J Dubya

I think I am going to fix the rust on the bottom of the driver door that is on my 6 yr old E550 and sell it. I cannot seem to even save a damn dime of money for wheels/tires w/o having to deplete the car savings to fix this aweful car. And, I've only had the car since November 2012...

So, how many of you out there with a less than 10 yr. old E-Class have rust?

My 1994 Subaru Legacy w/245,000 miles on it that have NEVER seen a garage doesn't have ANY rust what so ever, but this "Best Or Nothing" car that is barely 6 yes. old DOES?????????

Can you tell I have a little anger in me?

victorylap

ZERO rust on both my 2000 E320 & 2008 E350.

SethP

bought my E550 2 years ago CPO.

Haven't had a SINGLE problem since I bought it.

Just changed tires this month, and other than that, all I've done is oil and filter changes. And I've put 20,000+ miles on it. So I can't relate to your references to "junk" and repeated problems.

Kinda sad, since I had the CPO warranty that I never used... Bought an aftermarket warranty to get me to 100,000 miles/2yrs (i think) and am worried it will be insurance never redeemed!

With that being said, I also haven't seen a drop of rust.

ozusa

I live near Philly. There's salt around here, but no rust yet that I know of and I do look for it. I wonder if your's has had a body repair at some point that was incorrectly done?

J Dubya

That is exactly what I am wondering too. The car is a Texas car. Both 1st & 2nd owner were both in the Dallas area, so no chance of harsh winters. The seller assured me no accidents or wrecks.

The car left me stranded at a busy intersection on the first day I had it, due to a crankshaft position sensor. And this was after the seller "had" the car checked out at Park Place Mercedes in Dallas before shipping the car to me 2 weeks after I bought it over the 2012 Thanksgiving weekend.

I just have a very bitter taste in my mouth after all the repairs since I have had it.

These are all the things that have had to be replaced since I have had the car.

ECU
Mass Air Meter
Both motor mounts
Transmission mount
Centrifuge
Crankshaft Position sensor

I keep trying to have faith in the MB brand, but one thing after another keeps happening, which is diminishing my faith. I mean, I understand it was a used car, but c'mon, I shouldn't have THIS MANY issues in the time & mileage I have had it for.

N_Jay

A good body shop (or even a bad one) will quicly tell you if it had any work done.

If you bought it from a dealer (even a used lot) and they misrepresented the car you may have a claim against them.

homeofstone

It could be a flood car and incident was covered up and not reported.

eatcake

I'm pretty sure the body panels are aluminum so I don't know how you would get rust.

Can you post a pic?

C280 Sport

In all my years around Mercedes I have never seen rust on a W211 car. A 210/124 yes but never a W211. There is a 05 E320 that comes in my indi shop with over 240k on it..... No rust!

desired_speeds

I have never seen a w211 rust either.

SAguirre

I had some rust on my 1988 W201 that I had in Germany, but it was barely noticeable and it took 12 years to show up. Germany only used salt on the roads too.

My 1991 W124 that I had for 13 years in Florida (right by the inter-coastal waterway) never had any rust. In spite of it getting salty mist from the ocean on it every so often.

I bought my W211 new in 2004. I have had to have the driver's side painted twice due to minor scratches. Each time the paint was removed all the way down to the metal and redone. The car is driven here in Colorado during every winter. Salt, gravel and magnesium chloride are put on the streets here. The car has ZERO rust issues., on the OEM paint side and on the repainted side.

An independent body shop can measure the paint thickness and tell you if that door has been painted immediately. I bet it was and it was not done correctly. I am sorry you are having a bad experience with your W211! Mercedes cars are wonderful cars if they are taken care of, but you never know what has been done to a used car. It could have even been a flood car for all you know...

Steve

J Dubya

Thanks for all the replies. I will know in a few days when I take it to my bodyman.

I would think a flood car would show more rust than what is on my car. It is a very small spot on the bottom crease of the driver door. The rest of inside the door jams are clean, all door seals are nice and pliable, the inside of the trunk is nice and clean and there are no visable signs under the hood.

And the interior has no funky smell what-so-ever and smells like all other W211 E550's I looked at and test drove. Well, except for one that smelled like the Marlbro Man.

I do really, really like the car.

Jeremy

J Dubya

My wife just made a very good point, maybe the previous owner opened the door on a curb or some kind of concrete barrier that was just the exact height of the bottom of the door.

Efivehundred

My 03 doesn't have any rust. Sometimes a door will be opened and the bottom will scrape a curb or the like and it will expose metal. That's likely the cause of your rust.

N_Jay

I think they are galvanized steel, not aluminum.

MercFiveHundred

Isn't there a factory warranty on rust? Check your owners manual.

eatcake

I know definitely that the hood and trunk are aluminum. And I think the fender and quarter panels are too but maybe the doors aren't?

J Dubya

I believe the factory warranty is 4 yrs./50,000 miles for rust.

mcleantmw

Zero rust on my 2003 E500.

Sveina

I've had rust on both th 2005 and 2007 model. Lots of salting and long winter in Sweden. Seems like no brand holds up here. Talked to the MB paint shop, they said the 211 tend to rust down in front of the rear wheels against the doors and on the roof at each side