So there is an e550 4matic for sale at a local dealer. 2010 with 49K miles. It has all the bells ad whistles, heated/cooled seats, nav etc...I checked the car fax, 1 owner bought it local traded it in local to the bmw dealer...

It is clean inside and out..I want to pull the trigger but I am worried about warranty etc...I know I can get a after market bumper to bumper for 4-5K..so far I am sure I can negotiate down but that would cover me for 36/45K) ..othr than that what are the typical maint costs? I hear stories of 200 dollar oils changes...etc..

and as far as reliability..I am not seeing horror stories of e550 owners..help me make a decision..

 

I can't speak to all the long term reliability issues but I got my E550 with about 40K miles. I have had it for 20K and have absolutely no issues. From what i understand the 50K service is not too expensive but the 60K is a little pricey as it replaces all 8 spark plugs. My car was a CPO and included the next two services so I don't know the cost.

Overall the one thing people talk about is the costs associated with the airmatic suspension. My car has not had any issues associated with that and my father in law has a S class with 120K and no air matic issues.

Overall a great car that you will be happy with.

 

I bought a 2011 with 50k miles on it. No major issues in 1.3y/12k miles for me. Got the prepaid 3 pack to control maintenance costs for the 60k and 80k services. Plenty of service cost info on here - E550 cost is the same to the E350 service cost at my dealer except for the spark plugs (two more plugs).

Got the extended warranty myself. Only issue that I've had (other than a bad battery which cost me under $200 to replace) is my comand control knob rotation stop working. Haven't bothered to get it fixed yet. Waited for other issues to justify my deductible. Could fix it myself using video and instructions others have posted on here. But it doesn't bother me enough to do anything about it yet.

If you want advice on the car itself, post a link or some pics.

 

You will love this car. Pure luxury with gobs of power when you need it.

Mine is a 2010 E550 with no issue (knock on wood) Just your normal maintenance.

 

2010 here also. The cars are very solid. Personally I would keep the 4-5 K in the bank. You'll never use it.

 

Here's my experience (apologies for the long post): In December last year, I bought a 2010 E550 8 with 51k miles. It had one major initial issue and a few minor ones:
- Upon purchase, the air suspension was leaking. I had to replace the rear shocks and one of the front shocks. Total cost: $4900 (I paid some of the cost, most was covered by a 90 day warranty the car came with). BTW, this was the last time I bought a car over the internet sight unseen - relying on the "generous dealer warranty". The air suspension problem was so obvious - the car sat on its rear wheels, yet the car had been certified by this dealer (not MB).
It took 5 weeks to fix this issue - my worst business transaction ever, I was already talking to a lawyer to sue the dealer, but ultimately it kind of worked out.

Two minor issues:
- After some months, I realized the COMAND control knob didn't scroll (the feature never worked, was broken from the beginning, but I didn't know). It's a well known issue for these cars. I fixed it twice myself, but my repairs didn't last. I have now bought a new control knob ($200), which I just need to install.
- One of doors for the headlight washer was broken and the spring also lost. Bought a new one and installed it myself (~$80?).

That's it so far. Other than these initial issues, the car seems very solid and I love the ride and power. One major downside is that I can't fold the rear bench (apparently SPORT models don't have this "standard" feature).
I also like the engineering on this car; for instance, access to the oil filter is very easy from above. It was much easier to do an oil change on this car than on any of my other cars.

Since I plan on doing most of the maintenance on this car myself, I'm not too worried about the dealer costs. I could have bought a warranty, but it provided very little value as it only covered the engine up to $3k and the transmission up to $2k at a total cost of $2k or so.

This being my first MB, I have the impression that the dealers simply replace lots of parts no matter if it's really necessary, in particular when the cost is covered by a warranty (as in my case). I'm convinced a better failure analysis would have shown that not all 3 shocks had to be replaced. Perhaps just a small/cheap seal was failing.

All that said, I really like the car. I smile every time I drive it. But I would not have bought it if I didn't think I could fix many issues myself.

 

Airmatic? Get the warranty

When the warranty saves you $7000.00 on Airmatic repairs, please kindly send me a small thank you card.

 

2010 E550 owner for about 3 months now. No issues really but I knew the car needed some work when I bought it with 80k plus miles on it. I replaced the tires recently and did my shopping around to get the tires I wanted at a good price.

From what I've learned the suspension is the main issue that can be a headache. In my situation I'm only keeping this car for a year maybe 2 max and upgrading to a newer luxury vehicle. Depending on my experience I'll stay or move to a competitor for the re-up

The E550s power is boarder line beastly and the ride is smooth plus relaxing. I can fit my wife and 3 kids in the car while packing up the trunk with all of our stuff for day trips etc. It's the perfect combo of size, elegance and power.

 

I test drove it this weekend, I really really liked it...it is just like you are driving a bank vault it is solid!.

I got a decent quote on a 6/100K after market warranty (which would be 6 years or 100K from when I buy the warranty not on the car miles - so 150K total miles) for 2700. I looked up the company that manages the claims and they are A+ rated and oddly enough right in the city where I live lol.

Here is a link to the coverage if anyone is interested. http://www.fortedata.com/tc/TRSLSEN01-sp.pdf

I have found a few CPO C300's and one E350 in a similar price range..so I might use that as leverage to get a better price ( the dealer quoted warranty was almost 6000 lol...not a MBZ warranty mind you an after market...).

Thanks for the info on the airmatic shocks..good to know.

 

Good luck with your new vehicle once you seal the deal.

 

Get an extended warranty no matter what you do. Also, all aftermarket warranties aren't the same. You must check coverages, as many cover only partial parts. For example, if your transmission fails, they will cover the torque converter, but not the fluid and the gaskets and a portion of the labor or any seals.

Do your research and get the one that covers everything INCLUDING ELECTRONICS! 90% of aftermarket warranties do not cover interior electronics, etc.

I've owned my E550 for the last 3 years and granted it has for the most part been trouble free, but yes, services are expensive.

Front & Rear brake pads, rotors + labor will range between $500(independent shop) & $1,200(dealer). You will need to do a tranny service every 30k which is about $300-400.

The tires alone will set you back a good $700-800 per set plus install.

Service A is around $230, Service B is around $350-500 depending on the mileage.

This is still a mercedes and just because the car is reselling for cheap now doesn't mean it doesn't still cost a premium to own and maintain.

Not trying to scare you, but these are not cars you can expect to run trouble free for years and cost 10% more than a Honda to maintain. These things cost 200-300% more than a Honda to maintain.

My $0.02

 

Also to add that you only need to bring your w212 in for service once per year vs most import cars servicing almost twice a year.

 

I notice that the aromatic system seems to be brought up often as a issue.

How can you tell of a car has this. Case in point, my '11 550E coupe has the AMG package and "sport" button. The list of options has no mention of "aromatic". So, does my car he aromatic? Thanks

 

I think you mean "Airmatic". My 2010 E550 has two changeable options. S/C option on the left of the command knob is for changing the transmission from Sports or Comfort transmissions settings. On the right of the command knob is a Sports or Comfort suspension option as well as a raise up an inch (looks like a shock/strut symbol) button.

You will know you have "Airmatic" if you press one of the features on the right side of the Command Knob and on your speedometer display area it's says something to the effect of Sports Airmatic or Comfort Airmatic letting you know you're changing in between suspension settings. Otherwise your C/S is just the changing of transmission settings.

 

Duh! Yes I meant "Airmatic" and no, my car does not have the 2nd button for this option - it just has the single "Sport" button for the tranny.

Thanks for the clarification.

 

No problem. I was under the impression at first that it was a standard on all models of 550 whether E, S, or otherwise. I'm just learning that there are variations of these models in regards to the suspension.

 

My car's Datacard shows the following options
722 AMG Styling Package - Front Spoiler, Side Skirts
795 AMG Double Spoke Wheels 18"
950 AMG Sports Package

I wonder if the last option is a replacement or substitute for the "Aromatic" option.

 

Your vehicle is not equipped with Airmatic (code 489) – N/A on MY11 E coupe check marketing brochure here http://www.auto-brochures.com/mercedes_benz.html

 

I'm not sure exactly what that 950 Sport Package is but I have a 951 SPORT -PACKAGE USA. Below are my other options that are similar to yours but slightly different.

772 - AMG Styling Package -Front Spoiler, Side Skirt
786 - AMG Double-Spoke Wheels 18' with Mixed Tires

 

Oh, I just found it on my Vin Lookup, it should say this if you have it

489 - AIRMATIC DUAL CONTROL / AIR SUSPENSION SEMI - ACTIVE

Edit - Konings just said this sorry.

 

Just turned in my lease on a 2012 E550. 35,000. Issues: One oil leak, iPod cable, and left dynamic bolster leak.

Had the airmatic (Left front) fail on my 2007 in three years of ownership.

Had many problems with my 2004 E500.

 

I got a '13 E550 used, I avoided Airmatic as it can be a bear to deal with. But so far I am just having issues with the AMG rims that were shipped with the car. I am going to be changing them instead of fixing them, but none the less, it has been a great car.

If you are worried about repair bills just skip the airmatic all together, and find one with the sport suspension so you do not have to even worry.

but all in all you cannot beat the price per performance (or even comfort) of this sedan. It is a hot rod without the noise, or harsh ride. It is really a great car. You can convince the wife with the ride, and when she is not in the vehicle you can show kids the difference between a 4pot and a 4.7L monster.

Good luck, but I am very happy with the E550, I call it AMG lite without the insurance or the noise....