W210 rust

Why they must rust REEE

They would be the best cars out there if it wasn't for the rust.

Because they're old, the steel wasn't too good, the water-based paint wasn't very solid, and the loosely fitted trim scratched the already weak paint

Think about how good cars they would be if their body work lasted like normal cars.

Also the last monoblock Mercedes.

the e39 is better in everyway

Because some hyper progressive faglord at Benz decided it would be a good idea to use waterbased paint. Also, at the same time they introduced biodegradable FUCKING CABLE INSULATION which of course fails by now.

It's making me dizzy how they did to fuck up this great brand in a matter of a couple years.

*how much they did.

The E39 was the best of the big 3 of that era. I am a huge fan of the C5 A6, but the E39 was simply better.

My family has a glorious Mexican built W210 without the shit tier water based paint. 464,000 km and still going strong.

IIRC the paint system had to be changed at the plant every 4 weeks so first weeks cars were the best and toward the end of the 4 week cycle they started to be more vunerable to corrosion.

And the ones sold in the US did not receive the waterbased paint, as it was in Europe that the "eco wave" was gathering speed

it's funny / sad how you barely see any of them on the road these days, way less than 124ers. also funny how the best rust-prevention and the worst were so close together in time. fully galvanized shitboxes on one hand and stupid shit like water based paint on the other.

That is true. It is HILARIOUS how Mercedes (who were known to rust even back then) didn't galvanize like others did.

I mean, you even see the Audi 80 quite often around, IN GERMANY. Meanwhile most 90s and 80s Mercedes went to eastern europe where they don't care about driving a rust bucket.

my e46 have rust between side skirt and door, visible when looking at closer. Hope not end up like op picture. desu I wash it like once in a week or 2 weeks

beeh engine is the only part of a car that matters

W124 was the last properly built E-class though

>ugliest car on the road

nah, boxy soap > soapy soap

You dont know what rust is

The W210 is as ugly as a pigs ass, you might like it, which i will never understand, but 99.9% of people think it is hideous, which pretty much makes its ugliness a fact since it's what everyone thinks, except (you)

I run a shotblasting place, is there any car that is notorious for being "Really good if it wasn't for rust". It's really no issue for me to get rid of rust, patch it up and treat/re=paint bodywork and the engine parts.

Well good for you. not everyone has the money for a full restoration.

I don't but this is the one thing I have, so I might as well play to my only strength

But user my car is worth less than 1k and restoring it would cost many more times the car is worth.

The european W202, models 1997 to 2000

Buy old Y60 Nissan Patrols, 60/80/100 series Land Cruisers

Wtf, I have a 26 year old W124 that's lived outside in Britain most of its life and all it has is a bit of bubling on the arches. Mercedes really dropped the ball

"""people""" also like modern turd crossovers, doesn't make it any less embarrassing.

i have a friend who had one. While doing a U turn the rusty upper spring pocket ripped off and the car collapsed to the ground. Never seen that happen before

HOLY SHIT, user.
That could be a brilliant idea actually.
You could start a niche thing in the used car market.
You lookup cars that are horrible rusbuckets but are otherwise incredibly solid. Then you restore them at your place, rust proof them and then find a clever way to advertize them as the solid cars that they are and are now even rust proofed.

I would totally buy a W210 if I saw some professional job done to remove the rust and care that it does not rust that quickly again. In my case the paint doesn't even have to be great. I just care for a solid job done against the rust shit.

But they're hideous and shitty-- Why would you ever get a W210 over an E39?

Many classic cars have small businesses around them that do that kind of stuff. Clients are usually found at the forums.

*throws salt at your benz while youre asleep*

>not combining road salt to loose road tar for maximum sticky rusting substance which you cannot wash away without
Love it when road salt usage is calculated for heavy winter snow and ice but it's only warm rain without snow destroying the road surface.

*without using heavy industrial grade cleaning chemicals

who is this semen demon

My uncle used to be a Mercedes engineer, owned pretty much every model made since the 80's and the W210 was by far his favourite car.

Because hype, the model after the legend.

based scotty kilmer

Just bought a 540i 6-speed last month. Best car I've ever owned.

>v8 bmw

W210s are great cars...but don't buy a euro model - no rustproofing, of some stupid reason. Same with most Mercedes-Benz models for decades.

Also...in general, complaining about rust on a 20 year old car that probably still runs and drives better than 75 percent of what's on the road, new or not, seems...kinda retarded. When was the last time you saw a 20 year old ANY kind of car on the road in pristine condition?

Plus...wash your car every now and then, and maintain it.

i drove one cross country. pretty comf

Mexican built C, E and S Class sedans were made from thicker metal to accommodate factory up-armoring to the extent that they weighed between 25 and 50 kg more than Euro models and body panels were cast rather than stamped too. The initial production run of the US made ML-Class had the Euro water based paint, and it caused premature rust issues that harshly damaged the Mercedes brand identity in the North American market.

Some production was shifted to Austrian Steyr operated plants for a few years with non water based paint and after it's 2nd production year, the US made units started featuring conventional paint as well.

MX made Merc sedans didn't get water based paint but MX made trucks made between 96 and 99 featured the shitty aqua lacquer. About 10,000 Mercedes trucks were purchased by the Mexican military in the 90s; some are still in active use and others were sold off to private companies, the rear sections were removed and they were repurposed as dump trucks, flat beds, trash trucks etc.

You're right, people liking crossovers doesn't really make the W210 any less embarrasing

>Alabama trashcan