2007-2009 W211 vs earlier W211 years: Any Major Differences?
 

My '01 E430 got rear-ended last week and you can guess what the insurance company said. :(

Now I am looking to replace it with an '07 to '09 E550 or E350. In my search I have come across earlier models ('03 to '06) that seem nice but I am leery of them because of things I have read, e.g., air suspension issues.

Because my E430 was largely trouble-free, I am apprehensive about everything I see, fearing inheriting someone else's problems. Any thoughts, suggestions and anecdotes would be appreciated.

Sedan or wagon? If you want reliability and ease of maintainance get an 04-05 RWD E320. M112/722.6 is by far the most reliable drivetrain they put into the 211. Avoid 03s. 722.9 found in E500/E350/E550 is not maintance friendly like the 722.6. There's no fill tube and the TCM is built into the conductor plate and coded to the car. The M272 and M273 intake manifold is failure prone and can sometimes send it's components into the intake. Avoid anything with airmatic. It is very expensive every time anything fails. That includes shocks, airbags and sensor.

SBC brakes on 03-06 cars are covered under a 25 year unlimited mileage extended warranty. The fuel tank on all non PZEV 211s is covered under a 15 year unlimited mileage warranty.

Sedan.

So would the '05 E500 not be a good choice? (I was looking at one moments ago.)


My E430 was M113/722.6 and trouble-free, so I'd like to keep that going.

It really depends on your preference. Pretty much all the E500s had airmatic. All the RWD E500s had the 722.9 and the 4matics had the 722.6. if you're ok with airmatic and the 722.9 go for that option. The nice thing about the 211 is the huge variety of drivetrains and options available.
Strictly speaking the only cars to avoid are the 03s and and 06/07 m272 and m273 because of the well documented balance shaft problem. Outside of those it depends on your tolerance for expensive repairs. I would've loved a RWD E500 wagon with a 722.6 and coil springs but MB never built that combination. A RWD E320 wagon was the next best thing.

Right now I am relying on this for 722/6 guidance:
* 2002–2005 W211 -- (all models except 2004-2005 E500)
* 2006–2009 W211 (4-cyl and 4-matic only)

As for engines:
2008-2009 E350 should be ok (?)

Airmatic makes me nervous also but I am not finding a list of specific models that have it.

Airmatic was standard on all the V8s (E500/550/55/63) shipped to the US AFIK and optional on the V6 cars.

08-09 E350s have good balance shaft. Like the E550 and E500, RWD E350s got the 722.9, 4matics had 722.6. The only RWD/722.6 were E320 gas, E320 CDI and E55 AMG.

It's becoming less confusing now.

I just started searching today but right now my top contenders are/were:

2007 E350 4MATIC
Has 722.6 Trans
Has had fuel pump issues in the past; seems to be common issue on these cars. And it's M272 engine number is before balance shaft issues were resolved, so it is likely out.

2005 E500 4MATIC
Has Airmatic suspension.
Has M113/722.6 engine/trans.

So far I have not found an 04-05 E320, but I am still looking.

Looks like the choice is between:

2008 E350 4matic
2007 E350 4matic

Both are low mileage (~60K) and essentially identical, except the '07 has a push starter on shifter and is a 1-owner car. The '08 is 2-owner.

Any noteworthy differences is reliability and features between the '07 and '08 versions of this car?

Don't get the 07 it if it is in the balance shaft failure range. Other than that pick your poison.

I ran the VIN and the 07's engine is definitely in the safe zone.

Test drove it a second time and it seems a little hesitant on the initial up shift to higher gears. Considering it's the same transmission as my e430 that's a little bit unusual, probably not the best comparison. Otherwise it's a wonderful car.

Will also be driving the 08 again and then will make a final decision. There is a substantial difference in price, about $1,400.,with the 08 being higher, with slightly higher miles but seems to drive more smoothly than all the other cars I've driven, including the 07. It also has the 18 inch 10-spoke wheels which I actually like, but am not sure are worth the premium.

The 07 hesitant shift is likely a worn lock up torque converter damper. It's a component built into the valve body on 2000+ 722.6. It feels like a rough 1-2 shift when the trans is cold but it's actually the torque converter not locking up properly. The 722.6 lockup TQ is used in all 5 gears. It's a cheap, easy part to replace if you are doing the conductor plate. Sonnax makes a kit for it and its on my to do list for my 04.
https://youtu.be/LdF5DnGwz7E
FF to 6:30.

Is there documented service history? Can you get VMIs? Pick the one that’s had better care. Or if you’re me, pick the one with more options :)

Sixto
98 E320s swdan and wagon
02 C320 wagon

Actually, the '07 had a multi-page dealer service history on CarFax. I did not look in detail but plan to next.

After all I have read about the balance shaft and intake manifolds on these cars, I am understandably apprehensive. Also, what's with all the fuel pump failures? About 90% of the VINS I ran showed fuel delivery issues.

The factory fuel tank on ALL W211s will leak at some point from the driver side fuel level sender/filter housing. The leak is worst when the tank is full. Usually you can smell gasoline but rarely drips on the floor. MB got sued over this and NHTSA opened an investigation. They settled out of court and in 2015 MB extended the fuel tank warranty to 15 years unlimited mileage. If you smell gasoline from a 211 the dealer will install a new fuel tank complete with pump, sender and wiring harness free of charge. I had mine done in December with 4 months left on the 15 year warranty. Diesels are excluded and PZEVs are limited to 15y/150k.
https://imgur.com/a/6CaNUZv

This is good to know.

My brother has been driving a 2009 E350 4matic (722.6) for 3+ years and almost 50k miles.....zero repairs....at all. Has almost 125k on it now

My dad has an early 2007 (built in 06) E350 wagon and it has been reliable but did have the balancer issue (was taken care of a while back pre-purchase)....only repairs have been thermostat and the cam adjuster magnets (in 25k miles of driving)

I wish I could have found an '09 but currently none are for sale near me. By then, the bugs were worked out.

I spoke too soon on the '09 -- one just appeared and I plan to see it today.

Only concern is that it has 90K miles, vs the ~60K of the '07 & '08 I am considering.

I went through this search when my 210 was being sold. The consensus was a 211 4matic with the 5 speed trans. I got her with 86k miles and she was always dealer serviced. I couldn't be happier. Its a fine car. I'm at 130k now and have had minimal issues. For the money, it is really the best car buy of my car owning life.

The '08 won.

I liked the '09 (was a silver sport/AMG package) but it was perhaps a bit too sporty for my taste. Plus it had a lot of cool extras that I would never use, like the SD card slot, paddle shifters, and a more-complicated Command system. Not to mention the 90K+ miles.

The '08 was an Avantgarde version with a sport package also, and 18" 10 double-spoke rims, which is more my style. Plus it had only 51K miles.

Congrats! Pics?

Somehow I clicked "edit" instead of "quote" ... and over-wrote my last post.

After saying I would try to take snapshots tomorrow, when I had downtime, I said something about some faint vibration in the front tires and was speculated it was either a tire or bent rim issue. After noting the fronts are Pirelli P6 (which are borderline crap), I am leaning towards them as the cause.

Finally some downtime and nice weather. (Pics below)

I've put 1500 miles on it so far and am now at 53K even. I am still adapting to it but so far find it to be faster than I expected, with a louder, more aggressive exhaust note -- which I don't always hear because I am loving the Harman Kardon sound system (with Sirius XM a plus).

Work Done:
1.) Changed oil to LiquiMoly 2332
2.) Added LiquiMoly Cera Tec
3,) Replaced all 4 center caps
4.) Changed cabin air filter
5.) Washed and waxed.

To-Do:
1.) Replace Pirelli P6's up front, because they feel like crap (but perform well).

2.) Install Brembo ceramic pads all around, because I will not be breaking my back cleaning brake dust. Also, Brembo ceramic pads, from what I am reading, perform as well as MB/Jurid pads.)

3.) Polish Headlights. There is nothing visibly wrong with them but, with my face very close, I can see small scratches and imperfections. I want to get ahead of, and prevent, any future hazing issues.


https://cyber-valley.com/UG/350-2.jpg

https://cyber-valley.com/UG/350-1.jpg

https://cyber-valley.com/UG/350-3.jpg

https://cyber-valley.com/UG/350-4.jpg

Looks good. I don't know if it has air matic but Arnott sells coil spring kits that eliminate the air bags and stuff.

No air matic on this one (nor SBC). The 4-matics also retain the 722.6 transmission, all the aforesaid weighing heavily on my decision to get this car.

Had I known about Arnott previously, however, I may have looked harder for an E500 since there is something I have always liked about them.

Stay as far away from the Airmatic as possible.

I had a 2004 E500 Wagon with the Airmatic and it was the most expensive car I owned due to it.

Arnot usually doesn't have rebuilt OE shocks in stock- you have to send them the ones you pull out for rebuild with a 3 week turn around. They have their own replacement air shocks , but those don't have the active damping functionality.

You can always convert it to conventional coil springs.
Very very nice :thumbsup:

It’s been over a year since I purchased this car and I thought I would follow-up on my experiences with the W211.

It took some getting used too – this car is much more svelte than my E430 was. That car was very masculine; this one is unmistakably feminine, in a sultry, sexy way. My chief concern was power, after being used to the E430’s, V-8. This one has plenty of it, along with a nice exhaust growl (I have the sports package).

It took about 6 months to truly adapt and today it feels like I have been driving it forever. Here are some general observations:

VISIBILITY
If there's any car in desperate need of a backup camera this one is it. I can't see s***t when backing up and am shocked that I haven't backed into anything. Then again, I am being extra attentive.

VISIBILITY – 2
When backing up, the passenger mirror does not tilt down, and there is no setting I could find to enable that. This makes parking frustrating and has caused me to accumulate a good amount of curb rash.

VISIBILITY – 3
I replaced the useless halogens with LED low beams, fogs and parking lamps. They are bright, white, and work exceptionally well. I replaced the high beams with Philips 5000k halogens because LED’s there would be overkill (and obnoxious) because it is a reflector housing, whereas the low beam is a projector. The fogs are the same power as the low beams (except being H11 vs H7) but, being in a reflector, are insanely bright and they are only illuminated when remotely locking/unlocking the car, when they come on as courtesy lights. Other than that, I have used them only twice.

BRAKES
The OEM Pagids were great. But they would bite too hard on this car and I would often have my head snapped forward. And the dust was horrendous; I was cleaning my wheels twice per week. I swapped them out for Brembo ceramics, which performed well – not as harsh as Pagids – but produced pretty much the same amount of dust. I have a set of Wagner semi-metallics, which are a powdered aluminum color so, after I install them, I expect to have my harsh stopping power again but less visible dust.

Also, the brake pads wear very unevenly, presumably due to this car’s negative camber? The outboard side, which one would look at to measure pad wear, wears down much faster than the inboard. When I changed my pads the inboard was almost twice as thick and, because the wear sensor is on that side, it would not activate before the outboard was completely worn away.

HEADLIGHT LENSES
I polished the headlight lenses to crystal clarity, sanding from 400 to 10,000 grit before final polish. Touch-ups will be an annual or semi-annual task because I don't believe any UV coatings will last very long and one I tried (Sylvania) dimmed and yellowed the light output. (The coating itself is a dark amber, so no mystery there). I compounded the coating off and the brightness/whiteness was restored. (I've been reading about the Spar urethane treatment and thought of trying that but it's probably easier to just touch-up polish twice a year)

MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS SO FAR
Idler pulley: I heard it squeaking one morning and, based on my experience with my e430, wasted no time replacing that. This car has a lower idler as well so I did that, as well as the tensioner, for peace of mind. It is a much easier and faster job in this car than on the e430.

Oil changes: Every 5,000 miles with Liquimoly.

Bulbs: Apart from the LED swap, I have only done both side markers and the license plate bulbs.

ODDITIES
1.) There is a plastic-like clicking in the steering column that occurs only when the temperature drops below about 40-50 degrees for several consecutive days. I noticed this on other E350’s I test drove when shopping for this one. It sounds like a couple of thin plastic disks or chips tumbling against each other.

2.) Rear sun shade: Needs to be activated daily, especially if there are significant temperature swings, or it will get finicky and stick. Pressing and holding the button for about a second or two often un-sticks it. If that fails, driving over cracks or seams in the road that jostle and bound the rear almost always shake it loose. I open/close it on the first drive of almost every day and it never sticks thereafter; only if I don’t raise it for a few days and if there are significant temperature swings.

3.) There appears to be some sort of motor or flywheel that spins down after the car is shut off. I can hear it whirring and the only thing that seems to make sense is a secondary air pump??

Just get a 2009e 350 has all the updates done , radio etc All the bugs worked out, just get steel suspension no air , I ve owned 1 since 2012 zero issues. and they are not expensive, the only issue I had was pzev gas tank issue , pump is not replaceable separately ive now got 89,000 miles bought at 29,000 im a Mercedes tech

Someone remind me, what years were the balance shaft issues?

06-07