My car now has 2000 miles. What is your opinion on changing the oil now and following MB schedule after that? Is it necessary or am I old school? left the brand after a bad experience with a 98 E Class. Went to BMW and loved my 01 5 Series. Bought a replacement 2011 5 and gave my 01 to my son. I hated the 11 so badly I would have swapped him for the 01 back.

The good news is that I love my 12 E Class.

 

Popular opinion I've read online is to wait for the 10k. Dealer will say the same thing. Apparently there are attributes to the oil that isn't released until the oil gets dirty? That being said, I changed our '09 Bluetec at 5k as I was paranoid. The '12 I am going to wait until 10k...

Glad to have you back on the MB side. Those late 90s early 00' 5s were really nice. Out our curiosity what was the problem with the 98 E? My Dad has a 99 E300 bought back from MB...

 

This is really good news

I think 1 year or 10K - 7.5K miles whichever comes first however I don't follow this route on my Daimler because of using full synth Castrol Edge lol
Since this kinda oil gives you more extended oil change intervals ,it should make sense to wait for hitting that mileage

 

Follow the maintenance schedule. The oil is fine.

 

Good oil is a good and cheap "insurance" for your vehicle so don't save on it.

If I was you I would at least change oil the first time at 5000 miles and after that by the schedule. The first few thousand miles is when your oil gets dirtiest fastest as the engine breaks or wears in.

I actually change oil every 5000 miles always. I feel 10000 miles is a bit of stretching it but that is just me.

 

First I will say I had an 89 E Class that was perfect.

My 98 had so many problems I don't know where to begin. Both front seat adjusters had to be replaced. The dash cracked and had to be replaced. Both rear cables to raise the rear windows broke and were replaced. The AC had a major repair and at 60k mile a bearing broke loose and went through the transmission. The car had to be towed to the dealership. After a new transmission was installed at MB expense, I drove the car to BWM and traded on the spot.

 

Wow sorry to hear all that. I am sure you will be even more impressed with your W212 now...

 

After reading your last message, I appreciate your MB passion . BMW seem to make a decent car finally by new 5 Series but you gave it your son and treated yourself a brand spanking W212

These W210's were not the best and the most reliable cars made by MB .

 

On our last new car (C63) my intention was to change the oil and filter @ 1,000 miles. I didn't get to it to almost 2,000 miles. Out of curiosity I decided to cut open the filter to check for debris. There was enough particles captured in the filter that I decided to keep it in case the engine lunched later (never did have an issue during our ownership). Based on my experience, I would recommend an oil & filter change at about 1,000 miles. After the first change, we recommend 8,000 to 10,000 mile intervals or once a year, which ever comers first. At our shop we haven't really seen internal engine failures on 1998> engines when using MB approved synthetic oil on this schedule (not counting the early 272/273 timing gear issue-not a lubrication fault).



"These W210's were not the best and the most reliable cars made by MB "

Yep, the early 210's had some teething problem. And the transmission was relatively new as well. They have however, proven to be a good solid car overall, rear window regulators not withstanding.

Rest assured the E39 BMW which is mentioned in this thread, also has issues. Including an appetite for cooling system components, drive belt pulleys & tensioners, and dare I say it, the occasional window regulator.

And yet, I would describe them both as fairly reliable cars. And as the miles accumulate, the overall maintenance and repairs expenses would probably be very similar (BASED ON OUR CUSTOMER'S EXPERIENCES). Our family preferred the driving experience of the E39 over the W210. I am happy to say the situation has reversed with recent models. Hence "Bimmer Girl" is now enjoying her second Mercedes after 7 BMW's, starting with a 1971 2800 sedan and ending with a 2007 550i.

As they say, your experience may vary

 

GermanCars, curious to know why you went from a 2011 E3 to a 2010 E5? Totally get the V8 thing, but why regress a MY?

 

We couldn't find an 2011 E550 that wasn't 4Matic. My wife absolutely loved her C63, but with 2 new granddaughters she is helping with, plus her mother using an oxygen cart, she just had to have a larger car. In a weak moment she thought that a E350 classic (non-sport) would be OK. After a few weeks she just couldn't stand it anymore and we starting looking at W212 E550's.

We found out in a hurry that E550 2 wheel drives are pretty rare. We have since been told that Mercedes has sold more W212 E63's than rear drive E550's. They couldn't justify the low volume and have decided to drop the rear drive E550 for 2012.

Fortunately we found an 2010 E550 Sport rear drive with about the same mileage as the E350. The downsides are that the 2011 E350 was certified-preowned with a LOT more warranty, the 2010 E550 not so much, and the E550 of course has Airmatic.

The driving experience is very different, with much better engine throttle response and the transmission's lousy shift programing not such an annoyance with the V8's extra torque. People on this forum complaining about the W212 Sport ride quality make us snicker, they should live with C63 shocks and springs for a while.