jonboy

Hi,

I'm debating between purchasing a 2010 E550 4MATIC luxury model or 2012 E350 4MATIC luxury.

I'm leaning towards E550 - better performance, less expensive, but my concern is airmatic suspension on E550. I've read quite a bit about reliability issues with airmatic as well as cost to repair. Is the airmatic suspension problematic in the E550?

Any words of wisdom would be appreciated!

Jon

infinblck

I was debating the same thing, and went with the E550. The standard features, including "real leather", and some extras sweetned the deal for me. Either way the car is getting a mild refresh in the near future, so 2012 or 2010 it will be the "previous" generation. With that said, there is an update to the audio and gauge cluster display in 2012, but nothing i cared about too much. As far as the E550, i love it! I don't think you will regret it.

jonboy

Thanks for your response! Any concerns with airmatic suspension?

infinblck

None as of this time. I did get the extended warranty up to 100K to be on the safe side as well though, figure it should pay for itself. Hope that helps.

Wig

The 2010 E550 will guzzle a lot more gas than the 2012 E350. The 2012 3.5 engine is direct injected, while the 2010 5.5 V8 is port injected and not the most efficient.

If you don't care about fuel costs, then you may as well go with the E550.

dfordham

Airmatic problems, while not common, are very expensive to repair. Highly recommend you get CPO/Extended warranty coverage.

Search the forum to find examples of the high cost to repair.

Regards,
Don

golfster

Of the two, I would rather have a new V6 than a used V8. I realize it costs more, but I'd prefer new car with new car warranty experience. Certainly, the V8 has more HP and is faster, but the V6 is more than adequate for real world daily driving.

Best of luck with whichever you choose.

bjan33

I had a similar dilemma and I chose the 2010 e550. I also had major concerns about the airmatic suspension so I extended the cpo warranty. I think the suspension is the most distinguishing feature between the two. The airmatic has one of the smoothest rides I've ever experienced. The extra power is nice but I rarely take advantage of it. For the daily driver the engine probably doesnt make a difference but you can experience the ride even on a milk run. I paid 2k to extend the 100k 1year warranty to 135k and 3 additional years after manufacturer and if nothing else I have peace of mind. I would test drive the two back to back and put the 550 in comfort mode and see what you think. You'll get a fantastic car either way but I can enthusiastically recommend the e550

ttoE550

For any type of insurance, when properly priced, you should never figure or expect it to pay for itself. Looking forward, properly priced insurance is a money-loser. After the fact, you attach certain personal value to have wasted money (no or small claims) and to have a large claim paid off. It is up to the individual to weight these two to determine whether an extended warranty is worth purchasing.

I personally eschew any extended/add-on warranties, carry insurance at a minimum, deductibles at a maximum, etc. And yet if I had to compare dollars paid for insurance vs dollars covered by insurance, the difference would be staggering.

I've had zero problems with airmatic, as I suspect is true for the vast majority of E owners.

supernsx

Not sure does it apply but three of my airmatic shocks on my R500 had been bad and each one was about $2K to fix. Paid $2.5K for my extended warranty two and half years back and I just hit past the $10K mark on warranty claims this month. If someone decides to keep a Mercedes (may be except C class) past the original 4 years and the extended warranty is $2K for another 2 years of worry free driving. I think it is well worth it. The dealer shop is about $150/hour or more nowaday and just a simple seal replacement can easily run to $1K per incident. Being burned by previous Audi/BMW/Mercedes in the past, lesson has learned.

This is also one of the reason I am not pulling the trigger to upgrade my R500 to an used E class because of airmatic. My dealer provides E350 as loaner and it is definitely a downgrade on power compared to my R500. E550 has airmatic and I am hesitated to get back to that.

SoCalCLK

E550 FTW. You'll love the larger displacement and smooth power curve of the E550. Plus it's a rarer car and you'll enjoy the added internal amenities and features

jonboy

Thanks for the input. One additional question. If I go with the E550, are the 18" wheels going to be more prone to bent rims? I've had two Mercedes with 17" wheels and never had a problem.

Jon

DNAPoPo

You'll be fine on the 18's, I'm on 20's and the airmatic makes it ride way smoother then any other car on such low profile tires.

ddeliber

I was looking at some CPO cars on line for another reason recently and I came across this:
http://www.mercedesbenzofnatick.com/...8eea8a0b58.htm
Its a 1 year old (service date of 10/2011) CPO 2011 E550 priced at $49,999 with 10k miles. Best price I've seen recently for the miles etc. These guys are sort of weird about price, they always start of waaaaay over priced for everything, then after the cars have been on the lot for a while (I wonder why) they lower the prices to be pretty competitive (but not always) and in this case better than competitive.

Since the 2012 e350s seem to be going for right about there depending on options this might address the money and warranty differential (most of the 2012s went in service around 10/2011). If you are up for a trip to Boston, there you go.

pinipig523

I've driven the 2012 e350 and I own a 2010 e550. I would say - for me, no contest. Aircomfort and more power and leather?

I could not wait to return the 2012 e350 to the dealer (it was a loaner) to pick up my e550.

ngerstman

There is no question that the e550 is more fun to drive from a drivetrain perspective. the v8 kills even the upgraded v6. However as opposed to what some others have said, I don't love the airmatic shocks. They are hard on rough roads and thud badly when you go into even a small pothole. I have had one replaced so far over two years of ownership. The new v6 also gets far better gas mileage if that's important to you. Mind you, the new v6 is a pretty nice engine, but don't kid yourself, it's not the v8!!! Regards. Ned.

ngerstman

PS. I had a double blowout on the right side of the car in February 2011 heading to the Lincoln Tunnel to NYC after hitting a bad pothole. The rims were fine but I still went to 17 inch rims to reduce it happening again. I'm firmly convinced that the airmatic shocks don't give enough when you hit a pothole thus putting much of the force on the rims and tires. This may not be a problem in an area with better roads than the generally bad NJ roads. Under normal driving conditions, the airmatic is fine. Regards. Ned.

hyperion667

I see you're in the Chapel Hill area
fior driving around 'here', I'd say go for
the car with more power and stay away from
a better wrench
with that age is there any warranty?
get some extention on one if you can if you're worried about the airmatic you know?
good luck

Mbenz260e

I am a diesel guy and buy new so I shouldn't weigh into this thread at all.

However if I were you and could warranty the cars relatively the same for your intended time/miles of use, I'd go for an older 550. 550 definitely has the perks on the interior and is a rarer vehicle which I like somehow. I am pretty stuck on the diesels but if I ever ditched them I think it'd be for a E-class V-8 variation.

jonboy

Thanks. But I've been using A better Wrench for over 11 years and they've always done great work on my cars. Have you been there recently?

Jon

jonboy

Thanks for all the replies!

Jon

hyperion667

why? is the wicked witch gone now?? someone drop a house on her???

max is a very cool guy, but I cannot get past the woman.......a long as she's involved I will not go there.......ever.......even if service came with an SLS loaner.........
have not been there in about a year......why?

good luck with the choice!