My experience has been the 300E is easy to work on (In fact, it is designed to be easy to work on) and parts are pretty inexpensive. Everything in the 15,000 mile service schedule is well within the capabilities of the light-to-medium Do-It-Yourselfer. The M104 engine is a little bigger than the M103, so there is a little less room in the engine compartment of a 1993 model.

Recommended Mercedes Mechanic in Phoenix, AZ

I can recommend MB Motors, owned by Bud and Dee Cloninger, without hesitation. Bud is MB factory trained as are several of his technicians. If you need serious engine or transmission work, Steve is your man. They are the nicest and most honest people you will ever meet.

MB Motors, LTD.
2730 E. McDowell
Phoenix, AZ 85008
602-392-0686

Parts

A cottage industry has sprung up to supply parts for older Mercedes-Benz automobiles. There are many on the internet. One however, stands out from the crowd, and gets all my business. Randy Steele is a walking encyclopedia of MB parts information. Did you ever get half-way through a repair and discover that you needed a part that you forgot to order (or worse yet did not know you needed)? Randy knows enough to include all the other little things you will need but did not know to ask:

Randy Steele
European Parts Specialists
randy@epsparts.com
1-805-683-4020
www.autopartsguru.com
www.epsparts.com

Maintenance Library

If you are going to work on your 300E then you are going to need a good shop manual. My experience is that no single shop manual provides everything you need or want to know. I believe that the following is an exhaustive list of the shop manuals available for the 300E:

Maintenance Tips

Service information on various topics appears below:

Brakes

I have done the brake jobs on all my cars and my 300E is the easiest. I recently replaced front brake pads, rotors, and wear sensors on my 300E. Top of the line parts cost me a total of $150 and the entire job took about 2 hours.

Buy Jurid or Textar pads. The best rotors are Balo. The rotors typically need to be replaced with every third set of pads. Replacing the rotors is a breeze.

A common complaint is brake squeal. The trick to keeping your brakes from squealing is this: when you replace them, use only MB grease (not that Permatext stuff from the auto parts store), and apply a little to the side of the pad's backing plate where it contacts the caliper.

Electric Antenna

Just like the rest of my 300E, the electric antenna is easy to service and repair.

Climate Control Blower Motor and Regulator

The blower motor and blower regulator are easy to replace but the factory service CDs leave out several important steps. Here is how I replaced mine.

Dash Removal

Some notes about removal of the dash or instrument panel