Could anyone tell me the reliability on the E550's?
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 545
Likes: 1
Read the brochures here:
http://www.auto-brochures.com/mercedes_benz.html
I also like to use Motor Trend. You can see what the price of some of the options were for a particular model and then click on features further down. Just change the year in the url for the different model years.
https://www.motortrend.com/cars/merc.../e-class/2012/
Then use a vin decoder to get the options you want. I always want the lighting package, pano roof and at least parktronic and a few other options like driver assistance, but it's hard to find them loaded and most ads lie and say they're loaded and the option isn't on there.
https://www.lastvin.com/
http://www.auto-brochures.com/mercedes_benz.html
I also like to use Motor Trend. You can see what the price of some of the options were for a particular model and then click on features further down. Just change the year in the url for the different model years.
https://www.motortrend.com/cars/merc.../e-class/2012/
Then use a vin decoder to get the options you want. I always want the lighting package, pano roof and at least parktronic and a few other options like driver assistance, but it's hard to find them loaded and most ads lie and say they're loaded and the option isn't on there.
https://www.lastvin.com/
The plastics will all start to fail around the same time, so for me, I would see how everything looks when I lost the first hard line. I had a customers S550, 2015 or so, he drove a ton and the car had about 60k miles on it after 2 years, we were putting coolant parts on it almost every visit. At around 100k we saw several need those hoses behind the engine looked at. It has far more to do with the heat cycles and overall exposure than age/mileage, so I would not try to put a hard number on when you should change them preventative. Most of the leaks start as seeping for months, so if you are inspecting the car and not ignoring a low coolant warning, there should not be a case of getting stranded due to a line failure.
What timing chain issues are you referring to Johnny, all the engines had tensioner issues and the chains can stretch when maintenance is neglected, that applies to all the v6 and v8 engines, and even the 4 cyl engines although the root cause was different and they didn't have the tensioner update bulletin.
What timing chain issues are you referring to Johnny, all the engines had tensioner issues and the chains can stretch when maintenance is neglected, that applies to all the v6 and v8 engines, and even the 4 cyl engines although the root cause was different and they didn't have the tensioner update bulletin.
I've had my 2011 E550 for a little over 2 months now. These beasts are extremely rare so if you find one, make sure you jump on it so long as the car is in proper condition. Repairs can be expensive, as per usual for most Mercedes. I'm not saying the car is unreliable, but when a repair or service comes up it's gonna cost you a bit more than usual. Highly recommend the car, good luck!
I have a 2010 E550 with all gizmos other than the night view assistance. It has Airmatic like they used to come with as standard and this has been the single most expensive repair item as I had to replace all four air springs/struts (did the work myself, very easy job) but other than that it has been rock solid other than I had to replace the starter (did the work myself too), which seems to go out at 8-10 years like the air springs.
It seems there are more issue with these cars starting from 2012 year model with the bi-turbo engine. Issues seem to be with brakes but I cannot say how much the engine has to do with it. The 5.5 Liter engine prior to 2012 seems rock solid and the one i have still runs without burning a drop of oil between oil changes that I do every 5000 miles.
I just got a 2013 S550 that I now drive. Don't need the E550 that much anymore but cannot let it go for a book value of well less than $10 000. It has 180 000 miles on it but they are 85% highway so comparing to a city car it has only about 65 000 miles on it. Awesome car with all gizmos working (has driver assistance package). And it is the best looking E-Class with the hockey stick DRL's on top of the best ever Bi-Xenon main lights in the front.
It seems there are more issue with these cars starting from 2012 year model with the bi-turbo engine. Issues seem to be with brakes but I cannot say how much the engine has to do with it. The 5.5 Liter engine prior to 2012 seems rock solid and the one i have still runs without burning a drop of oil between oil changes that I do every 5000 miles.
I just got a 2013 S550 that I now drive. Don't need the E550 that much anymore but cannot let it go for a book value of well less than $10 000. It has 180 000 miles on it but they are 85% highway so comparing to a city car it has only about 65 000 miles on it. Awesome car with all gizmos working (has driver assistance package). And it is the best looking E-Class with the hockey stick DRL's on top of the best ever Bi-Xenon main lights in the front.
Thanks again for all the replies
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 43
Likes: 8
From: Houston Metro
16 Acura RDX 128k mi 2013 MB E550 4M 124mi
Also in the US, the 2014 is the only year they made the face lifted E550. There was an E400 in later years but not as much power. So there's a difference between the 2012-2013 E550 and the 2014 E550. That's why the 2014 is up there in price, very rare and the only face lifted E550 model out there. There was a 2015 model but that was in Canada, didn't make it to the US. I think airmatic became an option so that'd be one thing to look for to see if the car has it. It's more expensive when the airmatic fails and it's basically a matter of time/mileage as the suspension ages. One other thing to keep in mind is that only 2016 had apple carplay/Android auto so you would be stuck with just the E350/E400 for that year of the W212. You're right to look at 2012+ E350 though, that had the 302hp V6 engine, the earlier 2010-2011 had the 268hp engine. As usual, check for faded wood, ripped seat on mb-tex/E350. The E550 had real leather so ripped seat is not common there. Faded wood is pretty common on the older models, not much to be done about it as replacement wood kit is about 2k from MB, just a negotiating point on the price. Just open the door to see if the wood hidden by the door is the same color as the exposed wood.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 6,190
Likes: 1,550
From: MA
2008 E350 4Matic, 2011 E350 4matic
Maybe, but TSP isn't warranty coverage. Only covered under the original factory warranty. Extended and CPO wasn't covered because it was considered cosmetic. Only time you could get it covered afterwards is if you notice it when it's a CPO before you buy it and make the dealer change it out. You could pick up a used set on eBay for a few hundred if you can find it.
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 415
Likes: 165
From: Northern VA
2016 E63s
Love-hate with my 2014 E550. Loaded with most of the bells and whistles, all except airmatic which was a blessing in disguise. Stick with the non-airmatic if you can.
Car was temperamental at times - one day it was a beast and others it was half asleep. Pano roof popped, no oil issues. Great sleeper and classy vehicle.
Sadly mine met the crusher (accident) so stepped into an E63. Better in every way but the 550 was no slouch for sure. Very rare indeed.
Car was temperamental at times - one day it was a beast and others it was half asleep. Pano roof popped, no oil issues. Great sleeper and classy vehicle.
Sadly mine met the crusher (accident) so stepped into an E63. Better in every way but the 550 was no slouch for sure. Very rare indeed.
Newbie
Joined: Sep 2020
Posts: 4
Likes: 10
From: Calgary, AB
2014 Mercedes-Benz E550 Sedan 4Matic
2014 E550 with 104k Miles
To revive this old thread.
I have a 2014 E550 with almost 167 kms, just over 104k miles here in Canada.
I have driven it since 123kms for almost 2.5 years.
2 issues
1. Oil filter housing was leaking, got oil on the serpentine belt. Was about $1400 at the dealer to repair
2. Sunroof was open and wouldn't close. Was manually closed and now requires new sunroof motors. I will probably repair this in the Spring time.
Car is parked outside covered. We have -30 C weather in the winter. Only those 2 issues and some bent rims from the potholes.
Other than that, this thing is amazing to drive on long distance. You won't regret it. This is my first german car. Never had warranty.
It was 1 owner local car that the previous owner had extended warranty from MB. I'd recommend a car that has been serviced well, for less issues down the road.
I have a 2014 E550 with almost 167 kms, just over 104k miles here in Canada.
I have driven it since 123kms for almost 2.5 years.
2 issues
1. Oil filter housing was leaking, got oil on the serpentine belt. Was about $1400 at the dealer to repair
2. Sunroof was open and wouldn't close. Was manually closed and now requires new sunroof motors. I will probably repair this in the Spring time.
Car is parked outside covered. We have -30 C weather in the winter. Only those 2 issues and some bent rims from the potholes.
Other than that, this thing is amazing to drive on long distance. You won't regret it. This is my first german car. Never had warranty.
It was 1 owner local car that the previous owner had extended warranty from MB. I'd recommend a car that has been serviced well, for less issues down the road.
