The king is dead - long live the king

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24 VRT

Active Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2010
Messages
128
Location
North Hampshire
Car
'99 S210 E320CDI A/garde - gone to a better place.. Now '09 S211 E320CDI Sport.
Thought I'd provide some details of my recent Mercedes purchase and on the history of the previous one. Bit of a tale I'm afraid, but may be of interest if you are finding it hard to get off to sleep!!!

I bought my first Mercedes, a S210 320CDI back in 2003. This was driven by wanting a large estate with a huge load space, and the ability to get me from one end of the country to the other in speed and comfort. At the time the 210 was well regarded, particularly with the 320CDI engine. I found a one owner FMDSH car which had been well looked after by its owner. Although it was expensive I figured that, given the reputation Mercedes cars had for build quality and durability (at the time), it would be kept long term. Little did I know the woes that were to befall the 210 model and its (now) terrible reputatuion for rust!

Initially all was well and many an enjoyable lengthy trips took place with the car, and it was just routine servicing at the local main dealer. The spec included front ortho seats (the ones with several airbags in them so you can adjust virtually all areas of th seat) and these enabled me to drive 300+ mile journeys virtually non-stop and still feel fresh and relaxed at the end. This is the car in the early years of ownership:-
DSC00168 (2).jpg DSC00172 (2).jpg
There were some non-routine repairs from time to time - high pressure fuel pump and a new instrument cluster (lost several of the lcd matrix dots) - and I carried on using the main dealer for these jobs. However, there then came an episode with ESP BAS ABS malfunction messages appearing on start up, only to disappear after 'turning off and turning back on' again(!). The dealer presumably thought that this would be a good opportunity to start replacing various parts over various visits, in the hope that it might resolve things. Parts ranged from cheap to ludicrously expensive (a lateral accelleration sensor was, I believe one such item) and still no cure. Eventually they had it in overnight to test it on morning start up, and they then advised it needed a new battery! I now know that these systems are voltage sensitive and if the battery doesn't provide the required level on starting, then the malfunction messages flag up. So after paying for un-neccessary replacement of various sensors, a new battery provided the cure. At this point I lost faith in main dealers and started looking for a good indie to do future non-routine work.

Eventually, the car settled down and mechanically all was well for many a year. Meanwhile the 210 bugbear reared its ugly head - tinworm had taken hold. It was on the wings, doors and tailgate. In fact the bonnet and roof were the only rust free parts! The main dealer did not seem in the least bit interested in any form of warranty or goodwill repair - 'its just an old car' being a comment made at one point. Anyway, not all main dealers are equal. My indie suggested I took the car to the main dealer near to him and they, despite me never having darkened their doorway before, could not have been more helpful. The end result was all the repairs undertaken and I only paid for the bonnet to be sprayed to get rid of the stonechips.

Despite these initial issues, after the best part of 15 years in my ownership I was pleased with my Mercedes and it carried on with effortless high speed cruising, load lugging (frequest trips taking the offspring to university etc.) and with reasonable economy - I think I once managed to get into the high 40s MPG although with my leaden right foot that was rare! In fact its only been in the last year that anything else has gone wrong - the climate control panel failed (c.£500 from Mercedes? No £45 from ebay!).

But, even with the car being garaged at home and used as little as possible when the roads have been gritted in winter, the tin worm has returned. This time its just the bottom corners of the doors and some scabs on the front of the bonnet. I took it to the bodyshop recommended by my indie but regrettably the cost would have been more than she was worth. Time to exit.

So what to do? I loved the comfort and long distance cruising ability of the E Class and the load carrying abilities of the estate. I also loved the power and grunt of the 320CDI. But did I really want to have to get a newer model to then have to go through all the pain of sorting out any faults / problems that previous owners haven't addressed? I toed-and-froed trying to decide - looking and Range Rovers, BMWs, Audi's etc. and just couldn't decide. My indie gave lots of help and advice on the Mercedes models I was thinking about. In the end, in order to avoid tying up a lot of capital in another depreciating asset, and bearing in mind I already had 3 other cars to use, the focus fell on a late S211 320CDI. I looked at a few and liked the improved performance of the V6 over the IL6 engine, coupled with the look and spec of the Sport version.

Eventually I found one that had the spec I wanted, albeit I lost the ortho seats, and most importantly FMDSH with no significant non-routine repairs needed. A good MOT history and it drove beautifully. Wheels recently refurbished, plus new tyres all round, and new front discs and pads at the last dealer service. Body was sound - not a hint of rust - with all original glass and paint, so no indications of accident damage. The bad news was that, whilst the previous owners had all servicing/repair work done at the main dealers, keeping the car clean did not feature in their lives. The paint was rough to the touch and green mould was present in all the interior crevices/seam lines etc. Coupled with the fact that it was used for transporting dogs - the load area carpeting in particular was a sea of short dog hairs with liberal amounts present all through the rest of the car. I've hoovered it out on three seperate occasions so far, and whilst after each session there seems to be no more hairs, a few days later and more come to the surface. Needless to say there was also the aroma of dog pervading throughout.

So mechanically a good car (STAR just showed exhaust oxygen sensor codes - now reset and no recurrence todate) which is bodily sound - just needs thorough cleaning. So off to the detailer following a trip to the paint shop to repair a large scratch in one of the rear doors. The end result is thus:-
Jul '19 (5).jpg Jul '19 (7).jpg Jul '19 (8).jpg

I've cleaned to engine bay and coated the full wheels (see threads under detailing) and had a bad scratch in the NSR door glass polished out. All that's left for me to do are a repair to the carpet on a side trim panel in the load area, and to repair three lines of the heated rear screen elements where some numpty removed a dealership sticker using a razor blade! I'll try and post up details of how I do those in due course.

Hope you like.

Cheers.
 
Great story and no, I am not struggling to get to sleep. Your latest car looks great. Rust, really should be another four letter swear word. I have suffered similar over the years on other marques despite supreme care, garaged, not used in winter etc......

Happy New Year.
 
Thought I'd provide some details of my recent Mercedes purchase and on the history of the previous one. Bit of a tale I'm afraid, but may be of interest if you are finding it hard to get off to sleep!!!

I bought my first Mercedes, a S210 320CDI back in 2003. This was driven by wanting a large estate with a huge load space, and the ability to get me from one end of the country to the other in speed and comfort. At the time the 210 was well regarded, particularly with the 320CDI engine. I found a one owner FMDSH car which had been well looked after by its owner. Although it was expensive I figured that, given the reputation Mercedes cars had for build quality and durability (at the time), it would be kept long term. Little did I know the woes that were to befall the 210 model and its (now) terrible reputatuion for rust!

Initially all was well and many an enjoyable lengthy trips took place with the car, and it was just routine servicing at the local main dealer. The spec included front ortho seats (the ones with several airbags in them so you can adjust virtually all areas of th seat) and these enabled me to drive 300+ mile journeys virtually non-stop and still feel fresh and relaxed at the end. This is the car in the early years of ownership:-
View attachment 87861 View attachment 87862
There were some non-routine repairs from time to time - high pressure fuel pump and a new instrument cluster (lost several of the lcd matrix dots) - and I carried on using the main dealer for these jobs. However, there then came an episode with ESP BAS ABS malfunction messages appearing on start up, only to disappear after 'turning off and turning back on' again(!). The dealer presumably thought that this would be a good opportunity to start replacing various parts over various visits, in the hope that it might resolve things. Parts ranged from cheap to ludicrously expensive (a lateral accelleration sensor was, I believe one such item) and still no cure. Eventually they had it in overnight to test it on morning start up, and they then advised it needed a new battery! I now know that these systems are voltage sensitive and if the battery doesn't provide the required level on starting, then the malfunction messages flag up. So after paying for un-neccessary replacement of various sensors, a new battery provided the cure. At this point I lost faith in main dealers and started looking for a good indie to do future non-routine work.

Eventually, the car settled down and mechanically all was well for many a year. Meanwhile the 210 bugbear reared its ugly head - tinworm had taken hold. It was on the wings, doors and tailgate. In fact the bonnet and roof were the only rust free parts! The main dealer did not seem in the least bit interested in any form of warranty or goodwill repair - 'its just an old car' being a comment made at one point. Anyway, not all main dealers are equal. My indie suggested I took the car to the main dealer near to him and they, despite me never having darkened their doorway before, could not have been more helpful. The end result was all the repairs undertaken and I only paid for the bonnet to be sprayed to get rid of the stonechips.

Despite these initial issues, after the best part of 15 years in my ownership I was pleased with my Mercedes and it carried on with effortless high speed cruising, load lugging (frequest trips taking the offspring to university etc.) and with reasonable economy - I think I once managed to get into the high 40s MPG although with my leaden right foot that was rare! In fact its only been in the last year that anything else has gone wrong - the climate control panel failed (c.£500 from Mercedes? No £45 from ebay!).

But, even with the car being garaged at home and used as little as possible when the roads have been gritted in winter, the tin worm has returned. This time its just the bottom corners of the doors and some scabs on the front of the bonnet. I took it to the bodyshop recommended by my indie but regrettably the cost would have been more than she was worth. Time to exit.

So what to do? I loved the comfort and long distance cruising ability of the E Class and the load carrying abilities of the estate. I also loved the power and grunt of the 320CDI. But did I really want to have to get a newer model to then have to go through all the pain of sorting out any faults / problems that previous owners haven't addressed? I toed-and-froed trying to decide - looking and Range Rovers, BMWs, Audi's etc. and just couldn't decide. My indie gave lots of help and advice on the Mercedes models I was thinking about. In the end, in order to avoid tying up a lot of capital in another depreciating asset, and bearing in mind I already had 3 other cars to use, the focus fell on a late S211 320CDI. I looked at a few and liked the improved performance of the V6 over the IL6 engine, coupled with the look and spec of the Sport version.

Eventually I found one that had the spec I wanted, albeit I lost the ortho seats, and most importantly FMDSH with no significant non-routine repairs needed. A good MOT history and it drove beautifully. Wheels recently refurbished, plus new tyres all round, and new front discs and pads at the last dealer service. Body was sound - not a hint of rust - with all original glass and paint, so no indications of accident damage. The bad news was that, whilst the previous owners had all servicing/repair work done at the main dealers, keeping the car clean did not feature in their lives. The paint was rough to the touch and green mould was present in all the interior crevices/seam lines etc. Coupled with the fact that it was used for transporting dogs - the load area carpeting in particular was a sea of short dog hairs with liberal amounts present all through the rest of the car. I've hoovered it out on three seperate occasions so far, and whilst after each session there seems to be no more hairs, a few days later and more come to the surface. Needless to say there was also the aroma of dog pervading throughout.

So mechanically a good car (STAR just showed exhaust oxygen sensor codes - now reset and no recurrence todate) which is bodily sound - just needs thorough cleaning. So off to the detailer following a trip to the paint shop to repair a large scratch in one of the rear doors. The end result is thus:-
View attachment 87858 View attachment 87859 View attachment 87860

I've cleaned to engine bay and coated the full wheels (see threads under detailing) and had a bad scratch in the NSR door glass polished out. All that's left for me to do are a repair to the carpet on a side trim panel in the load area, and to repair three lines of the heated rear screen elements where some numpty removed a dealership sticker using a razor blade! I'll try and post up details of how I do those in due course.

Hope you like.

Cheers.
That was pretty good going......15 years, and how many miles? Pity it was the tin worm that finished it off, and more than likely the mechanicals had many more miles left ( and if it went to a scrappie, they are most likely still in action. ) But it should not have happened, even back in 2003, most maunfacturers had the rust problem under control...I had an 2003 Audi A6 1.9 TDI Sport, which even back them had the anodised steel body...it was still rust free in 2018 when I sold it and moved to MB. So MB slipped up badly in design back then. A friend of mine and his wife, who both like dogs, and take their full grown GS with them everywhere, even when shopping. ( no one has ever attempted to break into the car while the dog was in it ) But of course, the downside is hairs.....lots of them, as you have discovered !!! After trying multiple vacuum cleaners, they eventually tried using Shark Vacuum cleaners...100% success.
I hope that you will have an even better experience with the new car.
 

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