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Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedans
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I hope that this helps.
Wally
Shortly after I got the car I changed to 17" AMG wheels and the 235-45-17 Yokhama AVS-dB. The wheels and tires eliminated most of my earlier complaints with the car (poor high speed stability, inadequate cornering power, tire noise). But I was still not quite satisfied with the handling. The car simply did not have the rock-steady stability and on-rails tracking of my previous three or four MB's. The car was a bit twitchy in cross winds and transient maneuvers, though a decent handler. To my surprise, I could bottom the front suspension on vertical transients (like speed bumps), which no previous MB had done. I also noticed a lot of sensitivity to tire pressures (they could get harsh at even a pound or two over my regular 31/33 pressures), and too much busyness at the wheels. On bad surfaces, the ride could suddenly become quite harsh because of the relatively poor wheel control. All-in-all, quite good, but certainly not the best and not up to previous MB standards.
I removed the original "comfort setting" Sachs shocks (OEM shocks are Sachs, Boge, or Bilstein) and replaced them with the Bilstein HD (B36-2154 for the front, B36-2155 rear). The difference is quite remarkable, much more significant than the wheel/tire change. While the ride is perceptibly firmly and can be *slightly* choppy over rough or undulating surfaces, I think it is actually more comfortable on the whole. There is much less pitching and rolling of the body, and much less busyness, slapping, and harshness at the wheels. And--best of all--the handling, steering precision, and stability are in a different class. On the road, this car finally feels like a Mercedes to me. The chassis has an uncanny precision to it, and this is especially noticable because of the extremely rigid structure (which is much better than previous MB's).
I wish I'd done this change before all my tire and wheel experiments, because I think it might have solved most of the problems more easily and cheaply (though the larger wheels and tires are a significant advantage and I'd probably have done them next). It's difficult for me to understand the trade-off MB chose to make in the original shock settings. While the original settings provide a softer ride, this is only true on smooth surfaces. On rougher surfaces the ride is much worse.
The shocks list for $143, but they are widely available at around $100. I paid about $300 at the MB dealer for installation. To me this seems like a bargain for the magnitude of improvement.
Is it worthwhile ?
Check earlier posts on this board. Someone in CA is selling it for less.
Anybody know of a recent cost ?
Depends on duration/mileage of coverage you want.
You can get this at your M-B dealer.
Is it worthwhile ?
It depends. I did not get it because most of the electronic bells and whistles (e.g. COMAND, Phone, CD Player, Radio etc. etc are not covered at ANY price!) You need to ask your dealer what is NOT covered. The inclusive lists are cute, but the limitations are far more important. It is NOT the same warranty as the first 4 years.
So:
1. How long are you going to keep the car?
2. Do you have a whole bunch of uncovered goodies in the car?
I opted out of this (2000 E430 4-matic, E1, E2, K2a, COMAND) because the stuff in the car that has been regularly crapping out is NOT covered by the extended warranty. My strategy is going to be to replace the car just before the 4year original warranty expires.
Just a reminder that the MB chat is on tonight (6-7pm Pacific/9-10 pm Eastern). Hope to see you there!
http://www.edmunds.com/townhall/chat/mercedeschat.html
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This car is 16 months old and there is little wear on the continentals but trying to anticipate the service
Thanks Steven
Talking about TeleAid I am glad I have it. One Sunday afternoon my E320 developed rattling noise while I was 80 miles away from home. With the TeleAid I was able to get a mechanic to check it and advice me that it was Okay to drive home and took the dealership the next day.
By the way, I had bad experience with my E320 and
the service. The first stop at Fletcher Jones did not fix the intermittent rough idle and engine hesitation problem because they could not reproduce it. The second stop at dealership for the rattling noise, they replace the exhaust pipe and fuel injector control unit per MB bulletin board warning. If not for the rattling noise I would not bring the car to the dealer again and would continue to suffer the intermittent engine problem.
Worst off, my new car (400 miles at that time)was read-ended at the first stop at dealer. It took 1 week for them to repaint the rear bumper. They are 3 scratches at second stop at dealer. Fortunately, they were able to rub it off with cloth and cleaning cream.
I had the same experience with the intermittent rough idle on my 2001 E320. But, it seemed to be at the acceptable level for now. Hope that it would not get worse over time. My wife's Lexus LS430 still run smoothly after 10K miles, I couldn't feel a tiny vibration at idle.
If necessary take the manager out with you and show him the problem, these engines are not prone to rough idle and it is probably a quick fix.
I read the earlier messages of the lack of lumbar support and stuffing a book to the driver seat. Anyone know how to do it in detail? I mean, how to dis-assemble the driver seat.
Here's the (edited) note I got from the dealer:
The Becker Silverstone CD-6 D2B (2662) is the unit that will work in your vehicle. In about 80-85% of the installations, you will not need any reprogramming of the OEM radio for the 2662 to work. However, every once in awhile, Mercedes send a car over that is programmed for phone only or phone and CD. When this happens, the radio will not recognize the CD changer by itself. Most Dealerships will reprogram the radio for you, to the CD only setting, for free or a small fee. There are a few Dealers that will not touch the radio because you have something other than OEM connected.
The 2662 is currently running $410.76 plus shipping and handling. UPS ground shipping would run $9.11 and handling would be $5.00. I would also recommend the optional Becker mounting bracket set for $13.00. It will help mount the unit in the factory location.
Continental Imports
1219 S. Main St.
Gainesville, FL 32601
(352) 377-6604 fax (352) 377-2218
http://www.continentalimports.com
Can't help with the seat, you may want to visit a local body shop and ask some questions, but I can suggest you look into buying a third party seat such as Recaro, you'll be able to find exactly what your looking for. F.Y.I. I have driven both the new C and S classes, there seats are about 100 times more comfy than mine, and I think mine are comfortable, so hopefully the new E will follow suit.
Also, if you have purchased this car and not leased, I would highly recommend buying the extended warranty if you plan on keeping it beyond its original warranty. You can buy the warranty within the first year of ownership.
You'll see two short tabs on the top of the seat back once it comes away. Push those down and in first and the seat back pops right back into place. It's real easy to do. It doesn't loosen or damage anything. You'll see once you do it.
I took a pair of vise grips and detached two springs to relieve some of the pressure so I could get something in front of the support wires for lumbar support. From there you can use your own ingenuity for what to use. I ended up taking the book out and putting some cloth strips inside a large stiff envelope. That way I could keep a sort of hollow vertical center for my backbone.
It helped quite a bit, but I still can't believe the seats in this thing. They are so hard and uncomfortable it has destroyed any fondness for what is otherwise a well made car, and, in my estimation, the most visually beautiful car on the road. I'm open to suggestions about what to replace it with--Lexus, BMW...
Incidentally, if you know of anyone who wants a like new brilliant silver '98 E320 with only 16,000 miles, warranty until 9/02... (In Falls Church, VA)
I'm assuming they can replace that section of the dash without major surgery...but I'm glad it is still under warranty. But I have a real problem with a cracking dash on an 18 month old $50,000 car...
Regarding engine check light on my 97 E320, before I could take it to the dealer; engine check light turns itself off. I think this is just another nuisance indication on this year model. The car runs fine.
Someone in this forum asking about not being able to program the homelink for garage door opener. Mercedes service told me that starting the 97 model does not have the technology to program the homelink system for garage door opener with the rolling code technology.
I am just curious whether anyone was able to procure a shop repair CD rom and you would recommend it.
Thanks in advance.
Albert
I have had back surgery- a lumbar diskectomy.
So, I ordered the Multicontour seats on my '00E430 and I am satisfied with them.
Perhaps you can custom order a new driver's seat.
This "option" is equivalent to the standard BMW seat. My preference is for the BMW "Comfort" seat as it provides the most amount of lumbar support.
My dealer has a great service department. Under the factory or extended warranty they will pretty much replace or fix anything I ask them to.
I purchased the extended warranty because all major items are covered. Sure, my radio, phone and CD changer may not be covered but everything else
looks like it is. Also, with M-B extended warranty dealer is willing to "work with me" on these items as well!
Regarding the cd changer, I'll repeat my experience with my 2000 E320. A few months after I took delivery, I asked my salesman if I still had any leverage on adding accessories, specifically a CD changer. Five minutes later he quoted an installed price of $617.00! I'd ask about price at several dealerships with the hint that you may find a new source for your next MB. BTW, I've only heard my CD skip one time. Don't know if that's because it's a MB product or not.
That hardness some find hard to warm to is why you see so many Mercedes with 125,000 on the clock with immaculate seats.They also give exceptional comfort on long drives(although I also love them to go down to Starbucks).
No problem programming the rolling code garage door opener to the Homelink at the rear view mirror.
The leather is holding up extremely well for a hot Florida climate. Most of my friends' Bimmers seats look like crap after 2-3 years, but they are beautiful at first. If I was leasing the car then I would want BMW leather rather than the Mercedes product.
I checked my car's MSRP today on the MBUSA site. The MSRP is up over $2000 from '00 price. My guess is that M-B wants to raise the price now so when the 2003 shows up they do not have to increase the price much. Also, the 2002 will have discounts equal or greater than $2,000.
I had my car detailed today in my garage. Here are the products I had used. I supplied the products and someone else supplied 3.5 hours of labor.
Wash- Used wax-free, spot-free car wash (Zymol cleaner or equivalent)
Wax- Zymol from WalMart. Great stuff, #1 rated Consumer Reports wax. #2 Internet rated product behind Zaino. If I had a Black M-B would have used Zaino. M-B recommends Carnauba based wax.
Polish- Maguiar's car polish for Sport rims. Nu-Finish would work also.
Leather care- Lexol cleaner and conditioner. I like the Lexol products.
Dash- I used the M-B product "Pinnacle" dash protectant. This stuff is extremely low luster and better than Armor-All. The product is barely noticeable as far as lustre but really protects the dash. On the wood trim lemon-scented plede was used.
Windows- Windex but Dirtex cleaner available for the toughest grime (not used today).
Tires- Wet look tire protectant.
My car looks like new.
If you're really going to keep this car for eight years, I can't believe that a $1,700 payment up front won't save you some money. The instrument cluster alone costs that much. For Pete's sake, even the towing charge to replace covered items is covered under the extended warranty. This could just be the deal of the century. Think about this before you let your one year window of opportunity expire. This is a very complicated car.
My 12 (just sold) and 11 year old 300E (W124) still has perfect, like new dashes.
Now the W210 are 5 or 6 years old, I wonder how long they will last. It does not seem they'll last as long as the W126, W124, and W140.
Bo
Thanks for the feedback.
Albert
Seats: Personal choice. Certainly if you have vertebrate problems one cannot say the seats are no good. Only they don't work for you. I love the seats, but I don't need any special support.
11k miles on o1' 430 and love this car. No problems. Finally got to be a passanger in back seat for first time. Nice seats and very quiet.
I did not take these photos myself.
If you have some or know of others please post a message in the guest book.
I'm trying to make a central location for all the pictures on the web.
Link:
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1141116&a=13705344&f=0
The black one is taken in NY during the filming of Men in Black 2. These are the pictures that have upset MB b/c they were "leaked too early". Which is why some people are speculating that MB might officially unviel the E in Detroit in Jan 2002. We'll have to wait and see.
The others (Silver & Maroon) I can't be sure of. I believe they are computer enhancements.
Of course the interiors are real too.
I am contemplating a 2002 model wagon purchase later this year or early next, assuming they continue with a $2,000 +/- factory incentive. Of the dealers I have spoken with, they are 50/50 as to whether there will even be a model year 2003 wagon; some suggesting it may not come out until early/mid 2003 as a 2004 model.
Thanks in advance.
The 2002 ML will have a freshened up exterior as well as a more "mercedes like" interior. I've heard the early ML's were prone to problems but they may have addressed them in this freshening up.
I.M.O the E is the better choice for the long term.
By the way, here in Los Angeles dealers have more E-classes than they know what to do with, so they are definately willing to deal, especially since the car is at the end of its production cycle.