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Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedans
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Comments
If I accellerate fast but not hard it shifts in the 3K range.
Is this normal for this car or should I have it checked out.
TIA
Kevin
I have a 1997 E 320 with 41,000 miles. Every tank of gas has been premium. Everything is great with the car. However, with gas prices going up, premium gas is getting to be pricy.
Has anyone tried mid-grade or regular gas in an E320?
What are the short term performance issues? Are there any long term damage concerns?
Thanks,
Wayne
Dl, Turbo diesels sell for a premium because of their long term durability and good MPG. Regarding the straight 6 or inline, I would go with newest model and certainly the new motor. Drew has mentioned previously that it has a design award as engine of the year by a rating service (wards????). Perhaps one of our faithful E-class brothers in arms could lend a little technical advice regarding the benefits of V-6 vs straight. I know BMW stays with the inline.
Deposit: Could be salesman gets paid from deposits and by getting additional money he gets a commision before delivery?? Of course if you cancel he has to give it back, but it is possiblehe did it independently. If he leaves his job soon perhaps a tell tail sign. Food for thought. I like the way you handled it and telling manager displeasure was good. Some sales people are jerks, and some are excellent. Biz is alittle tough at the MB. Good luck with the car!
I personally own an E320 with the I6, but I know that the E320 V6 is also an excellent engine. MB is constantly pushing the 'low friction' concept with their engines, so there is a slight increase in HP and gas mileage with the V6.
thor8 "Mercedes-Benz M-class" May 7, 2001 9:25pm
tarik "Mercedes-Benz M-class" May 8, 2001 5:15am
thor8 "Mercedes-Benz M-class" May 8, 2001 7:59am
http://www.wardsauto.com/default.asp?action=be
http://www.wardsauto.com/default.asp?action=en#d
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
Re: the 99 with a soft rear suspension. If the car is being sold by a Starmark dealer with the Starmark warranty you might point out that the rear struts might need replacing and see what they say.
Re: hi-test gas. I've used mid-grade gas quite frequently for over two years and have not noticed any problem with short or long term performance or reliability issues. I've got the I6 E320..
http://www.escribe.com/automotive/european/mbmc/m9038.html
http://www.escribe.com/automotive/european/mbmc/m3116.html (Typo in this message, it should be 91, not 92)
After much discussion, my wife is ready to leasing her first Mercedes E320 sedan. Knowing the new bodystyle is coming out next year, as well as the current state of economy, what type of deal can she expect? I have heard many stories about dealers offering E-class below invoice in order to get people interested.
Here are the terms she is looking for.
1. $5,000 down.
2. 15,000 miles / year.
3. 48 month lease.
4. Little or no options (Maybe just the COMAND system).
Since this is our first Mercedes, I will appreciate if anyone can offer us suggestions/recommendations.
Thanks in advance!
Jeff
I know this is the sedan board, but it does effect all e-class owners.
I just purchased a 2001 E320 wagon (4matic) and so far so good. One puzzler though -
In the catalog (back pages - specificatons) it states that the remotes can be tied to the individual seat/mirror/steering presets. I read this, and did not mention it to the sales rep, as just about all your higher line vehicles provide this function (hell, even our low ball GMC Envoy has this). Well, after spending about an hour going through the owners manual (300+ pages - whew!) I could not find the procedure on how to program them. I contacted the local dealer and could not get a answer on how to program it. After waiting for over (2) weeks to get the dealer to figure it out, I contacted M-B directly. I was informed that it was a typo. OK, I thought, everybody makes typos (just read this) but the printed date for the catalog is 7/00. Has nobody else caught this? Am I the first person to bring this to M-B's attention? I think not. The funny thing about this is that most of the on-line auto review sites list this as a new for 2001 feature! Anybody else catch this?
Tim
Also, I had no trouble selling the OEM wheels-tires (less than 6000 miles) on eBay. And the upgrade dramatically improved the car's handling, stability, tracking and steering.
I just rode in a 2000 Mercedes E-class diesel 6 speed manual. I was driven from Bellagio Italy to Venice... a 3.5 hour drive. This car was the "classic" version. (clothe, basic options) In Europe, you can get the Classic, Elegance or the Avantgard. We reached speeds of 150 km on the expressway. I'll have to check to see have fast that was when I get back home. Happy Motoring, Mark
Don't miss the weekly MB Tuesdays chat at 6-7pm Pacific/9-10pm Eastern! All MB fans/enthusists/owners/potential owners are welcome to participate. Hope to see you there!
Click on the link below to enter the chat at the times above. Note that the link to the chat is always near the top of this page, just under the discussion topic title:
http://www.edmunds.com/chat/mercedeschat.html
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
Anyway, if you find a way to get your key to control the presets, please let us know!
TOPIC: Tues., May 8th "My vehicle is better than yours because..."
I suspect I have 90% of the handling the E55 has now, with much less harshness. Its a nice compromise to go with 17" wheels and Eibach springs.
As it turns out, the gap between tire and the bottom of the fender was reduced from 2.375 inches to 1.5" in the front, and from 2.875 inches to 1.375 inches in the back. I was also told my car came from the factory with pad #2 installed, that is #2 out of the 5 possible pad sizes.
Overall, I can report no downside to the installation of these springs. I was told by Globe Motorsport that they have installed almost 5,000 pairs of these springs on E-class, with less than a .05% complaint factor. They also said they could have installed H&R springs, and that the H&R lowers the car further, giving an even more aggressive look. I however like the "conservatively aggressive" look I got from the Eibachs.
I can say investigating accidents that ive never seen a engine "drop down " and honestly the crash test of running a car 40mph into a wall, arent to likely to happen on the road. The most likley synario is to be have a side impact IE red light runners.... and with todays soccer moms driving 6000lb Excursions with a bumper match at your head , talking on cell phone's we are all in trouble......
okay, yall talked me into looking at the 98 and up V6
DL
Allen
Just upgraded my wheels on my 97 E320. Went with 18X8 OZ Racing Opera Modular Rims in the front with Michelin Pilot Sport 235/40-18 and 18X9 rear with 275/35-18. One word "Awesome".
By the way, the sway in cornering was reduced at least 50%. To get the rest of the way, I would need to install anti-sway bars--about the same cost installed as the springs. But I don't think I will take that step any time soon. If you want more performance, you should also consider the anti-sway bars.
Any plans to upgrade the brakes ? That is my other thing i would like to do.
Thanks
Mobil one: With 5k on car I am getting mobil one and tire rotated next week. Dealer service said mobil one already in car. I got car in november and not sure of build date, but I recall that only recently did they start to outright recommend. I questioned him in a friendly manner and he was very nice about putting doubt in his mind and would check. I reffered to our little support group here.
Big and staggered, I'll bet they really look mean.
Thanks for response
added a signal booster
rewired existing speakers as mid and hi range
added a 8" sub-woofer with a level control
added separate amps for mid, low, hi
added a defeat button for sub
to get better sound in future will upgrade all factory speakers.
I take it you kept your same pads (#2 all around)or did you have to change them to this.
I want to put eibachs on my 1997 E420 which comes with #4 pads in front and #1 pads in back. I would like to drop my car by about the same amount you did.
Very few have anything other than standard wheels. Unfortunately, some peoples taste is gaudy, chromed, "drug lord" ones. I guess they go best with tinted windows and gold badges.
My '98 E00 had factory 430 wheels (16") on it when I bought it, but they weren't part of my deal. They were replaced with new, stock wheels and tires from a '99. Having had the others for a month or so, stock ones were always a compromise. MB modified the stock style a bit the following year.
I always liked the OZ 2pc operas and several of the other tuner wheels. I wanted to stay away from the 1pc operas and the other 430-type ones. They're good looking, to be sure, but I wanted something distinctive. That ruled out the factory sport styles and the CLK style.
The tuner wheels costs mount quickly when you start at $500 + rubber for each corner. I went with the slimmer spoked look of the AMG 203 wheels, upgrading to 17".
Weather and my driving pattern favored all season rubber and the nasty condition of our roads makes me cautious enough about bottoming without dealing with a lowered chassis.
I have a couple of photos that I'll scan. Once that's done, I'll ask how to paste them into a post here.
I just put a deposit down on a 1997 E420 with the Sport Package, and before I pay in full, I thought I'd better post a message to the board asking for opinions on this car.
I really like the way the car looks and drives, but my only info is from a test drive. I'd appreciate the opinions of any 420 owners out there. Are you happy with the car? Has it been reliable? If you had a choice between the '97 E420 and a slightly never E320, which would you choose?
Sorry to ask so many questions, but the price I'm paying for the 420 isn't a great bargain (not overpriced, but not a tremendous deal either) and I'm a little nervous buying it without hearing from some current owners first.
Thanks in advance for any and all advice!!!
Have a great weekend! (I'll be spending mine worrying about whether I've made the right choice... I'm so pathetic!)
Regards,
Chloe
Other than the early convertables (wow, are they sweet!) the 420/430 Sport models are the most distinctive in the E class. (Yeah, there are diesels and 4matics, but they look like any other E sedan.) I've posted before that I think the E's are the perfect sedan.
Your car (there I go again) has the wheels, ground effects and the other goodies of the sport package with the bigger engine. You'll pay more for fuel and maintenance with an 8, but if that detail is significant you probably should be looking at a different marque.
I can't comment about 8 vs. 6 from experience as I'm a turbodiesel guy, but I think you've made the right choice.
Enjoy your weekend - I'm sure you'll really enjoy your automobile.
I would like to get the MB extended warranty but my dealer refused give any discounts. Does anyone know where I can get the extended warranty at a discount? I live in SF Bay Area but does it matter where I purchase the warranty? I was told that some dealerships sell non-MB warranty. Is that a good option?
Thanks in advance for all of your inputs.
Good luck, and let us know how you made out.
I have the factory Bose radio w/cd changer and a MD. The quality of the radio reception was/is fine. I listen mostly to CD and MD. I don't remember the last time I listened to the tape player. On the radio I listen mostly to talk radio and some music. Like I said, I don't listen to loud music on a regular basis but I do on occasion. It's disturbing listening to something at a low level and not getting the full range. The mods I made are for quality of sound not for loudness.
Thanks
I definitely wouldn't risk buying a non-MB warranty. You might pay less for one, but remember Murphy's law - the one thing a non-MB warranty won't cover will be the first thing to fail on your car.
Good luck.
Where is the AMG plant? How do you arrange a tour? I was surprised to see the various AMG models on the roads there - the E55 Wagon (see fotos), also a E50AMG sedan.
I expect to receive my car in a month I suppose. I understand that I only have a year to buy the MB warranty. Is this right? This extends the manufacturers warranty 4 years/50,000 miles?
The dealer will install the CD changer (I bought it before leaving for Germany). Just curious if anyone has done the European delivery, then returned with the CD changer, and had the dealer charge for the installation?
I will be Zainoing the exterior (the dealer has promised me he will NOT have their prep people put any wax on after they wash it. But as for the perforated leather seats - how does one go about treating these? I have been using the Lexol products on my other car - First the Leather cleaner, rinse with damp cloth, then follow up with the Lexol Leather Conditioner. It works pretty well, and is inexpensive. But, these are leather seats that are not perforated, and wondering if there would be a different cleaning technique.
Sorry for such a long post!
I was thinking ordering some stuff from www.griotsgarage.com. The Wash mitten and the Chamois. The prices are not cheap but before I order them I want to know the best out there and the best prices.
Thanks
Anyone with similar experience and solutions.
Thanks
Left a deposit on that early November day. Called up the dealership where I live on the following day. I spoke with the first salesman who told me that he would not be able to get the E55 Euro Del, and explained that I had found another dealer who could. Since I had initially given him a deposit for stateside delivery, he was interested in keeping my business, perhaps. He called me back 2 hours later, and said he spoke with his boss, and told me they would be able to do Euro delivery for me. I appreciated his trouble, but explained my commitment to the out of town dealer, so he credited my Visa card for my deposit.
My dealer said that my delivery position was initially held by someone from Mercedes in North America. Can't confirm this. I am very interested to know what your experience has been, and whether you have already or are thinking of ordering one for yourself.
I won't be back to read this board for a week.
Mac
Also, the issue of dampers was discussed. Globe was of the opinion that since I have new shocks on my E320, it was not necessary to swap these out. Good luck.