Hi all,
Here is a little something I wana share with you guys.
At the moment I own an e350 2005 with 60,000kms (37,282 miles). It has only been three months since I purchased it from my uncle. My uncle has maintained it pretty well, the exterior hardly has any scratches and the interior is mint. It also has a factory fitted AMG kit with quad exhausts, AMG Bumpers,, AMG Alloys etc. Other than the looks, the car has a very silent and smooth ride. Basically I LOVE the car.
Now the Bad part. Since I bought the car I had:
1. 'Service Brake Visit Workshop' warning light, that changed into 'Reduced Braking Power - Stop Engine'. I took it to the Dealer, turns out the Stop Lamp Switch was playing up. They changed it for $500, problem solved.
2. Air Conditioner not blowing cold air. Morning and Nights are manageable, but afternoons are deadly. Did I mention currently I am residing in Saudi Arabia, where 35 degree afternoons are normal :p. Anyways, I took the car to an independent mercedes mechanic and he qouted $1500 for the job. According to him, everything on the 'outside' including freon level and radiator is fine, and he will have to open up the system and change the 'vibrator'. To be honest I had no clue what he was talking about so I booked the car in with the dealer.They will have a look at it and hopefully tell me by tomorrow. Also Id like to mention that I have noticed circular patches of water droplets near the bottom of the Passenger side windscreen. I normally clear them off using the windscreen wiper.
Now, after reviewing the forum and various threads regarding W211 I have noticed that they have quite a few faults like the SBC Pump Failure and the Dreaded Balance Shaft. I know MB offer 10 warranty for SBC, but after discussing with the service manager, I felt that even he was not confident if MB will honor the warranty in case the SBC fails. He said it was up to MB HQ in Germany to bear the costs in full or chip in a percentage of the cost or provide no financial contribution at all. Spoke to him about the balance shaft he said he only had a couple of cases regarding 'worn out' balance shafts with w211s.
My car may have missed a few dealer services that makes me believe that MB might not particpate financially in any way if the above failures were to occur.
Any how, Just a few questions towards the end:
Are there any early symptoms that indicate that the Balance shaft is about to fail? There is a vibration in the car upon cold start but once the car idles it goes away. Anything to do with the shaft? Anything I should look put for specifically?
Please feel free to express your opnion, Thank You very Much

 

My E500 quit bolwing cold air after 8 yrs and it was just low on freon. Balance shaft should have no warning until failure. The SBC pump on mine failed at about 70,000 miles and MB extened warranty "pump only" to 10 yrs from date of service. Mine was early 2003 in service in 2002 so warrnty ends this Oct. I got the same alarm you did. I suspect you have a problem in yours. Watch out it also fails no warning.

 

Thanks for the input.

About the balance shaft, I have a really silly question, could you tell me where is it located?

Thanks

 

Hey, here's a PDF that explains the whole balance shaft repair procedure.

 

Cheers mate, thnx a million

 

You're Welcome. Btw i had question, are the dealers actually used by people to get their car fixed or do they all rely on independent mechanics like us in Lebanon ?

 

Your dealer has quite a mark-up on parts and a profitable labor rate also. The brake light switch is only a few dollars and I changed mine myself in 10 minutes. See this link: https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...-easy-diy.html

 

Well I have noticed is that old Mercs are pretty popular with the Independent Mechanics, and 90% of the cars at the Dealer's Maintainence Center are new models, possibly because of the warranty.

My car is still with the dealer, regarding the AC issue. An indie quoted $1500 for the Job including parts and labor. I am waiting for the Dealer's quote as the job may only require repairing rather than replacing, in which case the Dealer may cost me less. Hopefully

 

My reaction to your comment

Ill ask for the cost break down. Thank you for pointing it out

 

Nope, I just took the car to the dealer. Due to work I have time issues and I am not exactly handy either.

As for the Update, I just spoke to service advisor at the dealer, he said the car was still under observation (its been 3 days , is that normal?).He mentioned it could be a failed compressor or the evaporator.

Wonder how much they cost? Anybody?