MB100, Ssangyong/Daewoo Istana [ARCHIVED]

[corbon44]

Hi to all tsikoteers and fellow MB owners. I was looking for information regarding the MB100 and MB140 and I found this very informative thread. A week ago, I purchased a reconditioned and rebadged MB140 (originally Ssangyong Istana Superprime. Mahaba siya and I learned a lot from this thread before I made the purchase.

This unit used to be a Firetruck in Korea. Dami ngang pinagkabitan ng mga kung ano anong gadgets e. Advantage is low mileage at talagang maganda pa ang makina as well as ang Aircon. Ganon din ang Body, walang bulok pati pnag ilalim. Ang disadvantage naman is it doesn't have the original chairs ng MB, so ngayon naghahanap ako ng mga original chairs ng MB na pwede kong mailagay dito. Temporarily, pinaglalagyan ng dealer ng mga chairs ng Grace which is mababa at makitid kesa sa original. Baka me alam kayong pwedeng pagkunan ng maayos na upuan ng MB.

Congratulations on the purchase! Where were you able to get one? might there still be available units? How much were you able to get it? I'm seriously considering it for a second vehicle (the MB140 preferably)...

I'm not a big fan of the bubble top though (sorry, personal preference, hehe). Is it an integral part of the roof such that the ceiling is higher inside or is it just a "snap-on" part which can be removed? Thanks.

[OTEP]

The bubble top is integral with more headroom inside.

[bogart_seph]

mga sir,info lng po.s mga nbasa k kc,prng dami nman nccra s mb van?were planning 2 buy one kc,actually bka mya o tom kunin n nmen.hnd local.prng knkbhn lng po me,kc 1st time nmen mghandle ng diesel kng sakali.un mga nccra po b normal lng pghnd naalagan o bigla nlng my nccra dto s van n 2?nkkranas dn po kya ng ganitong mga cra un ibng van?nd same price dn po kya un paayos.-really appreciate for ur replies.tnx nd godbless

[reilley]

sir maganda sana kung bring ka ng mechanic to see the van first, para may idea ka about the van. may mga masisira dayn for sure, lalo na kung di mo alam history. i got mu mb two weeks ago, nad dami ko na rin napagawa sa suspension, but i made sure the engine is ok. hope i helped even for just a bit.

[bogart_seph]

sir REILLEY tnx s info!pncheck n nmen s mechanic n kilala ng friend k!ok p dw un makina!my mga aayusin lng katulad nung Oil Seal b un!?3000 lng dw un.s body medyo meron dn.pero all in all ok p nman cia.ngustuhan kc n ermat.prng ayaw n papigil.0k din un price.binarat n ermat.245k '97 model.

["DJ"]

Here's the situation.........

Right now I'm using a Lancer GL 1998 model. I've been using it for almost 2 years. It has been very reliable, never lets me down(parang Rexona ). But I've been thinking......since madalas ako sa road(about 40-50% of the day nasa kalye ako) because of my business, I've been thinking of changing my service vehicle. I need a vehicle which has space and good fuel economy(pag maulwag kasi medyo makakarelax ako).

I've encountered the MB100 last Saturday. We went to Pangasinan(sa La Union ata )....mga more or less 12 to 14 hours yung trip namin eh....balikan yun.....well awa ng Diyos we reached our target and wen't home safely.

About the MB100.....Napansin ko lang talaga na very spacious sa loob.....Ok naman ang riding comfort(marami kasi kami kaya hindi makaltag ). Ok naman din ang fuel efficiency. The only thing lang na napansin kong negative about the vehicle......nung uminit na(mga 12-4 pm)medyo hindi na nakayanan nung aircon yung init ng panahon......although hindi naman kami talaga pinawisan. All in all.......is was a good trip.....Para sa akin the MB100 performed exceptionally.

Guys, I want to know your opinions/suggestions regarding the MB100.....Kamusta naging perfromance nito in your experience? Kamusta ang maintenance?(Some people say kasi na very expensive daw ang maintenance nito....as in sakit daw sa ulo) How about the rust issues? The safety issues?


Thanks guys

[karl88]

My uncle used to own one. Siguro mga 5 years din nag serve sa kanya yung MB100 niya. My uncle is based in Davao and they have travelled by land using the MB100, Davao-Manila-Davao (once) tapos Davao-Dipolog-Davao (twice), plus of course sa mga iba pang provinces sa Mindanao. Riding comfort is okay, pero medyo maingay lang ang engine (or is it the transmission).

[1D4LV]

ok sya for daily use... my pop used to own one. para kang may mini truck na dala. hehehehe.

ang only waterloo lang nya is yung compressor ng aircon, parang marupok (o isolated case lang yung kay erpats...). in a span of 5 years, twice syang nagpalit ng compressor, which costs 20k/each....

pero ang sarap ipang outing nyan. borrowed my pop's van once tapos made a trip to pagudpod with my wife, kid and my buddies.

[OTEP]

Up until recently, I logged more kms. in an MB100 than I do on my Pajero. I've driven one for 12 hours non-stop.

Ok naman ang MB100. Ours is a local unit we acquired brand new back in 1997. Just take good care of it. Our unit is a daily driver and is not particularly well looked after, but it still serves us well.

The engine maybe a bit noisy but it has tremendous torque at low revs. Spinning the front tires (FF ang MB100) from a stoplight is very easy (and quite fun).

Some notes:
*Early MB100 door handles were recalled due to failure (replaced for free by the Mercedes Benz dealer).
*They also installed an improved (more water resistant) air intake while the doors were being serviced.
*The clutch cable is not a very strong point (an improved part is what is now available in the market).
*We popped the P/S hose and replaced it with a fabricated one (no problem since)
*The a/c compressor and evaporator broke down at separate times sometime between the third to fifth year of service. But Mang Mario took care of that already.
*Always use a good mix of coolant (50/50) and replace regularly. Ours has no overheating problem.
*The shifter on ours broke. The part now being sold is an improved part.

Solarized Silver on gray lower tone:


Cockpit:

[johnart]

Pros - huge size, dependable engine (2.9 5cylinders), strong chassis, very comfortable interior.
Cons- aircon system tends to have a hard time because of the rear vents placed in the ceiling, some hoses tend to break (power streering), and driving it is hard because of the huge size.
In my opinion I had fun owning and driving it as my daily car. Unfortunately in the 4 years I owned it and 20,000km i used it. Maintenance was very expensive uses 7.5 liters of oil, glowplugs broke every 10k km, replaced the front suspension once (shocks, rubber boots, ball joints) aircon system failed me replaced the front and the rear, replaced the clutch cable, clutch disc once and many more. As compared to my old ride an L300 gas model 1987 I had logged in more than 50,000km before I replaced almost the same parts. I found the MB to be very expensive on the maintenance.
Basically the MB-100 van is strong and reliable but you must maintain it religiously or else you might end up stuck on the road. : )

[falken]

Check mo na lang availability of parts, kasi phased out na yan, baka in the future, wala kang makuhang piyesa niyan.

[vinj]

It's a good van in terms of size and pulling power, and you feel safe in it (big plus). However, my experience with it is that it has to be maintained/checked religously to make sure you dont get stuck out there... and you can get stuck with quite a hefty bill if you get one that hasnt been maintained properly by the previous owner.

[OTEP]

Advice ko lang is better stick with local CMC units with the bigger radiator. Ang ayoko lang sa CMC unit is low gear ang differential. Quick acceleration pero biting sa top speed (135kph).

Parts are no problem. The Korean vans from Hyundai, Kia, Ssanyong/Daewoo enjoy a tremendous third-party parts network (owing to their sheer number). And with the MB100, you have the option to use original Mercedes Benz parts for the powertrain and chassis.

["DJ"]

Thanks for the replies dudes.........

Anyways....if I finally decide to change my service vehicle.......More or less malamang 2nd hand ang bilhin ko.......

What should I check? Ano dapat kung tingnan sa unit before I buy it?

Btw....reasonable na ba yung price na 330k for a MB100 1997 model?


More Opinions? Suggestions?

[1D4LV]

otep, ganda pa nung MB nyo ah.

[GlennSter]

dude, ive driven an mb100 for more than a year..it was my "first" ride....

i loved it to death.iyak nga ako nung binenta eh...SISSY!!hehrehrher

problem lang is problematic transmission....maingay.pero i can deal with it.hindi naman mahirap piyesa niya as far as i know.

tipid sa gas...

about the top speed, sa tingin ko ok na ang 135kph since it is a van.i never reached 120 sa highway, pero hindi naman ako nainip nun kasi super comfy naman siya.

["DJ"]

About the maintenance.........

Saan maganda ipa-maintain yung MB100?

What are the usual things that should be always checked?

[OTEP]

All maintenance items are detailed in the owner's manual. Not much different from a Japanese van. It's still the usual maintenace items.

Oil changes and minor service on our unit is handled by the nearby gas station.

Repairs are usually by RBL or MCR both in Quezon City.

[AC]

ask ko lang po.. ano po problema ng mb namin.. ours is late na bubbletop na daewoo na... but ofcourse emblems replaced to mb.. hehe... maingay po makina... lumulusot sa kambyo yung tunog.. maingay sa loob ng cabin.. but pag tinakpan ko ng kamay yung gilid ng kambyo at nawawala yung ingay.. may sound proofing device po ba dyan??

[OTEP]

Baka napunit yung rubber boot. Two layers yun. Yung inner (under the leatherette cover) and yung outer underneath the 'doghouse' engine cover. Baka may punit ang isa or both. You just have to order new boots.

Pero, natural lang talagang maingay ang lugar na iyan.