Considering a 2007 R350
 

Hey Guys,

I need your help with my next MB purchase. My wife really likes the R350. I have had many MB diesels and currently have a 95 E300D.

I have been reading about the 3.5 engine and that there may be balancing shaft problem which causes the engine to misfire,vibrate and eventually stall while driving. I am hoping that you guys can help out here and tell me a bit more, like how often this problem may occur and which years. I called the MB customer Service and they were not able to tell me much.

Is it a big risk buying this car? or was the design changed at some point? Can I expect this engine to be reliable?

The that we are considering has 85K on it and it the engine were to fail it would put a big dent on my wallet.

Let me know what you guys have for information.

It is the Aztec of Mercedes.

I had a 2006 R350 4MATIC which was a nice highway car and had decent highway fuel mileage. The one thing I didn't like about the car was it was not easy to manuver in city traffic.

Ended up selling it as my Mercedes dealer service writer warned me that they were a money-pit as they got older. I am very close with my service writer who, I know, tends to look towards my best interests.

One of the quickest ways to spend $$$$$.

My M-I-Law fell in love with R class when shopping for Van in 2006.
She got lucky and It turned out reliable mostly but one of most unreliable out of MB stable they acquired over the years.
I have been infrequent visitor on R-class forum on benzworld and you will see 2 crowd. One who found it reliable and other who found it money pit.

If you are shopping for Van as family vehicle, go for odyssey. It is designed as family car and it's cargo space is fantastic which is must for large family.

Does anyone have experience with the balance shaft issue? Is Mercedes standing up to repairing the car?

Does anyone know it this would be likely to happen on this car?

There's plenty of other reasons not to buy an R class besides the balance shaft.

Best car MB has ever built in my opinion.

I am in the same situation as the OP. Wife fell in love with the R-Class. Not really a fan of the shape but other than that, I know nothing about the vehicle. tried to talk her into a E/S55, but she seems to be bent on the R. Anymore info out there?

If I were you I would tell her she is buying an "orphan" as the R-Class is no longer marketed/sold in the US. Most people do not want to buy vehicles that are phased out.

The Mercedes dealership that I do business with does not resell any of the R-Class vehicles that are traded in as, they can be very expensive to maintain. Every one is wholesaled out to other used car dealers. That should tell you something. In addition, when the service department warns you of this before you spend big bucks to maintain your future business, I listened and moved on to other Mercedes vehicles. I was very grateful of their honesty. Not many dealerships would tell you this when they could make money servicing something that is a "money-pit."

If money is "no object" to your wife, you may want to ask her if she wants the hassle of taking the vehicle in for repairs.

If none of this makes any sense to her, all I can say is she has been forewarned.

Avoid this car. Check the link.

Mercedes Benz named in class action over safety issues related to its M272 or M273 engines | Got a Class Action?