I just purchased this car with 103K miles from my Father-In-Law.
He said that over the last year or so every once in a while he'll start it up and it will die. Then, he starts it back up and all is well. Only one time did it die while he was at a stop light and had been driving for a while...A non MB mechanic thought it might be a compression issue after looking at it, but wasn't sure and recommended we take it to MB. He did say that this seems to happen more often after the car had been sitting for a while.
He also mentioned that he doesn't always use Premium, sometimes a mid-grade if it had a high rating. Anyway, I was wondering if it might have something to do with a dirty fuel filter or deposits on the injectors.
I was thinking about looking into some sort of additive to try and clean stuff up, but wasn't sure if that was a good course of action.
Also, the "check engine" light is coming on. He took it to the MB dealership (this was before the stalling problems) and they said it was a faulty sensor and everything was fine and not to worry about it since the repair would cost $1200 or so...
Any thoughts on the correct course of action?
While I have your attention...I've been an Amsoil Full Synthetic user on my last two cars. Is that a good thing to do on this engine? What about the Amsoil air filter that is similar to the K&N filter?
I have a lot of reading in these forums to do, too...
my idle bounces because mine is bad. also they can have problems with the cruise control.
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Along with the rough idle when the car is started, I also thought I noticed the other day that the car surged a bit when I was barely moving with my foot on the brake.
Well, today I was backing out of a parking spot, foot on the brake, and the car JUMPED backwards and the engine revved. Scared the crap out of me. Fortunately I reacted quickly enough and wasn't close to the cars behind me, but I was not happy about that at all...
Well, I opted to take it to the dealership. They didn't notice any hesitation when started, probably because they didn't do a cold start on it.
I asked if they saw any codes that were of concern and they said that my LH Control Module was bad and was throwing all sorts of erroneous codes that made no sense. The only option is to replace this part, which they said was $1100-$1200. What sucks is that with this part f-ing up, they can't read any codes at all...Anyone know anything about replacing this "LH Control Module"?
They did tell me to go ahead and try some engine additive and also consider replacing the plugs. I'll have to pull one and see how they look, not sure when they were replaced last...
Got in the car this morning, turned it on and it wasn't a smooth start and idle was rough and the Check Engine light popped back on again. Boy that didn't take long. Something is definitely wrong...
I also bought some BG 44K injector cleaner from the dealership. DOes it have to be a FULL tank or gas or if I'm at 3/4 of a tank right now can I put it in? And, could that really "fix" the problem? I know it's a long shot, but it was only $17...
Lastly...Here's the big question...
I haven't sold my previous car yet (2001 Maxima). I don't have to keep this E420 and actually I haven't transferred the title or paid for it yet. My Father-in-law said he'd help pay for a major repair if it needed it, which is cool, but I'm concerned about long-term cost of ownership. You guys will have to let me know if I should expect to keep dropping money into this thing over the next few years or if I should be in good shape after fixing this problem. I do know that my FIL dropped $2800 in various electrical equipment, lots of harnesses, etc. That was a couple of years ago. One issue I have with that is that he had that work done by a non-MB specialist...So, who knows if it was done correctly or not.
So, any recommendations? BTW, I'm buying the car for $5K and will sell my Maxima (5spd) for around $12K. I know I won't be able to pocket the $7K because some will go to the cost of repair, but I'm thinking that while I haven't had any issues with the Maxima yet, it will happen at some point. Ok, I'll stop rambling...
In general costs are higher on these cars. I have had mine for over a year and I have replaced the front rotors and pads, had an A/C repair which luckily wasn't too bad, and changed the distributor and caps, which also wasn't too bad expense wise with help from people on the board. I knew the trouble spots when I bought the car, and was prepared to deal with them if they happen. At one point before I got my W124 jones, I was just going to buy a 5sp maxima, but for the money I think you are getting alot more car for the money with the W124 E420. You should check the distributor, I was sure my problem was the wiring harness or throttle actuator and was very relieved that it wasn't. Hey, for 5 grand and a promise to help with repairs, I say stick with it.
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