I don't think anyone would dispute that a W140 is an amazing car, to both be in, and drive. The car is what it is, and I think the general feeling is, know what you're getting into. It's a flagship car, that has a few well know problems and weaknesses, as ALL cars do. The difference being, some parts on a W140 are very expensive to buy. Sure, you can always pick up a reasonable set of rotors, or other items, but there are many components that are very expensive to purchase, and very time consuming to install.
Again, I wouldn't let this deter me from getting one, but those interested should understand what running one involves, whether in the time you are willing to keep one properly serviced yourself, or the money you're willing to pay someone else to do it for you. It must be kept in mind too, that these cars are now all old. I know, many ppl here would call them young, but the youngest of the series, are now getting into that range, where rubber components, gaskets, and other such things start to parish. Once again, I wouldn't let if put anyone off one if they really like the model, just understand what's involved in maintaining one "properly". I feel for a pleasant ownership experience, it's always best to know the good and bad of a any model. The positive attributes of a W140 will soon make themselves clear. But it's buying into these cars, thinking they're without fault or that they can be run on the cheap, and then having to deal with something like an evaporator replacement, that often makes the owner come away feeling, the car is far from "over-engineered", and quite a bit under-engineered in areas. As you said, and I agree, I think it's one of Mercedes best cars. Just keep some cash set aside, for those unexpected repairs, as befalls all cars. They do cost more on a W140 to put right, as one would expect. Ed 300E 2009/12/15 TE <ban...@carolina.rr.com> > You guys... > > As always, the issue of W140/C140 ownership and maintenance is always blown > way out of proportion, based on someone's bad experience or list hearsay. > I'd be interested to see how many of the list members who wax poetic on the > 140 actually own, or have owned one. > > The C140, in my opinion, is the best late model Mercedes to date. That's > coming from a man who has owned many a W115 (1), W123 (3), W124 (2), W126 > (2), W202 (1) and W210 (1). After driving any of them, any other Mercedes, > or any other manufacturer's car for that matter, I always get back in my > S500 coupe and think to myself "Damn, even after 15 years, it's still the > best car I've ever driven". > > That's not to discredit the difficulty or time involved in an evaporator > job, etc. However, I think the main problem is that the average DIY'er > assumes that because the car is labeled as "over-engineered", it must be > expensive to maintain or difficult to work on. Quite the contrary, I have > no > problem handling a majority of maintenance/repair issues with a little help > from WIS and a wholesale discount at the dealership. > > Based on my experience with 140 models, I can say that the "weak front > suspension" claim is completely unfounded. Maybe a neglected 140 can have a > weak front suspension, but one that is properly maintained is trouble free, > at least in my experience. > > Door closers? That's neither expensive or difficult to fix. Pretty simple > to > fix actually, provided one has information regarding the Closing Assist > pump > and its components. I could see the PSE pump and its components (door > locks, > trunk lock, gas flap lock, rear reverse markers, retracting trunk handle, > lumbar support) being more of an issue, but that is also easily fixable, > again provided one knows what they are doing. > > Now of course, I do admit that a car like a W115 diesel or W123 diesel can > be maintained with a few rags, wrenches and basic electrical wiring tools. > Hell, they are simple. But for the thrifty DIY'er with a little patience, > the 140, whether coupe or sedan, is a wonderful car to own and maintain. > > TE > > -----Original Message----- > From: mercedes-boun...@okiebenz.com [mailto:mercedes-boun...@okiebenz.com] > On Behalf Of E M > Sent: Monday, December 14, 2009 11:00 PM > To: Mercedes Discussion List > Subject: Re: [MBZ] More 140 pleasure > > yeah, I think the evaporator is the very first component to go on the car, > after the paint primer. Replacement requires dismantling back to that > stage. I'm not sure, but I think according to the book, the paint may have > to come off the car too during evaporator replacement. ;-) > > Ed > 300E > > 2009/12/14 <relng...@aol.com> > > > > ...Not to mention the evaporator. Compared to the evap repair, the door > > > closer issue is just pocket change... > > > > > Oh well, sure but you take for granted everyone knows about that one > since > > there have been hundreds of posts on the various MB lists over the years. > > > > I've seen a few 140s at the dealer in for an evap change and they look > like > > the aftermath of a Bagdad car bombing. > > > > The 140 project was such a disaster that the head man was banished to > > Malaysia to run a trruck plant. > > > > RLE > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________ > > http://www.okiebenz.com > > For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com > > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > > http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
