W211 E200 ML (MY2005)

[Revzport]

Hi everyone,

This is my first time in this forum and I would like to get some help from knowledgeable and passionate owners. 

I'm about to purchase a 2005 W211 E200, vehicle has been renewed with 5 years COE and I'm left with 3 years for the vehicle. Mileage is clocked at 170,000. The vehicle looks great both externally and internally. But there are few mechanical issues which are beyond me. 

Firstly, the engine check light came up. I know it's hard to determine the source of the problem, but does anyone have any rough idea of what it would be? Secondly, there is a metal clunking noise from the front suspension whether I drive over speed bumps. I suspect it's the suspension itself, and not the engine mount. 

Does anyone know of reputable workshops which I can visit to get it diagnosed? My previous car was an Airwave, and I do not have contacts for workshops dealing with conti cars.

Thanks!

[Ah Bui]

You stay in the west? There is probably cam shaft issue for engine light and also engine mount or suspension issue for the sound.... You can go to my mechanic in Toh Guan... tell him I sent you... He fixes all my cars issue.... 

[CH_OldMerc]

Hi Revsport,

I am driving a W211 E230 Y2007. It's a great car but age does catch up and there are bound to be wear/tear here & there from time to time. Totally unavoidable for any vehicle if you ask me. 

Engine check light must be treated seriously. Instead of paying any workshop to check, why not get yourself a simple ELM327 diagnostic Bluetooth adaptor and you download some handy app to your smartphone for finding the fault code. I'm doing just that and it's working just great.

For the metal cluncking noise on the wheel when going over hump or potholes ,  sounds to me it's either the bearing or suspension hydraulic about to fail. Probably a good tyre shop would be able to tell. 

Hope this help and let us know if you need further help. 

Cheers

CH_OldMerc

[Revzport]

37 minutes ago, Ah Bui said:

You stay in the west? There is probably cam shaft issue for engine light and also engine mount or suspension issue for the sound.... You can go to my mechanic in Toh Guan... tell him I sent you... He fixes all my cars issue.... 

I live within the south-west area, nearest cluster of workshops would be Alexandra Village. May I know what symptoms to look out for if it is indeed cam shaft?

17 minutes ago, CH_OldMerc said:

Hi Revsport,

I am driving a W211 E230 Y2007. It's a great car but age does catch up and there are bound to be wear/tear here & there from time to time. Totally unavoidable for any vehicle if you ask me. 

Engine check light must be treated seriously. Instead of paying any workshop to check, why not get yourself a simple ELM327 diagnostic Bluetooth adaptor and you download some handy app to your smartphone for finding the fault code. I'm doing just that and it's working just great.

For the metal cluncking noise on the wheel when going over hump or potholes ,  sounds to me it's either the bearing or suspension hydraulic about to fail. Probably a good tyre shop would be able to tell. 

Hope this help and let us know if you need further help. 

Cheers

CH_OldMerc

Thanks for the reply, I will get the suspension sorted out, seems pretty straight forward from how I see it. The diagnostic device however is interesting. I have never heard of such stuff. Do you have any recommendations? Probably the setup that you are currently using right now?

Thanks.

[CH_OldMerc]

Hi Revsport,

Check this webpage link for answer on OBD port on the W211.

 http://www.mercedesmedic.com/find-location-obd-ii-obd2-port-mercedes-benz/

You can try getting a Bluetooth ELM327 adaptor from Vinztech. I got mine there.

https://sg.carousell.com/p/mini-elm327-wifi-elm-327-obdii-car-diagnostic-tool-obd2-code-reader-scanner-for-ios-android-elm-wifi-327-blue-79030538/?ref=profile&ref_page=2&ref_source=listing&ref_referrer=%2Fvinztech%2F%3Fpage%3D2%26source%3Dlisting&ref_sId=673000

Download Android App: Torque Pro / ODB Car Doctor / Piston 

It shld connect seamlessly.

It's a cheap DiY way to troubleshoot your own car. Haha

A slightly more expensive or semi professional choice would be to invest into this one: (however don't think it's available in Spore)

http://www.mercedesmedic.com/icarsoft-i980-review/

Hope this helps. 

 

[Revzport]

14 hours ago, CH_OldMerc said:

Hi Revsport,

Check this webpage link for answer on OBD port on the W211.

 http://www.mercedesmedic.com/find-location-obd-ii-obd2-port-mercedes-benz/

You can try getting a Bluetooth ELM327 adaptor from Vinztech. I got mine there.

https://sg.carousell.com/p/mini-elm327-wifi-elm-327-obdii-car-diagnostic-tool-obd2-code-reader-scanner-for-ios-android-elm-wifi-327-blue-79030538/?ref=profile&ref_page=2&ref_source=listing&ref_referrer=%2Fvinztech%2F%3Fpage%3D2%26source%3Dlisting&ref_sId=673000

Download Android App: Torque Pro / ODB Car Doctor / Piston 

It shld connect seamlessly.

It's a cheap DiY way to troubleshoot your own car. Haha

A slightly more expensive or semi professional choice would be to invest into this one: (however don't think it's available in Spore)

http://www.mercedesmedic.com/icarsoft-i980-review/

Hope this helps. 

 

Thanks! This is indeed a cheaper alternative to get the car diagnosed. I will try it out once I've taken ownership of the car. 

I will check back once there are further updates.

Thanks for the help!

[iMac]

1 hour ago, Revzport said:

Thanks! This is indeed a cheaper alternative to get the car diagnosed. I will try it out once I've taken ownership of the car. 

I will check back once there are further updates.

Thanks for the help!

Shouldn't you check out the fault before buying ?

If it required major repair, do you still want to buy the car? Unless the seller agreed to pay for the repair in the sales contract.

Or, the nego price is already offset with some repair cost. You should consider carefully.

[Revzport]

4 hours ago, iMac said:

Shouldn't you check out the fault before buying ?

If it required major repair, do you still want to buy the car? Unless the seller agreed to pay for the repair in the sales contract.

Or, the nego price is already offset with some repair cost. You should consider carefully.

If the car is purchased from a dealer, I would have made sure the car is free from major defects before purchasing. But for this case, it is purchased from a direct source and it will be relatively lower that what the market is asking. Hence I am willing to take the plung.

I have test driven the vehicle, and there were no immediately issues which made the car undrivable. 

[CH_OldMerc]

The most notable problem with the W211E200ML was the infamous SBC (brakes) problem . But it would have been resolved at C&C years ago. Well,  it never hurt to recheck on it. Haha. 

[Revzport]

Quick updates:

I have taken ownership of the vehicle, looks great on the outside, hopefully so for the insides as well. My audio specialist shop has recommended "Zenith Automotive Services" for servicing and maintenance. My contact claims that he regularly sends his ML to them for servicing.

Has anyone dealt with them previously? Any feedbacks?

[Revzport]

Hi guys, my vehicle has been throwing out P0172 fault codes recently. My workshop did a reset but it came back after a day or two. I read up on the code from MBMedic and there are a list of problems which could lead to this fault code. I started smelling gas from the exterior (not interior) as well and I hope this is related to the fault code where there is excessive fuel pumped. I do hope the gas smell isn't related to the dreaded fuel tank issue which affected a few E-Classes in the US.

Most common problem is the MAF, I doubt its a misfire of the cylinders as my idling is fine, but I do notice that my fuel consumption is terrible. 16.7L / 100KM.

[CH_OldMerc]

Hello Revsport,

Gas smell from outside left rear wheel arch area due to a common fuel tank problem with all W211 models. I had this problem too but do not suppose it has got to do with the P0172 fault code you are experiencing.

From OBD2 Code Guide - P0172 could be due to one or more of the following problem.

- Faulty front heated oxygen sensor
- Ignition misfiring
- Faulty fuel injectors
- Exhaust gas leaks
- Incorrect fuel pressure 
- Faulty Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor

Suggest you narrow down to these in identifying the actual problem with your car.

16.7L/100km is quite bad.  Do you drive most of the time in city crawling traffic condition? My E230 is averaging exactly 12.8L/100km for past 1 year.  50/50 expressway/city road conditions  under normal driving pattern. 

 

 

[Revzport]

52 minutes ago, CH_OldMerc said:

Hello Revsport,

Gas smell from outside left rear wheel arch area due to a common fuel tank problem with all W211 models. I had this problem too but do not suppose it has got to do with the P0172 fault code you are experiencing.

From OBD2 Code Guide - P0172 could be due to one or more of the following problem.

- Faulty front heated oxygen sensor
- Ignition misfiring
- Faulty fuel injectors
- Exhaust gas leaks
- Incorrect fuel pressure 
- Faulty Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor

Suggest you narrow down to these in identifying the actual problem with your car.

16.7L/100km is quite bad.  Do you drive most of the time in city crawling traffic condition? My E230 is averaging exactly 12.8L/100km for past 1 year.  50/50 expressway/city road conditions  under normal driving pattern. 

 

 

Did you rectify the fuel tank problem? If so, was it a full replacement of the tank, or just the sealants? I have heard of replacement costs of the tanks to be up of $2000.

As for the fault code, I will be bringing it down to the workshop to get it sorted out. Hopefully it doesn't take more than one visit to correctly identify the problem.

Your consumption is rather ideal judging that it is a E230. I use my ride for daily commute to and from work which is in Pandan Crescent, and I avoid the expressways mostly. I am slightly heavy footed (max 4500 rpm when "attempting" to overtake) but my consumption is suspiciously bad. Definitely not city crawling speeds.

[CH_OldMerc]

Did not do anything about the fuel tank and left it as it is.  As long as no fluid leakages, that could result in "kaboom" I'm alright. Haha. 

 

[Revzport]

5 minutes ago, CH_OldMerc said:

Did not do anything about the fuel tank and left it as it is.  As long as no fluid leakages, that could result in "kaboom" I'm alright. Haha. 

 

That is very bold haha! I do check for leaks whenever I leave the parking lot every now and then. No signs of leakage at the moment. I have also read online that owners have tried pumping the fuel to 3/4 full and the smell isn't eminent anymore. I shall try that on my next pump.

Even though I secretly do love the smell of petrol (who doesn't?!) That "kaboom" moment does scare me once in awhile.

[iMac]

10 hours ago, Revzport said:

That is very bold haha! I do check for leaks whenever I leave the parking lot every now and then. No signs of leakage at the moment. I have also read online that owners have tried pumping the fuel to 3/4 full and the smell isn't eminent anymore. I shall try that on my next pump.

Even though I secretly do love the smell of petrol (who doesn't?!) That "kaboom" moment does scare me once in awhile.

Check your left side pump, could be same result of this..

https://youtu.be/8vxTVclkZGo

[Revzport]

On ‎10‎/‎07‎/‎2017 at 10:27 PM, iMac said:

Check your left side pump, could be same result of this..

https://youtu.be/8vxTVclkZGo

I brought the vehicle down to my independent workshop and the findings were leakages to the engine breather hose and valve. Damage is $300 including labour. Fuel smell and poor consumption is apparently caused by a choked charcoal canister. My fuel tank is fine. Damage at $260 including labour. Had them all repaired and there is significant improvement to my consumption! I have seen improvements of up to 13.7L/100KM.

I now have to monitor the engine light to ensure that that the MAF or Oxygen sensors aren't faulty.