DenverJohn

I am considering up grading from an 09 C300 to a '14 E350 with just 46000 miles. Trying to do some quick research on the the model and possible issues. I gleaned over the W212 threads and learned some but just need to ask if there are any particular issues or potential problems to look for in this used vehicle? The Car Fax is clean and the Vehicle was purchased at the same dealer selling it and per the Car Fax has had nearly all the service preformed at this dealership, with a couple of exceptions at out of state MB dealers. I noticed a number of TSBs and service campaigns for the W212 vehicles. Anything info on anything I should be aware of, cautious about or ask about the dealer about for a 2014? Being recently retired I am hoping this to be the last car I ever buy, and want to get a good one. Thanks in advance for any input or advise you can offer.

KEY08

These later model W212 cars have shown to be very reliable among all of the luxury brands. Depending on the options in this car, they are full of technology and electronics that have a potential to fail on you. The blind spot sensors have failed on some due to corrosion, the ECO SS may stop working and that is a matter of replacing the battery(ies). With any car full of technology you can expect some issues over your 15-20 years of ownership. I buy the E class because they are a Goldilocks car to me. Perfect fit and utility.

VegasE

The only failure item I see frequently on this forum involves the air ride suspension. I would avoid cars equipped with this option since the standard fixed suspension is bulletproof and an excellent blend of comfort and performance.

DenverJohn

Part of some my consideration are also some of the higher Dollar maintenance items as the car reaches 10 years and 100K miles plus, outside of normal things one would expect.
Seems many MBs have the motor mount issue after 8 years or so, (including my c300) I was also concerned about the airmatic suspension and did confirm this car has the "sport" suspension, code 677. So no other longer term issues I might want to be aware of? Thnx

chassis

The vehicle uses the M276 3.5L direct injected naturally aspirated V6 and the 722.9 7G-Tronic transmission. Both units are widely used in M-B's range and have been around for a period of time. Both generally reliable, probably more reliable than average, for M-B.

KEY08

Motor mounts on these cars are hydraulic and will fail. They contribute to the superior quiet cabin and I view them as a wear item, even though they can be pricey to have the dealer change out. It’s part of what makes a Mercedes. An AMG set of front rotors costs more than a motor mount swap on a W212. They are wear items.

kajtek1

Count on replacing MM every 60-80k miles and air suspension bags every 10 years. I am not familiar with DI gassers, but they have intake cleaning issues?
Depends if you DIY, the stealers pricing can get pretty high.

DenverJohn

Dealer qouted me $2000, I am looking at a couple of places I trust to see if they can give me a quote, the parts are only about $200 I think.
Being a former aircraft mechanic and engineering technician I can do it, but not sure I want to, crawling around under a car on jack stands is not near as enjoyable as I thought it was 30+ years ago.

kajtek1

$2000 buys you 4-post lift, That's what I did.
With my age I can still crawl, it is getting up what gets harder

ml3504matic____

Rear subwoofer!

DenverJohn

Ain't that the truth....

DenverJohn

Thanks for your input and info, I pulled the trigger today and need to wait for one of the service campaign items to be completed before I pick up the car, I had a VMI pulled and it showed a recent service issue bulletin/campaign, some Aluminum bolts needing replacement on the steering box, Everything else was quite up to date and the car was a lease and only averaged 7600 miles per year. every service point was completed by MB. I trust I will be happy with her as it is going to my daily driver until I can no loner Drive ( which I hope is a long long time!)

KEY08

Good for you! Enjoy your new ride and I hope it brings you many happy miles of driving.

leardriver

They are terrific cars. I enjoy every chance that I get to drive my '15.

pb39374

I have a 2010 E350 with 47,000 miles. I just had the 2 engine mounts plus the transmission mount replaced at my local
MB dealer, $1,700. I was getting a lot of vibration coming out of park into drive. The problem is now gone. I have a 7 year 100,000 mile aftermarket warranty bumper to bumper that I purchased for $3,600 last December when I bought the car. The warranty covered all 3 mounts, I just had to pay $100 deductible.

Darel

My '14 E350 fell within a known range where the wrist pins were not assembled to the pistons properly. Had a full engine rebuild at about 52,000 miles due to piston slap. If you're not getting a warranty, it'd definitely be worth your time to look up the TSB for this one and see if your engine # falls within the range. Mine was 100% covered under warranty at the time but the service manager showed me the final tally and it would have ended up costing me almost $20K if I had to foot the bill myself.

Other than that....the MB Tex seats are crap (lots of info here on that) and myself and a few others have had issues with the steering wheel adjusting motor. I also had the complete COMAND unit replaced due to several issues they couldn't figure out. Everything under warranty so far.

kajtek1

Looks to me like MB Tex is hit or miss.
I have 2 of 2014 cars, 1 with 185k, the other 130k and in both Tex looks new.
Sprinter has cloth and driver seat at 250k has big hole wear out.

Darel

My driver's seat was bad when I got the car at about ~30k, and the passenger's tore through at about 70K. Driver's replaced under warranty, passenger's was out of warranty by then so I had a local guy repair the cover for $60.

El Cid

Good luck, but be prepared to work on the dealership that sold it. M-B E class reliability has been going down over past few years and this might include 2014 models. My MB Tex is holding up great after 10 years. It really is a highly rated product, but a few people hate it because it is not "leather."
Repairs are expensive on M-B's no matter where you get them unless you DIY. Then you are still on the hook for the parts and frequency of needed repairs.
European cars just seem to require a lot more maintenance and repairs, especially German ones.
Maybe you will be lucky.

DenverJohn

Just going to toss out a general thank you all for your comments and input. I've now had the car a little over a month and all is well. I enjoy the car and while it is not quite as sporty as the 300 it has enough ganis to get out of it's own way. I like it in all. However - that said I hit a nasty pot hole, (they're a fact of life here in Western PA) about a week after picking up the car doing about 45 and blew both right tires. My first tow in many many years and it sucked that it was a car I just picked up. Insurance stepped up, need two new tires and an alignment. It hit so hard I was surprised nothing was bent or broken but the SA said only the rear tow was out a little. Pleasantly surprised! So $1000 total cost later I am back on the road for my $300 insurance deductible.
I am now waiting for spring so I can give it a full detail and hand waxing and then maybe post some pics here. I truly expect this to be the last car I ever buy. From one four door sedan to another, first to last. My first car was '55 Chevy Bel Air, as much as I loved that one, I like and will enjoy this one better.
I do have a seat issue/question but am going to search and if needed post a fresh question.

kajtek1

Yeah, that thread will not be completed without pictures.
I am not old yet, but I plan to keep W212 till technology will come with car where I can seat on the rear bench and just say the destination.

p30amg08

I just experienced this on my dad's 2014 E350. Started the car one morning came up with blind spot malfunction. When turning on the indicator to the right, There is a weird delay for the turn signals to turn on or off. Weird.. Left it off for a couple of days. Turn it back on and it seems to be working normally now. I understand there is a service bulletin for this but since the vehicle is now out of warranty we have to pay for the repair out of pocket. It's unfortunate sense this is supposedly a known issue. I'd figure Mercedes should replace the part at no cost.

davidjohnbamber

Having owned a 2014 E350 I would add the battery in the trunk was good for less than 3 years. Enjoy your new ride!

QUICKSHIFT

Anyone have a link to this TSB? Thanks

Darel

LI03.10-P-052286 SEPT11 knocking noise from engine, inspect cylinder walls for scoring if found engine must be replaced. Affected vehicles are mostly production dates from 8/10 to 11/10 but might be outside this range situation was corrected as of engine # 2729xx 31932895 & 2739xx 30441186.