Please educate me on W140's

[flango]

Hi All

Well since SWMBO's crash I have had the offer or pointers of a few cars for her so thanks to all that have been in touch it is much appreciated. It seems to come down to the fact I think we will be getting a W210 or W140. Now I'm pretty well up on the W210 but know nothing about the W140. Could all those with ownership or repair experience chip in and educate me please as I know nothing about these cars

What are the pitfalls? what to look for when buying? model specific faults?

I searched the forum last night and found one or two pointers and common faults but thought I would ask the direct question and try and get them all in one thread

TIA Guys

 

[grober]

W140 is the better car by far. The thing to look hard at are the electronics--there's lots of em these 2 sites are useful. Watch for the dreaded engine wiring loom problems during the high risk years.

K6JRF Auto Page

and

V12 Uber Alles, Repair Help for Mercedes Benz S600 V12 W140

You will be lucky to find a diesel! Although some were made later in the cars production run 140.134 , 140.135 I'm not sure if they were available in the UK? The best "balanced "performance wise would be one of the V8 models. I think the straight 6 versions would struggle with the sheer size and weight of the car otherwise.

 

[flango]

W140 is the better car by far. The thing to look hard at are the electronics--there's lots of em these 2 sites are useful. Watch for the dreaded engine wiring loom problems during the high risk years.

K6JRF Auto Page

and

V12 Uber Alles, Repair Help for Mercedes Benz S600 V12 W140

You will be lucky to find a diesel! Although some were made later in the cars production run I'm not sure if they were available in the UK? The best "balanced "performance wise would be one of the V8 models. I think the straight 6 versions would struggle with the shear size and weight of the car otherwise.

Thanks for those thats a great start to commence my W140 education do you know what the high risk years were for the wiring looms?

 

[st4]

Pitfalls from what I know are mainly electrical-make sure EVERYTHING works. You should really consider the V8 models. They will rust but there are decent cars about.

 

[grober]

Thanks for those thats a great start to commence my W140 education do you know what the high risk years were for the wiring looms?

Same as for the W124 and W202 mainly 94-95 but watch for production date and registration date inconsistency. In addition to the loom the innards of the ETA electronic throttle actuators or any electronic component in close proximity to the engine can be at risk. Those big V8s lead to high under bonnet temperatures!

 

[neilrr]

I know some owners love them but they've always left me cold. They're too big, too ungainly, too ugly, too complicated & thirsty. Even the designer, Bruno Sacco, has reservations on this car.
Q & A: Mercedes-Benz's Bruno Sacco - Latest News, Auto Show Coverage, and Future Cars - Automobile Magazine

To me, they look like they were designed with only the N. American market in mind where they'd be competing against other enormous, ugly cars.

The W140 coupe is the only MB pillarless coupe I'd call ugly.

 

[Will]

Yep, they aren't the prettiest of cars (IMHO! ), but I guess that's part of the reason why they're such good value for money. Being that they're a little unloved, they don't fall into the classic appeal and are too old to be newish MBs - a bit of a black hole.

But - they offer an awesome amount of metal for the money, equipment levels tend to be high and despite their complexity are probably better built than the newer replacements.

I'd steer well clear of the usual £2/3/4k dross, worth spending a lot more for a properly maintained car with zero faults, full up-to-date history etc. An underserviced car is a scrapper in the making, the cost of repairs will probably exceed the value of a typical W140.

So - I'd look for a 2/3 owner, 80-120k minter, from a wealthy owner who has spent lots of money on it. Not a silicone-shined auction special with a couple of warning lights, 70% worn cheapo tyres and 75% complete history (probably run on a shoestring for the last 3/4 services etc).

Oh - and I think they can get a bit raggy round the arches etc too, but a hell of a lot better than the newer W210 in that respect!

Will

 

[Quincy_W140]

Hi,

If you do go the W140 route, you're in for a real treat - these are fantastic cars with great presence and refinement... you glide along in sheer luxury ...they are also nimble in the twisties which is surprising for their size.

There are short and long wheelbase versions and the engines available are 2.8(I6), 32. (I6), 4.2 (V8), 5.0 (V8) and 6.0 (V12) - type W140 into Wikipedia and it'll give you the design history and engine data. A diesel option is available too.

It is generally accepted that the 2.8 and 3.2 are underpowered (I have a 3.2 and I find it fine)... the V8's are meant to be bulletproof and the V12 to be avoided because of their complexity and high maintenance cost. The V8 would be a good compromise between power and economy.

Suspension components need regular maintenance - springs break and bushes degrade because this is a 2 ton car. Tyres, disks and pads as well, heavy car = wear and tear.

Rust - mine is 13 years old and just showing signs of rust at the leading edges of the front wheel-arches... very common now and not too expensive to fix.

Having said all that, maybe I've been very lucky, my car has not cost a fortune to keep maintained and everything works perfectly. There are some great bargains out there ranging from £1-5k... obviously you get what you pay for and upkeep is a must.

Get one! Enjoy! Highly recommended

Q.

 

[Roger Jones]

Remember Helmut Kohl? I always thought the W140 was designed with his exceptionally ample dimensions in mind.

 

[janner]

Thanks for those thats a great start to commence my W140 education do you know what the high risk years were for the wiring looms?

1993-1995. There was a minor facelift for the 1996 model so those are the ones to look for (digital climate) to avoid the harness issue.
The only problem with W140s is finding a good one. They were bought to be used so finding a genuine low mileage one is neigh on impossible. You need an S500L with parking sensors and as new as possible.

 

[Dai rees]

Great Cars, mine is the 320 L ( 3.2 litre Long Wheel Base) the engine is powerful enough to cruise along the motorway at very illegal speeds (100mph +) if that is what you want to do or drive conservativly and you will get up to 32 mpg. The cars to avoid, as said are the early pre 1996 versions unless you can be sure that the engine wireing loom has been changed, A bill of 5 600 pounds if it does go and need replacement. Also there are quite a few L P G models around now which if economy is important are an option. Remember that if you do opt for the Long Wheel Base although only 4 inches longer than the standard model they do take a lot of parking space especially in the Supermarkets and Multistorey Car Parks. At the end of the day you will be buying a luxury car with all of the latest refinements such as Double Glazed side windows, Climate Control, all Internal Electrics such as Electric Adjusted Seats and steering Wheel, I could go on but I might bore you. As I have said a fantastic car, the best that I have owned.

 

[Tankerdriver]

W140

Hello flanaiai
i,ve owned a s420 for 7years,use it every day ,its a 97 .
av put 2 coilsprings on it ,av never even had to put a light bulb in it,
and changed the discs and pads twice,
just bought w210 to knock about in while i get the wheel arches sorted never had a problem with the electrics,am missing the comfort already,good luck.

 

[alanuk400]

I know some owners love them but they've always left me cold. They're too big, too ungainly, too ugly, too complicated & thirsty
To me, they look like they were designed with only the N. American market in mind where they'd be competing against other enormous, ugly cars.

The W140 coupe is the only MB pillarless coupe I'd call ugly.

A Tiger tank was too big, too ungainly, too ugly, too complicated & thirsty, but it was good at what it did.

Alan

 

[219]

I have no direct experience of the W140 , although I did consider getting one when looking for a large , safe and roomy car to carry my son around in .

Much as you are doing now , I read up a lot on the various forums , asked around people I knew in the various clubs and the general consensus seemed to be that they were fine , if ugly ( I actually liked the styling , sort of a big W124 in looks ) cars which tended to suffer from electrical gremlins and various gadgets going wrong due to their great complexity but that the basic mechanics of the cars were fine ( although anecdotally with the V12 excepted ) and there were minor rust problems on some cars broadly similar to W124 models . I spoke to the proprietor of a local garage who had been through three V12's and had mechanical problems with all of them , before settling on a 500 which he has now run for years and would not change .

For me , being put off by the potential of expensive to fix electronic problems which I could not do myself , I was swung towards the W126 which was the other contender - these cars are older , but still very well made and good ones cost about the same as a decent W140 . I have been happy with this choice and the one job I have had to use my local indy for was diagnosis of an ABS fault ( turned out to be two wheel sensors , but potentially too costly for me to self diagnose by throwing expensive parts at it until it went away ) mechanically the car has been fine and easy to work on .

The W126 is older , there are a lot of really rough ones about which are not worth bothering about , but there are still good ones which if looked after should start to appreciate soon in much the same way as the W123 has already done in the last couple of years - soon only the better ones will be left and they will be collectors items .

Maybe not what you are looking for , but another option to consider .

A decent S Class might also be something you could buy through your business and use as a car for training chauffeurs/diplomatic drivers in evasion techniques when Mrs F does not need it ?

 

[alanuk400]

use as a car for training chauffeurs/diplomatic drivers in evasion techniques when Mrs F does not need it ?

I use my E39 Touring for that.

Alan

 

[Setanta]

The W140 coupe is the only MB pillarless coupe I'd call ugly.

What?????

BURN THE WITCH!

 

[Lugy]

My 2p;

Technically absolutely brilliant cars, drive any car after a W140 on 16" rims and it will feel tiresome. Mine is just the 230bhp 320 but it's still fine, not a rocket by any means but quick enough for UK roads. It's not a car you'll love but when it's not there you'll miss it, I hope that makes sense, in fact I'm toying with the idea of keeping it and selling the Astra (the Astra was bought to replace the S class as a cheap run about), I'll just drive it less.
Fuel economy is poor, no other way to describe it!

Mine is currently of the road (still) due to an unknown electrical fault but should be back on the go by the weekend I *hope*. Parts so far have been reasonable, though should something big go then Carl of W140.com is a W140 owners friend.

Re. Wills comments about cheapness, I reckon I was very lucky with the car. I'm the 3rd owner, the first being a company owner where it was used very little, I'm the first owner that's not had a private plate, the previous owner lived in a posh area of Glasgow eek:), it has full MBSH bar one service, it was low miles (for age and relative to most other 320s), matching Goodyear Eagle tyres all round and was physically very clean apart from the wings. I paid just under £1k (trade sale though).

 

[flango]

Remember Helmut Kohl? I always thought the W140 was designed with his exceptionally ample dimensions in mind.

Will suit me fine then

 

[Shane10010]

..

 

[Shane10010]

Hi,

Nothing like a little advertising!

I have a 1994 S500 Coupe that I am in the process of selling - Mercedes S500 Coupe - 60,500 miles - PRIVATE SALE on eBay (end time 15-Apr-10 19:04:34 BST)

The W140 is an awesome car and I believe that the coupe is just that little more attractive than the four door.

Mine had the expected electrical issues and I have replaced the Engine Wiring Harness (£450) and Electronic Throttle Actuator (£600) with new original parts then fitted myself. Most other spares are readily available and if you are handy you will be amazed what you can do yourself.

If i were to buy another I would consider:
- Which engine (i would stick with the 500)
- Four door or coupe (my coupe is plenty big enough for 4 adults - much bigger than the CLK I had)
- Daily driver or 'collector'
- History
- Bodywork
- Distributor or full electronic ignition
- Pre or post facelift

Hope this helps.
Shane