1987 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Sedan

Turbodiesel

Automatic

WDBEB33D2HA283540

Clear

Diesel

I purchased this car in May 2012 from a friend and fellow Mercedes Diesel enthusiast. He purchased the car locally in late 2006. I have been familiar with this car since his purchase. I already had a 1987 300D when I purchased my friend's car and as wonderful as they are I can only drive one at a time. Neither he nor I have information on this car's first 20 years and 130,000 miles. Yes, 23,000 miles traveled between 1995 and 2006 seems strange. The car starts easily and runs smoothly with no smoke. The transmission shifts smoothly with an occasionally harsh downshift when accelerating rapidly after coasting almost to a stop. The previous owner made a number of trips up and down the west coast including trips to Oregon and Utah in the winter with no issues. I drive the car to and from work with the occasional 100 mile round trip also with no issues. The car is in very good mechanical condition thanks to the diligence of the previous owner. A list of mechanical work is provided below and in the stack of receipts which will accompany the car to its next owner. Again, this only covers the history since late 2006. The cylinder head was replaced with an updated casting when the previous owner removed the original cylinder head to fix a head gasket oil leak. There was no indication that the original cylinder head was subject to overheating. The original cylinder head is not available. Unfortunately a small engine oil leak from the aft end of the engine persists. Wiping the steering gear and forward encapsulation panel during oil changes keeps things reasonably clean. There is a leak from the front of the transmission which trickles along the aft encapsulation panel and drips to the ground a couple of days after cleaning. The previous owner and I estimate it leaks a quart over the 30,000 mile service life of the transmission fluid. Despite the east coast heritage, there is no rust on this car aside from the corner of the right rear quarter window shown in the pictures. The car looks good from about 20 feet but closer examination reveals a poor masking job when it was repainted. It was originally white and repainted white. The interior is clean and shows well for its age and use. A used black dash was painted blue to match the interior trim and replaces the previous dash which developed numerous cracks. This dash has a crack between the defroster registers as shown in the pictures. Most features function per the operator manual. The air conditioning cools the cabin though my wife says our other 300D cools more effectively (it also has light gray upholstery). The sunroof is temperamental despite a number of visits to the dealer. It often needs assistance to tilt upwards; that is, you have to push up the trailing edge of the sunroof, and it sometimes stalls when sliding closed requiring additional presses of the sunroof switch. Cruise control is reliable. The glow relay was modified to energize the glow plugs for about a minute after a cold start so the engine stabilizes more quickly. Mercedes offered this feature from the 1990 model year. A vacant gauge indicator glows green around the word AFTERGLOW while this feature is in operation. Mercedes did not include the indicator from the factory but the service manual describes this feature as the afterglow feature. The front console ashtray was replaced by a trio of engine monitoring instruments including an exhaust gas temperature gauge, a selectable engine oil/transmission fluid temperature gauge and an intake manifold pressure (boost) gauge. More pictures available at this slideshow Vehicle highlights Early build date of July 1986Arctic whiteBlue MB-tex (not leather)Originally delivered in NY stateMemory driver seat with telescoping steering column Ownership and Carfax highlights 10/23/1986 Titled issued in NY10/12/1990 Sold at east coast auction showing 85K miles6/29/1995 Title issued in CA showing 109K miles2/15/2006 Title issued in CA11/17/2006 Sold showing 132K miles5/15/2012 Sold showing 168K miles Service highlights 11/16/2006 Replacement Bosch alternator11/28/2006 Replace left lower ball joint, right tie rod, steering damper, front struts (Bilstein) and mounts, rear shock absorbers (Bilstein), motor mounts, front rotors and pads, water pump, belt and tensioner, thermostat, front alignment, wheel balance12/22/2006 Trap oxidizer recall, replace turbo, exhaust system6/10/2007 Replace hood pad9/7/2007 Repair speedometer (no odometer change)10/23/2007 Timing chain measured within 1* of TDC1/10/2008 Injectors tested good3/17/2008 Replace expansion valve6/9/2008 Replace engine vacuum pump (updated style)6/11/2008 Replace rear control arm camber struts6/13/2008 Replace coolant reservoir and level sensor7/9/2008 Replace cooling fan and clutch7/28/2008 Reseal AC compressor head, charge with Freeze-12, not R-12 (Freon)9/4/2008 Repair sunroof1/29/2009 Replace climate control module10/2/2009 Replace sunroof motor7/17/2010 Replace key switch8/18/2010 Replace rear brake pads and hoses7/22/2011 Replace left tie rod, drag link4/2/2010 Service and adjust sunroof4/9/2011 Replace cylinder head (updated style with casting number 603 016 20 01), clean injectors7/8/2011 Replace brake booster vacuum line7/10/11 Replace rear lower control arms and bushings8/3/2011 4-wheel alignment Modifications and customizations AC system charged with Freeze 12 rather than R-12 (Freon)C-pillar reading lights (factory option)Afterglow function with dash indicator for smoother running after a cold startRemote keyless entry (factory alarm removed)Pioneer CD MP3 playerInterior exhaust gas temperature, engine oil temperature, transmission fluid temperature, turbo boost gauges; no console ashtray!Underhood ammeter, transmission supply vacuum gaugesInterior transmission modulator vacuum gaugeLate series console storage bin (locking but no key)Late series armrest storage binLate series leather wrapped steering wheelGarage door opener switch in console, prewired glove boxAuxiliary 12V sockets (always live)Late series trunk and trunk lid linersOn-board battery chargerLate series 8-hole wheels with matched set of Michelin tires; spare wheel matches service wheels, spare tire matches service tiresFront seat fry catchers (not factory installed on early 300Ds)Lower setpoint auxiliary fan switchHeadlight wipers and washers removed Other notes No tool kit! Jack and lug wrench onlyNo console ashtray!Right side mirror needs help adjusting wide rightMemory switch 2 button usually inoperativeRun primarily on retail B20 fuel between 138K and 168K milesSome leakage dampness in right rear of engine, bottom of bell housing, pitman arm and tail end of transmissionRear seat squeaks with moderate loadSunroof sometimes needs help tilting open, sometimes needs several presses of the switch to closeOnce in about 50 starts the AC compressor will not engage. Restart the engine and the AC compressor will engage.Left rear window operation slow and laboredPaint overspray indicates poor masking jobRight side wheels clear coat crackingDriver seat bottom pad replaced with pad from 1991 300ETrip meter reset is flaky; replacement speedometer was in the car for 946 miles before decision to sell; original speedometer in place250,000km mileage award certificate and grill badge issued by MB classic center On Aug-07-12 at 15:10:50 PDT, seller added the following information: Responding to questions: 1) Economy gauge from a gasoline version? The Bourdon tube vacuum gauge from a 300E is used in this car to display the vacuum signal to the transmission modulator. It is a novelty. 2) Why was the trap recall performed so late? The owner prior to me had the trap recall performed as soon as he got the car. Neither he nor I have any information on this car prior to the purchase in late 2006 so we don't know why the trap recall was not performed sooner. It is possible that MBUSA did not have the contact information of subsequent owners and/or the car was never taken to a Mercedes-Benz dealership for service. 3) Could the delay in performing the trap recall have caused the problem with the head? The service notes from the trap recall performed by Smothers Mercedes-Benz in Santa Rosa, CA did not indicate any problem with the cylinder head. The original cylinder head was removed 4 years after the trap recall was performed to address an oil leak and, I forgot to mention in the main description, a noted 20% leakdown of the #2 cylinder. The previous owner decided to take the opportunity to install a later casting while replacing the head gasket. On Aug-07-12 at 22:53:24 PDT, seller added the following information: More questions: 4) Head casting number? The head casting number is 603 016 20 01. To my knowledge the latest head casting available is 601 016 22 01. 5) Estimate on fixing rust? It never occurred to the previous owner or to me to fix the rust so we have no estimate. It hasn't progressed to any alarming or even appreciable degree in 5 years in the Bay Area.On Aug-09-12 at 19:12:05 PDT, seller added the following information: Another question: 6) Explain leakdown test results. A leakdown test was done in 2008. The leaky #2 cylinder was noted. It wasn't until oil leaks became worse and made a real mess in 2011 that the cylinder head was replaced, which addressed the leakdown issue. On Aug-12-12 at 19:39:22 PDT, seller added the following information: Another question: 7) Has the AC evaporator been serviced? There is no record of AC evaporator service since late 2006.