Potential first time E-class owner...
 

Good morning, all! This is my first post on your forum, having no experience with any Mercedes product in my lifetime. I will be turning my current SUV, a 2004 Buick Rainier over to my soon-to-be-driving son next spring (never too early to start researching, right?), and will be in the market for a new daily driver. As I have begun to gather information and educate myself about it's replacement, my Google searches about the E-class always lead me here, (that's a good sign!). Therefore, I figured I'd go ahead and join up to gain the ability to ask questions directly, and interact with the fine folks on this forum. I always do some quick research when buying a car (admittedly fickle, I've owned 39 in my 37 years on this earth), but never to this extent, as I just don't have any experience with German products. We're all frightened about the unknown, right? I've heard the horror stories... I know many domestic purists with no first-hand experience who bash imports, and I'm confused by that. Now, I've glanced around a bit. I know about the large oil capacity that adds to the cost of routine oil changes, I know about the pricey Airmatic suspension system, providing there is a failure. I'm diving into this with an open mind, eager to learn more. I've always loved the Mercedes products (aesthetically and impressive performance numbers), but I've always been reluctant to pull the trigger on one, however a promotion at work about 15 months ago has afforded me the opportunity to finally pursue a car that myself and my family can really enjoy. The vehicle I'm most interested in, would be the 2012 E550 sedan. 2012, because my credit union gives a huge interest rate discount for vehicles 7 model years old, or newer. E550 because I'm an enthusiast, and the powerful bi-turbo V8 introduced that year is an engine that I believe I can fall in love with. How has the long-term reliability been with that engine? With the W212 chassis in general? I've owned many domestic and many Japanese imports, but never a European import. My girlfriend's current rig is a 2012 Infinity FX35, and it's very nice, but I'm ready to try a German luxo-sedan. My target would be in the 60k mile range to fit my budget. What are some of the good, the bad, or the ugly regarding this choice? No warranty, no bueno? Or, like anything else, keep up on maintenance and let it serve you with 100's of thousands of trouble free(ish), miles? I will add that I've really narrowed down to 2 cars at this point, the other being a 2012 550i xdrive, a likely cringeworthy statement on this forum, but I'm being honest... hey, talk me out of it! ;) I've read that the bimmer gives more road feedback and feels more sporty and spirited to drive while the Benz is more numb feeling (which I believe can be a good thing... I want something with top shelf comfort, thus I'm leaning towards the E550). Sorry for the lengthy post, but I'd like to make my situation as clear as possible. Thank you all in advance for letting me be a part of this group and hopefully what will become a frequent visitor, please do toss me some input as to what can be expected with the ownership of this particular car.

Welcome aboard. I hope you find what you need.

The key to reading these forums -- and any car forum for that matter -- is to take whatever you read with a grain of salt. The average Mercedes owner does not read these forums. More important, the average Mercedes owner is not interested in modding their cars. And most important. The average Mercedes owner does not experience any of the "problems" noted by folks here.

These forums cater mostly to DIY tinkerers, and the odd "problem" or two, or even dozens if you insist... Fact is, you can get "problems" with any vehicle, and the appearance of an "issue" does not indict each and every car. If you want proof of this, just read the Honda or Toyota forums as I do... same issues there as here.

Others have had more MBs than me, but this W212 is my second MB. I bought a second because the first still goes strong after 17 years and 110,000 miles with not a squeak or rattle. I've paid less than $1200 in non-maintenance repairs in those 17 years. So, while they are expensive to repair no doubt, the good news is that the average MB doesn't break nearly as often is you might assume while reading here.

What impresses me most about the brand is the overbuilt nature of any MB. It's the parts you can't see that illustrate this. As an admitted DIYer, I've had the console out of my car twice in the five months since buying it. You can examine the underside of the parts and assemblies and note how heavy duty they are. In addition, all the wiring is wrapped at the factory in heavy tape to reduce/eliminate rattles, etc. I could go on. In short, the Germans build their basic Mercedes-Benzes (and BMWs, too) like Tiger tanks, that hold up well over time.

As for specific questions, I would avoid options with obvious maintenance predictibility. For example, the airmatic suspension is nice, but eventually you will almost always need to replace major parts, at major expense if you keep such a car for the long haul. In contrast, I just completed a 2,000 mile trip in my standard suspension E350, and even my wife (not a car gal) remarked how well it rides for long distances.

I've had more convertibles and T-Top cars than I care to count, and have concluded that everyone should drive a convertible for 30-days, and that will cure that obsession. No Pano roof for me, as the standard moonroof works just fine for the rare times when I want to blow pollen and such over me and my allergic passengers.

Just my opinions, and I'm sure others will disagree. But these cars are highly developed electronically. So there's enough to test an owner's patience without considering complicated mechanical components, too. So I keep the basic car as simple and rugged as possible.. In that regard, Mercedes does an excellent job, usually leading the industry in the bargain.

welcome to mbworld... great post by dfwdude with lots of helpful info that i second... as for researching the car, the internet offers much information from reliability to common issues to owner complaints and gripes, etc... with all the information you learn here or find online... i'd recommend you go and do a test drive - one can learn all there is to learn, but without a test drive, you really don't know if you have that intangible like or love for the car and all it has to offer or gripe about until you feel and drive it imo.

one bit of advice, when posting questions be as specific as you can be - and also search through the threads to see if the question you have has already been asked, as there are a huge number of topics that have already been covered in here - searching the forums can be quite productive as there are many helpful and very informed posters on the site - with many specific sub-forums for reading through and posting in... enjoy.

wife is very happy with the w212 so far... only service related issue we've experienced was needing to replace the auxiliary battery in the trunk early on in our ownership - other than that it's been solid.

good luck and drive happy

Thanks for the welcome! Also, I'm going to go out on a limb (not so much) and assume that folks who like to tinker, might even forgo the airmatic replacement air springs/ compressor/ sensors, etc. in favor of a cheap and dependable coil springs in the case of a failure? That's the way Rainier owners do it to avoid costly repairs, and the ride quality is only marginally sacrificed. I stress dependability as a concern for my next daily driver because I have 1987 Grand National that I work on more than I drive, and not by choice. I don't enjoy working on cars... never have. I do it when I have to, and I understood going into it, that my power level goals were not ideal for a dependable car. But, that's ok because I don't depend on that vehicle to start and take me to work every morning, I don't depend on that vehicle to perform flawlessly on a 1500 mile round-trip vacation with my family. For this reason, I intend to leave it alone after making it my own. Believe me, I've been on Renntech's webage and noticed the incredible power potential that can be unlocked with aggressive timing tables and turning up the boost. No thanks, typically reliability will take a big hit when you're trying to wring a lot more power out of even a well built engine and drivetrain. I'm good without the entire roof opening, my current daily driver has a sunroof that I never open. I'm not going to take my next daily driver to the track, I just enjoy horsepower, and this car makes plenty in stock form. Plus, what I've read about the Benz leads me to believe it is among the quietest, most comfortable, and most powerful mid-sized sedans available and that's why it's so enticing. Do you have any experience with the competitors over there in Munich? Again, strongly leading towards the Benz, but I'll drive both. Thanks, again!

Thanks for the tips. Searching yielded quite a few results regarding the E350, and the '10-'11 E550, but I didn't have a lot of luck learning about the '12-'13 E550's engine... which may be a good thing. Typically, first year engineering is subpar, but nothing I've read so far would make me think that applies here. Thanks for the reply.

Welcome to the forum! I will add my 2c!

My recommendation is to try to get a good test drive on both cars. German-made cars' ride are different than other cars. From all my research that I have done when I purchased my E class, it seems that BMW is more of a drivers car and more expensive to maintain, but the Mercedes has the upper on luxury and safety (depending on options as well!). My 2012 E class (not a E550) is not a perfect car, but I live happily with the imperfections. If you take car of any car, it will last a long time. And the more you can do yourself, the cheaper it will be as well!

Both cars you are looking at are very good models. If I was 20 years younger, the BMW would have been a serious contender for me. Fortunately, I still have my BMW bike for those days...

Good luck!

Thanks for the info. I will definitely be driving both examples. However, if someone were to chime in and say "avoid '12-'13 biturbo v8 E-classes because they've been problematic for many owners", that would shift my interest toward the 5 series, even if I enjoyed the driving experience better from the Benz. As much as I enjoy a "connected to the road 'drivers car'", I'm at the point where a soft, quiet ride is more important than the sporty, firm ride with more audible exhaust feedback. Everything I know about Mercedes is comfort, quiet, and a bank vault-like interior experience. I was in the car business some 15 years ago and we had just 1 of each from these German auto makers in the short time of my employment. A 2002 540i and a 2002 S-class. Different cars for sure, but both cars oozed heavy, tank-like build quality. I didn't drive the S-class much, but had the pleasure of spinning around the freeway in the 5 series. Effortless performer, to say the least. I also had the displeasure of looking at the shop bill for a simple oil change and brake job to prep the low mileage bimmer for sale. I decided at that moment that my pockets weren't deep enough to afford the luxury that would come from owning such a fine machine... until now.

Well, this is where joining the DIY tinkerers here comes in handy. In nearly 20-years of owning a MB, I've never paid $300 for a dealer oil change. Yes, these cars take more oil (2-3 qts more than a Ford), but they need oil changes only once a year (or so). Nowadays, even Walmart sells Mobil 1 0-40w in the 5-gallon jug for just $25 or so. Add a couple more quarts, and for $40 or so, and a filter element (dealer or Pep Boys) and all you need is 1/2 hour of your time.

This can actually be fun, too. With the oil filter on top of the engine, it's easy to buy and use a "topsider" pump to suck all the oil out of the sump from above the engine, and change the filter element, all without getting on your back... or even getting your knees dirty. I can't say I look forward to my annual oil change, but I certainly don't dread it at all.

Glad to hear that. Thanks!

That's great! No, not scared of doing my own oil changes or brakes, I was in automotive service for 5 years before my short stint on the sales side. However, we didn't do high-end cars, so my fear was that the materials might have been the cause of the cost, not the labor. Glad to know it can be done for a reasonable cost. My biggest fear would be diagnostics, as I'm sure not everyone has the equipment to plug into the computer and pull codes, or maybe they do?

I have a 2012 E550 and it is a great car. Extremely Fast. The M278 4.7L tt V8 was used across the MB line until 2018. The power is likely underrated. I have 50-60,000 miles on mine. I think the BMW twin turbo V8s (N63 ?)have significantly more issues. The Benz has the better engine hands down in terms of reliability. I think that the whole BMW is more of a driver's car MB is more luxury is less true than it was 20 years ago, and that may be more true comparing an E350 to a 535i (which I'd tend to agree with). But we are talking blown V8s here :zoom: You might have a hard time actually test driving one to the limits.

Make sure you get one with good options. I found one used that had the bells and whistles I wanted (Lighting, Driver assist w/ distronic, dynamic/massaging seat, leather, heated steering wheel, ventilated front seats, heated rear seats). BMW does a better job of putting options and technology in their cars IMO. The 2012-2013 are cheaper than the 2014 with the updated front end, but they are all essentially the same car.

Enjoy shopping.

Thank you for the info. Just what I wanted to hear about this engine from a few of the folks here. I assumed no news may be good news when Google searching the reliability of this engine, but I never want to assume. Is there a database somewhere that can tell me the standard equipment on the '12 E550 sedan? I figured the ventilated front seats might be standard, because all of the cars I've seen for sale thus far have had them, but maybe it was just one of those, must have options for buyers? I see different options for remote start through the keyless-go fob... did they not offer remote start from the factory?

Welcome 87NATTY - Just started reading this thread today and you've confirmed a question I had for you in one of your follow up posts.. I as well had an 87 Grand National which I sold approx 9 year ago. I recently went through the entire research/changing vehicles deal that you're on now. I wanted to go from a summer car + year round family mover to something big enough, that has fun pieces and could drive year round including the Canadian winters. This landed me with a newish to me (3mos old) 2016 E550.

This too was going to be my first German car. I've always liked BMW's exterior, but the interior have lacked for me and mechcanilly I've had a number of friends own them and some of their issues turned me off seriously considering other models. Audi's later models look great in and out. I had the choices narrowed to:

2013+ Alpina B7
2014+ E550
2014+ E63
2013+ S6

The Alpina did up the interior nicer than the typical 7 series, but ultimatly it was too big. So I test drove the remaining on the same day to give a good comparison. The S6 was nice inside and out, especially with the diamond stitched seating, and the drive/handling seemed a little sportier than the e550. The E63... well, that thing was a sick beast - Think a GNX, with a massive turbo upgrade, the ability to put down the power, take turns, and stop when you want to. :)

The S6 I nixed as it fell short in the luxury dept, and ultimately didn't have the options that Mercedes had, and the interior was lacking a little in comparison. And the E63 my stomache liked, but my wallet not so much as it would've cost another 50% which I couldn't swallow (nor be able to appreciate the differences most times on the road) so my search began for my E550 - I was originally looking at 2014 for the facelift, but found a great deal on a loaded 2016 lease take over with all I was looking for in the car so had to bite.

So far so good. I've put approx 4,000 kms since Ive got it and everything has been fine. I've also read about how bullet proof the engines are. One thing I found was a slightly rough 5-4 downshift in comparisons to the other gears and my search here on that topic has found quite some discussions. These discussions make me believe mine is very smooth in comparison. So not sure if this is an earlier year issue, or something that's been resolved now via software.

'Learning' the car took quite a bit! Many more options than what I've been used to on previous vehicles. Playing around, reading the manual, downloading the app, and of course these forums were a great source of information. My wife and kids get a great kick out of self parking (though not used practically much) and the distronic (cruise control) is great feature - especially in rush hour traffic.

"E"co Mode is pretty borning and feels like you're driving a bit more of a pig. The car defaults to this mode at each start up, simply switched to "S"port by the press of a button. Starts the car from stop in 2nd gear, lower shift points, takes more throttle position before it'll downshift etc. S mode makes it completey different and will earn a smile quickly.

Anyways good luck with your research and descision - ask any questions you have and if you do go down this route I hope you're as happy as I've been.

Cheers!

Thanks for all the info... similar situations indeed. I've turned over many vehicles, but the GN is the first one I haven't been bored with, even after 2 1/2 years of ownership. Maybe it's because I'm always changing out parts, and that keeps things fresh and exciting. Lol. I do like the '14+ facelift front end, but, there seems to be a nearly 5 digit price hike from '13 to '14, likely because many '14 cars are still under warranty. Idk. We'll see what the prices are like in 2019, and I may look at those. Same car, basically, save for a fresh front clip, yes? Good, helpful info. I appreciate it!

So much good information here :) Just test drive them first, if you're committed into buying, do a pre purchase inspection (PPO), the 14 e550's with the facelift are a lot rarer because they discontinued the sedan in the US after 2014. Canada kept it through 2016.

2012+ with the biturbo + tune is something you'll immediately fall in love with.

No such thing as a remote start from factory, all the ads are probably referencing keyless-go push to start or keyless entry

For diagnostic, you can just buy an aftermarket scanner/computer to diagnose. Many years back I bought a mercedes star diagnostic computer clone from a forum member here, worked great for trouble shooting or checking CEL's, until I lost it after a couple years..

Great info!

Don't know how important safety is to you, but the crash structure of the W212 has been updated for MY2014 (after certain build date) to provide a stronger front end in crashes. If that's important, you may want to look for a late build MY2014 E550,
The E400 with the TT V6 can also be tuned for some impressive power. (although it's still not the same as the sound/feel of a V8) That's an alternative for newer MY W212.

Thanks! Safety is definitely important, but it seems like I recall reading that even the 2012/ 2013's received high marks in this area.

IIHS source

Seems builds after January 2014 have strengthened footwell area to improve protection in small overlap frontal collision.

Safety has always been a main mantra with Mercedes and one of the reasons I continue to buy the brand.

Indeed a leader in that category. And what a beautiful E class you have, there. I've noticed they started a new color for the sedan in '14 (among others, likely) Cardinal Red Metallic. I don't see many, though. Pretty rare color?

Must be a rare one, then. It was actually the first review I read regarding the facelift E class. I really like it, though.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...ic-test-review

UPDATE:

I want to thank everyone for their input. Unfortunately, the M278 powered e550 sedans must just be a really hard to find piece.... I haven't seen one close to me to test drive/ purchase over the last several months.

The good news is, I was able to drive a 2011 E550 4matic sedan and I was left speechless. My girlfriend said, not 3 minutes into the test drive, "Clint, you have to buy this car.". It was a challenge to drive that car without smiling at the same time. I drove about a half dozen other cars prior to that E550, all newer than 2011 and all with less than the 80k miles reading on the Mercedes' odometer... yet, it felt the youngest. It felt like the lowest mileage car of the bunch. It was certainly the most solid and confident chassis, I was amazed at the absolute lack of speed indication. So quiet, so effortless, so comfortable that 60 mph feels like 20. What a great way to travel. It doesn't have everything I wanted... the aforementioned M278 makes more power with better economy, but the thrust from the M273 is more than adequate, while mileage should be "good'nuff". It lacks the driver assistance package that I was excited about living with. It has everything else I wanted, though, it's within 100 miles of me, and it's priced right. It is a 1 owner, non-smoker, extremely clean car. Iridium silver with black and gray, 2-tone interior and ash tree wood black trim. Multicontour seat, Harmon-Kardon audio, AMG styling pkg., keyless-go, etc. Too good a deal for me to pass up at this point, I can always continue looking for a '12-'13 after a year or two. It's a done deal now, and I should be taking delivery tonight. Excited to join this community and pick everyone's brain as I acclimate myself to my first Mercedes!