About to purchase and had Vin run by MB. They state a transmission fluid change is due and plugs are due at about $2000 how hard is that stuff to do? I am thinking about passing on this vehicle because of that needing done the purchase price would be 17,000

 

I believe the services aren't due until 60,000 miles, but others with 2014 models can verify. Regardless, if the dealer insists that the work be done, tell them (if they really want to sell you the car) to include it for the $17K, or discount the purchase price to cover the services so the max you pay is your agreed $17K.

The dealer knows that any car they sell with this mileage is bumping into the service interval. They should price it accordingly, knowing that any customer will object as you have. If they claim the $17K already adjusts for the service, tell them BS. Carfax values my 2016 at $21K and it has half the mileage. So they are doing you no favors in letting it go for $17K.

 

I am not.buying from MB dealer. I am buying from a non MB dealer and when I got Carfax I called the dealer that has been doing the service and asked them what has and hasn't been done along with what needs to be done.

 

MB dealer also brakes are coming due at $1500. Wtf. Maybe I should rethink purchasing an E350. Or if I have done brakes and plugs on my cars in past including my Saab 9-3 Aero I should be able to to this one also?

 

Unfortunately, even dealer service writers are not always correct about service intervals. For your model, the plugs should be changed at 6 years or 60K. Search this forum for step by step DIY. Unfortunately it is not straight-forward. I'm a casual DIY guy and usually replace plugs and air filters myself but it looked like too much grief to do these plugs. MB service writers are frequently wrong about the tranny service because prior to 2012 the interval on an E350 was 4 years or 40K and that is what sticks in their head and they are too lazy to check the interval for your engine code. For a 2014 E350 the interval is 7 years or 70K. Again, search for a DIY if you are experienced.
Watch this forum as MB USA frequently offers discount coupons like $100 off of $300 or more service. Also, at the present time MB dealer service department business is way down and most offer local discounts and specials. Mine recently ran an internet ad for 25% off ANY service.

 

Brakes are a wear item and replacement can not be determined until they are visually inspected. They are not replaced based on an age or mileage because everyone uses brakes differently. There is no way to do determine if you need brakes over the phone. That said, almost all cars require brake fluid change every 2 years or 20K miles.
Based on what you've been told by the dealer, I'd seriously consider a different dealer or a good indy shop. Indy shops in my area are about 20% less than a dealer.

 

Transmission oil/filter 70,000/7 years, spark plugs 60,000/6 years, brakes are “checked” at each engine oil change 10,000/1 year. See attached service sheet.

 

At 54,000 miles you should not need brake rotors. I've changed the brake pads with Akebonos (MB uses them now) for $90-$100 per axle several times on my C320. No different than changing pads on a Ford, or your Saab. I'm retired now, yet still do this simple brake work, so can you if you decide to do so.

As VegasE notes, people wear brakes at various intervals, based on dozens of factors. Accordingly, every Mercedes has brake wear sensors to tell you when you ACTUALLY need to be concerned about your brakes. When the wear light shows in the dash you have a good 2,000 miles left to safely arrange for replacements. In sum, recommended brake replacement intervals are nothing more than suggestions, or liability CYA. There is no need to rush to the dealer with a vaseline-coated finger.

As usual the dealer thinks you have more money than brains. Don't feel bad, 'cause all the dealers make this stupid assumption of all of us.

 

For some context my car has 34,000 miles. It has already had front pads and rotors replaced during the CPO process. I don’t know if it needed them, but they did it anyway.

I got a quote from my dealership on the 50,000 spark plug service and 60,000 transmission fluid service just the other day (I believe the intervals were adjusted for the 2016s - can @konigstiger verify?) and the dealership quoted $1090 total for both services. So your dealership is charging 2x as much.

I will not service mine at the dealer, I was just curious of the cost. Mine will go to a trusted independent shop and that will save quite a bit of money. Brakes are very straightforward - if you can do it on any car, you can do it on these.

 

See attachment.

 

Transmission service is normally about $400-- I had mine done at dealer for about $200 with a coupon-- I dont plan on ever doing again. Have 73000 miles now and havent done plugs yet- car runs great,
Have been looking at all the methods and DIYs-
Dealer mostly want about $800 because Mercedes guide says remove intake manifold to access plug 6;
DIYs dont do it that way. I plan on doing DIY method next week to avoid total boredom with the virus thing stay at home
The plugs are special and cost about $60 for Bosch or 120 for Mercedes brand.
As said- brakes a cuple of idiosyncracies-- rear pads still have 1/3 life left.

 

With your previous MB experience, you know that your W212 did not need rotors or pads at 34,000 miles. The dealers just replace them so they can (CPO) warranty the wear items as new from a certain date/mileage. Needed or not, you paid for it in the CPO markup.

On my 2001 C-Class, I replaced the front rotors at 48,000 miles and 89,000 miles (along with the rear rotors at 89). I replaced the very soft, dusty factory front pads at 28K, switching to dustless Akebonos that lasted 45,000 miles. Since the 2016 W212s came with Akebonos OEM, I predict they will be good for 45,000 or so, too. Time will tell.

 

Not necessarily. My W203 required new rotors/pads at 25,000 miles according to my records. It was 2008 so I am not sure that it was that they were worn or that there was vibration. But I owned that car until 145,000 miles and it required new brakes every 25-30k miles during the entire ownership.

I have not owned any other Benz that same length of time or mileage, so I can't be sure based on my experience. My finalists for purchase was a non-CPO 2016 w/24k miles and mismatched tires or this CPO 2016 w/29k miles with new brakes, 4 new continental tires, and fresh service. The non-CPO had $5,000 in less options new than the CPO. For $1800 more, I got the extra features, new tires/brakes, and a much longer warranty. So it was not really a huge premium in my case. CPO is not always worth it, though. Lots of nightmares out there.

You say that the 2016s come with Akebonos from stock? My 2016 produces an enormous amount of dust.

 

Well I went and saw the car I visually inspected the rear brake pads and rotors and they definitely need to be replaced and the thing that made me not want to buy it was a big tear in the driver seat that wasn’t noted

 

I can’t believe they would even put that for sale on the lot for 17/17,000 dollars with that big rip in the seat

 

I've read here a couple times that Mercedes now uses the Akebonos as standard, and that if you buy OEM from the dealer, they have Akebono written on the box. I can't say any of this is true. And will never know, as I will buy Akebonos from the local parts store at half the price the same pads sell for at the dealer.

You remember the OEM pads on the C203s were simply filthy dusty. The pads on the 2016 don't dust nearly as much. I hope your CPO brake pads were not the super cheap and dusty kind... but it wouldn't surprise me.

 

Seats probably leatherette ( ie vinyl) very common on E models at least- mine too-
I put on seat cusions for softer ride and covers up the rip in the seam.

I bought an entire matching seat assembly on ebay and will put on the seat cushion if I ever sell/trade the car
Brake life has much to do with how/ where the car is driven- city vs country- all short trips,etc
Toyota products ony last 20000 till the fronts vibrate and have to change the rotors-- only bad thing I ever had with my Toyota brands-- but they are easy to do and parts arent expensive.

 

I’ll have to dig up the RO to check the part number. I’m pretty sure they used OE stuff since it was the dealer.

 

So are all 2014-2016 E350's leatherette or MB Textileather?

 

yes, unless leather was chosen during order.

 

I would suggest checking the extended warranty subforum and see how much a service pack is. I think it's under 2k, I think around $1750 for a 3 pack. That would cover the next 3 services which would include the plugs at 60k and the transmission fluid at 70k and brake flushes are included on B services which would be at 80k. They don't really discount the service pack much but some dealers mark it up so you could check with the vendors mentioned there to see who has the lowest price and you can take it to any MB dealer to have the service done.

As for the ripped seat, very common, around $250 for the seat cover, can be anywhere from a few hundred for labor to replace, you could get it done at an indy shop or upholstery shop. Typically at the dealer they charge around $600 to replace it which includes the seat cover. MB-tex is standard on the E-350, real leather was standard on an E-550 otherwise real leather would have been an option that most E-350's didn't get. If the rip is horizontal in the middle of the seat, that's probably MB-tex. Real leather had more vertical strips. I am kinda surprised, about the ripped seat, very common in early ones, not too many by 2014, but it still happens as yours show. You should also check for faded wood trim. You won't get anything off for it, but if you open the door, see if the wood trim hidden by the door is darker or not. Again, early models had more of a problem than the later ones, but some still claim the later ones still have the problem as it just takes longer to show up. The OEM wood kit from MB even an online dealer is over 2k. Most people don't notice til you point it out.

Brakes are pretty basic. Any indy can do them nothing special. I got the Zimmerman rotors and pads from FCPeuro which has a lifetime warranty on all the parts they sell. I had an indy do it because he only wanted $50 to do them and I was too lazy to do them myself to save $50. Rotors were $86 each, pads were $83 for the set. So a tad over $300 for front rotors/pads installed. There's a sensor that comes on when you're down to 25% brake pad life left, otherwise you can reuse the sensor. So if the light isn't on, you can go for a little while. While Akebono might make OEM pads for MB, the aftermarket ones sold are different, they're low dust ceramic ones and the OEM Mercedes ones are not. You actually get a lot of dust from the OEM ones. I like the low dust ones, but be warned that technically they're not as good as MB ones, not as grabby and you have to press a little harder for the same stopping distance. Otherwise not really noticeable. I kinda feel it's like throwing out a boat anchor when hitting the brakes quick with oem but with the Akebono it's the more normal type of braking. When it's time for a new set in a couple of years, I'm just going to send back the old rotors and pads and get a new set for just the cost of shipping.

 

This is my interior and this is what the real leather looks like. Also I made sure to avoid the light, glossy looking burl walnut wood as it fades.

 

What changed on the 7G-Tronic Plus that allows greater service intervals? I'm going to do my first one before 40K, as I did with my W211. Better safe than sorry, I don't trust such long intervals.

 

I think they actually updated the transmission since the W211. Uses a different fluid, used to be ATF 134 in the early models, now it's ATF 134 FE. See if your local shell distributor has it. They usually sell directly to individuals also. Last time I called, a case was about $65 for 12 quarts, much cheaper than the dealer.

https://www.shell.us/business-custom...r-locator.html

 

Thank you very much for the pic with real leather to show the difference. Yours looks much nicer then the MB Text. I guess it comes down to only buying an E350 with leather for me then cause I am not spending $18,000-21,000 on a MB if the seats are gonna separate like the one I looked at. If I can't find the one I want I am just gonna go 2014-2016 Cadillac CTS Premium and call it a day. Lol