When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
We have a 2005 E320 4Matic W211 that needs to have the front lower control arm, both axles (the boots have separated so the grease is exposed and degrading) and the rear brakes replaced. We successfully replaced the upper ball joint assembly using the excellent (we thought) Pelican Parts tutorials online. When we went to do the front brakes using their tutorial though we ran into trouble because it neglected to tell us that apparently disconnecting the brake wear sensor would put the car in "limp mode" until it was reset with a MB computer. Because of that missing, very important, information, it's made us a little gun shy on solely using their tutorials for the additional repairs, even though they otherwise look fairly straightforward. I'd like to have a real service manual on hand as a reference just to verify that we're not going to miss anything important.
What do you guys recommend? I'm sure that I could spend a boat load of money at the MB dealership for one but I'm wondering if there's anything like Haynes or Chilton or something similar that you guys would recommend as a good source of truth?
In case you've done either of those kinds of repairs yourself and want to eyeball the Pelican Parts tutorial to see if they look accurate, here are the links:
Get the WIS service manual on eBay for under $10. It's the full service manual that the dealers use. You could also have searched this forum. Replacing brakes is pretty common and most threads here will tell you to disconnect the battery first so you don't activate SBC accidentally.
The above is a knock off copy but many use it. If you want the real thing, MB charges $60 for 24 hour access and you can try downloading as much as you can in that time period. The above also includes EPC which lets you look up part numbers for your car by vin number, that's also separate from Mercedes and they charge $75 a year for that.
Also if you had caught the boots early, MB sells boot kits that are cheaper than replacing the whole axle. I did that to two axles recently and all I had to do was replace the boots even though some grease had leaked out, it was early enough that it wasn't making noise and the joint didn't get damaged.
I bought the ebay manual that ceti linked to. Finally got around to downloading it today and am in the process right now of extracting 32 gig worth of files. Gotta put it into a win7 virtual machine on my win10 computer, but the how to and what for are included with the seller's detailed instructions he'll send once you've paid your money. So far so good...
I bought the ebay manual that ceti linked to. Finally got around to downloading it today and am in the process right now of extracting 32 gig worth of files. Gotta put it into a win7 virtual machine on my win10 computer, but the how to and what for are included with the seller's detailed instructions he'll send once you've paid your money. So far so good...
I don't think it's changed, once you extra all the files and follow the directions, it makes a virtual machine for you once you run it so all you have to do is download the files, extract it and then just following the directions. Just hard figuring out how to use it the first time. I have my old carfaxes handy so I normally just do a quick search for those in my email so I can just copy and paste the vin each time I use it. EPC I find pretty handy when looking for parts. Once you have the part number you can search all the sites like Amazon, FCPeuro, rockauto, MB dealers etc for the best price.
Only drawback is that the WIS is from some time in 2019 and the EPC they give you is from 2018. Wonder when a new one will come out or if they came out with a new version where they can't do the virtual machine anymore.
I bought the ebay manual that ceti linked to. Finally got around to downloading it today and am in the process right now of extracting 32 gig worth of files. Gotta put it into a win7 virtual machine on my win10 computer, but the how to and what for are included with the seller's detailed instructions he'll send once you've paid your money. So far so good...
This manual indicates only model year 2019 classes are covered. Is there one for W211, or am I missing something?
So tried the link. Account says 'out of stock'. Looked for the same item at other Ebay stores. Came up with sellers from countries other than the U.S.. Will this matter?
I have a U.S. (CA) car living in Baja, California. Do ya think my location is gumming the works?
You could try one of the other ones. All I know is that guy works. In some of the older threads, some people claim they got malware using it from other vendors. Not sure if that's real or not. I think once he notices he's out he might make it available again.
You could try one of the other ones. All I know is that guy works. In some of the older threads, some people claim they got malware using it from other vendors. Not sure if that's real or not. I think once he notices he's out he might make it available again.
Gary just replied. The manual covering U.S. cars will be back online at Ebay on Friday.
If you're in search of an affordable yet genuine alternative to WIS repair manuals, I highly recommend checking out YOUCANIC Pro Manuals. They offer the exact same info as the manuals you'd find in Xentry (WIS). What's great is that you can access them from any device, be it a computer or a smartphone. Granted, viewing intricate wiring diagrams on a smaller phone screen might be a bit challenging, but the flexibility is there.
These manuals are available online, so there's no need to download hefty software. Instead, they operate on a user-friendly web-based platform. Although it's a subscription service, the cost is incredibly reasonable – think the price of a sandwich each month, not a hefty investment. It's a convenient, cost-effective solution for those who need professional-grade repair information without breaking the bank.
08-13-2020, 07:52 PM
