Blk06E350

Hi! Im new to the forum and Im thinking about a used Mercedes-Benz E 350. Im concerned with the E 350's reliability and cost of maintenance, repairs, etc. I know they had problems in the early years when it 1st came out in 2003 but I believe they should have been fixed by the year 2006. 2009 was the last year the W211 was manufactured. Im looking for a Black on Black E350 with less than 50k miles. Im not sure about purchasing an certified pre owned or an after market extended warranty. Does anyone know if you can do your own repairs on the W211 E350 and what kind? I know the dealer would have to do the brakes because of SBC. Do you recommend buying from a dealer or private party that has all service records? I heard there maybe possible issues with the new motor in the E350 since thats the 1st year it came out with that motor. Will I have less troubles/issues with the car in general if I get the 2006 E500 instead? I know 2006 was the last year of the E500 and 2007 is when they came out with the E550. I would appreciate any input from anyone that had experience with this car. Thanks in advance for your time and help.

Dema

I do not know regarding reliability, mine was flawless but it was 09. However the car you are going to buy looks beautiful. I wish it has P2.

werewolf34

Looks like you're at MB of LN. I am guessing you can get a 07 from a private party for the same price as a 06 from a dealer. This way you get a refreshed model (no SBC, newer interior)

I saw a 07 in SD for $22k with 50k miles

You can almost always do your own repair (if you have the tools) but MB parts are expensive. There are electronic resets and diagnosis (STAR) for somethings.

Vik888

If you can get an 07 E350, I'd get that. Over 2000 changes were made between the 06 and 07's from what I recall.

daniel_E350

I've got the same model and year. No major problems just the basic tune-up stuff.

Blk06E350

I know they did a face lift in MY2007 but I kind of prefer the 2006 look better in my opinion. Did they remove SBC in 2007?

I was told we can change the brake pads with no problems but I thought we needed Star Diagnostic in order to be able to bleed the brakes after changing the brake pads.

Is there a way to reset the Flexible Service System screen/Info if we change the oil ourselves?

werewolf34

I just got back from my dealer; the service advisor said they are starting to see transmission issues with the 2006s

FWIW

charliele729

This type of topics have been covered many times over and over again. All cars maintenance can be done DIY, it just really depends if you trust yourself to do it, or how time consuming it can be. From what I know of it is always the SBC that give out on the older years and can be costly to fix. Good luck with the buy and once you go E-class you wont go back!. hehe

220S

Could you be more specific. The 2006 came with the 7G-Tronic, iirc.



The maintenance can be DIY, but the diagnostics is a bit more complicated. That's the bigger issue, imho. Unless you want to invest in your own SDS.

charliele729

I agree with you with the diagnostic, the SDS is a great system that MB has, just plug it in and it tell you pretty much what is wrong with the car 99.8% of the time

werewolf34

Can't. the SA kinda shut up when I started digging.

220S

Sounds like bs. Not you, but the SA. I've heard SAs say stuff that makes you wonder if they actually know anything about the product they service.

I'm guessing he's probably talking about the 7G-Tronic issues that MBWorld members already know about. Sometimes we hear about stuff here before the dealers do