My personal rant :

This W212 section is getting boring ………..

Here is why :

01. It seems much lower numbers now, for owners who love their W212 and who has been keeping it well maintained since new or of low age 1-4 years old pre-owned W212 when bought.
This group of owners I like best. They take pride in maintaining their cars and share their passion for doing DIY work on it. Many have move on to newer models or maybe other brand/s.


02. Now 2026, W212 being old and cheap, many new-owners of 10+ years old W212 is treating their W212 simply as a ride/transport machine with least love and care to maintain it.
I would probably do the same, but I would not choose complex cars like W212 if bang-4-the buck is what I want.
This 02 group of owners I don’t really like , not because I dislike them, but because they do not have the passion like group 01.

If anyone been here say 5 years or so, I would think they will know the amount of love and attention I would give for my car or any members needing WIS/EPC or knowledge/experience assistance.

Now if I see new member/s and recent owner/s of W212…which meant the car is old and high mileage most likely, buying W212 for the sake it is a Benzzzzzz…… and trying to do quick fix ,
thinking his W212 is purely a “car” he needs to use to work….I find it sad.
Why would one choose to buy and DIY a complex car and does not spend a bit extra on a +-US$30 ebay WIS – EPC and
does not spend on at least a proper cheap MB capable scanner like Launch MB specific for under US$150.

What I see since 2025 , the explosion of new owners of aging W212 of unknown state of health,
coming to the forums with all sorts of questions , because of trouble on their W212.

Many I ignore, because I don’t like helping people who does not love their car or
owners who do not put in enough efforts to get +-US$30 ebay WIS – EPC and proper cheap MB capable scanner like Launch MB specific for under US$150…
........which meant they DO NOT LOVE their car.


Personally this is my weakness.
I find it not worth my time, and sharing my knowledge and PC time on WIS/EPC for owners who have no passion for their W212.
One can not run from the needs of WIS/EPC when seeking wiring diaghram or system function schematics or even torque values for bolts.
This is time consuming and a labor of love, if done for someone else.


So forgive me, when I often can not be useful for "new" but aging W212 owners .

 

There does seem to be an increase in the number of people coming here looking fr solutions to their problems, rather than assistance in finding the solution.

Several come to mind where the OP has the car, is given several things to check, yet comes back to ask if anyone else knows the answer rather than going to his car to look for himself.

I’ve always appreciated the wisdom from yourself and others here when I was searching for information, and I try to share my limited wisdom freely (hopefully paying back to the community).

Im afraid that the W212 community is fracturing as you’ve commented. I guess it was bound to happen as most folks moved on to newer/shinier cars. As it’s likely to only get worse in this regard, best option is to relax, take a few deep breaths, and yearn for the’ good old days’.

 

every auto forum suffers the same fate. poor life choice third and fourth generation owners who purchase clapped out examples. their reluctance to purchase a simple scan tool is common.

having said that, the technical support you have shared with us is greatly appreciated by myself along with others who frequent this forum.

 

This is the normal progression of time, I felt this in the W140 group,then the W220 and W110 group as the vehicles age. When I left the W220 group which had Wally who always came through with exceptional answers, I think I was the only original owner left, Now I may be one of the few original owners of the W212 left! Luckily here we have guys like you and Cali to guide us through complicated diagnostics and repairs! Time marches on!

 

It's the same forum-wide. Enthusiast-level stuff is dying or dead. We now live in an age of media attention. We (world-wide to a great extent) are now an attention economy. A handful of people "do", and the rest of the lemmings just watch. Most people these days who aren't boomers have no life and no attention span. Younger and far less knowledgeable and capable generations are replacing the preceding generations and are too broke and stupid to do just about anything. Almost half of all millennials in their 30's still live with their parents in the US. And they'll most likely never move out. Which means much later millennials, Gen Z and now Gen Alpha are completely screwed. They all know there is no future for them. Kinda hard to get into a hobby when literally all your time is spent just trying to survive, let alone have a house, kids, a family of your own AND a hobby. No one cares anymore. They're just proles scratching around trying to get by.

I've been around here a while and I don't think I'm alone when I say that S-Prihadi is probably the single greatest contributor to this forum in the 212 area alone. You have the most extensive catalogue of DIY maintenance and repair of probably anyone else here. I was actually thinking about scraping all posts by you going back to the beginning and compiling it into a single thread that maybe could be a sticky. That would be a searchable single thread that would cover just about everything about the 212 and in far greater depth than most would have the brain cells to comprehend!

Don't think too much about the lemmings that start new accounts just to ask a stupid question and never respond. They're just part of the new generations of takers that give back nothing. They have nothing to offer anyone else, either, so don't feel bad. You've done more than your share of hard work here and it has not gone unappreciated! I still remember the alternator LIN disconnection discovery you and I made long ago that you later expanded on!

Many thanks, Prihadi, for all your hard work!

 

People have different uses for forums
Some do not have physical or mental skills to work on cars but want to learn so they do not get ripped off by dealer/indie mechanics.
Some are not mechanically inclined and do not even know "righty tighty" but want to learn and/or converse with people wh ohave the same car.
Some do not have time due to work/family life.
Others like to help other people with the skills they have
Yet some consider this entertainment in lieu of books or TV.


I run a forum for a truck out of production for 13 years and only new people joining are USED buyers an the occasional Original who wants to sell something or finally finds the internet and forums in general.
As long as they are on the road people will join and occasionally post and ask questions.

People come in a wide variety - and you never really know who is on the other end of a screen name.

 

Thank you Gents.
I agree with all of you.
As with many things.....good things dont last super long

I love forums, but this is the first forum where the car is the main object and not purely hobby based forum, say like diving or fishing....where the ACTIVITY of the diving or fishing is the main object

 

Well, I'm still here, and that's all that is important (LOL)

 

I love my W212 but I dont want to brick my car with the more intrusive scanners. I use a cheapo ELM327 which scans for basic CEL codes and try to diagnose as much as I can on my own. Parts ill source on my own, but I have zero car knowledge for any complex/mechanical work required. I can change filters, tires, or replace the intake tubes. The easy stuff.

 

I am among the many who thoroughly enjoy your posts, despite that I am a W463A owner rather than a W212 owner. I regard your contributions more as "The S-Prihadi Blog", rather than threads of interactive exchange (except for Q's and A's, of course). Please continue and I will respond with more questions (lol).

 

There are all sorts of MB owners around MBW forums.

I try to share pointers with members interested in better understanding what is going on with their transportation.
I try to help keep MB as predictable as Daimler builds them to be, minus the surprises.

The best MB owners have some experience of MB care.

The best contributors take things at heart to resolve open issues and share solutions.

The leaches want to be able to instruct their specialist about what to do... as if that could help shorten repairs.


In the end: it's all good!

 

It sounds like you’ve made a fantastic choice for a first car! The 2016 model year is often considered the "sweet spot" for the W212 because it’s the final year of production, meaning Mercedes-Benz had nearly a decade to iron out the kinks. Coming from the Porsche world, you’ll likely find the "over-engineered but sturdy" nature of the E350 a refreshing change of pace.

Here is a corrected version of your text, polished for flow and grammar while keeping your enthusiast tone intact.

Revised Text

W212 enthusiasts still exist!

You have to consider that the W212 is now 18 years old, meaning most—if not all—problems, issues, tricks, tips, upgrades, and customizations have already been discussed, sometimes in exhaustive detail.

I recently purchased a 2016 W212 E350 with 110,000 miles. I bought it for my 16-year-old daughter, who wanted a "classic MB" as her first car. As a car enthusiast, I identified the E350 as being quite reliable, both mechanically and electronically. In fact, it’s built like a tank; the problems mentioned here are minimal compared to the Porsche forums I’m used to. The W212 platform is certainly not complex by modern standards. It is perfectly reasonable to own and maintain a W212 with the hope that it will last for 400,000+ miles.

The car I purchased is mechanically flawless. I am currently fixing a few cosmetic issues inside and out (a master window switch falling apart, a scratched COMAND screen, torn center console wood trim, and some body dents and scratches). None of this is major, but the car deserves to be respected. It will take some time to figure out how to source the parts I want to replace and how to DIY the repairs, but that is the beauty of the process.

I would like to post more about my experience, but much of what I’m going through has already been discussed. I have found almost everything I was looking for just by searching this forum. Posting never covered topics is now a challenge!

 

my w212 rarely gets any problem now ever since my last post. Its been working great! so no need to come to here as often af before. I still love it!!

There is little issue tho, my guess because not use ithe car often enough ) my 8 month 12v battery already dying. Trying to fix it using CTEK RECOND function I hope it works.

 

If it is an AGM, don't use Recond at least according to CTEK.

 

Your problem is not the AGM battey, it's the car itself abusing its batteries.

The AGM are really resilient when used with limits. Couple issues are readily available:
1- drained by parking : flat
2- drained by driving : yoyo
3- charged partially : 80%
All conditions result in weak battery.

As it turn out these GDI W212 are seriously voltage sensitive. The battery charge condition directly ties to engine + transmission + steering + brakes performance.

> Perfect storm...
The engine delivers limited battery charge on a vehicle made highly sensitive to voltage due to high battery current oxidizing power supply pathways....


Take the time to READ CTEK USER MANUAL. If you decide not to disconnect your battery only use the normal mode (not AGM and not Recond).


Get familiar with voltage display through the "maintenance shop menu".
Witness the variable voltage 12.6 to 14.9V


low current = complete charged up

You should never see negative battery current for any extended period (drain by driving). Need to stop and restart engine.

 

I call this phenomenon the inverted bell curve of desirability that applies to most expensive european cars, at least here in the US.

• Vehicle is purchased new by someone with lots of money, usually either a purchase or lease with the intent to own less than 5 years. Often times the original owner doesn't even know much about it aside from it's new, high performance, under warranty and looks great at the country club. MB remains very desirable and in great shape during this time. The car is still at the height of desirability but starting to fall off
• Between 3-5 years old, the vehicle is sold to a second owner at a significant discount, this is typically where I buy it. At this point it's aged enough that it's likely not the current generation and won't impress too many people at the country club. The second owner is the one that loves the car, does not have unlimited cash to throw at it and tends to be the users on a forum like this. That's where the good information and documentation comes. Maintenance and services are performed as needed. Depending on who owns the car at this point, it either makes it to its 10th birthday completely beat, or in pretty great shape. By this point the car is now "old" in the sense that it doesn't have the newest tech, doesn't match the performance of newer cars and is starting to become more expensive to maintain. There are two types of owners in this scenario: Those that decide it's time to sell and get another 3-5 year old model, and those that decide to keep and get another 3-5 year old model because the amount of money they'd get for it isn't worth the value of a nice older mercedes (that's me, I'd rather have the car than 5-10K)
• The third owner is where things get sketchy. This vehicle is now at the bottom of both the desirability and value curve and will likely never climb out of this hole again, unless its a rare third owner that bought the car for 10% of its new MSRP with the intent to maintain. Often times the new owner of the 10-15 year old MB believes having a european car makes them look successful, thinking that the star makes others believe they're rich, and that's all they care about. I call this the "perpetrating" phase.
• If the MB can make it to 20 years old without being completely destroyed, it starts becoming a classic impressive novelty in the eyes of the same enthusiasts that might have been the first or second owner. No one is buying this car now to impress their friends, as even non-car enthusiasts know that owning a 2002 E320 W210 in 2026 doesn't fool anyone. If the car can make it this long without becoming a dumpster fire, it will likely have another 10+ years of positive ownership under people that really love these cars.

The above process sort of sucks for those of us that simply never get rid of cars, because it's rare to see a 15 year old mercedes that's not got god-awful ghetto aftermarket wheels, peeling tint and 15 inch subwoofers rattling it to pieces. So when I'm "perpetrating" in my 2007 W211 bluetec with OEM wheels, sometimes I feel a bit ashamed when I pull up next to an identical model that's a ghetto hooptie.

 

yeah its not AGM, thanks for the reminder

its not AGM, I heard AGM is not sutable for hot climates and jakarta's traffic.

However, I still have issue ) perhaps I will made separate thread about this

 

ask @S-Prihadi to confirm sealed AGM are best for hot climate with Jakarta traffic because they do not off gas electrolyte like legacy liquid lead-acid.

 

I'm a recent owner, but I bought the enthusiast spec. I took it to a shop a few times while the warranty would pay for it, but do all my own work (in part because I keep having to redo the stuff the shops supposedly did). Unfortunately, I don't have as much time as I used to for this sort of thing. Two small kids, a hundred year old house in need of major renovation, and a brand new company all eat up a LOT of time. Also, I have two other enthusiast cars in more dire need of attention, and thus taking priority. I don't think I fall in the sad class as described, but not sure I'm living up to the preferred class either.

 

Serious question though has anyone heard from @PeterUbers ... he was the one keeping the E63 pages alive. I reached out to him directly and asked a couple fellow mods, but no one has heard from him since December of last year. I hope he's ok.

Trenton O. Gibson
tgibson@highline-autos.com
Highline Autos
Direct: 602.909.9216
Office: 480.348.0777

 

I saw that too. He is an important person here and hope only for the best, as Peter is a great contributor like S-Prihadi, Cali, and many others. Thank you all for always having a great attitude. I LOVE my older MB!

 

You are cool....... no worry.

 

it’s not boring when YOU are posting something!

As these cars get older and less expensive, younger and more tech-savvy people will own them. I’m a bit of a geek, I bought a C3 setup and set my software up even before I had a modern MB, because I wasn’t sure of what car I would buy. Setup was rocket surgery at one time. I originally wanted an r230, but the wife said one running convertible was enough and that it wasn’t practical. Well, she was right.

Eventually, I predict that geeks will be repairing modules, and more of this info will appear on the Internet.

Working against this trend in th US is that younger people don’t have places to work on these cars (i.e., a house). OTOH, car repairs have never been more expensive relative to income. And, post-COVID cars are generally unrepairable outside a dealership. So, we will see.

 

You cant fix a car from your thrice divorced mothers basement in between bouts of **** addiction and THC consumption?

 

Interesting comment. There's a neighbor kid around the corner that had a '13 C Class. Worked for me around the house pretty regularly for the last few years. Working hard to become a professional bicycle racer (and genuinely seems like he might do it, I just began a sponsorship deal with him with my company). He was on tour for a race in CA, and the transmission on his C Class exploded. I was his long distance lifeline to try to figure it out, and what we figured out was that something major exploded internally, possibly installing a window toward the upper front of the case (a friendly passerby with a SnapOn scanner eventually confirmed this to a significant degree). Couldn't verify, because no way to get the transmission out in a hotel parking lot (I've swapped engines in hotel parking lots, so beg to differ, but understand the reservation). Couldn't do anything about it. Scrapped it, spent an extra day in CA shopping, and ultimately got home in a late-90s Civic. Which promptly blew a radiator and head gasket upon return (made it home though!). He's been rebuilding an early-90s Civic in his (mom's) garage, but I know they're about to move out of the neighborhood, and he's about to be out on his own... I've given quite a bit of thought to what he's going to do with his project car and his new project daily...

He's said to me many times that his generation's greatest and most unattainable aspiration is home ownership...