Hey guys,

I'm looking at this 2011 E350. Would you buy it given the below information?

The car is not local to me so I got a inspection service to check it out. The inspector said the car drove fine in the test drive. There were signs of repairs as paint thickness is not consistent but the inspector said structurally it is not problem.
Car history report is attached. Here's the link to online condition report.

Below is the summary of the service history.
I don't know what type of driving happened in the past (e.g. long trip, short trip etc...)


In short, the inspector said he would give a thumb up for the purchase.

Asking price is $30,000 AUD.
It's rare to see this model with less 60,000 KM on the market. The options come with the car are good (AMG styling package, AMG wheels, all the necessary amenities).
My concerns are the car not getting driven much & services are behind the recommended time by a lot.

Thanks for your help!

 

My only concern is that the reports do not show a transmission service. You do have "reduced friction" code (A89) for the tranny, so you have not reached the mileage threshold, but you are beyond the 5 years for the transmission service interval. It would also be nice to know when oil changes were done. Forget the stupid long change intervals and begin changing every 5000 miles (8000 km).

You should also review the car's configuration from the factory by entering the VIN at www.lastvin.com. Here's a link directly to the car: 2011 MERCEDES-BENZ E 350 (212.056) - WDD2120562A408169 (lastvin.com)

 

Thanks for the link to the VIN page and pointing out the A89 code. I checked out the VIN specs before but didn’t notice it. I’m newbie to the MB world 😆.
I added the pics of service book in my original post. Looks like the oil was changed at servicing with 229.5 oil.

 

Nice report... very detailed to be honest. Generally the car looks good. There is no record on the pictures you posted of the gearbox oil ever being changed. The standard 229.5 is related to the engine oil and is the correct one for the engine. As mentioned, the transmission oil should be replaced every 125.000km or every 5 years (whatever happens first). It might be worthy negotiating to include the transmission service on the sale. At 58.000 km is unlikely the transmission is damaged but its behavior may change once it receives new oil.

I don't like the fact that the engine oil interval was so irregular, but to be honest, since this is a NA engine you should be fine.

There are a bunch of stored failure codes but the vast majority are related to low voltage. So I guess the car had its battery used until it died and no one cleared the faults after it was replaced.

 

It's good to have the Service Booklet, as well. The car looks to have been properly maintained, except for the time limit on the transmission. Honestly, I don't know what is behind time limits on the tranny fluid. Motor oil is different -- it does have a shelf life. I did not realize that my 2015 SL400 needed a tranny service because it never reached the mileage threshold until I saw there was a time interval, as well. The dealership I take it to when I need something done that I can't do never said anything about the car needing a tranny service. That's surprising since it's a missed opportunity for them to sell me something. They are a good and trustworthy dealership so I can only conclude that the time limit is not as critical as the mileage. My car was eight years old with 43,000 miles when it had its first transmission service.

 

Since you are new to Mercedes, one of the most important tools you will need, whether you do your own work or not, is a proper scan tool that is Mercedes-specific. There are some inexpensive ones from Amazon that are good to keep in the car, but for serious diagnostics and troubleshooting, you will want a copy of XENTRY along with WIS and EPC. WIS is the electronic workshop manual and EPC is the electronic parts catalog.

The best place to get what you need is from @BenzNinja (www.benzninja.com). He not only has the most stable and reliable versions of the software, but he can also run diagnostics, code, configure, and update your car's software remotely. He can also provide links to reliable hardware you will need.

 

30,000 Australian dollars are 19,000 US? seems a bit pricey, but the mileage is low and it has lighting and winter packages, Might be part of the luxury #2 or even #3 package, if so, it might be worth it. Nice car though. Just to give you a reference, I have a 2013 with 101,000 miles, luxury #3 package so loaded including AMG package and I was just offered 5600 US on trade, so yes comparing trade in to retail but still, my car looks new in and out. Market could be way different in Australia

 

Prices of cars in the US always amaze me! A car like yours in Brazil probably sell for about USD 20000. Last year I paid about USD 32000 for my 2015 E400 with 41000 km on it.

 

Yes, they're selling here for around 9-13,000 here, so that was a low offer, even the book value on trade is 7900-9800 USD, plus I'm sure they're not taking into account all the options, It may mean they don't want it.

 

Thanks for your feedback. It's a good & fair point to negotiate a transmission service included as part of the sale. Not sure how much it will be for a MB, online search says it's around $300 - $500 in general locally.
When you say transmission service, it means a full flush & fluid change, right?

Yes, definitely will ask for the Service Booklet. They said now all the service records are all online. Good thing to know that time-based service is not as critical as the mileage-based service.
Thanks for your tips on the Xentry, WIS & EPC, I will look for ones if going ahead with this purchase.

Here's the link to my search for W212 Pre-facelift for anyone curious about the market here (Reduced by 1/3 for price in USD, OZ dollar in shamble...). Australian market is much smaller so cannot really compete on price and availability with the US.
I prefer the angular quad headlight & classic grill over the softer post face lift look. There are good kitted post facelift that I would love like this one too though. Just a different price range.

Ideally I would love a 2012 pre-facelift with the M276 instead of M272 for more juice. I'm coming from 2013 Mazda 6 with 138KW/185hp (98kw/tons) to M272 200kw/286hp (120kw/tons) so it's still an improvement.
From the VIN spec sheet, it has all the things I know that I need. MultiContour & heated & cooled seats would be nice too but I can live without them.
I've been looking for one online semi-regularly (once a week) since start of the year. Pre-facelift one with low mileage, has the right color, AMG styling package... is actually pretty rare. All pre-facelift is most likely well above 100K kms. I know mileage may not be that big of a deal if it's a well-maintained but I'm a newbie so it's just safer to look for a low km ones.

Do you guys have any concerns of plastic parts degrading & cracking when buying an old car? If it's an inevitable, how much should I set aside roughly for those?

Also I read somewhere along my forum scouring that the USB port is not powerful enough to charge phone. Can anyone advise on this?

Thanks everyone!

 

In Australia check prices out at Carsales
https://www.carsales.com.au/

 

A transmission service is a drain and fill (not a flush) and a filter change. FCP sells a kit with everything you need. If the shop you take the car to will let you supply the parts, you can save some money. However, I've only tried it at a dealership where the parts department and service (labor) department have different financial requirements. The FCP kit is probably $200-$250 and labor maybe 2 hours (or less). So, for negotiating the sale, I would stick with the higher number and even start at $600.

You do not want to take the car to a shop that is going to force a flush under pressure through the transmission. Transmissions with the A89 option code use ATF-134FE (blue) fluid. If an independent shop does the service, make sure they know that. The older red fluid and newer blue fluid are NOT compatible.

Here's a link to the FCP kit: Mercedes 722.9 Transmission Service Kit - Fuchs 7229LATE | FCP Euro

 

I have a USB adapter for the Cigar lighter, works just fine

 

Thanks for the clarification & the tips!

 

Hi guys,

Thanks for the help and advice. Finally got the car in hand last week.

What a beauty! Looking even better in real life.

I had the transmission serviced ($660 AUD at an indi instead of $900+ at a dealer).
Also got the brake and rotor replaced as well.

The Bluetooth was not working properly (connected but audio streaming keeps skipping) so I bought this INVERY bluetooth unit and that solved it.

Haven’t done any “spirited” drivinng yet but loving the comfort, quite and premium feel it brings. The smooth acceleration & the way it absorbs bump 👌 HOLD function is so handy.

I was thinking of adding spacers for a cooler stance but the wheels are already pretty close to flush already.

 

There are a few spokes that have the clear coat finish worn off. I suppose that’s curb rash? Do you guys know if it can be refinished?

 

Congrats! Very nice looking. I wouldn't do anything to the wheel spacing as it might throw off the suspension handling and ride. (Of course, some people are going to disagree.) As far as refinishing the wheels, I'm sure it can be done but may be very expensive.

 

Thanks! Definitely won’t need any spacing.
Probably will get a quote for the wheels. If it’s a bit much then I may wait a bit until I get it fixed. It feels like just the clear coat coming off, not clear scratch or rash so not super noticeable from afar.

 

If it's just clearcoat, I'm sure there are some YouTube videos on how to fix that. I think ChrisFix did a video on wheel cleanup and repair.

 

Very nice looking car! Seems mint! There was some curb rash on the wheel of mine E400 when I got it so I had all four wheel refinished and powder coated in grey. I don't think the cost of services translates well from country to country but I've paid about USD 120 for all four wheels. I've changed the hub caps as well.




Enjoy your new car!

 

Holy cow!!! I would be at least that much for each wheel, if not twice as much, here in the US.

 

Congrats, I have the exact same looking car, same color, except those 7 spoke awesome wheels, never seen them in U.S. to be honest, I don`t think they made it to U.S.
Enjoy the new ride.

 

Not sure where you count 7 spokes. I would call them 5 or 10 spokes. Same wheel that I have on my 2014 C350 Sport. The wheels are AMG wheels, but mine are silver and the OP's look pewter or gun-metal gray.

EDIT: Ugh! Never mind. I see that is Andre's car, not the OP's. Yep, the 7-spoke wheels are NICE!

 

I counted 7 spokes on OP`s picture, marked them with yellow in the attached pic.
Yes Andre`s and yours are the same and I have the same exact rims on my E350, the ones OP has, I`ve never seen them in U.S., too bad because I really like them as well.
Edit: Ha ha haa I think we keep misunderstanding each other, I see what you mean now lol. My bad, read your message too fast. But one thing thou, if I had those 7 spokes and Andre`s color pewter/gun metal combination, that would be a killer.

Tried to mark 7 spokes with yellow

 

so many options...
in the end everyone's right

The best wheels are this that don't warp