I get it. Lol

 

I retrofitted the rear window shades onto my 04 E320. I think it was standard on the E500. Just have to swap the door cards from another wagon. My 04 wagon is coming up on 200k miles. We road trip on it regularly and it's bullet proof. The SBC warranty still has years to go and even when it runs out parts are cheap and plentiful. I have a space SBC unit on the shelf on the garage.

 

Anybody in the eastern Massachussetts area ("Baston") that would look at a car for me? Did most people find their wagons locally or did you travel?

Why is it that so many of these cars ended up on the east coast, Virginia especially seems to be a haven for these cars haha. Would be so much simpler to find one locally but I've googled euro car dealers and other things outside of doing the typical car search engines, and there's very little in Ohio. Sedans are everywhere though.

I found another car I'm looking at, called a few shops and even the Mercedes dealership and no one can do a PPI...either booked due to holidays, they'll only do it for local customers, or they don't do it at all. The dealer said they have gotten burned doing them in the past so they stopped performing them. Always some inconsiderate person that ruins a good thing for everyone else...K I'll get off my soapbox now haha.

That's great, nice work! Seems like finding door panels for the wagon would not come easy. So if you have to replace the SBC again you already have the parts and you'd pay labor somewhere?

 

I would DIY it. With a basic MB scan tool in hand it's not rocket science. I still have ~ 7 years on the warranty so it's not something I'm worried about.

The only reason you need the wagon door cards is because of the shape of the window on the wagon is different front the sedan and you need the roller cover that matches the shape of the window. The rest of the door card is identical to the sedan.

 

Alright I'm looking at a car with the rear-only air suspension. The rear looks to be sitting at the normal/correct height, but the front is higher (too high). The Mercedes dealer replaced front struts in 2012 around 40k miles (car now has 100k+ miles). Could they have used incorrect struts, or installed them incorrectly? Or could something be wrong with the shock and the rod is not going back down or something? Any obvious reason for something like this on these cars, or easy mistakes that can be made to cause this to happen?

I like everything else about the car, part of me wonders about just getting it and figuring out the strut thing on my own, as long as nothing is severely wrong and just needs different parts. Probably needs an inspection to verify that though.

How was the car driven around for 60k miles like this. The maintenance history is strong.

Ah ok, I thought it was one of those jobs were special/proprietary equipment was needed.

 

Unless the struts are so long and resting at full compression (so would be completely solid!) it would not affect ride height.....only the springs do that....could the rears just be too low.

 

My initial thought was the rears are too low, but if I look at photos of other cars, the rear seems to look normal and front looks high. Ah I don't know.

 

The front coilovers are height adjustable. The problem is most mechanics have no idea about that when they replace the front shocks. They just leave it the way it came out of the box which is usually the highest point. If it's a 4matic sold in the USA, the ride height is set stupid high in the from the factory because "mUrICaNs lOvE sUvs". The ride height of the front coilovers can be easily adjusted by any mechanic with more than 2 brain cells.

3a is a ring used to adjust ride height.



This is a very common mistake when front shocks are replaced.


This is how it should look.

 

Man THANK YOU for this information, your posts are so valuable and I really really appreciate it (not to mention the SUV blurb about made me spit out my coffee). This is quite likely what is happening here, knowing it is a typical scenario that can easily happen. I was wondering about something related to what you just described.

Provided one has a safe way to compress the spring to remove it, you could DIY this. I changed the height of the lower spring seat on my Koni shocks before, and set the perch on the lower setting by relocating the snap ring. Or I suppose this is a relatively cheap fix at a reputable shop if one does not have the proper tools to do the job safely. I guess there's no huge rush, it's not damaging the car, really. Maybe putting a little more stress on the rear suspension, if anything.

PS I don't know if that's your wagon in the bottom pic, but that wagon sure looks good with those AMG wheels.

 

WIth spring compressors and my Milwaukee impact tool I can change the front ride height in about 1 hour. Unlike other coilovers you can't just adjust it on the car with a wrench which is kind of a pain in the *** but it's doable. The strut is held onto the car with three nuts at the top and one bolt at the bottom.

Yes that's my 04 E320 on CLS 18" wheels. Unfortunately they were just too damn wide (255 front, 285 rear) and would rub the front fenders at full lock. There's a slightly narrower version of the same wheel that was used on the e55 and e500 which would be a better fit. I eventually got rid of the 18" wheels and went back to 16".



285 vs 225


it was fun while it lasted

 

What if you went with a slightly narrower section width? I get it though, no fun to hear rubbing, sucks the joy out of it after a while.

 

Oh yeah, I'm near Boston. Most cars on the east coast tend to be near metro areas like Boston or New York. As for the clip, yes, from the factory there's like 10 setting and it comes on the highest setting. I can't remember but it should be on the 2nd or 3rd ring from the bottom, not the top. They did compress the hell out of that spring to get it to fit the10th ring though. You need a very good spring compressor to do it. Basically like doing struts all over again to get at that ring. As for the wheels, they went with 18 inch wheels after the facelift and the size for those were 245/40/18. My 18 inch rims have cracked and bent due to all the potholes in this area though. Good thing those rims are now down to $135 or so for replica rims. Or maybe they're back up again due to inflation.

 

Well I guess I had it in my head there wasn't an overabundance of people looking for these wagons since SUV's/crossovers are so wildly popular, but they keep disappearing and I keep missing out. I had a great one in my sights late last week and I was working on logistics, but before I could even do anything or get a response back it was sold. It was only posted for 3 freaking days. Really really frustrating someone else swooped it up. It seems it's pretty much come down to the fact I don't have time to get an inspection before I buy one of these, and that I'll just have to take a chance and hope for the best. None of these cars are ever local to me, and I always have to spend time trying to find reputable shops in the area local to wherever the dealer is, then call and organize a date for an inspection (most are booked out a week it seems), then coordinate back with the dealer. I'm tired of it.

The only way I see getting an inspection before buying is if the dealer will agree to hold the car for me until it's inspected if I give them a refundable deposit, and then if I decide not to buy due to inspection results they refund my deposit. But I honestly don't see a dealer going for that at all, I mean why would they. No, I think this is going to basically come down to me having to use the Carfax and Lastvin as my basis for buying, and going with my gut. Lord knows that I've looked at enough of them.

I wish I just bought that last one, had under 70k miles on it and was in the opposite corner of my own state (that's the only "local" wagon I've found yet). Now that has spoiled me and I'm having a hard time considering ones with over 100k miles haha. Just kidding. Kind of.

 

With the current shortage of cars, there's no place that will do that you want. The last two cars I bought, I wasn't able to get them inspected before I bought. They were both loaded and I always got them two to three days after they were listed. The first one I got at a dealer and came with a 60 day warranty so I wasn't too worried about things that weren't working. Had all the options I wanted and it took me 6 months to find one that was loaded. The second one was out of state and I called as soon as I saw it, went down the next day with a bank check and bought it after giving it a test drive. Found out a bunch of things afterwards, mostly cosmetic, but it was a good price and the options were good so it wasn't a big deal. This was years ago before there was even a pandemic and a car shortage. I would suggest that if you're buying it at a dealer and worried about issues with the car, get a short term warranty. Private party is trickier, but a test drive and a scanner to scan for error codes is probably all you can do.

 

Your other option is just to wait this crazy car market out. It isn't just this particular car, it's all used cars. Take a look at your local dealer lots. In my area, some dealer loots have 1/4 of what they'd normally have sitting there. This global chip shortage has really hampered production and hence the pressure on the used market. You may even have people buying these who ordinarily wouldn't adding pressure to this market. I look at the prices and I'm astounded. I paid 34K for my '09 in 2012 with 36K miles on it. I just came off lease and the thing was perfect and still under warrantee. I realize that was 9 years ago but still... find a 3 year-old wagon with 34K miles now and someone's asking 50+K. Once this chip shortage gets sorted out in the next few years there will be a glut of used cars as everyone reaches for new. Happens in every market, every time. Waiting is just an option rather than chasing.

 

This one's been sitting on Craigslist for ages because it's in the middle of nowhere California. If I needed another wagon (I already have too many) I would buy it in a heartbeat. I'd rather have an E320 with 200,000 miles than an E350 with 50,000 miles. Invest the money you save into new suspension, brakes, bushings, mounts, transmission service, cooling system etc. Don't let mileage fool you.

Mercedes E320 Sport Wagon
https://chico.craigslist.org/cto/d/p...426734340.html

 

Thanks. Any recommendations on places to look for these cars? I have a list already, but maybe there's other resources I'm not aware of. As for short term warranties I have seen a couple dealers say the car comes with a warranty, anywhere from 30 days to 2 years. Not sure how good that actually is though, could just be a scam? Any recommendations on where to buy a trustworthy short term warranty?

Yeah I wish I had just forgone the inspection idea and bought the car in my state, can't stop kicking myself over it. I don't know if that kind of opportunity will present itself again.

You're right, I probably need to buy a scanner now so I have it on hand.

You're right, that is a good perspective. I guess I forget that sometimes, even though I drive my dealer lots all the time and see hardly anything there. The Mercedes dealer near work parked all the cars up front diagonally to make it look like the lot is more full.

Waiting this craziness out is starting to sound more and more appealing, actually. I keep taking breaks from looking for a car to just relax about it. But then I get excited about the idea again and begin looking again.

Agree, it's definitely not all about mileage. I feel like this last car I found was just some weird fluke, because I never see anything with less than 90k. I really just want a car in good condition that has been consistently well maintained...that's most important. Though 150k+ miles starts to get a little high for me honestly, there are just so many more wear items at that point than just the major stuff which is already a lot to think about and make sure is in ok condition. But I will say I've been close to pursuing one with 124k and another with 136k miles. I still think about the latter one as it has a good history. But I keep my cars forever, so I prefer to start at a lower mileage than higher.

I'm not completely opposed to a 2004-05 E320, if it's in great condition and has been consistently well maintained, and is RWD. Most are pretty beat unfortunately, or are 4Matic.. The difficulty of this search has me considering more options though.

That Craigslist car is the right deal for someone, but I tend to stay away from cars with full Airmatic, R-titles, nearly 200k miles, etc. But that's me, if I was a seasoned owner of these things like you I may think differently.

 

Well the usual places would be cargurus, autotrader, cars, craigslist, facebook marketplace, etc. Don't get too dissuaded by 4matic, it's a toss up between the two. No issues with my 4matic so far, the 5 speed transmission seems a little better than the 7 speed, but that might be more a function of age and maintenance. Yeah, I wouldn't buy any rebuilt title cars, it's one thing if you buy it back from the insurance company and fix it, at least you knew what was wrong with it before it got the rebuilt title. But buying a rebuilt title is a real crap shoot and the dealer doesn't have to honor any extended warranty like the 25 year one on SBC and the 15 year one on the fuel tank. So if you get an older model, the 15 year extended warranty on the fuel tank is probably expired. .

 

Yes the fuel tank thing is one of many reasons I'm currently trying to stick to 2008/2009 cars, as is to have the best chance of avoiding the whole balance shaft thing. I have seen "fuel tank replacement" in some Carfax reports for older cars, so if I see that I may consider them.

Ok yeah, I regularly check Autotempest (which includes a handful of others like Cars, TrueCar, etc), Autotrader, Cargurus, Carsforsale, Carfax, etc. Carmax doesn't seem to have anything older than 2010. Trying to find ones at local dealer in my state that don't use any of those search engines is a struggle...part of me thinks there are more out there but I just can't find them because I don't know where to look. They're at some small dealer lot in some town somewhere. I try searching for european car shops that sell cars sometimes, or used car lots that are known for selling euros, etc. I've messaged 4 people on Facebook Marketplace and no one ever responded. I don't get it.

I've generally gotten the feeling 4Matic is pretty dependable, I mostly only hear about checking U-joints, CV boots, and front axles to make sure they are alright. Not that they fail a lot.

It seems the 5spd is bulletproof as long as the trans at least had its 40k maintenace fluid/filter change. Seems the same for the 7spd except for the whole conductor plate thing, which I still am not sure if that is common and if it is a big deal or not. I found a good deal on a 2011 W212 E350 4Matic, I'd like to know more about the 7spd if you've anything to share. Those seem pretty similar to the W211 down to the motor otherwise, so thinking it could be an option that would be no more expensive to maintain.

 

I ruled out 2006 model years just because that was the first year for the 3.5 in these, and there was the whole balance shaft fiasco. Kind of resisting 2007 as well for the balance shaft thing. If a 2006/2007 has it that replaced though, does that mean that it received the revised harder metal part and now it is no longer a concern with the vehicle?

 

Yes if the balance shaft was replaced, it should have the newer part. I think you just have to look at the date when it was done. It's good to focus on 2008/2009 though, you avoid a few other issues like the camshaft/crankshaft sensors/magnets. They still go, but less frequently. Haven't done them on my car yet and it's over 120k. The other reason to avoid 2006 is the SBC brakes and your aux battery. The interior didn't have the facelift and and I like the interior in the 2007-2009 models. I like using cargurus because it tells you how long it has been listed. When it's been on there a while and the price and options look good, it's probably already sold, but if it's just there for a few days, you have a shot.

Aside from the conductor plate, the 7 speed in the W212 seem more reliable than the W211, at least not as many complaints about failures. While I like the styling of the W211 over the W212, they did improve a lot of things on the W212 over the W211, have way more issues on a W211 than my W212. Keyless go is definitely better on the W212 vs W211, the handles don't go as the sensors are sealed and you don't have water rusting out the contacts like on the W211.

 

Don't forget, not that many are even brought into the USA each year. Only 8000 sold in the U.S. In 2019 vs 180,000 Subaru Outbacks. I assume 08 and 09 numbers aren't that different. So these cars are actually rare in relative terms to begin with. And considering you're looking at 12-13 year old cars there are even less that still exist due to attrition of one sort or another. It only makes sense that a good one for sale is hard to find.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to get a 2004-06 E500 with the M113 engine. The SBC system is a lovely system. Stops so fast you're eyeballs will come out of your sockets if you're not wearing glasses.

 

Thanks. Is there a date or range of dates I am supposed to look for in regard to balance shaft replacement in the event it came down to getting a 2007? Could there be potential engine damage done before it was changed? I should really just stick to 2008/2009 and wait for the right one (again), but I have seen a couple 2007's I liked.

How common is the conductor plate thing on a 2011 E350 4Matic wagon? Is that more of an isolated issue or is it more rampant, or even a guarantee? Is it something you can DIY or is that a dealer only item? Part of me wonders how expensive a W212 is to maintain compared to a W211, I mean isn't the transmission really the only major thing that changed between the 2009 E350 and 2010/2011 E350? Motor is basically the same? 4Matic system the same? Sounds like in your experience the W212 is more reliable overall with all the "small" everyday stuff. I dunno, just a thought.

Great point. I have never seen production numbers but just with it being a wagon in the United States, that fact alone makes complete sense there would be relatively low numbers of them out there. This wouldn't be the first time I've dealt with this, the last car I bought was also somewhat of a "unicorn", especially with it being a RWD sedan w/manual transmission in a specific color combination. I've only seen or heard of 2 others in this configuration. I'm not picky with the colors of a W211. I'd prefer to stay away from a black exterior and tan interior in general, but I won't turn it down if I find a good opportunity.

V8 would be nice, but E500's seem to always have full Airmatic which I am staying away from this time around. I know the SBC has the 25yr extended warranty but I keep my cars forever so when that warranty is up and the replacement goes out again after 100k miles-ish, then what? Or what if the warranty ends and I never had to replace it, and it goes out after that's over? SBC replacement doesn't come across to me like a DIY job, thought I read somewhere there is dealer programming involved? Maybe not.

Also maybe this is misplaced but it seems safe to say the V6 is going to be easier on the driveline than a heavier more powerful V8, making transfer cases, driveshafts, axles, etc last longer. Of course maintenance and driving style affects that too.

 

Well, here's the thing, for some reason, the v8s engine has fewer and less expensive problems. the M273 had a badly heat treated gear in the timing assembly just like the v6 had the balance shaft issue. The v6 is an engine out and strip the engine down job. The v8 is a front cover off job that could be done without removing the engine. There is no balance shaft.

As for the reliability, most of the components that you should actually be worried about are built more than heavy enough to handle the power differences. Transmission on the 500 or the 550 has internals for more HP. Transfer case is fine. axles have more than enough beef in them to handle a lot more HP.

Airmatic is not that much more problematic than the SLS of the lower trim wagons. Pumps can be rebuilt cheaply. Front struts are available.

SBC merely needs a reset on the counter if you're replacing the unit. Lots of updated units on ebay. Replacement of the unit is maybe 4 hours if you have a set of flare nut wrenches and are a quarter mechanically inclined. Plenty of pictorials on the forums on how to do that job. If you're going to get one of these cars, you'd be foolish to not get a STAR system. Setup is very simple. It's a step by step guided setup in STAR that takes 15 minutes.