W211 AMG Discuss the W211 AMG's such as the E55 and the E63

Did MB really make wiring and parts that were intentionally biodegradable?

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Old Jan 19, 2019 | 07:00 PM
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From: Houston Exburb-Richmond TX
2014 CLS 550 & 2004 CL55
Did MB really make wiring and parts that were intentionally biodegradable?

And if they did, did they ever stop? I just heard this from a Mercedes “expert” the other day, and since I have a 2004 CL55 I'm a little tense at this point. Does anyone have the real skinny?
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Old Jan 19, 2019 | 08:21 PM
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'99 and '05 E55 AMG
Mid to late 90's. Good now.
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Old Jan 20, 2019 | 11:35 AM
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No, they did not.

Their parts supplier, Delphi did. And they did it to comply with government mandates at the time. And Mercedes didn't know until years later when the wiring started to degrade, when the cars were significantly outside warranty coverage.

And it only applied to nearly all gas-powered M104 straight 6 powered cars from 1993 to mid 1996 and a select fiew M119 powered V8 models but not all of them.

And, lastly, it only applied to 2 different parts on the car, albeit they were very important parts: the engine wiring harness and the electronic throttlle body actuator connecting wire.

The "expert' you're talking to read a single sentence on some BMW/Audi forum post where some bro had an uncle that took his 2003 Boxster to a specialist mechanic once who had driven a 1995 E320 once with a failing wiring harness.
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Old Jan 20, 2019 | 01:04 PM
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Thanks for the insight.
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Old Jan 20, 2019 | 07:08 PM
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A lot of the plastics in German cars are biodegradable. Coolant fittings in my 2012 E63 AMG will snap off if you look at them the wrong way, and if you squeeze them hard enough they’ll crumble and turn into dust.

Last edited by Forrest Gump 9; Jan 20, 2019 at 07:10 PM.
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Old Jan 20, 2019 | 08:51 PM
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The insulation should be made like it is for airliners, because if airliners had crap wiring like some cars do the lawsuits would be flying. The best way for auto makers to comply with epa crap is to just say "here is how we will do it, and what products we will use, if you don't like it the doors are closing" if they did that the rules would change.
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Old Jan 22, 2019 | 09:28 PM
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except that when an airplane stops working the plane falls from the sky. A car will come to a stop. Do you see the difference needed in quality?
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