03 E500 Purchasing Advises
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Joined: May 2011
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From: Southern California
97 Lexus LS400, 04 Mustang, 08 Corvette Z51, 92 Honda Civic Si, 02 CL500, 03 E500
03 E500 Purchasing Advises
I'm a proud owner of an 02 Mercedes CL500 & have owned the car over the past 7 years. I've considered myself a car guy so have done most of the maintenance & suspension works myself & the car is in great shape. I'm thinking about buying my friend's 03 Mercedes E500 w/ 107Kmiles. He's the original owner & has also been taking great care of his car so it's in excellent & like new condition. The car runs well & has no issues but I'm concerned about the SBC & air suspension. Would like to get your advises on the E500's SBC, air suspension & other issue(s) that I should look out for before I pull the trigger. Thanks in advance.
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From: South Florida
2010 E63 AMG, 2003 E500
I purchased my 2003 E500 with 86k miles last November and the car has been rock solid. I did have to replace both front air shocks with Arnott units but other than that the vehicle has performed like a champ. SBC pump had already been replaced under warranty by the previous owner and the car was garaged and well maintained at the dealership it's entire life. Engine and tranny are smooth as silk with plenty of power and the car rides like a dream. Interior appointments are tastefully done with the controls and instruments well laid out and the ash grey leather seats very comfortable - nicest vehicle I've ever owned.
Last edited by Bahnstormer; Jul 20, 2017 at 05:20 AM.
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 235
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From: Southern California
97 Lexus LS400, 04 Mustang, 08 Corvette Z51, 92 Honda Civic Si, 02 CL500, 03 E500
As stated, the car is very well kept & currently has no issue. Well, actually it does. My friend said twice a year, the radio reset itself for no reason. At first, I thought he was talking about the clock on the radio due to the daylight saving but he said no, it's the radio. While playing, all of a sudden, it buzzed & has lots of static noises then the radio reset itself. Anyway, I've done some researches & based on what I've read, the early W211 E500's do have quite a bit of electrical, SBC & suspension issues so I think I'll stay clear on this one. It's such a nice car though. Oh well...
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From: MA
2008 E350 4Matic, 2011 E350 4matic
Yeah, all 2003-2006 are somewhat quirky, probably the 2003 was the worst as it was the first year. That old adage about not buying a first year model is still true. The later years even in 2004-2006 had their share of issues also. That's why someone else recommended 2007+ E550. No more SBC and after the facelift things were better but probably 2009 is the best year for the W211. Still have the same issue with airmatic though with all years.
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 545
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From: Southern California
If SBC has been replaced, then nothing to worry about there. The replacement units will run for a long long time. You can even check the brake actuation counter if you have access to Star Diagnostics or maybe a local Benz service garage. As for Airmatic, it can be replaced by a competent DIYer like yourself. Airmatic is a fantastic system. The ride is second to none. Highly recommend you swap out the OEM air springs if they are leaking and use Arnotts. The M113 v8 is generally reliable, as long as regular maintenance has been done.
Maintenance on the W211 with either the M112 or M113 is pure joy. Everything is easy to work on with simple tools.
After 100k miles, I would look into replacing the following: Belts, water pump, tensioner, pulley. All of these can be replaced easily. Don't forget the rear diff oil that should be replaced. Check the motor mounts as E classes tend to chew them up often. Use quality OEM parts and the car will easily run to 200k miles without any issues.
As for tires, stick with high quality tires such as Michelin or Continentals. I've tried many other brands only the Michelins and Contis give the quality ride and performance. While all tires feel great when new, the ride does degrade after a few years. Some tires degrade quite rapidly and makes the E feel like you are driving a truck!
Downsides to the car would be the navigation system. Looks absolutely prehistoric, almost dot matrix-like display. The 5 speed auto, while reliable, can be slow at times to change gears.
Overall, a great car that will last for a long time with good maintenance.
Maintenance on the W211 with either the M112 or M113 is pure joy. Everything is easy to work on with simple tools.
After 100k miles, I would look into replacing the following: Belts, water pump, tensioner, pulley. All of these can be replaced easily. Don't forget the rear diff oil that should be replaced. Check the motor mounts as E classes tend to chew them up often. Use quality OEM parts and the car will easily run to 200k miles without any issues.
As for tires, stick with high quality tires such as Michelin or Continentals. I've tried many other brands only the Michelins and Contis give the quality ride and performance. While all tires feel great when new, the ride does degrade after a few years. Some tires degrade quite rapidly and makes the E feel like you are driving a truck!
Downsides to the car would be the navigation system. Looks absolutely prehistoric, almost dot matrix-like display. The 5 speed auto, while reliable, can be slow at times to change gears.
Overall, a great car that will last for a long time with good maintenance.
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Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 577
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From: PA
W223 S500 LWB 4-Matic, W222 S450 LWB 4-Matic, A238 E400 Cabriolet 4-Matic
Seems to me the main issue with SBC is that MB decided that it should only last so many cycles of the brake peddle... so at "XXXXX" number of activations, it throws a BIG RED message on the display. Has something to do with the brush wear on the electric motor as per a video on YouTube. I see there is a $25 device on eBay that resets the count and the error message goes away they claim.
I have not had my SBC warning light activate yet and have not used a "reset device" to confirm it works. Since I am not the original owner (as are many others on this forum) I'm not sure if/ how you could determine that this "SBC reset device" has not been used by the previous owners.
I have not had my SBC warning light activate yet and have not used a "reset device" to confirm it works. Since I am not the original owner (as are many others on this forum) I'm not sure if/ how you could determine that this "SBC reset device" has not been used by the previous owners.
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Joined: Sep 2005
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From: Central Jersey
2003 E500, 2004 G35X
Yeah, all 2003-2006 are somewhat quirky, probably the 2003 was the worst as it was the first year. That old adage about not buying a first year model is still true. The later years even in 2004-2006 had their share of issues also. That's why someone else recommended 2007+ E550. No more SBC and after the facelift things were better but probably 2009 is the best year for the W211. Still have the same issue with airmatic though with all years.
Last edited by Flash Gordon; Jul 24, 2017 at 03:30 PM.
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 235
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From: Southern California
97 Lexus LS400, 04 Mustang, 08 Corvette Z51, 92 Honda Civic Si, 02 CL500, 03 E500
The car is very well kept by my friend & the SBC had been replaced by the dealer while the car was under warranty. The tranny was also rebuilt 3 years ago at 75K miles due to the well known design issue w/ a ruptured line that has caused the coolant fluid into & contaminated the tranny. As stated, I can handle the engine & suspension components & with many positive advises from you, I'm closing in on buying the car for my son. In facts, my friend is confident & nice enough to let us drive the car for a few days & also ok for us to take it into a shop for a thorough inspection so I have the car at an indy shop, specialized in Mercedes Benz as I'm replying right now. Once everything is checked out, I'll make the purchase. I'll keep you posted. Thanks for your comments/advises.
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 235
Likes: 23
From: Southern California
97 Lexus LS400, 04 Mustang, 08 Corvette Z51, 92 Honda Civic Si, 02 CL500, 03 E500
I've maintained the ABC suspension & replaced the upper/lower control arms & sub-frame bushings on my CL500 myself so I don't see a problem w/ the E500. The indy shop has just completed a thorough inspection & everything checked out ok so I'm going for it. My friend will get the smog check done then take care of the title transfer. We'll have the car in a few days. Thanks everyone.
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From: V E G A S
1922 Ford Model T / no OBD
Why speculate about SBC, when you can take it for PPI and know the count read.
Suppose it is 600,000 brake activations now and older models who had less, can be reflashed to this number by dealer.
For some 600k pedal pushes is 40 years, for others less than 2.
Suppose it is 600,000 brake activations now and older models who had less, can be reflashed to this number by dealer.
For some 600k pedal pushes is 40 years, for others less than 2.
