E320 CDI - My New Old Banger

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E55BOF

Hardcore MB Enthusiast
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CLS63 SB, SLK55, Cooper S, Triumph Sprint (Bike not Dolly...),
For those who haven't seen my (somewhat derailed) E55K thread in the Wanted section, on Thursday I go to collect, right in the far corner of Wales - just this side of the Menai Strait - a 2003 E320 CDI Avantgarde estate on 170K miles.

At that mileage I'm taking a chance, I know, but: it's cheap as chips; the seller (not a lying cheating scrote of a Bradford used car dealer...) gave pretty satisfactory answers to all my myriad questions; there are several with that sort of mileage and more up for sale at the moment, and the ads all state they're in excellent condition and run like a dream.

"Well, they would say that, wouldn't they?"; yes, I know, but they can't ALL be lying, surely?

Then the paranoia begins... Will it pass another MoT; will it have the 'black death'; will the injectors be worn (out...); will the camchain and tensioner be OK (I recall my SL, but not fondly...); will the SBC give up the ghost; and so on, and on, and on..

Does anybody have any suggestions for preventive maintenance that should be carried out immediately?
 
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Well I have an E320 Avantgarde from 2003 and have been driving it daily since May last year. So far, it's been absolutely superb.

Yes the wheel arches have the sign of some rust which will need sorting next year but isn't critical. I've replaced the batteries and had it serviced. Otherwise that's it.

Admittedly my one has just ticked over 117k but there's no signs of it slowing down. Still very comfortable, engine pulls really well and overall I'm really pleased with it.

Good luck with your purchase though, let us know once you pick it up. :)
 
This was mine,

Here is the Project thread, Maybe of use to you, Most of the pics are gone tho, Had to make space.

https://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/mbclub-projects/173951-detailed-oil-burner-e320-cdi.html

MBE.jpg


Dam fine cars:thumb:
 
For those who haven't seen my (somewhat derailed) E55K thread in the Wanted section, on Thursday I go to collect, right in the far corner of Wales - just this side of the Menai Strait - a 2003 E320 CDI Avantgarde estate on 170K miles.

At that mileage I'm taking a chance, I know, but: it's cheap as chips; the seller (not a lying cheating scrote of a Bradford used car dealer...) gave pretty satisfactory answers to all my myriad questions; there are several with that sort of mileage and more up for sale at the moment, and the ads all state they're in excellent condition and run like a dream.

"Well, they would say that, wouldn't they?"; yes, I know, but they can't ALL be lying, surely?

Then the paranoia begins... Will it pass another MoT; will it have the 'black death'; will the injectors be worn (out...); will the camchain and tensioner be OK (I recall my SL, but not fondly...); will the SBC give up the ghost; and so on, and on, and on..

Does anybody have any suggestions for preventive maintenance that should be carried out immediately?
Think maybe a quick prayer before anything else!
 
:D After two AMGs, both of which were well over 100K miles and still going strong when I sold them, and the 350 V6, I have no concerns about a high-mileage W211/S211 in general; I can tell a good 'un from a dud. It's the diesel engine which is the unknown quantity...

Gav, interesting thread. I won't be doing the same, I'm afraid, though; this is just a tryout to see if I like the diesel E320, and while I look after my machinery and it will get any mechanical attention it needs, I'm not one for detailing, nor even cleaning cars much. I don't give a sh!t (up to a point) what people think; it's how it goes that matters.
 
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i meant regards to what i had to replace which is all in the thread, But fair enough.
 
You didn't actually have to replace very much; most of it was cosmetic. I've no idea what will need doing on this one; according to the chap selling it, the previous owner was a perfectionist, and since he had it for four years (until six months ago) I'm hoping there will be little if anything.

Until I see the service history and invoices, I won't know what's been done, but I wouldn't be surprised if the SBC unit has been replaced. No DMF, no DPF, thank goodness. It also had new rear suspension airbags and compressor last year, I'm told, so that's one less thing that might have needed doing.

I'll let you know how I get on.
 
Just got back from Bangor - 250 miles - in the thing. It's a stinker...


of cigarettes; the previous owner smokes. It will fade, though; I only smoke cigars, and never in the car.

Several typical W211 faults; ESP light on, gone on restarting (brake light switch, anybody...); tailgate handle can stick in the open position; tiny bit of rust at the fronts of the rear wheel arches (but no bubbles on the tailgate - yet...); headlamp plastic covers need cleaning up. The 'lights on' telltale bulb in the instrument cluster isn't working. I'm sure I'll find other little things, but it drives well enough that I doubt there's much.

First impressions? Well, it drives just like a W211, you won't be surprised to hear. Compared to the E350 petrol it's a pretty agricultural engine - rattly, clattery, vibratory - but it pulls like a train; noticeable turbo lag, but when the power comes in, it really makes an entrance. The old 722.6 'box doesn't do it any favours, either; a 7G would camouflage the lag much better.

The 'tuning box' looks like cheap eBay rubbish at first glance; I'll look into that when I speak to the owner before last, who fitted/had fitted the thing.

Do I like it? Yes, I do. If he'd told me it had done half the mileage, the overall condition wouldn't really give the lie to that. It was a bargain at what I paid for it.
 
I picked up a cheap Brabus PowerExtra box second hand when I had my 211, that made a decent difference to the shove on offer. Enough to keep the average hot hatch of the time honest.
 
Bin the box, Get a proper map on, should sort out the lag, mine certainly didn't suffer with it. Granted the box is sluggish compared to 7g.
 
Reasons To Be Cheerful II

The tuning box was fitted by the previous long-term (five years, from about 125K miles) owner; it is a TDI unit. TDI are a reputable firm, and the box has been doing its stuff for several years, so I'll let sleeping dogs lie there, I think.

The SBC unit was manufactured in July 2010, so even if it was fitted the day it came out of the factory, when the car would have been on about 115K miles, it's only been in use for at most about 55K miles. There's almost certainly no impending problem or expense there, then.

According to the previous owner, he had the gearbox serviced twice in his ownership. I did not buy the car from him, so he has no reason to lie. The gearbox should be fine too.

The self-levelling pump and rear strut bags were changed about eighteen months, so less than 20K miles, ago.

There's not the slightest trace of 'black death' around the injectors.

The only rust is a little on the lips at the front of the rear wheel arches, and it's just surface rust, not bubbling.

Problems? Well, the AA man who emptied the misfuelled tank ran a diagnostic check, and found four, I think minor, fault codes. New thread coming.

Oh, and the stale smell in the cabin has gone. It just needed airing, it would seem.

Fingers crossed, but looking good. Now for a new MoT, and if that's OK, then I reckon the car really was a bargain...

And the icing on the cake is that I've finally sold the E350, to a man after my own heart; he doesn't hang about once his mind is made up. He rang at 14:30, I picked him up from the railway station at 18:30, and two hours later he drove it away. Now that's how to buy a car!
 
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Beware the SBC brake unit; it will go and is expensive. The cheap fix did not seem to work for us. ( apparently you can get them reprogrammed).
It seems the SBC unit has so many operations in it which is not necessarily mileage related.
ie open the door? or put the key in and all that clicking is usage??

The SBC unit will be the value of the car!

Cheers,
S88
 
I've finally sold the E350, to a man after my own heart; he doesn't hang about once his mind is made up. He rang at 14:30, I picked him up from the railway station at 18:30, and two hours later he drove it away. Now that's how to buy a car!

That's pretty much how I bought my last four Mercs.

I do all the main research on here (thanks everyone)

Then narrow down the search for the right model & spec.

Then scan Autotrader relentlessly to find the right candidate.

When I see what I want I just go and get it.
 
Beware the SBC brake unit; it will go and is expensive. ...It seems the SBC unit has so many operations in it which is not necessarily mileage related.
ie open the door? or put the key in and all that clicking is usage??

The SBC unit will be the value of the car!

Cheers,
S88

As I understand it, it is presses of the brake pedal that the SBC unit counter counts, and nothing else. Whether that is correct or not, the previous SBC unit ran to well over 100K miles; this one has less than half that mileage on it.

Yes, replacement is expensive, but barring an actual failure of the unit, which is pretty rare, I will have another car long before this one needs a third SBC unit. I'm not worried.
 
Reasons To Be Cheerful III

It now has a new MoT, with no advisories.
 
Haven't ever owned one but came close to buying Gavins Old car(above) if no rust they seem to be great all rounders. Admittedly I only use our estates for trips with the dogs ,but I'd still like one but Mrs French says its to big for her to go shopping in etc, so unfortunately I cannot follow you Bof, but good luck with it & hope you enjoy it!
 
Thank you for your good wishes, but I definitely won't keep it long. Long-lived it may be, but It's just too b****y noisy compared to the petrol V8s and V6 that went before it. Courtesy of a long-forgotten small insurance policy that just paid out, I'm now actively looking for an E350, though a decent low-mileage 211 E320 CDI V6 might do as a stop-gap.

Whatever I get, it will have to be dark metallic blue with a biscuit-ish interior - unless I get sick of waiting; I'm not a patient man...
 
And gone... The buyer paid me what I paid for it, and just rattled happily up the road, very pleased with how clean and straight it is. I shall miss it a little, E350 or no E350; the power delivery was quite addictive.

Thinks: I know MSL were having problems centred on the DPF when trying to develop a map for the Euro VI E350 diesel a couple of years ago, but if they've sorted it by now, perhaps a visit might be a good idea :devil:
 

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