2005-2006 E320 CDI Buyers Guide, Common Problems, & Roll Call
 

Time for a dedicated thread given all the recent purchases and bring some Google traffic our way. This thread will be continuously edited so feel free to contribute and I will add to the post. Also, let's have a CDI owners roll call. List your current miles along with non-maintenance related repairs. Date of purchase and price (optional) as well. This will help greatly with the buyers guide.

For the perspective buyer and the CDI unwashed, hurry up and buy one. You will not find a more satisfying car. It's the best diesel passenger car you can buy right now for under 20k. You won't be associated with the jerks that own BMWs should you purchase a 335d. With Volkswagen you have to worry about engines, transmissions, injector pumps, rattles, interior bits breaking off in your hands... basically everything. The CDI feels like it has enough torque to stop the rotation of the earth should you romp on it. It also rolls some serious coal, a very satisfying belch of soot out the back while you're hitting that 6 second 0-60. At normal highway speeds, over 40MPG is widely reported along with 700 mile range on a single tank. If you're old school, you'll like that it has an iron block inline 6 engine, and the old 722.6 transmission known for the same durability as Thor's hammer. If you're up with the times, it has all the tech you would ever want. It's also a pretty car. The design is not polarizing or ostentatious. Just a stately car that blends with whatever level of society you consider yourself.

It seems something is in the water recently and people are dumping these CDIs for peanuts. Nice cars with under 200k and good service history are popping up everywhere... The realistic price range seems to be $7000-$17000 depending on mileage. Just a few years ago, prices were nearly double. It's safe to say they have bottomed out. Considering old W123s in similar condition and mileage can bring the same money, and you're dealing with maintaining a 30+ year old slow vehicle that gets 25 MPG downhill, the CDI just makes sense. With so many available, you can be picky. No reason to buy third or fourth hand from cousin Vinny off south Broadway. Just like with 80's W123 300Ds when you were shopping for them 10 years ago, there's owners that fixed things in a timely manner and decided to get something new, and there's owners who let issues pile up and play pass the turd when it becomes too much.

Unlike when you were shopping for a W123, every dealer repair should be stored in the computer. All original warranty work is accessible to all Mercedes dealers. Anything after that is kept with the dealer that performed the work, and reported on the vehicle history report. For the most part, the days are gone of phone book thick paper maintenance records or run away. A little time at the dealer or $30 for a history report can tell you alot.

Speaking of dealers, the car business has completely changed. New car dealers are hanging on to every used car trade-in possible. The only cars second hand dealers can get their hands on are the reject trade ins. These dealers usually do not have the resources or the interest to recondition these cars to the level of the keepers at the new car dealers. As a former used car slimer myself it's hard for me to say, but avoid used car dealers. You will see higher asking prices with new car dealers, but big haggling is their style.

I purchased my CDI from Plaza Mercedes outside of St. Louis. It was a 1 owner new car trade in serviced nowhere but their dealership. With just under 200k, a few years ago it would have immediately tossed to the auction only because of the high mileage. I would guess they gave him around $6500 in trade, and spent $500 in detailing, services, and a few minor repairs. It was on their lot for $9995. I offered $8000 out the door and they accepted quickly without much dance. It was a full red carpet transaction just like the other guy spending $100k on new S class was getting. They even offered me their undercoating and paint finish protection with door ding insurance for an additional $7000. Absolutely true story. Sure there's exceptions to everything and plenty of private party sellers with good cars, but you'll find the most good cars at new car dealers. Just ignore their silly asking prices.

Unlike W123 ownership, these cars can't be fixed with just a few bents wrenches, a hammer, and manly forearms. Other than basic diagnostics and repairs, you will need some form of way to interact with the car's computer. Whether you buy a used or Chinese copy of Mercedes Star SDS system, or some other advanced diagnostic computer with the right software to interact, if you plan on doing much DIY you will need these. While they cost at least a grand unless you find some bargain, it makes diagnostics much easier. Gone are the days of guessing. These cars will know exactly what's wrong with them and the right computer will tell you step by step how to fix them. Every fault is stored; I wouldn't be surprised if the car remembers the last time you farted in the seats. This does get annoying, as many things require the computer to reset the fault or reprogram the part. For example, if you were to evacuate and recharge your AC system, you have to reset the computer in order for your AC to work. It does not want to switch on with any active fault. If you don't want to work on it yourself, I would say the running costs would be about the same as maintaining a 30+ year old Mercedes. Figure spending a few grand a year in upkeep. Some years better, some worse.

There's lots of conjecture on proper service intervals. Mercedes intervals it at 13,000 miles and that's probably fine with how advanced synthetic oil is now. You could do half those intervals, it certainly wouldn't hurt. Sludge does not seem to be a problem in this engine compared to other Mercedes gasoline engines. Transmissions are "sealed for life" and that should certainly be ignored. I wouldn't want more than 100k on transmission fluid. Same goes for other fluids. Even good cars serviced regularly with good sellers will have hidden problems, so its worth knowing the common problems these cars have. Most non MB dealers wouldn't pull the engine cover to look for black death around the injectors, and could easily miss worn ball joints or one of hundreds of electronic doohickeys that can break. So its good to know the common problems which is listed below.

Black Death (injector seal leakage): Sounds a lot worse than it is, but is something to keep an eye on. Underneath the useless decorative engine cover can hide a nasty surprise. During your first inspection under the hood, warnings signs for this would be a burning oil smell or an extra hissing tick noise outside the normal diesel clatter. You will still want to take the engine cover off and examine the injectors. Next time my engine cover is off I think I'll write an inspirational message in silver Sharpie. Like "Once more unto the breach".

On higher mileage cars its almost certain you will find a hint of it around the injectors. No big deal. You can use this as a factor in your negotiations as this is something that will need to be monitored and eventually addressed. Wait too long this build up can ruin your injectors and wiring. Also, I am told the longer you let it build up, the harder it is to remove the injectors and good metal surface to reseal properly. Quality injectors will set you back $450-$600 each. Seals not very much. Some have reported VW injector seals are superior to the Mercedes supplied ones.

Video of an extreme case of "Black Death"... or when you eat too much Taco Bell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im42MsPJlqs

Transmission Conductor Plate: A common problem is your transmission to get "stuck" in fourth gear after a highway run, requiring you to shut the vehicle off. This electronic unit inside the transmission can cause plenty of issues. $1000 fix at the dealer. You will need the SDS tool to reset the transmission control module otherwise the fault will remain.

Battery Messages: The W211 chassis has 2 batteries. The redundancy is due to the electronic brake (SBC) system. There is one large battery in the trunk and another small motorcycle sized under the hood, below the cabin air filter. A black message reading "low battery, conventional functions unavailable" light usually point to the main (rear) battery. A red message saying "low battery visit workshop" points towards the small auxiliary battery in the front. Early in the W211 production, there were issues with alternators and battery control modules causing errant warnings and other issues, but these seem rare by 2005.

SBC braking system (Brake Messages): I think of Jeremy Clarkson's car reviews when he gushes on about the fantastic machine he's driving, then starts to notice the annoyances. If this car has a BUT, its this system. Mercedes abandoned SBC brakes starting in 2007 and is the likely cause of their reliability ratings going down the toilet during those years. Given Mercedes successfully pioneered throttle by wire systems which gave us the annoying nanny of traction control, along with inventing ABS brakes, you can understand their zeal running amok when they created this brake by wire system. Lot's of little idiosyncrasies. Like if you're doing your own brake pads and your wife decides to open the vehicle's door to grab her purse, the brakes engage and chop your fingers off.

Service records are very important with the SBC system as it tells you if the SBC pump has been replaced and if all the campaigns have been done. If you get a "service brake, visit workshop" message, the code will usually read that your SBC pump is worn out, but wait! After replacing tons of good pumps because the software said they were worn out, their final fix was to reprogram the "replace the pump" timer to an unspecified time well beyond their warranty. (So nice of them). Many cars never got this "reprogramming" and will surprise you with this message. There's lots of conjecture about the reliability of this system since, but if there's no records of the pump being replaced I would keep that in the back of my mind, as its a spendy repair ($2000). They extended the warranty on the SBC system to 10 years and unlimited miles, expired on alot of CDIs by now.

Lower Ball Joints: If you hear a creaking noise over bumps or notice uneven tire wear, chances are its the lower ball joints. If you're looking at a car with over 100k on the originals, it's almost certain this needs to be done. This is not a pricey repair.

Electrical: This is already turning into a book and I don't want to turn it into an encyclopedia talking about all little electronic things that break, but know there's alot of them. It's usually rare and random when they break. Some highlights include the car thinking someone is sitting in the passenger seat and will annoyingly chime for your phantom passenger to buckle up. This requires a SDS tool reprogramming of the seat with a weighted Mercedes butt simulator tool. They literally have something that simulates a butt in the seat to perform this task. If the car you are looking at has keyless go, (unlocks and starts car by proximity sensor in your key which never leaves your pocket) do not plan on it working. Also another amusing throwback repair is the electric monovalve for the climate control system. 40 years later they still design a monovalve that gets stuck on hot or cold, like they are paying tribute to issues past. Like I said, these issues are usually rare and easy enough to fix, unless it's keyless go. Maybe label the start/stop button on the shiftier knob "eject passenger" for gags?

https://c1.staticflickr.com/7/6089/6...e19f287cdc.jpg
Ejecto Seato Cuz!


Like I said, any additions welcome, and please star the roll call. I will with the next post.

2005 E320CDI 199,000 miles purchased March 2015 for $8000. 1 owner car with Designo Expresso package, HK stereo, xenon lights, panoramic roof, keyless go, navigation, and heated seats. It came with a full service history from day 1. Repairs include:

Never towed in. Other than normal maintenance, some fuel leaks, quite a few suspension parts replaced, and tons of repair attempts on the troublesome keyless go system, the only surprise repair was an EGR & Turbo replacement at 60k. This stemmed from a sluggish engine problem that the techs had a difficult time diagnosing. Thankfully the original owner purchased an extended warranty covering the car to 100k. Nice to see records of injector seals, lower ball joints, glow plugs, transmission service at 100k, and battery control module replacement. Other than the normal service campaigns, nothing has been done to the SBC system.


I have bought and sold 4 other 2005-2006 CDIs in the past and several other W211s. I used to own a used car lot specializing in old Mercedes and got to know them pretty well.

2006 E320 CDI 59K bought 6/'13 from it's original sold new MB dealer. Car in almost perfect appearance condition, and of course perfect mechanical condition. Bought 20%+ off dealer asking. Tons of work done on it with complete records, both Carfax and VMI. Complete sorting & prepping to sell work as needed done before putting it out on the MB dealer's lot.

I would never buy a used MB of this caliber from a used car lot. Too risky in terms of more money needed to be spent on them immediately - as many CDI buyers here are finding out.

Any repairs outside of maintenance since purchase? Lower Ball Joints, injector seals, SBC system all untouched?

All the above untouched, as per records and my usage started 6/'13.
One GP failed before I bought the car as per records.
Ribbed V-Belt changed as per records.
Numerous brake pads and rotors changed before buying - this is normal. These cars eat both pads and rotors X 2 what my other MBs have.

Under my 6K driving since buying:
Plenum gasket needed R & Red - it was leaking oil.

Elected to install (6) new glow plugs.

Fuel tank door locking pin device needed R & Red.

Blower motor replaced. Original was ticking at low RPM, and bothersome.

I changed out both engine mounts myself - one was leaking - spewing brownish hydraulic liquid. The pair of engine mounts were just over $300.00 - even @ MBCA Member pricing.

Have had fuel filter/ oil/oil filter replaced.

If anyone is buying one of these thinking they'll never need to spend time and money (at times a lot of both!) keeping them up-to-snuff, I think they're going to be very disappointed.

I got my 2005 E320 CDI in October from an MB Dealer near my home. Cost was just shy of $15k.

It has 90k miles and has Pewter (Cubanite) exterior with charcoal nappa leather interior.

Options that I wanted were Dynamic seats, Active Bi-Xenon, and folding split back seats. It also had power closing trunk, HK stereo, cd changer, DVD Nav., rear sun shades in side windows and powered shade on rear window.

Vehicle has good service history at Mercedes Dealers except last two service visits which were at indies.

Car drives really well. I am still keeping my '95 E300 as this is a tank. The E320 is more refined but I am uncertain about giving it a "tank" designation yet.

One item missed and I did subsequently was a brake fluid flush.

Transmission had a plug changed under warranty (common issue apparently) and ATF was changed at that time. This was 60k miles and 7-8 years ago. I will do aff change when I do next oil change.

Other common maintenance issues that cropped up on this example from the VMI were:

glow plugs, glow plug controller, battery controller and thermostat. TPM (air pressure monitors) on wheels went out also. These were all fixed by previous owner in and out of warranty.

At the risk of being a bit of an interloper (I don't own a CDI yet), I am interested in people's thoughts as to how to balance the mileage/price issue. Assuming well-documented maintenance in all cases, where is one likely to get the most bang for the buck? And at what mileage does one begin to incur significant risk in terms of maintenance costs going forward?

I suspect I'd be willing to spend a bit more to get something in, say, the 150k mile range. But I wouldn't be averse to buying one with 250k miles for the right price.

There is a well-maintained one where I made some inquiries with 260k miles asking $8000. Sounds fair but not a GREAT deal.

Hmmm....Here was my rough way of thinking about it.

I came up with a approximate value for a well maintained example with say 100k miles using KBB and NADA. I also monitored sites to get an idea what they were actually trading for.

I was then using a quick back of envelope calculation of adding/subtracting $1k for each 10k miles a vehicle had above or below 100k miles. Perhaps 100k is a sweet spot. Banks don't like to make loans on cars above that level and it is a psychological point where many people would not consider purchasing a car. That said, I would not hesitate to buy one of these vehicles with 200, 300 or perhaps even 400k given it is priced accordingly. There have a been several high mileage ones that have sold and it indicates that they have mileage longevity in their genes.

For my search, I also added or subtracted some for maintenance. If a vehicle had the SBS pump replaced, I might add X or if tires were 50%, I might subtract Y. You might be able to eliminate a vehicle from consideration if maintenace history is missing. I strongly recommend doing this or at least subtracting a lot. These cars do not seem to tolerate missed maintenance.

I also added a value for options. When buying a used car, options are not valued to heavily but.....I wanted a car with specific options and was willing to pay a bit more for one.

Add some for Southern or West Coast car. Don't necessarily eliminate a Norther car though. Mine was owned by a surgeon and not driven very much in winter as he had a SUV for snow.

Add some for MB Dealer....yes you will pay more when buying from a dealer....but in long run, you get benefit of a vehicle that should have been checked out and maintenance can be easily verified. When negotiating, go through the maintenance history and make sure everything has been done or will be done. Had I followed this carefully, I might have been able to get a brake flush thrown in. An MB Dealer will have the Service department go over the vehicle, as the sales person or service manager what the service department recommended. All this being said, you may actually get a good price from a dealer......some MB dealers don't specialize or sell many diesel vehicles. They want to turn inventory.

Lastly, pay yourself....convenience and your time should be factored in. If it is easy for you to go see a car, that is worth something.

To start, go to the MB web site: There are always 6-12 vehicles nationwide at various dealers. They turn over fairly quickly so if one catches your eye, call and talk to someone.

Car shopping
 

Car shopping:

I set up a spread sheet. With the following columns:

Year / State / asking price / miles / years to 300k ( for us it is 25k / year ) / purchase price divided by the number of years / a column for each available option / VIN / link to the ad

The purchase price per year of service to 300k gives me a relative cost comparison between different mileage cars. When they get to 300k, they will all have about the same relative salvage value.

For example:
2005 320 CDI / Texas / $10900 / 173,000 miles / 5.08 years to 300k / $2145 per year of service
2006 320 CDI / Arizona / $18995 / 80,000 miles / 8.8 years to 300k / $2158 per year of service
2005 320 CDI / Texas / $10998 / 113,000 miles / 7.47 year to 300k / $1473 per year of service

The first 2 cost about the same per year of service and were at the high end of cost/yr when I did this spread sheet in Jan. 2014.
The 3rd one was the lowest cost per year of service at that time.

That is just a starting point. Then I look at:
My budget for this purchase. I pay cash, so the $19,000 car was more than I wanted to tie up in a car.
The options on the car, including color in and out.
After I have decided what cars interest me, I look at the car itself, it's service history, carfax, PPI.

When I did this in Jan. of 2014, I had 32 cars listed. Doing this gave me a good sense of what was out there.
Of the 32 cars, here are the numbers that had the following options
873 heated seats - 26
530 Sat Nav - 21
819 CD changer - 19
540 rear screen - 23
297 side screens -14
433/4 dynamic seats - 6
443 heated steering - 1
889 keyless go - 3
413 panoramic roof - 2
220 parktronic - 2

The result of this shopping event was a 2007 ML 320CDI because my wife wanted AWD.

So, this Feb, when I came across a local 320CDI in Titanite Red, with leather heated dynamic seats, panoramic roof, Sat Nav, CD changer, Active Bi-Xenon head lights, new tires, 2014 Navigation disk, 196k, for $6995, I bought it.
If it was white, silver, or black, non-heated regular seats, standard sunroof, I would not have given it a second look because I didn't need it, but at that price, I could want it. That's just my opinion, it has no bearing on what you should do.

Greg -- Sounds like a great price! How many miles did yours have? What maintenance/repairs had been done on it prior to you buying it? Have you done any maintenance/repairs? Are you going to run WVO with it?

I'll add my data point

2005 E320CDI purchased July 2010 for $17,100 on ebay. 130,000 miles at the time, vehicle was in NC, and I have evidence that it spent it's life near Duke Univ. It was considered a steal for that priice, even with the "high" miles. I have run it since that time on almost stricly homemade BD, with the only exception being blending of various proportions of D2 in subzero winter months to keep from gelling.

I now have 245,000 and still going strong.

What I have added:
- Bully Dog fuel rail chip
- Universal heated seat ($100 Amazon IIRC)
- Trailer hitch

What I have replaced:
- Dealer replaced faulty SRS airbag wiring...$700
- Front left wheel bearing fused itself to the spindle. Replaced spindle with used part.
- T'stat stuck open. Easy to replace.
- I think only one glow plug so far.
- In-tank fuel pump at 167,000 (dealer-only part...$600)
- Turbo grenaded itself at 235,000 ($700 online)
- AT fluid and filter replacement at 200k
- Lost one "bank" of third brake light (it has about 5 "banks" of LEDs). Resoldered to get most of 5th bank recovered.
- Water pump

I do all my own work, except for the airbag wiring. SBC brakes are no problem if you disconnect the connector before working on them. I run Rotella T6 5-40 synthetic, changing at the 13k interval. I use a harbor freight vacuum pump to change my oil from the dipstick tube. The oil pan plug has never been removed.

While the list above may look long, over the course of 115k miles it has had very little go wrong. The only AAA tow was when the fuel pump died (while wife had it...which took some "damage control") This car is awesome. I'd buy another in a heartbeat.

I get about 32 MPG on average of city/hwy, running creative fuel.

I test drove an 06 model about a week ago at local MB dealer. 151k miles with asking price of $13,100. I am sticking with my 98 E300 (118000 miles) for the time being. My daily driver remains one of the 95 E300 for right now.

When I search the inventory at mbusa.com, nothing comes up. Is there another site to check?

The pre owned site is Mercedes-Benz Pre-Owned Vehicle Search

Be sure to uncheck CPO only first, there are no 05-06 that qualify for CPO and clearing this resets all the filter choices.

Also do not hit the browser back button, use their internal return to results button.

I like the idea of buying from a dealer with about 150k miles.

That seems to be in the sweet spot range.....I'd say 100-175k should get you a reliable vehicle with lots of potential life. This is provided you carefully review maintenance history to make sure it has been maintained. Also expect to spend $$s going forward to keep it that way.

If you are not risk adverse, units with 200k++ can be a great deal. Several with over 400k have shown up for sale which indicates these can be high miler vehicles.

These were (are) used as Taxis in EU. ;)

I bought my 05 CDI (145K) late last year; it has the gen I interior. I looked at five IIRC, drove three and bought the one in the best condition for cheaper than the other four. I bought it at a small buy here/pay here lot with cash. He had bought it at the local auction- which is common. Here in south Florida most cars over 6 years old do not stay at the dealer which traded for them- they get sent to the auction and then to a small used car lot or a non luxury dealer. My car has the apparently rare dynamic seats- which is my favorite option - they are simply fantastic. It's a dark metallic green which appears black to most people over a beige leather. Heated seats are awesome and so is the HC sound system. I wish I had the trunk pass thru. Asking prices in South Florida are between $8800-14,000 depending on miles and seller. I found the power levels of the engine vary greatly between examples- some are dreadfully slow in comparison to others and some are in the middle. IDK why- but I'd check for the leaking injectors if I were in the market again.

Never driven a CDI and would love to check one out and see what it's all about. I called the closest one to me in Manchester NH Pre-Owned 2005 MERCEDES-BENZ E-Class E320 CDI for sale but was told it has engine problems, not for sale and going to auction.

The expensive tools needed ($1k to $2k) to do DIY maintenance is kind of a turn off for me though.

X2 on dynamic seats. They only were available in the 2005. Perhaps MB thought they were offering too much luxury/performance in their mid-line vehicle.

Difference in power may be injectors or.....EGR system. Apparently these can be fouled especially when there has been a lot of short distance travel. Can anyone illuminate from first hand experience? Any DIY procdeures for cleaning the EGR valve/system?

Are you referring to the diagnostic computer system? Basic PM seems easy/low cost for things like air, fuel, oil filter/oil changes.

In my opinion, I do not agree with that statement.

yes, tools to read and clear fault codes and to program ecu. Also tools to service the fuel system, pulling injectors etc.

Can you tell me what tools are needed and what they cost to read/clear fault codes and program ecu, and to service the injectors?

I'm thinking that it may be the leaking injectors ... ie black death. I drove a CDI which had just started to leak in two injectors and it had less power than my car, and another CDI which was far slower which had well over 200K- but I did not check for BD. My car has no BD and it's powerful. You can buy aftermarket tunes which basically close off the EGR and it only gets fresh air- which is what I will do eventually.

If I drive mine to NY this summer and I'll come visit!

I use a $13 Amazon bluetooth code reader with my smartphone to read and clear codes. I would not call that expensive. I would assume programming ECU's would be pricey on any vehicle. I've never done it.

I disagree with the need to get a $2000 diagnostic system to be able to do maintenance on the car.
Would I like to have one, absolutely. Do I need one to consider owning one of these cars? Not really.
If I run into a problem that cannot be diagnosed any other way, for $125 I can get an hour at the dealership on their $10,000 system and an experienced tech thrown in.

A $60 UltraGauge can read and clear fault codes. It can read many of the engine's sensors in real time.
I have one page on mine set to read out fuel rail pressure, intake manifold pressure/vacuum, coolant temp., voltage.
I do not consider re-programing the ECU to be maintenance.
You will need to add a set of torx and e-torx sockets to your tool box.

In almost 200k, my dealer serviced car has had 2 glow plugs replaced and 1 injector. All things that the car's fault codes will tell you exactly which one failed.

Plug your maximum dollars into finding the most car you're shopping for. There's what your dollars will buy. That's what most around here seem to do.

The sub-$4,995.00 E320 CDI was the best deal I've seen here. Miles don't hurt these cars.

There you go. These are very affordable for all, IMO.

The '05s were customarily more loaded than the '06es. I'm not a bells-n-whistles guy because they're failure-prone in the long run. The heated seats however, were a must have!

My '99 E300 had too many options for my tastes, so I didn't want that again when I was searching for the right E320 CDI.

If anyone can provide pictures of the various stages of the pass-through rear seat back system start-to-open, it would be greatly appreciated. I may have the pass-through seat system on my CDI, but don't realize it.

I'd say that the "sweet spot," is what one can afford for one. And even then, some aren't able to use the 49 States as their marketing buy area. I let that geographic marketing area/option to buy from where I found the one I wanted. At the end of the day, I realized the best used ones were in my home state of Texas. So, it was just a matter of time finding the right one.

The $4,995.00 list priced E320 CDI, was the best value for the buck I've seen. Everything else is paling by comparison. That one would be hard to beat.

Excellent post Tyler!

Stats on mine:

2006 Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI
040 Black with Stone MB-Tex/Leather

Options: 6-Disc CD Changer, Sunroof Package (includes:
Glass Sunroof & Power Rear-window Sunshade),
accessory COMAND Navigation System


I'm just about to hit 120Kmi & no major issues to report since buying it nearly a year ago with 113Kmi. This has been the best Mercedes I've owned so far! 32MPG & V8 torque, I just love it!

Aside from normal maintenance/upkeep, the only repairs that have been necessary so far have been the thermostat, a glow plug & front turn signal bulb! No black death or SBC issues ect.

A simple $40 code reader is really all you need to diagnose issues & there are a lot of helpful DIY articles out there. Sure it can be cheaper to tackle some jobs yourself occasionally, but dealer service prices really aren't that bad compared to independents & you get all the conveniences (new MB loaner/shuttle service/refreshments ect.).

It's easy to tell if you have split folding seats just by looking in the trunk. If the back wall is divided you have them.
A cool feature for sure, but can't say it's something I've missed having.

Do the rear seats fold down


If I had been able to order my car new, I would have opted for the Lighting pkg, Parktronic, split folding seats & heated front seats.

With the CDI's electric heater booster & front sheepskins I have, it's enough to make up for the heated seats though (at least for me).

Depends on your dealer... The one in Wichita charges $170 an hour versus independents available at $80-90. I have yet to hear of another Mercedes dealer with a higher labor rate.

W211 CDI 2005 options
 

With the rear seats folded down, you can actually sleep in the car (head first and feet in the trunk.) Except for the rear roof pillars and back window it's almost like having a wagon.....

Agree some options can be failure-prone in the long run. The powered closer on the trunk in mine doesn't work from the trunk button but does from the driver's door. I need to track down.....think it is electrical connection running through arm of trunk that becomes separated. The Bi Xenon headlights can be expensive to service and are expensive to replace.

In order of preference: Sunroof (in previous MBs, only my 1976 300D didn't have one...I really like a sunroof in a Mercedes), dynamic seats, Bi-Xenon head lights (safety feature really), Leather, HK Stereo, Fold down seats, parktronic, heated seats (my wife would rank these higher in order), cooled/ventilated seats (no personal experience with these) and trunk power closer.

Caveat on sunroof, if you are really tall, the absence of a sunroof can be a good thing you get additional head room.

Finally, low optioned CDIs.....the options only make up a very small part of what makes these vehicles nice to own and drive. Even a vehicle without many options is still a very nice vehicle to operate!

Any significant differences/preferences between 2005 and 2006 models?

The center console is totally different. I prefer the '06 because of the usable cup holders. The 05s were customarily loaded-up with more options than the 06es by the dealers.

They also have an AC booster of some sort, even when not engaged - believe it or not. That was a nice feature I noticed, but it sets-up your idle when there's a draw on the system. Which of course diminishes your mpg in the wintertime.

The entire rear seat back folds down according to some here - but they haven't provided pictures of it. I knew about the right-rear fold down optioned on some of them. That was a new one on me, so I requested pictures posted.

I'm sure I'd of optioned out my CDI were I to have ordered it new, but I'm only interested in buying used at this time, so I look for other metrics when buying used. From my experience with heated seats though, that was a definite must to find.

No significant mechanical differences.

the 05's had a few available options such a dynamic seats.

Center console on '05 was changed mid-way through the production year so I think there are late production 2005 model years with the newer console/cup holder configuration. I still prefer earlier design as I like padded arm rest and design is more traditional MB and the way new MBss are too.

'05s tend to have more options on them in general.

The residual heat function was on early 2005s but not on late 2005s or 2006s.

Someone on MBWorld stated, "The COMAND units in 2005 has DVD optics, and can read MP3 files from DVD media. The 2006 has CD optics."

I am not aware of any mechanical/part modifications done as a result of early production gremlins showing in the early 2005s.

I will try to get some pictures of my car. The entire rear seat folds down (60/40).....both left and right side. You can tell if there are fold down seats by release handles near the hinges along the lip/rubber seal of the trunk. Also there is a fold down door with rubber sleeve in back of the rear seat armrest to allow skis to be passed through.

Not familiar with multiple handles in the trunks.
Unless: One of the handles is actually a clothes-hanger for hanging clothes. It's yet another hidden feature <some> of these 05/06es have.

If the rear seat bottom's leading interior surface cantilevers or folds forward on hinges - that's what I'm wondering if then the entire rear seat back folding forward feature would operate for the rear seat back to fold forward - thereby making a flat surface in-total level with the trunk's floor surface. That's how it was described earlier by another poster. If that is how some of the 05'06es were built, then it was conceivable that my CDI also had that complete-fold down system.

WOW, that's high! The Chattanooga dealers rate is between $110-$120.

How do you open the "ski door"? I have the split folding rear seats and I noticed that part of the armrest.

My rear seat bottoms fold up and are removable.

I've got to do some investigating with mine then. I may have the rear seat-backfold down feature without realizing it after all.

Take a look in the trunk next to the hinges/arms. There will be two handles to release the seat backs. There are buttons on the rear seat bottom that release it and allow it to pivot on hinges forward.

That change occurred mid 2005.

No strap hanging, nor plastic handles in my trunk. I'm certain I don't have the 60/40- if I did, the vertical cut-line up and down is totally discernible. What it was described as the entire seat back folding forward - that, I thought possible on mine. Just wanted to compare notes here w/other 05/06 CDIers.

Mine doesn't even the clothes hanger feature immediately under the trunk's speaker box deck area.

You can add one (or two) if you like! ;) Facelift (2007-) models came with one standard on the passenger side.

The 2007s, were also the Bluetec V6es. I definitely didn't want that. :no:

The plastic double fish hooks you've captioned, are also clothes hangers.

If anyone has the pictorial of the entire rear seat back being folded down as in one piece (not 60/40) after the seat bottom is folded forward - that is what I'm waiting for. If one exists.

Really they're for grocery/shopping bags. I'd use the hooks inside for hanging clothes.

Until others have a chance to take some pictures, I found a few online

60% split side folded down

http://f.tqn.com/y/cars/1/S/J/I/1/ag...oldingseat.jpg

40% split side folded down with bottom cushion removed & passenger seat folded flat

http://image.superstreetonline.com/f...ats_Folded.jpg