Maintenance Items for Low Mileage M278
 

Hi all,

Already have a W212 in the extended family and want to purchase one for myself.

I'm looking to purchase a 2012 E550 Sedan with 11k on it. What should I have completed prior to purchase by the dealer? Car says 346 days until B1-Service. Found some maintenance records in the glove box and on the Carfax, but it looks like it hasn't been serviced in a couple years.

I'm assuming brake fluid flush, transmission fluid, and oil for starters. I'll have them check the chain tensioners (didn't hear a rattle but rather be safe than sorry). Any other items to look out for / request replacement?

Thank You!

Brake fluid yes. Trans? Why? I would be very concerned why this car has sat for so long. There has to be a good story there. These are desirable and limited variations with the TTV8. These cars hate sitting around and you may want to get a good warranty in place before purchase. Who knows what this poor car may experienced? Post photos of the little old lady.

w/ 346 days to service someone reset service indicator on car as it goes by mileage and 1 year to last service so basically it was reset about 2 weeks ago...

Now did they do the service; is the question or just reset?

Is tis at DEALER? have them check it or maybe make it CPO if they can.

Wow I thought I had low mileage. I would also leave the trans alone. If it runs fine leave it. when it gets about 70-80,000 miles then flush the trans .I would change the oil and flush the brake system and change cabin and air filters. But other than that I would leave it alone.

11K miles or 11K dollars?

Power monsters buy the E550s. Can't fathom only 11,000 miles, sorry. That's barely 1,500 miles per year.

I also can't imagine what someone wants you to pay for a 7 year-old car with only 11,000 miles. It's bound to be more than the car is worth.

Forget about servicing the tranny or the chains. I would have the batteries tested, at minimum.

Thanks for the reminder on the filters. I’ll make a note of it.

Car is a one owner from SoCal. Had it transferred through Carmax and just arrived yesterday. I’ll have to check what maintenance they completed prior to shipment.

I plan to purchase MaxCare since it has such low mileage. I’m coming out of a Volvo XC70 with 172000 on it (previously had an XC90 with 200k+).

I’ll be sure to post some pictures when I take delivery. It’ll be sitting in the garage during the week but taken out for fun on the weekends.

enjoy the car and good luck with it.

Well congrats, and I'm sure you know your way around maintenance with your other high milers. The M278 is a great engine and you can easily boost the power to over 500 if you want with a simple ECU tune. A great car at altitude with the TT setup and 4Matic for your locale. Post up the options list as well when it arrives. These cars are very rare.

I did test drive another one up here with the Rentech tune on it. Y’all talk about a rocket.

Has P1, P2 (bi xenon, etc), lane tracking, active multi-contour driver seat, fold seats, and parktronic. Black exterior with black interior and black ash wood trim (other 2012 w212 has burl walnut that was replaced). No pano or Airmatic. Wished it had panoramic roof but didn’t want to deal with the bolt issue.

I had been lurking on the forum for a while and figured I’d make a profile! So thank you in advance for the guidance.

Wow, great find. Your E550 is optioned well. Drive it and enjoy it :y

Post up some pictures when you can.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbw...3de84f86c.jpeg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbw...57c1d8570.jpeg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbw...82b1f03e5.jpeg

As promised! Sorry for the lighting. Just picked it up this evening, and I’m really enjoying it, which is an understatement 😄

You bought the unicorn. That is a very special car and great find.

Wow that is a great find, my older brother had one and it was nice. Just a quick question, what was the cost of the CarMax warranty? Thinking about going the CarMax route for my next one and the warranty is a big concern.

Thanks again and I hope you enjoy your new car.

Dennis P.

Thanks! They had different pricing based on coverage years and mileage. I selected the 5 year and 75k coverage with a deductible of $300. That cost $2,299, which I thought was reasonable. I couldn't get a MB extended warranty due to the age. I debate whether I should have done the $150 deductible for ~$200 more total for $2,499 at Carmax. You do have to decide on it at purchase and cannot get it after the fact. However, they can send you the information before you purchase the car. Additionally, they have a 90-day guarantee now, up from 30-day, which I'm taking advantage of next week (replacing chain tensioners and CAM sensors).

On a related note, took the E550 on an evening drive today on E470 (finally had no chance for rain or hail!). It seemed to keep egging me on to cruise at a higher speed 😬. Also, that growl is enticing!

Beautiful car, I looked at one of these a while back ... enjoy!

Wow, that's perfect. Nice options and colors inside and out. Only thing better would be to make it a 2014. I can't stand the ugly orange front side markers, change that ASAP! and some window tint is a must on a black car, or any car for me.

Grats on car :).. Had mine a month and already added over 1,000 miles lol.

I looked at a few CPO 2014s and was close to pulling the trigger on a white one in Oregon. Then, this one popped up, and I couldn't pass up. I'm also a bit partial to the hood ornament..

The side markers sound like the easiest mod to start out. I am also considering a muffler delete.

Congrats to you as well! What year and options do you have? I've been traveling a bit for work and take the train, so the car only has about 150-200 miles added onto it since purchase. Plus, it's hail season and don't want to risk it being outside.

I honestly dont think i did enough research before getting mine. But if I think back, all I can think of was aishing i knew about the push start button = keyless go option (i dont have).

I was torn somewhere in the middle. It doesnt have many options at all, i see some button's on others E550s i dont have on mine. However I also had a budget for this commuter (a nice one it is!). Its as basic as an E550 gets I think. I thought that was good for me as I have heard the engines are bulletproof and not so many things to worry about when the options arent there.

Likewise, I will also have muffler delete I also see the car is not mod friendly. A tune, and a pricy one is pretty much all I see Seems not many options for turbo upgrades and such for the E550..

Nice ride! The massage seat is relaxing and I turn it on every time I get in. Double check the air pressure in your doughnut spare tire to make sure it's inflated properly and the jack tools are in there.

We would have gotten an E550 engine as a first choice but wanted a wagon and the E350 was the only choice in the US for the w212 (besides the AMG) I will have my eye open for a similar E550 sedan like yours for our son if the price and miles are right. Obviously you have a Volvo also and is it a '92?

Ditto on the massage seats. I love them! Thanks for the heads up on the spare; I'll check the spare tire pressure and make sure I have the tools. Car is currently in the shop having its chain tensioners replaced.

It took me almost a year to find the right E550, so when you find one, be ready to jump on it. Your son will be very lucky to drive one! My Volvo wagon is a 2005 Cross Country. I decided to keep it due to all of the inclement weather we receive here in Denver. The 92 is my birth year and the year of 240 I want!

Tell us more about this chain tensioner replacement. What’s wrong after so few miles?

Typical issue for 2012 M278s. Rattle at startup. They are replacing them and installing a check valve. Luckily, it's covered under Carmax's 90 day warranty. I heard it when I purchased the car and knew it going into it. I am also having them check the brakes. They are sticking when I release them to go from a red-light.

Have y'all seen any issues with CAM sensors? PPI said to replace due to updated part now out for them. MB dealer said they were fine and didn't need to be replaced at this moment. Just trying to get all the items knocked out before having any issues.