211 E320 CDi 2005. Should I?

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drunkenmunkey

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Jan 2, 2021
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15
Location
Edinburgh, Scotland
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W115
I'm off to see an e320cdi estate on Sunday and I've read horror stories about the slc pump and the injectors (I've been told that this problem manifests itself as a parafin smell in the car when driving),which have made me nervous.

The car has full Mercedes history, the seller has owned it 10 years and has recent work done to replace the front coil springs (one broke but they did both) and the rear suspension has been overhauled.

It looks very very clean and the MOT history has very few minor advisories (windscreen wipers etc) but can any of W211 experts advise me on anything else to look for?

Thank you kind folks
 
The injectors I'm guessing are 'black death', which is a leaky injector seal.
See here:
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Easy to inspect. Does it have caked on black tar around the injectors and can you hear and obvious chuffing sound from the top of the engine.

SBC pump just has a finite life of a certain number of pedal presses.
Either budget it in, or find a car with a rock solid invoice showing it's been done in the past few years.


Unfortunately, Mercedes don't like to help us in the UK. If you were in the US, I believe they have now extended this SBC warranty to 25 years.
Here in the UK? Get stuffed!
 
Sounds as I it should be fine given the service history and recent repairs, owner obviously not trying to do things on the cheap as he had both front springs replaced rather than just the broken one.
 
Hi,

That will be the OM648 straight six, absolutely brilliant engines. They are not known for injector issues, and the seal issue is far less common than the 4 Cyls... I own one and love it.

SBC is something that will need doing at some point on all W211s so don’t let that put you off.
 
You may find the row the engine makes when you lift the bonnet offputting, but don't let that bother you. By V6/V8 petrol standards mine sounded like a tin of bolts being shaken, but when not long after buying it I had to have my fuel tank emptied (misfuelled), I asked the opinion of the techie after he had restarted the engine and was running it up. He said that he'd done plenty of them, and it sounded pretty smooth to him...
 
I'm off to see an e320cdi estate on Sunday and I've read horror stories about the slc pump and the injectors (I've been told that this problem manifests itself as a parafin smell in the car when driving),which have made me nervous.

The car has full Mercedes history, the seller has owned it 10 years and has recent work done to replace the front coil springs (one broke but they did both) and the rear suspension has been overhauled.

It looks very very clean and the MOT history has very few minor advisories (windscreen wipers etc) but can any of W211 experts advise me on anything else to look for?

Thank you kind folks
How much buddy ?
Have you got a link to the car ?
 
Check the rear brake pipes hidden behind a rubber flap. Where they join the caliper is a known rot spot .
 
You may find the row the engine makes when you lift the bonnet offputting, but don't let that bother you. By V6/V8 petrol standards mine sounded like a tin of bolts being shaken, but when not long after buying it I had to have my fuel tank emptied (misfuelled), I asked the opinion of the techie after he had restarted the engine and was running it up. He said that he'd done plenty of them, and it sounded pretty smooth to him...
Yes they are loud things :)
 
@W1ghty...I would usually share the link gladly but I'm like a terrified little girl sharing links, since last year, when, I was ready to buy a childhood hero car (Audi UR Quattro 20v), asked a question on a forum, sent a link and some absolute #!@*! saw it and got there 30 minutes before me and bought it.

I have post traumatic sharing disorder 😄

It's around £3k.
 
See if dealer will change ATF and you will buy! LOL
 
Just had a look at some E320 CDIs.....

If it's a facelift (generally 2007 BUILD onwards, which is not the same as when it was REGISTERED) then the car won't have an SBC pump.
Just because you mentioned it and the injector issue, I assumed that it was a 2006 or earlier car with the inline straight 6 diesel engine.
Any diesel engine can have black death due to injector leak. Catching it early means it's an easy job to clean, lightly ream the injector seal seat, and refit, as per the Legit Street Cars video, but much less black gunk if caught early.
But if it's the later OM642 V6 diesel, no SBC pump, but oil cooler seals are a 60,000+ mile regular event that need changing. £800+ for that job. I know, because mine's going in on Monday for my W212.
 
Just had a look at some E320 CDIs.....

If it's a facelift (generally 2007 BUILD onwards, which is not the same as when it was REGISTERED) then the car won't have an SBC pump.
Just because you mentioned it and the injector issue, I assumed that it was a 2006 or earlier car with the inline straight 6 diesel engine.
Any diesel engine can have black death due to injector leak. Catching it early means it's an easy job to clean, lightly ream the injector seal seat, and refit, as per the Legit Street Cars video, but much less black gunk if caught early.
But if it's the later OM642 V6 diesel, no SBC pump, but oil cooler seals are a 60,000+ mile regular event that need changing. £800+ for that job. I know, because mine's going in on Monday for my W212.
The title says its a 2005 so will have sbc.
 
I'm off to see an e320cdi estate on Sunday and I've read horror stories about the slc pump and the injectors (I've been told that this problem manifests itself as a parafin smell in the car when driving),which have made me nervous.

The car has full Mercedes history, the seller has owned it 10 years and has recent work done to replace the front coil springs (one broke but they did both) and the rear suspension has been overhauled.

It looks very very clean and the MOT history has very few minor advisories (windscreen wipers etc) but can any of W211 experts advise me on anything else to look for?

Thank you kind folks
Another weak point is the boot filling up with water , leaks include the 3rd brake light seal and from behind the facia that holds the rear number plate on. Look for white stains on boot lid carpet and look under the carpet where the spare resides.
 
Also, if it is on a forecourt drive past it one morning when it has been stood overnight (or longer if poss) Check the rear has not dropped on one or both sides as most have self-levelling suspension which can fail after a while and whilst not wildly expensive, is not especially cheap to sort.

If you can get the VIN (ask the dealer or take a pic - it's visible through the windscreen passenger side) post it here and someone will help with a list of what it came from the factory
 
Just noticed its an estate , so can probs rule out boot leaks ?
 
All the S211s have self-levelling rear suspension.
 
That's a long list of potential heartache....
I'd planned to buy a used sbc pump, have it refurbished and leave it on standby, if the pump hasn't already been done.

Should I be looking for a yellow sticker to prove it's been replaced? I saw the link to the number/date and have a screencap ready to check!

I've read that they can be recoded to ignore the SBC fault, does that sound horribly risky?

Thanks for all the help, it is appreciated!

Hopefully, it all works out and I'll have a nice new (to me) car on the driveway soon 🤞
 

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