My SA indicated I should replace my E350's pulley tensioner and belt. The car is a 2012 and has about 73,000 miles on it. I was quoted a price which raised my eyebrows a bit. For folks who have done this work, what have you paid? Curious about dealer vs. indie.I am going to explore indie as well as I live about 30 minutes away from an indie shop with a very good reputation (Bells, Paramus, NJ)

Thanks!

The belt and the pullies on the M276 engine are much much MUCH more robust than those that were used on the prev M272 engine.
Your car is a 2012 E350 so you've got the first year M276.
Unless your pullies are making noise, I would suspect that they are fine (especially at a paltry 73k mi).
On my M272 engine on my 2006 E350, I snapped the serpentine belt at 73k miles coincidentally enough. With that memory lingering, I replace the serp belt on my 2012 M276 at 70k miles just for preventative measures.
The belt that I removed was in brand new condition. It is MUCH beefier than the belt used on the M272. All of my M276 pullies were as new as well.
Swapping the belt took about 4 minutes. Search M276 serpentine belt on here and you'll find some help.

I did the belt and pulleys on my M272 at 65k miles. Bought the kit for $166 on FCP Euro and I believe my independent mechanic charged me $200-300 in Southern California. I trust my indie with everything. He worked at MB for over 25 years and has many awards showcased on his walls. My W222 still gets taken to the dealer though as it is still under warranty.

Funny -

I just had this replaced under warranty on my 2011 E550 - Dealer charged my Warranty company a mere $530 - I thought that was highway robbery...but from what S550e quoted - maybe thats not out of place...

Maybe another thread - my Dealer charges $185 an hour - I'm in the wrong profession!

If it had been out of warr. I would do it myself!

Cheers

I believe my local dealer quoted me $500 for parts and labor in Southern California

Well, my dealer quoted $1200 for the belt, tensioner and pulleys which made me think- huh?? Indie's quote is about 1/2 that-

I would inspect it first. I didn’t need to replace pulleys on our M272 until 150k miles.