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What have you done for your W210 today/lately?

194K views 2K replies 254 participants last post by  wlb50 
#1 ·
This thread was created to elicit quick report of TLC or modification not
necessarily worthy of a thread, but simply an opportunity for us to highlight
something, e.g. wash, new shoes, wiper blade, seat conditioner, etc. So, let's
brag or share, folks. :)

I cleaned out my windshield washer tank because the additives in the wash
corroded my sensor and it was reporting 'low fluid' though the tank was full.
A little tooth brushing and flossing did the trick. Natch I've switched to different
fluid. (stay away from RainX orange)
 
#421 ·
I drove it. :wink
My wife and I recently bought a travel trailer without anything to pull it. I looked at Mercedes first but the trailer was simply too big for anything MB, even a GLS. We ended up with a Lincoln Navigator, which best met our needs of an SUV for versatility for the family, comfortable ride for my wife, and towing capacity. After three weeks riding in that glorified F-150 I got in my W210 today and it felt like a sports car. :devil
 
#423 · (Edited)
I replaced the 20 yr old, tired hood struts (Amazon @ $20). Given the design
(geometry/delta) of the mounting points vs hood, it required highly charge/
sprung struts...over 100# seat of pants. Now, the hood pops up smartly
vs slowly rising

When I retrofitted struts for the truck, I used longer struts and located the
mounting points midway along the fender and hood, so it only needed 45#
struts. The drawback here is that you may need to reach around the struts
to work on the engine.

When I was cleaning up, I spotted an unused LED voltmeter module that I
never got around to putting on the motorcycle so I taped it to the "+" terminal
cover in the engine bay. I'll leave it there for a few weeks to see how it works.
This allows me to quickly check the battery voltage without having to get in
the car or haul out the Fluke meter. A little geeky but we'll see...

(the photo insets on the top left show the display info, % and VDC)
 

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#427 ·
got some clips to hold the floor mats in place. somebody on flea-bay was trying to sell one as oem mercedes for $20?! the photo revealed the name "mat-loc", which i found on that other well known e-commerce site for $8 each.

they do a great job of keeping my old mats (foam backing long since worn away) from slipping forward.

not sure if there are wires just beneath the carpeting, i wouldn't push the sharp spikes too deeply in. after my 1st install (several hours later), i got a low oil warning (it wasn't), followed by a check engine light (i was able to reset with my cheap obd). probably unrelated & neither have since returned...
 

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#428 ·
The E320 just turned 80,000 miles, so time for an oil change. MB Spec Mobil 1 of course with the proper oil filter as well as an engine air filter. Took exactly 8 qt to refill.

Recently replaced the belt, idler, and tensioner.

Why do we DIY? Good example was found when I removed the oil drain plug. Previous change at a well known professional shop before we bought the car.... The drain plug had all of the following instead of the copper washer: a STEEL washer, an O-ring, some kind of gasket maker compound, and a piece of string wrapped around the plug between the head and the washer. I kid you not. I CAREFULLY inspected the plug and the pan to make sure there wasn't some damage they were trying to work around and found nothing. Re-installed the plug with the correct new copper washer, torqued to spec, and not a drop!

Speaking of specs, I see a lot of people asking about torque specs although they are available in many places in this forum. MB spec oil is Mobil 1 full synthetic 0W-40. Look for MB 229.3/229.5 on the back of the container. Fleece filter is often mentioned for synthetic oil filters. I used a Mann HU718/5X oil filter and a Mann C 32 164 air filter. Published torque spec for the oil drain plug is 22 ft-lb. Torque spec for the filter assembly is molded on the cap on my car. It is 25 N-M. You need a cap style filter wrench that fits a 3/8" socket handle. I use an Autocraft AC 1097. The spec is 74mm and 14 flutes for the cap wrench. Don't forget that copper washer on the oil drain plug!
 

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#429 ·
In the past two weeks, I've done the conductor plate and a fluid change (badly cracked RPM sensor--see below), changed the engine oil and filter with eight liters of Liqui-Moly 5W40 Leichtlauf and a fresh Mann filter, and replaced two ignition coils with junkyard Bosch units off a 2004 E320.

Still need to work out a harsh 1-2 shift, completely replace the headliner, and fix my IC displays. At 248k miles, my old fart of an E430 is a project, but I absolutely love it.
 

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#430 ·
Last year resealed breather covers and got new motor mounts.
Last month changed oil with Mobil 1 0W40, Mann fleece filter and Mann air filter.
This week replaced the blower motor resistor, charcoal filters and cabin air filters.
This weekend I'm polishing the headlights.
Man I love this car:smile
 
#434 · (Edited)
My wagon sprung a hydraulic leak due to a rusted line. I couldn't get to it for awhile so it sat outside for about a month. When I finally moved it the rear wheel sensor ring cracked.

Fortunately I pulled replacement parts off of my wrecked wagon replaced them. I also replaced the hydraulic filter since most of the fluid drained out. I didn't know it, but there is a magnet inside the spring that holds the filter. 205,000 miles and counting.
 
#436 ·
EGR Valve and Breather Tube

Swapped out the EGR valve, cleaned the breather tube (wow, was that a mess!!) and replaced all the breather hoses on the 1998 W210 wagon this morning. Took about an hour to do it all, cleaning as I went along. I was short a hose barb connector but was able to salvage one from the old hoses, luckily. The first two just shattered, but the last one I was able to remove without damage.

I didn’t pull the valve covers or the breather cover on the right side valve cover, as they’re not leaking and the breather cover had been resealed from the looks of things, so someone had been in there before. I did use a piece of wire to make sure the holes in the breather hose connections in the valve covers were open.

Getting that breather tube out of the manifold is a real treat, like a darned puzzle. I didn’t even try until I had everything out of the way so I would have maximum clearance for it to move around. It took some serious gyrations, but it came out and went in without major difficulty.

Buttoned everything up after spraying some MAF cleaner on the MAF and vacuuming out the air cleaner housing. Taking a break now before I go out with the Xentry/DAS and clear the P04xx code. Hopefully, this will make it happy. I can’t find anything else amiss in the EGR system, and after seeing that the breather tube in the manifold was pretty much clogged shut, my expectations are pretty high for a solution.

I’m hoping I’ll get an increase in fuel economy, too, but that may be a bit much to expect…

Dan
 
#438 ·
After 203,000 miles, finally cleaned my '99 E430 Sport's EGR valve and pipe to clear diagnostic code. Pipe was completely clogged. Not a fun job. Lots of cursing. No change in driveability, though. Glad I bought Proto's small 1/4-inch-drive E10 and E12 sockets; the ones from Sears (Craftsman) and NAPA (Carlyle) would have been too big.

Replaced original battery September 7, 2018 after accidently running it dead overnight. That's three months short of two decades.

Still on original shock absorbers after 203,000 miles. Car still drives great!

Original spark plugs have never been out. I'm told they might not want to come out. Not my problem.

Replaced R/H rear window regulator. Used steel screws instead of rivets. Found it impossible to disassemble anything with 20-year-old plastic parts without breaking something. Wondered why Mercedes allowed subcontractors to use hot glue to bond ABS to fiberglass. It doesn't stick to either. Epoxy does, though.

This just in, latest estimate on value of car is $950. This just in, just spent $1300 to have L/H front spring perch replaced. Am advised 1300 is greater than 950. Not my problem.

Finally cut triangular 'ears' off glove box with hacksaw. Now able to remove glove box in 2 minutes. Also now realize only reason for them is preventing owners from replacing cabin air filters on their own. Nice, going, Mercedes; FYI my next sixty-two-thousand-dollar car purchase will be with someone else.

Went to raise my car using the rocker panel jack pads. Discovered the rocker panels no longer have jack pads. Crawled underneath rocker panels to find out reason why. Found out reason why. Reason is whatever held jack pads to rocker panels gradually became an aqueous iron oxide solution and in a considerably more dilute form has been redistributed to the world's oceans. That is a problem.
 
#439 · (Edited)
Adjusted my headlights and took the car out for a test drive last night.

I didn't do it the "official" way. I just did it by using the bubble level on the car and it turned out perfect :)

I believe they were off because I changed the front spring pads from two nubs to one.

FWIW: switching to Silverstar Ultra made a significant difference when compared to the original bulbs.
 
#440 ·
Last 3 months on the 2000 E320:

1. Oil change
2. Brake pads/rotors all around- the brake pad lining warning message had come on.
3. ATF drain and refill ~3qts. Had planned on dropping the pan to replace the filter and pan gasket too but the first bolt head started to strip as I was trying to loosen it so I left it alone. Will do it next time after I've ordered some fresh bolts.
4. Power steering fluid (Q1460001) drain / refill x5 ~275 ml syringed out and refilled per cycle
5. Replaced Idler Pulley- old one had multiple cracks on inspection
6. Replaced belt tensioner- previous tensioner was old style
7. Replaced serpentine belt- new belt was part of the Contitech kit, so what the heck. 7 yr old belt looked ok, kept as spare.
8. Replaced cabin filter behind glove box- so glad I filed down those "fins" on the glovebox when I last replaced the cabin filters 7 yrs ago.

All work was my own DIY except for the brake job which was done by a friend while I took my kids out to eat. He has a floor jack and air tools which makes getting the wheels off and on a breeze. But that fool forgot to bleed the brake fluid as I had requested. I should've stuck around and watched... but oh well...

9. Sold car at 207k miles to my wife's friend. She insisted on purchasing my high mileage E320 even though I told her there are newer and lower mileage w210's that could be had for the same or lower asking price. As a contingency of the sale she is "required" to bring the car back to me for timely maintenance work.
 
#441 ·
Also, in the last 6 months I've been babysitting my father's 2002 E430 (173k mi) while he's out of the country, and I went a little OCD on it:

1. Adjusted the striker plate on the trunk catch so I no longer have to slam it to shut it.
2. Loosened the spring tension on the trunk 2 notches to cushion the upswing of the trunk lid upon release.
3. Inserted flat washers as shims under the latch brackets of the hood. What a difference a couple of millimeters makes, as now the hood closes solidly and easily each time. Upon further research (found it in the R129 forum), there's actually a shim made by MB (a1298870096) that serves the exact same purpose. But my flat washers worked just fine.
4. Larger gap between hood and fender on passenger side. I loosened a few 10mm bolts on the front passenger fender and pushed it closer toward the center. The gap is still not exactly the same, but much more acceptable now.
5. No spray on driver side windshield- Reattached the wiper fluid nozzle hose on the driver side and readjusted windshield nozzles spray pattern to more evenly wet the glass.
6. Replaced air filter and vacuumed out the dirt and dry leaves in the air box
7. Replaced charcoal filter. Aftermarket replacements are very affordable now (Denso 454-4071 $12.50 at rockauto). The originals had never been replaced.
8. Some moaning sound when turning steering wheel- Power steering fluid (Q1460001) drain / refill x 6 ~275ml syringed out and refilled per cycle. Symptoms are much improved but not totally gone.
9. Replaced gas cap with tether. Previous gas cap tether was broken, plus the local SMOG guy is like a gas cap Nazi and will fail you if there's any hint of cracks on the gasket on visual inspection.
10. Passed SMOG Check and renewed registration.
11. Oil change. Looking at a previous maintenance record I noticed it had an oil change a few thousand miles ago, but the receipt said they used 5w30 synthetic and a filter "8153" was used. Upon removing the oil filter housing the oil filter merely slid down the shaft rather than being shoved up tightly under the housing cap. Sloppy! Renewed it with Mobil 0w-40 and MB fleece oil filter.
12. Replaced passenger side fog light bulb with new H1 bulb. The wiring harness was semi melted/corroded onto the old bulb and was super difficult to remove.
13. Replaced engine cover bracket. Darn thing roke off on removal of engine cover. P/N 1130940041.
14. Replaced driver side clearance light bulb- Hella H6W.
15. Recharged 1 can R134a refrigerant.
16. Headlight restoration- 3M kit: Wet sanded 800/1500/3000, followed by 3M polishing compound on headlight and clearance light lenses. Didn't have UV sealant handy so skipped that for now. Feels like I'm driving with high beams all the time now!

Still on the to do list as time permits:
1. Cabin filter behind glove box
2. Replace the parking brake pedal detent. This is a black plastic "thingy" that makes the ratchet sound as you press down on the parking brake pedal. The parking brake works just fine without it, but I miss the clicking sound.
3. ATF drain/refill with pan drop and filter change. There's a red locking tab on the dipstick cover, so it is not the factory fill, but I don't see any records of ATF service during our ownership, so it's due.
4. Squeaky/chirpy rear deck... not sure how to attack this yet.

I've added this car to my profile because I don't think I'll be giving it back to my father after all this work! I'm certainly enjoying the added power at basically no compromise in MPG vs the E320!
 
#442 ·
Replaced trans conductor plate and electrical connector due to intermittent P0715 code on new to us E320. Not a fan of the extended fluid change MB had at the time (what were they thinking other than they didn't care about future high mileage owners). Old fluid was brown but trans had/has no issues. Where do I search to determine if 2002 has a torque converter drain plug? Next is suspension (believe shocks are original with 127k miles).
 
#444 · (Edited)
Sealed the left (driver's side) breather cover on my 98 W210 wagon. It was leaking bad enough that oil was leaking out and dripping on the exhaust manifold when driving at highway speeds, making the car smoke when I would come to a stop.

Amazing how little the amount of leakage was and the amount of smoke it would make, too.

Valve cover seals are good, so there was no reason to pull the valve cover. Just did the reseal in place after cleaning everything as well as possible.

I'll be driving my 2002 W210 sedan tomorrow so this car will have the sealant set up properly.
 
#445 ·
Cabin Air Filters and Rear Brake/Tail/Turn light repair

Continuing Maintenance on our 2002 E320:

Replaced both sets of cabin air filters. Parts came from genuinemercedesparts.com which is an online parts service provided by RBM, a major dealer in metro Atlanta. I have gotten good service from them on several occasions. With their discount, cost of many OE parts is less than from other sources. They use FEDEX home delivery. Typical turn around is 5 working days from online order entry until the FEDEX box is at my front door.

Cabin dust filters, MBZ 210-830-10-18 ($33.25 plus tax) part number is for a set of 2 filters.

Cabin activated charcoal filters, MBZ 210-830-11-18 ($51.80) part number is for a set of 2 filters.

Previous filters had been in the car 7 or 8 years. They were some unmarked brand of aftermarket filters. My wife has serious breathing problems. I was pleased with the quality of the new genuine MBZ filters; not only is the air cleaner but the AC airflow is stronger.

Next the ongoing brake/tail light warning and a "surprise" with the turn signal lights. Resolved!
The description of the brake/tail light repair is technical enough I will post that in one of threads dealing with that issue, along with correct socket numbers and bulb info for the whole assembly. Word to the wise, the turn signal bulbs in the 2000-2002 should be amber. Correct rear turn signal bulb ID is embossed in the metal plate where the socket mounts. Same for all bulbs in this assembly.

Surprise was someone along the way had installed wrong (yellow) non-MBZ sockets in the turn signal positions along with wrong (clear) bulbs. The people at the RBM parts place mentioned above helped me sort out the correct socket part numbers which I will also post in the repair thread along with the description of the repair. I doubt I would have found the correct part number without their help. The online catalog doesn't show every part, as many of you have already discovered.

It is nice to drive without wondering when the warning message is going to appear informing me there is a problem with a light. As someone else mentioned in one of the threads, the car seems to feel more "solid" now.
 
#446 ·
Continuing Maintenance on our 2002 E320:

Replaced both sets of cabin air filters. Parts came from genuinemercedesparts.com which is an online parts service provided by RBM, a major dealer in metro Atlanta. I have gotten good service from them on several occasions. With their discount, cost of many OE parts is less than from other sources. They use FEDEX home delivery. Typical turn around is 5 working days from online order entry until the FEDEX box is at my front door.

Cabin dust filters, MBZ 210-830-10-18 ($33.25 plus tax) part number is for a set of 2 filters...
When I changed my dust filters (first time in the car since new! Changed last year - I got the feeling that the location was an afterthought. Having to pry out the glove box lining seems a bit above and beyond. In my R129 it is an enclosure in front of the firewall. Right over the blower motor.

"Hey Fritz! Ya know we have to have a cabin filter on this car? Where do we put it?"
 
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