If you suspect you may have some of these issues, or just want us to take a look for your peace of mind, and call us at The Wright Import, Cumming Georgia at 770-888-0100 to schedule an appointment!
After years of working on the Mercedes Benz, we have begun to see common problems and maintenance concerns that need to be addressed on nearly every middle-aged Mercedes Benz. Most Mercedes Benzs have certain areas that need to be inspected regularly, and prospective owners should always have a pre-purchase inspection done to verify the condition of these items.
In these lists, you will find items that should have been replaced or at least inspected by 75k-100k miles. Some are model specific, and will be noted as such.
Rubbery feel during steering
Vibration experienced while braking at freeway speeds
These are common symptoms of cracked or torn lower control arm bushings. This is usually fixed by replacing the bushing. Some owners may want to change the bushings with M3 or poly-urethane bushings for increased performance with little change in ride comfort.
Steering shimmy
Clunk during steering
Car drifts to one side
This is usually a sign of bad tie rod ends. The boots have a tendency to tear resulting in improper lubrication of the tie rod ball joint. This leads to long term tie rod end failure.
Diving under braking and acceleration
Excessive body lean and during cornering
Bouncy and uncomfortable ride
Factory Mercedes Benz shocks work great for about 30k. By 60k they are completely shot. Most folks who have been driving their cars since new hardly notice the deterioration as it is gradual. Symptoms include:Diving under braking and acceleration, excessive lean and suspension compression during cornering. Bouncy and uncomfortable ride. Shocks and struts may visibly leak shock oil. When replacing shocks and struts, keep in mind it is a great time to install lowering springs or freshen up other areas of the suspension. You will be amazed at the difference a good set of shocks can make in both comfort and performance!
Rough acceleration
Jerky shifting
Check engine light
This is usually a sign of a faulty Mass Airflow Meter. It calculates the mass of the air entering the cylinders and then tells the computer how much fuel to inject to ensure proper combustion. If the sensor is reading faulty then the end result is a bad mixture of air/fuel. This also sometimes triggers a check engine light.
Loud clunk or bang when shifting or during deceleration/acceleration
A Flex Disc will result in a perceivable 'drive-train elasticity.' Acceleration will be preceded with a loud clunk as the flex disc bolts bind together.
Tail light bulb consistently burning out
Tail light still doesnt light up after changing bulb
It is very common for the contacts on the tail light housing to corrode and or burn. This results in a short or incomplete circuit for your exterior lighting. The only fix for this is to replace the entire rear tail light housing and socket.
Door locks do not automatically lock
Door locks act weird after oil change on diesel
On older Mercedes Benz vehicles the door locks are actuated by vacuum. If the system has a vacuum leak then the door locks will fail to work automatically and must be locked by hand. It is very common for these vacuum lines to be pulled off during an oil change on a diesel due to the location of the oil filter. Fortunately this is an in-expensive fix.
Car is hard to start
Car does not start but if you sit and wait it eventually starts
You drive to the store, and go in, come out and the car cranks, but will not start. You let the car sit for a while and the car starts up. This could very well be your Crankshaft position sensor.
Car misfires/backfires
Runs rough under idle
Runs rough under load
Vehicle "coughs" or stutters often
This is usually bad ignition coils. Unlike many domestic vehicles, Mercedes Benz utilizes an ignition coil per cylinder system rather then a distributor. If one or more coil goes bad it causes rough running conditions. Usually ignition coils go bad due to faulty valve cover gaskets.
Fuel smell in vehicle
Fuel leak by right rear tire
The rubber fuel lines from your fuel pump to your fuel filter commonly dry rot. The lines will harden and crack under long periods of time, especially if the car is not driven very often. Thankfully this is a cheap and quick repair.
Power windows no longer function
The window switches on the center console were badly places by the designers of these vehicles. They are located right next to the cup holder. As a result they are very susceptable to spilt drinks and coffee. If your windows are unresponsive then the window switches could have been damaged by a recent spill of liquids...
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