Rottingman

Excluding brakes and potential airmatic suspension issues are there any other notable maintenance cost differences between owning a E550 vs E350. I plan on purchasing a Used 10-12 E-Class in the near future. I'll either be purchasing cpo or carmax maxcare warranty depending on what deal I find as I know how expensive these vehicles can be regarding repairs.

Just want to know any other general maintenance concerns I'd be facing if I decided to go with the 550 over the 350?

Thanks gang.

thefisch

For regular maintenance, the only difference in cost to you should be two extra spark plugs every 6 years or 60k miles. IIRC they use different engine air filters and there may be a difference in oil capacity but the cost of those services to you should be the same.

Honestly, the insignificant maintenance difference is one of the benefits of the E550 - you get additional power for hardly any cost difference beyond what you pay up front. And you get standard features like leather.

I know you excluded brakes and airmatic but I would make two points on those. While airmatic is maintenance (not repair) free - any repair issues are not exclusive to the E550. Also, while I haven't had any brake issues in two years, many report that the bigger brakes on the E550 lead to more vibration issues.

Rottingman

Yeah that's good to hear, if that's the case it will def be worth it to have the extra power, esp since I'm purchasing used where both engines have very similar price points.

Suspension issues def remain my biggest worry as I Know Carmax would only cover partial airmatic. Have no idea if the cpo would cover it. Not planning on buying anything till fall so I have time to research all of this as well as do more research on third party warranties.

Chances are I'll either be going with a 2012 E550 or 2014 E350 depending on the deal I find. New E Class will be released soon so I have that to my advantage.

Thanks for the heads up on the potential vibration issues. When I was reading carmax buyer reviews on the 550 a couple people were complaining of excessive dash rattle? Could be related maybe?

An E550 Airmatic in comfort mode is supposedly even much smoother then even the 350 with the luxury suspension but with the added bonus of a much more powerful and fun engine. Seems like a tough combination to beat.

thefisch

Both the Maxcare and CPO should cover it. Where did you get partial from? Not saying third party warranties like Maxcare will be easy to work with, but you are right to do your research ahead of time. If you buy a non-CPO (like from Carmax) and it is still under factory warranty, it should be eligible for the MB ELW which offers the best coverage. If you have an MB dealer nearby, I would ask a service advisor which third party warranty companies they have experience with. My local dealer had good things to say about Maxcare when I was researching options.

The vibration is more like pulsation from warped rotors. Not sure those are related to cabin rattles. I don't have issues with rattles myself (granted this is the quietest car I've owned so I don't have much to compare it to), but the complaints I've read on here seem to happen anytime while driving, not related to braking.

I can't comment as I haven't done comparisons but it is nice to change the 'mood' of the suspension. And the +1 is handy for me when my skid plate hits a parking bumper. That said, I don't change it that much. I keep it in sport most of the time. I like having it but if it went on me out of warranty I would probably regret it. IIRC coilovers are an alternate repair option.

MBSebas87

another reason why the E550 is a win win car! I'm in the same boat as the OP so looking forward to this thread.

Rottingman

Someone awhile back on a mercedes forum was complaining about having to repair there airmatic through carmax and still getting stuck with a rather large bill as many of the components weren't covered. I obviously have to research this quite a bit more though and will delve much deeper into the maxcare policy if I decide to go that route!

As far as the Mercedes ELW warranty is concerned that seems to be the crown jewel of mercedes warranties but I was under the impression that you were only eligible for that warranty if you are the original owner of the car??? If you notice on the mercedes website the elw warranty is exclusivity listed as an extension to the new car warranty and the other being for the cpo owners. Would love to be wrong about this one as I'd be able to pick up a non cpo/carmax E-550 for a substantially cheaper amount and just get the extended elw from mercedes. From the money I'd be saving on the car I'd be able to get the 7 year/125k or whatever high mileage the elw caps out at.

I'd probably have the car in comfort mode most of the time but having the option to change suspensions on the fly like that is indeed a nice feature! Sort of like having two cars in one in that regard. If I went the E-350 route there's no way i'd be going with the sports suspension (as much as I love the dual exhaust pipes that go with it) From what I gather the stiffer ride coupled with the substantially less capable engine sort of clash awkwardly and I can totally see that.

Yeah that's a good idea, how much longer you have on your warranty? Any other extension options available for you?

kash2014

you can get ELW on a used merc still under factory warranty, the only exceptions to the rule are a) the car was previously CPO'd b) buy back car(I think)

there are a few finance reps who work with members of the forum to get you a decent deal on ELW

I have purchased ELW, being a second owner

cc16177

I just want to add that I have a 2011 E550 and have had several issues with airmatic. Not exactly what you want to hear but what you DO want to know is that my CPO warranty covered everything 100%.

cetialpha5

There's a few more rules. Many dealers sell them in the extended warranty forum. I think first is that you can't buy the car from an MB dealer, then it has to be a CPO in order for you to buy 2 more years. Dealers in the extended warranty forum sell it for less than you could probably get it from the dealer.

If you didn't get it from an MB dealer, you can buy the extended warranty, I think the limit is 7 years/100k. CPO on the other hand is unlimited miles so I guess it depends on how many miles you drive. I think CPO is probably more, because the dealer has to make sure it meets CPO requirements which may involve things like replace brakes/tires depending on how much they're worn but if you just buy it from a non MB dealer and just buy the extended, they don't have to do that to the car.

Also in terms of the E350 vs E550, an E550 is harder to find as they didn't make as many of them. Also E550 tend to have more options than an E350, finding an E350 with the P2 package is tough, but not that uncommon on an E550 if you can find one. More options means more things which can break like the pano roof, power trunk or keyless go etc. But hey, those options are a lot of fun to have.

Rottingman

Wow that's certainly great news and could potentially save me a lot of money as i'm seeing non cpo from other deanships going for sometimes 10k less. Hmmm so what do you think would be my best course of action in securing the elw if I opt to not go the carmax/cpo route? I'm guessing once I'm around the time I find the model I'm interested in to get in contact with one of the finance reps in the sub forum? Or would I be better off contacting the rep first and finding out what vehicles wouldn't be eligible for the warranty? I def don't want to purchase a vehicle and realize I won't have any elw options that's for sure. Thanks for bringing that up btw, big help.

Rottingman

I do drive a lot of miles but even with the cpo I'd be limited with just the two year warranty extension so both warranties have there limitations. Buying the elw from mercedes directly and purchasing the car else where might be my best course of action. Then again I may end up finding the perfect cpo car/deal when the time comes so who knows?

Also in terms of the E350 vs E550, an E550 is harder to find as they didn't make as many of them. Also E550 tend to have more options than an E350, finding an E350 with the P2 package is tough, but not that uncommon on an E550 if you can find one. More options means more things which can break like the pano roof, power trunk or keyless go etc. But hey, those options are a lot of fun to have.[/QUOTE]

Yeah that's another reason I'm not crazy about cpo, the limited inventory of 550's. I want either steel or selenite grey as my exterior color and when searching for cpo 550's there was only three vehicles options available in the whole country let alone my area! Carmax had a couple but there fixed prices aren't always that good of a deal.

I'm not a fan of the panoramic roof or keyless go so i'm hoping i'll be able to avoid those. Esp keyless go which is becoming more and more common in new vehicles every year. I wouldn't be be surprised if keyless go ends up being a standard feature on the W213s. Especially considering how much there emphasizing the tech features on the line.

Rottingman

Double post...sorry

Rottingman

double post... .which there was a way to delete accidentally posted threads.

kash2014

Would probably call Erin at Santa Rosa MB, right before you are going to pull the trigger, do a search, many have used this dealership

You won't get a discount from most other finance ppl or very much help

Best course of action, make sure the car from your local dealer was an MB off lease vehicle and not purchased from an MB dealer after being previously been CPO'd

carfax will give you a lot of information, and when you find the exact car, if it was a recent purchase from the MB off lease auction I maybe able to find it on the auction lists

a) very few 2010 and 2011 will be eligible for warranties
b) looking at manheim auction runs, very few 2012s are available

you might want to consider 2013s

cetialpha5

The P2 package was typically Bixenon headlamps with active curve illumination which came with headlamp washers and keyless go. I think they got rid of Bixenons in 2014 and just had LED although they did have curve illumination with the LED but no headlamp washers. Keyless go is one of the best MB features and done better than some other car makers which either just have one button or just have it on the front doors. Having luxury features is what makes it a luxury car, but I think mainly they're status symbols as there are many base model cars out there, maybe one in 10 or less will be loaded with most options.

You can't be too picky about the color when buying a used vehicle.

As for selecting a vehicle, yes, check the carfax to determine the in service date. Then have the extended warranty guys check to make sure it's eligible.

Rottingman

Ride and handling is what makes it a luxury car but yeah I see what you're getting at. I would just prefer a more standard ignition setup as opposed to keyless go but like you said I'm buying a used car so I may have to settle on the various packages or options i may or may not be stuck with.

I def want a model in one of the grey variants, I'm def not budging on that. I'd like to think that won't be too impossible to find given i'll be shopping several model years of E350-550's.

I notice you have have a w211. That's actually my favorite body style of any of the E-Class productions. Mercedes should have never done away with that headlight design.

Rottingman

Ok thanks I wrote down her name and will investigate that further once I'm i'm actively looking. I initially assumed getting the best deal for the elw would involve just calling around to different dealerships and pitting there quotes against each other. Nice to know this forum has good contacts from mercedes to deal with.


Yeah Unless I end up buying from carmax (where mileage or year won't be too much of an issue thanks to maxcare) then 2013's will def be considered. Are there any places I should be actively searching for off lease vehicles that you can recommend? I've basically just been searching cars.com,mercedes cpo and auto trader so i'm probably not getting the full spectrum of vehicles available.

cetialpha5

Mine is actually pretty well loaded, has the bixenons, keyless go, pano roof, parktronic, trunk closer, and real leather. Plus it's a designo graphite. I lucked out on finding it. I think you would be hard pressed to find even an E550 with all that although they all had real leather, but it seems half of them don't have P2. The options make it fun to drive. I use keyless go all the time to get into the car and lock it. The pano shade is open so you get a nice wide view when looking around. The curve illumination is fun at night, I turn the steering wheel just to see the lights go from side to side when I'm driving in a parking lot. Parktronic makes it easy to get into tight parking spots. Trunk closer is fun to play with too, someone else mentioned that they like to open and close the trunk from inside when they're stuck in traffic, but I haven't done that.

As for the extended warranty, there's a few on here that say they quote about $100 over their cost so I think you just need to check with 2 or 3 of them and they will all be pretty close in price. I think you need to buy it within 30 days in order to get the best price otherwise there's a surcharge afterwards. Also I believe with ELW, you can get some of your money back if you don't end up using it. You don't have that with CPO, but you can transfer it to another owner if you sell it to them directly. If you trade it in, it dies with the car.

A couple other places to check would be cargurus.com and your local craigslist.

Oh as for keyless go, I believe it's just a button that covers the ignition, you can just remove the button if you don't want to use it. On my older model, it was a button on the shifter so it's easy to either hit the button or put the key in the ignition.

Arrie

No, There is not. The other posters have listed the small differences.


You WANT the E550 over E350, believe me!

Rottingman

Yeah that's def pretty loaded up. Esp considering you have an 08 where a lot of that technology wasn't nearly as common as it is now. I like the designo graphite as well. Basically all the Mercedes grey varieties are really nice. Have you ever used the park assist in really tight city parking scenarios with a lot of cars around? Would be curious to know how it would do in that kind of situation. Out of everything you mentioned i'd probably enjoy opening and closing the trunk a lot when stuck in traffic,lol.

I wasn't aware the keyless go system was that easy to bypass. That's def nice to know.

I've heard all sort of different elw quotes people end up getting and they vary wildly, sometimes in the thousands. Cpo quotes seem to differ a lot too.

Rottingman

One thing i'm curious about is are all of the newer 550's airmatic? Because if I'd be able to find a 550 with the standard comfort/luxury suspension I'd be able to avoid any of the potential pitfalls with the airmatic altogether. Even with the airmatic i'd have the car in comfort mode most of the time anyway.

cetialpha5

I think the car was a special order. I think most dealers just order it with a P1 package and maybe one or two options. Designo is a special order color. And yes, I've used parktronic to squeeze into a tight spot without tapping the bumpers. It's hard to see where the bumpers are in the w211, guessing it's the same on the w212.

There are other threads where people bought a car with keyless go and the button was missing. I guess it's easy to steal when it's test driven a lot. Or they remove it so it doesn't get stolen. I don't think the button was that much to replace.

It's too bad the people who sell them don't actually seem to like listing the price. If you search the old threads, you might find one where the prices were listed, but the prices change all the time. I wonder if they've gone up since MB seems to have jacked up the price of epcnet which used to be free and startek which contains all their manuals went from $19 a day to $60 this year. Some of those prices that vary widely are from people calling various dealers, not prices from dealers posting in the extended warranty forum.

elevencircles

My 2013 E550 does not have airmatic. There is a missing switch on the center console that would be used to switch modes.

kash2014

What part of the country are you in ?

We have users all over the country, I live in Texas and know of a couple of Dealerships that deal solely in off lease Mercs and usually have been 60 - 80 in stock at any one time @ no haggle prices

jonUF02

E550 2012 and up had the newer, more powerful Biturbo 4.6L engine vs. the N/A 5.5L engine held over from the previous generation. It's a big difference in power. And even better, they dropped the standard Airmatic in 2012, but made 4matic AWD standard. So get a 2012+ E550 and you get more power, 4matic to put down the power properly and improves handling, as well as not having the worry about troublesome Airmatic suspension, unless it was added as a rare option.

As far as warranties - If you're a worry wart, I'd suggest putting that extra $3-4000 into a savings account instead of buying one. It's highly unlikely that you will have any repair bills totaling this amount within 2-3 years of ownership or mileage limit of warranty. Warranty companies know this, and price the warranty as an appropriate gamble. Like mechanical insurance. The house (warranty or insurance company) always wins.