Long time lurker, first time Mercedes owner here.

Spec is as follows:

2003 E320 V6
- Tealite Blue
- Sierra Grey Leather interior
- Avantgarde Package
- Air Matic Suspension
- Sunroof
- Memory seats
- Phone Prep

It's currently sitting at 47,000 miles and is in very good condition for the age inside and out. It's been sitting up as mentioned, so needed a good clean inside and out with this still ongoing.

We are currently down to one car at the moment, previously owned a 911 C2S, E92 M3 and an Audi S6 but with house plans taking priority we have sold the S6 and now have a family SUV, so the second car is very welcome at the moment.

Issues at the moment are a leak from the power steering high pressure pipe, jumping passenger door lock and heavily corroded alloy wheels. Planning to do as much of the maintenance and issue fixing myself as possible. I'm looking at this as a long term project with the hope that the W211 becomes a desirable classic in the near future.

Initial impressions, It's probably one of the most comfortable cars I've ever driven in. The air suspension makes the ride incredibly smooth and enjoyable, the V6 motor is just as nice but definitely under powered from what I'm used to driving.

Future plans are some AMG styling bits, I like to keep my cars OEM+ as possible but I've always been drawn to the E55 AMG and is definitely on the list. I'd be lying if I said I haven't imagined buying a donor E55 and bringing over the motor / gearbox but from my quick googling it doesn't seem to be a runner. Supercharging the v6 would also be something I'd consider but time will tell.

Thanks for reading, look forward to updating the thread as my mini restoration project continues!

 

Hold off on spending coin on cosmetics; you'll be dropping money into the airmatic suspension and balance shaft soon enough.

 

this is a 320, not 350. No balance shaft issues here?

 

No balance shaft issues with E320. The M112 is a forever engine. The Air Matic may need service at 95-100k miles. Change transmission fluid & filter at 60k miles. Our 2003 E320 was going strong when we retired it at 186,000 miles.

 

I thought so, the M112 does seem to be a forever engine. The air matic was dropped after sitting up for so long on 1 wheel, but it's happily staying inflated overnight now. Thanks for the transmission intervals. What are intervals for oil?

 

US oil change interval was 12,000 miles, but I like 10,000 and no longer than one year. Also change the 12 spark plugs before 100,000 miles. The air intake has variable length runners. Sometimes after about 120k miles they need to be cleaned so the flappers don’t stick. Not a big problem but it can affect performance.
If you want, the Air Matic can be swapped for springs and struts, but it is a bit of work and requires recoding to get rid of the instrument panel errors.
The SBC braking system has been reported with problems much later in life, but I think MB has a worldwide warranty for about 20 years and 200k miles now. No rush because you’re at 47k, but you’ll want to read about that in your spare time.

 

I've got over 260k miles on my 05 E320. At around 240k I had the heads off of the M112 for a rough idle that I thought might have been a blown headgasket. It wasn't, turned out to be a bad EGR valve (stuck open) but it was nice to have a chance to see how good it looked inside. I have pics somewhere, but suffice it to say it looked no different than any normal engine would at maybe 50k miles, no visible wear anywhere and nothing out of the ordinary.

I usually change my oil every 5000 miles and use only the recommended spec Mobil 1 or Castrol European formula oils, depending on what's on sale. Mann filters for oil and air, and that's about it. Mine has a slow leak in the rear main seal but never loses enough between changes to need a top off, even on the rare instances that I go the full 10k mile interval.

These are great cars, well built and relatively easy to maintain. As a DIY mechanic it's clear to me that the car was designed with serviceability in mind, it's a pleasure for me to work on. Airmatic and SBC brakes are known trouble spots, but get those sorted and you'll have a car that will last as long as you want it to.