1989 Mercedes-Benz 190 2.6E review from North America
"Very good the first five years"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The drive shaft flex plate broke at 30K. The thermostat housing broke at 35K.
The water pump broke at 37K. Very expensive to fix because of it's location and 10 hours of labor flat rate - $800 in 1993.
Radiator leak at 70K. Replaced radiator.
Small light bulbs in the dash often burned out.
Car often hesitated on hard acceleration.
Air conditioning leaks after 7 years. It uses R-12 and it is expensive.
Replaced front struts at 90K miles.
Speedometer worm gear disintegrated in the transmission at 50K miles. This caused the speedometer to stop working and there were some transmission shifting problems.
Rear electric windows stopped working after 5 years.
Becker AM/FM cassette often turned itself off because of the anti-theft circuit. Dealer charged $50 to reset it each time.
Oil leaks around cam timing chain cover.
Oil leaks around valve cover.
Fuel leaks from the fuel pump.
Battery ran down quickly if left sitting for a few days because of some parasitic drain.
Electric fan broke at 45K miles.
Electric fan stopped working because of a switch/relay problem at 100K miles.
Instrument panel plastic deteriorated badly. Became gummy and soft.
Radio antenna stuck in the up position at 50K miles.
Driver door hinges broke at 105K miles.
Rubber donut connecting the shifter to the transmission broke.
Both front headlight bulb sockets failed.
Under-hood noise pad fell off twice.
Hood paint was poor and faded.
Steering bushing was replaced at 45K miles.
General comments?
I owned the car 15 years and enjoyed it. It had some status appeal and the charcoal grey metallic paint made it very pretty in my opinion. It was quiet and had a comfortable ride. It was reliable the first four years. After that there were constant small things that required repair. Parts were always available and the cost was more than for American cars, but less than for Honda parts.
The interior looked very good - even after 15 years and 100K miles.
Most of the exterior paint looked very good after 15 years.
Gas mileage was good.
Engine power was too low.
Interior noise level was quiet.
It always passed the state dyno emissions test easily.
Recommended reviews
| A solid, timeless functional car |
|
| A performance luxury sedan built like a tank |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 1989 |
| Year of manufacture | 1989 |
| First year of ownership | 1990 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2005 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.6 inline 6 cylinder Automatic |
| Performance marks | 3 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 5 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 7 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 20000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 105000 miles |
| Previous car | Honda Accord |
| Date of Entry | 17th November, 2005 |