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Comments
You'll have fun doing this oil change!
Thanks for your comments
Regarding comprehensive insurance discounts for Tele-Aid's vehicle recovery capabilities:-
We should ALL put pressure on M-B, (thru dealers, zone reps. or whoever) and Tele-Aid (a contracted service - they have an 800#) to lobby insurance companies for the Lo-Jack equivalency of Tele-Aid vehicle recovery. And, if changes to the system are required to make TA eligible for discounts (e.g. works in recovery mode even when ignition is off), that MB modify the system to make it acceptable. After all, from MY2001, they can unlock your car for you, so they ought to be able to find it, too!
If Tele-Aid offered a less-expensive, stripped-down service that only offered the recovery and accident notification services, I think most Tele-Aid owners would opt for it, increasing Tele-Aid's market penetration.
Go forth and let 'em all know how you feel about this. And, if you live in an area where there's competition among auto insurers, let them know that vehicle recovery discounts are part of your insurance-carrier selection process. Customer pressure gets results!
Thanks for the diagnosis. I did talk with Todd today and went over what was done to correct the problem. I will take the car again to the dealer and have it corrected. Thanks again.
cdoung - I have used Mobil 1 in my E-Class exclusively. It is correct that the Benz does not require synthetic oil for vehicles without FSS (And the '96 E-Class is one of them.), but I see no reason not to use it. Mercedes Benz uses Mobil 1 as the default for vehicles with FSS, mainly because FSS may lead to extended oil change intervals beyond 7500 miles.
I have never heard of any leakage problems with synthetic oil in Mercedes Benz engines. In fact, aside from early GM engines, I have never heard of any reports from any manufacturer regarding this problem. People have been using synthetic oil in Mercedes Benz engines for years. And again, synthetic is the only option in Germany. I've seen only one store over there where I would have actually been able to purchase regular motor oil.
Can I see any difference in my vehicles ? Frankly, I can't. The only car I every actively switched from regular to synthetic was a Mazda Miata. I did not notice any difference. My E320 has never seen anything but Mobil 1. I have not seen any leaks, and my oil level remains constant between changes.
I'm not a petrochemical engineer, but there are only a few instances where I would see a clear advantage of one oil type over the other:
a) You don't drive your car for 1/2 a year. Some mineral oils adhere to metallic surfaces better over long periods of time than the average synthetic. But again, this really is only a factor if you want to store your vehicle.
b) Synthetic oils offer a better protection when the engine is running hot. (e.g. loss of coolant)
c) Synthetics are more resistant to sludge buildup when used in extended oil change intervals.
Again, I would be highly surprised if you see any difference under normal driving conditions whatsoever.
2
Pop the hood and start with the outside of the vehicle. You need to remove the front plastic fascia below the two headlights. Opening the hood has exposed the first screw between the two headlights, then gently pull back the seal between the inner headlight and the grill. Another screw is hiding underneath that needs to be removed.
Gently pry off the cover for the headlight washer with a plastic tool. You should now be able to remove the fascia by turning it towards the side of the vehicle, unlatching it from a connector below the large headlight.
Three screws holding the actual assembly now need to be removed from the inside on the engine compartment. One is right above the large headlight, one is almost directly below it, and another one is at a roughly 45 degree angle beside/below the smaller headlight.
Aside from the electrical connectors for the lights, you will also have to remove the connectors for the automatic leveling of the Xenon headlights.
...
That's pretty much all my manual had to say about it, except that it discourages the removal of the Xenon bulbs out of the assembly by anybody but a qualified shop.
(Personally I am surprised how unproffesional these dealers tend to be. I've bought oil filters from two dealers, and they have DIFFERENT "list" prices. I guess any part may be priced differently depending on the dealer. To top it off, an online discounter wanted 10% MORE than list for a MB accessory, plus shipping of course)
Has anyone else heard of these incentives?
M
I have been reading Edmunds for over a year now but I am posting for the first time today since I have only gotten hold of my MB. It is a Black 1998 E320 Wagon with 43K miles with somewhat unique leather interior, of which the name escapes me. Suffice it to say it looks like coach leather. The second reason I am posting is because I just bought a new extended warranty from 1sourceauto and I will be reporting everything that transpires between me, the company and of course the car dealership which will be the only repair facility touching my car. I am sure the 1sourceauto team will be monitoring everything I post and I welcome them to view what I write. I am not entering the post with a negative or ill attitude toward them because I do hope our relationship, at least for the next five years and 55,000 miles will be smooth and uneventful. I intend to report each and every repair item and incident so the Edmunds members can all learn from my experiences. I have no hidden agenda here and by any stretch of the imagination am I involved with any of these insurance companies.
I am in finance and credit and my job gave me the important skills of research and due diligence before making important financing decisions so before I purchased the warranty from 1SA, I did a lot of research on extended warranties. I considered Warranty Gold, and Warrantybynet.
Warrantybynet, was too small and I didn't like their rankings. I did like their approach though. They were very very friendly on the phone. They called me every two months and asked me if I had considered getting the warranty from them. I did not get them because I didn't like the coverage and the price.
Warranty Gold had too much controversy and I didn't like their BBB standing. Their sales approach was a bit too aggressive for my taste. I do appreciate what Joe (my salesman) did for me. We both called my Mercedes Benz dealership and over the phone I heard my service manager say that they would accept Warranty Gold claims if the credit card was used in the same day. That was really good but not good enough to make up for their seemingly controversial reputation.
I also read more than a thousand postings on Edmunds regarding extended warranties, the M Class, the E class, etc., in the past 12 months so I pretty much know what's going on. Three mercedes dealers offered me three different warranties and for less years and equal miles, their price ranged from $2,400 to $3,900 (Helms Brothers in New York).
So, I hope it works out well and I will certainly keep everyone posted.
paxfobiscum
They are backed by a public company based in Long Island.
Hopefully all goes well with Onesource.
Keep us posted I too will be purchasing an extended warranty.
Anyone have any thoughts about this? What is the 'right' tire for Mom's use of the car anyway?
I too experience that rumble in my E320 98 wagon. I had it inspected this morning but no particular item seems to be damaged or loose. I even had all the wheels removed and suspension, ball joints, exhaust checked and everything seems to be fine. I initially suspected the Pirellis so I reduced the tire pressure down to 30 psi. I use unidirectional types (interchangeable front and rear only and not left to right). The lower tire pressure helped a little bit but I still felt the rumble in the rear, particularly when I hit the rough edges of uneven concrete. It is a bit perplexing more than it is frustrating. Next time I will try getting the softer Michelins and try to isolate the problem. Do tell if you isolate the problem. I am totally curious and with you on this.
Joeadp, I didn't consider warranty direct due to lack of initial information about them. I'm sure if I digged deeper I would have gotten more but eventually I would have had to narrow it down to three and those where 1sourceAuto, WarrantybyNet and the usual DFS warranties that Mercedes and BMW dealers offer.
I will certainly keep you updated.
paxfobiscum
Sort of glad to hear I'm not alone. At least I know it is not my imagination. But I was contemplating Michelins as the replacement, as they have always done me well on the other make cars that I have had over the years. The Pirellis I have used were on sports cars and they went away fast. So I wonder still. Softer tires should eleviate the situation unless the problem is a resonance in the suspension (which is what I fear the most). Perhaps a new set of shocks, or stiffer ones? I dunno.
We were going to take the care in for a 'check engine' light, and I was going to mention the rumble then, but the light went out after a few days as the service guy expected it would. It appears the car is super sensitive to the gas cap not being tight after a fill-up (must hear a few clicks of the clutch when replacing the cap). Every once and a while the gas tank empty light would blink intermitently while the check engine light was on. All seems normal now (with the exception of the rumble). I hate to just take it in for that. Makes me feel like a whiner.
My E-430 windshield wiper makes a loud scraping sound as it returns to the left side when it is on a low setting. Seems to be louder when the rain is slight.
Anyone have any ideas how to stop this scratching/scraping noise?
I haven't ever seen an E-class in ruby red, so I don't know if the color even works.
Original sticker is $51k and the dealer wants $37K. Sounds very good to me (Nav is appealing as we just moved here). Thoughts/Comments?
Thanks
Adam
I'm a fan of buying new, but if the car you are looking at is really in excellent condition and fully checks out (no accidents, etc.), $37k sounds like a good price. Especially if you intend to keep it a long time whereby the resale values of a 2000 vs. 2002 certainly won't be $11k apart.
I would check out the car carefully, though. I would consider taking it to the MB dealer you would likely have it serviced at to have them do a pre-purchase inspection. Also, even though you would be buying from a non MB dealer, is there any way the car be "Starmark" certified??
Good luck.
I would be pretty leary of buying the car from an independant. My starmarked car blew through a head gasket and water pump 5 months after purchase. Those repairs would have cost thousands at the dealer (but probably hundreds anywhere else, heh heh)
Adam
Just my 2 cents.
Anyway, I did the deal after I took it over to the Mercedes Dealer and talked to the service tech that was the only guy who ever worked on it. He spent an hour or so going over the car and then relayed its history, etc. . . altogether a very positive exp with the dealer.
So far (2 hour in) I am liking the car!
Adam
1. AirFilter for 2001 E430 --> A 112 094 0104
2. OilFilter for 2001 E430 --> A 000 180 2309
have the correct part numbers. The person at the parts department told me that the part numbers have changed for 2001 and above E class.
Thanks for your help.
1. Can I program the key to remember the seat position, side mirrows postion, etc?
2. Can I change CD on CD-changer by pressing buttons on steering wheel?
Thanks
Speaking as an owner of a 2001:
1) nope.
2) nope.
I doubt they changed that on the 2002. The seat position thing is a bummer, too, since there are other cars that can do this. Some key stereo system preferences, climate, etc to that. Very slick.
later,
BigRob.