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"On the downside, the V6 had a history of turbo oil seal failure which at dealer rates was just south of a $4000 repair, it also tended to have an issue with carbon buildup in the intake.
They fixed this before the 212 came out, and all reports of oil leaks and clogged intake flaps were related to people babying this engine beyond belief... its recommended by the service guys to give it italian tuneups from time to time....
While I hesitate to disagree, faulty seals and a bad EGR/PCV design can not be fixed by an "Italian tuneup". These problems were also common in Sprinter vans with the same engine. I don't believe the van drivers babied them. Besides I don't think that the cops would have gone for "I'm just blowing the carbon out and tightening my seals officer".
Last edited by CarolinaBluetec; Dec 2, 2014 at 03:30 PM.
My understanding is that the Bluetec does NOT have a spare and a jack.
It does have a special fuel tank in trunk that has to be filled each year.
What is the price of diesel in your area and is it going to go up or down or stay the same? While Bluetec will get better mileage, the fuel may cost substantially more than even premium.
Or you could really go outside the norm and get a VW Golf TDI, Motor Trend's Car of the Year. Actually ALL Golfs are COTY.
Take your time and be sure-it's your car.
While I hesitate to disagree, faulty seals and a bad EGR/PCV design can not be fixed by an "Italian tuneup". These problems were also common in Sprinter vans with the same engine. I don't believe the van drivers babied them. Besides I don't think that the cops would have gone for "I'm just blowing the carbon out and tightening my seals officer".
They did change the design of the engine to prevent that oil issue when the w212 was released. The 06-09 were all commonly plagued with what you speak of.
"More problems from fuel leaks and knocking from people babying the engine" ~ calabasas service rep. About four of them total. Thats not anything besides a comment on which types of problems he sees with bluetecs over the time hes worked there. Commonly people were too soft on the engine.
Go look up the specs and inner parts, the sprinter has a bluetec but not the same engine exact, and often always driven at baby speeds of under 70 and very slow on streets... hence clogged intake manifold flaps, glow plugs and otherwise...
My understanding is that the Bluetec does NOT have a spare and a jack.
It does have a special fuel tank in trunk that has to be filled each year.
What is the price of diesel in your area and is it going to go up or down or stay the same? While Bluetec will get better mileage, the fuel may cost substantially more than even premium.
Or you could really go outside the norm and get a VW Golf TDI, Motor Trend's Car of the Year. Actually ALL Golfs are COTY.
Take your time and be sure-it's your car.
As for the spare, the 2011 did come with one... and non fun flats, my 2012 has no spare and run flats... You can just put a spare in your trunk if its that important.. I personally like runflats now after 2k miles on them, they softened up.
and Adblue? every 15k miles its just a few dollars for quart... 7 quarts or so(if you even use it all), maybe a few hundred extra on service? The gas savings on this bluetec is three times as dramatic as all the published numbers will allow... trust me... I just sat literally in the rain for 35 minutes to do 6 miles, and with a drive-thru sitting session i still got 21 mpg... Ridiculous... Youd be lucky to get 17 in this scenario in my dads car. not to mention getting 30-40 mpg highway. The gas e350 barely hits above 25 and it requires trips of over 200 miles highway.
Right now, diesel is 330-370 in my area, and premium is 305-320. It will rise again, and of course we are feeding the east.....
and the volkswagens are nice, and are using our bluetec system; they average 40mpg al lthe time city and highway. so for pure savings, yes.. they are more efficient, but double digits 0-60 =D.... its compromise enough for me getting the mpg i get with the E
Last edited by Trancebolt; Dec 2, 2014 at 04:53 PM.
They did change the design of the engine to prevent that oil issue when the w212 was released. The 06-09 were all commonly plagued with what you speak of.
"More problems from fuel leaks and knocking from people babying the engine" ~ calabasas service rep. About four of them total. Thats not anything besides a comment on which types of problems he sees with bluetecs over the time hes worked there. Commonly people were too soft on the engine.
Go look up the specs and inner parts, the sprinter has a bluetec but not the same engine exact, and often always driven at baby speeds of under 70 and very slow on streets... hence clogged intake manifold flaps, glow plugs and otherwise...
As for the spare, the 2011 did come with one... and non fun flats, my 2012 has no spare and run flats... You can just put a spare in your trunk if its that important.. I personally like runflats now after 2k miles on them, they softened up.
and Adblue? every 15k miles its just a few dollars for quart... 7 quarts or so(if you even use it all), maybe a few hundred extra on service? The gas savings on this bluetec is three times as dramatic as all the published numbers will allow... trust me... I just sat literally in the rain for 35 minutes to do 6 miles, and with a drive-thru sitting session i still got 21 mpg... Ridiculous... Youd be lucky to get 17 in this scenario in my dads car. not to mention getting 30-40 mpg highway. The gas e350 barely hits above 25 and it requires trips of over 200 miles highway.
Right now, diesel is 330-370 in my area, and premium is 305-320. It will rise again, and of course we are feeding the east.....
and the volkswagens are nice, and are using our bluetec system; they average 40mpg al lthe time city and highway. so for pure savings, yes.. they are more efficient, but double digits 0-60 =D.... its compromise enough for me getting the mpg i get with the E
I am not knocking diesels, after all I drove one for 6 years. When I first got the E320 BT it would do 36-37 MPG on Highway at 80 MPH, it slowly began to drop over the years to around 32-33 MPG, same exact route. As far as the E350 gas, I just drove the same route this weekend and averaged 30.4 MPG including about a 5 mile creep on I-85. Diesels are fine, everybody should have one. I just don't want one that is loaded up with all sorts of finicky technology to meet the emissions requirements. Gas engines are bad enough, but the turbo diesels have an extra layer.
My understanding is that the Bluetec does NOT have a spare and a jack.
It does have a special fuel tank in trunk that has to be filled each year.
What is the price of diesel in your area and is it going to go up or down or stay the same? While Bluetec will get better mileage, the fuel may cost substantially more than even premium.
Or you could really go outside the norm and get a VW Golf TDI, Motor Trend's Car of the Year. Actually ALL Golfs are COTY.
Take your time and be sure-it's your car.
The Canadian version comes with a Tire Fit kit (compressor + can of slime) and a complete tool kit, inc. jack. US versions have RFTs. Even if my car came with RFTs, I would still want the complete tool kit and the tire fit kit. A deflated RFT is only good for about 50 miles or 80 km @ 50 mph !!! This does't cut the mustard if you get a flat in a remote location, far away from a tire shop. Hence, why I always travel with a TF kit in the trunk.
The adBlue tank (DEF) is filled every 15,000 km or about 9000 miles @ the annual service interval.
As for diesel pricing, it does vary according to season, usually higher in winter. On a recent road trip through eight western states, I found the diesel price to be lower than premium gas @ almost every fuel stop.
I am not knocking diesels, after all I drove one for 6 years. When I first got the E320 BT it would do 36-37 MPG on Highway at 80 MPH, it slowly began to drop over the years to around 32-33 MPG, same exact route. As far as the E350 gas, I just drove the same route this weekend and averaged 30.4 MPG including about a 5 mile creep on I-85.
Is your mileage data based on the the car's computer or on actual fills ? Reason I ask is that I calculated my previous E350BT's computer mpg to be optimistic by 13% !
Guys, thanks for all the feedback. I ended up taking the plunge into my first diesel ownership experience. Picked up a diamond white on black 13" E350 Bluetec. Here she is in her new crib next to siblings ;-)
Congrats! Yeah diamond white is damn handsome in person! Test drove a c250 coupe for my lady in that color the other day. Welcome to the club sir, *salute*. Please let us know your thoughts, and the full setup of your car if you wlil! Interior pics too!! I totally want to know if you have run flats or not, and your first impressions on them... took me 2k miles to smoothe those bad boys out, and my tire pressure sweet spot wound up at 32/34 front back with goodyear runflat 2s. Goes good with your porsche =D No reason to compete performance wise with THAT, just get the luxury sedan and call it good... good call
. As far as the E350 gas, I just drove the same route this weekend and averaged 30.4 MPG including about a 5 mile creep on I-85. Diesels are fine, everybody should have one. I just don't want one that is loaded up with all sorts of finicky technology to meet the emissions requirements. Gas engines are bad enough, but the turbo diesels have an extra layer.
Screenshot/Proof kkthxbye. I have had three e350s and i can confirm that you require a minimum of 100 plus miles to even break the 25 mpg barrier. Also, After a measly 10 miles on the freeway im getting 30 mpgs on the diesel. Gors up to around 40 with longer distances.
Finnicky technology that made diesel output cleaner and more efficient than gas, yeah... cry about THAT for sure...
Is your mileage data based on the the car's computer or on actual fills ? Reason I ask is that I calculated my previous E350BT's computer mpg to be optimistic by 13% !
/Agree. I never EVER reset my 'reset' tripodometer, Ticking at 30,200 miles shes averaging 27.2 mpg total. I only reset the 'start' counter, and mileage display above the total miles on the car at fillup. Daily city 23, Daily Highway 33 (20 miles only); I also use fuelly and manually count too. Mostly to calculate depreciation per mile, and gas cost per mile at the 27 mpg avg =D
Last edited by Trancebolt; Dec 3, 2014 at 11:58 AM.
I am a little late to the conversation here, but....
I have a 2011 E350 Bluetec, P2 with leather. I bought the car in February 2012, it was a CPO with 20,000 miles on it. It now has 67,000 miles on it.
I just adore this car. I don't find it slow, don't find turbo lag, when you step on it, it goes. Especially when you're going 50 and want to pass someone, then it takes off like a 777 going down the runway.
I am not a modder, I figure with all of M-B's engineering power, if they think the standard chip is best, I will agree with them. Ditto on the wheels.
All in all, I am getting over 30mpg average, have hit as high as 37 and 700 miles on a tank.
Anyway, love the car, you can't go wrong. If you want power, drive the Porsche Turbo, if you want to put the car on the highway and drive ALL DAY LONG, this is your vehicle.
I am a little late to the conversation here, but....
I have a 2011 E350 Bluetec, P2 with leather. I bought the car in February 2012, it was a CPO with 20,000 miles on it. It now has 67,000 miles on it.
I just adore this car. I don't find it slow, don't find turbo lag, when you step on it, it goes. Especially when you're going 50 and want to pass someone, then it takes off like a 777 going down the runway.
I am not a modder, I figure with all of M-B's engineering power, if they think the standard chip is best, I will agree with them. Ditto on the wheels.
All in all, I am getting over 30mpg average, have hit as high as 37 and 700 miles on a tank.
Anyway, love the car, you can't go wrong. If you want power, drive the Porsche Turbo, if you want to put the car on the highway and drive ALL DAY LONG, this is your vehicle.
not late at all sir! He did transition over to his new thread discussing his new car.
Agree on all points about turbo. Benz designed this engine to use turbo when the user tells it to build it and deliver it.
ive hit 39.1 and 41 before on drives where there was much less pre-city driving before entering the freeway. I drive to work 50 mi round trip, and 13 of which are city. Still hits 33 minimum.
"I bought the car in February 2012, it was a CPO with 20,000 miles on it. It now has 67,000 miles on it."
Nice. Got mine at 27,350 and its at 30,200 now. 1 3/4months ago. No P2 and MB tex however.
Damn slick sir! Quite a beauty to hold onto that one. Mines P1 and I have "extended mobility" tires too.. aka run flats. First couple thou on it on concrete highways are bouncy but it wears in quick. Youll find the tire pressure sweet spot soon;
I personally adopted mine from mr.margolis heres posts on this forum.
Need to figure out what the E/S switch does. I assume economy and sport?
E is everyday, S is sport. E is defualt since its the fastest accleration, and the least amount of rpm buildup, and it holds rpms for less amount of time. This is your freeway and fast driving setting.
S is not the faster of the two as people think. S is holds rpms longer before dropping down, builds rpms faster and the transmission responds much more peacefully to brake-gas-brake-gas stuations like traffic on busy city streets or highways stop and go. Just more control.
I have tested tiptronic in E and S, and have sensed some of the same differences even while using paddle shifters.
Your posts here and there about tire pressure. Finally found my right numbers.... From the thread about general w212 tire pressure.
its a big thing for me, and not many other drivers here have run flats... and even less of them share their individual specs.
39/41 is where they gave it to me.... Was wearing in center. Went to 32/34 and its been good. Took about 500 miles since the switch but its wearing more evenly and rides better.
Your posts here and there about tire pressure. Finally found my right numbers.... From the thread about general w212 tire pressure.
its a big thing for me, and not many other drivers here have run flats... and even less of them share their individual specs.
39/41 is where they gave it to me.... Was wearing in center. Went to 32/34 and its been good. Took about 500 miles since the switch but its wearing more evenly and rides better.
Not me.
I am the miles per gallon N@z!, but never check my tires. Where ever the garage fills them is fine with me.
I am also not the hand car wash guy. Have never done that either. The $3 drive through is my style.
I also bought my first diesel in April. I came from an e60, BMW 530xi. The overall ride, and mileage alone has made me very happy. I agree there is a slight lag at the jump, but once the torque and turbo kicks in you will fall back in your seat! I am not out to race, so for me this is just fine. What I also love is the feel of the 350 in general. It feels like a tank as far as safety. With small kids in and out of it with me, I just feel secure in the car.
I am certain you will be happy with the Bluetec! Looks like a beauty!
Yes, I am definitely a long time diesel enthusiast ! Why have I owned several ? Well, having spent a good part of my life in the auto industry, I am a bit of car nut, maybe diesel nut ?
I was reluctant to give up my 2013 E350BT, but several aspects of the E250BT made my decision easier:
1. E250BT comes with 4Matic for Canada
2. E250BT has very little turbo lag compared to E350BT
3. post face lift styling for E Class
4. E250BT is even more efficient and handles better than E350BT
Looking down the road a bit to the future W213, I do not care for new styling direction and the larger body shell that will be coming for MY2017. MY2015 will be the last year in which one can choose all of the options for W212. MY2016 will be the build out year in which options will be limited to one of two packages (Avantegarde for Canada).
No, I have never wished for an E550. Paying vastly more dollars to the oil companies is repugnant to me, together with burning A LOT MORE fuel !!!
None of my passengers have ever realized that they were being driven in a diesel engined car until I told them. MB diesels are not like the noisy tractor-like engines found in North American pick-ups !!!!!
Raron: I'll second Derek's comments about the lack of noise on the MB diesels. I have a 2015 E250BT on order (due in February) - I test drove several 2014 and 2015 E250BTs - in fact they were very quiet. The stereotypical diesel clatter can only be heard with the engine hood open. This will be my first diesel and I am very excited about it! Money does not seem to be an object based on your previous list of cars, so I'd recommend going with the E250 new rather than the E350 used.
E is everyday, S is sport. E is defualt since its the fastest accleration, and the least amount of rpm buildup, and it holds rpms for less amount of time.
You're probably the only one here who thinks that E is faster than S. "E" stands for economy. It upshifts sooner and downshifts later.
How do you get the fastest acceleration by upshifting sooner? In racing this is known as short-shifting and it's done for fuel economy, not speed.
E also starts the car off in 2nd gear, S uses first.
On the '14 the car starts in 1'st in both E and S. You can tell because there is now a display on the cluster showing the current gear. You must be at a complete stop to get into 1'st, however.
I think they probably did this because in earlier years so many people complained of throttle lag.
On the '14 the car starts in 1'st in both E and S. You can tell because there is now a display on the cluster showing the current gear. You must be at a complete stop to get into 1'st, however.
I think they probably did this because in earlier years so many people complained of throttle lag.
Regards,
Don
Yes, you are absolutely correct.
The 7 spd transmission was revised for 2014/15.
When manual is selected, it will shift up automatically after a brief period. The delay time for upshift is determined by the amount of throttle pressure. The gear shifts are also noticeably smoother than the similar transmission in my previous 2013 E350BT.
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