Hello.
I thought maybe such a thread could prove useful to new owners or even old ones who want to know more.
Here is my list for it, and it's for my 1992 prefacelift 3.0L 300E. This line of engines got replaced in 1993. Unless it is specified, the list is for all W124 cars:
The Good:
1- Good handling and aerodynamics that compares to modern mainstream cars of the same class and size.
2- Good ground and wind sound insulation.
3- Good build and I think it is the last over-engineered E-Class.
4- The engine valve cover gives easier access to some internal engine parts. (prefacelift specific)
5- Engine and transmission can take a real beating and high temperature. (prefacelift is better in this part)
6- The mechanical engine fan cools very well (that's the good part of it) while moving at average to fast speeds.
7- Where I maintain my car (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia) spare parts and labor are really cheap. I rebuilt the engine for ~$1,280 USD with OEM and 1st class parts, including cylinder head machining, head gasket, timing chain, all pistons, valve seals and some fixed and moving plates I don't know what they are called in English. (specific to my 3.0L 1992 300E)
8- I find driving it much fun.
9- Coolant temp. gauge gives real reading which is good for early diagnostics.
10- Has a front break pad life indicator!!!
11- Engine and transmission could live for a very long time if official maintenance schedule is (more or less) followed.
12- Has an auxiliary electric fan (good option for high temp. running cars with mechanical engine fan).
13- There's a really useful headlight beam height dial right next to the front/rear lights switch.
14- The instrumental panel can be easily removed and maintained.
15- Got an oil pressure gauge. The service center once did not tighten the oil filter in and that gauge saved me so much trouble thanks to the lack of pressure detection.
The Bad:
1- The automatic transmission is only available is mechanical 4-speeds with bad performance (models starting 1993 got a 5-speed automatic option).
2- Heavy mid-size car.
3- Diagnostic could get annoying specially with lack of OBD. (prefacelift specific)
4- Coolant temp. gauge gives real reading which could cause grief to the inexperienced.
5- Head gasket is known for relatively early leaks.
6- The mechanical engine fan is really noisy and is not efficient at lower RPM's.
7- Although fuel consumption was good at the time, now it's become bad compared to newer cars.
8- Lack of V8 variants, at least where I live. Unlike W126, it only has a 400E-E420 V8 in the standard not limited line.
9- The prefacelift does not provide an adjustable steering wheel or an electric driver side mirrors options.
10- Standard 6 cyl. models up to 1992 are under-powered now and can barely match performance of new standard high output 4 cyl. cars like Toyota Camry (tested mine with one and 0-100km sprint was similar).
11- Some dashboard parts get really hot when illuminated, namely the A/C switches.
12- For some reason the blind spot on the driver's side is difficult to deal with for me.
13- The injection system is primitive and requires more maintenance than the next engine's introduced in 1993. (prefacelift specific)
14- Steering wheel shock absorber (direct translation from Arabic, dunno the English name) doesn't live for long with me for some reason.
15- Fuel injectors (gassers at least) in the prefacelift can't be cleaned and are prone to early failure, as far as I know.
16- Some plastic parts are not reliable, noticeably the driver side mirror's handle, rear speakers' boxes and the vanity mirror holders for me.
17- Some important parts in coupes cannot be locally found where I live anymore for sometime now, namely those related to windows and seat belts. They are not exchangeable with non coupes too.
18- Fuel gauge keeps failing for some reason giving occasional erratic or wrong reading.
19- The presence of Over Voltage Relay (OVP) is a serious concern now.
Cheers!
I thought maybe such a thread could prove useful to new owners or even old ones who want to know more.
Here is my list for it, and it's for my 1992 prefacelift 3.0L 300E. This line of engines got replaced in 1993. Unless it is specified, the list is for all W124 cars:
The Good:
1- Good handling and aerodynamics that compares to modern mainstream cars of the same class and size.
2- Good ground and wind sound insulation.
3- Good build and I think it is the last over-engineered E-Class.
4- The engine valve cover gives easier access to some internal engine parts. (prefacelift specific)
5- Engine and transmission can take a real beating and high temperature. (prefacelift is better in this part)
6- The mechanical engine fan cools very well (that's the good part of it) while moving at average to fast speeds.
7- Where I maintain my car (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia) spare parts and labor are really cheap. I rebuilt the engine for ~$1,280 USD with OEM and 1st class parts, including cylinder head machining, head gasket, timing chain, all pistons, valve seals and some fixed and moving plates I don't know what they are called in English. (specific to my 3.0L 1992 300E)
8- I find driving it much fun.
9- Coolant temp. gauge gives real reading which is good for early diagnostics.
10- Has a front break pad life indicator!!!
11- Engine and transmission could live for a very long time if official maintenance schedule is (more or less) followed.
12- Has an auxiliary electric fan (good option for high temp. running cars with mechanical engine fan).
13- There's a really useful headlight beam height dial right next to the front/rear lights switch.
14- The instrumental panel can be easily removed and maintained.
15- Got an oil pressure gauge. The service center once did not tighten the oil filter in and that gauge saved me so much trouble thanks to the lack of pressure detection.
The Bad:
1- The automatic transmission is only available is mechanical 4-speeds with bad performance (models starting 1993 got a 5-speed automatic option).
2- Heavy mid-size car.
3- Diagnostic could get annoying specially with lack of OBD. (prefacelift specific)
4- Coolant temp. gauge gives real reading which could cause grief to the inexperienced.
5- Head gasket is known for relatively early leaks.
6- The mechanical engine fan is really noisy and is not efficient at lower RPM's.
7- Although fuel consumption was good at the time, now it's become bad compared to newer cars.
8- Lack of V8 variants, at least where I live. Unlike W126, it only has a 400E-E420 V8 in the standard not limited line.
9- The prefacelift does not provide an adjustable steering wheel or an electric driver side mirrors options.
10- Standard 6 cyl. models up to 1992 are under-powered now and can barely match performance of new standard high output 4 cyl. cars like Toyota Camry (tested mine with one and 0-100km sprint was similar).
11- Some dashboard parts get really hot when illuminated, namely the A/C switches.
12- For some reason the blind spot on the driver's side is difficult to deal with for me.
13- The injection system is primitive and requires more maintenance than the next engine's introduced in 1993. (prefacelift specific)
14- Steering wheel shock absorber (direct translation from Arabic, dunno the English name) doesn't live for long with me for some reason.
15- Fuel injectors (gassers at least) in the prefacelift can't be cleaned and are prone to early failure, as far as I know.
16- Some plastic parts are not reliable, noticeably the driver side mirror's handle, rear speakers' boxes and the vanity mirror holders for me.
17- Some important parts in coupes cannot be locally found where I live anymore for sometime now, namely those related to windows and seat belts. They are not exchangeable with non coupes too.
18- Fuel gauge keeps failing for some reason giving occasional erratic or wrong reading.
19- The presence of Over Voltage Relay (OVP) is a serious concern now.
Cheers!
