed, has been just an all around awesome automobile. It was our first MB. This car has what I feel is a very responsive and powerful V8 with little complaints...so far.
What I have found though is that every car whether German, Japenese, American, etc. is going to have problems. Must just be part of owning an automobile. Consider the stress we put on these machines and the limited maintenance, beside oil changes. I guess we should be thankful that boards like this help us to predict the failure, so that we arent surprised when it happens.
We still get compliments on this MB, even though newer styles and obviously higher dollar MB roam the streets in our city. Our MB sleeps in the garage, gets polished in the garage, and even has a night light.
Bottom line for us is this...AWESOME CAR. God help us should we run into all of the problems spoken of in this forum; however, I will say that the reason I found this board was because the ABS/BAS lights came on causing me to go hunting on Google for any known cause. This forum NAILED it. It was the Brake Lamp Sensor. Obviously very inteligent/experienced group of people here!
BTW...anybody looking for a really good tire for this car? Check out TireRack's Kumho Ecsta. Its a 245/45 VR17 and we have had better mileage and handling from this tire than the Michelin Pilots we've put on the car every year for the prior 3 years. Car now has 53k on it, but 18k of miles are on these Kumho tires. The Michelins were only lasting about 8k-9k miles.
The car has problems with onboard diagnostics. For example ABS lamp and low coolant messages come up periodically. However brakes work well and coolant tank is full. What is disappointing with this car,t hat it wasn't designed for high elevation, it loses power significally in mountains.
There's nothing wrong with SBC brakes that hasn't been fixed under warranty by now.
They're better than brakes on any previous Mercedes.
If SBC brakes were so good why did Mercedes go back to a conventional braking system in the w211 facelift? SBC was a mistake and really has no performance advantage over a conventional hydraulic only braking system. The main reason Mercedes went to this system was to list it on their advertising brochures as a technical achievement. SBC is added complexity that really has no tangible benefit.
In short to answer the original question, NO the W210 isn't. It isn't even in the running for that title. The W140 from that era maybe, but certainly not the W210.
In short to answer the original question, NO the W210 isn't. It isn't even in the running for that title. The W140 from that era maybe, but certainly not the W210.
M
From a longevity point of view the W123/126 are way more ubiquitous than the W140's....Also some W140's had terrible problems (i.e. S350 the rod bender). I don't think the W140 is in running for that title either, some of the older Mercedes' would probably be well ahead of the W140 on that list.
Aside from the E55, I think the W210 are boring and ugly. Not to mention everyone has them. You could argue that that says they are a good car, but I still think the are too commom and ugly.
I completely agree with you, most of Mercedeses are ugly. W220 is an exception. Look at new C class, completely ugly and bland car. You never can say that it is a Mercedes until you see the badge.
I would think more along the idea of a Top of the Line model like an SL or S Class sedan or coupe would be the best ever.
As for a 140 model, they could be under consideration especially a 99 model.
I don't think an e class would qualify as best ever.
hi i have a 2000 e320 4 matic for a couple of months now us-spec all the gizmos never had a merc with all these options before... its just perfect.. we bought the car for dad to drive but i am driving it everday day now its just perfect... i am waiting now to get myself one of these i have drivin a 1996 c200 for 7 years and 1997 c230 for 5 years and currently own a 1998 clk320 since january this year which i simply hate... my worst desicion ever... i really luv the quility of the e320 everything seems to be solid never felt that in the clk which is full of rattles... both the c class i had were very rileable never did any engine work what so ever just the usual servicing...
From a longevity point of view the W123/126 are way more ubiquitous than the W140's....Also some W140's had terrible problems (i.e. S350 the rod bender). I don't think the W140 is in running for that title either, some of the older Mercedes' would probably be well ahead of the W140 on that list.
I agree. I was just trying to think of a Mercedes during the W210's era that was clearly better built. You're right the W123, W126 and my favorite the W124 are all ahead of the W140 for that title. I think part of the problem with the W140 is that not too many are willing to spend the money required to maintain such a extravagant car. It was larger than life and costs it too. I see quite a few beat up examples now, moreseo than the older W126 model it replaced.
I like the 210; in fact, at one time not long ago I had two of them. The 210 is a good car but the resale is just about the worst of any Mercedes that I've ever seen. Poor resale is good for buyers but it sucks for owners trying to sell.
The 210 has a lot of quality control issues that just shouldn't be there:
Catalytic converters disintegrate
Dashes crack
MAF's fail at an astounding rate
Rust in strange locations
Haromonic balancer failures due to a crappy design
Switches and lights that fail too often
Window regulators that fail regularly
Dash light bulbs that fail and fail often
Drivers headrest gets off track too easily
Factory Bose stereo system sucks!
Fuel level senders fail
Trim around doors and windows oxidizes very quickly
With that said, I still like my E55 but it is not the best car in the World. Had I purchased this car new, I'd be pissed that a $65,000+ car could have so many quality control issues.
My first car was a 98 e320 and currently daily a 97.
In between I had an 07 gti, 08 335i, 04 s4, 02 540i, 04 645i.
The w210 is the most reliable, most problem free vehicle by far. The drive is beautiful and the thing is invincible. Take care of the rust, car wash and rust proof. One of the most elegant and classic looking cars deserves to shine.
My first car was a 98 e320 and currently daily a 97.
In between I had an 07 gti, 08 335i, 04 s4, 02 540i, 04 645i.
The w210 is the most reliable, most problem free vehicle by far. The drive is beautiful and the thing is invincible. Take care of the rust, car wash and rust proof. One of the most elegant and classic looking cars deserves to shine.
My 2002 Mercedes Benz E320 4-Matic with 275,000 miles it's a love/hate relationship
Yes there is too many plastic parts that break too easily and rusted in some spots but overall it has put up with neglected maintenance pretty well until I left my sunroof open then water got in the electronic shifter module. I just removed it and took it completely apart and sprayed a can of electric contact cleaner to clean up all 18 years of gunk including some that was on the board some was on the back side aswell. It was gross but nice and clean now. I will be putting back together and reinstalling it this weekend sucks that I will have to reset Transmission codes. Need to use a odb2 scan tool and I believe a cord/odb2 to 38 pin MB adapter. No apparent components looked damaged. Here's to hoping that the TCU isn't fried. I have heard that most of the time it won't be assuming that you didn't try to drive it for too long before it was dried out and cleaned out. Yes not the best car to learn how to work, but hey better than a later model S Class heard those are money pits. Thinking about a 1983 (my birth year) 300D in good condition I saw one that looked like it was off the showroom floor but they wanted $15,000 a little bit more than I want to spend. W210 maybe not best but far from the worst, I think an 80`s 300D must be atleast on the top ten list of best Mercedes.
The W210 has a pretty notorious reputation for lots of problems and durability issues and so does the W163 ML. They are right at the top of the worst cars MB ever produced. It's heartening to see that there are some owners in this forum who've had a good experience with their W210s. Sorry Spencercpu1983 but $15,000 for a high quality low mileage W123 is on the low end of the price range these days. Their days at the bottom of the car food chain are over and they're only going to continue to go up in value due to their legendary build quality and durability. I consider the W123 the high point of the E class and the W210 the low point.
The W210 has a pretty notorious reputation for lots of problems and durability issues and so does the W163 ML. They are right at the top of the worst cars MB ever produced. It's heartening to see that there are some owners in this forum who've had a good experience with their W210s. Sorry Spencercpu1983 but $15,000 for a high quality low mileage W123 is on the low end of the price range these days. Their days at the bottom of the car food chain are over and they're only going to continue to go up in value due to their legendary build quality and durability. I consider the W123 the high point of the E class and the W210 the low point.
Disagree.
ALL MBs have there share of issues. W210 and W163s are not pretty notorious as you claim. You're over exaggerating, for what ever you personal reasons.
Our present stable and regular DIY since taking ownership. W210s - 97, 98. / W163 - 02 / W123 - 85 (original ownership) / W202 - 99 Kompressor / W124 500e - WIP
To simplify, monitor the interest and demand of the W210s and W163s, just spend some time in these forums to see the regular ongoing activity of our good members.
Yes, you will see the odd post that says, "I wish I could get rid of this W210 or W163 comments, etc". Nothing more or less than others.
Disagree.
ALL MBs have there share of issues. W210 and W163s are not pretty notorious as you claim. You're over exaggerating, for what ever you personal reasons.
Our present stable and regular DIY since taking ownership. W210s - 97, 98. / W163 - 02 / W123 - 85 (original ownership) / W202 - 99 Kompressor / W124 500e - WIP
To simplify, monitor the interest and demand of the W210s and W163s, just spend some time in these forums to see the regular ongoing activity of our good members.
Yes, you will see the odd post that says, "I wish I could get rid of this W210 or W163 comments, etc". Nothing more or less than others.
I'm really glad that you've such a positive experience with your W210 and W163. However, the quality issues with both the W210 and W163 ML are very well documented at this website. Also, Mercedes Enthusiast magazine among others has written about the quality issues with the W210 and W163 ML for years. I hope you have many more happy years with your W210 and W163 ML.
Pierre's video just confirms what the automotive press has been reporting about the W210 for years as well as the numerous problems and complaints about W210s previously noted in this forum. It's no ringing endorsement for sure. For those who like their W210s, I say great and I wish you well. I wouldn't trade my better built W201 for a W210 under any circumstances.
Pierre's video just confirms what the automotive press has been reporting about the W210 for years as well as the numerous problems and complaints about W210s previously noted in this forum. It's no ringing endorsement for sure. For those who like their W210s, I say great and I wish you well. I wouldn't trade my better built W201 for a W210 under any circumstances.
"Cup is 1/2 empty" comments ring hollow with the buyers that continue to purchase w210s and the many members that continue to own.
w201s are nice little cars, unfortunately, limited in reasonable replacement parts, imo. w202s are much better economical choice over the w201s.
I think too many W210 owners bought them as 2nd hand cars without knowing about their many maintenance issues. W201 parts are more expensive than W202 parts because they're of better quality. The W201 also outsold the W202. I'm also not aware that the W202 has ever been designated a classic by MB while the W201 was designated a classic by MB in 2008. I would also note that the W201 Evo II is one of the most valuable MBs ever built. Neither the W202 or W210 has a variety that will even be remotely worth what a W201 Evo II is currently worth and is continuing to rise in value..
A number of posts have been deleted. Even though this 17 year old thread was resurrected last year, please keep the thread on topic and don't make it personal. Thanks!
11-19-2007, 02:11 PM
i really luv the quility of the e320 everything seems to be solid never felt that in the clk which is full of rattles... both the c class i had were very rileable never did any engine work what so ever just the usual servicing...
but it is not the best car in the World. Had I purchased this car new, I'd be pissed that a $65,000+ car could have so many quality control issues.
