ericnlivingston

I'm thinking I am going to purchase a 2007 R350 with 60k miles on it. What red flags should I be looking for? What do you wish you knew before you purchased yours?

Also, I've read a few scary reviews from people complaining about astronomical and endless repair bills. Should I treat those people like the loud exceptions or is that more of a rule for this vehicle?

Yu Chem

Yes, if you read the forum, you will find that people have issues with the transmission and engine. I have had some too.
The thing is that the engine and transmission is a common part for R/S/E/C class. This is my understanding that there is no particular R-class issue here.
The only particular for R-class might be suspension airbags which must be replaced at about 60K. This is normal, not a difficult job and the parts can be ordered from Arnott to save some $

gforaker

My best recommendation is to buy as new a model as possible. At least 2008 or 2009. Lots of the earlier problems were sorted out later. My 2010 is completely trouble free and has the upgraded Command system.

josworth

Hmmm.. what to look for???? One owner history with a full service record.

We have a 2006 R350.. you know horrible year.........

Bought it a few years ago with 72K. One owner local car bought from a local MB dealer and serviced there as well. Ended up at a GMC dealer because they traded it in on a GMC Acadia.

Here is my spend so far on this car..... wait for it.....

$500 to replace the rear air bags with coil springs

$450 to service the transmission at the dealer

$2500 to replace the A/C system entirely (compressor blew up on the highway) at Mercedes dealer.

Yup... that's it other than routine maintenance. It is now sitting right at 99K. No rattles, no issues... just took it to South Carolina from Ohio during Christmas. It just purred on down the highway at 80mph....

Not discounting that other owners have had issues... just I made sure when we took the gamble on an out of warranty Benz, that it was a very well maintained car.

I am so happy with it that I am considering a 2008 - 2009 E-Class.....

gforaker

I drive the car down to Florida from Ohio several times per year. No greater touring road car exists. Comfort, speed, safety and a huge luggage area I usually have filled. My CPO warranty runs out in April, but there really haven't been much in repairs at 72k miles.

Your repairs have run a little over 10 cents per mile. That is much cheaper than depreciation or repairs on a newer car. Yes, there are some who complain about any repairs, but you have to keep it in perspective.

Max Blast

Known issues:

-Transmission valve body fails, needing full replacement ($1500)
-Front differential bearings fail, needing rebuild ($750) or new from MB ($2500)
-Airmatic fails around 80k ($500 a corner)
-R350 engines from 2006 to 2007 have a soft cam chain gear that wears prematurely and causes engine failure
(R500 not affected by this)

I wouldn't touch a 2006 R350 or some 2007s unless I know the engine has been pulled and the gear replaced.

josworth

Again, do your research on the particular car you are looking at. Solid ownership history and maintenance records trump any concerns over one year or another. I bought the "bad" year but stayed away from a bunch of the options and made sure it had a solid history with a single owner. As they get older, you can expect multiple owners but be aware of short term owners flipping the car often... may be an indicator of a troublesome car.

Max Blast

Negative josworth,

The M113 V8 engine in the R500 is not affected by the soft balance shaft / idler gear problem. That issue is limited to vehicles powered by the M272 V6 and the M273 V8. The common misconception is that the R500 has the M273, when it in fact has the M113.

“Applicable Models (Not Applicable to Model 164.156, 204 or 216.386): Equipped with M272 Engine Up to Serial No. 2729..30 468993 or M273 Engine Up to Serial No. 2739..30 088611. The material for the balance shaft sprocket and the timing chain guide wheel (idler) was modified on engines past the serial numbers listed above.”

gusandpam

I bought a 2006 model, and have regretted it ever since,
Cam chain and balance shaft replacement $2500
Front diff replacement $1200
AC module replacement $600
Rear air bags (suspension) replacement $450 (did it myself)
Door lock motors replacement $450
Front headlight aim motor $400
Map sensor replacement $250
AC vent motor replacement $200
Lots more that I can list, you get the idea.
Maybe I'm just unlucky, but many others here have horror stories.

dghinseaford

Thanks for this informative thread. I am considering a 2007 R350 with 80k miles. Same owner since 14k miles. Good, up to date records from a German car facility, not dealer. So, is there a set of VINs to avoid? Thanks!

gusandpam

Not sure on the VIN, but from my research after all the problems I had, it looks like all models to the year 2010 are affected.
It does seem that the earlier 2006 ones are the worst.
I bought my 2006 with 150000K's (93000M) and it has been a real lemon.
It was serviced by MB all the time by the log books and had one owner.
It now has 175000K's, and it looks like the transfer case is gone, very noisy.
And again has the timing chain issue.
It has 18 months to go on the lease, and it has been a total loss of money.
I cannot believe MB could release such a piece of ****.

pacoman

That's how I look at it. Yes, it's $1000 plus each year I go in for service but it's worth it because the car is great and it's still far cheaper than a car payment on a newer car.

efzauner

what is this service covering other than routine maintenance and fluid changes?

pacoman

Sorry, the service is just a few hundred dollars but there's always something that needs to be replaced.

Lioninstreet

This has been a really helpful thread. Thanks to everyone.


Personally I'm looking at the post face lift, and leaning toward the 2012 to get the 300 hp motor (and extended warranty).


I read there were only a few thousand made in '12. A few were designo possibly?


Does anyone have a list of available options for the 2011-2012's they can post so I know what to look for (and perhaps options to avoid)?

josworth

The options are up to you... the more you get the more can go wrong.. ours is pretty standard... in fact the only real options are heated seats, leather instead of MB-tex, and conventional power moon roof. The only ones I wish were on it are memory seats since my wife is so much smaller than me.. and bluetooth phone.

The lack of equipment may be why our 06 has been pretty solid despite another repair needed since my last post. The power steering pump has gone bad... but it is only a couple of hundred for a rebuilt pump and some work on my part. Pretty simple job.

Here is a link to the 2012 brochure...

http://www.auto-brochures.com/makes/...Class_2012.pdf

Lioninstreet

Thanks for the input. Nice find on the auto brochure web site btw.


You mentioned seat heaters. Are the heated seats on the w251 as failure prone as on the r171? It seems that almost everyone with a r171 has at least one of the four seat heaters dead.

gforaker

No problems with seat heaters on my 2010 and I really don't recall posts here complaining about them. Really, all of the options on my car have been trouble free.

josworth

No problem here...

to be honest the two major options I wanted to stay away from at all cost were the 4 wheel airmatic suspension and the panorama roof. Very glad we did. Other that I am leery of is the power lift gate... the struts appear to be a pain to change, I couldn't imagine having to get at a motor in there.. but again, we don't have that to worry about.

A few months after getting ours the rear springs were replaced with coils, eliminating any sign of air suspension.

Lioninstreet

I just did a search on the panorama roof. Only saw a couple threads about it. It opens but then wont close?

Lioninstreet

Anyone have any input on the pano roof issue, what it is, and if it is a dealer only fix?

gforaker

I don't think there is any major problem with the pano roof in the later models. It is unclear if there was really a wide spread problem in the earlier model years.

josworth

I am on more than one forum, so some of the scary stories may be on them. Mostly, stories of failure to open or close, leaks, squeaks, rattles, and in one extreme case, the panel blew out of the car.

Some of the above listed issues can also appear with a standard roof, but I can fix a standard roof... so standard it was.

llcd

I bought 2007 R350 brand new.
It has presently 169,000 miles on it.

The tailgate was one of the problem I had with the car.
The sunroof motor failed.
I didn't have airmatic but the valves for the air spring failed.

All of these has been repaired.

We like taking long trips with the R-350. We took a 10 hour trip from San Diego to northern California at one time and the R350 delivered us to our destination in supreme comfort.

I am planning on keeping this car until it falls apart. I will buy another one when opportunity presents it self.