Stereo started randomly searching for stations and wouldn't stop. I put a cassette adapter in it to use the ipod instead. It plays for a few minutes then rewinds and won't play. The cassette adapter won't come back out.
The wiper motor got weaker and weaker and finally stopped working. I can't even force it to move with my hand.
The automatic door locks no longer work when you press the passenger side down. The driver's side panel is taken off to determine why the door still opens when you lock it. I still can't figure that one out, I think the mechanism needs to be replaced. Are there any good stickys that talk about how to do this?
The oil light comes on about 5 minutes after driving. Is this a level or pressure sensor? The oil level is fine, and it has plenty of pressure as indicated by the bar gauge.
I kind of regret buying this car. Some things seem like they are commercial quality, and some things are just junk on it. I have never owned a car with any of these issues, much less all at the same time. Any suggestions are appreciated.
Keep in mind this car is almost 20 years old and at 225k miles. Whether a Ferrari or a Honda at some point things will break. The issues you are have all sound like they could be repaired without too much difficulty.
The head unit is probably trash, if it's the original then be happy it lasted this long. If you're bad with wiring a new Blaupunkt will have the same wiring harness as your factory unit.
I haven't heard of your specific wiper issue but my advice would be to go to a yard and pull the nicest looking wiper motor you can find from a junk 300E, it's not a super easy job but DIY for sure.
also sounds like oil level sensor is toast..
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The history of Mercedes-Benz is the history of the car itself.
So it is a level sensor and not pressure? Good to know.
The most irritating is the door lock system. The mechanism in the driver door is toast and the passenger one is right behind it. It is getting hard to push down. I can't figure out if something is broken or if it just needs to be taken out and lubricated.
I've looked up how to pull the wiper, I'm not concerned with the labor or parts. Out of the 20+ vehicles I have owned that were 15-30 years old I have never had a wiper motor go out.
I'm just having a hard time understanding how so many things can fail on a car in such a short amount of time, especially considering what they cost new. Perhaps the extra humid weather in TN these past couple of days has ruined the electronics in the car. I have replaced the OVP relay and inspected the flawless harness, however.
Buddy, are you kidding? You bought a car with a quarter of a million miles on it. What kind of perfection are you looking for? If your engine doesn't explode in a few months, be grateful.
If you're going to stick with this one, listen to what the others have said. Each problem should be tackled on its own. No shortcuts, they don't exist.
And pulling the wiper motor is super easy. If you have any trouble with it, your attempt to own this car at this mileage will not end well, and you should consider a dodge dart, hyundai elantra, or other cuisinart car that will keep it nice and simple for you.
If have not already done so, take a look at your fuse box, if your car has aluminum tipped fuses, (OEM), replace them with copper tipped fuses. It will cost less than $10, and old aluminum fuses can cause a myriad of electrical gremlins.
I wouldn't be quick to judge someone else's skill level on the interwebz. I have extensive knowledge of anything mechanical, and an advanced degree in engineering to boot.
Most of my experience is with Honda. They have their vehicle specific problems as all do. However, the door locks and wipers do not fail. Hell, my 6.5L Chevrolet 2500 turbo diesel runs like new and has 265k miles on it.
I need a support group, not a generic message I could copy and paste into any vehicle forum.
Back to business though, I believe I will check the wiper motor with a stethoscope poked through the vents to see if it is under load. If the motor is quiet I know it is dead. If I hear grinding I know the gears are stripped.
I still need a sticky to get the door lock mech out if anyone has it. It would save my valuable time. I appreciate the Merc gurus out there.
If have not already done so, take a look at your fuse box, if your car has aluminum tipped fuses, (OEM), replace them with copper tipped fuses. It will cost less than $10, and old aluminum fuses can cause a myriad of electrical gremlins.
That is a great point. I took a few critical fuses out and filed them down to remove corrosion without much help. In general it would be good to replace these to remove yet another variable. Most of them are so corroded they have to be original.
1) Measure voltage with engine at full temp and everything on (lights, A/C, rear defroster, etc.) At the battery terminals, you should ideally see a reading of around 13.5Volt. Anything below 13V or above 14V is no good and indicates you need a new voltage regulator and possibly but less likely a alternator.
2) As suggested, throw out ALL your fuses and replace them with the updated copper core type. You can get a kit for less than $5 from joetlc.com that does the whole car. See here: Ceramic Fuse Kit Mercedes Benz Audi BMW Porsche VW - JoeTLC
3) Also invest in a brand new genuine MB or KAE(hler) OVP relay to establish a decent electrical baseline and rule out false positives due to aging electrical components. The OVP is a wear & tear item. Re-soldering is a futile attempt to save a near 20 year old part and a waste of time.
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