Is the failure of the evaporator still a problem with later model w140 - such as 1997 - 99 model years?

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R Martin
Dallas, TX (Addison)

86 560SEL, 128K

As far as I know the evaporator was an issue with all of the 140 models. I don't believe MB ever resolved that issue. However, if the evaporator does fail there is a replacement available that is supposed to outlast the OE unit.

you have a w140... what's been you experience?

I'm considering looking for a w140 v12..

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R Martin
Dallas, TX (Addison)

86 560SEL, 128K

W140 evaporators are pretty cheap, but the labor is what will kill you because you have to pretty much pull out the entire dash to get at it. I believe book time on the job is ~ 20 hours. All W140s have the evaporator issue. M-B never did correct that.

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"It's not about how fast you can go, but how well you can go fast."

Bob in Richmond

'97 S320 (LWB), Ruby Red Metallic, 73k miles
'97 S420V, Smoke Silver Metallic, 155k miles

I absolutely love my 140 and have never regretted purchasing it. Yes, it is true when you read the posts on this forum about it being an expensive vehicle to keep running, but it is such a nice automobile to travel in that I feel it is worth the high maintenance and repair bills.

The V12 versions of the 140 are more difficult to find because not nearly as many of them were sold. I've heard that the oil pumps on 120 engines have been known to fail and essentially pump all of the oil out of the egine while you are driving down the road. So it's important to always keep an eye on the oil pressure gauge.

As with any vehicle, be patient until you find one that has been well cared for and try to buy the latest 140 that you can find. Depreciation has really brought the prices down and they are now very affordable.

The a/c evap is a problem up to the last W140 manufactured.

The issue was that the unit combined aluminum and cooper (not a good match) and obviously it tends to develop gaps at soldering points between the two materials.

The only way to cure the problem is to install an aftermarket full cooper unit, which is slightly more expensive than the original OEM unit.

As stated before, the cost of evap itself is not the problem, is the labor required to remove the whole dash to install it that kills your savings.

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A. Rosich
CL 500, 1998
S 500 L, 1998
E 320 T, 1995 [Sadly sold ]

yes, i am aware of the cost of replacement. just wondered if MB had ever recognized the weakness and changed they type of unit they installed.

the best solution, is to find a car that has already had the evaporator replaced!!

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R Martin
Dallas, TX (Addison)

86 560SEL, 128K

How can you tell if its been replaced?