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It's been a long time members and I apologies about that. I am looking at a 2012 W212 E550 and it has 145K on the dial and it's going for
$14.5K (of course I am going to negotiate the price) I wanted your ownership input on purchasing a High mileage Benz at that price range. I've been working on cars for over 20 year (Hobby and cost savings) there isn't much I can't do. I've ALWAYS maintained my own cars from basic brakes to timing chains, valve adjustments ect. That is all said to drive home the fact that I am very mechanically inclined. I am ready and okay with doing all the work to this car, as I do with all my cars, so please factor that in.
I am going to see the car this week and I wanted to know besides if the suspension was replace and when, what else should I look out for at that age and mileage.? I'm leaning on the forum members to chime in. Is this worth taking a look at? or with that many miles on it isn't worth the risk. I do know it all comes down to how well it was maintained in those years and records. And yes, I searched the form and the "high mileage" thread is more like the average of 75k, so it's well lower then the input I was looking for.
"2012 W212 E550" may not tell the full story, having the serial number will help to see what different options that specific car includes. Sometimes the basic model has minor issues, but the extra packages may be the nuisances.
this is not high mileage for MB.
Make sure you bring MB-oriented scanner to the inspection and check the codes.
When MB is not a car for everybody, making it 10 years old in not helping.
"2012 W212 E550" may not tell the full story, having the serial number will help to see what different options that specific car includes. Sometimes the basic model has minor issues, but the extra packages may be the nuisances.
Juan,
Thank you for the input. please see the below VIN. WDDHF9BB6CA556225
You should check certain items:
1 - Codes as suggest by Kjatek1. If possible monitor the voltage/amperage while test driving it with the ODB scanner or the built-in methods (cluster, or command screen)
2 - As mentioned by Kjatek1, MB vehicles are about caring/maintenance, a good looking poorly maintained MB may become a money trap very quickly. Maintenance records are a great source of information when available, not only what was done, but when.
3 - 4Matic --> check the axle boots
4 - Standard suspension --> No Airmatic problems, but check for shocks leaks or response, i.e good drive
5 - Since w212 tends to wear on engine/transmission mounts, check for vibrations at idle, and possible rough shifting (like a kick under the floor). If you know how to reset the transmission for this model, you could do so before taking your demo drive
6 - Headlight units are not cheap, so yellowing of the plastic may be an issue.
8 - Accident history, paint status (hiding repairs?), proper fit hood, trunk lid, doors closing, open and close/move anything electric in the case is broken or triggers a fuse.
9 - Look for humidity signs, external or internal (A/C condensation, clogged line) sources
10 - status under the hood: sign for leaks: oil, refrigerant.
Great advice. I wanted to get it pre-checked but they don't have any Benz specific shops in my area, or German shops in that matter. I agree on the headlights. There's a lot of things I don't mind ponying up for, headlights would be a killer for me.
The transmission reset, are you saying if he knows how to do that, he can hide a major problem and it will be to late before I know it?
The boots and everything can be looked at if I am able to get it up. Thank you very much. Again, General Maintenance i am ready for. If i purchase the car there are things will do either way, tranny fluids, oil change, things like that.
It's pretty much a base car with the exception of a Pano roof and Bi-Xenon with cornering. There are no driver assist functions( Parktronic, Blind Spot, Distronic.....), but maybe you want a basic car.
Good thing for your pocket book also is this car is on springs, so no Airmatic to fret about. My 2014 is on springs and I think it's fine. My previous E550's and E500 were Airmatic.
Price is way up there and I would be concerned about this TTV8 at those miles. I'm at 61,000 miles and I would love to drive this thing to 145K.
I own a 2012 E550, 211K miles. I have an Autel AL539B OBD2 Scanner. I strongly recommend that you use it to check the STFT and LTFT. It the readings are slightly off, check the voltages of all four O2 sensors. Have to do it while driving. Watch live telemetry numbers under acceleration and coasting. Go watch YouTube videos to learn. Lots on that scanner.
Mine are shot. Very hard to get to. Fairly pricey. But worst I fear is that a very slow coolant leak killed them. Head gasket job. Of course, there's the chance of oil contamination into wiring harness via cam sensors and position magnets. It could destroy the computer. Well, documented in this forum. Check the brake lining. Those brakes are huge. Non-OEM parts run $600 do-it-yourself. Probably double at dealership. Spark plugs every 60K. Otherwise run risk of seized plugs. Under $100 DIY but you must have torque wrench and the right common hand tools because they're indexed plugs. On a short test drive (30 minutes) use the scanner to see if you have high number of misfires. You would think that codes would be thrown is any was bad. Not necessarily. It has to reach trigger points but you can actually see it coming if you know where to look. A $10 moisture meter to check the brake fluid is cheap. Some people skip brake fluid exchange. A cheap $5 tire depth Guage can be used to check the wear accross each tire. Could signal an alignment issue.
A well maintained car in general should be wiser to buy than the one with low mileage and not maintained well . I say that but buying a low mileage ,below 20K miles, is always tempting vs a car 100 K car well maintained one
I own a 2012 E550, 211K miles. I have an Autel AL539B OBD2 Scanner. I strongly recommend that you use it to check the STFT and LTFT. It the readings are slightly off, check the voltages of all four O2 sensors. Have to do it while driving. Watch live telemetry numbers under acceleration and coasting. Go watch YouTube videos to learn. Lots on that scanner.
Mine are shot. Very hard to get to. Fairly pricey. But worst I fear is that a very slow coolant leak killed them. Head gasket job. Of course, there's the chance of oil contamination into wiring harness via cam sensors and position magnets. It could destroy the computer. Well, documented in this forum. Check the brake lining. Those brakes are huge. Non-OEM parts run $600 do-it-yourself. Probably double at dealership. Spark plugs every 60K. Otherwise run risk of seized plugs. Under $100 DIY but you must have torque wrench and the right common hand tools because they're indexed plugs. On a short test drive (30 minutes) use the scanner to see if you have high number of misfires. You would think that codes would be thrown is any was bad. Not necessarily. It has to reach trigger points but you can actually see it coming if you know where to look. A $10 moisture meter to check the brake fluid is cheap. Some people skip brake fluid exchange. A cheap $5 tire depth Guage can be used to check the wear accross each tire. Could signal an alignment issue.
Good luck.
This is an excellent post with great information if you are considering buying this Bi-turbo E550.
I own a 2012 E550, 211K miles. I have an Autel AL539B OBD2 Scanner. I strongly recommend that you use it to check the STFT and LTFT. It the readings are slightly off, check the voltages of all four O2 sensors. Have to do it while driving. Watch live telemetry numbers under acceleration and coasting. Go watch YouTube videos to learn. Lots on that scanner.
Mine are shot. Very hard to get to. Fairly pricey. But worst I fear is that a very slow coolant leak killed them. Head gasket job. Of course, there's the chance of oil contamination into wiring harness via cam sensors and position magnets. It could destroy the computer. Well, documented in this forum. Check the brake lining. Those brakes are huge. Non-OEM parts run $600 do-it-yourself. Probably double at dealership. Spark plugs every 60K. Otherwise run risk of seized plugs. Under $100 DIY but you must have torque wrench and the right common hand tools because they're indexed plugs. On a short test drive (30 minutes) use the scanner to see if you have high number of misfires. You would think that codes would be thrown is any was bad. Not necessarily. It has to reach trigger points but you can actually see it coming if you know where to look. A $10 moisture meter to check the brake fluid is cheap. Some people skip brake fluid exchange. A cheap $5 tire depth Guage can be used to check the wear accross each tire. Could signal an alignment issue.
Good luck.
This was well put, from you and the other contributors. Firstly, KEY08 I don't want a "base" model. I don't care what the mileage is, I want it to be top tier for that year, and kicking our some more $'s for that isn't the problem, just finding an W212 E550 within a certain driving distance is a challenge all by itself.
Reading the potential problems, I rather try to find one with lowers miles 100k-ish and get an EVPP, I rather the extra cost of ownership come from the EVPP program and not dealership fees. I know it's easier to find a CLS with the 550 in it, but they lack of Panoroof and it's a deal breaker, .. And to be fully honest, the Panoroof is PURLEY cosmetic for me. My 2011 Maxima has the Pano and i've only used it a hand full of times over my 6 years of ownership, the black contrast is just beautiful. NO! I'm not going to vinyl the roof.
@no_mulligan;8373997 - That is a great post and a wealth of information. It seems anything that work on their own Benz should have a Data Scanner. I've always been able to get away with a cheap-o scanner due to the cars i currently work on. Hondas / Nissans.
Please keep all the great advice coming as I am sure I am not the only one with his question. As the barrier of entry to the Benz world gap closes, I am sure we will have more people her asking the same thing. While I personally feel if you can't turn a wrench on an advance level, then this isn't the direction someone should be taking.
Even a 100k mile E550 won’t help much in terms of repairs… as it’s been said, these are still 70k cars in terms of repairs. Even though their value has fallen to 12-25k.
Airmatic is a big one and motor mounts are as well (100 or 150k, age plays a factor). On the TT they are even more difficult than earlier NA model (already difficult).
Timing chain tensioners, can solenoid and sensor seals are another… if not already taken care of.
There’s a fine line between maintenance and repairs.
I probably put 3-4K (parts only) into our 2011 E550 the first year I had it (motor mounts, airmatic, oil cooler leaks, dynastic seat bolster, active lane asset sensor/wiring, accessory drive system, dent repair, wheel repair, other odds and ends). There’s still more maintenance, repairs for now are done.
A well maintained car in general should be wiser to buy than the one with low mileage and not maintained well . I say that but buying a low mileage ,below 20K miles, is always tempting vs a car 100 K car well maintained one
Buying "garage queen" is dream of everybody, but that comes with premium price.
My friend just bought 2014 GLK with 28k miles, but he paid premium price.
For decades I was buying high mileage MB, but I was buying diesels. Several of them were close, or even exceed 200k miles and even those who look a bit neglected never left me stranded on 2,or 3 000 miles trip home. (California did not allow selling new diesels between 1988 and 200?)
So per my experience, those cars can take the abuse, while most of the owners care abut them.
Once in a while I see "beaten up Mercedes" but that is 1 in a millions and Nevada sun has no mercy on the brand
My 2012 E550 has survived 2 deer hits in Central Virginia When one ran my front quarter panel, it required over $8K repairs. I tell my wife that it's just one deer hit away from being retired. So, I look at maintenence and repairs from that perspective. Everything has its time. Be prepared for the next vehicle. It still runs without drivability issues. Gets nearly 23 mph average. Accelerates smoothly and well. I get the periodic check engine light and I'll plug in the autel to check parameters. The light goes off in a few days. I'm just not going to put $5K+ to address known issues when there's probably twice than of unknown issues (timing chain, water pump, motor mounts, suspension systems, and more) lurking on the future. So, I see this as the sunset period where I will pick/choose services and enjoy it til the end.
My 2012 E550 has survived 2 deer hits in Central Virginia When one ran my front quarter panel, it required over $8K repairs. I tell my wife that it's just one deer hit away from being retired. So, I look at maintenence and repairs from that perspective. Everything has its time. Be prepared for the next vehicle. It still runs without drivability issues. Gets nearly 23 mph average. Accelerates smoothly and well. I get the periodic check engine light and I'll plug in the autel to check parameters. The light goes off in a few days. I'm just not going to put $5K+ to address known issues when there's probably twice than of unknown issues (timing chain, water pump, motor mounts, suspension systems, and more) lurking on the future. So, I see this as the sunset period where I will pick/choose services and enjoy it til the end.
While my car was much older, one deer hit took out my 2000 Maxima fully loaded, I loved that car.
I personally thinking looking at all the parameters, the 2012 and newer 550's across all classes is the better deal than an AMG anything.. IMO..again IMO!!!. As much as I like a punchy and fast car, i don't want it to sound like I am going to see FF30 movie. I am REALLY keeping an eye out for a 2016 E550 white with a Panoroof, my wife has hard cap on what I can spend
Interesting. I guess you could wait another 20 years to bring one of these into the US, without spending a fortune to bring it into EPA and DOT compliance.
I just found the link since you inquired about it. No doubt the car looks mint (in the pictures)
For clarification, I have no intention to buy an MB from Canada (at the moment); however, here is some information about EPA regarding the 2016 E550.
I know that previous years MB's had some non-compliance regarding TPMS vs TPLS which MB Canada could not retrofit, but perhaps any willing MB USA dealer would likely do for $.
There is also something about seat weight sensor differences between Canadian vs US models, and the cluster of course.
2016 E350 4Matic wagon, 2019 Ford Expedition, 2019 Chevy Bolt EV
Originally Posted by AMGRiley
Great advice. I wanted to get it pre-checked but they don't have any Benz specific shops in my area, or German shops in that matter.
I would consider THIS a deal breaker. These are /extremely/ complex cars that need a lot of maintenance, and have extensively complicated computer systems that only a dealer or well equipped indie has the correct tools to diagnose and repair. even things as simple as changing a headlight assembly can require re-coding.
Firstly, KEY08 I don't want a "base" model. I don't care what the mileage is, I want it to be top tier for that year, and kicking our some more $'s for that isn't the problem, just finding an W212 E550 within a certain driving distance is a challenge all by itself.
