Stuck in the middle of no where! Owner ships '05 MB E320 CDI to CAR WIZARD after stranded in Wyoming
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- Опубликовано: 6 окт 2024
- Owner buys this '05 Mercedes E320 CDI and gets stranded on his road trip home. He ships it to the CAR WIZARD 🧙♂️ to figure out what exactly happened and the real condition of his new purchase. Yes, another scary PPI: Post-Purchase Inspection.
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Plenty of those 320 CDI here in Europe with over 500K miles on it still driving strong.
And… ?
I got an 08 one last year as my first car with 118k miles and how have 125k. Absolutely incredible car, have zero issues with it other than a bad o2 sensor. Confident it will last a couple hundred thousand miles
@@h0rze423man it lasts millions....a coupe you say😂
@@rubenprata8272 is that km or mi?
I've never seen one of these go that long on a single engine, yet I believe it to be possible
@@h0rze423here in europe they usually get up to 1,5 million km which is 1 million miles aprox, they could run more but after that it is not worth it any more. What happen is they either put another engine or sell them to african countries where they keep running a lot more miles/km until simply die
I laughed when she said "Who tows with Mercedes?" I can say that is pretty damn common here in Europe, especially with these diesel Mercedes.
Europeans love diesels lol. Also most people here in the states tow with full size pickups.
Almost everyone who has one tows with it at some point 😄
@@samholdsworth420 Yes, here in Europe pickups are very rare, they are just not practical here. I guess in the USA everything needs to be big.
Even if you don't tow, you can mount a bicycle rack on the mount.
"Bicycle? What is that?"
Sorry, I forgot, the car is in the US...
@@samholdsworth420 The rest of the world. LOL. I'm from South Africa originally. Everything is based on European Standards there. Diesel is the lifeblood of the country.
I respect and admire this blokes honesty, frankness, he stands out from the crowd.
You have to give it to the Car Wizzard for his professionalisim.
These are amazing cars. My father in law's one had over 340 000km on it when an X3 jumped a traffic light and t-boned us at speed. We walked away when the BMW driver had broken ribs. That car was perfect, bone dry underneath. Great power and economy!
have a 2005 CDI...bought it in 2010 from a MB dealer in Charlotte...currently 325000 miles..runs like a dream...love the diesel torque! Expensive to repair but comfortable road car....driven Virginia to Vegas and back 4 times.... repairs have been age related...Except for the injection pump at 250000 miles, nothing major in the engine or trans have broken
If proper maintained those mileage isn't a problem, in the EU average E class diesel Taxi have more on the tacho than 200K, still going strong.
Most of the diesel Taxis are sold when they reach 600-800 K/Km or 400-500 K/Miles, the cars are still in use after to be clear.
That's because Mercedes in Europe are built in Germany.
@@johnmanley7859 so are the US version W211's.
@@johnmanley7859 It's more that Europeans make sure even older cars gets serviced and maintenance done.
This vehicle is garbage. Used up. Junk it.
@@ozarkliving7263 Wow, you're so smart. You're probably the type who'd then spend close to $30k on a new Kia or Hyundai that you'd lose $7k on just driving it off the lot.
Battery sounds a bit low when ya cranked her up. It would definitely crank over even slower in colder weather. Nothing worse than a weak battery in a Diesel in the winter.
Lift pump needs checking (not the HP pump). Either it's in the tank or on the side of the high pressure pump depending on engine. This going bad can cause a slow start also...gets harder to start over time and often when the seals go bad there is also a diesel smell.
Can get worse if it has leaky injectors to top it off haha!
Summerblend of dieselfuel in low temps?
I agree, doesn’t sound like mine did and mine had no problems starting in sub zero weather….
@@Bratfalken
Summerblend...California car...gelled fuel in a snowstorm...
Got a chuckle when I saw the dealer plate frame. Stepped on their lot once to look at a couple of sequoias about a year and a half ago. The two vehicles I was planning on looking at needed quite a bit of work and we're still priced at a premium. I didn't even test drive either one because they were so overpriced.
Bought a 2005 w211 e320cdi, came in as a waiter in the dealership for the belt coming off. Gave an estimate as the coolant pump seized puked coolant on the tensioner and destroyed the tensioner as well as the belt estimate was 3k . Customer was a older gentleman and didn’t even drive it anymore so he didn’t was to repair it and wanted us to call the junkyard to pick it up which they where giving him 300. Service manager said if I wanted to give him $500. So $500 and $700 in parts later I have a great Mercedes
Wow, that guy was so dumb.
@@vw5056 I've worked in the MB Dealer world for a long time and this is 100% not uncommon. The guy likely had a fleet of MB products (or a pile of cash) If he was bringing such an old car to the dealer
@@highroller96 so you often saw people junk a car just because it needed some work done?
Yup, the old guy wised up and bought a Toyota.
@@21Piloteer Right, a geriatric with cash to burn buying a cheap, unsafe Toyota tin can to live out his motoring years in misery is the epitome of wisdom. Not.
ruclips.net/video/FzGLoojlTgA/видео.html
Wizard, your fuel smell may be caused by a seal where the fuel pump/sending unit goes into the tank under the rear seat. I have that issue with my cls55 amg, and the w211 and w219 are basically the same car. It really only shows up when it has a very full tank or you just added fuel which could be why it isn't noticeable now. Beautiful car otherwise! These truly are the last of a great era of mercedes.
He doesn't read this stuff anymore I'll bet. He's got a thriving business and I doubt there's time
@@icanfartloud that is an unfair statement...miss wizard reads messages she replied to mine...
Common issue good point!
This exact model and color has been my daily driver for 4 years now. Just crossed 250K. Fixed turbo, injector seals, and glow plug controller. Otherwise has been solid. Gets over 40 MPG highway. Pulls like a freight train.
EDIT: family member in Greece bought the 4 cyl version of this back in '04 for use as a taxi. That car is a hair away from rolling the odometer a SECOND time. Almost 2 million km
Nice. The minds of Scotty's simps will go into overload mode.
VW Mercs in the US aren’t the same as the Mercs in Europe, Scotty talks about the ones in the US
@@dawicked2k8 A Euro spec W211 would be more likely to have cloth seats and lack a sunroof. Not much difference, let's stop with this myth already.
VW a big difference are the Diesel Mercs which even the Wizard acknowledges most people havent seen and are plentyful in Europe, not the same, try again
@@dawicked2k8 no major difference in longevity between this and the smaller 4cyl diesel.
Here in the U.K. I have had only diesel cars since 1985, with diesel here currently costing $5.88 per US gallon you maybe understand why.
I have owned a Peugeot 205, Citroen ZX, Citroen Xsara Picasso and currently a 2009 Civic all diesel. They have all returned a minimum of 50 mpg, Imperial gallons, but would do 60 plus mpg on longer runs as long as you keep the speed down to 60mph.
Fun Fact: In Europe this is a big diesel car and engine! Most diesels in Europe are 1.6 or 1.9 liters on average! You have also a lot of manufacturers that have 1.3 liter diesel engines and smaller! 😂
coming up on 2022 the norm is like 2 liter for "high end" cars, 1.5, 1.2 4 cylinders and 1 liter 3 cylinders :p
@@dutchdude1972 thats for sure!
@@NathanVdV Yup in the Netherlands that is true for sure!
Don't forget the turbo's. Because they need to get power out from a 1.3 liter engine.
there's a v8 diesel version for the w211- that would be pretty fun 😎
this is a real work horse here.(europe).. i drove one for 800,000 km..
and tht engine,,,,, is a legend.. they tune them to 350 hp, if keep the standard gearbox,,,
all the way to 650 hp ,with a beeffed up zf.,, and all the way up to 800 hp,, if pistons, and rods replaced....
a bloody LEGEND of a car...
P.S. taxis of the era, have up to1,500,000 km on the clock,, and 30% of them, still with the original engine...
these are so common here in the uk you can find a high miler like that with ether 2.2, 2.7 or 3.2 (you can get manuals in 2.2 and 2.7 also) for around $1000-1500, my folks have a 2.7 5cyl i need to work on next week. the abs sensor ring has broken up on the left hand rear wheel. need to pull the hub unit tto fit a new one, and towing with one is very very common. it's quite a good car for towing caranvans here, it has a 4200lbs towing capacity
I have the 350 coupe did my rear abs rings recently whilst I was there did the bearing and back plate as well
Dont have this car but i think i have the dame issue on my vmw 118d 2009 because often when i go into a corner traction control kicks in and just the other day it said i had a flat tyre and my car doesnt have pressure sensors for tires but uses wheel speed. Did you have same issues?
My 2007 e320cdi has an secret trailer hitch i pull an lever in the trunk and the hitch comes out
Worth taking the back seat base out... I had a significant fuel leak underneath mine and it turned out to be the bottle top fitting holding the cover on top of one of the fuel pumps, there were pools and pools of diesel in the back of the car under the rear seats.
There would be a smell
@@selfimprovement212 there's a metal plate that goes over the top of the void where the pump is so I only had faintest of fuel vapours in the car (which prompted me to look around)
Yup! This is definitely worth checking out. Ive had a fuel leak in the same area (different car)
@@Dave-Cruz 👍 I could smell a faint smell of raw diesel in the cab, got out and noticed it was very pungent outside around the rear right wheel, looked underneath and everything was covered in diesel including the exhaust (wasn't any immediate danger as such as it's not as combustible as petrol). Looked higher than the tank having crawled underneath the car but I wasn't too up to speed on car mechanics. When I shut the rear right side door I heard... " Thump" (3 seconds) "thump" (3 seconds) "thump"... Thought, that sounds like something in the tank, lifted the seats out, took the metal plate off and the smell of diesel was overpowering, pools of it in the void underneath, you could see down into the tank as the bottle top (as I call it lol) wasn't even on let alone loose. The fuel pump was literally bobbing up and down on the surface of the fuel which was the cause of the thumping moments before. The diesel had eaten through a rubber/silicone seal in said void and was therefore leaking out through there and onto everything below / behind
Thankfully the bottle top (🤦😂) wasn't cracked it just looked like whoever had replaced the pump just didn't bother tightening it up enough and the loose bobbing fuel pump was enough to work it loose. Managed to sort it all out at home and eventually soaked up all the diesel but all the insulation etc between the bulkhead and the seat were forever smelling of diesel.
I had same issue in my 05 E320 CDI simple fix.
w211 diesels with the inline are the best, ofc you will not find problems with the engine , gearbox or the suspension if its not on air suspenssion, amazing strong beast, only electrical problems, wich is normal for a car after 2000
Likely had non-winterized fuel in the car coming from California and gelled up once it got to Wyoming. Better put some anti-gel in the fuel tank before the client picks it up.
Thats what I thought.
Don't think they sell Winterized Diesel in California. It was minus 20C (-4F) in Wyoming last week. So diesel turning into gel is a likely cause.
Trick if you can't find anti-gel: mix Diesel with regular fuel. You can add up to 20% without problems. You should be safe until -40C (-40F).
That was my thought too. The diesel got too gold and turned into gel. Here in the UK I'm not too sure if they add it at the refinary or what but I don't think it gets that cold to add it.
@@DarrenBoss1984 In winter the fuel companies in the UK supply a different grade of diesel to avoid waxing in sub-zero conditions.
@@gravityskeptic8697 Not a good idea to do this. These common rail engines rely on the diesel to lubricate the high pressure pump. Adding petrol can cause premature wear and rapid failure.
Interesting, I took my 2006 CDI up to northern nevada in the middle of a blizzard during Christmas running fuel I bought in CA. Spent 3 days up there with temps never getting above freezing, didn’t have any issues.
Wyoming is very very cold and California doesn't use winter treated diesel. The California diesel gelled up in Wyoming. This is why his car would not start.
yep. he had no clue about prepping a diesel for winter driving. Wyoming across Interstate 80 can be especially harsh.
You would think by the time he'd gotten to Wyoming the 'summer' diesel would've already gone through the system and they'd fueled up with winter fuel
I don't know about that.
I mean, yeah, California diesel might not be prepared for harsh winter weather, but are you sure a full tank will last enough for the car to make it all the way to Wyoming?
It's a diesel, but I doubt the fuel economy is THAT good...
@@Watcher3223
30mpg x 21 gallons= 630 miles.
May have filled up before getting into Wyoming.
May have gelled from extreme cold...or maybe water in fuel filters froze?
Really nice Mercedes. My friend had a 2004 E350 wagon with a gas engine. She has had problems with the air shocks. I love the content on your channel. I am always drawn to your 66 Chevelle in the background as well as Hoovies Mustang and the white Marquis. Cars are like potato chips, can't have just one. Also, I want to thank you for having 100 percent Jake on your channel. I have been watching his content to and it is really good. Lot of great automotive knowledge in Kansas.
The wagon rear air springs are so easy to replace. $300/side and about 2 hours start to finish. I did that job last week and used Arnott bags. Now the rear end stays up all night!
@@highroller96 Those $300 Arnott springs, were they new or rebuilt? If I'm not mistaken, on LR Discovery 4 they are rebuilt. We're required to send our old air bag/springs to them.
@@aabidamn There was not core return required, and the parts were new, not rebuilt or remanufactured. I am located in Canada and purchased from Rockauto.
My 2007 has a slow leak but still air's up after a few moments, unfortunately parts for these are rather expensive in the UK but definitely needs looking at soon.
There is an active sunroof recall for this model. The unit needs to be secured so the adhesive holding the sunroof to the car does not fail and eject from the car
Thanks for posting this. I just acquired an '06 CDI and probably won't get the notification from MBUSA.. I found a link to the recall notice on the MBUSA website with instructions on how to determine if the work had been performed on my car (it hadn't) and how to set up the appointment to get it done for free.
Adhesive? My volvo sunroof glass is screwed into bracket
Tip: Get a PRE purchase inspection as opposed to a post inspection
I’m the owner. It’s a pretty rare find actually so I went with it because the price wasn’t outrageous. That said, that wouldn’t be found in a pre-purchase inspection. They don’t dig that deep. I’ve gotten them in the past from lemon squad and it’s definitely worth it but I doubt they would have found a block of wood in the sunroof. I knew going in that it didn’t work so I’m good as long as it’s not leaking. At best, my car has a GREAT story! Priceless!
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If you are the owner, if suggest checking the body for collisions. Air bag cover in the steering wheel looks mismatched. Maybe even the air bag could be missing.
@@lawrencelucero8487 I would think the OBD2 check would show that. I would also think it would trigger a Check Engine light.
@@XGenBoomer That is fair enough at least you had an idea things could crop up. Hope you get to enjoy many years with it. Being originally from England I am familiar with diesels. Good luck mate.
@@Blue-moon12 I actually got a PPI on one in Arizona and I passed on it. It had issues I could see in the still pictures of the ad. This was the best example for the price at the time I bought it. The car drives great except for the few minor issues he mentioned. The sunroof wasn’t a deal breaker from the beginning. It’s been an adventure so far but I’m really ok with it. Thanks
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My 05 Cdi has 325k miles. Still runs strong, my friend rebuilt the transmission on it a year ago. It has a tuner and it’s a fun car. Kind of like a sleeper. These are big torque monsters
Great engines, transmissions can (electronically) poop themselves occasionally. These Mercs look great too. It's a shame GM tarnished the reputation of diesels forever in the US with the 350 diesel. Thousands of people tow stuff with Mercs in Europe, no big deal.
True. This used to be the car of choice of horse owners that took their horses everywhere with a trailer.
Also many taxis where this type of Merc. This is the last gen ohf Mercs that were build to last.
Too bad the early reputation of those Olds diesels was so bad, when they fixed the issues they were gutless but reliable. My 80 C10 went 255K before I got an offer I couldn't turn down (it was a factory black short box). A friend's 83(?) Bonnie had 345K when his wife rolled it.
So you think that 30 plus later that people don’t like Benz diesels is because of the Oldsmobile diesel? That’s silly!
I had an 06 E320CDI. Loved that car so much. All the electronics are fiberoptic and the nav unit went out. Because they are all fiber they are all connected in a loop. When the nav died none of the infotainment system worked. I went to MB to price out a new nav unit and they would only sell it as a complete package with all the fiber, controls, discchanger and head unit, for $5000! I bought a $3 fiberoptic bypass loop and eliminated the nav.
The intake has 2 separate sets of runners and a valve with flappers that switches between them depending on rpm. MB wanted to replace the entire intake when they carboned up. I used some PB blaster on the flapper pins and spent 10 minutes working the flaps open and closed. That fixed it for another 30K miles.
I would still have that car today, but a deer totaled it.
Aaahaha, you know these are rust buckets.
Good to see that sunroof hack for my 2003 W211 E500 when the time comes...what are the dimensions of that wood block? Thank you Car Wizard and Mrs. Wizard for all the great videos.
You can only get that wood block thu Wizards Amazon link affiliate 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Lol!
I have that exactly same car since 2008, it's the best car I ever had, still daily driver, bought it with 80k miles, has today 270k miles, all stock, the worst thing that ever happened is SBC replaced by dealer for free, water pump and black death, no big deal, great car
we need more CDI content I love this
We have an 05’ CDI with very similar spec. Absolutely love it. Currently at 140k and no sign of slowing down. Have had the Black Death issue, and transmission conductor plate issue. The rest has simply been normal maintenance.
Watch for oil cooler going bad, and clogged a/c condenser drain clogging and dripping onto the canbus computer. Had to have the waste gate rebuilt around 250k miles, currently at 285k miles on ours, bought it with 50k miles. Have also replaced glow plugs and the injector seals twice, first time it had the Black Death, 2nd not as bad but snapped an injector bolt, had to buy the special tool to drill the bolt out. Suspension rebuilt a couple times, and the motor and transmission mounts. Not bad if you do it all yourself.
@@jimmygrant3212 thanks for the info. In addition to the above, we have been through the front suspension, motor and tranny mounts, glow plugs, glow plug controller, water pump, thermostat, the SBC was replaced almost ten years ago (probably getting close again)
Took it to Nova Scotia shortly before the lockdowns. Cruze set at 95mph across New Brunswick for four ish hours. Super comfortable and returned just under 38mpg on that run. Love this thing.
@@RobertBrown-uy6gh power steering pump has also gotten weak, but it’s progressively gotten weaker the last 20k miles.
So I don't understand America and the crazy distances people drive there, but here in Europe we have a winter formulation for diesel. My guess would be that he fueled up in a warm state where they don't do the winter diesel (because what for?) and the summer diesel gelled up in the snow storm, which is completely normal.
On older diesels, you can thin up the summer fuel with normal gas and it will work without breaking things. On newer ones you really need a special additive, which you can buy at every station (I guess not in the US, eh? ;)) Either way, that's my guess. Summer diesel gelling up in the cold.
With diesels you need to have a few things in mind:
Driving habits- Diesel engines 'like' long highway trips. They can get up to operating temperature and start passive regeneration to burn off the soot that collects in the intake, EGR, DPF, and other places when driving it cold or in town. Too much soot buildup just chokes the engine to death.
Fluid quality- low quality Diesel fuel usually has some sediment which can destroy the newer generations of fuel rails and injectors. Low quality AdBlue usually does the same to the SCR system. Going for proven, high quality suppliers is the way to go.
I drive a 2006 Honda Civic 2.2 Diesel (yes, even civics get diesel in Europe) and it passed 200k km (124k miles) with no real issues last month. I just make sure to put premium Diesel in it (not sure if there's such a thing in the US), use good quality oil and change the filters often. Same goes for the other, newer diesels in the family which all run fine even with 300k+ km on the clock. I'll probably get a W212 facelift E350 Diesel when prices go down (pesky chip shortage...). Greetings from Bulgaria!
I have this exact same car 212,000 had it a few months, way better than my 82 CD turbodiesel... 40+ mpg this winter, Medical Courier gig perfection.
They have a 3500 lb towing capacity but it's hard to find anything but class one hitches for it
@@dutchdude1972 our CDI is rated at 200 hp and torque in the 400s
muya estate can tow 2100kg
@@dutchdude1972 does that get 40 plus miles per gallon, I also have a ML320 CDI with a V6 and it doesn't get 30
@@dutchdude1972 but those years are full of Blue tech crap that I don't want
@@dutchdude1972 IT or v6
On these mercedes cdi-s you need to take the engine cover off, and check for leaks at the injectors as you did, as the cooper washer that seals the injector to the head wear out and the gases from the combustion chamber escapes, and forms black sludge around the injector and his mounting bracket. Been there before.
Black death
Black death
7:05
I rebuilt the entire sunroof assy on my 05 CLK55 - no point half assing it since I was keeping the car.
The entire headliner had to come down as the rotating cables were shredded and sticking out of the tracks (plastic) which were also worn.
Dealer wanted 1000 USD for new sunroof rail guides (that are not sold separately) but I repaired the plastic instead. Took about 2 weeks for the repair.
Dealer estimate would have been an easy 5000$, parts and labour and I fully understand why.
Wizard PLEASE VERIFY IF GLOW PLUGS ARE AFTERMARKET. I live in WI & have this same 2005 E320 CDI OM648 in tektite gray. The glow plugs in it were Bosch 11.2v and would never start below 20°F. Replaced with factory are Beru 6.0v and will start @ -20°F on first turn. NOTE: Both were listed as oem parts from various parts outlets.
Maybe one of the best diesel engines Mercedes has made; The power delivery, sound, refinement and the mileage is unbeatable and zero problems with urea and other stuff, though EGR, swirl flaps and black death can give you some troubles…
Except for the oil cooler seal leak...
@@martinkk2943 Not on the R6, that’s a V6 problem (OM642)
Had an '03 E320 CDI with that 3.2 straight-6 about 12 years ago here in the UK. I loved it, you actually can't hear it's a diesel in the cabin. Legendary bulletproof engine, it came from the factory with 200 bhp but they can very easily be tuned for a reliable 400 on the stock bottom end. Stock they developed more torque than the M113 5.0 V8 of the time. And yet it would quite regularly get over 40 mpg on a run. From 2006 (not in the US though) the E320 CDI had the 3.0 V6 with 220 bhp which whilst still a good engine wasn't quite as bulletproof.
This just proves the old maxim, always have your car inspected by a legitimate mechanic, BEFORE you buy it.
Exactly, owner isn’t very bright
I should have done that, ended up having to replace the clutch after a few hundred miles, previous owner wore it out bad!
@@yinyangsaladgang8789 A lot more practical buying locally than sight unseen from 2,000 miles away.
Branson Home. You're the dumb one here. The owner did have it checked out lol.
Jeff Zekas. Pay attention! He did have it checked out beforehand.
There is a recall on the sunroof, dealer may replace for free. The glue they used may make the sunroof detach from the car.
Thanks, Wizard and Mrs. Admiring the Grand Marquise behind you. Old high-mileage European car, unless I'd owned it - maintained it - run away. Wizard, do not tell her you bought another car, just bring it home and leave it around for a while, and when she asks "I told you about that weeks ago."
I have two 211 estates in norway, 2005 E280cdi (inline 6 3,2l om648) with 630000km and 2007 E220cdi with 780000km, both with original engine
Very normal in Europe to tow after your Mercedes E class, the 320 CDI as in the video, is allowed to tow 4200 pounds (1900 kg), The W212 wagon, even with smallest engine 200 CDI (2,2l 136 hp), can tow 4700 pounds (2100 kg)….And it’s absolutely no problem to tow this weight if you have a Mercedes diesel…😊
American likes to tow only with HUGE trucks! I don't think they can "understand" a car or wagon towing more than a garbage trailer.
@@AndresK5Blazer I know😊 The problems here in Europe are; We can’t afford to have several extra cars ie. trucks and the fact that gas prices are very high compared to the US….So we must stick to our recourses and get the job done with what we have!
I tow my boat with a 1.6l citroen xsara - never had issues!
I am a Collision Instructor at a High School. We had an 06 E350 gas Merc with 120k miles get donated to the school. Owners were told by a Transmission shop that the 722.9 7 speed trans was "bad" and $6000 to repair a $5000 car so it was "mechanically totaled." Car was stuck in 2nd gear. Well, I did a little research and pulled out the Conductor Plate from the Trans, sent it off the be rebuilt for $400, put it back in, reset the CEL, and now she drives and shifts perfectly. Pretty cool.
14:20 A bumper hitch doesn't mean someone is towing, more than likely its for a bike rack or luggage platform.
Exactly.That doesn't look like a '2" receiver style' hitch.Maybe a jet-ski sized trailer,as it does have light connector.
I have a 1 1/4" hitch on my 07 Elantra to tow a 4'x8' trailer. I have towed a motorcycle and usually my garbage to the dump. My car is rated to tow up to 1500 pounds.
It does if there's also wiring for trailer lights.
Makes me feel a lot better bout my white 2006 e320cdi with 170k miles when I bought it. It has 3 issues, windshield washer system doesn’t work, alarm siren is burnt out, and drivers seat/ steering wheel are heavily worn. No issues otherwise. Extremely clean car. Already put 17k on it since I bought it 6 months ago. Love the ability to get up to 40mpg on the highways and has plenty of power.
Here in the UK (and Europe) diesel is king. Although it's slowly being faded out by hybrids. My co-worker has a small city car (Vauxhall Corsa) with a 1.3l diesel engine in it. On cruise control at about 65mph he can get well over 65-70mpg on a long run. My next car is going to be a diesel. It also baffles me to see that some large RV's in USA have petrol engines. Surely this must be really inneficiet?
Americans dont have to care about efficiency because they pay little for Gas what european pay for a litre they pay for a gallon
People here are pissed because the national average for 87 octane is around $3.35 a gallon. Some states like California are paying closer to $5 but for most of us $3.30 is very expensive. January 2020 it was under $2. I drove tractor trailers for years so I love Diesel engines but most Americans prefer the instant torque and horsepower of gasoline. And most large RV’s are a lot lighter than you think. A medium size RV weighs about the same as most full size pickups.
Its because America never made a good diesel engine..
diesel fuel costs more than gas - gas was far cheaper until Brandon caused the gas priced to nearly double
@@ferjaxs7521 Not quite true. I have a diesel powered GMC pickup truck and I am concerned every day about efficiency. Don't lump us all together, please.
The issue with the 320Cdi IL6 4valve engine is the holding down bolt of the injector fork. The bolt is a M6 bolt that is torque to yield i.e. it is torqued with special Merc grease beyond its yield point so can't be reused but they have a habit of loosening causing a ticking noise from the rocker cover that indicates that there is blow-by around the injector causing your'black death', a sooty carbon semi-solid goo that is the devil's own job to pick out (it can take hours- ask me how I know). Sometimes the M6 bolt just shears that may be caused by either the overstress of initial torquing or when some fool has tightened it again. Take it to a dealer and they will sell you a brand new cylinder head at a cost of 1,000s I fixed mine by very carefully drilling out the broken bolt and fitting a M8 helicoil, drilling the holding down finger and installing a M8 12.9 grade bolt and torquing to 25lbft with a dab of loctite. This fix is totally reliable and what the factory should have done originally. Unfortunately, Merc use too many torque to yield bolts in their latest model ranges.
Its true to say that up to 1998 Merc were run by engineers, from 1998 - 2003 by accountants and 2003> by marketing men. I will leave you to decides what cars each produced.
alex with legit street cars is a master when it comes to those cars he has many videos on the 3 he had.
The sunroof may still be covered under the factory recall. I know my 2005 E320 CDI sunroof is being replaced under the recall.
I would love some info on that. I’m the owner. Thanks
I used to have one of these here in uk. Best car by far I have ever owned
I have a W210 E320 avant-garde on petrol. Fixed a non operating rain sensor once by removing the sensor cover and cleaning the inner windscreen sensor area with methylated spirits and a cotton stick. Voila, that was several years ago and the rain sensor is still working! Read about that fix in a UK MB owners club site. Steering wheel. I have a genuine MB supplied wood rim steering wheel fitted to my car, looks and feels fantastic to drive. Tow ball. The owners manual (driving) part from p48 describes a factory fitted retractable tow ball option that needed to be built in with the car but I did have a fixed type installed by my local MB dealer. I only use it on occasions for towing a light 6’ x 4’ box trailer for camping trips or runs to the local waste disposal service.
240k miles is nothing for those, is usual to see them here in Europe with way more than that. Fast car too, and very confy. Love them
Yeah that's 386242.56 km
Here in Finland you can find many of these with more than 300k miles. Regular maintenance and some repairs sometimes. But these can take the miles!
The sunroof in my 2013 Ford F-350 crew cab stopped working, the plastic guides broke from years in the Arizona sun. $1,500.00 to $1,800.00 assembly from Ford plus having a body shop replacing it.
Look on Amazon, I was able to order the repair kit for it for under $100.00 and it went through a hailstorm so it went to the body shop for repairs. They charged $300.00 to repair it, they already had to pull the headliner to paint the roof.
The weirdest diesel vehicle I ever drove was about an 80 Chevette diesel with a stick. Slower than a 1 legged dog.
IIRC one of the reasons you guys don't historically have many diesel cars is that your pump diesel is different. Fine for trucks designed for it, but not good for small car engines.
Here in Europe I bought a E36 BMW 325TDS (5 speed auto) with 100K miles, and added over 100K miles without a single serious mechanical issue. I honestly don't know how Hoovie seem to get such lemons! Most reliable car I've ever owned.
Own a 2014 TDI and have had many people yell at my wife and I about how we're about to put diesel in our car. My response is always the same...." I hope so!"
I’ve driven diesel TDI for last 20 years and nobody’s ever said this to me before. Nobody seems to pay attention to how others are refueling.
Likely the cold could have made wax of the diesel. Other grade diesel in the winter is used to avoid that. In the old days and coming from a mild climate we added some very small amount of regular gas in on a full tank of diesel on our way to the Ski slopes in the Alps. Locally they sell the right diesel. Filling up your tank locally at arrival in the winter conditions should help you out. Drive a few minutes to mix it in before parking in the cold.
The owner must have some sort of sentimental attachments towards this particular model of vehicle, if they were willing to travel all the way across the country and spend so much money on it for towing, repairs etc.. there has to be some sort of personal connection going on, since it’s not an exotic or limited edition type of vehicle.
These cars really are worth it. If you've had one, you would know...
Some people are so desperate to look more impressive and they think a vehicle helps with that. You might be surprised how many folks driving a Toyota have a net worth in the multiple millions. I am one such person.
Owner is clearly not that bright
@@ozarkliving7263 🤣🤣🤣
These are actually fairly hard to find. Plus the owner bought in CA which means no rust issues.
For the fuel smell, check the tops of the fuel pump and filter assembly under the rear seat.
Don't know about the Diesels, but the on the gas cars the tops of the bulk heads crack and leak and puddle fuel under the rear seat.
It cost thousands to fix if the owner leaves it with the lizzard! Get it back to Vermont and fix it yourself. This car is a keeper. If you can't fix it yourself ....DO NOT BUY ONE.
+1 If it were the Wizards personal car he would have Long Beach or Mike fix it for the cost of parts only, so like $400. Since it's a customer's car well now we are talking many thousands
@@vw5056 Yes they're all alike, unfortunately for the working man!
My uncle put and probably still has a piece of bamboo in the same place as the block for the moonroof when it failed on his 2006 Escape. It seems to work great and it's significantly cheaper than getting a moonroof fixed if you don't need it to actually open.
THAT Mercedes was CLEARLY pre-owned by someone who couldn't afford to own a Mercedes...
'Magic' Mike, 'Bend me over' Billy, and 'Over the tank' Frank', That's the scary part of car repairs!
I've towed a 800 lbs small trailer from PA to TX and made the trip back to PA 2 years later. My 2005 CDI has now 242k and does not skip a beat. These diesels can tow!
This is the kind of car that it would be worth finding a donor/parts car to replace the finicky little bits and bobs wrong with it. Another e class with a dead driveline with a hood, sunroof, interior etc in decent enough shape to replace what is wrong would be a smart purchase
I'm really interested in a follow-up with this car. I love this generation of E-Class, and seeing a diesel one being worked on isn't too common. The repairs can only be interesting to see!
I never liked the W210 E class design, especially the wagon, but I think the W211 design has aged pretty well. That and the W212.
It's a powerful fuel efficiency engine it's a big car to me not a small car. When he said big issues I thought the diesel pump that is the biggest fear with a diesel they are very costly. Sunroof just keep it permanently closed. Not worth the cost to make it work.
Hello Wizard,
Check for a recall on the sunroof. My 2007 C280 4matic was affected.
I apppreciate what you do!
Yes. Check Recall. My 2005 E500 was recalled for faulty adhesive in Sunroof. (Only certain VIN series was covered)
Ive got 230k on one 2005 E320 and 175k on the other. These OM648 are great engines, replace injector seals every 80-100k to prevent black death, keep up regular maintenance and they will run 400-500k miles
Should be more diesel cars in America. If your commute is super long distances the fuel economy is incredible
Better than or equal to a hybrid. Now I hear that in Europe they have a hybrid diesel E class which would be epic.
Car looks good for 17 years old. Looks better than my 12 year old Journey that is starting to rust. My vehicle will never need thousands in repairs. And simple to fix.
It wont need thousands in repairs because it will be in the junkyard from rusting out before it gets that far.
This generation of CDI can go many more miles. Was in a cab in Portugal recently that had over 1.2 million miles.
mine literally drove all over europe, my favourite mercedes just in front of the weird A class, i dont like the modern mercedes since. i wouldnt trust the sunroofs of those eras. most of these errors seem just to be related to the owners being cheap, i would have thought that given the condition itd be cheaper to abandon the car and move on - just the start before the lift didnt sound right
@@juki6377 yep. I own a C class wagon of this same era (5 cylinder) and it is an absolute pleasure to drive. Has a ton of miles and never skips a beat, albeit, always been taken care of properly and timely.
@@andreborges2106 yeah doing stuff on the cheap doesn't work with these cars if you want the longevity. Nowadays I have a Toyota and even if it can take a bit of abuse, if you think long term do the servicing right
IF it is properly taken care of. That is one thing Americans don't do is to properly take care of their vehicles.
@@williamjones4483 yeah and your consumer laws are sometimes appalling, but not everyone is passionate about cars and wants to spend money. When buying a lot of people just look at the price tag and the design
The M-B E320 CDI of that era is capable at towing. You are allowed to tow 4188 lbs or 1900 kg with it. They are dirt cheap here in Sweden, around $4400 for a car with about the same mileage and age. You could also get it with 4-Matic for that kind of money.
Looks like the car has been baking under the California sun for long time
But I've never seen such a clean underbody on a 200K mile car
That would be the selling point for a Vermonter. Zero rust underneath. Carfax said it was a California/Florida car. I’d rather fading paint than rust
in the 70s usa were the first to get mercedes turbo diesels, they were not availabel in germany at this time
Sentimental value is likely a strong motivator for someone to want a car like this. A deceased loved-one had a similar one or in rare cases, this may be the exact car they had.
Plenty of those Mercedes here in Europe is equiped with a tow hitch. We seldom buy a separate car for just towing.
Most familys living in a house has two cars and most often one of them has a tow hitch, as my W212 Diesel.
It´s really good for towing even haevy loads.
Pretty car, hope the customer fixes it back up, it's worth it. I should never have sold my '89 500 SDL. 363K miles and only regular maintenance issues.
I had a 94 S class diesel. A rod bender. complete garbage, but it did ride nicely. My wife bought a used 16 ML350 aka ( Alabama Garbage can). I screamed at her I was so upset. I wanted her to get a Lexus or Toyota,
@@mbreckwoldt9813 she knows more about cars than you obviously.
W211 was the last good Merc build. Aluminium was used for the body like bonnet, doors, fenders, etc.. and there's no rust at all! Had 320 cdi straight 6, 204hp for 3 years. Done 47 000 miles and for the time owned i have replaced just EGR valve! Absolutely bullet proof engine and transmission! Extremely reliable car!
The buyer of this Mercedes should have had it shipped to Vermont or should have bought one from the East coast (much closer to home).
Then again, I'm surprised that anyone living in rural America would want to own a Mercedes. While I'm sure that there are plenty of mechanics in and around Beverly Hills who know these cars, most mechanics elsewhere do not. I'm guessing that in rural America, most mechanics rarely even see a Mercedes on the road, much less have experience working on one.
Those old proper MB models will last awhile when taken care of, my friend been driving 2005 CDI since 2017 after taking it from her dad.
Family bought it new and it just hit 350,000 miles still going well. My friend's goal is to see how many miles she can put on it till it dies
What was the towing charge? Given that the Wizard's shop is hundreds of miles away from Wyoming, I'm sure that wasn't cheap. Then again, I'm not a Mercedes aficionado, and I have no business buying a European brand luxury car.
Probably had it shipped, not towed.
Looks like garage door damage
i would closely look at fuel hoses for cracks , may not see leakage but may be ingress of air. If it was mine i wouldn't bother with the sunroof unless its leaking as , air conditioning good enough, it doesn't look too bad otherwise just rack boots and front pads.
I’m the owner and that’s exactly how I see it. It’s not my only car and it’s actually more of an adventure than a car right? Great story
W211 are some of the best Mercedes ever built. They are not quite as reliable as the W210 class, but far less prone to rust.
Hey Wiz. I had diesel VW, Mercedes all my life and live in Minnesota you know how cold it is here. I always, always pump 2 gallon 87 first and rest fill with diesel all year round, winter Summer never had any problem Cold start hot start any start, out side inside doesn’t matter. Gas in the fuel tank never let diesel turns into jelly.
When running Diesel cars I always used BP Diesel Supreme; there is definitely a huge difference in this fuel, from subzero starting, to just a large increase of the mileage per gallon... !!
I do V-Power Diesel but they still do summer and winter fuel. The whole V-Power thing is only adding more detergents to keep the injectors clean. Base fuel is still changed for winter to prevent gelling, and in the summer they can keep it thicker and cheaper.
I replaced the destroyed OEM steering wheel on my explorer with a beautiful example from a salvage one for only about $60 installed. Made the biggest difference. You touch and use that all the time. Well worth the money
I was thinking that about the sunroof assembly.
@@bryduhbikeguy that would be a insurmountable job in my opinion. I wouldn't even bother
You can thank GM in the late 70s and 80s for the lack of diesel cars in America. They gave them a bad name. Even to this day people still reference those as unreliable.
Well I would like to thank general motors because diesels in cars are terrible.
The Mercedes Diesel were the absolute standard for german taxis. Indestructible. 300,000 miles in the city - no problem.
@@samholdsworth420 I'm a V8 nut, but come on. Even you must know the advantages of modern turbo-diesel engines and the amount of sheer torque they throw out.
@@lenmetallica I agree they definitely put out good power and economy , unfortunately not too many people don't see the benefits. Mercedes-benz has always had a good reputation with diesel engines.
@@lenmetallica fair enough I just wouldn't want my car to sound like a farm tractor.
I have that exact same car, right now. Mine has 320,000 miles and the check engine light just came on this week. It's a transmission solenoid issue. Should be simple. ...or not. The car runs like a freight train, though. TONS of power with the turbo-charged diesel engine.
Find a specialist. Solenoids and the control board are easy on the 5 speed mercedes automatics.
Wow, no rust at all.
The owner experienced the one big drawback to diesels. When it gets REAL cold, the fuel gels. There is winter fuel but in the mid-west it's 10 below one day and sixty the next. Hard to plan ahead.
Yep. I’m the owner and I have a couple of Fords. An IDI and a Powerstroke as well. I’ve never had fuel gel on me. It’s been an adventure
@@XGenBoomer
Have the wizard replace the fuel filters too.
Have you read some of the other comments re checking under the back seat and on top of the fuel tank for loose/missing caps to the fuel system?
The void under the body can fill with diesel...
Is your client interested in selling this car? I’d like to bring it back to California to join the other 2 cdi’s I own
Do You have winter-grade diesel on gasoline stations? 2 most common problems with diesel cars in cold weather are summer-grade diesel and clogged (with dirt and ice) diesel filter. The diesel filter should change every autumn if it doesn't have a built-in warming resistor.
Another German car owner that needed to take it to Jonny The Car Ninja in Wichita, Kansas.
There's no guesswork with him.
Mrs. Wizard has learnt quite a lot...Thats great!!! All the best!
Back in the old days Benz use too put ten coats if paint I believe
I have similar car same colour but smaller engine E270 I have owned it for 8 years, it gets over 50mpg at 60mph down to 46 mpg at 80-90mph cruising, 2003 model only worth about £1000.00 in the UK.
This is considered the 2jz of diesel engines.
One thing you maybe didn’t notice is that it has an Avantgarde spec rear bumper while it is an elegance spec car. Maybe a small accident in the past
That’s just the spec we get here in the USA, they don’t use the Avantgarde or Elegance-named trim packages. Same as my old w204 that was the “AMG appearance package” and here it’s just the “Sport” spec.
@@bck0001 yeah but i mean the rear bumper doesn’t match the front and the side skirts. It’s a different spec bumper
We REALLY need a Ferrari 308 update!! That car is an absolute stunner.
We, here in Europe, have micro cars which run on diesel. You can look them up. The most popular example is aixam, it has a Kubota engine and does 30km per liter. Diesels are used because of their output, gas engines are measured in cc's, diesels are measured in kW. A micro car can have a 600cc diesel engine of 3 to 5kW.