Overcoming resistance....

[rumtruffle]

Hi, I've signed up here hoping to read some insights into what's good and what's not. I'm looking for a used E class estate (for my use) but hubby keeps moving the goalposts on what he considers to be acceptable parameters. This is despite him initially saying "have the car you want"!! Sadly, google has made him an amateur expert (I use the term loosely) so, for instance, OM651's are apparently bad news. This is indeed bad news, as it rules out much of my shortlist lol!

 

[MissyD]

Hello and welcome

 

[ChrisHGTV]

Hello! I’ve got an E class estate with an OM651 and I love it. I went from a Mondeo Titanium X (I see you have a Mondeo!). It doesn’t handle as well as the Mondeo but is a nicer drive if you want a relaxing mile muncher. The OM651 is a good unit. There are reported issues with water pumps and timing chains but I think these are still relatively rare. Mines had a water pump. If you look on any forum you’ll find horror stories for everything - apart from maybe the Mondeo! One thing you do need to look out for is the air suspension at the back on the estate. Service life seems about 10 years max for the bellows and air lines. Mine has certainly been much more expensive to run than the Mondeo but I still love it. One other thing -it’s not as wide as the Mondy and has a much better turning circle so quite easy to park etc despite its size.

 

[rumtruffle]

Hello! I’ve got an E class estate with an OM651 and I love it. I went from a Mondeo Titanium X (I see you have a Mondeo!)

Indeed I do - also a Titanium X It's a saloon though so not practical enough for me as I carry bulky bits of kit around. I've had a couple of CLK's in the past and absolutely loved them. They were a 430 followed by a 320 and I really did notice the drop from V8 to V6 so I perhaps need to be looking at the E350 instead of the E220, but I'm older now and also poorer, so running costs matter

Thanks for the inside gen on your experience with yours. It's the stories about timing chains that are giving my hubby nightmares, so I'll just keep it zipped about water pumps. I pulled the datasheet for the car at the top of my shortlist and it says "avantgarde/standard suspension" - I thought avantgarde was an older trim spec so I need to read up on that, but looks like it's not air. Could be good news on the repair front but bad news on the ride quality perhaps.

 

[ChrisHGTV]

Indeed I do - also a Titanium X It's a saloon though so not practical enough for me as I carry bulky bits of kit around. I've had a couple of CLK's in the past and absolutely loved them. They were a 430 followed by a 320 and I really did notice the drop from V8 to V6 so I perhaps need to be looking at the E350 instead of the E220, but I'm older now and also poorer, so running costs matter

Thanks for the inside gen on your experience with yours. It's the stories about timing chains that are giving my hubby nightmares, so I'll just keep it zipped about water pumps. I pulled the datasheet for the car at the top of my shortlist and it says "avantgarde/standard suspension" - I thought avantgarde was an older trim spec so I need to read up on that, but looks like it's not air. Could be good news on the repair front but bad news on the ride quality perhaps.

I think all estates have self levelling air at the back. Mine is Avantgarde - I think all Avantgardes have the slightly lower, firmer sports suspension. But an Estate will still have air at the back. The self levelling air does work well - we often tour with ours down through Europe (pre COVID) fully loaded with a tow bar bike rack as well and it does help with the handling. Mine is an E250 and it pulls like a train, I’ve certainly never wanted for more power, even on the Autobahn. The V6 might be a bit smoother but in real World performance terms there’s not much in it between the 250 and 350 and the 250 does give better economy. We get around 50mpg on average so similar to the Mondeo even though the Merc is heavier, faster and more powerful. It’s not a car for hooning around in though. I wouldn’t worry about the timing chains or water pump to be honest. There are plenty around that have had no issues. Timing chain seems to be about £700. The air suspension though is probably more likely to need attention at some point. I’ve spent almost £2k on mine but literally everything has been replaced - both air springs, air lines, compressor and valve block. I changed more than I needed to be honest. But the same is also true for BMW and Audi, most cars have certain weak areas so you just have to be aware of what to look for. When I bought mine I knew the air suspension would likely cost at some point. Depending on the mileage/age of car you’re looking at engine and transmission mounts could need doing from 60k miles onwards. I changed mine at 80k miles and it made a big difference to the smoothness. Cost a few hundred £. So mine has been much more expensive to run than the Mondeo, that was a manual and all that needed in over 100k miles was a flywheel and clutch at £800. But I still prefer the Merc!

 

[rumtruffle]

I think all estates have self levelling air at the back. Mine is Avantgarde - I think all Avantgardes have the slightly lower, firmer sports suspension. But an Estate will still have air at the back. The self levelling air does work well - we often tour with ours down through Europe (pre COVID) fully loaded with a tow bar bike rack as well and it does help with the handling. Mine is an E250 and it pulls like a train, I’ve certainly never wanted for more power, even on the Autobahn. The V6 might be a bit smoother but in real World performance terms there’s not much in it between the 250 and 350 and the 250 does give better economy. We get around 50mpg on average so similar to the Mondeo even though the Merc is heavier, faster and more powerful. It’s not a car for hooning around in though. I wouldn’t worry about the timing chains or water pump to be honest. There are plenty around that have had no issues. Timing chain seems to be about £700. The air suspension though is probably more likely to need attention at some point. I’ve spent almost £2k on mine but literally everything has been replaced - both air springs, air lines, compressor and valve block. I changed more than I needed to be honest. But the same is also true for BMW and Audi, most cars have certain weak areas so you just have to be aware of what to look for. When I bought mine I knew the air suspension would likely cost at some point. Depending on the mileage/age of car you’re looking at engine and transmission mounts could need doing from 60k miles onwards. I changed mine at 80k miles and it made a big difference to the smoothness. Cost a few hundred £. So mine has been much more expensive to run than the Mondeo, that was a manual and all that needed in over 100k miles was a flywheel and clutch at £800. But I still prefer the Merc!

Thanks for all the info Chris, very useful - I'm learning fast! I'd better take engine mounts into consideration too then, as the car I like is March 2016 with 61k.... My Mondeo is a manual, I'm lucky to get 25mpg with local running around, which is abysmal for a 2L engine. Perhaps it's my driving style, yet I'm about 50 years beyond being a hooner