RE: Shed of the Week: Mercedes-Benz E430 (W210)
Discussion
My dad had an estate one for 3 years, E430 Avantguarde facelift, I drove it many times and I have experience with this engine as me and my brother ran a CLK 430, paid 500 quid for it, arches resembled titanic.
To drive, it was actually really good, comfortable and planted at the same time, the driving position was better and it was a lot more spacious than the later model, the W211. I loved the steering wheel, I actually remember being allowed to use it to go to the tip, I was 22, first V8 and my god I used to thrash it, the road was a country type one that was always empty, it handles well and it is properly quick but in a way where you don’t realise it.
The engine isn’t for people who want something ‘quick’, because you just don’t feel how quick it is until you look at the speedo, even kick downs weren’t that brutal, having said that, the engine in the CLK felt a lot quicker and it was more responsive, could be down to loads of things.
Anyways my dad bought it at 85k miles and we ended up giving it away at 100k miles for free, so many things went wrong, both keys packed up, that was 300 quid, power steering pump went, because it was for the V8 and it had to be shipped from Germany and only sold from Mercedes and that was 350, plus fitting, the crank shaft sensors went many times, sometimes it wouldn’t start, both sun visors fell apart, the side door handle thing, the leather (actually plastic) came off, the steering wheel had holes in it, the ‘leather’ (also plastic). Nearly every single piece of plastic trim broke, the temp gauge and time gauge began pixelating ending up with a bunch of characters that resemble the predators watch when he sets the timer to blow up Arnold. In the end it failed the MOT and we left it for a few months.
My dad offered it to someone for 500 quid, the man said he’ll give 300, came to see it, said can I give you 100 now and 50 pound a week, my dad said take the thing, I don’t want to see it again.
It’s a shame because I see it around now and then, silent engine, such a calm drive, the engine, chassis and gearbox were fine, it’s just everything else that ruined it.
For 800 quid, the one in the ad could be a laugh, for at least a year, consumption wasn’t that bad, it was actually better than the E46 330i I had at the time, 25 mpg was easy!
To drive, it was actually really good, comfortable and planted at the same time, the driving position was better and it was a lot more spacious than the later model, the W211. I loved the steering wheel, I actually remember being allowed to use it to go to the tip, I was 22, first V8 and my god I used to thrash it, the road was a country type one that was always empty, it handles well and it is properly quick but in a way where you don’t realise it.
The engine isn’t for people who want something ‘quick’, because you just don’t feel how quick it is until you look at the speedo, even kick downs weren’t that brutal, having said that, the engine in the CLK felt a lot quicker and it was more responsive, could be down to loads of things.
Anyways my dad bought it at 85k miles and we ended up giving it away at 100k miles for free, so many things went wrong, both keys packed up, that was 300 quid, power steering pump went, because it was for the V8 and it had to be shipped from Germany and only sold from Mercedes and that was 350, plus fitting, the crank shaft sensors went many times, sometimes it wouldn’t start, both sun visors fell apart, the side door handle thing, the leather (actually plastic) came off, the steering wheel had holes in it, the ‘leather’ (also plastic). Nearly every single piece of plastic trim broke, the temp gauge and time gauge began pixelating ending up with a bunch of characters that resemble the predators watch when he sets the timer to blow up Arnold. In the end it failed the MOT and we left it for a few months.
My dad offered it to someone for 500 quid, the man said he’ll give 300, came to see it, said can I give you 100 now and 50 pound a week, my dad said take the thing, I don’t want to see it again.
It’s a shame because I see it around now and then, silent engine, such a calm drive, the engine, chassis and gearbox were fine, it’s just everything else that ruined it.
For 800 quid, the one in the ad could be a laugh, for at least a year, consumption wasn’t that bad, it was actually better than the E46 330i I had at the time, 25 mpg was easy!
rtz62 said:
Whilst waiting for the Toyota to be built he drove around were he lives in North London with a big home-made sign in his Merc telling people to avoid the marque.
There was an S-Class of that era locally that the owner had signwritten with similar woes. I first spotted it parked on a drive that was in a prominent position on a bend on a country lane. But on occasion I'd see it parked a few miles away from there on a verge in front of the local main stealer. Which is on the main route from the M5 into and out of town!A return to form shed this, in terms of PH-ness, but not for me at this price.
You must be mad to go for anything like this from that dodgy M-B era. I bought a CLK 320CDi 7-G Auto from the so-called "decent" 2007 era in May this year - but I got rid of it 4 months later due the inherent issues, problems, money spent trying to fix it & "what's going to go wrong next" type-thing. I ignored the many warnings on forums etc at my peril. So God knows what this shed will be like to keep going.
The article's buying tip of "....ensure it's got magnets in the gearbox to get rid of any loose swarf..." just says it all really. I mean, what other manufacturer has that...????
Shame on Merc for penny-pinching back then. The R107 SL will be turning in its grave.
The article's buying tip of "....ensure it's got magnets in the gearbox to get rid of any loose swarf..." just says it all really. I mean, what other manufacturer has that...????
Shame on Merc for penny-pinching back then. The R107 SL will be turning in its grave.
I had the estate 430 version of this for a few years. Was a great car for long journeys. Took us to southern Spain many times in comfort and total reliability.
Ours was originally owned by the Swiss Embassy in London so was well specked up. It had all the wings replaced under Mercedes warranty before we owned it. Even after that rust started to appear on the rears. When I took the bumper off to address it, it was like Swiss cheese behind, and where the spare wheel well is was holed badly. (They are stored vertically to one side).
So, if the rust you can see is that bad, they'll be nothing left to rust behind the plastic!!
Ours was originally owned by the Swiss Embassy in London so was well specked up. It had all the wings replaced under Mercedes warranty before we owned it. Even after that rust started to appear on the rears. When I took the bumper off to address it, it was like Swiss cheese behind, and where the spare wheel well is was holed badly. (They are stored vertically to one side).
So, if the rust you can see is that bad, they'll be nothing left to rust behind the plastic!!
It seems most of the criticism of theW210 is due to the corrosion issues, meaning low prices and low opinions. In places without salt on the roads, they last forever. I have a 1998 E55 with no rust, 220,000km and apart from a bit of saggy headliner, it’s perfect.
Market price here in Aus is $15k or more, but an E39 M5 is more than twice as much. So I guess the corrosion reputation precedes it, despite the lack of evidence.
I love the brutal torque, understated looks and relaxing experience of mine. Didn’t like the way it threw me up a bank, sideways once, but that was my naivety and heavy footedness I guess.
Without all the worry of the rust, you can appreciate the mechanics and quality of the rest of the car.
Market price here in Aus is $15k or more, but an E39 M5 is more than twice as much. So I guess the corrosion reputation precedes it, despite the lack of evidence.
I love the brutal torque, understated looks and relaxing experience of mine. Didn’t like the way it threw me up a bank, sideways once, but that was my naivety and heavy footedness I guess.
Without all the worry of the rust, you can appreciate the mechanics and quality of the rest of the car.
carinaman said:
DrSteveBrule said:
FIL had the balance issue on the V6 Merc he brought recently (2008 model I think). Was warned trouble starts at 60k miles and this proved accurate. £4k bill at main dealers to fix.
Is this bimetallic balance thing on the 3.2 litre V6?No such luck in the UK unsurprisingly. The dealer he bought it from paid half as the issue kicked in just weeks after buying the car.
Limpet said:
Every one of these "AMG'd" W210s I see now seems to be driven by the local hardman, usually an angry looking, middle aged guy with a shaved head, a massive beer gut hidden under a vest, tattoos, a bunch of sovereign rings, and a moderate case of sunburn.
And I can't remember the last time I saw one without rotten front wings.
I like German barges as a rule, and a nice, standard, cared for W210 is probably a lovely thing, but not this one.
And I can't remember the last time I saw one without rotten front wings.
I like German barges as a rule, and a nice, standard, cared for W210 is probably a lovely thing, but not this one.
kThere you go.....one without rotten wings
ArmaghMan said:
kThere you go.....one without rotten wings
That corrosion issue at the MOT around the jacking point would put me off anyway though....
DrSteveBrule said:
carinaman said:
DrSteveBrule said:
FIL had the balance issue on the V6 Merc he brought recently (2008 model I think). Was warned trouble starts at 60k miles and this proved accurate. £4k bill at main dealers to fix.
Is this bimetallic balance thing on the 3.2 litre V6?No such luck in the UK unsurprisingly. The dealer he bought it from paid half as the issue kicked in just weeks after buying the car.
This one spotted by cat220 may be a better bet:
cat220 said:
This w210 e430 has the usual rust in the usual places but still looks pretty good. MOT'd until July 2019. Worse ways to spend £1,200...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Funny thing SOTW recently. One week Shed chooses a Fiat Seicento and people moan (I didn't like that one actually), then we have the other extreme, a V8 Merc which cost probably 5 or6 x the Fiat when new and people still moan!!!
Anyway, I had the CLK version of this car briefly and it had not a single rust advisory so it is possible to have one without rust. I really enjoyed my brief time with that car, but honestly, I did move it on after one breakdown (only a sensor) because I feared a big bill at some point would spoil the fun. However for a sub 2 grand car, It did drive very well. Good ride, not wallowy at all and whilst obviously not fast by modern standards still easily quick enough to see of pesky tailgating 320ds on the motorway.
A friend of mine bought a BMW 645ci at the same time as me. In all honesty, mine felt hardly any slower despite the 60BHP power deficit. I think the Merc only weighs around 1550KG, which is barely more than a diesel Focus these days. He spent thousands on his BMW whereas I was able to sell mine for a very small profit with just the one £250 bill for a sensor during my brief 3 month ownership.
So this isn't really a bad shed...heck of a lot of car for the money.
J4CKO said:
Maybe at £500, get the V8 Merc thing out of your system, but its a bit too scabby to pay much more.
That is very much my approach. Use it to tick it off the list, then dispose of it. I like to see the best in rare old brutes like this V8 Merc, but in this case I’d simply use it until it broke or failed its MOT then ship it on or break it for parts. It pains me to admit to depriving the country of one more V8 but when everything around the engine is shot then it’s difficult to justify the outlay to make the whole car good.carinaman said:
DrSteveBrule said:
carinaman said:
DrSteveBrule said:
FIL had the balance issue on the V6 Merc he brought recently (2008 model I think). Was warned trouble starts at 60k miles and this proved accurate. £4k bill at main dealers to fix.
Is this bimetallic balance thing on the 3.2 litre V6?No such luck in the UK unsurprisingly. The dealer he bought it from paid half as the issue kicked in just weeks after buying the car.
This one spotted by cat220 may be a better bet:
cat220 said:
This w210 e430 has the usual rust in the usual places but still looks pretty good. MOT'd until July 2019. Worse ways to spend £1,200...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Eng274 said:
That is very much my approach. Use it to tick it off the list, then dispose of it. I like to see the best in rare old brutes like this V8 Merc, but in this case I’d simply use it until it broke or failed its MOT then ship it on or break it for parts. It pains me to admit to depriving the country of one more V8 but when everything around the engine is shot then it’s difficult to justify the outlay to make the whole car good.
What me and my brother did, CLK430 rust bucket, ran it for a few months and sold it (at a profit surprisingly).
Don’t have any before pics but the guy that bought it had it resprayed
Blackpuddin said:
carinaman said:
DrSteveBrule said:
carinaman said:
DrSteveBrule said:
FIL had the balance issue on the V6 Merc he brought recently (2008 model I think). Was warned trouble starts at 60k miles and this proved accurate. £4k bill at main dealers to fix.
Is this bimetallic balance thing on the 3.2 litre V6?No such luck in the UK unsurprisingly. The dealer he bought it from paid half as the issue kicked in just weeks after buying the car.
This one spotted by cat220 may be a better bet:
cat220 said:
This w210 e430 has the usual rust in the usual places but still looks pretty good. MOT'd until July 2019. Worse ways to spend £1,200...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff