E-Class (W211) 2003-2009

Would you buy this car after seeing this CARFAX? help/option?

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Old May 18, 2010 | 08:30 PM
  #1  
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2003 c240 4matic
Unhappy Would you buy this car after seeing this CARFAX? help/option?

CARFAX Vehicle History Report on WDBUF87X67B165369

Please help. i confuse about this one. what is you option.
iam looking at this e350 to buy, but unsure about its history.
The price on the sticker now is $25,997. IS IT WORTH IT?

My first concern is that it was a lease car/fleet. Could this been a rental car? or just a lease compnay car.
what is you option on company cars? Do you think it was abused?

It looks like the car did alot of miles in years it was on the road. seems like highway miles. maybe?

Also i calulated the miles betwween service.
The first service after 4850 was at 13,305.
which is 8455 miles done for the first oil change which is right under mercedes 10,000 oil change mark. which i thick is good.

After 13,305, the next service was at 26,420,
which is 13115 miles done and over its 10,000 mile. and it had a Camshaft position sensor replaced.
what is a Camshaft position sensor? why would that be changed?
kinda bad right?

Would you buy this car if it was you?
What do thick about the milage and the services it had done?
Do you thick the car is in good shape and not abuse?
Should i be worryed if i buy it?
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Old May 18, 2010 | 09:14 PM
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Camshaft Position Sensor tells the computer what position the camshaft is on it's axis.
It was probably changed because it went bad... it happens. Not necessarily a bad thing. Without it, the engine won't run (properly).

As far as going 3,000 miles over the scheduled service interval... can't tell you. Depends on whether the engine is burning more oil than usual (be careful of claims that say an engine doesn't burn ANY oil. By design, a good engine will always burn a little bit of oil. If it doesn't, it was built too "tight" and that's bad), or if most of those miles were spent on the highway. If they were highway miles and the oil level wasn't too low, I would venture to say the motor is fine.

If you can wait for a week or so, get an oil sample from the engine and send it to a lab for testing. I recommend Blackstone Labs ( http://www.blackstone-labs.com/ ). The price for a UOA (Used Oil Analysis) is more than reasonable. You'll pay around 25 bucks for a one off sample. But they will tell you how the engine is wearing. I send off samples for all of our vehicles every other oil change. A couple of years ago, one report came back with copper issues. They warned me of a possible engine failure. About 15K miles later, a crank bearing went south.
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Old May 18, 2010 | 09:23 PM
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The leasing part is pretty common. If it appears to be well cared for, I would not worry about that. From what I remember the 211 can have a 13k service interval as per MB. Most cars have sensors changed here and there. My 211 went in for a recalled pulley and had a sensor or two replaced over 3 years. It really is nothing big. Even out of warranty they are the cheapest things to fix (sensor).

I can't comment on the rest of it because I can't look up the carfax....
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Old May 18, 2010 | 09:41 PM
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2003 c240 4matic
http://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory...&partner=CDM_U

this is the carfax
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Old May 18, 2010 | 09:45 PM
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Originally Posted by Sathinas
Camshaft Position Sensor tells the computer what position the camshaft is on it's axis.
It was probably changed because it went bad... it happens. Not necessarily a bad thing. Without it, the engine won't run (properly).

As far as going 3,000 miles over the scheduled service interval... can't tell you. Depends on whether the engine is burning more oil than usual (be careful of claims that say an engine doesn't burn ANY oil. By design, a good engine will always burn a little bit of oil. If it doesn't, it was built too "tight" and that's bad), or if most of those miles were spent on the highway. If they were highway miles and the oil level wasn't too low, I would venture to say the motor is fine.

If you can wait for a week or so, get an oil sample from the engine and send it to a lab for testing. I recommend Blackstone Labs ( http://www.blackstone-labs.com/ ). The price for a UOA (Used Oil Analysis) is more than reasonable. You'll pay around 25 bucks for a one off sample. But they will tell you how the engine is wearing. I send off samples for all of our vehicles every other oil change. A couple of years ago, one report came back with copper issues. They warned me of a possible engine failure. About 15K miles later, a crank bearing went south.
thats good info.
how much of the oil do i need for a sample?
thanks
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Old May 18, 2010 | 09:48 PM
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Not much at all.

A couple of ounces is all you'll need. I believe the containers Blackstone sends me are 4oz containers.

You don't have to wait for them to send you one of their containers, you can send them the oil in a clean plastic container yourself.
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Old May 18, 2010 | 09:49 PM
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Originally Posted by emilner
The leasing part is pretty common. If it appears to be well cared for, I would not worry about that. From what I remember the 211 can have a 13k service interval as per MB. Most cars have sensors changed here and there. My 211 went in for a recalled pulley and had a sensor or two replaced over 3 years. It really is nothing big. Even out of warranty they are the cheapest things to fix (sensor).

I can't comment on the rest of it because I can't look up the carfax....
why do you say the lease thing is pretty commom?

how did your E550 hold up? how much miles did it have when you got rid of it? how did you like that on gas in the city?

thanks for the info
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Old May 18, 2010 | 10:07 PM
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Originally Posted by genius
Yeah, I know what a carfax is, but I am not paying for one for your car

My E held up well. It had a few typical MB minor issues. Check suspension/engine lights were fixed with some flash/sensors. Sunroof sensor replaced, drivers door handle replaced for keyless go issues. It may sound like a lot, but they were minor and all involved two visits. I though the 211 E550 was a near perfect car, I like it significantly better than my 212. I hated the 212 so much I was out of it in 3 months. I had roughly 36k on it. I have seen the leasing/rental on many carfaxs. There are several reasons, corporate ownership, rental (not likely if it has higher miles, they sell their cars before 20k), etc. I do not know if it means MB leasing.

I will tell you, whatever you do, get a 550 if you can, it is a BEAST...
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Old May 18, 2010 | 10:15 PM
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Originally Posted by emilner
Yeah, I know what a carfax is, but I am not paying for one for your car

My E held up well. It had a few typical MB minor issues. Check suspension/engine lights were fixed with some flash/sensors. Sunroof sensor replaced, drivers door handle replaced for keyless go issues. It may sound like a lot, but they were minor and all involved two visits. I though the 211 E550 was a near perfect car, I like it significantly better than my 212. I hated the 212 so much I was out of it in 3 months. I had roughly 36k on it. I have seen the leasing/rental on many carfaxs. There are several reasons, corporate ownership, rental (not likely if it has higher miles, they sell their cars before 20k), etc. I do not know if it means MB leasing.

I will tell you, whatever you do, get a 550 if you can, it is a BEAST...
i love the 550 but just worried about gas cost. i have a very heavy foot in the city.

how many gallons does the 550 hold full and how many miles on a full tank?
and do you do alot of city or highway miles?
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Old May 18, 2010 | 10:48 PM
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I averaged 17 on LI roads (metro NY). On the highway I was in the 26-27 range, I also have quite the heavy foot. Realistically if you are worried about a 2-3 mpg difference between the two, forget it. You are talking $15-20 bucks a month. I don't know the gallons, but it has to be near 20, I would easily get in the 300's on a tank. I'm not joking, the 550 is a beast, I surprised many a Vette, Carrera etc.....
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Old May 18, 2010 | 11:09 PM
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i've read couple of other posts here with 350 owners mentioning their camshaft position sensor going out pretty early in the mileage numbers. i think it's a 350 thing.
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Old May 18, 2010 | 11:28 PM
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Originally Posted by gaazmon
i've read couple of other posts here with 350 owners mentioning their camshaft position sensor going out pretty early in the mileage numbers. i think it's a 350 thing.
Mine went at 80K, V8, but it happens to Benzes cars from what I have been reading. The biggest problem is that the car will die and the error code that it throws does not show it to be the culprit. I found out by following the symptoms:

1- Car Dies
2- CEL on
3- Car starts after 10 minutes
4- CEL off after a few hours of the car being shut off
5- After a few days, go back to # 1. It starts happening more often as time goes by.

It is a $40 fix and a beatch to get to, but easily done for a DIY'er

Cheers
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Old May 18, 2010 | 11:46 PM
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Believe it or not the cam position sensor failure is very popular on all the 63 AMG models.... it's a very simple fix and I wouldn't worry about it. Regarding the lease concern, it's a 50/50 chance whether the car is abused or not. Some cars get abuse because of the fact that they are indeed leased, and so the employees know that they will not be keeping the car long, which makes them not care 100% about the condition. And some times, you actually get a car enthusiast who cares for the car and takes good care of it.

Take the VIN number and call your dealership and have him run a VMI to double-check the history and possible problems
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Old May 19, 2010 | 03:10 AM
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I don't know where the OP is located, but here on the West Coast a lot of cars coming off lease are inspected by this contract company: http://www.datascanfieldservices.com/

If you look somewhere on the car (usually the windshield) the Data Scan inspection and reference number will be on their sticker. Otherwise you can try using the VIN.

Data Scan has the check list report plus pictures (they take detailed digital photos) of the car at turn-in time.
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Old May 20, 2010 | 04:20 AM
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and it had a Camshaft position sensor replaced.
what is a Camshaft position sensor? why would that be changed?
I'm in the process of changing this now. Two dealers (Globe MB of Fairfield NJ ,and Ray Catena of Union NJ) gave me a quote and it's almost $400 for parts/labor ,although the actual part (a Bosch part,mind you) received yesterday was just $64 ,from thebenzbin.com. So I'm gonna let my guy put it on for me,as he's a foreign car mechanic...
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Old May 20, 2010 | 11:43 AM
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Lease car / Fleet = Rental?

Originally Posted by genius
My first concern is that it was a lease car/fleet. Could this been a rental car? or just a lease compnay car.
what is you option on company cars? Do you think it was abused?
I tend to stay away from cars tagged this way. Maybe just me but with the zillion cars out there and coming up for resale, why bother.

I know how I drive whenever I get into a rental whether it be when going on vacation or getting one from MB service...

And I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one going bonkers on these rentals either...
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Old May 20, 2010 | 11:53 AM
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There are not too many optioned out E rentals out there. It could easily be a coporate car, which is fine in my opinion since drivers don't tend to beat on them like an M3 driver would. They also tend to have service done through the dealer. If a car is leased through MB would it show up on Carfax this way? If so then I would not hold any weight on the subject since the majority of E's are leased. I have often leased my cars and take better care than anyone I know. Some people beat on their leases, but you should be able to see that by the condition of the car...
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Old May 20, 2010 | 11:58 AM
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Originally Posted by Sathinas
Camshaft Position Sensor tells the computer what position the camshaft is on it's axis.
It was probably changed because it went bad... it happens. Not necessarily a bad thing. Without it, the engine won't run (properly).

As far as going 3,000 miles over the scheduled service interval... can't tell you. Depends on whether the engine is burning more oil than usual (be careful of claims that say an engine doesn't burn ANY oil. By design, a good engine will always burn a little bit of oil. If it doesn't, it was built too "tight" and that's bad), or if most of those miles were spent on the highway. If they were highway miles and the oil level wasn't too low, I would venture to say the motor is fine.

If you can wait for a week or so, get an oil sample from the engine and send it to a lab for testing. I recommend Blackstone Labs ( http://www.blackstone-labs.com/ ). The price for a UOA (Used Oil Analysis) is more than reasonable. You'll pay around 25 bucks for a one off sample. But they will tell you how the engine is wearing. I send off samples for all of our vehicles every other oil change. A couple of years ago, one report came back with copper issues. They warned me of a possible engine failure. About 15K miles later, a crank bearing went south.
Thanks for this information, I'll be using them soon!
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Old May 20, 2010 | 12:32 PM
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Leased cars...

Originally Posted by emilner
If a car is leased through MB would it show up on Carfax this way? If so then I would not hold any weight on the subject since the majority of E's are leased. I have often leased my cars and take better care than anyone I know. Some people beat on their leases, but you should be able to see that by the condition of the car...
Leased cars do not show like this... Think that fleet tag refers to either a rental, or a corporate owned car where it was driven by possibly one or many of its employees.

I have leased 2 cars as well and I kept both in immaculate condition. Just went ape **** before the lease turn in.

Last edited by EmE247; May 20, 2010 at 12:35 PM.
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Old May 20, 2010 | 02:23 PM
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when i bought my car, the carfax showed private lease, so it was an individual.
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Old May 20, 2010 | 03:06 PM
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I think the OP should just buy new. If you are worried about everything, you won't enjoy the car regardless of whether it has troubles.
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Old Jun 7, 2010 | 11:30 PM
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Just to give you a heads up Carmax gives you there own version of a carfax that could have been modified. When I traded in my E500 to carmax it was up for sale three weeks later as a lease car/fleet car. Most of there cars seem to be in good condition though.
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Old Jun 7, 2010 | 11:39 PM
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I turn my car after lease in August, very low mileage, all time garaged and service done every 8,000, actually only one service, since cars has only 12,000 miles after 2 years. See car options in my signature.
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