Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedans

1…34689…131

Comments

  • 2kc52kc5 Member Posts: 10
    OK, I just saw your second response. I would suggest an E320 4 matic with Bridgestone Blizzak snow tires, it will be a great set up for your severe winters in the upper midwest. Besides, high profile vehicles such as SUV's are prone to lots of wind noise and moving around on windy days.
  • alingaling Member Posts: 598
    I suggest that you visit the M-class topic and repost your question there. Someone living in your region may be able to address your questions about real world performance on the routes that you travel on. FWIW, I have friends (who own MLs) living in the praries - Alberta and Sasketchewan (Canada) - with similar winter weather conditions and they have had nothing but praises for their vehicles.

    If you think that you will encounter deep snow (or drifts as you mentioned), I recommend the M-class. If not, go for the E320 4-matic. The E320 4-matic is great in the snow, but one has to watch out for the depth of the white stuff because it is possible to get high centered (and subsequently stuck). This is why I leave the car at home and take the ML when I have to go out in the morning before the plows do their thing.

    The ML's extra ground clearance (8.4 inches in all vs. the car's 5 inches) will be extremely useful for driving in deep snow. A brushguard with a skidplate can also be installed to deflect any debris that may be hidden in the snow (main reason why I got mine). Not only this, but the 4WD low range gearing (which multiplies torque by 2.64 times) will help you to push through any deep snow. Hill climbing in the snow is also easier with low range activated.

    FWIW, I haven't encountered any crosswind stability problems with either vehicle. Both track well in strong winds.

    Good luck with your decision. Both are great, IMHO, and you can't go wrong with either.
    Drew/aling
    Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference
  • automophileautomophile Member Posts: 780
    sddlw is correct - this is NOT needed on a new M-B which has great paint to begin with. Start with Zaino polymer or a wax of your choice in the beginning, and take care of it regularly, and it will always look great.

    However, I can see 2 reasons for extra clear coat-
    1. You are really lazy or cheap, and will neglect you car totally until it is time to sell or trade, and you can have the paint buffed out without going through the clear coat, or
    2. A real reason - For those having a car re-painted, if you have a couple of extra layers of clear put on, and then have the car color-sanded and buffed, a $600 paint job can look like a $3,000 paint job - I have seen this done!
  • parfive1parfive1 Member Posts: 75
    Sorry, just had to say that. ;-)
    I love my 00 E320 Oo=|=oO
    and my wife loves her 00 ML430.

    Either way, you can't go wrong.

    P.S. I'll steal hers when it really snows hard.
  • alingaling Member Posts: 598
    No no, it's like this: Oo\=|=/oO ;-) ;-)

    Drew/aling
    Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference
  • parfive1parfive1 Member Posts: 75
    Opps, forgot my \/'s
    What d'ya expect from rookie MB owner(s)
  • pablo_lpablo_l Member Posts: 491
    ...thanks for the pointer, interesting stuff and truly a "best of both worlds" thing. What's interesting is that Mercedes goes for this only in the "cheaper" models - the new C-class coupe and the 4-cylinder SLK (didn't even know they had such a thing)...
  • mb_e430_newbiemb_e430_newbie Member Posts: 1
    I ordered a 2001 E430 4Matic w/COMMAND option back in August. Unfortunately I still haven't received a build date from my dealer. The dealer's reason is that they just started production of the models with the COMMAND option. Does anyone know why they waited so long? Edmunds says that the COMMAND option is gimmicky. Should I wait for it? Any improvements for 2001?
  • mbdrivermbdriver Member Posts: 426
    I have COMAND on my '00 E320 and love it! Once you learn to use it properly, it's a joy, and NOT gimmicky. You just have to spend an hour or two with the instruction book, and then everything falls into place. It's gotten me out of some dicey situations where I was totally disoriented (but not lost!). You can't confuse it, and if you ignore its directions (oral or displayed), it will recalculate and get you where you want to go. By all means, wait for it -- you won't regret it.
  • vp16vp16 Member Posts: 23
    I ordered my 2001 E430 w/COMAND back in July. The car is supposedly currently at the dock or at the VPC. My build date was back in mid-October. There's a backlog of E's with COMAND since they delayed production due to its 'enhancements.' I'm not sure what these changes are. Perhaps someone with the new COMAND would enlighten me with the details.
    The car I now have is the Acura TL with navi. The navigation system is just wonderful. Like mbdriver, it saved me a lot of valuable time (not to mention stress) while going to a new place. Also, during unexpected traffic jams, the navigation system can let you see the map of your immediate are so you can take the necessary detours instead of guessing where this or that road may lead.
    I also think the navigation system makes you a safer driver if you use it correctly. Instead of straining to read street and road signs to see where your next turn should be, the navi will verbally tell you where to turn next, taking the guess work out of finding an address. You can pay more attention to the road. I think every car will have one in the near future.
  • mmm000mmm000 Member Posts: 1
    I will not buy anything from this person below.

    Good luck
    ================================================
    #248 of 272: good deal (glenster) Sun 19 Nov '00 (08:26 PM)

    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
  • alingaling Member Posts: 598
    Hmm, the same message was repeated in the M-class topic. Looks pretty suspicious, doesn't it? Especially since Glen has been warned about dealer solicitation.

    Drew/aling
    Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference
  • elainercelainerc Member Posts: 2
    Thanks for the suggestion to appeal to the dealer for a new electronic key. I will certainly try that route.

    Thanks too for the responses about winter tires.
    It does make sense to have an extra set which will extend the life of the original equipment tires. Since my car came with Continentals, and not Michelins, I don't know if mine are as good. Although my car is a '99, it wasn't put on the road until March,2000 so with only about 12,000 kilometres on the tires, the treads still have a lot of wear left, but of course they aren't designed for winter conditions.

    There is the additional expense of the extra set of wheels, however. How much should I have to pay for a set? If someone answers this question, please specify whether the quote is in US or CDN dollars as there is an astounding 57% premium on US dollars over Canadian dollars right now, making a rather considerable difference in the price.

    Also, does anyone know of a site where various brands of tires are compared, such as the two mentioned in the responses....Pirellis and Blizzaks?

    Thanks once again for your help.

    By the way, I polished my car with a few coats of Zaino before the weather turned cold, and I love the result. What a glorious shine! And it was easy, although a bit more time consuming than I expected. Now my husband wants me to do his black Jaguar, but he'll have to wait until spring.

    Elaine
  • parfive1parfive1 Member Posts: 75
    You might want to try tirerack.com for some decent prices on tires & rims.
    As for tire brands... I ran blizzacks on my 97 Acura RL and was satisfied with the winter performance. Of course the RL was front wheel drive.
    For my new 00 E320 RWD I decided to go to the Michelin Alpin.
    I did a lot of reading and found that the Michelins were rated as good if not better for snow traction, plus they wear and handle a lot better on dry pavement.
    We just had a 4" snowfall and I didn't have any problems.
    Price for the Michelins is about $100 per tire (US). The blizzacks are about $90 per tire (US) however I don't think that they'll last you as long as the Alpins.
  • chang4chang4 Member Posts: 2
    To Drew and all interested:
    Europarts.com carries the Hella E-class xenon kit for 1,250....I'm going to purchase mine as soon as possible. Do you guys know if the headlamp washing system was required, that isn't included in the kit.
    Thanks....and good luck
  • alingaling Member Posts: 598
    Make absolutely sure that it has all of the necessary wiring adaptors that will allow the kit to work with your current wiring setup.

    No, the high pressure headlamp washing system is not required in North America. MB fits it to all of their cars with HID Xenon headlamps because the system is mandatory for all passenger vehicles in Europe (has been for nearly 30 years) since dirt on the headlamp lenses can cause glare. With the extra bright light from the HID bulbs, the glare is exacerbated by the dirt. But, I don't think that you should worry too much about it.

    Let us know how the installation goes! Good luck!
    Drew/aling
    Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference
  • mbdrivermbdriver Member Posts: 426
    You may want to look at eBay for a set of rims/wheels for your snow tires. Almost always, there are E-Class OEM rims for sale at a good price by people who have upgraded to custom rims.

    Go to www.ebay.com and click on "Automotive," then select "Parts and Accessories." When the two "search" boxes appear at the top, select "Parts and Accessories" for the left box and type in "Mercedes" for the right. Then, click on "Search" and you should be there. Good luck!
  • dadoftwingirlsdadoftwingirls Member Posts: 2
    I am in the process of ordering a E-Class, and I am having trouble deciding between Black & Obsidian Black metallic with Charcoal interior. Any input will be appreciated. Thank you.
  • dadoftwingirlsdadoftwingirls Member Posts: 2
    I am in the process of ordering a E-Class, and I am having trouble deciding between Black & Obsidian Black metallic with Charcoal interior. Any input will be appreciated. Thank you.
  • parfive1parfive1 Member Posts: 75
    I have a new 00 E320 with Obsidian Black ext and Oyster interior. My wife has a Black 00 ML430 with Java ext.
    Park them next to each other and there's a definite difference.
    The black is a very deep black which I think tends to shine a bit more. The Obsidian is almost a grey black, doesn't seem to project quite as deep of shine.
    Still, I like the Obsidian on my E. Wanted something a little different than basic black.
    Also, I don't know what climate you live in, but black interior will be pretty hot.
    Unless you really love black, I'd consider Oyster, Java, or tan (can't remember what they call the tan)
    All of those interiors will be a little cooler plus provide a nice contrast to your ext.
    Just an opinion...Please, no hate mail from owners of black interiors. ;-)
  • turbotcturbotc Member Posts: 163
    .......are very hard to maintain I think. It shows every little bit of dirt. But if you keep it clean, the car will look gorgeous.
  • drjohn3drjohn3 Member Posts: 4
    I want to thank all of you for your input on my quest for my vehicle. I am happy to announce I decided on the 00 E320 4matic in Aspen green with Java interior. I will take delivery on Friday. My wife didn't like the ML all that much and actually wanted me to consider an audi A6 avant but I really felt strongly about the E. I will let you all know how it goes and thank you for the information.
  • 2kc52kc5 Member Posts: 10
    Congratulations, sounds like an excellent choice, I look forward to hearing how you like it. I hope I didn't offend any ML owners with my previous post, it's just that the ML was not for me. I'm do enjoy the "E" though.....
  • broonbroon Member Posts: 7
    'dadoftwingirls' - the name tells you why he won't be buying a car with a light colored leather interior!

    Seriously...my Black exterior/Ash interior E430w4 is beautiful when clean, but if I had it to do over I would swap for the mirror image...Brilliant Silver ext./Charcoal interior...both much lower maintenance colors.

    Still, a spotless Black MB is pretty sweet, when it's looking its best.
  • muddogmuddog Member Posts: 26
    I have a black 2001 E430, with charcoal interior. I considered oyster and java. Did not like ash at all. The charcoal is the most "elegant," if you will.

    Black is hard to maintain. Much prefer it to the Obsidian, which can look sort of purple in the sun.

    Comes down to personal choice, though.

    Muddog
  • mbdrivermbdriver Member Posts: 426
    Exterior and interior colors obviously are a personal choice. But FWIW, I believe there are advantages and disadvantages:

    Black/dark exterior - beautiful, in fact gorgeous when clean -- BUT difficult to keep it that way (every spot of dust seems to show)

    Brilliant Silver/light exterior - also beautiful, but not as dramatic as a black or dark color -- AND easy to maintain (dust - even dirt - doesn't seem to show)

    Charcoal/dark interior - dramatic, some believe elegant when clean -- BUT, surprisingly, seems to show dirt more readily than light colors, absorbs/retains heat in warm climates and, for some, depressing and not cheerful

    Java/oyster/ash interior - bright and cheerful, cooling effect in warm climates, easy to maintain -- BUT shows dark colored stains more readily, subject to darkening with age

    Again, personal decisions! My choices for my '00 E320 was Brilliant Silver with ash interior -- I'm too lazy to keep a black/dark exterior spotless, and the charcoal interior was too dark and depressing for my taste (and particularly my wife's). We actually preferred the java interior but didn't want to special order. After almost eight months of ownership, NO REGRETS! We love the car, and it always looks good.
  • parfive1parfive1 Member Posts: 75
    I have to respectfully disagree with muddog's opinion on the Obsidian black looking sort of purple in the sun. Mine look black, unless parked next to my wifes black ML. Then it sort of looks silver or grey black.
    No further comment on interiors. ;-)

    P.S. Whatever you choose...It'll be cool! :-)
  • jean7of9jean7of9 Member Posts: 192
    I replaced my oil (with Mobil-1) at around 25k km. The technician did not reset the FSS but left the remaining balance of 4300 km unchanged. My (qualified) Technical Adviser said that since the computer knows that oil is "new" then it will reset itself to the next scheduled maintenance of 30,000 km as soon as the FSS readout comes down to zero.The manual lacks such details. If this story is true then the FSS is much more sophisticated than whatever MB mentions in their printout. Do you happen to have an info about this subject ? Thanks.
    Word of caution concerning the Xenon bulbs: After I replaced my original bulbs, some humidity started to sneak into the light assembly with water droplets condensating inside the front crystal. The dealer traced the problem to the back cover of the light assembly which is not sealed adequately. There is a delay of 4-5 weeks to get those covers.If you replaced those bulbs recently check your light assembly before you lose the bulbs which are no longer in production.
    Jean
  • alingaling Member Posts: 598
    When you changed your oil, did you also perform Service A? If you did, the FSS should have been reset by the technician. I can point you to the procedure, which incidentally is in your owner's manual, if this is the case. The FSS does adjust, but not to the extent that your service advisor mentioned.

    WRT bulbs, one of the M-class owners had his Hella Optilux bulb go out. He contacted the company which he purchased the bulbs from (same company that you got yours from), and they replaced it for him free of charge. Apparently there was a bad batch, which is why production has been haulted for now. There are alternatives to the Optilux bulbs, BTW.

    Also, for those of you with the halogen headlamps, if you're more interested in brightness and not so much with whiteness, there are also new bulbs (from Philips) which apparently work well from what I've heard from real world experiences. They are supposed to put out up to 50% more light than the stock bulbs (about 10 to 20 metres further down the road). They are not cheap though, at US$80 per pair for the H7 bulbs.

    Drew/aling
    Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference
  • jean7of9jean7of9 Member Posts: 192
    Thanks for your reply Drew. I did not/not perform service "A" which is required at 30K, but only a cautious pre-winter oil change (most of my trips are shorter than 5 km). I thought the FSS indicates the oil change intervals only and not the other required maintenance. I guess I will leave it unchanged until the next scheduled service. I knew about the FSS self-reset procedure but did not want fidle with it before your valuable input.I am glad I waited.Greetings.
    Jean
  • alingaling Member Posts: 598
    Your FSS counter tells you the remaining kms/miles to Service A/Service B/etc based on the quality of your oil. Since you performed an unscheduled change, your FSS increase slightly (mine did by 500 kms), but definitely not by 30K kms.

    Your service technican was correct to leave it alone since other things are also inspected/changed at Service A/B besides the oil and filter. Resetting the FSS counter now would unnecessarily prolong this interval. Simply go in when your FSS tells you to or when the counter is close to zero and you should be just fine.

    Good luck...
    Drew/aling
    Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference
  • beecee5beecee5 Member Posts: 2
    I recently bought a pack of Cannon towels because they were recommended by almost everyone I spoke with. After inspection of the tags, I found that the cannon towels were made in Pakistan. Are these still ok to use to buff my Benz, or should I use them only for non paint purposes?
    Any suggestions would help.
    thanks
  • emersongsemersongs Member Posts: 25
    Did you say that you got your 2000 E320 4matic for just under invoice? Can you tell me where? Thanks!
  • emersongsemersongs Member Posts: 25
    Several days ago there was a post about power steering whine. Are you sure it is not a faint whine coming from the drive train? I get this when the transmission is quite warm and it varies according to load. Does anyone else experience this? I have a 1999 E320 4 matic.
  • emersongsemersongs Member Posts: 25
    I'm sure if you have to plow through deep snow, or need the cargo space, the ML would be fine, but after trying twice to convince myself it was as good as the sedan (test driving the neighbor's new one), I'm firmly convinced that there is nothing like the refinement, balance and response of the sedan. The V-6 in the ML seemed to actually struggle during medium hard throttle. Not so the E320. I can't wait to see the redesign...hopefully this Spring! Oh BTW, I just got the Blizzaks and new rims from the tire rack (ordered one day and they were on my doorstep the next). It's great to have the feel of new rubber, my MXV4's have almost 30,000 mi on them, but I did find that the Blizzaks require a little more attention to keep them tracking straight. They are super on ice, however and really make this a great snow car as long as it is not too deep.
  • alingaling Member Posts: 598
    Mine! :-)
  • alingaling Member Posts: 598
    The ML's V6 doesn't really struggle, but it may sound like it does because of the engine note. This note was purposely left in by the MB engineers because their market research (before and during the design of the ML) found that SUV owners actually liked the truckish sound of their vehicles' engines, as long as it was not intrusive in normal driving. This is precisely the reason why the M-class's engines (V6 and V8) sound so different than the E-class's or S-class's engines, even though they are pretty much identically mechanically.

    Of course the ML won't handle like the E-class. It's not supposed to! FWIW, I've taken my ML to a few advanced driving/autocross events and it has surprised many people (mainly BMW owners - including a couple of X5 owners - being BMWCCA events) with how well it does. I can assure you that there was no snickering from them after my runs on the track. I plan on attending the next BMWCCA-organised advanced driving school event in March '01.

    With every vehicle there are compromises, and it's just a matter of whether the positives outweigh the negatives for yourself. If I couldn't, I wouldn't be on my 3rd ML right now! Is it as good as the E-class overall? No, it's not, but it's close. I'd say 90-95% the quality of my E320 4-matic. That's pretty darn good since the ML is tens of thousands less than an E320 4-matic. For me, it was balancing safety (top priority), handling (on wet/dry/in snow), quality, passenger comfort (for 5), cargo capacity and price. I'm sure that Gary (parfive) will agree that his choice was a sound one.

    Regarding the whine, how are you guessing when the transmission is "quite warm"? My guess is that the whine is coming from the fuel pump. Next time, listen for it around the rear of the car (around the rear wheels). The power steering can make noises, but if there is a problem, it is more likely to be groaning occasionally when the front wheels are being turned.

    Remember to remove the Blizzaks immediately after the snow season is over. These tires are extremely soft (which is why the tracking is not as good) and wear quickly on dry/wet roads. My Michelin Arctic Alpins + wheels are still sitting in my garage. I don't expect to have to mount them till late December.

    Good luck...
    Drew/aling
    Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference
  • parfive1parfive1 Member Posts: 75
    Yup, my 00 E320 has front driver & passenger bags, side bags front & rear, and window curtain bags front and rear to protect everybody's heads.
    If that's not enough to protect you. Then you've probably been in an accident bad enough that you'll be hearing bagpipes.

    As for the accent piping...no.
  • parfive1parfive1 Member Posts: 75
    Sal Zaino says not to use the towels from Pakistan. They are not 100% cotton and will scratch your paint. Use only brands like Cannon Fieldcrest. Made in USA. See Zainobros.com for more info.
    Take the Pakistanian towels and use them when you jump out of the shower. Won't cause swirl marks on your skin. ;-)
  • jfz219jfz219 Member Posts: 63
    I noticed that the door-mounted seat control will not move my seat back. All other functions, including the memory buttons that move the seat back, work. Is this a nagging little failure that will require a trip to the service department, or is there a user error or easy fix? (E320 y2k RWD)
  • mbdrivermbdriver Member Posts: 426
    Bargammon - The '00 E-Class has eight airbags: front seat driver and passenger (2), one in each door (4), and one on each side that covers expanse of both front and rear door side-windows (2).

    The ash interior (light gray) of my '00 E320 does not have contrast piping on the interior seating. Other colored interiors may have it, particularly charcoal, but I'm not certain. Hope this answers.
  • beecee5beecee5 Member Posts: 2
    Thanks for the info! I was wondering if it was ok to use Scott car dry towels and Turtle Wax polishing cloths on the paint. These are all made in the US, put it does not specify if they are 100% cotton.
    Thanks
  • tomskytomsky Member Posts: 8
    From www.bhma.com, I recently ordered six white cotton towels for $39. These towels were not sized (starched) so that they don't damage the paint. I am very pleased with their performance.
    Jack
  • andrew36andrew36 Member Posts: 7
    what did MB do to the transmission "styling" on theinside of the car for 01?
    They said somehting about changing it for 01?

    P.S. I own a 00 ml430 also - and for 01 did mb add 2 spark plugs per cylinder.... did that increase power?
  • alingaling Member Posts: 598
    The twin spark plug/3 valve per cylinder design has been in use since MY1998. No engine modifications have been made (except to upgrade emissions control) AFAIK.

    Drew/aling
    Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference
  • 4426444264 Member Posts: 67
    Instead of having the three star logo on small piece of black plastic/wood at the top of the gear selector, the black plastic/wood now extends further down the selector for another half an inch. The white on black logo is gone on the 2001 model.

    The 2001 gear selector also seems to offer a slightly more precise feel as you manually change gears.
  • twopugs1twopugs1 Member Posts: 2
    Any ideas on where I can research problems accociated w/ 97' e420 sport. I have my eye on a black/black w/ 56K in good shape. New sneakers & brakes also. I have looked at the "value" sites and see $30k-$38K for private sale. Anyone w/ comments on value?
  • heidi12heidi12 Member Posts: 2
    I own a 1995 E320 with 55K which I bought from the dealer two years ago. The car came with the Starmark warranty and has performed flawlessly for the 19000 miles I have carefully accumulated. The car is always garaged and well maintained by the dealer per the book. Seven weeks ago I detected a tapping valve, took it to the dealer and a week later picked up the car with all new lifters installed. Fine, this can happen, I am told. This past week I had oil under the car and went back to the dealer - BLOWN HEAD GASKET. The dealer is repairing but I am at a complete loss as to what to do. My boyhood dream was to own a Mercedes Benz but now I am wondering about reliability in a big way. Can the car actually be repaired?

    I need help! Thanks
  • twopugs1twopugs1 Member Posts: 2
    This may not answer your question but.....when replacing hydraulic valve lifters does the head get "untorqued" and possibly compromise the integrity of the gasket? btw, what was the cost for the lifter repair?
  • heidi12heidi12 Member Posts: 2
    I don't know what may have been 'untorqued' but I can't help but think the lifter repairs are somehow related to the head gasket problem. The dealer service people would only give me round numbers on the cost for the lifter repairs: $1800.00 +-.
    Thanks for your response.
This discussion has been closed.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles