[jonnyj]

Hi, I am considering a 1998 or 1999 E320,or E420, I have driven Audi's for over 10 years, and I still own 2 a 1995 A6 2.8 and a 2000 A6 4.2, I am going to sell the 1995 A6, and put some more $ with it and buy something else. My questions is, how is the maintenece on the 98's and 99's E-classes's are they headaches, I know Audi's are VERY exspensive and have a lot of annoying problems, I want something that will hopefully be a little less maintenece than Audi's. Please let me know if this is a vehicle to consider, or are they lots of problems, and what are the common area problems.
thanks to you all.

 

[Carinc01]

I have a 1998 e320 and with the exception of a few little things, i believe this is a low maintenance car. The little things for me so far is just the moonroof getting off track, which i learned to fix myself from this forum. Otherwise, it is a very dependable car. Probably why my family has a 2001 e320 as well. I haven't driven Audi's but I've had a couple years experiences with Saab's and BMW's. In my opinion, those are good cars, but I would still put my e320 above them all. Plus, look at all the eager help from people in this forum...[]

 

[E-Klasse]

jonnyj - 3/14/2005 10:05 PM

Hi, I am considering a 1998 or 1999 E320,or E420.

After 98, the E420 became the E430. The engine design changed. If you get the E320, it will have the V6 in it that needs to have the balance damper checked and upgraded.

 

[mjhawkins2346]

Quite happy with my '00 E320. Few problems except the (pesky) display pixel gremlins.

Having owned an Audi, the MBZ is more troublefree and feels more solid.

Mercedes owners are far more demanding - so it can make the cars look more troublesome -- and the complexities that can cause trouble are far more prevalent than in the simple designs of the 80's and earlier[]

E-Klasse should know, but I think the Harmonic Balancer was redesigned in late '00 or '01....

Many cars ( with smart owners) have had these replaced

Good Luck

 

[BackRoll23]

I purchased a 99 e320 last fall and have had no major issues. Just make sure you replace the harmonic balancer. From what I've heard it can be quite expensive if you let it go. Also, the rear window regulator tends to have problems and the window falls off track. All in all, a great car with some zip.

 

[harb]

It is safe to just replace the harmonic balancer but you can see signs of trouble before it breaks down by visually inspecting the rubber inside the pulley to make sure that it's not cracking or starting to swell out. But then again, you might as well replace it. I replaced mine with the latest version before it showed any signs of failure - just to be on the safe side. Apparently, Mercedes is on its 13th revision of the harmonic balancer!