Shed Of The Week: Mercedes E-Class

A W210 diesel E-Class that isn't rolling rust? Might be worth a shot...

Built from 1995 to 2002 or thereabouts, the Mercedes-Benz W210 E-Class is best known for, well, rust. One Paul Garlick, ex of this parish, once described an earlier W210 Shed as "the E-Class Club Sport... the longer you own it, the lighter it becomes".

Not just diesel, this is a 'TURBODIESEL'

Depending on who or what you believe, this was a consequence of: inadequate amounts of primer; the cost-saving switch from solvent- to water-based paints, sparingly applied; the use of so-called 'stretched steel' on pre-June 2001 cars.

W210 corrosion usually makes its presence felt on front wings, door bottoms and window seal areas and the boot lid around the numberplate - but wait a minute. This E300 is different. Look at the shots. Quite apart from there being no sign of any rust anywhere, the shutlines look absolutely amazing.

Could it be that this car was an early victim of the rust, and perhaps an early recipient of the remedial action that Mercedes became increasingly reluctant to provide when the shocking scale of the rust problem became clear?

Or, here's another thought: could it be that the lads on the W210 production line took a bit more care on the 300 diesel, fearing a factory invasion by big hairy German taxi-drivers with warranty claims attached to heavy lengths of drainpipe-sized bratwurst?

Either way, the best thing about this right-angled slab is the 18,000-ton lump of pig iron under the bonnet. If you're used to the refinement levels of a modern diesel, this old thudder might come as a shock, but she'll hit 135mph if you can stand the anguish and return mid-30s mpg figures, though not at the same time. For rather smaller mpg numbers you can bolt on a (much) bigger turbo and get surprising results. Here's one with a Scania puffer.

A manual gearbox away from full poverty

These pre-2000 Merc diesels were known for their low breakdown rate, so even with a few mods you'd have every reason to expect it to last for many more years, running on veggie oil too if you so desired.

Now, check out those odd little knobs between the driver's seat and the centre console. Shed reckons these are for the auxiliary heater.

The what now? This is a smashing little system that, being as how this is a pre-'99 non-facelift model, runs on the car's main fuel which it takes from the tank via a separate line. A spark plug ignites a burner which heats up the engine coolant until it reaches a decent temperature, at which point a relay fires up the heater blower to en-warm the cabin.

It's a simple, slightly dangerous-sounding but efficient setup. Even in Siberia, you can have your E300 cabin nice and toasty within 20-30 minutes. Unlike rubbishy old heated seats, it warms the whole cabin, making light work of any snow or ice that might be on the windows.

Those aforementioned German taxi drivers love their auxiliary heat as it keeps their buns crackling without having to keep the engine running. You can still spec aux heating on more modern Mercs, with heating or indeed cooling kicking into action for pre-determined departure times.

If Taxi Driver was set in the 90s. In Derby

Other W210 stuff to check? Front coil spring mounting brackets are famously fragile, as are the glow plugs if they need replacing. Though we can't see any evidence of rust in the usual places, lift up the boot carpet or better yet scramble underneath to check that the floor isn't made of Emmental cheese. Shed can't remember if the trans oil cooler is an issue on this particular model, where coolant gets into the system and causes expensive damage, but he thinks it was only on 21st century cars. No doubt someone will be along to correct him.

The corroded brake pipes mentioned as MOT advisories are a common problem too, but that's hardly W210 exclusive. This is a 20-year old car after all.

Shed loves it. He loves the non-leather spec, using jazzy but tough cloth and binding cords apparently designed to last for a thousand years, and he loves that huge TURBODIESEL badge on the boot. Not unusually, the polycarb headlight lenses look a bit dim, but then again so does Mrs Shed and she's still managing somehow.

Here's the ad.

Speakers, Traction Control, Radio, Engine Immobiliser, Cassette Player, Auxiliary Heating, Passenger Airbag, Drivers Airbag, Power Assisted Steering, Electric Windows, Central Locking, Alloy Wheels, Air Conditioning, ABS

Amazing Value Turbo Diesel Automatic &Avantgarde model! Low mileage for the year (works out at just 8,166 miles per year). E300 Engine model was the stronger engine than the later E320. MOT History Checked &Genuine Mileage. Includes 12 Months AA Breakdown Cover (or a free upgrade for existing AA Members). More Photos to follow. Please call for further details or to arrange a test drive on 07595 894330 Thank You.