Well, as I said before, I am definitely from the group that loves the W140! I own a V140 and a C140, both with M119 V8 engines. The M119s are basically indestructible as is the chassis of the W140. Yes, the well known issues such as the evaporator, the self-closing doors pump and certain electronic bugs are unavoidable but the smoothness, luxury, size, weight and safety of the W140 greatly counteract them. The ride of W140 is perfect and its design and features revolutionized the car industry when introduced back in the early 90s.
I thought I would never hear a positive word from you on the W140 chassis. Thank you as I enjoy both of our W140s and our latest C140 as wonderful daily drivers here in the Detroit area as they do fit my 6'8" fame oh so well..
Thanks for another educational video. You have been a wealth of knowledge that has helped me get my w124 to where it is now. This spring all seats are getting done and I am going to do restoring paint job. Probably my last paint job. Thanks pierre.
As an owner of a 92 S600/600SEL I can confirm... The wiring can get frustrating. Still like the car, highway driving is an absolute dream with the V12, except for the gas mileage.
I've put over 50k.miles on my 92' 300sd. I love it. Sure I need new valve guides and a couple injectors but I will gladly do the work and keep the car going. It's an absolute beast I named Benzilla. I've even been looking at a second and third one, I have 10 located.
My 93 S320 is the best thing I’ve ever driven. And I’ve driven a lot of nice cars. It’s so effortless and light and nimble to drive and comfortable and cosseting and it’s actually quite fast.
The 104 pulled that car around just fine, You cannot buy a car like the 140 with dual pane windows, I saw a episode of cops where a S420 was stolen and the police could not pit that car, when cops finally got car stopped, It was ruined, regular things to go bad? duo water valves, evap core, blower motor, AC control head, vacuum pump worked over time with self closing doors. The 140 was a serious car!
Pierre, when I worked at Mercedes, we were seeing a lot of M120 powered vehicles in which parts were unobtainable. It’s rather unfortunate for one of the best S classes ever created.
Pierre does make some good points, of course, but the thing is, he doesn't like working on the W140, which really colours his viewpoint. He has mentioned several times that it's time-consuming to work on them, and that the complexity makes it a pain to troubleshoot problems. However, if you work on your own car, or live in a place where labour is cheap, and fixing it isn't expensive, then it's a great buy for people who want a massive, imposing and iconic car. I live in Thailand most of the time, and there are loads of them, rust-free, and lots of small independent garages that can fix any and all problems for a very reasonable fee.
I have never understood what Pierre has got against the W140. I've been driving my 400SE 1992 for 15 years by now, as my only car and daily driver. It has now 440,000 km on the odometer, of which I have been driving 260,000. In these years I have had 2 electronics issues. Back in 2011 the instrument cluster was having some quirks, but that was easily fixed in 15 min by replacing 3 electrolythic condensators, and 2 months ago I had to replace the blinker/time control unit. It has been the best and most reliable car I have owned in my 49 years as a car owner. The worst one was my 1989 300SEL. Completely unreliable and rusting faster than lightning. I have had 2 diesel powered M-B's. One 240D 1980 and one 300D Lang 1985. Great workhorses, but in my humle opinion a diesel engine does not belong to a luxury sedan, and the M119 engine is really one of the best engines ever built, only beaten by the Volvo redblocks...
I had one and it was a fxxking car!! First broke th A/C, 2. the transmission axels to the rear wheels started with noises, 3. the hand-break release broke and 4. the antennas on the rear came out only one side (it was anyway the greatest B.S.). Mercedes w140 350 TG 1993, the greatest sh.t car I've ever had!
Loved my om606 powered '98 w140, great reliability and economy. Unfortunately due to emission regs in European cities for old diesels it became impractical as a daily and had to sell it last year........ Still miss it though, my replacement w212 E500 4matic is nice but misses the refinement and material quality in the interior.
I had a 95 S600. Total disaster money pit. Only car to ever beat me. Would jump on any 606 powered 140 if they were here. Still, wouldn’t trade my 84 SD 300 for it. Hey Pierre, I’ll stop by next time I am my folks place in Titus 👊👊
When Erich Waxenberger retired, his retirement car was a W140 300SD. I saw it once when we met him in Stuttgart. I guess he got some special dispensation to own and register one in Germany.
I thought the w126 diesels were only sold in the American market…? That would make diesels not as quintessential a feature. That said, I only collect MB diesels, not gasoline cars….
As long as regular maintenance is or had been performed on the 3.5 om603 they are just fine. Head gasket failure is usually lack of coolant changes which deteriorates the material. Also, if you are on top of monitoring oil control you can catch problems. On mine, I had the head gasket changed because of a coolant issue....when I bought it. As long as you know what you are getting into, you can anticipate and prevent or avoid most issues
I still remember that back in the day, an obviously typically leftie commentator on German national TV said that is looks like the fat, saggy ass of then chancellor Helmut Kohl :) Also, little known, there was a 16 cylinder engine ready developed, sitting on the shelf, but it was never rolled out due to the sentiment of the times... I had asked the unofficial scribe of all things MB over at the 560 channel, and even he was unaware, due to his young age, and said that MB is so weird with their policies, that even he would not get access, even for documentary purposes...
*V18. And it never left the drawing board. Not even a prototype. The BMW V16 however was a running and driving car with a 6 speed manual. It was an agreement because it was going into cylinder war, so as the 250kph agreement.
@@alexmercer8042 There is no 250 agreement. You can have it unlocked for a fee, which includes a drive training. Only if you spec run flat tyres, it is limited to 250. Btw, pretty sure it is not a V18, because I have not heard of that in 50 years... mechanically and weight distribution wise, a V16 would be doubling a V8, while there has never been a straight-9 or V18 ever, isn't it? OK it is 35 years ago, but I gonna say it was a V16 in German Auto Motor Sport magazine, or in a TV segment at the time.
Pierre Hedary is underappreciated. (even though, respectfully, the W140 is truly amazing)
Pierre is the Slavoj Zizek of old Benzes.
Well, as I said before, I am definitely from the group that loves the W140! I own a V140 and a C140, both with M119 V8 engines. The M119s are basically indestructible as is the chassis of the W140. Yes, the well known issues such as the evaporator, the self-closing doors pump and certain electronic bugs are unavoidable but the smoothness, luxury, size, weight and safety of the W140 greatly counteract them. The ride of W140 is perfect and its design and features revolutionized the car industry when introduced back in the early 90s.
Iam withe u pro ... Mercedes benz .... never mead like w140 befor until now that resion enighf for love this car
Awesome to hear your love for the OM603 and the diesel W140!
Looking forward to hearing more about the W140 Diesels!
I thought I would never hear a positive word from you on the W140 chassis. Thank you as I enjoy both of our W140s and our latest C140 as wonderful daily drivers here in the Detroit area as they do fit my 6'8" fame oh so well..
i still keep mine S2 since 1993 ( 7000 kms )
the last true mercedes.
Thanks for another educational video. You have been a wealth of knowledge that has helped me get my w124 to where it is now.
This spring all seats are getting done and I am going to do restoring paint job. Probably my last paint job. Thanks pierre.
As an owner of a 92 S600/600SEL I can confirm... The wiring can get frustrating. Still like the car, highway driving is an absolute dream with the V12, except for the gas mileage.
I'm owner of 95 c140，love the car, going to buy a 560 SEC soon.
I've put over 50k.miles on my 92' 300sd. I love it. Sure I need new valve guides and a couple injectors but I will gladly do the work and keep the car going. It's an absolute beast I named Benzilla. I've even been looking at a second and third one, I have 10 located.
W140 all day!! Fsacelift 97+ S500
Hey now. We have a few mutual friends that might disagree!
My 93 S320 is the best thing I’ve ever driven. And I’ve driven a lot of nice cars. It’s so effortless and light and nimble to drive and comfortable and cosseting and it’s actually quite fast.
The 104 pulled that car around just fine, You cannot buy a car like the 140 with dual pane windows, I saw a episode of cops where a S420 was stolen and the police could not pit that car, when cops finally got car stopped, It was ruined, regular things to go bad? duo water valves, evap core, blower motor, AC control head, vacuum pump worked over time with self closing doors. The 140 was a serious car!
Was considering a diesel 140 perfect timing for this video!!!
Pierre, when I worked at Mercedes, we were seeing a lot of M120 powered vehicles in which parts were unobtainable.
It’s rather unfortunate for one of the best S classes ever created.
Pierre does make some good points, of course, but the thing is, he doesn't like working on the W140, which really colours his viewpoint. He has mentioned several times that it's time-consuming to work on them, and that the complexity makes it a pain to troubleshoot problems.
However, if you work on your own car, or live in a place where labour is cheap, and fixing it isn't expensive, then it's a great buy for people who want a massive, imposing and iconic car.
I live in Thailand most of the time, and there are loads of them, rust-free, and lots of small independent garages that can fix any and all problems for a very reasonable fee.
I have never understood what Pierre has got against the W140.
I've been driving my 400SE 1992 for 15 years by now, as my only car and daily driver. It has now 440,000 km on the odometer, of which I have been driving 260,000. In these years I have had 2 electronics issues. Back in 2011 the instrument cluster was having some quirks, but that was easily fixed in 15 min by replacing 3 electrolythic condensators, and 2 months ago I had to replace the blinker/time control unit. It has been the best and most reliable car I have owned in my 49 years as a car owner. The worst one was my 1989 300SEL. Completely unreliable and rusting faster than lightning.
I have had 2 diesel powered M-B's. One 240D 1980 and one 300D Lang 1985. Great workhorses, but in my humle opinion a diesel engine does not belong to a luxury sedan, and the M119 engine is really one of the best engines ever built, only beaten by the Volvo redblocks...
I didn’t even know you were in brevard, im over here in Indialantic
I had one and it was a fxxking car!! First broke th A/C, 2. the transmission axels to the rear wheels started with noises, 3. the hand-break release broke and 4. the antennas on the rear came out only one side (it was anyway the greatest B.S.). Mercedes w140 350 TG 1993, the greatest sh.t car I've ever had!
Very interesting ------ you are truly an expert in this field. I will be looking for a W140 sometime within this year. Thanks Pierre.
I agree , the CLA is trash with a Mercedes star on it
Is it a rebadged Nissan like the GLA?
Trash is to kind an insult for that pos of a car. It’s an insult to the engineering and build quality that Mercedes’ usually stands for
7:04 Sooo, I have to do oil changes every 2 weeks...hm...
I agree Mercedes and diesel are a match made in heaven my w203 c220 cdi is just abut to roll over 200000 miles and I love her dearly.
The w140 s300 td is a great car
"The Hindenburg" definitely inspired the W140's styling.
About damnn time..... I love you pierre but the its me and my s320L till the bitter end.
can you talk about w202?
Hi. What do you think about the W202 c280
You mentioned NLA parts but I thought that Mercedes could get one made if you needed it. Is that only for restorations?
Loved my om606 powered '98 w140, great reliability and economy. Unfortunately due to emission regs in European cities for old diesels it became impractical as a daily and had to sell it last year........ Still miss it though, my replacement w212 E500 4matic is nice but misses the refinement and material quality in the interior.
I had a 95 S600. Total disaster money pit. Only car to ever beat me. Would jump on any 606 powered 140 if they were here. Still, wouldn’t trade my 84 SD 300 for it.
Hey Pierre, I’ll stop by next time I am my folks place in Titus 👊👊
The SD/SDL was only available for USA market. The rest of the world did not get a diesel 140 at all
When Erich Waxenberger retired, his retirement car was a W140 300SD. I saw it once when we met him in Stuttgart. I guess he got some special dispensation to own and register one in Germany.
I thought the w126 diesels were only sold in the American market…? That would make diesels not as quintessential a feature. That said, I only collect MB diesels, not gasoline cars….
Sorry to say, the W140 was the beginning of the end
the 3,5 are troublesome but the the 3 liter is fine
As long as regular maintenance is or had been performed on the 3.5 om603 they are just fine. Head gasket failure is usually lack of coolant changes which deteriorates the material. Also, if you are on top of monitoring oil control you can catch problems.
On mine, I had the head gasket changed because of a coolant issue....when I bought it.
As long as you know what you are getting into, you can anticipate and prevent or avoid most issues
I still remember that back in the day, an obviously typically leftie commentator on German national TV said that is looks like the fat, saggy ass of then chancellor Helmut Kohl :) Also, little known, there was a 16 cylinder engine ready developed, sitting on the shelf, but it was never rolled out due to the sentiment of the times... I had asked the unofficial scribe of all things MB over at the 560 channel, and even he was unaware, due to his young age, and said that MB is so weird with their policies, that even he would not get access, even for documentary purposes...
*V18. And it never left the drawing board. Not even a prototype. The BMW V16 however was a running and driving car with a 6 speed manual. It was an agreement because it was going into cylinder war, so as the 250kph agreement.
@@alexmercer8042 There is no 250 agreement. You can have it unlocked for a fee, which includes a drive training. Only if you spec run flat tyres, it is limited to 250.
Btw, pretty sure it is not a V18, because I have not heard of that in 50 years... mechanically and weight distribution wise, a V16 would be doubling a V8, while there has never been a straight-9 or V18 ever, isn't it? OK it is 35 years ago, but I gonna say it was a V16 in German Auto Motor Sport magazine, or in a TV segment at the time.
Hey, Helmut Kohl was alright 😊
@@ZuzkaK6 Google is your friend. He “did it right”, as in, they did not find out how corrupt he was until AFTER he was Der Kansler.
@@alexmercer8042 The W18 never left drawing board but the V16 did in 1985 in a small fleet of prototypes.
I don’t like the way the w140 looks. Proportions are bad. Roof line way too high
Stop moving your leg! Your head is bouncing because of it.
I never like the Mercedes diesels too noisy
What exactly does the BCM do? And can the car function without it?
Bcm is body control module , does a list of items related to the body of the car .