Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedans

kilian1

I use the MB seat for Young Children. It is a blessing because with 3 kids occasionaly I must car pool one of their friends. Try to keep the kids in the back seat otherwise. Just feel it is safer in the rear of the car. Not sure if that is accurate.

Purchased it from the parts department at my dealer. It was a stock item.

Funny thing just purchased an addional accessory for my MB and sent out 3 e-mails and one price came in 25% less from an out of town dealer. I took the savings of over $70. Love this internet shopping.

jason64

I closed the armrest vent as you suggested and sure enough, that's where all the air went. Thanks again for the response.

Does anyone know the answer to the yellow light beaming from the bottom of the interior RV mirror?

aling

The answer was mentioned several times above. It is to dimly illuminate the centre console at night.

Drew/aling
Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference

coallen

I own a 2000 E320 4MATIC with 5000 miles on it. The steering started making a soft whining noise. The local Mercedes dealer examined it and replaced the entire steering rack. I picked up the car, drove it a block, and the power steering assist stopped working. Took it back to the dealer and they examined it but could find nothing wrong. Their best guess is that the new steering rack is defective and so they are replacing it again. I'm curious if anyone has had similar problems or has any input. This is my first Mercedes and I'm a little disappointed to have such a major problem so soon. Thanks.

timwalker69

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.

rab5

1999 E320
About 1/4 inch below the pivot point of the gas gauge needle, there appears to be an orange lens/light? less than a pencil eraser in diameter. What is this????? I can not find any ref. to it in the owners manual.

turbotc

that light is the warning light that you are running low on fuel

cce182

Drew: I just can’t let this one go by. I was with you until you expressed surprise that the mirror-mounted LED isn’t red. Why red?? Why would you WANT red??

(beginning of tirade)

You can get this annoying instrument illumination color if you really want it in a BMW, an Audi, or a Pontiac. These guys sell this as “aircraft” illumination (Macho!). Seems they haven't been to the airport and figured out that aircraft lighting stopped being totally red about 60 years ago. Maybe they’re trying to emulate an OLD airplane! Maybe a leather jacket, silk scarf, and goggles are called for here.

I own an airplane - - its lighting is actually sort of a hodge-podge. Instruments (the ones you really have to be able to see) are white incandescent post lights with blue(!) filters. The Gas/Oil/Temp gauge assembly happens to be red - mostly, I suppose, because it’s made by Stewart Warner - a car supplier. Radios are Neon segmented displays or incandescent (yellow) segmented displays, green led’s, blue/green vacuum flourescents, white incandescent back lighting - almost any color you could want. Color screens like COMAND are now showing up even in GA airplanes (your basic 747-400 has 5 CRT's - - in full color), and are priced to make the COMAND look positively cheap.

For me and most others who get more farsighted as they age, red is the first color to go out of focus (longer wavelength). And, your eye distinguishes contrast in red light far more poorly than longer wavelength, meaning anything with a scale on it has to be fairly bright for you to make out the scale markings. And face it, preservation of night vision can’t be that much of an issue since oncoming headlights are far brighter than any dashboard in any car. And besides, they all can be dimmed by the driver if they’re annoyingly bright (the dashboard, not the oncoming headlights).

(end of tirade)

I’m sure this’ll stimulate other opinions on this board (which is kinda fun). But, for me at least, red dashboard illumination is right at the top of my list of why I did not shop for a BMW or Audi before buying my E430. I'm very grateful that this is one feature MB decided not to copy from their competitors.

BTW, Go check out the VW’s some time. They have at least one model with blue LED dashboard illumination. Cool!

rab5

I thought the low fuel indicator was the orange area from about +1/8 tank down to empty.
This area lights up when you turn to key position 2 (as do all warning lights) to show they are operational.
Again, about 1/4 inch directly below the PIVOT POINT OF THE GAS GAUGE NEEDLE, there appears to be an orange
lens/light? less than a pencil eraser in diameter. Shine a flashlight on this area and you'll see what I am talking about.
What is this????? I can not find any ref. to it
in the owners manual.

bargamon2

I test drove an audi and while the intstremtation was cool, I found it distracting at nite after about 10 minutes. The memory seat buttons far below to the left even illuminates, the stupid location of the drink holder, located above the radio and a/c area, is even back lit. every where are read buttons! Sales person tried to mention how cool it was, like a cockpit! Like star wars! I was thinking "pontiac". If I was still in my 20's, I might think this cool, and I may impress those visiting my car at nite, but I an ergonomic kind of guy and dig funtion over splash. No to audi. I am not looking at a BMW 5 series as its trunk and back seat are smallish, I think the 3 series does a better job. 7 series too big. Its a buyers market right now, and im being patient. I might have a chance for a 99 smoke silver E430 wtih 35k, xenon,etc (non sport) for 40k. Edmunds has trade in at 41,700, dealer retail at 47,800, starmark (certified) 48,500. IF anyone has any insight to price points, I would love some feedback.

hjborn

It's starting to get cool here in central Illinois, and when the heat came on in my '00 E320, I expected it to come out of the side vents and the center vents as the cool air does during the summer. Surprise! No air out the center vents. Took it to the dealership this morning, and they said that was normal operation. Doesn't seem normal to me. Has anyone else noticed this? The car does heat up OK, although it would certainly do so faster if more air came in.

mbdriver

Your dealer is correct. Like most cars, when the heat kicks in, it is usually vented through the lower duct work at the feet of the driver and front seat passenger -- heat rises. If you want the heated air to come out of the dash vents (and you'll probably find it's uncomfortable), you can select that feature on your climate control using the appropriate icon. You can also increase the volume of air coming out by using the fan switch.

Hope this helps.

mbdriver

Try www.nadaguides.com for new and used car pricing. It's probably very realistic. Take a look at www.kelleybluebook.com also. LOL.

imfree00

The December issue of Road & Track has an article about red instrument lighting (and other night vision subjects). They say, "Airline pilots gave up red illumination years ago when studies showed that the primary factor was brightness--not color." It is an interesting article that also discusses the advantages of xenon headlights.

bargamon2

Thanks for the guides. I have been using them. Im looking for real world experiences. Thank you for your contribution.

heat; heat rises, so heat from lower vents are more effecient, creates "ambient" temperture, otherwise it blows dry heat and is hard to breath(ie:uncomfortable). On my old s class, rear vent when on blows fresh air, which in winter is cold, the heat comes from under the front seat vent.
System is weird, but when you figure it out, is logic driven.

hjborn

Thanks for the responses. I guess I am really satisfied with the way the car heats up, but I just thought it was strange that the center dash vents furnished no heat; even when I select the dash icon or increase the speed, still no heat from the center. But I recognize the advantage of not having hot air blowing in my face, so I'm happy.

cosby

Yo,
I spoke to my MB svc rep. and he informed me the $2000 phone in my car is not upgradeable to the newer Motorola phone options. How can this be? Verizon Wireless has frozen my contract to the rate I am currently on. Want to upgrade to the tri-mode phone. Has anyone heard of an upgrade kit coming? Does this not bother anyone else who has the phone option? Have I been mis-informed?

Oh great guru Drew: Any comments or suggestions?

jason64

On my MY01,I am able to select the icon and direct heat to come out from the front center dash vent.

turbotc

I can direct and the heat will blow out of my center dash vents on my MY00 E320.

cce182

Thanks for the reference to R&T regarding the topic of lighting. I just got back from
our local library where I read the article, and swear that I did not see this article
prior to responding to Drew's(aling) thoughts expressing surprise over M-B's failure
to make the inside of our cars look like Pontiacs. I have ALWAYS found red instrument
lighting annoying. Now, we can understand the science behind this!

The R&T article seems well-researched, and expresses my thoughts far more eloquently.

And, BTW, I agree about the desirablity of the Xenons, having opted for them in my E430.

ferarri11

audi is also moving away from red in the central guage clusters at least in the A6 and A8 (for 2000). the controls are still red in them but the speedometer and tach and are in white with a red needle. BMW still uses all red i think but audi is moving away from it. red is one of the colors that color-blind people cannot see, so it can be a safety issue for color-blind people.

parfive1

Drew
I know you are an M class lover, but what's your opinion of the Infiniti QX4.
I'm thinking of one for my wife, and can pick up a fully loaded 2001 for $36,400.
I can't afford another MB in the family because I just bought a 00 E320 last summer.

parfive1

Opps, sorry. By fully loaded I meant everything except the Nav system.

ctic

If you really want a M class, maybe you can get a new 2000 for about the same price as the QX4. I think dealers have a $2000 incentive from the manufacturer.

2kc5

The purpose of using dawn is to eliminate old wax and prepare the finish for Zaino. I also have a C5 Corvette and a 2000 E320. I used this process on both vehicles before using Zaino and they both look excellent. You will love Zaino and remember, the more applications you apply, the deeper the finish looks. I have 5 coats on the "E" and it looks really nice. Good Luck.

ctic

I now see different types of Dawn including anti-bacterial Dawn and Dawn with moisturisers.

Should you guys avoid Dawn with moisturisers because that's suppose to leave moisturisers on the skin after washing?

aling

Charles, here's why I thought that a red LED might be appropriate. I'm a big fan of the BTCC (British Touring Car Championship). When they started doing night races beginning from last year, it was mentioned a couple of times that the race teams had consulted the pros (optometrists, I guess) and they found that dim red lights mounted in the cockpits would help in the numerous stretchs on the race tracks without street lights.

parfive1, as Henry (ctic) said, you may be able to get a leftover new MY2K ML320 for that price. There is a $2K dealer incentive on it, so minus perhaps $1500 from the invoice price of the vehicle. But hurry (really hurry) because there may not be many of these MY2Ks left.

I can't recommend the QX4 because of its marginal IIHS offset crash test scores, its rather cramped rear seat, its softish rear suspension (easy to bottom out), and its miniscule maximum payload of only 795lbs. Payload means the maximum amount of weight (passengers + cargo) that the vehicle can carry - 795lbs is basically 5 people and a briefcase. In contrast, the M-class has a max. payload of 1340lbs, only 10lbs less than the much larger Lincoln Navigator.

Hope this helps and keep us updated!
Drew/aling
Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference

parfive1

It's been a busy past couple of days.
To make the move from a car to an SUV is a bit of a shock. Looks, handling, riding higher etc. are all very different when you've been driving cars all your life.
My wife and I test drove the Acura MDX, the Infiniti QX4, and the Lexus RX300. Here's our opinions..
The MDX feels nice and zippy, but looks and feels large, didn't like that. We don't have any kids, so don't need or like the extra room.
The QX4 was the right size and very luxurious, but felt sluggish, even with the new more powerful engine.
The Lexus rode and felt great, but neither one of us liked the interior layout. Especially for that price.
Decisions, decisions.
So anyway, yesterday I'm driving home and decide to call my MB dealer. I asked the sales manager if their are any Y2K ML's left and he said
"I have two ML430's".
To make a long (and kinda humorous) story short, after an hour with the sales mgr, I drove off with a black w/java ML430 and surprised my wife with an early Christmas present.
Now she has the size of Suv that she wanted, the luxury she wanted, the smooth ride, and the power that she wanted. Not to mention that star on the grill.
So...here we are. Broke, but happy.
Two black MB's side by side in the garage.
My 00 E320 and her 00 ML430.

ctic

parfive1: Congratulations! At least you're happy, many people are both broke and unhappy!

aling:
How do you get $1500 from the invoice price???
Are you sure the payload of the QX4 is only 795lbs? That's only 5 supermodels and their luggage. Surely you can't be serious. I'm glad to find out that the payload of the ML is 1340lbs. That's 7 of us fat pigs after a full meal of yum cha!

jason64

I've had my MY01 E320 for a couple months now. I usually leave the temp control on EC (economy) mode at 72 degree with the 3rd lowest fan speed. One day after the car was parked under the hot sun (instrument panel showed outside temp was 78 degree) for two hours, I turned on the engine, and immediately the fan came on FULL (with maximum fan speed setting on EC mode). Is this normal? If it is, does the temp control try to bring the cabin temp down to the pre-set temp at the shortest amount of time and would it turn itself down from maximum fan speed afterwards?

ised8em

Hey guys,
just had a conversation with a sales manager with regards to the clear coat finish. I should be getting my e430 sport any day now. I made an innocent comment about trying to keep my car clean and shiny. He recommended that if I was truly interested, I should let their shop add another couple coat of clear coat. (All for the low, low price of $1800...) He seemed to think that that was the only way to keep them 'slick'. I thought he had a screw loose. My understanding was that once clear coat was applied in the factory, it is doubtful that you will ever be able to match the quality, grade and clarity of MB original factory stuff. Their 'clean' rooms are much better controlled (dust, humidity, other nasty particles) than any non-factory environment. I was just trying to find out what wax that their detail guy uses in the shop. Is this guy trying to make a bogus sale, or is there any validity to his arguement? Input would be appreciated. Thanks.

wniel

Jason:
Yes the fan will slow down when the inside temp. of the car comes down to the selected level. What I will do sometimes if the car is very warm inside and don't want to listen to the high speed fan, I will turn on the A/C for a short time and then go back to the EC mode. Also while the A/C is on you can manually slow the fan down to a more tolerable sound level. Of course one can also open the windows for a short period to more rapidly cool down the car.
I hope this helps.
Wally

wildwes

More on heat from center vents or lack. On my 00 E320 I haven't found a way to get heat from the center vents and the manual says it ain't supposed to happen. You people that the figured it out can enlighten those of us who are clueless.Wes

aling

Gary, congrats on your (or should that be your wife's ;-)) new vehicle. I think you made the right decision. I hope that you'll join us in the M-class topic - Part 18. Part 18 was just started today, so I recommend that you take a look at the posts in M-class #17 to get a feel of things, and to answer any questions ahead of time that you may have.

A tip - check the tire pressure on your new ML430. Often, they are overinflated and this creates a firmer than normal ride. Proper tire pressure for a normal load is 29 psi for all 4 tires.

Henry, well there's a $2K incentive for the MY2K MLs, so even if they sell at invoice, they'll make that amount of money. Since they need to make some money off that vehicle, knock off a portion of the incentive. Isn't that correct?

Even though my ML was bought at MSRP, I have no regrets whatsoever. After all, I have been enjoying it for the past 13 months.

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

aling

Oh BTW, yes the QX4's maximum payload is only 795lbs. Not very impressive, huh. Even a Subaru Forester has 900 lbs max. payload (which is about right since it's based on a compact car - the Impreza, as you know).

drjohn3

I am new to this forum and have enjoyed reading all the interesting posts. I have been looking at a 2000 E 320 4 matic and a 01 ML320. They are quite different vehicles. My last MB was a 300 E 1986. I can ge the 00 for slightly under invoice. Are there any dealer incentives at this time? I really like the feel of the sedan as I am driving a VW Passat currently and like to drive somewhat fast. The ML just feels like a truck and doesn't have the level of refinement I thought it would have. Any comments or suggestions from the esteemed panel? I want to make a decision quickly. Thanks for your help.

glenster

call Glen at Beverly Hills LTD. He has excellent prices on cars that he has in stock...usually within 3% of invoice!

His E-Mail is glen@beverlyhillsltd.com

ctic

Glen at Beverly Hills LTD is known for pricing his vehicles as much as he can get for them, usually more than the 7% over invoice that MBUSA allows. As a result, his prices are only excellent for the dealership. If you can deny this, please write back.

imfree00

I would strongly recommend the e320 over the ML for the following reasons: Speed and handling, fit & finish, reliability, design/appearance, engineering, plant of manufacture, country of manufacture, refined design-you can make a nearly perfect vehicle if you have enough time (How many years has MB worked on the e?), Consumer Reports gave it the highest rating of all vehicles that they have ever tested, high resale/residual value and maybe most important, you like the feel of luxury sport sedans not trucks. The E 4-matic is world class.

aling

I think you should provide us with some idea as to what you're going to do with your vehicle.

Are you looking for ride comfort? Passenger room? Cargo capacity? Visibility? FWIW, I own both a '98 E320 4-matic and a '00 ML320. As for reliability, both of my vehicles have been almost equally reliable so far.

Drew/aling
Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference

bargamon2

Glen,

I seriously doubt that your shamless self promotion will elevate your sales.

If you had an ounce of sincerity, you would contribute more to the content of this forum, and an oh-by-the-way come see me may be in order. Learn from curt rich down in the desert, he gives first then succeeds later.

sddlw

Why anyone would recommend a new clear coat on a new MBZ is beyond me. I would put this right up there with dealer sold "teflon coating".

If you really want your car to look nice and have a great shine, invest some time and money into a few coats of a high quality polish or wax.

Check out:
http://www.meguiars.com/
http://www.zainobros.com/

And posting #171 from automophile.

elainerc

Two unrelated questions... First, going into my first(Toronto)winter with my '99 E320 4MATIC, will I be O.K. without winter tires, or are they a necessity? If they are, does anyone have a recommendation as to the best and most economical brand and type? Are Blizzacs good?

Second, does anyone have the problem I have been experiencing fairly regularly with the slim metal key slipping out of the electronic portion? Is there a way to solve it? It has become a real annoyance. Last week it took me several frustrating days of searching and retracing my itinerary to find the electronic piece which had somehow fallen between the seats of my husband's car.

Thanks to anyone for help.

jean7of9

Elaine: I own the same 4MATIC model year. I installed the Pirelli Winter Tires supplied by the dealer and found them excellent, even better than the original Michelin tires on dry pavement. The original tires usually last 30-40k km only, hence an additional set of tires will come out to the same cost over two years. Tire life is shorter if you drive faster on the Toronto By-Pass. When you drive North into snow country then snow tires will provide you with better grip when stopping particularly on icy roads and streets. They will allow you to race with the best trucks under snow storm as long as the snow thickness in below 30 cm. You will be able to start fast when other wheels are still spinning. If you do not see snow or ice then you do not really need snow tires. But whatever you decide you still need to rotate your tires twice/year. As for the security key, the dealer may be able to replace the key fob under warranty.
Jean

jfz219

With the snow blowing in the midwestern states, the topic quickly switches to snow tires. I have had a few years experience with the Blizzak MZ-02 on a Contour without ABS. The traction on ice is unbelievable.

I went through half of last winter with original equipment on my 2000 E320. The abs, eps, and traction control can do only so much. I ordered the Blizzak MZ-01 mounted on alloy wheel.

Tire rack has a nice web site for research and ordering. Service and pricing is very competitive. Inventory may be challenged in the next few weeks by the lake-effect snows.

vp16

I agree. Beverly Hills LTD doesn't have the most competitive prices. I have found Caliber Motors in Anahiem to have excellent prices and service. I ordered my E430 brilliant silver with COMAND, E1, E1, multicontour, etc. there with delivery this week. Robert Amiot is a joy to deal with. No pressure and the price was quoted from the invoice up, not MSRP down.
I'll write an update once I take delivery.

wniel

I have been dealing with the Laguna Niguel dealership in Orange County in So. Calif. Was able to get a better price there on my 2000 E430. Priced it out at Caliber Motors in Anaheim and Fletcher Jones in Newport Beach. They couldn't touch my price which was $2300. under MSRP. Service there is also outstanding.
Wally

hjborn

Elaine: My wife had the same problem that you had with the electronic key. After losing and finding it a couple of times, it finally fell off somewhere so that we never did find it. I convinced the service people that it was a defective key, and should be replaced, but the owner of the dealership got into the act when I went there to get the new key programmed, and was very ungracious about the whole situation. He finally decided to pay for the key out of "public relations", but wasn't very nice about it, claiming my wife didn't have it "clicked in" properly. No problem since we got the new key, and that was three months ago. At any rate, if you can convince the dealership that it was a defective key, they will probably replace it free of charge. Good luck!

drjohn3

Thanks for the input on my quest for a new MB. I live on the praires of MN and want the vehicle for travel to another town 90 miles away once or twice a week where I have a son in school and starting a satellite office soon. The roads are two lane with lots of blowing snow and drifts at times. This is the windiest place in the USA, with ample numbers of wind generators to be seen. I can get a 4matic 00 for invoice or a ML for 1K under MSRP. Comments are welcome.

2kc5

I just traded my ML320 last August for the E320. Being a car guy I was really disappointed with the ML. No matter what anyone tells you or what you read, a truck is not a car. In fact, in the latest Car and Driver, they rate the ML320 as so so with the honors going to the Acura MDX. I suggest you buy the "E". Before the ML I had a 528i BMW and loved it, but the MB exceeds it in nearly every way. Good Luck.