Mercedes-Benz E320CDi Avantgarde W210
Discussion
I thought I'd post up my repair and maintenace costs since acquiring the car in December 2009. It might be of interest to current or prospective owners of the W210 E320 Cdi.
Previous service history as stamped in the book prior to my ownership:
Car registered new on 04/03/2002
1st service at 11,771 miles ; 11/04/03
2nd service at 19,364 miles ; 03/03/04
3rd service at 30,210 miles ; 19/05/05
4th service at 42,117 miles ; 21/05/06
5th service at 54,316 miles ; 16/07/07
6th service at 69,112 miles ; 11/02/08
7th service at 83,417 miles ; 23/03/09
Now on to my records:
09/12/2009 ; Headlamp aim all over the place plus a rear bulb blown: £62.97
18/12/2009 ; 90,904 miles, car running too cold, new thermostat and coolant: £160.00
23/12/2009 ; 4 new tyres, Avon 235/45 ZR17 £347.30
13/02/2010 ; WIM geometery check, unable to adjust as broken front spring £30.00
06/05/2010 ; Pierburg MAS from ECP, self fitted £53.42
08/03/2010 ; 92,592 miles, B service at MB Indy, 2xbelt pulleys and V belt, pollen filter. Advisory: requires 2 bottom arms & alternator pulley £348.21
30/03/2010 ; 93,424 miles, replace 2 x front lower arms, 2 x front springs, 2 x drop links, alternator pulley, reseat NSR spring £626.85
21/05/2010 ; 94,908 miles, replace plastic fuel lines and clips as leaking £200.70
20/08/2010 ; 97,271 miles, breakdown! Recovered from jct 18 on M4, blue smoke from rear and high temperature. Recover back home. No charge (passenger friend was in AA, (bought her a few drinks)
27/08/2010 ; 97,278 miles, replace water pump as pulley seized, plus new V belt as heat damaged, new thermostat, 2 x pulleys and coolant £489.97
18/10/2010 ; Disabled EGR as per this thread (page 11) under £20.00 inc tools bought
22/10/2010 ; 98,133 miles, MoT FAIL. Blocked washer jets, front side lamp bulb. Three advisories: Front tyres close to limit, rear brake hose slightly deteriorated. 4 wheel alignment (separate request) £85.14
12/02/2011 ; visited tyre specialist for geometry check, unable to do as no camber bolts, noticed very hot NSF brake disc, possibly seized caliper, carried out remove-refit of pad and cleaned caliper £30.00
26/02/2011 ; 100,728 miles, WIM full geometry adjustment with 3 camber bolts £222.00
10/03/2011 ; 2 x Uniroyal Rainsport2 front tyres £204.24
27/05/2011 ; Excessive brake pad dust on NSR wheel, both front calipers cleaned plus 2 front discs fitted £180.02
07/07/2011 ; 104,488 miles, Viscous coupling seized, part bought from ECP, garage fitted £127.05
09/07/2011 ; two new key remote batteries £7.58
29/07/2011: 105,000 miles approx, NSF brake caliper and flexi hose replaced; brake fluid change. £325.00
10/09/2011: 106,652 miles, 'A' service, transmission fluid + filter change, replace air filter, EGR valve cleaned. Fault codes checked and cleared, nothing pertinent to fuel injectors present (in my quest for the missing 10 mpg); £307.23
08/10/2011: 106,967 miles. MoT test, passed with three advisories, rear tyres close to limit, rear pads wearing thin, rear brake hoses need replacing soon. £25.00
10/10/2011: EGR shunt removed now that the EGR valve is operating post-service. Will try it for while although I'm not expecting any improvement in mpg. Quick blast up the road and still plenty of thick dark smoke on heavy load but none on no/ light load which there was before the shunt was installed. This points to the seized EGR valve previously causing that issue, I would imagine
14/11/2011: Bosch wiper blade from Halfords - £20.99
05/01/2012: Used RH headlamp bought £114.00
28/01/2012: 110,674 miles: 2 rear tyres Goodyear £223.20
16/03/2012: replaced the brake light switch - £11.94
25/03/2012: Dreaded black smoke has returned on light load. I'll refit the EGR shunt to see if this makes any difference
28/03/2012: AutoAid breakdown cover purchased £38
19/05/2012: 113,997 miles. OSF wheel bearing re-packed with grease and adjusted. Pilot bush replaced and ATF top-up. STAR plug-in: List of codes as long as your arm but long story short, I require a VAC transducer for the charge system. All codes re-set. £81.58
29/05/2012: Charge pressure vacuum converter/transducer fitted £98.93
20/06/2012: 114,890 miles - in limp home mode
29/06/2012: 115,115 miles - New charge pressure vacuum converter/transducer proven to be faulty. Front V-groove tyres swapped to rear, much quieter and less road-speed dependant noise - £45
05/07/2012: 115,495 miles: Replacement charge pressure vacuum converter/transducer fitted under warranty. Minor misunderstanding with Sytner Newbury on nature of fault but amiably resolved and pleased with their service. Top crumpet on reception
07/07/2012: New headlamp top mount bolt and captive nut £2.76
16/09/2012: 3M headlamp restoring kit: £20. 2 x D2R 4300K bulbs: £15. 2 x H1 bulbs and 2 x 501 LED bulbs: £6. Motor has developed a horrendous metallic clicking noise over 3,000 rpm on heavy load, engine speed dependant since the charge pressure vacuum transducer was replaced. Will have it checked out.
01/10/2012: 118,212 miles: MoT test fail £25.00.
LH headlamp output too low due to deteriorated lens
Rear fog lamp not working
Front wiper does not clear windscreen effectively
Exhaust system not adequately supported (rear box bracket broken)
Advisory: RH headlamp deteriorated lens
I disconnected the MAS to get it through the smoke test.
05/10/2012; 118,434 miles. Visit to Alex Crow in sunny Suffolk.
Further STAR test since vacuum transducer fitted and excessive smoke on medium and heavy load. EGR fault fixed with EGR shunt fitted.
Injector knock at higher rpm - no.1 suspect is no.1 injector, to be re-visited at a later date.
RH headlamp and new front fog lamps fitted, rear silencer bracket welded back in to place, sheared heat shield screws replaced as required.
Front bumper re-fitted properly. £184.03
New front wiper blade £11. New front fog lamps £60
Many thanks to Alex Crow and a hearty recommendation from me. Useless fact: Stowmarket has a Wimpy! (Quarterpounder meal deal £7.40)
Remaining work to do for MoT: Fit wiper, fit rear fog lamp bulb, finish headlamp lens sanding/polishing.
15/10/2012: MoT retest, failed. LH headlamp deteriorated and no beam pattern. Grrr!!!
22/10/2012 - used left headlamp purchased £136.00
25/10/2012: 118,950 miles - Headlamp fitted and aim checked/corrected as required £76.80
26/10/2012: 118,983 miles - MoT pass! Hooray. £10
23/01/2013: 120,300 miles - new Bosch battery £101.57
01/03/2013; 121,327 miles: B service plus fuel filter, rear brake pads replaced, No.1 injector replaced, O rings at lift pump and pressure pump replaced,
swirl flap linkage fixed to the open position. £490.09
Black smoke now disappeared for all intents and purposes bar really heavy kickdown (and even then much reduced). Knocking noise from motor on heavy load absent
13/04/2013: Car in to limp-home mode, dark smoke under load and throttle pedal stiffer in operation. Grr!
31/05/2013: Developed a random morse-code tapping noise from behind the glove box area. Starts when key is in position 2 and continues for a few minutes after car is started. No other symptoms that I am aware of.
11/06/2013: Pair of new pattern horns £6.00
22/06/2013: Car booked into Benzworx to remove rust and respray all panels except roof
20/07/2013: Car back from Benzworx and looking very good!
Previous service history as stamped in the book prior to my ownership:
Car registered new on 04/03/2002
1st service at 11,771 miles ; 11/04/03
2nd service at 19,364 miles ; 03/03/04
3rd service at 30,210 miles ; 19/05/05
4th service at 42,117 miles ; 21/05/06
5th service at 54,316 miles ; 16/07/07
6th service at 69,112 miles ; 11/02/08
7th service at 83,417 miles ; 23/03/09
Now on to my records:
09/12/2009 ; Headlamp aim all over the place plus a rear bulb blown: £62.97
18/12/2009 ; 90,904 miles, car running too cold, new thermostat and coolant: £160.00
23/12/2009 ; 4 new tyres, Avon 235/45 ZR17 £347.30
13/02/2010 ; WIM geometery check, unable to adjust as broken front spring £30.00
06/05/2010 ; Pierburg MAS from ECP, self fitted £53.42
08/03/2010 ; 92,592 miles, B service at MB Indy, 2xbelt pulleys and V belt, pollen filter. Advisory: requires 2 bottom arms & alternator pulley £348.21
30/03/2010 ; 93,424 miles, replace 2 x front lower arms, 2 x front springs, 2 x drop links, alternator pulley, reseat NSR spring £626.85
21/05/2010 ; 94,908 miles, replace plastic fuel lines and clips as leaking £200.70
20/08/2010 ; 97,271 miles, breakdown! Recovered from jct 18 on M4, blue smoke from rear and high temperature. Recover back home. No charge (passenger friend was in AA, (bought her a few drinks)
27/08/2010 ; 97,278 miles, replace water pump as pulley seized, plus new V belt as heat damaged, new thermostat, 2 x pulleys and coolant £489.97
18/10/2010 ; Disabled EGR as per this thread (page 11) under £20.00 inc tools bought
22/10/2010 ; 98,133 miles, MoT FAIL. Blocked washer jets, front side lamp bulb. Three advisories: Front tyres close to limit, rear brake hose slightly deteriorated. 4 wheel alignment (separate request) £85.14
12/02/2011 ; visited tyre specialist for geometry check, unable to do as no camber bolts, noticed very hot NSF brake disc, possibly seized caliper, carried out remove-refit of pad and cleaned caliper £30.00
26/02/2011 ; 100,728 miles, WIM full geometry adjustment with 3 camber bolts £222.00
10/03/2011 ; 2 x Uniroyal Rainsport2 front tyres £204.24
27/05/2011 ; Excessive brake pad dust on NSR wheel, both front calipers cleaned plus 2 front discs fitted £180.02
07/07/2011 ; 104,488 miles, Viscous coupling seized, part bought from ECP, garage fitted £127.05
09/07/2011 ; two new key remote batteries £7.58
29/07/2011: 105,000 miles approx, NSF brake caliper and flexi hose replaced; brake fluid change. £325.00
10/09/2011: 106,652 miles, 'A' service, transmission fluid + filter change, replace air filter, EGR valve cleaned. Fault codes checked and cleared, nothing pertinent to fuel injectors present (in my quest for the missing 10 mpg); £307.23
08/10/2011: 106,967 miles. MoT test, passed with three advisories, rear tyres close to limit, rear pads wearing thin, rear brake hoses need replacing soon. £25.00
10/10/2011: EGR shunt removed now that the EGR valve is operating post-service. Will try it for while although I'm not expecting any improvement in mpg. Quick blast up the road and still plenty of thick dark smoke on heavy load but none on no/ light load which there was before the shunt was installed. This points to the seized EGR valve previously causing that issue, I would imagine
14/11/2011: Bosch wiper blade from Halfords - £20.99
05/01/2012: Used RH headlamp bought £114.00
28/01/2012: 110,674 miles: 2 rear tyres Goodyear £223.20
16/03/2012: replaced the brake light switch - £11.94
25/03/2012: Dreaded black smoke has returned on light load. I'll refit the EGR shunt to see if this makes any difference
28/03/2012: AutoAid breakdown cover purchased £38
19/05/2012: 113,997 miles. OSF wheel bearing re-packed with grease and adjusted. Pilot bush replaced and ATF top-up. STAR plug-in: List of codes as long as your arm but long story short, I require a VAC transducer for the charge system. All codes re-set. £81.58
29/05/2012: Charge pressure vacuum converter/transducer fitted £98.93
20/06/2012: 114,890 miles - in limp home mode
29/06/2012: 115,115 miles - New charge pressure vacuum converter/transducer proven to be faulty. Front V-groove tyres swapped to rear, much quieter and less road-speed dependant noise - £45
05/07/2012: 115,495 miles: Replacement charge pressure vacuum converter/transducer fitted under warranty. Minor misunderstanding with Sytner Newbury on nature of fault but amiably resolved and pleased with their service. Top crumpet on reception
07/07/2012: New headlamp top mount bolt and captive nut £2.76
16/09/2012: 3M headlamp restoring kit: £20. 2 x D2R 4300K bulbs: £15. 2 x H1 bulbs and 2 x 501 LED bulbs: £6. Motor has developed a horrendous metallic clicking noise over 3,000 rpm on heavy load, engine speed dependant since the charge pressure vacuum transducer was replaced. Will have it checked out.
01/10/2012: 118,212 miles: MoT test fail £25.00.
LH headlamp output too low due to deteriorated lens
Rear fog lamp not working
Front wiper does not clear windscreen effectively
Exhaust system not adequately supported (rear box bracket broken)
Advisory: RH headlamp deteriorated lens
I disconnected the MAS to get it through the smoke test.
05/10/2012; 118,434 miles. Visit to Alex Crow in sunny Suffolk.
Further STAR test since vacuum transducer fitted and excessive smoke on medium and heavy load. EGR fault fixed with EGR shunt fitted.
Injector knock at higher rpm - no.1 suspect is no.1 injector, to be re-visited at a later date.
RH headlamp and new front fog lamps fitted, rear silencer bracket welded back in to place, sheared heat shield screws replaced as required.
Front bumper re-fitted properly. £184.03
New front wiper blade £11. New front fog lamps £60
Many thanks to Alex Crow and a hearty recommendation from me. Useless fact: Stowmarket has a Wimpy! (Quarterpounder meal deal £7.40)
Remaining work to do for MoT: Fit wiper, fit rear fog lamp bulb, finish headlamp lens sanding/polishing.
15/10/2012: MoT retest, failed. LH headlamp deteriorated and no beam pattern. Grrr!!!
22/10/2012 - used left headlamp purchased £136.00
25/10/2012: 118,950 miles - Headlamp fitted and aim checked/corrected as required £76.80
26/10/2012: 118,983 miles - MoT pass! Hooray. £10
23/01/2013: 120,300 miles - new Bosch battery £101.57
01/03/2013; 121,327 miles: B service plus fuel filter, rear brake pads replaced, No.1 injector replaced, O rings at lift pump and pressure pump replaced,
swirl flap linkage fixed to the open position. £490.09
Black smoke now disappeared for all intents and purposes bar really heavy kickdown (and even then much reduced). Knocking noise from motor on heavy load absent
13/04/2013: Car in to limp-home mode, dark smoke under load and throttle pedal stiffer in operation. Grr!
31/05/2013: Developed a random morse-code tapping noise from behind the glove box area. Starts when key is in position 2 and continues for a few minutes after car is started. No other symptoms that I am aware of.
11/06/2013: Pair of new pattern horns £6.00
22/06/2013: Car booked into Benzworx to remove rust and respray all panels except roof
20/07/2013: Car back from Benzworx and looking very good!
I have a real soft spot for these. My 320 CDi blew up at 155MPH in a drag with a Focus ST, which incidentally was left quite far behind before my engine expired 
My car had done 78k and wasn't the best example in the world, though those modular 6 cylinders are a strong old engine as I made it 80 miles home on 5 cylinders 
Yours in comparison, looks beautiful.
My car had done 78k and wasn't the best example in the world, though those modular 6 cylinders are a strong old engine as I made it 80 miles home on 5 cylinders Yours in comparison, looks beautiful.
tobinen said:
It was pretty rusty beforehand. It cost a few £ but it's looking much better now. Plus Benzworx guarantees his work for 5 years. As I have no intention of selling it for the forseeable future, I decided to go for it!
It certainly looks great. A facelift Avantgarde in Silver is the best looking IMO, especially on the 17's. Had yours gone on the front and rear arches? The front strut towers were another weak point IIRC.Remaining work, not all of it's urgent
1. Limp home mode needs diagnosing
2. Aircon hisses through the vents but no warning light. Not very cold so needs a re-gas (booked in today)
3. squeaky rear brakes when it's warm at low speed - in hand but need to replace them (under warranty with supplier)
4. Steering wheel needs to be centred.
5. SRS light on - probably the usual cause but I have removed the bulb for now
6. Dash pixel repair didn't go to plan - need to have another go (lost count of times)
7. Headlining is grubby, needs a clean. Not urgent
8. Small tear in the leather of the front passenger seat. Not urgent
9. Alloy wheels need renovating. I have bought some replica AMG 18" wheels but I'm not sure if I like them in hindsight. Plus I think it will need lowering a touch to look ok. Not essential
10. COMAND 2 I really do not like. Alpine unit to replace it when I eventually win an auction (missed 4 units now). Not essential
11. No.4 glow plug failed
12. Door pillar trims looking way past it againt the new paint (MB want £115 each!)
1. Limp home mode needs diagnosing
2. Aircon hisses through the vents but no warning light. Not very cold so needs a re-gas (booked in today)
3. squeaky rear brakes when it's warm at low speed - in hand but need to replace them (under warranty with supplier)
4. Steering wheel needs to be centred.
5. SRS light on - probably the usual cause but I have removed the bulb for now
6. Dash pixel repair didn't go to plan - need to have another go (lost count of times)
7. Headlining is grubby, needs a clean. Not urgent
8. Small tear in the leather of the front passenger seat. Not urgent
9. Alloy wheels need renovating. I have bought some replica AMG 18" wheels but I'm not sure if I like them in hindsight. Plus I think it will need lowering a touch to look ok. Not essential
10. COMAND 2 I really do not like. Alpine unit to replace it when I eventually win an auction (missed 4 units now). Not essential
11. No.4 glow plug failed
12. Door pillar trims looking way past it againt the new paint (MB want £115 each!)
Quite a lot of work there. I have an old X-reg E320 CDI used as general smoker for the last two years. Can't remember exact mileage when bought - about 112k I think - £1400 from auction. Now has 136k on the clock. When bought needed new blower fan (£30 used), thermostat (£25 fitted myself) and pixel repair (a luxury £80).
Since then have done oil and filter change and had to replace MAF sensor last month....apart from 4 tyres done absolutely nothing else to it and it has gone straight through every MOT. Still drives very well really, smokes a bit when booted for the first time in a while then tends to clear. Going a bit crusty in the usual places so should get shot but really quite fond of the old thing. Will do 42-43mpg on a run no problem.
Since then have done oil and filter change and had to replace MAF sensor last month....apart from 4 tyres done absolutely nothing else to it and it has gone straight through every MOT. Still drives very well really, smokes a bit when booted for the first time in a while then tends to clear. Going a bit crusty in the usual places so should get shot but really quite fond of the old thing. Will do 42-43mpg on a run no problem.
I had one a few years back...top motoring I thought and although my friends initially 'mocked' me with the taxi jibe, it quickly became known as 'the Limo'. I sadly sold it for a V70 dog wagon though other than the usual early signs of rust, it only needed to essential repairs - namely a new front spring (snapped) and a sudden consumption of the front brake pads. I had it remapped and it gave me easily 42 mpg on the motorway at 'comfortable' speeds. It was a top ride and with the ASR turned off, it was a great gently sideways machine 
127,123 miles: MoT pass! Well it failed on one rear tyre so replaced both rears as very low and very noisy (Uniroyal V grooves - sounded like both wheel bearings shot)
2 x Michelin Primacy 3: £258.00 (also qualify for Michelin special offer so will receive £40 fuel card)
MoT: £38.00
Much quieter now!
Also I had removed the SRS dash bulb prior to test and I expected it to be picked up. Fortunately not so
2 x Michelin Primacy 3: £258.00 (also qualify for Michelin special offer so will receive £40 fuel card)
MoT: £38.00
Much quieter now!
Also I had removed the SRS dash bulb prior to test and I expected it to be picked up. Fortunately not so
Had cause to visit Wheels In Motion after a kerb jumped out at me during parking. I had knocked the toe out and the steering wheel was off. All sorted for £48
Both door mirrors not heating, fault traced to outside temperature sensor shot
Limp home mode finally traced to chafed wiring harness near to the plug connector.
Insurance due next month
Both door mirrors not heating, fault traced to outside temperature sensor shot
Limp home mode finally traced to chafed wiring harness near to the plug connector.
Insurance due next month
Coming up to 130,000 miles. Not much to report. Finally got the steering wheel centred just after Xmas. 4th attempt!
Changed insurance from AXA to Swiftcover (same bloody firm!) and saved £70; premium is now £225.
New outside temp sensor was £17.
Romanian car wash guys used a chemical that has stained all the bumper chromes so looks unsightly, although it's dirty again in this weather so you can't really see it. Chromes from MB are over £250 a set!
I think a wheel bearing is starting to grumble, I have that road-speed dependant noise starting to become more audible. Can't tell which one yet.
Had a quote to upgrade the ICE and bin the COMAND 2.0 which is really dated now. A Pioneer AVIC DAB950, and Hertz door speakers, sub and amp fitted for £1,496. Chewing that over but I want to be able to play MP3s and have better sound, so looking around.
I'll need two front tyres in the near future, otherwise it's running sweetly.
Changed insurance from AXA to Swiftcover (same bloody firm!) and saved £70; premium is now £225.
New outside temp sensor was £17.
Romanian car wash guys used a chemical that has stained all the bumper chromes so looks unsightly, although it's dirty again in this weather so you can't really see it. Chromes from MB are over £250 a set!
I think a wheel bearing is starting to grumble, I have that road-speed dependant noise starting to become more audible. Can't tell which one yet.
Had a quote to upgrade the ICE and bin the COMAND 2.0 which is really dated now. A Pioneer AVIC DAB950, and Hertz door speakers, sub and amp fitted for £1,496. Chewing that over but I want to be able to play MP3s and have better sound, so looking around.
I'll need two front tyres in the near future, otherwise it's running sweetly.
I admire your tenacity and dedication to keeping the car on the road. It is probably just me, but it looks like you have done a incredible amount of work and spent a large wedge of cash to the car which is just over 10 years old and has only 130k miles on it.
It does look smart though.
It does look smart though.
mwstewart said:
I like to read how you're getting on. It's nice to read about a car being maintained to a decent standard - when it comes to cars in this country we're so age obsessed and wasteful.
You're right quite rare these days. Really good to see a 10+ year old car such as this in regular use and being cared for.Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff