Our W210 E240 started stalling a refusing to start when hot and was eventually diagnosed with a faulty crankshaft position sensor. To add to the trouble the vacuum hose for the brake servo interferes with the access and the hose broke when the Benz mechanic was trying to access the sensor which is very inaccessible.
The irritation is not the broken plastic hose [which is a very shoddy design] but that the part has to be ordered as a compete assembly from brake servo to engine manifold and is not a fast mover so we have had to wait two weeks for the hose assembly.
This car has been an electronic lemon and we have had the following failures all within 60 000 miles
-air conditioning speed sensor failed and replaced
-mass air flow sensor erratic and still needs regular cleaning
-transmission harness plug failed and replaced[ not just the O ring]
-transmission valve control plate failed and replaced
-electronic key failure- new key required
-repeated rear light bulb failures from poor design contacts on a galvanized -metal holder [ repeated problems with galvanic corrosion- what a lousy design]
- crank position sensor failed and replaced
In total this lot including labour for the items I could not fix has come to about USD 4000. Most of the above required a tow to the dealer as the car was un-drivable. I could not use my friendly non-franchised Benz mechanic as he does not have access to the diagnostic unit needed to find the electronic faults.
The car is not reliable unlike the previous 4 Benzes we have had. It also requires specialized equipment to fix even minor electronic problems.
The more I ask around about newer Benzes, the more stories I hear about expensive electronic failures.
So I will stay with my trusty W 124 station wagon that is 25 years old and we will be looking to replace this very comfortable but unreliable W210 with something we can trust.
The irritation is not the broken plastic hose [which is a very shoddy design] but that the part has to be ordered as a compete assembly from brake servo to engine manifold and is not a fast mover so we have had to wait two weeks for the hose assembly.
This car has been an electronic lemon and we have had the following failures all within 60 000 miles
-air conditioning speed sensor failed and replaced
-mass air flow sensor erratic and still needs regular cleaning
-transmission harness plug failed and replaced[ not just the O ring]
-transmission valve control plate failed and replaced
-electronic key failure- new key required
-repeated rear light bulb failures from poor design contacts on a galvanized -metal holder [ repeated problems with galvanic corrosion- what a lousy design]
- crank position sensor failed and replaced
In total this lot including labour for the items I could not fix has come to about USD 4000. Most of the above required a tow to the dealer as the car was un-drivable. I could not use my friendly non-franchised Benz mechanic as he does not have access to the diagnostic unit needed to find the electronic faults.
The car is not reliable unlike the previous 4 Benzes we have had. It also requires specialized equipment to fix even minor electronic problems.
The more I ask around about newer Benzes, the more stories I hear about expensive electronic failures.
So I will stay with my trusty W 124 station wagon that is 25 years old and we will be looking to replace this very comfortable but unreliable W210 with something we can trust.