AKSwift

Hello everyone,

visiting from the GLS forum...

I am looking to buy an affordable E Cabrio to add to my Turo account and rent out. I've just done a 4000 mile road trip with one and it felt pretty solid, so I'm curious about what goes wrong with these at this kind of age. Any warnings/suggestions/advice on what to look out for would be greatly appreciated.

What did surprise me on the one we rented in SoCal recently was that the handles to move the seats forward had the chrome flake off, which created an unpleasantly sharp edge that little fingers got cut on a few times. I wasn't expecting that to go wrong, if I'm honest.

Thanks all!

ibbij

The handle chrome can be touched up with a piece of invisible tape. It’s worked well for me and can not see or notice at all the chrome tape originally used on the handle is coming off. Many have had this issue with the metallic chrome tape on the steering wheel trim and backseat access handles. For the steering wheel trim that can be replaced and plenty of YouTube on how to do that.

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-c...ml#post8536459


For my vehicle that I purchased over 2 years ago and is a 2012 with the 8 cylinder twin turbo I had to replace the plastic coolant lines between turbos and engine that become brittle due to hot/cold rapid temp changes and needed replacing, there are 3 in front and 1 part in back and all will need replacing. Parts are cheap but labor intensive. I also replaced Lower Radiator hose, Shocks and struts, Washer fluid reservoir, A/C Air blower motor/fan, Rear control unit drivers side, brakes and rotors, sway bar links, and front control arms. Probably a couple of things I missed but that’s the bulk of it.

Also common issue that can occur is oil leaking from the cam sensors and oil getting into the engine wiring harness. Thankfully has not been seen on my vehicle. I’ve also read that the gasket seal between the coolant and oil can fail and then coolant and oil mixed get into places it shouldn’t destroying the engine.

With the above said, the M278 engine was used on so many vehicles that lots of mechanics know this engine or the V-6 twin turbo variant the M276 later replaced with M256. Just know that it is not reliable as the former naturally aspirated engine.

2011 was last year for the V-8 naturally aspirated, but the power and driving experience with the twin turbo on such a light chassis is amazing. Not EV performance fast but as fast as most would want from a RWD internal combustion engine coupe and then some.

AKSwift

This was very helpful, thank you.

I didn't appreciate that the sharp chrome edges are such a common issue. I put it down to that particular car living in AZ/SoCal its entire life and the heat getting to it.

I have a GL with the M276 engine (110k miles) and have had 0 issues so far, so was considering going down that route for the cabrio, too. Too naive?

I have a local independent that I use when out of warranty, so costs are more manageable and I try to do things myself where possible (brakes, did the AC blower recently, etc.).

Thank you, appreciate the feedback.


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ibbij

My mileage was higher when I got the vehicle and year being 2012 as well as it being purchased from SoCal is probably why plastic parts and metallic tape were brittle. I bought the vehicle from National City, CA less than 15 miles from Tijuana, MX and shipped to Chicago area where I am from. The color was too good and interior condition until today is factory new so had to do it. So I literally went to the edge of our country to get it! 😂 I also ended up getting the last remaining sealed MB OEM Rubber Floor Mats in the entire Mercedes inventory coast to coast which happened to be at a MB dealership 40 miles from me. So always thought this vehicle was meant to be for me.

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-c...cessories.html

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-c...ting-e550.html

AKSwift

I had a Cabrio in a similar color to yours (it was a long time ago, hard to be sure) with the M278 as a rental in Germany back in 2012 (weekend after I got married, hence the exact memory) and, well, it was that car on that day that I found out that my wife falls asleep (passes out?) reliably at about 130mph.

ibbij

😂😂😂 if only my wife let me do that with her in the vehicle. She’s trained the kids to tattle on me with any over 80 mph outing so usually have to enjoy the cruises late at night. I sometimes think I should invest in night vision goggles like some others do. 😎😎😎

WRC-LVR

The top cylinders and hydraulic hoses tend to go south 10-12 years after the car is built. All 7 cylinders can be had for about $1300 from Top Hydraulics in Oregon. There is another place in Sarasota Fla that offers rebuilt cylinders too.

Hoses not sure about but OEM may be the only source. Check with Top Hydraulics and the other place .

Note the labour is about $2000 to replace all cylinders and hoses at a competent top shop that knows how to do it expertly.

BTW the 2012 E350 A207 had a similar colour ( code 789 ) for the The Launch edition . It was called Stannite....

AKSwift

So I ended up buying the A207. Has the AMG package and is broadly in good shape. A couple of things don't work. Hoping the dealer will rectify, but, realistically, it's a 12-year old car...

Aircap windshield deflector doesn't work. The button doesn't light up at all. I assume it's a fuse?
Airscarf - passenger side only. Button lights up for a second or two, then turns off. Fuse?
Multi-contour seat switches (whoever thought that that was a good design?). Don't seem to do anything. Fuse?
The lever to pull the driver seat forward to get into the back has duct tape on it. Before I pull it off to see what's actually going on, I'm asking the dealer about it. I assume the chrome is coming off.

Other than that, a few trim pieces are starting to come loose (chrome trim edges are detaching from the bumpers), which I'm putting down to age, rather than to an accident (Carfax is clean).

I was surprised that the car doesn't have a blind-spot triangle in the mirrors. I expected those would have been standard. My bad.

The Palladium Silver is growing on me. I was looking for a light blue one with a blue roof, but black on silver works.

I look forward to seeing a) whether the dealership will rectify (I am waiting for a new GLS due in a few weeks, so they are being nice to me) and b) what will go wrong next. We had a storm go through and the roads were slightly more moist than usual - let's just say that the car was more tail-happy than I expected. It'll go into hibernation as soon as ice starts becoming an issue.

ibbij

I can not speak to the convertible specific issues since I have the coupe. Since I bought mine in 2021 and is a 2012, I’m fortunate no chrome is coming off, no major interior issues either. For the backseat access, the tape is there because metallic tape can cut you if it had been peeling. Mine almost did but I used clear thick packaging tape and you can’t even see it’s on there. I did replace steering wheel trim, that metallic tape did curl and had to be replaced.

Did you get the E550 or E350?

I’m using my E550 as a commuter vehicle since I’ve gotten it whenever I head to the office 30 miles away. I’m driving it from spring through fall, averaging 28-30 mpg, and only switch to the Chevy Suburban for family outings or winter months. I did have a few other things happen that were electrical (seatbelt presenter control unit & AC blower) or coolant/washer system (plastic ruptured for turbo lines & windshield washer reservoir ruptured too) related but nothing beyond what I expected and overall happy so far. Start of next season I plan to do transmission fluid change, hoping no transmission issues. I think engine is doing well for now so paying attention to trans system next.

AKSwift

I got a 350 with the AMG package. This is my first AMGish car and I was surprised (pleasantly) by how much of the noise makes it into the cabin. At first I thought the exhaust had come loose. It's in the shop today, because they had planned on getting the wheels fixed up (someone hit a curb once too many times) before I bought it. Hopefully they can fix some of the other concerns. If they are all fuse issues, I am, maybe, a little concerned about the electricals, but no one else seems to have mentioned that to look out for.

The steering wheel is in poor shape - someone has been using a lot of creme or oils on their hands and ruined the leather. I'm trying to work out whether I can clean it up. Any and all suggestions are welcome. No trim coming off, though.

My office is 300 miles up I-95, I think I'll stick to the GLS for that, especially because it practically drives itself (I tend to drive up there at night).

AKSwift

So, it looks like I'm fixing these things on my own, the dealer are dropping the price a little, but won't fund the repairs.

Two questions:

The windshield deflector (part of Air cap?) - looks like it's a fairly common issue that it doesn't come up. The dealership are saying they'd replace the entire assembly for a lot of money. Has anyone had/resolved this issue?

The Airscarf on the passenger side worked perfectly when we first drove the car. Now, the button turns itself off after a two or three seconds. Driver side works fine. Any suggestions?

No idea why the multi-contour seat switches don't work, but I'm not too fussed about those.

Thanks all

WRC-LVR

On the multi contour seats...one issue is the little plastic lines from the air compressor crack and break. If left unrepaired the compressor can burn out from running too much and not being able to pump up the various bags in the seats. Check for the fuses first, then take off the seat backs and trace the little air lines to see if they need replacing. IIRC people get the similar lines from Home Depot or other source. It is worth a shot to check the wiring in the seats to see if there may be damage thus not getting power to the compressor. There are threads on here in this A207 forum re the fix and how to's

Re the air cap front not lifting...it can be dirt and debris jamming the little levers that push up the air cap on both sides. Worth looking to see, but you have to get the air cap up first. Not sure how to do that. There is a thread on here that posted removing the air cap and the motor and module that drive it. That OP found a replacement one on eBay for a reasonable cost. replaced it and viola it worked just fine. I dont think the module had to be coded to the car. Dealer if they can get the air cap module or whole assembly will want $$$$. You might want to try LKB online parts from wrecked cars. I did that when i needed a part for the center console on my 2012 A207. Got the whole thing for $100 shipped to my door.

Re the airscarf not working ...are you talking about the rear seat headrests and the center windblocker? On the 2012 that has a button on the dash that may go bad, however IIRC the center console also has the control and it does the air cap deflector AND the airscarf headrest.windblocker at the same time. If you have a good scanner, check for codes and rest all of them. Then check the operation of the air cap and the airscarf using the center console button

Let us know what you find and how you get on with it.

WRC-LVR

this air cap seems to be a issue on many A207's Someone should look into having the drive motor and module diagnosed to see what is actually failing. Gotta be some company that can diagnose and repair/rebuild them....Probably corrosion, bad capacitor, etc ??

WRC-LVR

see this thread...https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-c...rcap-fuse.html

and this one : https://www.benzworld.org/threads/ai...umber.3121546/

AKSwift

Airscarf is the neck vent in the seat below the headrest. Driver-side works, passenger-side does not.

MB Diagnosis above. Their quote was in the region of $5000. Seems to agree fully with your diagnosis on the multi-contour seats. I'm surprised that both seem to be broken at the same time, though, but I guess they could have been broken for years before I ever met the car.

Leak in hose and broken wire sound doable. . The deflector I'll need to look into. Not keen on replacing it (they mentioned this as by far the most expensive part to fix). I am surprised that the motor is okay, but the switch doesn't even light up. It is supposed to light up, isn't it?

Thanks @WRC-LVR

WRC-LVR

Sorry i sold my 2012 a207 to my son several months ago......Ill ask him to see if it lights up.

Ooop sorry re airscarf. If passenger side front airscarf is intermittent, then it could be just holding a code. Have all codes scanned and reset. then try again. If it still doesnt work, you mayhave to dive into the seat itself, look for pincherd wires blown fuses and of course while you are in there check the air hoses and compressor to ensure they work

Note some people have mentioned the air hoses tend to crack right near the end due to a sharp turn stressing the hoses.

pl626

My '15 E400 Cab has been pretty reliable, except for both front wheel bearings failing. Both failed after the warranty, first the passenger side, then the driver's side. However, my dealer repaired the second gratis.

The AirCap deflector also had to be replaced, as the motor failed. This can be a DIY, and you can try a used part, but I opted for a new part and let the dealer install, as I don't have a garage and I didn't want to do this as a shade-tree mechanic.

I've owned this cab since 2018, it's been dealer-maintained, I don't drive it really hard or that much. Funny thing is, I bought this as a stop-gap, as I needed a new DD, but this wasn't the color I wanted, and it was missing some options. Early-on, I added a third-party wireless CarPlay unit and haven't really looked for another car. I can't stand the flat screens in the new models, and I really like the interior of the '15, especially the square analog clock. Then there's the Bently bulge that's missing in the current gen...

Regarding suitability for a rental, I wouldn't bother with an older model, as you don't know how it will be abused...

Anadonnis

I replaced my aircap myself. Bought the part on Ebay and very doable in the garage with plastic pry tools.
https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-c...ir-shield.html

Just move slowly. I gave myself 3 hours. Part i got on Ebay for 250.00. Luckily its a self contained module with only a single connector to the car. The whole thing comes out.