Viewing a 2004 E270 CDI tomorrow. Anything I should pay particular attention to?

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The Mirror Man

Active Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2015
Messages
216
Car
W211 E270 CDI Elegance.Rover 75 Tourer
It's an estate with FSH (apparently), and 178k miles on the clock.

I've been told it's been well looked after by the local doctor owner for the last 12 years but there are few if any receipts for work.

I'll be insisting on a good test drive and I'll be looking over the car best I can.

Any areas I should pay particular attention to???
 
178,00 and very little service history, could be a recipe for disaster.
What attention to the braking system has been made?
What engine services has it had ??
What services has the gearbox had?
Are you speaking to this doctor for a full run down of whats been done or is this "well looked after " salesman talk?
I hope this is very very cheap with no documented history.

Steve
 
178,00 and very little service history, could be a recipe for disaster.
What attention to the braking system has been made?
What engine services has it had ??
What services has the gearbox had?
Are you speaking to this doctor for a full run down of whats been done or is this "well looked after " salesman talk?
I hope this is very very cheap with no documented history.

Steve

Cheers Steve. It's got 16 stamps in the service book but no receipts for work, that's all.
It's this one Mercedes-Benz E Class 2.7 E270 CDI Elegance 5dr
 
That does look a well looked after car for the price.
I'd really like to see receipts for work done and a check of the MOT advisories would give a clue as what should have been done.
 
Hi,
The Autotrader link does not work for me. 16 Stamps in the book is looking better.

AMGeed .... Would you tell me how you located the car please.?

Steve
 
I like that colour.

I have to admit, I'm not that struck on the colour. lol. I'll grow to like it if i buy it though. This is a head over heart purchase though. If the car is no good I'll walk, no matter what colour it is.
 
The Mirror Man said:
I have to admit, I'm not that struck on the colour. lol. I'll grow to like it if i buy it though. This is a head over heart purchase though. If the car is no good I'll walk, no matter what colour it is.
I'm colour blind.
 
I'd be wanting to know if injectors have been replaced or resealed / remove engine cover and look for any signs of 'Black Death' ( plenty of threads on here describing it ) smell for exhaust fumes around top of engine which is another sign of leaking injector seals , as is a 'chuffing' sound , by which time you need a new injector .

I'd also want to know when the ATF/filter in the gearbox was last changed .
 
Those stamps look to be main dealer ones
If they are all MB then you have an owner who is likely to have all /most work needed done. That will be a mindset 'thing' as sensibly a car of that age/ value need not be seen by dealers.....

MOT history and advisories worth reviewing as well as gear change (ATF changed) as well as engines specifics such as this injectors (though not a problem on all 270s)

Electrics all working etc?
 
I'd be wanting to know if injectors have been replaced or resealed / remove engine cover and look for any signs of 'Black Death' ( plenty of threads on here describing it ) smell for exhaust fumes around top of engine which is another sign of leaking injector seals , as is a 'chuffing' sound , by which time you need a new injector .

I've just had to have all mine resealed and one new one. ££££-worth of labour as they were very difficult to get out.

Main Dealer service history is fantastic.

I have sometimes found this with cars - loads of stamps in the book but not one receipt. If you are self-employed, they (or a copy) goes off to the Tax man. Maybe they didn't get them back. Nothing suspicious as long as the book's stamped.

The Elegance model by the way is smoother to drive.
 
Last edited:
Hi,
Well I got around the non working Autotrader link by using windows Explorer instead of Chrome, if that's of any use to anyone.
Anyways, colour is fine for me, nice sunroof and useful towbar as you wanted. Also even better is that the price is right. Wave cash at the dealer and you may get it even cheaper ! Gives you a few bob in your pocket for emergencies.
If there is no evidence of a gearbox filter and oil change , then just get it done after you bought it.
As above,in previous posts, when you have the bonnet up listen for chuffing and look for any injector blow by ( black death), everything else should be whirring around calmly, with no squeals or rattles. If all is as good as it reads, I am sure you will be delighted.
Can you not find cars to buy closer to home ?
Incidently, the Autotrader link has your post code on it. No real problem except when everyone turns up for the " new car purchase party" !!!!
Hope all goes well
Steve
 
Cheers guys.
Well! been to see it now, and it's good news bad news time.

Apart for a 4hr journey taking 5hrs+, don't ask, I finaly got to see and drive the beast.

GOOD NEWS: it feels as tight as a tight thing in a tight place. I can't express how impressed I was by the way it drive (if you are deaf). No clunks, rattles, knocks or swaying about on corners. In fact it drove like a new car, really! it went round corners like it was on rails, rolled not one bit and ironed the road as it went along. BIG thumbs up.

BAD NEWS: it ran like Old Farm Giles' 50 yr old diesel tractor. It astarted instantly, but ticked over like a 6 pot with one missing. A bit like "taddah, taddah, taddah, taddah. On a petrol engine (int' th'old days I'd call it "hunting"). And although, when driving along it smoothed out, it still sounded a bit "agricultual". Are all 270s like that??????
Before I read the post left today, I was thinking 1. an injectors needs replacing or 2. it needs 2 bottles of Forte diesel additive through it.
What do you think?

And finally. When I started it up there was the sound of some sort of motor or pump running. Only for a couple of seconds, and then it was gone. This happened a few times (but not always) after I had braked and come to a halt. SBC brake pump packing up???? or does the pump do that when it is healthy???


Can't tell you how much I have appreciated your input and guidance so far. Cheers guys.

PS: the inside of an E: what a nice place to be.
 
Hi.
The pump running noise is the SBC pump, they all do that, some make more noise than others. The pump runs constantly pumping brake fluid around the system, all computer controlled. Replaced pumps seem to be quieter. There was a recall many years ago to fit a valve or something to quieten them down a bit, but most will have been done by now. As soon as you wake the car up by opening the door the pump will start. Which is why if you do brake pad changes you never open the doors.
I always stick a dose of Millers in mine to keep the injectors sweet, especially before a long run.
What did the car seller say about the engine??
I cannot say I have ever heard a 270 ......but my 2.9 Sprinter Van is only 5 cylinders and that idles very smoothly ( only 226,000 miles on that.) I have heard 220's that are very rattly, 320's always seem to be quieter and in the cabin you can barely hear them.
I copied this off of the Piston Heads Forum where several others seem to say the 2.7 engine was a tad noisy, tractors and Gardner engines were comparisons.

""I had a CLK270 as my daily up until last year when I sold it to get a CLK320 yes the engine is a bit noisy at idle but less so than any 4 pot diesel 174k miles on mine & june last year it ran 217bhp(yes I had it mapped) also the 270's don't have the dreaded DPF so one less headache they do seem to suffer with O rings on the Injectors but it's an easy fix. You have to make sure you put the right oil in as they are a bit particular it also makes them less noisy.""

You are right, E class cabins are a nice place to be and more room than a C class.
Whats the plan now? Take a punt or look for a 320?

Steve
 
Hi,
I forgot to add, did you see the service stamps? Were they main dealer ones, because if so, you should be able to get a print out of all the work that has been done.
Did you get the Vin number so you can get the full factory spec of it?
Steve
 
Hi.
The pump running noise is the SBC pump, they all do that, some make more noise than others. The pump runs constantly pumping brake fluid around the system, all computer controlled. Replaced pumps seem to be quieter. There was a recall many years ago to fit a valve or something to quieten them down a bit, but most will have been done by now. As soon as you wake the car up by opening the door the pump will start. Which is why if you do brake pad changes you never open the doors.
I always stick a dose of Millers in mine to keep the injectors sweet, especially before a long run.
What did the car seller say about the engine??
I cannot say I have ever heard a 270 ......but my 2.9 Sprinter Van is only 5 cylinders and that idles very smoothly ( only 226,000 miles on that.) I have heard 220's that are very rattly, 320's always seem to be quieter and in the cabin you can barely hear them.
I copied this off of the Piston Heads Forum where several others seem to say the 2.7 engine was a tad noisy, tractors and Gardner engines were comparisons.

""I had a CLK270 as my daily up until last year when I sold it to get a CLK320 yes the engine is a bit noisy at idle but less so than any 4 pot diesel 174k miles on mine & june last year it ran 217bhp(yes I had it mapped) also the 270's don't have the dreaded DPF so one less headache they do seem to suffer with O rings on the Injectors but it's an easy fix. You have to make sure you put the right oil in as they are a bit particular it also makes them less noisy.""

You are right, E class cabins are a nice place to be and more room than a C class.
Whats the plan now? Take a punt or look for a 320?

Steve

Thanks for that Steve,
It did sound much more agricultural than my rover (BMW sourced) diesel.
Plan now? ring the garage that has looked after the servicing and MOTs and ask what they think of it.. If it's a thumbs up: make a offer of £2k ish. If it's a tale of woe: walk away.

It has a towbar and is as tight as a drum, so may do a few years.
 
My friend has a clk 270 cdi and it's noisy and not all that smooth. At that mileage i would want to know when/if the turbo has been replaced and also check the box as it is more than likely going to be the 'big expensive part' to go sooner rather than later that could cost £2k+ to sort.
 
My C270CDI was a bit noisy and agricultural at idle too , but did idle evenly without any 'hunting' and was smooth enough on the move , but you always knew it was a diesel .

I've had a long line of petrol engined cars 4 , 5 ( 2nd gen Passat GL5 ) , 6 and 8 cylinders and all generally smooth and quiet ; and only the two diesels - a W124 E250D ( also 5 cyl ) and the C270 .

While the E250 was a cheap car , one of the late Indian assembled ones , and the engine was great ( an older normally aspirated and non CDI diesel ) the car had issues with the manual gearbox jumping out of gears and making worrying noises - a spare gearbox came with the car but turned out to be from a W202 with no drive for the speedo . A gearbox rebuild was going to be a lot more than the £500 I paid for the car and my local garage also told me it needed a new dual mass flywheel , besides me asking them to change the clutch while they had the gearbox out ( the car had just over 100K so it seemed a sensible thing to do even though the old one was fine ) . I just had them bolt it back together , sold it to a fellow member here who was made fully aware of the issues - he ran it as was for another year before exporting it to Hong Kong ! That was a nice smooth running engine too , apart from the diesel idle , but fine on the move .

I see a lot of people mentioning O rings and injectors besides my own experience , so really that would be my one big worry - if there was some evidence of the injectors having been resealed or replaced , I'd have a go ; or even if they look all nice and clean and dry I might buy the car then get someone competent to take them out and replace the O rings ( more a sort of sealing washer ) - when mine were done , the genuine MB injectors were just shy of £300 each ( and they come coded to each cylinder , although can be reassigned on STAR ) and the labour for removing the old one , cleaning up the seat , refitting etc was about another hundred - had I got them all removed and reseated after the first one started leaking I might have saved the expense of the other four injectors - doesn't take long for escaping gases to do damage - but hindsight is wonderful . The washers are pennies , I seem to recall some people fitted washers from another car manufacturer which were just a tad thicker than the MB ones , and if you did that before any fail you might prevent problems with just a few hundred in labour , rather than the two grand I eventually coughed up .

The car does sound nice and I'd be inclined to take a punt , or else look out for a petrol one which will likely be cheaper , tends to be higher specced , probably privately owned and looked after , and won't have any of the CDI issues , at the trade off of poorer fuel economy - a petrol 320 would be a fine car .
 
My C270CDI was a bit noisy and agricultural at idle too , but did idle evenly without any 'hunting' and was smooth enough on the move , but you always knew it was a diesel .

I've had a long line of petrol engined cars 4 , 5 ( 2nd gen Passat GL5 ) , 6 and 8 cylinders and all generally smooth and quiet ; and only the two diesels - a W124 E250D ( also 5 cyl ) and the C270 .

While the E250 was a cheap car , one of the late Indian assembled ones , and the engine was great ( an older normally aspirated and non CDI diesel ) the car had issues with the manual gearbox jumping out of gears and making worrying noises - a spare gearbox came with the car but turned out to be from a W202 with no drive for the speedo . A gearbox rebuild was going to be a lot more than the £500 I paid for the car and my local garage also told me it needed a new dual mass flywheel , besides me asking them to change the clutch while they had the gearbox out ( the car had just over 100K so it seemed a sensible thing to do even though the old one was fine ) . I just had them bolt it back together , sold it to a fellow member here who was made fully aware of the issues - he ran it as was for another year before exporting it to Hong Kong ! That was a nice smooth running engine too , apart from the diesel idle , but fine on the move .

I see a lot of people mentioning O rings and injectors besides my own experience , so really that would be my one big worry - if there was some evidence of the injectors having been resealed or replaced , I'd have a go ; or even if they look all nice and clean and dry I might buy the car then get someone competent to take them out and replace the O rings ( more a sort of sealing washer ) - when mine were done , the genuine MB injectors were just shy of £300 each ( and they come coded to each cylinder , although can be reassigned on STAR ) and the labour for removing the old one , cleaning up the seat , refitting etc was about another hundred - had I got them all removed and reseated after the first one started leaking I might have saved the expense of the other four injectors - doesn't take long for escaping gases to do damage - but hindsight is wonderful . The washers are pennies , I seem to recall some people fitted washers from another car manufacturer which were just a tad thicker than the MB ones , and if you did that before any fail you might prevent problems with just a few hundred in labour , rather than the two grand I eventually coughed up .

The car does sound nice and I'd be inclined to take a punt , or else look out for a petrol one which will likely be cheaper , tends to be higher specced , probably privately owned and looked after , and won't have any of the CDI issues , at the trade off of poorer fuel economy - a petrol 320 would be a fine car .

Thanks for that Pontoneer. Tell me, when you are driving your E270CDI, is the engine audible?

In the one I drove yesterday I could hear the engine as I drove along but only while it was "pulling". Just coasting along it was pretty much silent.

About 2/3 of the 16 service stamps were genuine MB. The others were all from a local garage up the road from the selling dealer, who said the garage has a first class reputation and charges a fortune. The same garage has done all the MOTs. I photographed the last 6 because all had advisories. I've mislaid my mobile but Ill post the vin number and advisories when I find it.

I am very tempted. The only thing holding me back is the rough idle and agricultural feel of the engine, but I can't imagine an engine that has been serviced every year and c10,000 miles can have anything really wrong with it.
 

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