Artie500

Hey guys, ok i have several problems that are driving me crazy. I am going to list them all and I would appreciate any feedback from you guys.

1. Driver side door lock.
This problem occurs whenever I lock/unlock the car with the keyless remote, the door lock just goes up & down like crazy several times and sometimes stays in the UNLOCK position when i'm trying to LOCK the car and vice versa.

2. Red BRAKE message on the FSS.
I know there have been many posts about this issue but I'm still unclear about it in my situation as to what it really means. In my car it says BRAKE-Increased braking effort! Visit workshop!/Decreased braking distance! Visit workshop! This message appears as soon as I step into the car (no key in the ignition) and stays on. What is causing this? I heard it could be the SBC Pump. Help!

3. Shuddering/Hesitation.
This is a new problem. The car seems to hesitate slightly when I give it a little more gas around 3rd gear im guessing. I know its a 5-speed automatic but I'm guessing third gear by looking at the RPM's. It also does this when I'm on the highway. I REALLY HOPE its NOT the transmission . I even tried driving it in the tiptronic mode and it seems to shift fine.

4. Hard Steering wheel.
This mainly happens when the car is at idle or going in reverse. I turn the wheel and it feels hard as if it didn't have power steering assist. I checked the power steering and its fine. Any other ideas?

5. Squeaky/Groaning noise from the front axle.
Whenever I pass a speed bump the front axle squeaks. Also, I noticed this a few times but not always; when I turn the wheel to the left I hear a low groaning sound coming from the front passenger side axle. I'm guessing it's either the Tie-rod in this case and the ball joints on the squeaky noise issue.

Anyway, these are my current problems guys. Any help, tips, opinions or answers would be GREATLY APPRECIATED. Thanks.

220S

Have you owned this car for a while? What's the mileage? If you recently bought it, did you check the VMI? Did you have a ppi done at the time of purchase?

The VMI will show you what service has been done and will be helpful. Go to the dealer and ask them to run one. What did the ppi reveal when you bought the car? All this will help in a diagnostic.

Basically you need to take the car into a dealer or an Indy with SDS and have them check all codes and go from there. These cars are not maintenance free and you should be prepared to have a complete checkup and then address the issues one at a time. Unfortunately the 2003 W211 E500 is considered a "problem car" in respect to reliability. So check the VMI and see the service history and what was done previously. There was a SBC extended warranty offered by MBUSA, so check with your dealer.

"A cheap Mercedes will be the most expensive Mercedes you'll ever own" -- Jurgen Schrempp

Artie500

I have owned the car for 1 year and a half now. It has 114,00 miles on it now. When I bought it, it had 84K on it. Educate me on the lingo here, what is the VMI and PPI? Now that you and plenty of others have said that this is a "problem car" I wish I would have made a smarter choice when buying a car....

220S

PPI is a pre-purchase inspection done by an independent party other than the seller. They are expensive but also cover compression tests and leak downs. Basically a complete physical. Something everybody should do when buying a used car.

But since you've already put 30k on it, that's moot by now.

The VMI is the service record that is maintained internally by the network of dealerships. It tells the whole history of the car from day one. But once the car is no longer serviced by a dealership, then the record history is broken. But when you bought the car with 84k on it, I assume you asked for all the service records from the previous owner, esp if they used an Indy.

The car has a lot of miles on it. One will have to expect to put some money into it. Find a good Indy who you can trust. They can be worth their weight in gold. I'd check the VMI and all records and take it into an Indy for a full check up. After already putting 30k on it, that's to be expected. Again, there's an extended warranty on the SBC system. Although I believe that is up to 100k miles. Check the VMI to see if it was addressed already.

The 2003 was the first W211 and has a poor record. But maybe the previous owner maintained it well (the VMI will tell you that.) A well maintained Mercedes of any vintage will run fine with high mileage. The downside is that maintenance can end up being expensive over time.

Dexion

Maybe you should get your keyfob replaced, SBC pump replaced, the squeak noise is the lower ball joint (attached to the lower control arm) and the groaning noise is the steering rack. Check your transmission fluid for glycol contamination, get a transmission flush.

KEY08

The door lock may be a simple DIY fix at no cost or you may need a new actuator. Search here for removing the door panel and check to see if the plunger rod has a collapsed boot. That will cause the machine gun lock knob you are experiencing. This is common

Artie500

@KEY08... ok will do and yes the dam thing sounds like a machine gun lol i have had this problem for about 7 or 8 months. I guess i'm going to have to take it to the stealer for service on the other problems since my indy shop shut down after years of good reliable service .

Oh and I forgot to mention that the passenger side engine mount is completely gone... I read on another post that a bad mount could also cause the tranny to jerk like its doing on me now? I don't think so but you guys should know....

KEY08

Yes on the engine mounts and trans mount. Another item to monitor as they wear out and eventually fail.

Follow this thread and links that will guide you through removing the door panel to inspect the actuator:

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...e320-w211.html

Artie500

Great thanks for the link i'll get on this asap.

MercFiveHundred

1. Driver side door lock.
This problem occurs whenever I lock/unlock the car with the keyless remote, the door lock just goes up & down like crazy several times and sometimes stays in the UNLOCK position when i'm trying to LOCK the car and vice versa.

Actuator. If you are patient, this could be an easy diy.

2. Red BRAKE message on the FSS.
I know there have been many posts about this issue but I'm still unclear about it in my situation as to what it really means. In my car it says BRAKE-Increased braking effort! Visit workshop!/Decreased braking distance! Visit workshop! This message appears as soon as I step into the car (no key in the ignition) and stays on. What is causing this? I heard it could be the SBC Pump. Help!

SBC - get this to the dealer this year. Your 10 year warranty is up next year so get this changed and dont ignore

3. Shuddering/Hesitation.
This is a new problem. The car seems to hesitate slightly when I give it a little more gas around 3rd gear im guessing. I know its a 5-speed automatic but I'm guessing third gear by looking at the RPM's. It also does this when I'm on the highway. I REALLY HOPE its NOT the transmission . I even tried driving it in the tiptronic mode and it seems to shift fine.

Flush the transmission fluid - do a complete 7+ liter flush, not a simple 4 liter service. My bet is that the tranny fluid has never been changed. Even though the manual said 'lifetime fluid', merc changed it to a 40k mile service later on. My e500 did the same at 105k miles too. All glycol test came back negative - but you should defintely have it checked out for glycol/antifreeze contamination. Before you do anything, do the flush first. I spent over $3000 in parts when all i needed was a flush.

4. Hard Steering wheel.
This mainly happens when the car is at idle or going in reverse. I turn the wheel and it feels hard as if it didn't have power steering assist. I checked the power steering and its fine. Any other ideas?

Could be bad ball joints. Have someone inspect all the ball joints - including the thrust arm joints.

5. Squeaky/Groaning noise from the front axle.
Whenever I pass a speed bump the front axle squeaks. Also, I noticed this a few times but not always; when I turn the wheel to the left I hear a low groaning sound coming from the front passenger side axle. I'm guessing it's either the Tie-rod in this case and the ball joints on the squeaky noise issue.

As above, i'm certain this is either the lower ball joint on the knuckle or the thrust arm ball joint. If you cant get someone to look at it, jack the car up on htat side with the wheel still on. With your hands at 3 and 6 o'clock, push and pull but keeping an eye on the lower ball joint in the knuckle. If it moves around (by hearing a bump everytime you push/pull, then it's the lower ball joint. To check the thrust arm joint, push up and down on it - you could use a crow bar too. If there is movement, it could be that. Make sure all the boots on the joints are ok too. If there is a tear in the boot, your joint is finished. Tie rods are easy - just do the same as the lower ball joint and keep an eye on it.



Good Luck with it. I've done lots of work on the car - i think i've head almost every problem that could occur. It's lots of fun and a great car if you have the time, money, and patience.

vettdvr

Merc500 did a nice job on the issues.

My old issue is he claims to have almost every issue on his car.

Don't think so,, I win that claim. To include ignition switch, cracked panel,
lighter didn't work, (all of Merc 500 issues) And more such as air springs, shocks and on.

MercFiveHundred

LOL i forgot about you! Yes, Vettdvr, you do win. I've learned plenty of things from you. Thanks for the help!