Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedans

aling

Glad that the bulbs turned out well. Do you like the higher colour temperature of the bulbs? I find that it gives better contrast at night.

Yes, the bulbs are also available in 100 watt form, but since these are about 2X the wattage of your stock bulbs, they may melt your bulb sockets and or wiring; worse case scenario, it may starting a fire. Although the German engineers probably overengineered the wiring and the components, I personally wouldn't take the chance :-)

Drew/aling
Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference

cmayer

If you're happy with your car, as virtually all of us are with ours, don't worry about what you paid.

It seems a good deal to me, given the "no haggle" policy. When prices are posted on a board like this, are you gonna believe everything you see?

When you're wondering if you paid too much, go out for a drive and enjoy following that silver star!

turbotc

Yes, I like the new bulbs much better. Just wished I had spent the extra $900 for the factory Xenon though. On a different subject, I thought that it would be som much fun to own a 5-series BMW and that driving my E320 was too boring. I took out a 2001 BMW 530 yesterday, the engine was so noisy on acceleration. Now it makes me appreciate my MB more and more.

dustoff156

Bought same E430 in early July here in the Washington area and the price paid was the same.

Have nearly 4000 miles on my car now and couldn't be happier. As the salesman cautioned me, the gas mileage was horrible for the first couple of thousand miles, but it is up to 19 MPG in city driving now.

I hope you are as happy as I am with your decision to go for the V8. In city driving, I don't notice a lot of difference between it and friend's E320s, but at about 50-60 MPH, it will literally jump around a car on the open road.

Initially, I wasn't impressed with the thought of having heated seats, but have changed my mind. I am an early riser who usually hits the office by 6:30 AM. We have had a few cold days recently, so I like to turn on the heated seats and turn down the temperature settings so that I don't get any heat from the heater system. Driving to work is a real pleasure now.

Enjoy and watch out for those red lights behind you when you hit the gas pedal too hard.

wtimwalker69

My '00 E320 has a continuous problem with the BAS/ESP light coming on. The computer will not display a malfunction warning to indicate the prob, but my MB dealership indicates it shows in the main computer area. This is the third time something like this has occurred. Any words of wisdom or does it appear I have a lemon in this area.

jures

drew, what brand(s)and models of low beam bulbs are you recommending for a y2k e320, i am looking for the whiter light different bulbs give. thank you roger

jason64

My 01 E320 comes with touch shift where the transmission can go into manual modes. I wonder what is the general opinion about this feature (ie, usefulness, downshift/upshift smoothness, etc.). This is a standard equipment on the 01 model (probably on the 00 model as well). Does anyone know what was the first model year with this feature? I did notice in the "D" (automatic) mode, the car tends to hesitate a moment when the gas pedal is suddenly floored (like passing on the freeway). I wonder if it would down shift quicker if I use the touch shift in that situation.

In any case, I love my E320. I can't get enough just looking at it in my garage. I love everything about it; the roomlyness, the power, the handling, the exterior styling, the interior layout, the brillient silver color. I even love the stock rim (even thou the AMG rim would be the ultimate in my opinion). For the money I paid for, I think it's worth every dime.

parfive1

Hear a lot about prices, guess everyone likes to know that they got a fair deal. It's human nature.
I've been in sales for many years and see it all the time.
I definitely agree with cmayer, if you love the car, then you got a great deal!!
I purchased my 00 E320 last Aug and have never been more pleased with style & handling.
Also, I was treated with respect and courtesy.
Far different than my last purchase(1997 Acura RL)

taison

How difficult was it to remove the housing in order to get to the light bulbs themselves?

I haven't looked under the hood yet, but when I called an MB service guy, he said that you had to remove the air filter to get to one of them. Is this true? It seems like it was much simpler for you when you did it yourself. Please let me know if it is easy to do since I plan on getting some bulbs myself.

aling

I love it!! Finally, an auto manufacturer that is willing to put the "+" on the bottom rather than the top, just like in the WRC rally cars, as well as the BTCC and Australian TC cars! I see that there is still the "A" (fully automatic) mode for when you're driving in rush hour traffic, or just don't feel like shifting.

aling

The bulbs that we were referring to are the Hella Optilux bulbs. For the low beams you'll need the 55 watt H7 bulbs. You can get them here:
http://www.rallylights.com/hella/optilux_bulbs.asp

Drew/aling
Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference

turbotc

the bulbs were reallu easy to install. The driver's side one is easier to change since there is more room for your hand to manuever in there. The passenger side is a little tighter, because the air filter is behind it. Nevertheless my hand fit easily and there was no need whatsoever to remove air filter or anything else. When you get the bulbs, look at them. You will see a round flange with a "flat cut". I mean like taking a circle and cutting a piece out of it, then it isn't a complete circle anymore. Well, make sure this "flat cut" is position up, then screw in the metal thing that secure the bulb in. I didn't pay attention when i removed it, but after a few minutes of not being able to get it in tight, I removed the other one and then was able to put them back in. I say it should take between 5 to 10 minutes to swap them both out. You can see the difference on how white it looks. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions on it.

valueguy

I really like my Xenon lights that M-B offers as an option. In my opinion, this is one option worth paying for. Those of you still deciding on the E-Class should really think long and hard before skipping the Xenon lights.

aling

Never touch the bulbs with your bare fingers. The oils can dramatically shorten the life of the bulbs. If you do inadvertantly touch the glass part, clean it off with a soft lint free cloth and some alcohol. I usually wear a pair of surgical gloves as a pre-caution.

Good luck!
Drew/aling
Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference

turbotc

ooops......oh well, too late now.

aling

I hope you didn't touch the glass portion, did you? If you did, I strongly recommend cleaning the fingerprints/oil off or the bulb life could be significantly reduced.

dingbenz

Hella makes a HID kit for the E-class that is virtually the same as the stock Xenon option from Mercedes. The price for this kit is around 1,200. I guess you also have to figure in the installation price. I believe the kit comes with the headlamp washing system that is required with this type of lighting. I think this is a semi-affordable option for all of those of us who failed to get the Xenon lights.

turbotc

I couldn't remember if I touched it or not. But I am pretty sure that I must have. I will take them out and clean them and re-install. Thanks for the tip.

aling

$1200 is rather conservative. Are you sure it is that cheap? The Hella conversion kit for the M-class sans headlamp washing system, is already about $1600. You may be able to do the installation yourself like with the ML's kit, but you will have to look at the instructions first, of course.

Vinh, no problem! :-)

Drew/aling
Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference

aling

I think that you might want to clarify with them as to what "set" to them means. It may mean the hardware (lamp assembly, wiring harness adaptor; headlamp washer kit not needed for the N.America, so cost should be lower) per side, not for both sides. This is how Hella USA (not PUMA) quotes the ML's HID headlamps too, per side.

Drew/aling
Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference

williams17

I am nearing 12,000 miles on my e320 and will be taking it in for service. What should I be expected to pay for this service?
Should they also replace the windshield wiper at no charge as it is already leaving streaks after cleaning?
Other problems:
temperature control switches stick
fuel gauge not accurate
popping noise in drivers seat

I am in the so. Calif (L.A.) area and am seeking good service. Had a horrible experience purchasing the car at a downtown LA area motor car dealer. You are just a number there and they could care less about you. Thanks.

2kc5

To fellow E class owners. I posted this question a few weeks ago but never got a clear answer. I have a 2000 E320 and I own a Motorola Startac not purchased through the MB dealer. Is there a kit I can buy to integrate the phone into the cars internal systems so it will operate with radio and steering wheel controls, etc. Any feedback is most appreciated.

Bob

emersongs

It is always better to negotiate the sale price prior to discussing trade or financing options. I always prefer to work from invoice up. Usually $1000 to $1500 over dealer invoice will get you the vehicle (in demand cars excepted). In some cases, at year end there will be a factory to dealer incentive which will often allow you to buy the car at invoice while the dealer will still make the $2000 incentive. Once you have arrived at the sale price, referred to as cap cost for a lease, then nogotiate the lease factor. It should be about .0032 these days. If you multiply that figure by 2400 you will get a comparable interest rate (7.68). Other factors to keep in mind is the annual mileage allowed without penalty (usually 12,000 miles) and the residual (the value of the car at lease end). Mercedes have a high resale which usually computes to about 50% after five years. Also, be wary of cap reductions (down payments) and security deposits. I have leased vehicles without either of these many times. Good luck!

emersongs

Some time ago there was a request for where to find recall and service bulletin (TSB)information on the web. I just found www.alldata.com which lists the titles and dates for all service bulletins by make, model and year. Very few for my 99 E320 but TONS for my 99 Lexus RX300 (first model year). I'm checking with them to see if the content of each bulletin is also available, but just having titles, dates and tsb numbers should really help when I take the car to the dealer. Thought all might want to know. Roger

automophile

You also should NOT pay the "acquisition fee" (Paying them to buy the car in the first place?) and the "Disposition Fee" (Paying them to take it back at the end of the lease?) It seems that this is what the profit on the sale of the new and used car is for.

The dealers seem to be able to drop this as soon as you head for the door.

rokinkead

I test drove the '01 E320 today. Nice car. Without my asking, the salesrep went into a speach about MB going to a non-negotiation pricing that is 7% over invoice. This puts the price at MSRP. I am in the South Florida area. Is there anyone who can tell me if MSRP rules in South Florida? I asked if there are any other fees that they normally like to charge. He said the "dealer service fee"???!!. If MSRP rules, I know how to deal with the "dealer service fee". If MSRP means nothing, I can go back to that dealership and tell him that the non-negotiating pricing is BS, or I can go to another dealership (where they have never seen me) and start the arduous bickering task.

I had to talk to one dealer first to get an idea of what they are thinking. I think I know enough now to negotiate the deal (best done at another dealership since this first one might know too much about me as well). The thing is, this rep was very courteous. The last time I had such an experience, it has followed through to this day, with that dealer's service department.

Back to the test drive. I did hear more exterior noise than anticipated. Nevertheless the car was smooth. It also kind of lagged on start off, but it is not being touted as rocket. The steering wheel does have a tendency to stay put after turning (I will have to get used to that). If I sound negative, just remember that one purpose of the test drive is to critique the car.

I also tested '01 C320 Sport. About same noise level as the E320. I thought it would have been noisier. In summary, the E320 won in size, fit, feel and wife.

wingng

I recently found a well kept low mileage 92 300E 4matic. I tested the car and liked it very much except I found the shifting from second to third gear was quite jerky, unlike the 00ML 320 that my wife drives. If I am correct, you owned 2 different years 300E 4matic before. Can you comment if it was the norm for that transmission design?

scargo160quick

Guys, these have probably floated around here before, but check out these pics of the new E Class. With the new BMW 7 coming out at about the same time as the new E (Spring of next year) I'm thinking about waiting for one of these models.

Here's the link...http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/9323/w211.htm

aling

Hey another Vancouverite! :-) Do you go to the MB Canada dealership on West Broadway?

I had a '93 300E 4-matic (the last year that the previous generation 4-matics were made); no I don't recall any particular jerking from 2nd to 3rd gear. Could you be more specific as to when this problem occurs? For example, is it in the "D" position, when you are manually using the shift lever and moving it from 2nd to 3rd gear? Note that if this is the norm, there may be a transmission control software update to remedy the problem.

I must warn you that the previous generation 4-matic system was very complex, and needed maintenance after every 30K kms or so (or so I recall). Because of this complexity, it may be somewhat expensive to repair should there be any problems in the future. Can you tell me how many kms this vehicle has?

As an aside, FYI, about 10% of the MLs experience some slight jerking or banging from 1st to 2nd or 2nd to 3rd gears. This depends on your terrain, environmental conditions, etc. My ML does have this small annoyance and I'm trying to get the dealership to deal with it (I already know the problem and the solution, but the service advisor claims ignorance). Do you notice this on your ML as well? It's quite subtle and intermittent.

Drew/aling
Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference

taison

From what I know, you must purchase Mercedes' phone to use with your car. You cannot use your own Startac phone. If you could use your own phone, everyone would have done it already. You can plug your own phone in, but it won't work. What is needed is a $2000 black box that only Mercedes has with their phone.

In short, it can't be done.

aling

Actually, there's more to it than that. The MB Startac/Timeport phones have properiatary software in them too which allows them to interface with the COMAND system (or MCS in the case of the M-class). This is part of the reason why the normal StarTacs/Timeports cannot interface properly with the COMAND/MCS.

Drew/aling
Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference

rcroft1

My 01 E320 came with Michelin tires. I saw other E320s in the color I wanted and with the same equipment on the dealer's lot with Goodyear tires.
Since I had a choice of tires, I chose Michelin. I have had good luck with Goodyear tires but I prefer Michelin.

2kc5

Thanks for the info on the Star Tac compatibility question. If anyone hears of some modification or after market devise please post it on the hoard.

2kc5

I bought my 00 E320 this past summer and this will be my first winter with the car. Does anyone have experience with these cars in the bad weather? I had a BMW 528i and managed in the snow without any problems. Of course the last 3 winters in the NE have been pretty mild. I'm thinking about some Blizzaks or Yokohoma Guardex to maximize winter performance. Any experience from fellow owners would be most appreciated.

turbotc

My 00 E320 came with Goodyear Eagle LS. If you compare prices, the Eagle LS are more expensive than the Michelins and the Continential Tourings that MB uses as well on the E320. No problems on my tires.

emersongs

It's unfortunate that the designers did not see fit to make these compatible, but I suppose there are also issues of analog vs. digital. Also, it is my understanding, that the phone itself is only used for the interface and that a separate 3 watt phone is part of the built in package giving you much greater range than the handheld.

clearday

I have a new E430 and I am having a real mechanical problem engaging the fuel hose to the intake pipe. It often shuts off almost immediately and then when I finally engage it properly it doesn't fill the tank all the way. The gauge on the dashboard shows between 3/4 and a full tank and the digital readout shows 17.5-18 gallons in the tank. The specs say that the tank is 21 gallons. All help appreciated. Steve

taison

Yeah..you are right, but in short it can't be done. Which is unfortunate.

turbotc

have you tried another filling her at another gas station? If so then you might want to bring it up to your service advisor. Mine always fill up and when I am done it reads "Full" and the computer says 21 gallons in tank.

wniel

On the E430/320 there is a common problem in the fuel sending units and the gas guage. I also have a 2000 E430 and just had it to the dealership last Thursday to fix this problem with the exact symtoms. They replaced the fuel sending unit and am waiting for a new instrument cluster assembly that should be in this Monday. There is apparently some problem in the way that some of them interface with each other. They have to put on the odometer the mileage of your car in order that you don't start from zero again. Hopefully I will have this compleged tomorrow. If not then I will have to wait for a week as I will be out of town leaving Tuesday.
My service rep told me that this is a known problem. A friend of mine has a new SL500 and has had the same problem with his.
Wally

wingng

I am amazed by your prompt response to my post. You must be super busy replying to all the posts in this E class forum, as well as the C and ML. The 92 4matic was a recent trade in at the Broadway Mercedes dealership with only 60K Km. The car runs flawlessly except for the intermittent jerky upshift from 2nd to 3rd gear when the shift lever is at the 'D' position. Mind you that the car starts in 2nd gear from full stop. May be it is related from the decoupling of the front drivetrain at 20 km/hr when the gear also upshifts. Anyway the Mercedes service says it does not need to be adjusted. BTW my wife's 00ML320 has no problem with gear shifting.

aling

Nah, I pay attention to all of the MB boards, so not really super busy :-)

The car shouldn't start in 2nd gear from a dead stop. Is it in Winter mode? "Decoupling of the front drivetrain"? I'm not familiar with this. AFAIK, the 4-matic system remains inactive until front wheel slip is detected, at which point power is progressively transfered to the front wheels until slippage is eliminated.

How bad is the jerk? Is it a lurch or just a slight bump? What does the service advisor/salesguy say about this issue? 60K kms is indeed very low mileage. How much are they asking? Keep in mind what I said about the 4-matic system though.

My ML doesn't have any problems shifting either, but it does have the intermittent bumps from gears 1-2 or 2-1. It happens usually if I'm accelerating and then lift up on the throttle completely. The next time you drive it, try to see if yours has the same "trait" as well. As I said, it is intermittent and quite subtle.

BTW, what colour is your ML anyway? You can see pictures of mine at: http://go.to/M-class . Wave or honk if you see it! :-)

Drew/aling
Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference

donald02

Rokinkead Post 80:

See post 53. Use Edmund's to get actual dealer cost including the 3% dealer holdback. In the Washington area you can get the car for somewhere between 3-4% over actual dealer cost which is approximately 6-7% under MSRP.

benzguy

Just picked up the '99 E320 from the dealer. They're ordering a new sending unit for the gas tank. I've been having the same problem with a "full tank" only indicating 3/4 to 7/8 full on the gauge. Hope I don't need the instrument cluster assembly also. Also, BTW, don't ever try to squeeze in more that a few cents worth of gas after the auto cut-off at the gas pump. As reported by others, fuel can come pouring out the fill pipe making for a dangerous and embarrassing situation. The service advisor acted as though I were crazy when I described it to him. He apparently had never heard of this before. He obviously doesn't follow this list. Rob

aling

Post 100!!

clearday

Thanks for your responses, Steve

tracy_leb

Pardon me for poking in for a moment. As a recent former owner of a 4-matic, I strongly suggest that you don't buy the original generation of 4-matics. They really are wonderful cars, but high maintenance in the extreme. The front drive shafts, as one example (well there are 2 of them), will last about 15K miles and are about $600 (US) each to replace. And the parts will probably need to be ordered. The transfer case is about $3.5K + labor to replace. In the 2.5 years I owned mine it had an estimated $20K in repairs; almost all of which was warranty covered. And about 85% of the repairs had to do with the 4-matic elements of the vehicle. And this was a Starmark car, which had a 130 point inspection prior to being sold and supported by a MB factory warranty. This was on a car with 68K miles

On to the specifics. Drew, On startup a 4-matic is always in awd. After a stop, the 4-matic disengages at about 9 MPH, provided it wasn't needed anyway, or the car isn't accelerating hard. The disengage should be smooth and the only thing you notice is an increase in power. The jerky shifting is a transmission issue that is fixable. Dealers will sometimes say it's normal but what do they remember of a 8 year old vehicle? Try a similar non 4-matic model to see how the transmission behaves.

Hope this helps

...tracy

aling

Ah now I remember :-) My mistake, it has been a few years since I've driven a previous generation 4-matic. I do distinctly recall the increase of power that you mention though. When the '93s came out, I was hoping that they would dump the new 3.2L DOHC I6 engine into it, but alas, they stuck with the tried and true but less powerful SOHC I6.

My car wasn't old enough or accumulated enough mileage to require front drive shaft replacements or T.C replacements, but I did have a radiator problem after a year or so. It was fixed under warranty as well.

Drew/aling
Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference

billc01776

Hi everybody. I've been reading for months, but this is my first post. Last February I got a brilliant silver 00 E320 4-matic. I love the car despite a number of minor problems most of which have been described here including check engine light, fuel gauge, phone software problem, squeaky steering wheel (above 70 degrees), and my personal favorite, when I put my left elbow on the armrest the interior lights would come on and the doors unlock (door out of alignment). Great feature for escaping from a carjacker. Dealer repaired all of these promptly and painlessly. During the first of many Zaino applications I noticed that at the bottom of the star on the trunk lid that there was a tiny hole that appeared to be for water drainage. I thought that, if this is what it is for, it was a testament to attention to detail. Anybody else noticed it? Could it be for anything other than drainage? Bill.

prevostxlv

I took delivery of my 2001 E430 4matic and have been enjoying ever since EXCEPT for the A/C unit. Our family has owned over 10 MBs and at least 6 of them have the automatic climate control system. My car has a mind of its own. If the system is set at 70 degrees/automatic, the system blows hot air -- whether the outside temp is 50 or 80 degrees. The dealer says I don't know what I am talking about. I have measured the temp and it varies from 68-110 when set at 70. Has anyone run into this problem with the automatic climate control system not keeping the proper temperature. They already replaced a censor but the system checks fine -- are these guys mechanics or parts jockeys. They are currently road testing it to see the problem (only because I suggested it -- unbelievable). A great salesman but the service is absolutely the worst ever. I have stories about this place from many customers and even the sales people. Any words of wisdom would be appreciated.