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My name is Richard, moved from the Netherlands to El Salvador 2 years ago. The car market in El Salvador is very different. 95% of cars is imported salvage title. Buying a new car in El Salvador costs 30-40% more compared to for example the US. Since this has been a third world country finding a dealer bought car in El Salvador which has never been involved in an accident and in good maintained condition is like the holy grail. This example even has all the original books with documented maintenance! Hence why I fell in love with this Mercedes E320 from 2003 with only 48.000 kilometer (29.000 miles) on the clock. The condition of this vehicle that's 21 years old is a rarity to see in El Salvador.
My goal is to document the journey in this post for myself and for anyone who might be interested.
And so the journey begins...
After purchase
Specifications:
E320 Avantgarde
Brilliant Silver Metallic
48.8k kilometers on purchase
First actions:
- Service oils, fluids
- Check for dried out hoses
- Check electronical issues
That means the previous owner cared about the car. I want all that on a previously owned car.
These are great cars. I had a 2003 E320 that retired about 10 years ago with 186,000 miles (299,000 km).
If you do your own maintenance, read up on the details of brake jobs with the SBC. Ignore the negative comments because at 48,000 km you’ll probably never see any of them.
That means the previous owner cared about the car. I want all that on a previously owned car.
These are great cars. I had a 2003 E320 that retired about 10 years ago with 186,000 miles (299,000 km).
If you do your own maintenance, read up on the details of brake jobs with the SBC. Ignore the negative comments because at 48,000 km you’ll probably never see any of them.
Loving it so far. Here in El Salvador there's almost no cars that have any documentation whatsoever, that's why it feels even more unique.
I'm doing a lot of reading here on the forum and learning a lot. I've got good mechanic, the hourly rate is very low compared to other countries which is a nice bonus.
- My third brake light is not working
- My tail lights only have the inner bulb functioning (2 out of 4?)
- When my lights are on and I press the brake pedal, the light on the right side goes off. When I release the brake, it comes back on. Hoping its just a circuit thing since my third brake light isn't working.
- Left license plate light not working
I'm hoping when I get new bulbs the tail lights will function like they're supposed to.
This car has been standing still for 6 months and stuff's dried out and confused. Main battery died meanwhile, which is replaced.
Dried out stuff causes some leaking.... so we cleaned everything up and did a transmission + engine oil and filter service.
Vague, but connector is leaking. They've tried to seal it with some silicon. Ordered a new one. Lots of oil on the gasket area New gasket + filter Cleaned everything, this was all pretty wet.
Other then that, looks pretty sollid.
After cleaning and a second check the next day we discovered that (probably and unfortunately) my rear main seal is leaking. Not too bad yet, but leaking.
Also the transmission, even though new gasket, still leaking. So we decided to put an ever so slight layer of silicone to see if that helps.
Stuff I've ordered on the evilbay:
- Pilot plug
- Light bulbs for license plate (and some white LED ones for the city-lights up front+ fog lights)
- Transmission oil dipstick
Upcoming order:
Probably some stuff from FCP euro. Like the main seal, holder plate and bolts. Third brake light. Read up a lot on the forum here about replacing the main seal, very helpful. Know exactly what to do
Last edited by RA102324; Aug 13, 2024 at 03:38 PM.
Rear main seal leak is very common. Unfortunately the only way to stop it is to replace the seal. You might try using something like AT205 but that really just slows down the leak.
Some other parts you might consider stocking up on:
Motor mounts: This car loves LOVES to eat motor mounts.
Brake pads: The SBC is great, but it goes through brake pads quick, especially the rears.
Ball joint: The front lower ball joint gets a lot of abuse. This item wears out quickly.
Also, the hydraulic steering fluid is often neglected. You would be wise to do a fluid exchange to hopefully keep the power steering pump working.
I’m a bit surprised at the rear seal leak with so few kms. My E320 went 300,000+ km without one. Our ML350 (3.7L M112) went about 250,000 km before the rear seal began to leak.
Re: the other points @F1Fan makes:
-Motor mounts lasted about 145,000 km my E320, but you have many years additional, so they may not hold that long.
-Expect needing brake pads every 40-50,000 km. The wet weather drying and ESP are hard on them. Only use MB pads with SBC. Do not try to get pads that last longer.
-Front lower ball joints will begin to get very noisy around 145,000 km. Lemförder makes the OE ones for MB but they make a better and less expensive aftermarket replacement.
-Get a liter of CHF-11S hydraulic fluid and do the power steering swap. It’s what MB recommends. Using generic PS fluid will result in the pump whining.
I’m a bit surprised at the rear seal leak with so few kms. My E320 went 300,000+ km without one. Our ML350 (3.7L M112) went about 250,000 km before the rear seal began to leak.
Re: the other points @F1Fan makes:
-Motor mounts lasted about 145,000 km my E320, but you have many years additional, so they may not hold that long.
-Expect needing brake pads every 40-50,000 km. The wet weather drying and ESP are hard on them. Only use MB pads with SBC. Do not try to get pads that last longer.
-Front lower ball joints will begin to get very noisy around 145,000 km. Lemförder makes the OE ones for MB but they make a better and less expensive aftermarket replacement.
-Get a liter of CHF-11S hydraulic fluid and do the power steering swap. It’s what MB recommends. Using generic PS fluid will result in the pump whining.
I believe these things need to be driven. Then the fluids lubricate what needs lubricating. When just sitting, everything dries out. (Or am I just making stuff up?) Before my ownership, rides were really short distances, grocery hauls maybe every now and then.
That's why I'm normally hesitant buying a low milage one. When it has driven a lot more and it's still in good condition then you know for sure it has had it's maintenance and replacement parts, otherwise it wouldn't be still driving with everything in good order.
With the CHF-11S hydraulic fluid for the 'power steering swap' you mean the fluid swap/flush? Will this order as well if that's what you mean.
With the CHF-11S hydraulic fluid for the 'power steering swap' you mean the fluid swap/flush? Will this order as well if that's what you mean.
Yes. CHF-11S is made by Fuchs/Pentosin. It’s green, stains any clothing it gets on. And has an unusual aromatic odor. Wear gloves as it can irritate the skin. The container has an inhalation warning on it.
Lights on - 1 license plate light is not working, ordered this. If I'm correct the light on the bottom has 2 bulbs which need to go on. I only have 1 of 2 bulbs that function, the inner bulb on both sides. (Or, is that as it should function?) When braking, no third brake light (ordered the part), and my right taillight goes off. When I release the brake the situation is as in previous image.
Hoping that installing a third brake light and license plate light will resolve this. (Probably not )
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Documenting E320 W211 El Salvador
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