This topic of this discussion is solely the E-Class. We have lots of active comparos underway on the Comparisons - Sedans vs. Sedans board, and various other Help Me Choose! type discussions.
Let's find or start an appropriate discussion for this comparison rather than get this topic too far off-track. Those links may be helpful, and the search tools on the left side of the page will also help locate resources. And of course anyone can drop me an email if I can help find an appropriate venue.
Have a 1998 300TD with 115,000 miles with no problems - none. Still running on the original disc pads! Best all around car I have ever owned considering performance, handling and economy. However, I am buying a new 2004 Prius and the wife get the turbodiesel. Questions, email me at vl39@att.net
I just bought a 2002 E320 with a sports package in San Francisco Bay Area for about 40k from a dealer. 21k miles on it. 6 yrs/100k Starmark.
As for which car, that is a hard one. I just sold a really nice Acura CL for my 2002 E320. I don't think the Benz will be as reliable as a Japanese car, I sometimes wish, "Why Couldn't Honda of owned part of Benz?" Overall I love the Benz, I am 33 and felt that it was time I got a nice luxury car. I almost bought a 2003, but have friends that have had some computer issues with the 2003s. I love the ride, looks, and gadget on the E320 - but you might have to visit the dealer a few more times. They are very SAFE cars, my insurance went down $300 a year!
You said: "Honda Accord now with 150K and I can count on one hand the amount of times I had to go to the dealer other than normal service."
My 96 E320 (first year of new model) has also been to the dealer just 4 or 5 times during its 124k miles for non-normal repairs. Unfortunately it has cost me some serious money, about 10 months of payments on a lesser car!
vl39:
Original brake pads at 115K miles? C'mon now, tell the truth!! OK, you must live in the boonies and never have to use the brakes. Residing in a suburban area means that you do pads on the E-class every 30-50K miles minimum.. I admit to using my brakes somewhat aggressively and I installed the fifth set of pads at 116k miles...!!!
Great feedback! I went back to my Benz dealer last night after work and 9 holes of golf just to look it over again! What a beautiful car! I, knew my salesman was off duty, so I grabbed another peak since it's only 5 miles from my home. The TL is not due out here until the 15th. I really need to decide this weekend!
Last question: Can anyone tell me what this car's MSRP was in Fall, 1999?
White/Tan 2000 E320 (41000 Miles) Options: Leather, Rain Sensing Wipers, Bose, Moonroof, phone jack, and TeleAid. I think this is all the options.
I've got 55K of suburban and urban driving miles on my 2000 E320. Original brake pads seem fine and checked out OK at the dealer at 50K. On this board have seen reports of brake pads lasting between 10K and 115K. It's hard to believe that this variation can be solely related to driving habits. If I had to guess, there must be some variation in the brake pads themselves. I clean the dust off my wheels at least weekly and given the huge amount of dust I've cleaned off in the 3.5 years I've had my car, I have a hard time believing there is anything left of my pads. Go figure.
I have a 2000 E320 sedan. I have a rattling noise that appears to be coming from the rear right corner of the passenger compartment by the rear deck where the head rests. I hear it while driving. It is intermittent but frequent. The service department hears the noise, also. However, they have not been able to find the source of it. I will give them credit for trying to find it. The service representative is not aware of a similar problem in other E320s. Something is definitely loose. Has anyone had the same problem? If so, what was the solution? Although I am not yet ready to get rid of the car, I have found the noise to be quite annoying.
I have a 2003 E320 MB which I ordered with regular headlights, NO HID, NO ZENON, ETC. No regrets but I wish to have BRIGHTER headlights. Sylvania makes stock # H7 replacements. Does anyone know if these are REALLY brighter than factory equipped? Love tohear from someone who knows. Thanks!
For what it's worth.... My description may leave something to be desired, but I hope you can follow it.
When the seatbelt buckle that is riding on the fabric belt hits that little "stop button" piece of plastic (the part that keeps the buckle off the seat bottom) it causes an intermittent rattle in my 2000 E. The way I found this is to buckle the belt without a passenger riding in the rear and this noise stopped.
As most have advised and it seems you've accepted, if reliability is your priority go with Japan. For confirmation go to the other discussion group here "problems with E Class" or something like that. Focus is on the 2003's but theme seems to be the older the Benz the more reliable. Since Crysler got involved it's been straight downhill in the quality dept. Beautiful cars and great to drive...but you have to have plenty of time to spend at the shop and plenty of money once the warrenty expires.
It's probably the third brakelight plastic cover that's come loose and intermittently banging against the rear window. I have the same noise and will try to get it fixed on my next visit to the dealer.
1. Noticed on the '04 radio/nav a button labeled "Satellite". I assume it will be Sirius Satellite Radio. Must this option be factory installed or will the dealers add this at the service department? 2. Will the factory installed Motorola V60 integrated phone w/ voice work with MY cellular provider's, (Verizon) network, or do I have to use one that MB specifies, and get an additional cell number for the car?
My 1999 E320 has developed a rattle at the gear shift. The rattle occurs above 60 MPH. I can't tell whether it's coming from the gear shift or under the wood grain. Anyone had similar noise?
The brochures are available at the dealers. So is pricing. I sat in an 04, listened to the uplevel radio & saw the nav system. as the car had just come off the truck, the radio worked but the nav had not had the disc installed in it. NICE car! Will order one soon.
Microrepair, let me make sure I understand this: your '96 E Class has cost you about $4000 ("10 months of payments on a lessor car") in non-warranty repairs in 124,000 miles?
While not small change, especially for a retired fellow, this doesn't strike me as excessive for any vehicle driven this many miles over 7 years. What does the board think?
IMO, $4,000 in "repairs" over 8 years and 124,000 miles for an E-class isn't too bad, but it's not great, either. By comparison, my 9 year old Nissan Maxima with 144,000 miles has had a total of $2,100 in repairs; however, all of those have occurred in the last 18 months and since 123,000 miles. Up until 123k, it didn't require a single repair, warranty or otherwise.
I am distiguishing between repairs and routine maintenance and wear items (I classify brake pads as maintenance, rotor replacement as repairs).
$4000 for a 7 yr old German auto doesn't sound too bad, may be a little excessive compared to a reliable Japanese car. But then again, it depends on what you consider as routine maintenance vs. repairs. As habitat1 pointed out, if brake pads are considered as maintenance, by logic, rotor should be regarded as maintenance as well since they need to work together. This goes the same as wiper blades, tires, battery, fan belts, etc. I guess we should set a certain criteria to seperate the two catagories, maybe setting a time frame and mileage as limits. For instance, shock replacement after 100k would be "maintenance", not "repairs" items, given today's technology advancement in material science and manufacturing quality control, the shocks on MB cars really should last a lifetime (or there is no reason MB can't use lifetime guaranteed parts as some after market units are claimed for). Same argument for radiator, alternator, coils, etc. The only exceptions would be electronic components that have no moving parts. Just my $.02.
Anybody bought one from the dealer? For how many extra months? Did they sell it to you at the price printed on the brochure, or is it negotiable like everything else?
I wish the total maintenance cost of my 96 E320 was in the $4000 range.!! Actually, I was noting that in the last 6 months I've spent approx. $3000 for major repairs; shocks, tie rod ends, head gasket, water pump, front end bushings (sway bar, etc), timing belt. If I add up all maintenance including tires, brake pads (5 sets), front rotors (3 sets), spark plugs and wires, thermostats, etc.. the total is approaching $8000. And I'm not counting oil changes, air filters, etc since I do all that myself for the discounted cost of the parts. (I also have done brake pads and rotors a couple of times myself.) By doing some of the work myself I fugure I've saved close to $1000, so add that to the total if you have a mechanic do everything.
Until 15 years ago I never spent more than $8000 to BUY a car outright..! Now I'm spending that in repairs for one car.! (And my wife thinks I'm certifiably crazy to spend that much on repairs!) I think this amount would be excessive for a car that sold for under $30K new, but it may be justifiable for a $50K car. But I do enjoy the ride. It is still an impressive car that still looks great inside and out and handles and rides with the best.
I purchaced an extended warrantee for my SL. If you purchase the MB plan you have to do it within the first year. There is little point in buying it sooner until you have lived with the car a bit and are sure you will keep it beyond the manufacturers new car warrantee period. You can warrantee it for no more than 100,000 total miles. This can be for 5,6,7 or 8 years so that would be 1, 2, 3 or 4 years beyond the original 4 year warrantee). These are all priced differently (of course). You can also choose between a Premium or basic plan (just drivetrain). Unfortunately the warrantee lists what MB WILL cover but not what they won't cover in repairs.
It is my understanding that if you sell the car before the end of the extended warrantee period you MAY get a pro-rated return of your money. The way it works, though, is not as you might expect. Lets suppose you buy, say an 8 year warantee (which includes the 4 year new car warantee and an extended warrantee for 4 years. If you sell the car after 5 years you don't get 3/4 = 75% of your money back. You would only get 3/8 = 37% back.
It's my understanding from this board that the price of the warrantee is negotiable.
My experience when purchasing GM's MajorGuard extended warranty is that the 1st price asked for by the "finance guy" is twice what the dealership pays for the warranty...So anything between the 2 numbers (buying/asking) is the negotiating range. I would like to buy it on line from the lowest quoting dealer. Nice to know there are two levels of warranty, though. ...Anybody?
Microrepair, it is unfortunate that you got hit with most of these in the last six months. (This reminds me of the statistic that individuals run up 90% of their health care bills in the last six months of their lives).
Not to diminish your expenses nor increase the wrath of your wife, but I am surprised that you didn't have to replace or at least repair a leaking radiator and the electricals (e.g., battery, alternator, starter). I think that I would try to network a reputable, local electrical shop and radiator shop. These have got to be the next issues but if you get your components rebuilt yourself (probably even at the same place your MB dealer takes customer radiators and alternators--only the tooth fairy thinks an MB dealer has an radiator shop in his service department) you would be OK.
Just tell your wife that the market is still overvalued and that the Mass Sales Tax alone on a 35K certified used MB is $1750!
The 04' V6 for the E is still the E320, 3.2L model. The 3.7L engine was just a stopgap effort until a new range of engines arrive for either the 05' or 06' model year. The 3.7L V6 was primarily done for the current S350 sold in Europe. They figured it would be good for the ML since it's an outgoing model too. The new V6 will probably appear in the E, C and CLK models for 05' or 06'.
cduong: You are absolutely right!! It was the serpentine belt that was replaced.
In the numbers I mentioned in my clarification post, I did not include any appropriation for the Starmark work that the dealer did before I took delivery. I bought the car one day after it came off a 2-year lease. So I've only owned it for 5 of its 7 years. The dealer installed new brake rotors, pads and tires on all four wheels. That would have been worth close to another $800 plus whatever else they did to prep it for Starmark. And then it also did not include the cost of the warranty work they did which came to approx. another $1100. So the true cost of the full 7 years (some of it paid for by MB) is nearly $10K...
blockislandguy: Yep, did the battery over 3 years ago and probably getting near time for another.. Also did all the cooling system hoses last year but so far no radiator problems. (Watch it leak next week now!!) $1750 would go a long way toward a trip to Ireland! Which is what my wife would prefer..!
That's what I like about these forums! The free exhange of Info! Good, Now I have to do my homework. Thanks to all! BTW the 2004 specs/ordering inf is available on the MBusa.com website starting today.
When relying the proverbial weak links to certain mechanical components within the E class and the associated repair costs I'm surprised nobody has had issues with the air conditioner. My 2000 E320 required a new evaporator unit to the tune of $3,200. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending upon how you look at it) the car was just 5,000 miles off warrenty and M-B agreed to pick up $2K of this. Anyone else experience this repair??
The post by boo20 covered the details of the factory warranty extremely well. The more expensive choice reportedly covers about 90% of the original 4-year new car warranty.
The price of the warranty definitely IS negotiable. However, my own dealer would not budge from the $2600 or $2650 MSRP price for the extended warranty for my 2000 E320.
But thanks to posts on this forum, I finally purchased the premium 4-year/100,000 extended warranty for a price of $1680 from Courtesy Motors Auto Center in Chico, CA (I live in Northern Virginia). If you'd like a contact name and phone numbers, send me an e-mail.
The price probably has gone up since I bought mine in late March, 2001. But it's a pleasure to deal with them.
MBUSA recently released 7G-tronic automatic transmission for all upcoming 8 cylinder models, including E500. I ordered an E500 wagon which is to be delivered in later October, but I noticed that this vehicle comes with "older" 5-speed transmission. Does anyone know why E500 wagons come with 5-speed when E500 sedans, in both std. and 4-matic, come with their new 7-speed transmission?
I understand that the 4 matic models will carry over the proven 5 speed transmission for 2004. They will not get the 7G. I found out about this on another web site (or maybe MB newsgroup). MBUSA web site does not mention this one way or the other.
I just repaired the Fan Regulator Unit in my 2002 E320, and I am SCARED when I finsih my 6/100,000 warranty. Maybe I'll need to go out and get the E550 Hybrid Turbo in 2006! hehehhehe
I have a silly question to ask. I just bought a 2003 E320 last month with stone leather seats. The light color seats get dirty easily with my two young kids. Could anyone tell me where to get good car seat covers that are not too ugly? Or is there any other protective stuff I could use? Thanks a lot.
Yes the stone leather shows dirt but it's a shame to hide the leather; it's quite durable. Use a leather cleaner such a Lexol or Turtle wax once a month.
With all the bad publicity of the E class, there is nothing out there that embodies all the qualities of the E class. Just drove the new BMW 530I,Infinity G35, Acura Tl and although these are very nice cars, they is something lacking in all of them. Presently have a 2000 E class with 35,000 miles with only a sensor replace. Even with its deficiencies the E class is King. The Exterior styling and interior elegance is superior in appearance, not necessarily quality,but a class appearance.
Does anybody know how Xenon headlights fail. Every now and then one of mine will go out while driving. If I turn the lights off and back on again, it's usually fine. Is this just a bad bulb, or is it some other issue? If it's not the bulb then the dealer should fix it under warranty.
Its my understanding that they operate like flourescent lights, & that there is a "ballast" that could be failing, causing insufficient/improper voltage to be applied causing the light to go dark. I may be wrong though.
It sounds like you may be right. I took it to the dealer today and he said it sounds like the "burner." I'm guessing that is the ballast. He said it's not a burned out bulb because Xenon's typically last 20 years. I had to make an appointment in order to get a loaner and not wait around all day; he said three hours to change. So I won't know for sure until then. I'll bet this repair will pay for the extended warranty by itself. Those Xenon's are expensive.
I live in the Boston area and own a 2001 C320. Last winter was a brutal one for snow, and I have an 80 mile round trip to work each day. I made it through each storm by adding five 50lb bags of sand in the trunk and back seat last year for ballast, but the going was always an adventure. I knew I should have gotten some snows, but never had a problem with it like that before. I am now looking to get either a 2001 or '02 E-320 4-matic for the added weight and all-wheel piece of mind. First off, is the 4-matic good in the snow? Will it handle good on all season tires, or will snows be needed?. If snows are needed, which tires are better for that car? Michelin Arctic-Alpins, or Blizzaks. Thanks in advance for any responses.
We're contemplating shipping our '95 E320 cabriolet to London to my parents' house. Can anyone recommend a reliable overseas shipping service? Car will be shipped from Los Angeles to London, England. Last time we shipped a car (Alfa Romeo) the radio and other items were stolen in LA. The E320 cabriolet is in immaculate condition (only 25K miles) with all the accessories and we want to make sure it stays intact. Any suggestions?
I would highly recommend you read results of driving comparisons with all-season vs snow tires on tirerack.com. Their conclusions suggest you should get snow tires whether or not you have a 4-matic if you live in the snow belt. I have Dunlop M2 WinterSports on my E-420 and was very pleased with their performance in a mountain pass blizzard last year. Dunlop now has an M3 wintersport which is even better based on user feedback ratings.
Auroraborer, I too live in the Boston area and have driven my 2000 E320 4-matic through the last two winters, one wicked-one mild, on 235/45 17 Michelin Pilot Sport All Seasons with no difficulty on ice, snow, slush, and fresh powder. Of course, snows will do better but I have had no problems with an empty trunk and backseat.
I am 3 weeks away from taking delivery of my new 2004 E500 and although I read everywhere that it will have the new 7g transmission the dealer still claims to nothing nothing about it. How can I find out if in fact it will have the 7g?
2004 models that have 8-cylinder engines, except for AMG and 4-matic, will come with the new 7G automatic transmission. You can check specifications at MBUSA.com. I have an E500 4-matic on order, and I was not happy to find out that this model will come with an older 5-speed transmission. I still don't know why 4-matics will come with the older transmission. You figure that MB should be able to figure out a way to place th 7G-transmission with 4-matic. Please keep this board informed as you negotiate your final price. I was told MSRP, but I am assuming that one should be able to do better.
Comments
Let's find or start an appropriate discussion for this comparison rather than get this topic too far off-track. Those links may be helpful, and the search tools on the left side of the page will also help locate resources. And of course anyone can drop me an email if I can help find an appropriate venue.
As for which car, that is a hard one. I just sold a really nice Acura CL for my 2002 E320. I don't think the Benz will be as reliable as a Japanese car, I sometimes wish, "Why Couldn't Honda of owned part of Benz?" Overall I love the Benz, I am 33 and felt that it was time I got a nice luxury car. I almost bought a 2003, but have friends that have had some computer issues with the 2003s. I love the ride, looks, and gadget on the E320 - but you might have to visit the dealer a few more times. They are very SAFE cars, my insurance went down $300 a year!
You said: "Honda Accord now with 150K and I can count on one hand the amount of times I had to go to the dealer other than normal service."
My 96 E320 (first year of new model) has also been to the dealer just 4 or 5 times during its 124k miles for non-normal repairs. Unfortunately it has cost me some serious money, about 10 months of payments on a lesser car!
vl39:
Original brake pads at 115K miles? C'mon now, tell the truth!! OK, you must live in the boonies and never have to use the brakes. Residing in a suburban area means that you do pads on the E-class every 30-50K miles minimum.. I admit to using my brakes somewhat aggressively and I installed the fifth set of pads at 116k miles...!!!
Last question: Can anyone tell me what this car's MSRP was in Fall, 1999?
White/Tan 2000 E320 (41000 Miles) Options: Leather, Rain Sensing Wipers, Bose, Moonroof, phone jack, and TeleAid. I think this is all the options.
When the seatbelt buckle that is riding on the fabric belt hits that little "stop button" piece of plastic (the part that keeps the buckle off the seat bottom) it causes an intermittent rattle in my 2000 E. The way I found this is to buckle the belt without a passenger riding in the rear and this noise stopped.
It's a long-shot but maybe worth a try.
JR
2. Will the factory installed Motorola V60 integrated phone w/ voice work with MY cellular provider's, (Verizon) network, or do I have to use one that MB specifies, and get an additional cell number for the car?
where are u even seeing a picture on any of the 04 E series? been looking all over, can u post the link plz? thanks
While not small change, especially for a retired fellow, this doesn't strike me as excessive for any vehicle driven this many miles over 7 years. What does the board think?
I am distiguishing between repairs and routine maintenance and wear items (I classify brake pads as maintenance, rotor replacement as repairs).
although it could be just my dealer/region, i'm in NJ.
Until 15 years ago I never spent more than $8000 to BUY a car outright..! Now I'm spending that in repairs for one car.! (And my wife thinks I'm certifiably crazy to spend that much on repairs!) I think this amount would be excessive for a car that sold for under $30K new, but it may be justifiable for a $50K car. But I do enjoy the ride. It is still an impressive car that still looks great inside and out and handles and rides with the best.
It is my understanding that if you sell the car before the end of the extended warrantee period you MAY get a pro-rated return of your money. The way it works, though, is not as you might expect. Lets suppose you buy, say an 8 year warantee (which includes the 4 year new car warantee and an extended warrantee for 4 years. If you sell the car after 5 years you don't get 3/4 = 75% of your money back. You would only get 3/8 = 37% back.
It's my understanding from this board that the price of the warrantee is negotiable.
V-6?
Not to diminish your expenses nor increase the wrath of your wife, but I am surprised that you didn't have to replace or at least repair a leaking radiator and the electricals (e.g., battery, alternator, starter). I think that I would try to network a reputable, local electrical shop and radiator shop. These have got to be the next issues but if you get your components rebuilt yourself (probably even at the same place your MB dealer takes customer radiators and alternators--only the tooth fairy thinks an MB dealer has an radiator shop in his service department) you would be OK.
Just tell your wife that the market is still overvalued and that the Mass Sales Tax alone on a 35K certified used MB is $1750!
M
In the numbers I mentioned in my clarification post, I did not include any appropriation for the Starmark work that the dealer did before I took delivery. I bought the car one day after it came off a 2-year lease. So I've only owned it for 5 of its 7 years. The dealer installed new brake rotors, pads and tires on all four wheels. That would have been worth close to another $800 plus whatever else they did to prep it for Starmark. And then it also did not include the cost of the warranty work they did which came to approx. another $1100. So the true cost of the full 7 years (some of it paid for by MB) is nearly $10K...
blockislandguy: Yep, did the battery over 3 years ago and probably getting near time for another.. Also did all the cooling system hoses last year but so far no radiator problems. (Watch it leak next week now!!) $1750 would go a long way toward a trip to Ireland! Which is what my wife would prefer..!
The price of the warranty definitely IS negotiable. However, my own dealer would not budge from the $2600 or $2650 MSRP price for the extended warranty for my 2000 E320.
But thanks to posts on this forum, I finally purchased the premium 4-year/100,000 extended warranty for a price of $1680 from Courtesy Motors Auto Center in Chico, CA (I live in Northern Virginia). If you'd like a contact name and phone numbers, send me an e-mail.
The price probably has gone up since I bought mine in late March, 2001. But it's a pleasure to deal with them.
Hope this helps. Keep us posted.
Last winter was a brutal one for snow, and I have an 80 mile round trip to work each day. I made it through each storm by adding five 50lb bags of sand in the trunk and back seat last year for ballast, but the going was always an adventure.
I knew I should have gotten some snows, but never had a problem with it like that before.
I am now looking to get either a 2001 or '02 E-320 4-matic for the added weight and all-wheel piece of mind.
First off, is the 4-matic good in the snow? Will it handle good on all season tires, or will snows be needed?.
If snows are needed, which tires are better for that car? Michelin Arctic-Alpins, or Blizzaks.
Thanks in advance for any responses.
Any advice on purchaing an extended warrenty?
I have an E500 4-matic on order, and I was not happy to find out that this model will come with an older 5-speed transmission. I still don't know why 4-matics will come with the older transmission. You figure that MB should be able to figure out a way to place th 7G-transmission with 4-matic.
Please keep this board informed as you negotiate your final price. I was told MSRP, but I am assuming that one should be able to do better.