wdlanning

I just had gotten into the negotiations for a '09 Blue Tec with a local dealer. I was just about convinced that it was a good deal and I checked with another dealer for comparison. Much to my surprise, I was told that I could not register a new '08 or '09 Blue Tec in Pa. I was told that the '10 would be emission guaranteed. The first dealer was not aware of the problem until I asked them the question. If the car is used, it can be registered. Seems strange to me.

vettdvr

What is the "fluid" that is added to bluetec at every oil change? Is this for the diesel or something else and can you do it yourself or must you go to the dealer?

sosh

Thats interesting but I do not believe its correct. My dealer sells a ton of Blue tecs and I see them all over this area in PA. As far as the fluid is concerned I understand its a Urea based fluid that is added during routine servicing by the dealer. The big issue with this model at least to me is the run flat tires, no room for a spare and thats a killer for me.

lkchris

It's correct.

You have to buy one used with at least 7500 miles on it.

There are ZERO Urea-injecting W211s in USA, save for a test fleet MBUSA ran a couple years ago. This system is only available on ML, GL, and R, as are the run-flat tires, and these are the only models for sale in all 50 states.

MBUSA website indicates not for sale in PA.

sosh

Sorry about that I was thinking ML. I do wonder why the ML and others meet PA stds which are not the strictest in the US and the W211 does not with the same engine and transmission. Any idea??

pinebaron

I am so glad I sqeezed my 07 CPO in at the end of 07 season; perhaps the last one of the 07 production line. I ordered it through a dealer in PA[/I]

vettdvr

So the real question is should I buy a E550 or Bluetec?

Maintenance? I have do the maintenance on our 2003 E500. For the Bluetec can you buy oil/filters etc and do it at home/reset the FSS or is it a MB dealership only forever maintenance car?

I have a diesel truck and diesel is more $$ than Premium. Is the fuel economy worth it?

Green E-300 DT

There are indeed nine other states where the E-320 Bluetecs may not be sold new.
E-320 Bluetecs may be registered as used in many if not
all of those states if they have at least 7,500 miles.

Some buyers are buying theirs outside of those ten states, and putting the
required 7,500 miles on them and then registering 'em in their home states.
This is what many California buyers have been doing beginning with the '07 E-320 Bluetecs.
Dealers are importing used Bluetecs into California and are charging
a premium and some dealers have made a killing doing this.
The same thing is going on in the states of Oregon and Washington also.

Check with your local DMV and be sure before you attempt this
legal dodge, as I do not know the rules in those other states.

Green E-300 DT

From what I understand, the 2010s may be legal in some of those states, but
I've been told by two local dealers that this will not happen in California.
Also, I for one would not want one that will require the urea (Bluetec?) fluid. Why?

The Bimmers have it now here in California. I understand the five gallon tank is only good
for approximately 15K miles, and when it is dry, you cannot restart the motor.
The fluid costs over $10 per gallon, so it will add slightly to your overall fuel costs.

The best thing to do IMHO is to try and find either a used Bluetec or a new MY 2007-2009.
Nice certified used examples may be had for as little as $30K.
Check Autotrader or the MBZ certified listings.

Good luck.

pinebaron

Absolutely. Others may think I am crazy but I prefer it over an E63; I really thought about it and decided to keep the Bluetec. I even thought about buying an E63 in addition to my Bluetec but it did not make sense. The torque in the Bluetec is phenominal (especially with a mod or two; KD-Box and I am thinking of a couple of other things now).

I do alternate (5000 miles) oil changes myself; yes it is possible to reset FSS on the Bluetec. Oil and filters are readily available from MB; oil per quart was no more expensive than any other similar oil. I personally don't care about the economy but what I do care about is the 700 miles between fillups; it helped when my daily commute was 153 miles. Besides I was looking for something that would easily last a few hundred thousand miles; it does not matter any more since I finished my earlier contract and presently commute to NYC via Greyhound .

lkchris

Simple--Mercedes couldn't find the physical room to install the urea system ... or some other reason they couldn't. It simply doesn't meet new standards without it, no matter what vehicle it's in.

Refill of urea system corresponds with motor oil change interval and cannot in any way be considered a problem. Motor stops at 15K miles---don't run it that far.

Well, other than the fact it forced GL, ML, and R-class to runflat tires it's not a problem.