Just a quick note on two points you raise. On the evaporator R&R, it is time consuming but if someone quoted you $2800 labor, find a different repair shop. @$75 an hour that is not a 37 hour job.
Also, re the calipers, they are expensive but you can buy caliper rebuild kits for $30 per wheel which cuts about $1400 off that parts cost Yeah.
$75 per hour?
Not in Atlanta!! At least not if you want someone who knows what he is doing.
Correct on the calipers - rebuild kits are cheap and it's not that hard to do.
The fan clutch mystifies me. I just replaced mine, and that is not a very impressive-looking part for over $500. Then again, it will cost a lot more than $500 if you run an M119 hot!
__________________
Matt in Atlanta
1983 300CD
Black-on-black daily driver
270K and still chugging along
1992 400E
Smoke silver-on-mushroom
145K and counting on the M119
I have a 1994 E 420-14-18 mpg citi and 23 mpg highway. You can make it 27 mpg if you drive with 50-55 mpa. on the highway. And the most important you need mechanic that can read the computer codes, ather ways you will end up replacing many good parts until you find the problem. Good mechanics are hard to find. I stil look for one. That make me think even for baying a new car. But if the car is fixed it is one of the best cars probably made ever. I love it.
I get 20 mpg in the city and 27-28 on the highway. I suppose it's nice to have a good mechanic but these cars are best owned by DIYer. It is incredibly easy to read the fault codes yourself. It's also easy to work on the car yourself, especially if you have the MB service CD. The idea is to have a good mechanic and then never take the car to him.
The idea is to have a good mechanic and then never take the car to him.
Right on the money. There are occasional issues that I cannot solve, don't have the time to fix, or don't have the tool(s) to address. For those, a trustworthy mechanic is essential.
It is very much in one's best interest to make this issues few and far between.
Ha me too. But my regret started last winter when ASR nearly put me nose-first into an accident 3 separate times. It is pure evil in a Massachusetts winter.
I love my E420. It does run hot, very hot in 90 degree weather with the AC running. I get a constant 21/22 mpg in mixed driving week after week.
Since I bought mine with 162k miles I've added 18k miles and spent about $4000 on: new tires and new rotors/pads all around; new front springs, tie rod ends, sway bar bushings; wheel bearing service; new heated O2 sensor (damn thing kept throwing an engine code every time I started it when colder than 5 degrees farenheit); new driver side door check assembly and window regulator; missing/broken pieces of trim and miscellaneous items, and a hefty amount on labor because I have too little free time and even less DIY ambition.
The only other Mercedes I'd consider buying besides a 94-95 500 or 420 is a late 70's 450SLC.
I have a 1993 400E and absolutely love the car. It is very well built, has a good ride and the performance is unbelievable. The car gets about 15-17 mpg around town and 24+ on the highway cruising at 75. I now have 206,000 miles on the car and am about to take it on vacation across country. The only problem that I have had is with the paint, it has cracked on the hood, roof and trunk. The car is due for a paint job. I would not hesitate to buy another 400E, mine has been a terrific car.
I've got a 92 400E without ASR, I have 182K on it and I love it. The only thing that doesn't properly work is the AC. Anyway I would consider buying another one!
Although the 400E has the same 124 body as the 300E, that M119 transforms the car. Yes, its a little nose heavy in comparison, but as has been said before, 275hp in the '93 400E makes it a rocket. What a great car. I hear people talk about the calipers and the fan clutch but if you maintain your car well, these never go. A new radiator cures the cooling issues, and flushing the brake fluid periodically ensures your calipers will live nearly forever.
I got my 400E earlier this year and haven't stopped telling the wife how much I LOVE THIS CAR.
My $0.02 on the A/C issue; depending on how badly the system leaks, the $2800 estimate for replacing the evaporator is equivalent to 400 cans of R134 ...
Yeah.
Linear Mode
