Thoughts on E250 Bluetec reliability? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

H-townbenzoboy · #1 11-14-2019, 01:33 PM

I'm looking at a 2016 E250 Bluetec. 28k mi, still under the manufacturer's warranty, but not CPO. It's eligible for MB's extended limited warranty. My concern is with all the DPF/AdBlue components. I've been told that they're prone to failures after 50k mi or so and that the extended limited warranty or even the emissions warranty won't cover those failures. I've done searches about their reliability and asked around and I've heard everything from how bulletproof and trouble free they are on one end to how troublesome they are on the other end. I assume the truth is somewhere in the middle. I've seen a few posts here gushing over the GLK250 which has the same engine, but not as many about the E250. Don't worry, it wouldn't be replacing the 300SD, it's an heirloom that's going nowhere! But I know the OM651 is a completely different beast than my OM617 and want to know what to expect should I purchase it.

barry12345 · #2 11-14-2019, 04:20 PM

A guess is that anti pollution set up is possibly best suited for a substantial percentage of highway use. That was a decision I made for the wives Passat with add blue and a particle filter. She spends at least 95 percent of her driving time on the highways.

Her Vokswagon Passat has no light that indicates it is in a regeneration mode. I am going to try to install one next spring. Also it would give good indication of the frequency of the event. As the retained ash product builds up over time the regeneration frequently increases.

I would price the replacement cost of the particle filter and installation. Before buying as well. It is expected they will need replacement at some point. I really do not think these vehicles are well suited to a steady diet of short in around cities and town trips. . Just my opinion though.

psaboic · #3 11-15-2019, 09:30 AM

Or you could look into getting a tune and replacement pipe that eliminates that AdBlue system altogether and never have to worry about the DEF system, DPF, EGR, sensors, etc......

paul roberts · #4 11-15-2019, 11:46 AM

From what I see go through my shop in the newer diesels, the savings in fuel gets devoured by maintenance and repairs compared to their gas counter parts. So, IMO, the newer ones are not as reliable, more maintenance and diesel fuel isn't cheap anymore. I see no benefit in owning a diesel anymore. Unless you have an inline six and you're pulling something.

Diseasel300 · #5 11-15-2019, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paul roberts

From what I see go through my shop in the newer diesels, the savings in fuel gets devoured by maintenance and repairs compared to their gas counter parts. So, IMO, the newer ones are not as reliable, more maintenance and diesel fuel isn't cheap anymore. I see no benefit in owning a diesel anymore. Unless you have an inline six and you're pulling something.

As much as I love my older diesel, I have to agree with this. Other than the novelty of having a diesel, there's not really any benefit with a modern car. The emissions controls on the diesels will eat you alive in maintenance costs, especially as the car ages, not to mention the fuel costs more than gasoline, but the fuel economy is similar to a modern gas car.

valvecovergasket · #6 11-15-2019, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by psaboic

Or you could look into getting a tune and replacement pipe that eliminates that AdBlue system altogether and never have to worry about the DEF system, DPF, EGR, sensors, etc......

is anyone tuning those?

i think i mentioned in another thread i had an e250 new for a while when i worked for mb, and it was incredible. id love to get another now with prices dropping but would probably only jump on it if it was possible to tune it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diseasel300

not to mention the fuel costs more than gasoline, but the fuel economy is similar to a modern gas car.

this part anyway varies wildly by region.
i typically pay on par or less for diesel than what regular costs. and when i lived in OR it was usually significantly less than regular.

Diseasel300 · #7 11-15-2019, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by valvecovergasket

this part anyway varies wildly by region.
i typically pay on par or less for diesel than what regular costs. and when i lived in OR it was usually significantly less than regular.

Since the ULSD switchover, diesel has cost roughly the same as premium gasoline in this part of the world. Pretty much all across the South. OP is in Houston, fuel cost is the same there as it is here. Diesel/Premium E10 is roughly 50¢ more per gallon than 87 E10. When fuel cost is roughly $2.45/gal for 87, that's a LOT of mpgs you have to squeeze out of that diesel to break even, not to mention actually save anything.

pawoSD · #8 11-15-2019, 02:26 PM

I've had far less issues with my 2015 GLK250 than I had with most of my previous older MB's....and its easier to work on overall.

I did need a DPF replacement at 78k, but it was covered under the 80k/8 year federal emissions warranty.

I like my GLK250, the torque makes it a blast to drive. Though the current gas motors like the M274 and M276 are quite fun also.

Tuning/deleting the emissions system is not only a federal crime/EPA violation in the USA, but its also extremely hard to find anywhere reputable to do it in the first place within the USA.

TwoMuchBoost · #9 11-15-2019, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diseasel300

Since the ULSD switchover, diesel has cost roughly the same as premium gasoline in this part of the world. Pretty much all across the South. OP is in Houston, fuel cost is the same there as it is here. Diesel/Premium E10 is roughly 50¢ more per gallon than 87 E10. When fuel cost is roughly $2.45/gal for 87, that's a LOT of mpgs you have to squeeze out of that diesel to break even, not to mention actually save anything.

Is it fair to compare to 87 unleaded though? I'd argue that premium was the intended fuel for just about every Mercedes ever and is what should be filled up with. When you compare diesel at roughly $3.00/gal vs well over 3 bucks ($3.20-3.40ish for premium), there is still some savings to be had. So as long as you can maintain good mileage and not get slammed with repairs, it still could be appealing.

This is me checking in from the Midwest so curious how your gas prices are tiered. Really surprised to see premium so much more expensive than regular; sometimes almost a whole dollar more. I remember when each step up in grade was 10 cents

Screwdriva · #10 11-15-2019, 05:24 PM

If you own a OM61X powered vehicle, you're going to be miserable in a post 2001 vehicle, increasing in severity with every model change.

I just purchased my entire exhaust system from downpipe to chrome tip, using genuine, new Mercedes parts for my W115. Total cost £240. Compare this on a Bluetec vehicle.

As much as I hate to say it, we really have two sensible choices today. Another Classic diesel (getting harder to find rust free) or a Tesla Model 3.

psaboic · #11 11-16-2019, 12:29 AM

[QUOTE=valvecovergasket;3977111]is anyone tuning those?

Check with tunemyeuro.com......I've heard they will do either a Malone tune or a JR tune.

barry12345 · #12 11-16-2019, 09:14 AM

I looked at tunes for the wives Volkswagon car. If we keep the car long enough. To get past the extended warranty on the wives buy back. I want to at least get the system back to what it was before the emissions issue correction. I do not know what is going on out in the tuning world.

One larger supplier is basically listing them as no longer available. For Volkswagon diesels. Ideally the constant recycling of the exhaust gasses and the particle filter should be gone. I followed that companies beta testing period on the TDI site. It was obvious that the same cars had too many different responses to the tune. This took place before those cars where modified by Volkswagon.

I guess the only real upside is owners that turned the diesels in on the buyback and replaced with their gas cars miss the torque.Plus the throttle response.

My thoughts are quite simple. If you buy a so called modern diesel. Be prepared mentally that there could be some expensive problems. At least the government did not go after Mercedes for the cheating problem. So owners get that break. As in our case the type of driving use will be a factor to some unknown extent. So in some ways up to the present. The modern diesel was a bit of a reach.

Since the diesel particle filters have a core value. At least for Volkswagons. I suspect they are replaced with remanufactured ones. There appears to be some indication they do not last as long for some volkswagon owners that had replacement ones installed under warranty. This is probably because of less quality. Yet it could be some other factor.

There are also unsubstantiated reasons in my thoughts. It would be far better to use block heaters on these cars than not in cold weather. I also noticed that even mechanics experienced on these types of newer diesel power trains. Seem to have some difficulty in servicing them. This may have stopped by now. In conclusion and it is just an opinion.

If you aquire a modern diesel type car. You have to expect the possibility of very expensive problems. You may not get some of them. Yet it would be kind of foolish to expect to beat the odds. The expected period for the expensive DPF flter to last in most cases is 120K. On Volkswagons. Also some of the newer transmissions are really nice for driving with. Just hold on to your wallet if you have one fail. I factored some of these things into what we paid for the buyback. It is best if the modern diesel is aquired fairly cheap in comparison to the gas equivelant.

The modern diesel engine is almost too sophisticated to be be considered a reliable trouble free long term transportation device. Again this is just my opinion. The Volkswagon and the Mercedes engines and their pollution systems would have many similarities.

It is not rocket science that the likely hood of experiencing less problems with these cars is probably use related. Keep them hot and on the highways.

We as a couple are older and have pretty deep pockets I suppose. Or I still cannot figure how to take the money with us where we are going. So moderate financial losses are not a big issue. I would not buy a modern diesel if they were. To me it would be too much of a crap shoot. Where if in a situation you had to really buy cars by financing them. I would suggest staying away from the modern diesel. Your results may vary.

We like the diesel Passat buy back. Yet have no illusions either. It could easily become a money pit even with their extended warranty. I also have no issues with others opinions. As the old saying goes they are like rectums. Everybody has one.

Graham · #13 11-16-2019, 11:43 AM

Never had any problems with our 2014 GLK250 Bluetec. But many did have problems and replacement of the emission system parts is very expensive. After 5 years and only 50k km, we parted with our "new" diesel.

Dealer still has it on his lot after a year. Yet it is a pristine car at a reasonable price. So anyone buying a Bluetec diesel should realize that there won't be much of a market for it when time comes to sell.

psaboic · #14 11-16-2019, 11:17 PM

SO glad to read that people are thumbs down on the new diesels, just means more will be available for me to choose from when I want a different one, but that will be a LONG time from now as I tend to drive my cars until they are no longer safe or feasible to repair. My daily driver is a 36 year old W123 with just shy of 343K on it.

And if you are someone who doesn't want to or can't afford .40 to .50 a gallon extra for either premium or diesel fuel, maybe you shouldn't be driving a luxury Mercedes. Maybe try a used Hyundai or perhaps a Kia.........

TimFreeh · #15 11-17-2019, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graham

Dealer still has it on his lot after a year. Yet it is a pristine car at a reasonable price. So anyone buying a Bluetec diesel should realize that there won't be much of a market for it when time comes to sell.

I don't doubt this is true but I'm not sure its because of the bluetec issue, rather I think that the entire diesel thing is kind of not very marketable these days. IMHO its the combination of the VW fiasco and the fact that gasoline direct injection engines have made significant advances in the last few years.

I purchased my E250 in July 2015 from a Mercedes dealer that apparently couldn't sell it for the entire 2014 calendar year. My car has a MSRP sticker of $66K dollars and they sold it to me for $51k. I was thrilled and I got the impression they were happy to see it go!!

For the reasons stated by the earlier posters in this thread the arguments for going diesel are more sentimental than practical these days.

My 2013 GLK250 just competed a 2,400 mile trip, it now has 91K on the clock and I've had zero emission system issues. It returned 37.6 MPG for the entire trip, I'm pretty sure a GLK350 wouldn't have been able to manage 25-26MPG for a similar trip.

The E250 is at 65K and has had exactly zero emission system issues as well.

Love both of them, plan to drive them as long as I can.