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W210 electronic woes

2K views 5 replies 6 participants last post by  Fluteguy 
#1 ·
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.
 
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#2 ·
Those cars with 2.4 cdi engines were vehicles of choice for German cabbies for years, usually retiring with 700,000 km on them, so they are not bad as your experience shows.
Seems you have bad luck with the car, or some of those issues are inflicted like broken hose.
Sure Mercedes is not a car that you can drive economically while having repaired at dealer,.
My quick estimate is that the above jobs would cost about $1000 in parts, so the rest is labor, although I am scratching my head what air conditioning speed sensor might be?
W124 has less electronics, but does your cruise control still work?
Will your mechanic brake famous AC hose on W124, the replacement is $700 for hose alone and likely it will have to come from Germany.
Not easy choices.
Hope your luck turns around and you enjoy the fine automobile.
 
#3 ·
^^^ I'm guessing the AC speed sensor is a "lost in translation" thing and he means the blower regulator.

OP, these can be economical cars to own, but not if you're heading to the shop or dealer for all of the repairs. If you DIY a lot of stuff, that makes them affordable, but if I weren't a DIYer, I'd have dumped my car long ago. Actually, I'd never have purchased it. ;)

Good luck to you.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Just looking at the list of "electronic" problems and comparing with my own experience wit 98 E320.

I have had most of those plus a few more.

-air conditioning speed sensor failed and replaced Assuming this is as CC said, the Blower Reg. ISTR original part was unobtainable so dealer would replace whole shebang. But most of us did a low cost fix that is covered in stickies
-mass air flow sensor erratic and still needs regular cleaning In 2004, after 6 months intermittent CE lights, I realized cleaning didn't work so put in new unit. 11 yrs later, no problems. Installed in 15min in dealer parking lot!
-transmission harness plug failed and replaced[ not just the O ring] Dealer replaced o-ring once under warranty. I later replaced complete plug using tips from stickies.
-transmission valve control plate failed and replaced Never had that happen
-electronic key failure- new key requiredNever had that happen
-repeated rear light bulb failures from poor design contacts on a galvanized -metal holder [ repeated problems with galvanic corrosion- what a lousy design] Mine are still original. Occasionally message shows up, but usually goes away once things dry out. I think I cleaned contacts once.
- crank position sensor failed and replaced Happened recently - low cost DIY fix.

Potentially more expensive problems:
Hole in A/C evaporator - Repair would more than value of car. No more A/C for us!
ABS pump motor intermittent - Not repairable. Replacement $3k+ (found used for $58 and has worked for several years)

Other problems:
Some rust but always repaired quickly
Window lift mechanism failed on one door. Bought Parts and did DIY repair
Sunroof mechanism failed Bought Parts and did DIY repair

So, yes my 16yr old car has had it's fair share of problems. But we still own and love the car. It "looks" and runs like an expensive car despite having very low market value. Reason likely being the perception that they are expensive to own. And they are unless you can handle DIY repairs. Luckily these cars are amenable to DIYers, provided they access repair info that MB don't hand out freely.

We bought a new GLK250 - It is covered by warranty for 7 years. Any future car we get will either have similar extended warranty, or we will lease. It just the modern age ;)
 
#5 ·
1) air conditioning speed sensor failed and replaced - if that is fan regulator - then as noted forum fix would be with W140 original regulator - here in US $45 "China" part - and $105 European part

2) mass air flow sensor erratic and still needs regular cleaning - here in US genuine Bosch replacement $150 and on 320 EZ DIY replacement

3) transmission harness plug failed and replaced[ not just the O ring] - here in US MB/Chrysler part $14-$16

4) transmission valve control plate failed and replaced - I suspect the garage suggested replacement conductor plate - US$180 part - although code/failure could have been miscommunication from failing plug

5) electronic key failure- new key required - keys will "fail" if left in ignition during battery "jump" hookup, or from age/use - $325 replacement here in US

6) epeated rear light bulb failures from poor design contacts on a galvanized -metal holder [ repeated problems with galvanic corrosion- what a lousy design - cleaning and light coat of dielectric grease does wonders - IF correct bulb replacement is used with MB/Audi pin arrangement - wrong bulb with 12/6 pin position break the holder

7) crank position sensor failed and replaced - $115 Bosch part - and it was mechanics fault he broke the brake booster line

I am not defending the "problems" but you can easily spend $4K with a poor mechanic on any car -
 
#6 ·
As far as I'm concerned if a dealer factory trained tech broke the hose it should be on their dime not yours.

I had a Cadillac Fleetwood at one point and when the Cadillac dealer broke off a spark plug off in the engine they called me about working out a settlement (the car had 50,000 miles on it and had been serviced ONLY but the caddy dealer!). My response was "ok here's the settlement. You replace the engine with either a new or used engine with a 24,000 mile extended warranty or I will sue you and make sure it's in every TV station in the area!" They replaced the engine with a new one.

The moral is "You're the dealer, you break it you replace it. No whining and no arguments"
 
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