[bart_dood]

Hi folks, been some time since I was on here (my car has been so reliable! yay).

I have a 2005 CDI with around 116k miles on the clock, bought with 79k on the clock 2 years ago, I've done regular oil changes, mobil1, had new water pump, serpentine belt, air filters, engine mounts, brake pads etc. Just regular maintenance stuff. Oh and partial transmission flushes, the PO had transmission lube change during ownership, but probably 50k miles ago. I've done a couple of partial swaps, sucking out 2-3 liters and topping off with clean new fluid. I know not ideal but way easier than full flush for me. Oh and I've done the diff oil twice since I bought it.

This car had good service stuff done by PO which is what attracted me to it.

Should I be worried about anything else? the car runs great, its smooth, fast, good economy, engine is amazing, perfect idle. Should I just keep on doing regularly service stuff? Incidentally I've never swapped any glow plugs but it starts perfect, I always wait until the glow plug light goes out. I plan on new serp belt soon and check alternator and power steering pump bearings.

Hope this car runs and runs. Should I check anything else??

Thanks!

 

[bart_dood]

Oh and I forgot fuel filter, haven't done it yet but already got a new one and planning in the next 1-2 weeks to swap it out.

thanks!

 

[mtrevelino]

I think you are doing just fine. The only other thing I can think about is the thermostat. If you notice low temperatures, I would change it out. I am on 145k on my 06 cdi and am debating if I should go ahead and have the water pump and pulley's changed, and probably flush the cooling system. My other concern is the radiator and water hoses. I do not know how long they will last. I also recently had my indie change the voltage regulator from reading some things on these forums. The brushes were only approximately 60-percent worn, so I had plenty of life left.
I am also concerned about the SBC pump, but may wait and see what happens with it.
Mike T.

 

[bart_dood]

I think you are doing just fine. The only other thing I can think about is the thermostat. If you notice low temperatures, I would change it out. I am on 145k on my 06 cdi and am debating if I should go ahead and have the water pump and pulley's changed, and probably flush the cooling system. My other concern is the radiator and water hoses. I do not know how long they will last. I also recently had my indie change the voltage regulator from reading some things on these forums. The brushes were only approximately 60-percent worn, so I had plenty of life left.
I am also concerned about the SBC pump, but may wait and see what happens with it.
Mike T.

Oh yes, it was broken when I bought the car so I replaced it. My water pump lasted around 90k miles before the bearings got noisy so I pulled the serp belt and felt the bearings were shot. My tensioner bearings were smooth but felt dry from the grease drying up, so I pulled the bearing seals and re-packed with bearing grease, I'll do them again when I put a new serp belt on.

SBC is a crap shoot from my understanding, it lasts some number of 'pumps' before it dies...

 

[Kajtek1]

Congratulations. Few miles more and your engine will be broken-in
I am one who doesn't believe in preemptive parts replacement.
MB proves for generations that most of its parts are good for million miles.
Sure you will have wearable like alternator brushes, but even those are lasting up to 200k miles. Some parts in some years can be consider "oops" but those become known very fast.
SBC pump has its count, what brings the "wearable" to new meaning.
When some drivers don't come to count in 20 years, I KNOW people who will get there in a year or 2. Following them I see red lights pulsing , regardless them crossing their hearts that "my left foot is just above brake pedal, but never touches it".
4 years ago -doing major job on fathers 1987 model engine, I replaced lower radiator hose. Preemptively? In this case hose had some deterioration due oil and diesel spills on it. We are not original owners, but I believe most of the parts on 1987 300DT, closing on 300,000 miles are still original.
Bottom line - inspect, inspect, inspect.
The only time replacement I advise is Voltage Regulator as this is relatively cheap part and not that difficult to replace and impossible to inspect easly, while consequences of waiting too long can be pretty drastic.

 

[Rossafuss]

Don't forget to do a brake fluid flush, since thats very important for keeping the SBC system healthy.
Also, keep an eye on your inlet port shutoff motor linkage. Iv'e done a write up on that as well as make a video about it. google "e320 cdi inlet port shutoff motor" and you will find the benzworld write up as well as video. Once that linkage falls off, which it WILL, those flaps eventually close themselves after a few hundred miles or less, and it leads to rough starts, stalling upon start, loss of power and fuel economy, and its almost IMPOSSIBLE to diagnose unless someone points you in that direction.

I own a CDI that just rolled over 422,000 miles, these are truly amazing cars. They ride fantastic, and the power train combo is just unbeatable. this car has the original engine, tranny, turbo, and i don't think so much as the cam covers have ever been taken off the engine. not even the timing chain is showing any signs of stretch. They're absolutely bulletproof.

I also just picked up a 2007 Bluetec as well. I do love the aesthetic of the car, but the drive train is sub par in my opinion. The 7 speed does not pair well with the diesel. The inline 6 has a MUCH better torque curve than the V6. Not to mention the worse fuel economy because of the exhaust scrubbing emissions system.

The 05-06 is superior in almost every way in my opinion. I just wish it had that post face lift front end

 

[shertex]

Rossafuss, is your SBC system original?

Don't forget to do a brake fluid flush, since thats very important for keeping the SBC system healthy.
Also, keep an eye on your inlet port shutoff motor linkage. Iv'e done a write up on that as well as make a video about it. google "e320 cdi inlet port shutoff motor" and you will find the benzworld write up as well as video. Once that linkage falls off, which it WILL, those flaps eventually close themselves after a few hundred miles or less, and it leads to rough starts, stalling upon start, loss of power and fuel economy, and its almost IMPOSSIBLE to diagnose unless someone points you in that direction.

I own a CDI that just rolled over 422,000 miles, these are truly amazing cars. They ride fantastic, and the power train combo is just unbeatable. this car has the original engine, tranny, turbo, and i don't think so much as the cam covers have ever been taken off the engine. not even the timing chain is showing any signs of stretch. They're absolutely bulletproof.

I also just picked up a 2007 Bluetec as well. I do love the aesthetic of the car, but the drive train is sub par in my opinion. The 7 speed does not pair well with the diesel. The inline 6 has a MUCH better torque curve than the V6. Not to mention the worse fuel economy because of the exhaust scrubbing emissions system.

The 05-06 is superior in almost every way in my opinion. I just wish it had that post face lift front end

 

[Rossafuss]

Rossafuss, is your SBC system original?

No, it was replaced under warranty at around 200k miles.
No problems with it since according to the previous owner. (I'm the second owner.)

Usually with the SBC module, the only things that go wrong are either the accumulators or the pumps. Accumulators you can get on eBay for less than 100 bucks.
Complete rebuilt drop in replacement units can be gotten on eBay for less than $500.
They're really not too much more expensive than a replacement ABS module.

 

[isthisit]

I second all that the seasoned forum members are saying.
From personal experience, I'd check the ball joints , front bearings and serpentine belt tensioner and pulleys.
One of my strut springs broke at 150K but i think that might have been a fluke...

As far as regular maintenance: 1.transmission flush (since you are draining the tranny you might as well do the connector plate too.. if you are feeling ambitious) If you start getting a mystery limp mode on the highway it's likely the conductor plate...
2. Rear Diff oil change.

I love this car.

 

[Rossafuss]

I need to do a rear end oil change on my car, i don't think its ever been done. 0.0

As for regular maintenance:
-change oil every 12,300 miles (computer specified maintenance interval)
-change tranny fluid and filter AS WELL AS ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR every 3 oil changes.
-Do a brake fluid flush every time you change the tranny fluid, you dont really need star to do that either if you have a motive bleeder.
-Replace air filter every 50K miles (depending on where you live, change every 20k if you live on a dirt road

Lower steering knuckle ball joins do wear out pretty fast on these cars, creates a massive crashing noise when going over large bumps, or when turning the wheel sharply. I've seen them so warn out they're dangerous to drive on BOTH my 05 and 07.

if you plan on doing all this maintenance yourself, which i highly recommend since these cars are very diyable as long as you do your research and have the right tools. you will save thousands, spend the money and get a STAR system. I'm 22 years old and I've done every bit of work on this car myself, and done plenty of odd fixes that nobody else has probably had to do, just because of the sheer number of miles my car has driven. Its only seen the inside of the dealership service department since i've owned it ONCE, and that was to replace the passenger seat frame that was bent when i was rear ended. if insurance didn't cover it i'd be fixing it myself.

I can't stress enough, you can save SO much money and have so much more peace of mind when you do the work on these cars yourself.
finding parts can be a PITA if you dont have EPC to find part numbers. these cars are fairly rare, and alot of the parts (at least stuff ive had to replace) the aftermarket hasn't tooled up for, and thus only official MB branded parts are available. Use MBDirectparts.com for the best prices on official OEM parts.

For example, i just bought a 2007 E320 Bluetec, the car had alot of problems. a bad turbo was just one of them. i spent a little over $1000 on parts, but I approximated what it would have cost to have the dealership do the same work: $12,000 dollars. Turbo replacement, oil cooler seals, glow plug controller, lower ball joints and inner tie rod ends, new wheel speed sensor, swirl flap motor delete, oil separator valve, tuneup (engine and tranny fluid change, fuel and air filters). all that crap adds up.

 

[shertex]

The rear springs tend to be a weak link. Mine were replaced at 108k. Now, at 162k, I notice a break toward the end of the bottom coil on the left rear.

 

[Rossafuss]

....... The springs are actually fatiguing and breaking?
Are they RUSTING and breaking? Or just breaking from fatigue?

 

[moosejaw5.0]

My '05 and my coworkers '06 both had front springs break from fatigue, no rust. Bottom coil both times. When the front coil breaks it also damages the strut. I replaced all 4 springs/shocks on both cars. Replaced with stock springs and Bilstein HD shocks on both cars.

I recommend the Moog problem solver ball joints with the grease fittings. The greasing should easily double the life of the ball joint.

Edit: My '05 was sitting in the driveway when the spring broke. Boom!!

 

[bart_dood]

Congratulations. Few miles more and your engine will be broken-in
I am one who doesn't believe in preemptive parts replacement.
MB proves for generations that most of its parts are good for million miles.
Sure you will have wearable like alternator brushes, but even those are lasting up to 200k miles. Some parts in some years can be consider "oops" but those become known very fast.
SBC pump has its count, what brings the "wearable" to new meaning.
When some drivers don't come to count in 20 years, I KNOW people who will get there in a year or 2. Following them I see red lights pulsing , regardless them crossing their hearts that "my left foot is just above brake pedal, but never touches it".
4 years ago -doing major job on fathers 1987 model engine, I replaced lower radiator hose. Preemptively? In this case hose had some deterioration due oil and diesel spills on it. We are not original owners, but I believe most of the parts on 1987 300DT, closing on 300,000 miles are still original.
Bottom line - inspect, inspect, inspect.
The only time replacement I advise is Voltage Regulator as this is relatively cheap part and not that difficult to replace and impossible to inspect easly, while consequences of waiting too long can be pretty drastic.

Where is this voltage regulator? haven't heard of this fail before..

 

[bart_dood]

I second all that the seasoned forum members are saying.
From personal experience, I'd check the ball joints , front bearings and serpentine belt tensioner and pulleys.
One of my strut springs broke at 150K but i think that might have been a fluke...

As far as regular maintenance: 1.transmission flush (since you are draining the tranny you might as well do the connector plate too.. if you are feeling ambitious) If you start getting a mystery limp mode on the highway it's likely the conductor plate...
2. Rear Diff oil change.

I love this car.

I had some ball joints swapped and its due shocks soon. Front bearings, can they be greased? serp belt done and a new one going on soon, pulley bearings greased last time and I'll grease them again soon.

I think tranny connector has been done at benz prior (car had quite a lot of Benz service history, inc rare tranny flush). Diff oil changed twice since I've owned it!

 

[bart_dood]

My '05 and my coworkers '06 both had front springs break from fatigue, no rust. Bottom coil both times. When the front coil breaks it also damages the strut. I replaced all 4 springs/shocks on both cars. Replaced with stock springs and Bilstein HD shocks on both cars.

I recommend the Moog problem solver ball joints with the grease fittings. The greasing should easily double the life of the ball joint.

Edit: My '05 was sitting in the driveway when the spring broke. Boom!!

Hmmm my front strut is groaning quite badly, I figured it was worn out old strut bearings (driver side). Perhaps I need to look into further.

My car was Texas car from new and now northern CA car, no salt exposure (although some rubber seal sun damage). I wanted to stay away from salt on the car, makes working on mechanicals more difficult.

 

[Kajtek1]

Where is this voltage regulator? haven't heard of this fail before..

Voltage Regulator bolts to the back of alternator.
It is small holder for brushes and electronic chip build in.
It is the brushes that wear out, but unavailable separately, so you have to replace whole VR.
Few minutes job once you have access to back of alternator, but better combined with other repairs as "getting there" is hard part. So if you have 100+ k miles on your vehicle, you should plan on getting VR as well. Cheap prevention even some brushes last 200k, but if overlooked, the consequences are never pretty.

 

[moosejaw5.0]

Hmmm my front strut is groaning quite badly, I figured it was worn out old strut bearings (driver side). Perhaps I need to look into further.

My car was Texas car from new and now northern CA car, no salt exposure (although some rubber seal sun damage). I wanted to stay away from salt on the car, makes working on mechanicals more difficult.

W211 doesn't have strut bearings as the strut attaches to the LCA and not the wheel hub (so no need to rotate). That groaning could be the ball joint again if you are hearing it when turning the wheels.

 

[bart_dood]

Thanks do any of you guys have a website I can get PN's for these W211 cdi parts? I'm struggling to find a part no. for the hose in the image (red arrow). I got a fresh piece of generic fuel hose on there right now, but it will probably burst in a few months like the last one did, perhaps due to pressure or it being not good enough quality.
I got the two going to the high pressure fuel filter already and I will try and get those swapped out in a few weeks when I put a new serp belt on.
If I can get a PN for the voltage reg, I'll probably get one ordered and get it changed soon as well.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Noodles]

PelicanParts.com - 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI Sedan - Fuel & Intake