Mercedes w210 E430 (no titivating allowed)
Discussion
I'm back in love with my E430 and it is no longer facing the chop.
Unfortunately I bent a wheel in a pothole last night. I am so peeved about this that I may even write to the Council. I took pictures this morning just in case I do. A new (refurbished) wheel has been ordered from Mercman for £150 (ouch). In other news, the car passed its MOT on Monday with no advisories and pretty amazing emissions results.
I rather like this picture. I've just noticed my urchins peering through the windows into the abyss:
Unfortunately I bent a wheel in a pothole last night. I am so peeved about this that I may even write to the Council. I took pictures this morning just in case I do. A new (refurbished) wheel has been ordered from Mercman for £150 (ouch). In other news, the car passed its MOT on Monday with no advisories and pretty amazing emissions results.
I rather like this picture. I've just noticed my urchins peering through the windows into the abyss:
Sorry to hear of your automotive woes, although I'm also glad that there are kindred spirits (idiots i think we may safely say) out there. I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if I wasn't replacing something, tinkering or paying for tinkering to be done on a monthly basis.
This Victor Hazell Pheasant chap- would that be the Victor Hazell who has a reputation as a rather forceful acquirer of land? The one whom a father and son thwarted in a raisins and Austin Sevens sort of a way?
This Victor Hazell Pheasant chap- would that be the Victor Hazell who has a reputation as a rather forceful acquirer of land? The one whom a father and son thwarted in a raisins and Austin Sevens sort of a way?
Well, there a half hour I don't need back. Good read OP, and a lovely old barge.
I had a '98 e430 estate. Similar spec to yours, although pre-facelift, served me well on the German commute for a few years. I upgraded it to a '97 e55 estate. Yeah, it was faster, meaner handled better... But it is a totally different car. Stiff suspension, completely different power delivery, and I went from over 30mpg to under 25. I can honestly say I preferred the e430. It was understated, wafty and I didn't spend a penny on maintaining it++. I've still got the engine and box from it in my barn to go in something one day...
I've since upgraded the e55 to a w211 e63 estate. That's a whole different animal and out of scope of this thread. I can't believe how much w210 e55's have gone up in value in the last 3 or 4 years - and to a lesser extent the 430's. (I paid £500 for my e430 and £1k for the 55! - although neither were well maintained cars). Are people finally realising that they are bloody good cars?!
++Actually, that's a lie. The gearbox conductor plate did go on it.
I had a '98 e430 estate. Similar spec to yours, although pre-facelift, served me well on the German commute for a few years. I upgraded it to a '97 e55 estate. Yeah, it was faster, meaner handled better... But it is a totally different car. Stiff suspension, completely different power delivery, and I went from over 30mpg to under 25. I can honestly say I preferred the e430. It was understated, wafty and I didn't spend a penny on maintaining it++. I've still got the engine and box from it in my barn to go in something one day...
I've since upgraded the e55 to a w211 e63 estate. That's a whole different animal and out of scope of this thread. I can't believe how much w210 e55's have gone up in value in the last 3 or 4 years - and to a lesser extent the 430's. (I paid £500 for my e430 and £1k for the 55! - although neither were well maintained cars). Are people finally realising that they are bloody good cars?!
++Actually, that's a lie. The gearbox conductor plate did go on it.
Nice car. I've not read all pages. Make sure you perform regular oil changes (I usually don't go over 7k miles) and use a fleece filter. Your car is right about the age where the front end needs to be rebuilt. It's not a hard job. If your wheels feel out of balance, it could be the control arm bushings. If you hear a rattle from the front end, that's the sway bar bushings.
By this age, A/C should be run all year to keep seals lubricated, else it will slowly leak. Other common problem is the blower resistor that fail and of course the 722.6 conductor plate/brake switch combo that can trip it into limp home mode.
None of the above are huge jobs and the car is otherwise super reliable.
By this age, A/C should be run all year to keep seals lubricated, else it will slowly leak. Other common problem is the blower resistor that fail and of course the 722.6 conductor plate/brake switch combo that can trip it into limp home mode.
None of the above are huge jobs and the car is otherwise super reliable.
Hi there,
Finding this thread really made my day! I first spotted your car parked outside Rehills last year and thought it looked super tidy. Being debadged, I was curious enough to look up the plate on DVLA to find out what it was - another E430! They're a rare sight these days. Mine is a 1998 Elegance with just 57k miles on the clock but doesn't look quiet as good as yours. Being green doesn't help! My dad bought it in 2000 and I've been keeping it since 2011. Keep up the good work!
Finding this thread really made my day! I first spotted your car parked outside Rehills last year and thought it looked super tidy. Being debadged, I was curious enough to look up the plate on DVLA to find out what it was - another E430! They're a rare sight these days. Mine is a 1998 Elegance with just 57k miles on the clock but doesn't look quiet as good as yours. Being green doesn't help! My dad bought it in 2000 and I've been keeping it since 2011. Keep up the good work!
Edited by Henry888 on Monday 26th March 18:21
Hello to both of you and welcome to PH, Henry. My wife and I have four old Mercs which you may have seen around and about. What is your E430 like?
They are pretty invisible, especially in Grandpa Elegance spec. Which is how I like it. The only give away is the model badge and the 17" wheels (all other models came on 16s albeit in the same design).
I just gave my friend a lift to deepest Weardale (above St John's Chapel) to collect his Amstrad Turbo Legacy Spec B which became stranded there after an off piste excursion a fortnight ago. The return blast was a surprise to us both: being responsible adults we were not competing but it was clear that the E430 trounced the rice rocket. It was also clear that, in the country at least, every f
ker wants to race the Subaru.
The view from up here over Tyneside is amazing and cannot be captured on an iPhone; the roads are worth a journey, too.
I think my exhaust has a tiny hole as it sounds great at 5,500rpm.
They are pretty invisible, especially in Grandpa Elegance spec. Which is how I like it. The only give away is the model badge and the 17" wheels (all other models came on 16s albeit in the same design).
I just gave my friend a lift to deepest Weardale (above St John's Chapel) to collect his Amstrad Turbo Legacy Spec B which became stranded there after an off piste excursion a fortnight ago. The return blast was a surprise to us both: being responsible adults we were not competing but it was clear that the E430 trounced the rice rocket. It was also clear that, in the country at least, every f
ker wants to race the Subaru.The view from up here over Tyneside is amazing and cannot be captured on an iPhone; the roads are worth a journey, too.
I think my exhaust has a tiny hole as it sounds great at 5,500rpm.
r129sl said:
Hello to both of you and welcome to PH, Henry. My wife and I have four old Mercs which you may have seen around and about. What is your E430 like?
They are pretty invisible, especially in Grandpa Elegance spec. Which is how I like it. The only give away is the model badge and the 17" wheels (all other models came on 16s albeit in the same design).
Thanks for the welcome. I've been in Newcastle for 2.5 years so chances are I'd have seen your other old Mercs.They are pretty invisible, especially in Grandpa Elegance spec. Which is how I like it. The only give away is the model badge and the 17" wheels (all other models came on 16s albeit in the same design).
My E430 has been super reliable mechanically. It started life as a demo car for Mercedes Mayfair. My dad bought it with 37k miles on the clock in 2000. It has been a second or third car in the family hence only 20k miles covered in the last 18 years. When I took it over, I did an overhaul including all fluids, spark plugs and new original Merc springs. I had winter tyres fitted for all year round use which came in handy when my other cars were stuck in the Scottish winter and more recent snow. I find the steering too light/vague and the ride soft but lacking in control, but the straight line acceleration is still decent and the hushed V8 note very likeable. Next spend will be on 4 x Michelin Crossclimate+ at our local Kwik Fit. Mine is on 10-hole 16s which were standard on pre-facelifted Elegance models, so the car is as invisible as it gets. There's (surprisingly) little rust in the usual places and I keep it under control with a coat of Hammerite when required.
Henry888 said:
Would you trust Kwik Fit to do a brake fluid change on the W210? MB Newcastle quoted me £137 for the job...
I missed this, I am sorry. I probably would trust Kwik Fit but I would develop a relationship with Baister if I were you. This evening I did a bit of titivating. I cleaned up the fogged headlamp lenses. Rather than buy a kit, I just used my rotary polisher with some 3M Fast Cut Plus compound. This took about 60 seconds per side. I then coated them with Jet Seal. It took much longer getting the extension lead out the garage and sticking some masking tape around the lenses. I am quite pleased with the results.
Before:
During:
After:
And the products shot:
I must say I am impressed by the 3M products. They just work and they are not at all expensive. There is a lot of w
k in the world of car detailing products, if you'll pardon the expression. It is hard to go past 3M and Autoglym.
It has been a while but the car continues to delight. I serviced it myself the other day which was painless and unremarkable. More recently the air con packed in. A re-gas only lasted a few days so I knew there was a leak. MB Newcastle diagnosed a leaking compressor; they wanted £547 for a genuine MB item but money is not in over-abundant supply at Rodger Towers today so I picked up a Denso item at Euro Car Parts for £345. According to Denso, they design and manufacture compressors for MB. But this car is not money-no-object, so it will have to do. MB Newcastle graciously are fitting it for me. I recommend that garage, on the whole.
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