2005 E320 Wagon was sitting - does this sound normal?
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Joined: Feb 2008
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From: North Kingstown, RI
2018 C300 4MATIC; 2017 E400 Wagon
2005 E320 Wagon was sitting - does this sound normal?
Hello all,
I'm looking at a 2005 E320 wagon with 216k miles. Interior and exterior are in great shape, service tech at Mercedes already went over the VMI with me - serviced at Mercedes until 2019 and all recalls and TSBs addressed.
Current seller bought it 5 yrs ago, and it was a daily driver up until a year ago, and records of all services / repairs down in the last 50k miles.. Unfortunately, it's only been driven a couple of times in the past year.
Now - it won't hold a charge, the ASB and ESP lights are on, and as of yesterday, seller said "car accelerates without putting your foot on the gas", and after a while the ASB and ESP lights come on and then it stops doing that.
Turning off ESP 1st will stop that also. I've read a bunch of different things related to this - could be brake light switch to bad ESP or ABS systems. Also it "goes away" after a new battery and driving for a bit (Which doesn't seem to be happening here.
I've already arranged a PPI at Mercedes, but wondering if it's worth it.
It does check all the boxes for what I was looking for, he's asking around $2k, and I budgeted around $5k all in on an older wagon I can put 5 or 6,000 miles on around town for the next 4 or 5 years.
Thanks for any advice in advance.
I'm looking at a 2005 E320 wagon with 216k miles. Interior and exterior are in great shape, service tech at Mercedes already went over the VMI with me - serviced at Mercedes until 2019 and all recalls and TSBs addressed.
Current seller bought it 5 yrs ago, and it was a daily driver up until a year ago, and records of all services / repairs down in the last 50k miles.. Unfortunately, it's only been driven a couple of times in the past year.
Now - it won't hold a charge, the ASB and ESP lights are on, and as of yesterday, seller said "car accelerates without putting your foot on the gas", and after a while the ASB and ESP lights come on and then it stops doing that.
Turning off ESP 1st will stop that also. I've read a bunch of different things related to this - could be brake light switch to bad ESP or ABS systems. Also it "goes away" after a new battery and driving for a bit (Which doesn't seem to be happening here.
I've already arranged a PPI at Mercedes, but wondering if it's worth it.
It does check all the boxes for what I was looking for, he's asking around $2k, and I budgeted around $5k all in on an older wagon I can put 5 or 6,000 miles on around town for the next 4 or 5 years.
Thanks for any advice in advance.
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Joined: Jun 2014
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From: Melbourne, Australia
2010 ML550 VIN WDC1641722A564750, 2010 B180
Start with the battery and alternator. Small drops in voltage will trigger the ABS/ESP warnings. Given its been sitting for so long, and the main battery won't hold a charge, those warnings aren't a surprise and Id expect more. If it's not that, it could be as straightforward as an ABS sensor replacement. But it might be worse, so a complete scan for codes with a good scan tool is a must.
Less than 12.7v engine off and 13.7v engine on, and you have battery and or alternator issue.
Until you've confirmed your power supply is adequate, you'll never really know what needs attention and what doesn't.
Less than 12.7v engine off and 13.7v engine on, and you have battery and or alternator issue.
Until you've confirmed your power supply is adequate, you'll never really know what needs attention and what doesn't.
Last edited by BlackML550; Jan 6, 2025 at 05:39 PM.
