'12 E350 Issues
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Sep 2020
Posts: 8
Likes: 2
'12 E350. '21 X5
'12 E350 Issues
I took my '12 E350 with 43,000 miles on it to the dealer for routine service. They found a laundry list of things to fix. Major ticket items include:
Engine mounts are sagging/collapsed. Replace engine and transmission mounts. $2000
Front wheel bearings have excessive play/can create abnormal tire wear. Remove/clean/inspect and repack front wheel bearings. $1400
Replace spark plugs due every 6 years. $1100
The pricing seems exorbitant. Am I correct?
Engine mounts are sagging/collapsed. Replace engine and transmission mounts. $2000
Front wheel bearings have excessive play/can create abnormal tire wear. Remove/clean/inspect and repack front wheel bearings. $1400
Replace spark plugs due every 6 years. $1100
The pricing seems exorbitant. Am I correct?
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 4,694
Likes: 1,829
From: Dallas-Ft.Worth,TX
2016 E350 Sport
I took my '12 E350 with 43,000 miles on it to the dealer for routine service. They found a laundry list of things to fix. Major ticket items include:
Engine mounts are sagging/collapsed. Replace engine and transmission mounts. $2000
Front wheel bearings have excessive play/can create abnormal tire wear. Remove/clean/inspect and repack front wheel bearings. $1400
Replace spark plugs due every 6 years. $1100
The pricing seems exorbitant. Am I correct?
Engine mounts are sagging/collapsed. Replace engine and transmission mounts. $2000
Front wheel bearings have excessive play/can create abnormal tire wear. Remove/clean/inspect and repack front wheel bearings. $1400
Replace spark plugs due every 6 years. $1100
The pricing seems exorbitant. Am I correct?
Have an Indy offer a 2nd opinion. If needed, replace your engine and transmission mounts for at least half the cost.
Skip on the front wheel bearings... until the tires show some evidence of wear. This is a common dealer service "pack" for something not needed.
At 43,000 miles, I would keep on trucking with your spark plugs. Spark plugs do not have a "wear out by" date. I would wait until one or more start to give stumbling issues or gas mileage drops significantly. You'll be surprised how long they can last and perform perfectly.
Last edited by DFWdude; Feb 11, 2021 at 05:41 PM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 1,363
Likes: 1,012
'11 E350, '11 E550, '98 M3, '95 E320
Assuming the OP location is US ... then yes, those prices are pretty exorbitant.
Given the age, 2012, its certainly possible motor and trans mounts are due for replacement. Spark plugs are due 6yrs/60k per MB, I would wait till 60k to replace them as age is less, if any, of a concern. Now as far as the front wheel bearings, MB has been using serviceable tapered wheel bearings (only front, non-4matic) which require occasional cleaning/greasing/adjustment. Essentially we would only touch them if: play was felt in the wheel, hub needed to come off due to leaking grease (seal replacement) and/or the car had a decent amount of miles 100k+. If I had a bit of play, popped of the bearing cap and the grease "looked' reasonably good, I would just adjust the bearing... 1hr tops.
Either way, I'd shop around for the services.
Given the age, 2012, its certainly possible motor and trans mounts are due for replacement. Spark plugs are due 6yrs/60k per MB, I would wait till 60k to replace them as age is less, if any, of a concern. Now as far as the front wheel bearings, MB has been using serviceable tapered wheel bearings (only front, non-4matic) which require occasional cleaning/greasing/adjustment. Essentially we would only touch them if: play was felt in the wheel, hub needed to come off due to leaking grease (seal replacement) and/or the car had a decent amount of miles 100k+. If I had a bit of play, popped of the bearing cap and the grease "looked' reasonably good, I would just adjust the bearing... 1hr tops.
Either way, I'd shop around for the services.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 6,190
Likes: 1,550
From: MA
2008 E350 4Matic, 2011 E350 4matic
That is super high prices even for the dealer, at least in the US. Spark plugs are more like in the $500-$600 range for the dealer. Indys can do it for $200-$300 if they can figure out how to do it without taking off the manifold like the dealer calls for. There's a few threads on here about how it's done. Get the MB plugs though, seems like even the Bosch plugs which were OEM might be different from MB plugs. So they're hitting you for about double what they would normally cost. While it's possible the motor mounts could be gone, they could just be slightly lower and if you don't feel a vibration, you could just let them go until it becomes an issue for you. I think I've seen $1200 at the dealer for those, I think the 4matic is more difficult so may be more. The transmission mount is easy, the two motor mounts are hard. Might be able to cut that down by 1/3 to a half at an indy if you get the parts online.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 2,412
Likes: 1,482
From: 122W, 37N
2016 E350 4Matic wagon, 2019 Ford Expedition, 2019 Chevy Bolt EV
I'd be hesitant to leave spark plugs in TOO long for fear it would be hard to get them out without stripping threads in the alloy heads.
