1992 E300 Diesel Auto

cvisser

Hi Guy's,

I have got my Dad a Car, The above, He knows a bit about car's so he can mess around with the engine himself. It is a 1992 TS reg car, The car is driving very well, very solid and comfortable, quick enough too and goes trough the gears Very smoothly. i was surprised such a car would drive so well. The only killer is the TAX!!!! anyway's my question is does anyone know what these cars are like mechanically, what to look out for, and is it easy enough to get parts for, theres some rust on the wheel arches, but not much to worrie about,

Thanks a Mill Guys.

3ps

I have a 300TD of the same year.
arch rust is common
also front wings between the arch and lights
I found some exhaust components to be dealer only and expensive
Duo valves for the heating can go (heat is either hot or cold)

Generally parts are reasonably priced. It's easy to find second hand parts.

Seweryn

cvisser wrote: »

Hi Guy's,

I have got my Dad a Car, The above, He knows a bit about car's so he can mess around with the engine himself. It is a 1992 TS reg car, The car is driving very well, very solid and comfortable, quick enough too and goes trough the gears Very smoothly. i was surprised such a car would drive so well. The only killer is the TAX!!!!

Well, I would say that's the only problem. The car itself is (in my opinion) one of the very best car's ever made, especialy with the configuration your Dad has (diesel engine, automatic transmission). These machines, if properly maintained, does go almost for ever. My friends from Europe, where these Mercs are very popular, cover enormous mileages without any major failure. Mileages like 300, 500 thousands or more are common and sometimes, if the car is used as a taxi, the clock may go his second round.
There are a few things to watch for - the rust at the wheel arches and in the jack points. Mechanically there is nothing special to mention. But once you bought the car, change all fluids: engine oil and filter (every 6 thousand miles), transmission ATF oil, gasket and transmission oil filter (every 25 thousand miles), differential oil GL-5 85W90 (every, say, 25 thousand miles to be changed), brake and clutch fluid (every 2 years), coolant (every 2 years), power steering ATF oil, fuel filters, air filter, etc. And one thing - when the fuel tank is almost empty, get the sump out and clean it. Simple job, but after so many years it may be dirty. You will need an alan key no. 22mm (or alternatively get a bolt 22mm and 2 nuts and make the key yourself - you can buy the bolts in a farmer's shop). Of course, the brake pads, etc. are to be checked. Parts for this car are cheap, the car is extremely easy to work on, so it is worth paying the extra tax. You save the money on service, parts and reliability.
Good luck with the Mercedes and let us know if you need anything (I also have some spares, if you ever need).

Best Regards.

cvisser

Cheers guys for all yer help, I have just had a mechanic friend of mine do some work on the car, 2 rear tyres, a couple of Bulbs, all filters, all oil's, Replaced fuel hose as he said it was pi**ing fuel, @ a cost of €200, there is a knocking noise in the front wheels and he said it look's like it needs 2 shocks, and that it's just age with the car, like an old person and there bones creaking, He said they can be expensive to replace, he will get me a price and let me know when i get the car back tomorrow, It is due for NCT in September and booked in August, He said just to put it trough and see how it goes and go from there. Just wondering if you know how much 2 shocks would b,

thanks a mill lads, early informative.

Seweryn

cvisser wrote: »

Cheers guys for all yer help, I have just had a mechanic friend of mine do some work on the car, 2 rear tyres, a couple of Bulbs, all filters, all oil's, Replaced fuel hose as he said it was pi**ing fuel, @ a cost of €200, there is a knocking noise in the front wheels and he said it look's like it needs 2 shocks, and that it's just age with the car, like an old person and there bones creaking, He said they can be expensive to replace

thanks a mill lads, early informative.

The shocks are not so expensive, you should get them for about 80 Euro, but I believe the knockings come from the bottom ball joints (approx. 20 Euro each), not from the shock absorbers, which do not wear as easily in these cars and if so, they do not cause any noises if they get worn.
Which fuel hose was so expensive to replace? The hose would cost no more than 20 Euro and it is 15 min. job (unless it was the metal pipe running under the car, but then this pipe your mechanic would get only in the main dealer).

Good luck with the car.

8~)

I agree with the above. If there is a knocking noise, before changing shocks, have a look at the ball joints, wheel bearings, trackrod ends and possibly shock top mounts.

If a shock absorber is gone the obvious signs are leaking and/or very obvious hard or soft ride on one side or the other usually at the front.

cvisser

Seweryn wrote: »

The shocks are not so expensive, you should get them for about 80 Euro, but I believe the knockings come from the bottom ball joints (approx. 20 Euro each), not from the shock absorbers, which do not wear as easily in these cars and if so, they do not cause any noises if they get worn.
Which fuel hose was so expensive to replace? The hose would cost no more than 20 Euro and it is 15 min. job (unless it was the metal pipe running under the car, but then this pipe your mechanic would get only in the main dealer).

Good luck with the car.

sorry all the work done to the car cost €200. Do any of you guys now a good Mercedes Mecanic that i could trust that would know straight away what the knocking noise is, My mechanic is a good one, but not an everyday man working on 17 year old cars, but he's a good guy and i trust him.

Thanks again.

Seweryn

cvisser wrote: »

sorry all the work done to the car cost €200. Do any of you guys now a good Mercedes Mecanic that i could trust that would know straight away what the knocking noise is, My mechanic is a good one, but not an everyday man working on 17 year old cars, but he's a good guy and i trust him.

Well, you can check yourself which parts are worn if you can get dirty, have a good jack, some tools and some knowledge. I do not know any mechanic that I could trust or leave my car in his hans, so I service my cars myself. Where are you based?

cvisser

Seweryn wrote: »

Well, you can check yourself which parts are worn if you can get dirty, have a good jack, some tools and some knowledge. I do not know any mechanic that I could trust or leave my car in his hans, so I service my cars myself. Where are you based?

My Dad is the one driving the car, I got it for him, to be honest got it for nothing, He is based in Dublin, I will get some photos to of the car so you can see what we are talking about, i have in in for NCT in August.

Seweryn

cvisser wrote: »

My Dad is the one driving the car, I got it for him, to be honest got it for nothing, He is based in Dublin, I will get some photos to of the car so you can see what we are talking about, i have in in for NCT in August.

There is one mechanic working on the Mercedes cars that I know, but he is based about 2 hours from Dublin (South East) and very expensive.
It is not difficult to check these ball joints...
- lift the front of the car, so the wheel is above the ground,
- now you need to lift the bottom suspension arm (get a metal bar or something like that) attached to that ball joint to see if there is any movement there on the joint.

audiomonkey

cvisser wrote: »

sorry all the work done to the car cost €200. Do any of you guys now a good Mercedes Mecanic that i could trust that would know straight away what the knocking noise is, My mechanic is a good one, but not an everyday man working on 17 year old cars, but he's a good guy and i trust him.

Thanks again.

Almost definitely bootom ball joints. Better replace them sooner rather than later. They can drop out altogether if badly worn-with possibly disastrous consequences! It happened to me once when I had to brake hard only a couple of months after NCT test! This taught me never to assume that those guys know what they are doing. Its better to satisfy yourself that your car is safe. These are fantastic cars though (mine has 290,000 on the clock and still drives like new).

macroman

Prone to gearbox problems, eat tyres, mental road tax, horrible parking break and a new exhaust from Deansgrange Motor is ~€1200 from the Cat back.

I still love them though

cvisser

audiomonkey wrote: »

Almost definitely bootom ball joints. Better replace them sooner rather than later. They can drop out altogether if badly worn-with possibly disastrous consequences! It happened to me once when I had to brake hard only a couple of months after NCT test! This taught me never to assume that those guys know what they are doing. Its better to satisfy yourself that your car is safe. These are fantastic cars though (mine has 290,000 on the clock and still drives like new).

ok Freaked out now, :eek::eek::eek: i better get it sorted, i drove the car yesterday with my Dad and never heard it @ all, and when it does its more on the drivers side, rite, i'll gety doen to the bottom of this, THIS WEEK!

Thanks Guy's