chalkpie

Hi everyone -

I am about to pull the trigger on an '08 E350 4Matic w/Sport Package.

I am coming off the heels of an '03 Saab 9-5 Aero that was totaled a few weeks back, and I had my share of troubles with that car. I know many have had horror stories of the W211, but it seems to be more '03 - '06, or is that just wishful thinking?

Anyway, the car has 39k on it, and a good friend at work - her husband is a mechanic at a MB dealer, and gave the car a hearty recommendation in terms of reliability in terms of what he sees in the shop.

I am having the car inspected BEFORE I buy just to foresee any potential problems that exist (or not) currently.

So, if any of you maniacs with the same '08 W211 E350 want to share good or bad news, I am all ears. Much appreciated!

Best,
Frank
Hudson Valley, NY

C280 Sport

03-06 where the bad years. 07-09 was the facelift model that helped MB quality ranking climb the charts again. Get a PPI at a shop or dealer like so and you should be fine. That $80 is the best investment ever . Check the records over and over. Good luck!

AMGAffalterbach

I have a 2007 which is virtually the same car. Very reliable, engines are bulletproof on the W211. I had a small issue with the AirMatic suspension, but that's because I have the E550, the standard suspension on the E350 is much more reliable in the long term. I forget the figure but based on repairs per 100 the 2008 E350 is well below the average car in it's class.

And with that mileage, get the car. It has a LOT of life left in it.

chalkpie

Thanks a bunch fellas. It's nice to hear some good news, instead of just the horror stories.

If I wanted to play it safe, I would be buying an Accord, but life is too short to drive that car!

I'll keep you posted - I have the inspection tomorrow.

AMGAffalterbach

Yeah inspection is very important as has been said previously, I had mine done by Lemon Squad because I was buying out of state. A little crazy to think I bought a car without ever driving or seeing it, but I am so glad I did.

The horror stories you hear are from the early pre-facelift W211s that had a lot more problems with their SBC braking system and worse-than-average reliability overall. Which, these were not ubiquitous across all owners only a certain percentage. A "facelift" W211 (2007-2009) looks better in my opinion and is a bit more reliable. No complaints. I mean parts and repairs can be very expensive (comparably) to other cars, but regular maintenance (despite being a bit more expensive each time) is less often and works out to be the same as Japanese cars.

What I do is I maintain my car at the dealer, MB of Littleton here in Colorado, because of great service and the fact any MB owner gets free road-side assistance as long as they've maintained/serviced their car at a dealer within the past 18 months I think. Then I found a great independent Mercedes-only shop for repairs which so far have only been a leaking centrifuge oil cap ($200 to fix), alignment/camber bolt/rear air-springs as a result of a black ice and curb incident ($2000), and a coil on plug assembly that failed as it was a non-genuine MB part ($150 to fix).

I'm excited for you man, welcome to the forums!

801

Unfortunately, there is one critical, fatal flaw that you need to be aware of, and that's the M272 Engine Balance Shaft failure potential. Do a search on this forum of those exact words "M272 Balance Shaft" and you'll get up to speed quickly. With only 39k on the odo, your potential new W211 is a prime candidate for Balance Shaft failure. As the threads that you'll find will suggest, get the VIN/Engine number ranges that are affected by this fatal flaw and determine if your 07' falls within that range. If it does ... then you're playing russian roulette with no way to determine 100% if your Balance Shaft will fail or not. I've got 2 dealers in my immediate area, one of them claims that fewer than 10% of M272 engine equipped vehicles were affected - one claims that number to be closer to 50% affected. Consider yourself warned.

mac911

801 brings up a good point.

However, the original post says 2008. 2008 is very likely past the affected engine range, but I also recommend the OP checks the engine number to be extra safe.

fila0220

You should be in the clear. Only thing maybe more reliable than the e350(aside from the rwd e350) is the diesel/bluetec w211. Like AMG said, the the w211 is reliable, especially the v6 engines. Those things last longer than the v8's. Hell i used to have a 2003 e500 with 110,000 miles and that thing was working horse it had its quirks and made weird noises but always performed. But good luck with ur choice. The AMG package is worth the extra $$. I love it

SoCal208

I got an 2008 E350 for the wife a few back (off lease), it's out of the range of the engine problems. Nothing neded to do but regular maintenance (+ brake & tires as normal wear & tear), few hundred a year to me is nothing (I paid more for the car's insurance/yearly). I would say "go fot it", 39K miles is nothing for a MB !!!. Good luck !

chalkpie

Well, it looks like the car doctor gave the Benz a clean bill of health, so it's a done deal! Looks like I am now officially joining this club. Should pick it up later this week. Thanks again for all of the tips and encouragement.

BTW, I asked about the M272 Engine Balance Shaft failure potential, and he said he hasn't seen that issue in a long time, and that although there is no way to tell for sure, there is a good chance they have addressed that by MY2008. Or at least let's hope so.

AMGAffalterbach

I'm sure your fine by MY2008

Welcome to the forum and to the MB owners world, you're going to be in for a fun ride!

AMGAffalterbach

What's with all of these quoting bot accounts?!?

Blazing GT

congrats on the pickup

chalkpie

Thanks again dudes. I've had the car just over a year now and I'm loving it. I still prefer this style (W211) over the 212 and the new one - it still has that classic MB look. Quite a beautiful car. A tad sluggish compared to my 9-5 Aero, but its a different beast altogether.

Sort of O/T, but a pal of mine and I test drove an '07 S65 last summer in NJ. Wow. Just utterly insane. That thing can melt your flesh.

AMGAffalterbach

Glad to hear you are still enjoying it! You should post on the forums more! I'm about to reach two years of ownership of mine in a few days and my lust for this car has only worn off the tiniest amount (mostly after driving a CLS55) - I still love driving it every day and looking at it. I really know the car well now and it's been a source of great pride, glad it seems you feel the same way.

I'm sure the S65 will become super cheap too here in a few more years. Look at earlier 2000s CL65s - you can get them in the mid-20s range but if a turbo goes out the car is totaled. They are hilariously cheap 12-cylinder beater cars now essentially. Either way, awesome car - I hope to test drive more AMGs soon too as well now that I'm 18 lol.

LemonSqueezy

It's good to see your car is holding up well over the last year!