First Mercedes
 

Hello Folks!!...;
I just purchased a (new to me) 2010 MW E-550, and I'm going blind reading all the instructions to operate this vehicle. You can imagine my consternation and surprise looking for the Tranny shifter on the console. Up where my 328i's wiper controls were setting was a little jobbie with R-R-N-P was labeled.... It was fun going through the car wash when the attendant told me to put it in N. All the while my car is being drug along with the rear wheels (I got to "P", but "N" seemed to be elusive) sliding. talk about a panic..... I finally got that sorted out... I really adore this Ol' Boat... nice and comfy... Anyhoo.... It came (they said) with only 1 key fob. I knew where most other On line Dealers gave good discounts on OEM Parts, But not for Mercedes. Anyone out there have any suggestions??...
Thank you very much for your time. As an aside, where is a good VIN Decoder for VIN and Manufactured Options??...
Fred

Congrats on the new ride! The E550s are fast as hell, and comfier than a MOFO! I recently traded in my 2011 E550 for a 2014 CLS550, and the ride on the CLS is 90 percent there, but something about it doesn't seem as lofty as my E :/. Regarding your Key question, I know the key has to paired with the ECU of the car, and I think that's something only a dealer can do. But don't quote me, I literally could have no idea what I'm talking about lol.

E V8's are dominant. We rule. Best MB pound for pound. If you need OEM wheels or parts advise I have legitimate hookup. Friends with a MB-GM who has ownership in one of the MB online OEMparts store.

Congratulations on the E550. I have a 2012 and it is awesome. Now, you need to update your profile and remove that "non-mercedes for now"
I think the tranny selector is weird too. I completely understand having issues getting it to N.
I hope you can find a second key fob for a reasonable price.
And, thanks for your service.

Bought my 550 in 2013 with 1 key.... still never got another one. Somehow 1 key works , thanks a lot to keyless go option lol

congrats on the ride. Post pics.

You have to go to the dealer to get a key. You have to bring your car, registration and valid form of identification with you to make sure the car belongs to you. It's a whole thing to prevent thefts. At least that's what they're doing where I live...

Also this becomes a huge pain if you lose your one and only key fob as you'll have to tow your car to the dealership for them to verify all this stuff.

Congratulations on your new used Merc! The V8s are fun and if you're lucky and proactive, reliable.
Vin Decoder: https://www.vindecoderz.com/EN/check-lookup
Parts: I use ECS tuning, FCP Euro but mainly Mboemparts.com ( the later usually has discounted OE parts - at least 15 to 20% off)
As for the key, you will need to go to a dealership with the documents Peachy enumerated and be ready to give them around 400$. They give you the key and it works, the only thing you need to do is sync it to the vehicle ( remove PTS button, insert key, rotate to ON, wait 10 seconds, rotate to off, remove key - done!). They didn't ask to see the vehicle, as long as you have proof of ownership documents (title/registration/lien, etc.) you should be fine.

Keyless go keys are more expensive than regular keys. With an E550, you're probably more likely to have keyless go. You should call around to all the local dealers and check their websites, sometimes they off discounts or service coupons and they will usually price match each other.

As for parts, for OEM, there's oediscountparts.com and genuinemercedesparts.com. The first has free shipping over $50 and the second usually offers about 30% off, but charges shipping. For small orders, oediscountparts is probably cheaper once you factor in shipping, for more expensive parts, the latter is cheaper even factoring in shipping.

Another good vin decoder site is

https://www.datamb.com/

IMO the initial cost and effort to get a second key is minor compared to losing a one and only key. It never happens at a "good" time.