Mercedes-Benz E-Class Maintenance and Repair

gread · February 2005

can anyone help,i have a E230,when i try to lock or unlock my car the red and green lights in the rear view mirror both flash for 30 seconds.i am worried if i try to enter the car while these are flashing it will activate the alarm.does anyone know what may be causing both these lights to start flashing.as i,m sure your aware the green light should come on when unlocking the car and the red on locking the car.VERY GRATEFULL FOR ANY ADVICE

hansm · February 2005

My EC light is stuck on and now the ac won't come on. I checked the ac and the independent mechanic said it was fully charged and ready to operate once the electrical problem is resolved. Any ideas as to where the problem lies? If its a relay or something easy that would be great. Apparently MBZ no longer makes service manuals available to the public so I have nothing to work with.

Hans

hansm · February 2005

I just replaced the right one last week. The left one was replaced last year. Apparently this is the most common interior item failure. Remove the decorative covers on the door handle, unscrew the door lock button, remove all screws. Carefully pull out panel from the bottom. Once all the plastic snaps are off or broken (best to buy a whole new set, I did) then the top lip by the glass needs to be impulsed off or gently pulled off vertically. Now, with the panel a few inches removed you disconnect wiring and the door latch rod. Drill out the regulator's rivets to remove the broken one. Buy new rivets when you order the part from MBZ. All the parts (plastic snaps, rivets and regulator) will cost you around $120. The motor is most likely fine. The regulator's nylon guides brake and the wire gets tangled up. That's what happened on mine, twice. Be sure to prop the glass so it does not slam down after you remove the regulator. You will need a riveter, a $20 item from sears with the changeable rivet nozzles. Good Luck, It took me about 1 hr the second time. 2-1/2 hrs the first time!

wesbarnes · February 2005

I appreciate your reply. You don't happen to know if MBNA has a Technical Service Bulletion out to quieten this noise do you?

jpo3e320 · February 2005

I have a 2003 e320 and the wiper noise when the intermittant function is on during a mist or very light rain is so loud that it is difficult listening to the radio. The sound is certainly greater than any vehicle I haver ever owned and I also find it annoying that you can't control the frequency in an infinite fashion like most cars. Mb says they can't do anything about the sound or control. Does anyone else have this problem? Any solutions or recommendations ?

thanks in advance

mezeca · February 2005

I don't know of any bulletins at this time. I did notice at the car show that the new C's and E's have a much different looking valve and canister compared to my '04.

It might be something they can retrofit on yours.

mezeca · February 2005

Typically when the "EC" light is stuck on, it is because the pressure sensor is detecting a low charge. When this happens it won't allow the compressor to engage.

That being said, how does the independent know that it's fully charged? Reason being is that to see the system pressures with a set of gauges, the compressor would have to engage, which takes us back to square one. This is unless the independent evacuated and recharged the refrigerant which the specified level and it still won't turn on.

There are a few obvious possibilties: the system is leaking, a sensor is defective, or the control unit is acting up.

Anyway, if your independent is fairly knowledgable, they should have the proper diagnostic equipment to access the climate control computer and read what the sensors are picking up.

mezeca · February 2005

Are you sure you're not exaggerating? That noise, the SBC hydraulic pump, does have a noticeable "buzz", but you would have to be right next to the car to hear it.

Especially since it only runs for a few seconds.

bigrobnh · February 2005

this reply is neither timely nor helpful but the AM reception of my 2001 E320 is easily the worst I've ever experienced. You are correct, it barely picks up local stations.

Regards,

BigRob.

emama500 · February 2005

had slight brake hissing. just mentioned it at service as i was there for a recall notice. was told brake pads needed changing (18,000 miles). since then the brake noises can be heard by truckers. I have taken the car back to service 4 times and each time i am told this spring or that spring was replaced and car would be fine then the noise returns within 24 hrs. any similar experience or solution?

wesbarnes · February 2005

Appreciate your reply. I do now have an 05 E320 and it is thumping also. Other than that, I love the car so I guess I can live with it. Been driving MB's for 16 years. Probably will continue to drive em' for another 16.

mezeca · February 2005

There is a new front caliper spring plate available. The noise you will typically hear is metallic type of noise that sounds like the brakes are metal to metal. The noise can be heard when coasting or applying the brakes.

mezeca · February 2005

Have the dealer check the antenna splitter and/or the ground connection going to it.

bszeto · February 2005

Hi, I'm asking this on behalf of my father. Anyone have a "check electronics" light on 1996-2002 E-classes that constantly flashes on in the dashboard light? As well, what is the cause of constant lightbulb burnouts? Is it the wiring? Please let me know!

bszeto

P.S. Anyone know what the general costs of the various electronics parts/modules(for the power driver's seat, steering wheel, mirrors, etc.)?

01e43amg · February 2005

the problem with your am reception is that you have a metalic window tint on the rear window.there is a merz tech bullitin on this.

greasykid1 · February 2005

Yes the dealer has checked all antenna connections & has changed radios twice.

Lets try another approach. Does anyone have this unit that works really well on AM?

Having XM installed. FYI the Roady2 can be installed in the ash tray & hard wired in. This way you can close the ashtray door & also retain use of the lighter socket. (use it for cell charger)

01e43amg · February 2005

01e43amg · February 2005

G-kid,if you remove the metalic window tint from from your rear window and replace it with a non metalic am reception will by fine.MB has a tech service bulletin on this common complaint.

greasykid1 · February 2005

NO tint on any windows!!!

envyman · February 2005

I am new to the world of MB with my January purchase of a 2005 320E. Coming from an Audi A4 Quattro and a BMW 3 prior to that, I find the steering to be very light. In fact, the lightness increases as my driving speed increases -- in other words, I can turn the steering wheel slightly more with no impact on where my car is heading. Dealer looked at it, replaced a couple of tires but problem persists. Am curious if I am just not used to MB steering or if I have a real problem. Any responses will be appreciated.

kruesimarck · February 2005

I've had the same issue with my 2001 E320. There is probably nothing that can be done other than to turn down the volume.

carligm · February 2005

Has anyone had any experience with the EC (economy mode) button stuck on the activate position? In this mode the compressor does not operate, so I get no cooling. Since repeatedly pushing the button does not deactivate it, as it should, is it a bad switch or perhaps a malfunctioning compressor. The car is a 2000 E320.

redondo011 · February 2005

Wish I was exaggerating. Believe me, there are other things that are more enjoyable than taking a car in for service. Have an appointment next week, will see what happens. Not only is the brake pump loud; it also comes on often and vibrates the car.

redondo011 · February 2005

Have the same problem with my 2005 E500. Have vibration and noise. If you can give me more specifics on the fix, it would be appreciated.

saowin1 · February 2005

hi guys
what's your overall impression of the reliability of the e class over the last couple of model years?

thanks

e500driver · February 2005

Does anyone know how to wire in the XM Sat radio. I know that there is a button on the control center, how do you wire it to that button.

e500driver · February 2005

I like the overall performance of the 2000 E430. I havd the designo model. However, I replaced it with an E500 recently, the car runs great, but I have had some problems with the car, little things like:

The Gas cap had to be replaced
Brakes were pulling to the right
Pump noise coming from the right rear of the car.

The dealer took care of the items and thins seem to be O.K.

You having any problems...

greasykid1 · February 2005

Best Buy will install for approx $45.

td01 · March 2005

I have a 2000 E320 and it has 37K miles and it is not under warranty. Service A is due. Dealer in Maryland is asking for $250. Is this right price. All they are doing is changing oil and resetting the switch and checking few items.
Tony

greasykid1 · March 2005

$250 is a good price. Suggest you read your service manual for a list of items to be included in the price.

wesbarnes · March 2005

My 2005 E320 has a creaking sound in the steering wheel when turned left or right. When driving on a smooth surface the sound is constantly a creak, creak, creak. The steering wheel is heated so obviously it has a wiring harness in it. I took it to the dealership and they sprayed lubricant into the boot which made no change. At that point, they said they tested three other 2005 E320's on the lot and they all do that. I owned a 1998 and 2003 E320 and they did not make the noise. Has anyone else had this problem and was it fixed?

gls · March 2005

My 03 E500 has been in the shop 14 times in the 18 mo I have owned it. I bought it new. MBZ is buying the car back and I will be whole on the deal. My dealer backed me and MBZ responded in a timely manner after I notified them I was returning the car under my states Lemon Law.

stroudman · March 2005

xclusiv1, the car you have is historically one of the most solid cars mercedes ever build. You might want to run a carfax and see if there has been a severe collision involving your car. Keep this in mind, though; even if you bought the creampuff, low mile, little-old-lady-drove-it-on-sundays-only-car, it is 12-13 years old and little things will need to be replaced constantly. Replace the head gasket if it hasn't been already, and the engine is all but bulletproof, but it will cost you, on average, $1k to $2k a year to keep that car on the road. Not a bad deal, really. There aren't many cars out there, at that age that are still safe, durable, and such a pleasure to drive.

e5shopper · March 2005

Does anyone know when the E-Class will have the next new model change? (someone mentioned 2007 Model year)

Also, are the Brake Pump Noise and Premium Radio AM Static and Reliablility problems continuing on the 2005 E-Class - without available repairs?

I would like to buy a new(2006) E500 but I'm concerned about technical problems.

Any professional help will be appreciated.

stroudman · March 2005

the E-class will probably roll over again in '08 as an '09 model. All models typically get a reface and/or new drive train midway through a cycle, thus the '06 E350. The W210 E-class ran from '96 to '02, seven model years, for example. There are weak rumors that a 5.5(E550) liter V-8 will replace the 5.0 liter that is in the line now, but that's just a rumor.
As long as the brakes are SBC, a bosch product, you will hear the noises they make. The sound systems have gotten better, the tele-aid modules are also less troublesome, and the majority of the random gremlins are fewer and farther between. The "piston slap" that some folks complained of hearing in the 500 was a resonance at certain rpm's that was fixed by adding diesel motor mounts to the cars already built, or at the factory by casting approximately 3 more lbs. of metal into the top of the engine block.
Having said all of that, if you really want a good value in an E-class, this is just my advice. The new 3.5 liter engine is phenominal, and barely slower than the V-8, and also comes with the 7-speed auto. 4 valves per cylinder. Get one with an appearance pkg, and a premium pkg, and even at sticker you will have tons more content, the air suspension, "17 wheels, nav, xenons, harmon-kardon, and on and on, for less than the E500. Also, take it from someone who sells them, unless you plan to keep the car a long time, you will lose your butt when you trade, unless you sell the car retail to someone. Why? The used car buyer doesn't care about a V-8, so the 6-7k the engine costs' you new translates to about 1k in trade. Just one "insider's" opinion.

brig · March 2005

hi- having the same problem currently with my 2001 E320. last summer i had the same ABS/ESP malfunction happen to me while i was driving the car. i called the dealership and they suggested for me to turn of the car and re start and see if it happened again. it never did. then in november the car would not start one evening and i ended up towing it. i called tele aid and they had never heard of it. i went and got my other key and it started. then yesterday that key stopped working and had to have the car towed again. now i have two keys that will not operate the vehicle. the tow truck driver had seen this before.

sjeff1 · March 2005

I am purchasing a 2001 e320 awd wagon and wonder what to expect for repairs. I have owned BMW;s for 20 years so I am no stranger to paying a great deal more for service but all my Bimmers 94 and up where trouble free... is MB a bit more quirky?

stroudman · March 2005

For every person out there who swears by a bmw, there's one who curses them, same for Benz, audi, volvo. I've even had people walk through my door and say "get me out of this Lexus, I don't ever want to see it again." (hard to believe, I know, but it's true). It just depends on if you were able to dodge the bad cars, which is mostly a matter of luck, because the good ones are great cars, the bad ones can be a nightmare. I would take the E320S4 you're looking at to a mercedes dealer in your area, if it isn't already there, and have them pull a VMI on the car(vehicle maintenance inquiry) and see how it reads. If it consists mostly of regular services, and few repairs, you've got yourself a good car, if it's a lengthy history, I would let it pass.

wesbarnes · March 2005

This is a follow-up to my problem. The dealership invited me back to test drive several other 2005 E320's and none of them had this noise. They subsequently replaced a part in the steering wheel and the noise has now gone. Car is great and I am happy.

hjtw888 · March 2005

my friend leaving town and selling 95E320.
the gas pedal was much heavier than my 99E320.
can the gas pedal be adjusted?

The car has 160K miles and asking $5K. Is it worth it? Where should I go for a mechanic diagnostic on the car?

Like the E class ever since it came out in 86.
My 99E320 rides much better than the 95E320 but the 99E sunroof bracket and the balancer [in front of engine]broke and the Oxygen sensor need to be replaced, all within 25K miles. I have 39K miles on the 99E now and wonder whether the E class is considered a reliable car or not.

gato · March 2005

I would just like to provide some counterpoint to all the complaints I have read about MB cars. My last car was a 2000 E320 4MATIC wagon. Aside from a few electronic gremlins during the first year (nav, radio), the car was trouble free and a pleasure to drive. My current car is a 2005 E500 4MATIC wagon. I have 6,500 miles on it and there have been no problems whatsoever. I have driven and owned many American, Japanese and German cars and I can say, without hesitation, that my current E class is the best all around family car I have ever driven. Solid, beautiful, luxurious, fast, reliable.

w210 · March 2005

I have also been very happy with my MB cars.

bahus · March 2005

I am very unhappy and regret trading in my Acura TL type S for 2005 E320.
I had Acura for the past 3 years with no problems at all.
At the end of the 2004 local dealership had great lease deals for the E class. My lease payment came out to be the same as the Acura ($399 +tax) with $1500 down and $2500 for the trade in. Well, I thought I am getting a brand new car, superior style, comfort, safetyand such a great deal.
Upon delivery my E 320 had a problem with the driver switch that control seat positions and headrest. It was replaced the next day at the same dealership. A week later same problem occurred with the passenger side switch and it had to be replaced.
There is a high pitch noise coming from vents intermittently when AC unit is on. Service advisor response was that the car is still brand new and we can inspect it again at the 1-3k service to allow break in of the new vehicle.
My car is almost 3 months old now and has 2600 miles on it.
Last week radio and the whole central console shut down. My car was in the service for 3 days and they replaced central computer and couple of other electrical modules. Upon picking up the car, my radio and central console died again as I was pulling into my garage. This is literally 5 minutes after I picked up the car.
I took the car back to the dealership and it has been there for the past three days.
At this point I am not even concerned about noise coming from AC.

I am very disappointed in Mercedes built quality and concerned about their ability to fix all the electrical related problems they have.
I owned several Japanese and European cars before and never had any experience like this.
If you are looking for the new car I would strongly urge to look into Lexus, BMW, Audi or Acura before getting in to new MBZ.
Please do your research first, I didnt. I found out for in the last few days that literally every friend of mine that owns MBZ E or S class had chronic electrical problems.
Stylish, comfortable, fun to drive  Yes. Reliable - Not

microrepair · March 2005

I guess most of the 'noters' here must spend all their time on Edmunds and didn't notice the Insurance Institute report last week that rated the E-class as the safest sedan in the US interms of accident fatalities. I can't believe that hasn't been mentioned here yet..

The #1 rating didn't surprise me. From personal experience (no, it wasn't even close to being THAT bad an accident) I can attest to the passenger protection systems in the E-class. I was rear-ended in my 96 E320 and although the rear bumper ended up near the rear shelf, there was no glass breakage and my knees never even touched the lower dash panel. The seat belt really tightened up as advertised and the headrest worked perfectly. I was not injured in spite of over $12,000 of body work to make it like new again. The crush zone did it's job and left the rear window intact! And me too!

As a result of that I recently bought my second used (er, pre-owned!) E320, a 2001. And re: reliability, I have not experienced the failures that others seem to be having. The only failure on either car so far was that my 96 needed a head gasket and a water pump at 120K miles. Expensive, yes, but not too bad for the mileage considering the quality of the driving experience.

As for the cost of the Service "A"; I just had to pay for it on my 2001 and my dealer charged $220 but also insisted that I needed an air filter for an extra $35... One would think that paying $220-250 for an oil change would get you a free air filter...?

But that was all forgotten as soon as I put another 20 miles on it. What a pleasure to drive these cars !!

stroudman · March 2005

If you are having trouble with a mercedes-benz auto you are certainly not alone, but don't let the brand you're in now lead you to believe it's the only one. Audi? Bmw? Your chances of having trouble out of those cars is just as great. In fact, they are higher volumn manufacturers, so maybe greater. It's luck, not research. Even lexus' have problems, not as many, but a few. All of these luxury brands are dripping with electronics nowadays, and they are all prone to fail, sometimes. Just as an aside, the single biggest complaint that cost mercedes rank in the JDP ratings? Excessive brake dust on the front wheels.

adigilio · March 2005

Does anyone know how this issue was resolved? I have the same stuck EC button on my 2000 E320. I have about 45000 miles on the vehicle. Thanks in advance for any reply.

bahus · March 2005

I agree to the certain point.
I owned the other brands (Lexus, BMW, Audi, Acura) and never experienced anything like thisgranted last few years technology in the cars has advanced to the point that everything is electronically controlled. It is reasonable to expect that there would be some problems in that area.
Mercedes built its brand and reputation because of reliability and quality of their cars. It seems to me that although the other manufacturers have electronic problems, Mercedes lead everyone with the number of reported complaints (electrical).
Most frustrating is that majority of the MB owners complained that they have to go back to service over and over again in order to have same problem fixed.
Did they address the problem properly? Did they train the service staff?
Did they issue recall on any of the models for the electronic parts?

I probably had some bad lack to begin with, but what worries me is MB ability to quickly diagnose and repair problems.

stroudman · March 2005

It is true that mercedes owners have frequent complaints about electronics. The problem mercedes' engineers are up against is they don't have the benefit of someone else presenting these new features to the market first, and then refining them at a lower cost. It's very easy for honda and toyota to copy everything mercedes does first, with the benefit of hindsight.

garyh1 · March 2005

"The problem mercedes' engineers are up against is they don't have the benefit of someone else presenting these new features to the market first, and then refining them at a lower cost. It's very easy for honda and toyota to copy everything mercedes does first, with the benefit of hindsight."

Sorry, but the logic of this statement escapes me. Let's assume you are correct and MB is the innovator. Why is it "very easy" to "refine" it and make it better? If refining and lowering the cost of it is so easy, then the originator should be able to continue to develop the item and perfect it at least as easily as the "copiers".

The fact is that innovation is great; but innovation without excellent execution does not make for a very satisfactory ownership experience- especially when you pay a premium price for it! MB needs to be able to execute as well as it innovates if it is going to get previous repeat-buyers like me back from our "refined" and "lower cost" copycats.

ddm · March 2005

My 2005E 4-matic wagon has an over sensitive seat sensor. If I place my PDA on the seat it sets off the sensor. This makes the seat unusable for transporting anything weighing more then a few ounces. The dealer said they're aware of it from other owners and are looking into it. Has anyone heard of or found a fix?

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Maintenance and Repair

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