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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)
 
#638 ·
Changed the oil in mine for the first time since I've owned it. I miss the convenience of having a body on frame design which offers many points for jack stands! But it went well.
It will probably need a new battery soon. The current one is a Mercedes one from 2003. Fully charged it today, seems to perform fairly well, but will evaluate it over the next week to determine if a replacement is needed. Mercedes dealer says a replacement from them is $185, not bad!
 
#640 ·
Replaced the two cabin air filters located behind the glove box today. I don't think it was ever done before. Removing the glove box was an experience, but well worth it. The old filters were pretty bad. Will order the two charcoal filters to replace next. Didn't realize this vehicle has a total of 4 cabin air filters when I ordered the two. Haha
 
#642 · (Edited)
Driving mom on errand last week and heard some rattling. I felt undulations were slightly more
than I'm used to. Smelled some burning. When I got home, I put the IR and thermal imaging
but nothing jumped out other than the usual brake and exhaust signatures.

I put two plus five togeher and removed the trunk liner and found clues....loose fastening hardware..
Looks like I will be turning on some jazz or classical music and crawling on the concrete after my
morning coffee is finished

Fortunately (I hope) it pays to have extra parts I grabbed off other members over the years. I believe
I have all I need without having to go out for supplies for this R&R.
Tire Automotive tire Auto part Suspension part Suspension


update: I decided to raise the car a few mm in the rear. Unfortunately, my box
of spare parts only yielded 17mm spacer (currently running 5mm). I have a MB
dealer about 1 mile away. A quick call to the parts dept informed me that they
could have the desired 13mm spacers in 2 days for the price of $45. I shopped
around and decided to go off OE brand for $19/pair ... to arrive in 5 days.
 
#645 ·
Over the last couple of months I have given the '97 E420 some attention.

I replaced the plugs, coils and connectors, resulting in a quieter and more powerful engine.

I had my independent Mercedes shop replace a failed cam oiler tube, which eliminated the incessant tapping sound coming from the right bank of cylinders.

I replaced the front shocks with a pair of Bilstein B6 heavy duty units. Ordinarily I would have replaced the rears at the same time, except that there currently is no inventory of rear B6's for W210's. They are 8-12 weeks out from another production batch.
 
#646 ·
Over the last couple of months I have given the '97 E420 some attention.

I replaced the plugs, coils and connectors, resulting in a quieter and more powerful engine.

I had my independent Mercedes shop replace a failed cam oiler tube, which eliminated the incessant tapping sound coming from the right bank of cylinders.

I replaced the front shocks with a pair of Bilstein B6 heavy duty units. Ordinarily I would have replaced the rears at the same time, except that there currently is no inventory of rear B6's for W210's. They are 8-12 weeks out from another production batch.
Interesting. What's the mileage of your e420?
 
#649 ·
My family bought his car new and I didn’t even know about this when I got it. When I changed it two years ago they were filthy.

I’ll bet they hadn’t been changed in at least 10 years.

and I thought today how simple they designed this car for maintenance. Like changing the mass airflow sensor or the oil-but what’s going on with the cabin air filter?

It’s like a super secret location.

where I found since then a good tool to help you pull that glove box out is one of those plastic trim separators you get at Harbor freight.

Kent Bergsma at Mercedes source on YouTube gives a good tutorial on this

there’s two little tabs on each end of the plastic glove box you’ve got to push the top down just a bit to get them out

push down towards the right side - yank it out and then the left side comes out easily
 
#651 · (Edited)
Well to tell you how much dull my life has been lately with all this virus crap and unable to travel, here is what I’ve been excitedly waiting for.

It’s the first time with this car I’ve actually let the FSS go the whole mile and tell me when to change the oil.

For most of the car‘s life between my mother and father they drove it maybe 3000 to 5000 miles a year.

I still think should be done once a year regardless of mileage

I’ve been driving that thing.

I went through the Southwest and Texas about six months ago

so anyway there’s about 13,600 miles on the oil – mobil 1 15W-40- and now 100 miles to go before the FSS says to change the oil.

I just want to see if it’s those red bulbs come on when you go over the recommended.

they have to be used for something 😁

anyway I’ll be using my topsider and changing the oil and filter probably Tuesday.

I use the same oil in my 1996SL 500 and change it per the old 7500 mile recommendation

I know with today’s oil that’s pretty silly but it is still a paper filter

anyway I get to see the FSS tell me to change the oil.

Woo Hoo
 
#662 ·
Replaced the two charcoal cabin airfilters in mine. 1999 E320, filters were from '98 so definitely good to replace! A little over 65,000 miles.



Replacing the engine sounds like a chore!

If you have the yellow hazing, the DIY headlight lens restore kits from most auto parts stores seem to do the trick. They basically come with a few sandpaper grits going from rough to smooth, then of course a final polish and sealer. It's recommended to remove the headlights for the job, or (what I do) you can mask around the painted areas around the headlights well. You can do it yourself using similar methods. I have had decent, though temporary results using rubbing compound, and then after washing, a good coat of wax but the retail kits are far better. My Benz lens are still very nice, but I've used this method on my Fords.
 
#664 · (Edited)
SOLD
(Needs a starter - won't start)
~132k miles. Engine & transmission in good condition with all maintenance done one time.
New Good year tires, front shocks and springs & water pump within in the last 6-12 months.
AC & all interior electronics work.
Some rust on the fenders and paint is dull on roof & trunk.

2650313
 
#666 ·
Something easy today-- replaced the little bulb on the driver's side side marker amber which my dad noticed was out. It went out, and interestingly enough, it cleared the defective lamp message on the dash which was present when that light was working (if I remember correctly) so maybe it can detect failure ahead of time? Haha
 
#667 ·
Continued sanding bead area of original rims. Had previously removed the corrosion and filled porous areas with DOM16 (like POR15). After present sanding, I will apply coat of gray DOM16 to all bare aluminum on inside of rims. Then ready for new tires (when snows on spare rims wear out!)
 
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