Should I buy a 2000 E class

[Bunny55]

I know Merc have a problem with rust on their cars, and they may or may not be covered by warranty.

I cannot afford to buy one from 2003 and I want to buy a 2000 e class 320CDI. Am I mad or are there good ones out there as well. Surely they don't all rust do they ?

Any advice welcome

Thanks

 

[gl boy]

some one will correct me if i am wrong but if you are looking at a 2000 car the should be covered under warrenty for the rust(up to 10 years and that it is rust from inside out) if it serviced in accordance with mercedes benz

 

[karlefr]

Eight years?

But usually the Mopf (Modelpflege: model enhancement) models (a more rounded front, indicators in the outside mirrors, more pleasing rear lights and a multifunction steering wheel and an enhanced display) are usally rock (rost) solid machines.
If you see complaints in these forums that's why we joined the club to get help, remember 90 percent or more of the owners are not members and are motoring along with very little problems at all.

Just check it properly for rust and so on!

As long as you stick to the service intervalls, you should become a happy Benz owner!

 

[DrNick]

Without wishing to start a giant thread about rust again (but perhaps inevitably doing just that!), my facelift 2000 E class has already been treated for rusty wings and is now going around the rear arch, so sadly it is not true to say that the facelift models don't rust. They appear just as bad as the previous ones.
I'd say treat every case on its own merits and inspect all the known rust points carefully - there are undoubtedly some good ones out there. Sadly it also appears to have very little to do with how they are looked after. My previous one lived its entire life on the motorway except stopping for fuel and services and it went rusty.
The current one spent the first 6 years of its life just pootling about and lived in a garage, washed every few weeks and had an immaculate MB history. Still went rusty in the same places. One was metallic and the other wasn't. One was facelift, the other wasn't. Both were/are mechanically excellent and great to drive.
So check minutely for rust under the arches, all over the wings, round the windscreen seal, under the door seals and round the bootlock. If you do get one, fill in any stones chips immediately or the rust will spread like you won't believe. A complete MB history will aid your case if you ever need to get it treated. MB policy seems to change monthly however. My first one was fixed even though there was no MB history.

Oh, and there are some bits that you can't see that also rust, such as crossmembers. And on the CDI the glow plugs can snap off when being changed, so worth checking they've been done at least once as newer plugs are supposed to be stronger!

 

[Bunny55]

Thanks for the input guys. One more question.

If I buy a Merc with no rust, it then rusts, panels get replaced under warranty.

Are the replacement panels better than the original or will they just rust.

Those of you who have panels replaced, are they ok ?

Graham

 

[ShinyF1]

some one will correct me if i am wrong but if you are looking at a 2000 car the should be covered under warrenty for the rust(up to 10 years and that it is rust from inside out) if it serviced in accordance with mercedes benz

Safer to allow 8 years if you have FMBSH...

 

[Vlad]

Thanks for the input guys. One more question.

If I buy a Merc with no rust, it then rusts, panels get replaced under warranty.

They don't replace the panels as most of the time its just surface rust....they only time they would replace a panel is if its rusted from the inside out, which is not the case in 95% of W210 rust problems.

Its also safe to say that there are also plenty of W210's out there which are not rusty....its just that you only hear of the rusty ones.

They are great cars....comfortable, capable of building up huge mileages and from my experience, very reliable.

Don't discount the E220CDi, its much more economical in day to day driving

 

[smartv11]

I have just sold my 2000 e-class - and its a massive relief:bannana: :bannana: , stopping rust is like trying to stop the tide coming in - IMPOSSIBLE!!

I spent a few hundred £££ to get the wheel arches done and a few other bits, at a back street spray shop and then with fingers crossed sold it asap.

As much as I loved driving the car, I shall not be returning to mercedes ownership for some time - I've taken a company car - but if I was buying privately I would not look at any pre 2005 cars.

 

[glojo]

I have just sold my 2000 e-class - and its a massive relief:bannana: :bannana: , stopping rust is like trying to stop the tide coming in - IMPOSSIBLE!!

I spent a few hundred £££ to get the wheel arches done and a few other bits, at a back street spray shop and then with fingers crossed sold it asap.

As much as I loved driving the car, I shall not be returning to mercedes ownership for some time - I've taken a company car - but if I was buying privately I would not look at any pre 2005 cars.

Once the bodywork is repaired outside of either the goodwill eight years, or Mobilo 30 year cover, then you are inviting Mercedes-Benz to throw out any future claim. There have been countless posts of owners having the paintwork checked out, measured etc. I fully support the suggestion that there are good ones out there, but by crikey I would have my magnifying glass and fine tooth comb out when checking the vehicle. The 320CDI is without doubt the engine of choice and I wish you all the luck in buying a decent vehicle but please try to get one with a full Mercedes-Benz main dealer history and try to get in writing that the vehicle has not had any accident damage or been repaired outside of the Mobilo stipulations.

Good luck
John

 

[GrahamC230K]

Given such the high likelyhood of trouble, must it really be a Mercedes E-Class?

Seriosuly, I would look else where specifically to avoid this model of that era.

Of all the things to try and resolve, rust has to be one of the worst.

 

[E200K]

There's no rust on my E Class. Mind you, it doesn't rain here much. The last time I saw rain I was so shocked that someone had to throw a cup of dust in my face to calm me down.

 

[ShinyF1]

I spent a good couple of months trawling through this and 'the other' forum before bought my 'E' last year. It was bought from an independent dealer with rust evident on the tailgate, but I was given written endorsement from Tony Purslow [they had serviced it from new for the single owner and had accepted it as a trade in before 'moving it on'] that they would repair it. Purslow also gave me 'de-personalised' copies of all the service bills [including warranty claims] which helped.

I watch it carefully for any deterioration, but 'touch wood' doors, wings, spring cups and front cross member are all clear. There are a couple of stone chips on the bonnet that I have touched in and may get worse but heyho - I went in with my eyes open thanks to this forum.

Good luck - there are nice W210s out there. I love mine but don't use a car enough [mainly weekends] to justify the outlay for a newer W211. I know what my next car will be in 2012 though....assuming the W210 lasts that long!

 

[mark.t]

Given such the high likelyhood of trouble, must it really be a Mercedes E-Class?

Seriosuly, I would look else where specifically to avoid this model of that era.

Of all the things to try and resolve, rust has to be one of the worst.

nearly all the Mercedes range around that time suffer from some sort of rust problems it was not just the 210 ..... and when your on top of it they are great cars,Mercedes are renewing parts allot easier nowadays as they are getting used to the process and the warrenty work is being done ...bullet proof engines (well the 3 lit diesel)that go on for ever,?000.000 and as said some really good examples ...the rust issue would not put me off buying one again ...but the new CDI's are only good for 100,000 before the start to go wrong and the do have problems before this kind of millage is ever reached.

 

[Sam Lister]

Bit confused here!

If your 99onwards merc has FMBSH is rust warranty valid for 30 or 8 years from date of first reg?

 

[glojo]

duplicate

 

[glojo]

but the new CDI's are only good for 100,000 before the start to go wrong and the do have problems before this kind of millage is ever reached.

?? Don't think so, the police sometimes keep their 320cdi 210's for 300,000 miles or three years and are usually main dealer maintained. (Metropolitan forces might differ) It is also a popular taxi and these things also clock up enormous mileages. 100,000 miles should see the engine run in though?

John

 

[mark.t]

?? Don't think so, the police sometimes keep their 320cdi 210's for 300,000 miles or three years and are usually main dealer maintained. (Metropolitan forces might differ) It is also a popular taxi and these things also clock up enormous mileages. 100,000 miles should see the engine run in though?

John

yes John but what about the work that is carried out on these cars ...the police have range rovers as well ..and we all know how bad they are, the cost of keeping them on the road must be huge ... you need to find out what kind of money they mercedes throw at them to keep them maintained....the fact still remains that the CDI engines are more fragile that the diesel lumps ....with probably less repairs needed... we all know when the Mercedes sales department struck a deal with the police and for the kudos of having there vehicles with that group, deals on serving and maintaining would be adjusted to suit the final deal, and the warranty over 3 years helps the deal ...... the ML's that the force had where going through gearboxes for fun as the traffic officers were towing rather more than 2 tons off the motor way on to the hard shoulder...they would drag it away ...for the private owner its another story....