Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedans

nedzel

My wife has a C240. I got a second set of wheels and put dedicated snow tires on them (not all season tires, but real snow tires). We change over in the spring and the fall. She hasn't had a problem here in the Boston area.

Certainly an E320 with snow tires will not be as good as an all-wheel drive car with snow tires. But it will probably be better than a front-wheel drive with all seasons.

microrepair

The year the E320 was manufactured will have a lot to do with it's ability to handle snow and ice. I had a '96 which only had a limited slip axle and it was pretty tricky trying to navigate on slippery roads; although I did much better than some SUV's I saw that were off the road! I now have a 2001 E320 which has traction control and electronic steering program along with the ABS and limited slip axle of my '96. Even without snow tires, the 2001 is markedly better than the 96 with snow tires. The 2001 with snow tires is nearly as good as any 4-wheel drive vehicle and probably better than a 4-wheel drive without the steering program. You have to drive it on snow and ice to believe it. It is incredible how it takes over control of the engine, brakes, and transmission to prevent sliding all over the road. Having said that, if a driver tries to break the laws of physics, by going into slippery corners at excessive speeds, he or she is going to go into the ditch, regardless of vehicle or drive system.

As for snow tires, I had a set of Nokians that were very good but noisy from the beginning and got worse as they wore down. However, they wore like iron; I got 6 seasons out of them! I now have Michelin Alpin and Pilot Alpin and they are also very good on snow & ice and are extremely quiet. They are as quiet as my summer tires. Snows on all four wheels is highly recommended so that the steering traction is balanced and so that the fronts can dig in when you are braking.

psmits

I find that my climate control does not correctly control the interior temperature. It is either too warm or too cold. It appears to me that this is due to incorrect fan speed control in the auto mode - usually too high - and if I manually reduce the speed the temperature is fine. Has anyone else experienced this and found a solution?

psmits

If you will have the full Command system, then you can purchase through MB a special adaptor for your iPod. This enables you to leave your iPod in the glove compartment, and control it via the buttons on your seering wheel. You will see the items in your instrument panel. I have this and highly recommend it although it is pricy.

nedzel

is spin control. I think it is perhaps a bit misleading to call it "electronic steering program", since it affects the brakes, not the steering. In fact, the MB web site calls it "Electronic Stability Program."

What it does is comparing the steering angle (where you want the car to go), with where the car is actually going (using accelerometers, I believe). This lets it determine whether the car is understeering or oversteering. It then uses differential braking to try to correct the path.

houstonmerc

I have a 2000 E320 and have always had this problem, so I usually just use the manual controls. My wife's A6 works fine for this; if you adjust the temparature a degree or 2 you can tell the difference right away, and the adjustment is mild and does not "overshoot the runway". On my E320, small adjustments do nothing, then if you move the temparature enough to get a response, it goes too far the other way. I have noticed other posts describing the exact same thing on this forum over the past several years.

edspider1

Anyone guess when MB might offer a rear camera like Lexus and Infinity? I'd like Bluetooth and XM, too. But that's not as important.

mark156

Warren, I have a 2000 E430 Sport and I don't really notice any problems with the thermostat. But, I might mention one suggestion. When it's winter, I turn off the compressor by using the "economy" mode and the heat works fine. If I get any condensation then I'll turn off "economy" and let the compressor do it's job. Mostly, I leave in on "economy".

A friend of mine who had a 1994 S500 (has a 2001 S500 now) had a problem with the car after driving his normal 2 hour drive on the weekends to his other home. It turned out that he had a couple of bad sensors. He wouldn't use the "economy" setting and the air condition would come on freezing the interior. Once the sensors were replaced, the problem went away.

Hope this helps. Mark

blissful

I think Bluetooth is coming in a year or so. Sirius sat radio is already an option (IMHO it is superior to XM anyway).

moose4

I have had my06 350 for 6 months and it has been in service 5 times. Has anyone else had this experience. I have driven Lexus for 7 yrs and have not had anywhere near this kind of aggravation. 2 electrical problems, srs, heater and seat controls. It seems that MB has not solved their quality problems. What a big disappointment this car has been. :mad:

garyh1

You might want to take a read through the other E-Class forum. Unfortunately, Mercedes' recent reliability problems are well-known. Supposedly, they are getting better - or at least MB wants everyone to believe they are.

E-Class Problems and Solutions

blissful

Just curious: Have these all been distinct problems, or connected in some way and not solved efficiently by your dealer?

moose4

they have been disticnt problems, however they have been solved by the dealer.

vwtom

How do you owners of the e class find the legroom in the e350? It seems a little sparse for a luxury family sedan.
I am 6'0" and my children are a couple of inches shorter.
Has this bothered anyone else?

garyh1

I had a '98 E320 that I have passed on to my wife because my business associates always complained about the back seat legroom being inadequate. Now I drive a Lexus LS and there is a lot more room in the back - rear seat passengers love it. But my wife loves the E320 for buzzing around in by herself.

steve3226

A short article in today's Wall St. Jrl. says that MB is revamping the E in the first half of this year. Does anyone have specific info about this?

blissful

I find the front legroom in the '06 E320 superb, as with most German cars. It is ALWAYS shy in any Japanese car I have sat in, front or rear. However, with the front seat all the way back in the 320 CDI, it is a bit tight for me to sit in the rear. My inseam is 38" however, so I think my particular geometry is much leggier than the average or even tall-average American. Usually, if our family is in my car, the seat behind me is reserved for the most "vertically challenged" individual and everything works out just fine. Besides, I just LOVE this car!

I had a 2000 Audi A6 wagon. Rear seat legroom was a little better in it than the CDI- mostly because of hte position of the kneewells in the back of the front seat. I think if I had the MBZ seat positioned up a little higher, then it would be better for the back seat person.

birdbird

Yes, I also read the article where the guy says that the E-class would be revamped in the first half of the year? He also reportedly says "2006 will be the year of the E-Class." Could they possibly have a revamped car out that quickly or is he talking about the marketing of it? Sounds like changes may be coming and it would be nice to know something about it! This article is on page D6 Tuesday, January 10, '06 edition of Wall Street Journal.

Also, does anybody knows what the reason for the recall was in the spring of '05? In the paper it indicates that 1.3 million cars were affected.

I've been trying to make a decision on which of the mid level luxury cars to lease and the answers to the above questions would be of interest right now! I am leaning towards to the E350 right now, but maybe I'd change my mind if the style is changing soon.

merc1

The E-Class will undergo the usual Mercedes-Benz, mid-cycle facelift for the 2007 model year. The E320 CDI will get the new Bluetec V6, replacing the old I6. The E500 will get the new 5.5L (382hp) V8 from the S550, therefore becoming the E550. More importantly the SBC (electro-brakes) will be dropped in favor of traditional brakes. The interior might see a few trim piece upgrades and some new features might be added from the new S-Class.

The recall from last year was for the SBC brakes, which are now being dropped.

Nothing has been officially given about the facelift yet, expect to see the info given right before the car in shown in March at the Geneva autoshow.

M

birdbird

Okay, that's informative for the E500, but what about the E350. Does it get a face lift? And does the face life include a change in the exterior appearance or style of the car?

birdbird

You mentioned some changes to brakes, etc. but what I am interested in knowing is if the appearance of the car will be different, specifically will the exterior styling of the E350 be different next year? Thanks.

merc1

Yes, the entire E-Class line will get a facelift. As far as the details, I'd say check out what they did for 2005 to the C-Class compared to 2004 or what they did to the CLK for 2006 compared to 2005. Just minor changes to trim, bumpers, lights, wheels that sort of thing. Now there are rumors that the E will get a more radical facelift because of all the new competition, but I'm not sure. There are some photos on various sites that say that the E will get the usual Benz blink-and-u-might-miss-it style facelift. The engines are a definite, no change for the E350 since the V6 was new for 2006 anyway.

I would say the biggest changes are going to be to the interior - just my guess. Whenever a new S-Class comes out some of its features start to trickle down to the other models eventually.

M

edspider1

I searched the whole forum and found really nothing about this option. Is the leather softer than the base? Does it perhaps look and smell like leather. The leather in the test drive I was almost like vinyl. I really like expresso and granite designo options. But is this option just a total waste when resale time comes?

I had air suspension on my Lexus LS and could not tell the difference between it and the regular suspension. Does the benz airmatic give a softer ride or is it most just to keep the car level in turns and lower at high speeds?

everettpa1

Yes, see this link. A slight, slight change to the headlights, grille, skirt, and tailights.

http://www.germancarfans.com/spyphotos.cfm/spyphotoid/6060116.002

everettpa1

Check out this link. This site is very reliable. The changes are slight and don't affect the lines at all. I have had my E350 for five months and I can tell you its simply a sheer joy to drive and look at. I still get a thrill at the end of each workday when I know its time drive the E home. MB has addressed their quality problems. Buy this car! The W211 is IMHO, one of the great car designs MB has ever done.
http://www.germancarfans.com/spyphotos.cfm/spyphotoid/6060116.002

nedzel

They're changing back to hydraulic operated brakes.

edspider1

I bought a 2006 Infinity M35x last June. I loved it for about 3 weeks. It has every technology the industry has to offer from adaptive cruise to a rear seat DVD player. It replaced my 2004 Lexus LS. I still have trouble putting my finger on why I so quickly grew to hate it. I suppose the performance tuned exhaust might have been the most notable.

A growing list of small things just started to fester. The heated and cooled seats did very little heating and cooling. The speech rec couldn't understand my "4" or "illinois" so I couldn't use speech for the bluetooth phone or the navigation. The car seemed louder than it should be 60mph. The mpg was a disappointing 16. (My big LS V8 got 19.) The radio presets had an awkward arrangement. I missed rain sensing wipers. The adaptive cruise was nice, but in 6 months I was only able to benefit from it once. The real rosewood looked cheap to me. The trunk was tiny and felt cheap. That buttons on the "ATM" style console would look cheaper and bigger with every passing day.

The M does have some advantages over the E. The backup camera is excellent. The navigation has a big high screen with a gorgeous bird-eye view. The bang for the buck is a lot better and I expect the M is more reliable.

But I'm looking forward to the quieter and more elegant E. I'm looking forward to real heated seats, burlwood, rain sensor and 7 speed tranny. I ordered all the options except the panaromic roof. I'll make do with parktronic and last generation navigation. Little things like the wood steering wheel, power trunk opener and full iPod integration hold more value to me than bluetooth or speech rec.

merc1

Very interesting switch. My guess would be that you really didn't want a sedan that wears "sport" on it sleeves like the Infiniti M does.

M

phils68

Are you sure you want to get a E350? After owning 2 MB products 2 years in a row, I am very disappointed at Mercedes.

Currently have a 04 E-320, bought it new and have nothing but recalls after recalls on the car. Eventhough it is under warranty but it is still a hassle to make time to bring the car in to the dealership.

I thought it is pretty ridiculous for a car that costs over 50K. Everytime when I hear someone says "nice car", I just reply "not really, it's just a over priced hunk of junk".

As of right now my E 320 only has 9000 miles on the odometer and it is a weekend car that has never been driven in the rain. This vehicle has really been pampered and during the last recall when I dropped it off at the dealership and told them that the vehicle pulls to the right, they say it's still under warranty and they will take care of it. To my surprise, they said the wheel alignment is under warranty but needed "camber plates" to set the alignment straight. Guess what? the parts costs $220. and the warranty does not cover it.

What an embarrassment!!! I also have an 03 Toyota Camry with almost 60,000 miles on the odometer. Zero recalls and zero problems on that car, and until now, did not even need a wheel alignment!

Believe you me, I will never buy another MB product ever again! As soon as I can get rid of this " over priced under engineered hunk of junk" I will go with Infiniti or Lexus. The Germans has a lot to learn from the Asian car makers if they want to stay ahead of the game and most importantly, stay in business...

tomotomo

Too bad that you dislike MB. For the record, I have owned or own 4 MB autos since 1994; C280, C320, E320 & E320 CDI. They have all been great autos with only minor problems. My wife and I looked and drove a Lexus but didn't care for it. I have had several Fords, General Motors, Mazdas & Toyotas and I prefer the MB to any of them. Purchasing and driving autos must be a personal preference; however, some seem to "bad mouth" that which they dislike!

r1_97

I'm somewhere between Spider and Tomato in that I've had 3 MBs and 2 Lexui. I like driving the MBs better (presently '01 E-320) but must admit that their reliability leaves something to be desired. No where near the problems Spider seems to have incurred. Yes, there is a lot of subjectivity in personal preference but at the same time, there's no doubt in my mind that MB has some serious quality problems and that Lexus makes a more reliable car.

microrepair

as some would have you think.. I'm on my second E320 (2001) and am only up to 67,000 so far but I put 140,000 on my 1996. Sure, around 115,000 I had to do the head gasket and a water pump and shocks on the 96, but how many cars do you own past 100,000 miles to start with, and golly gee, parts DO wear out on any car. The only problem that has been common to both cars has been the sway bar link bushings; I just got the 2001 back from the dealer a week ago with new links; thank you Starmark!

Asian cars aren't perfect. I also own a Toyota Matrix bought brand new for it's promise of excellent fuel mileage. On a 200 mile trip at highway speeds, the Matrix struggles to get 26 mpg while my 2001 E320 cruises silently and effortlessly and gets 28 mpg..! Go figure!! And the Matrix wears out tires like they were made of cotton candy. And I have already had to do the front brakes on the Matrix at 24,000 miles. At least I get 30,000 on the MB brakes.
However, I did own a 1988 MX-6 (Mazda) that was as near to a perfect car as I've ever owned. Suspension and road holding was outstanding, firm but supple ride, excellent fuel economy, the most comfortable drivers seat I've ever been in (10 way adjustments), remarkable power and pep for a 2.2 liter 4, excellent AC/heat/stereo w/bass woofer, and on and on. It's only weakness was the mufflers didn't last long. Otherwise a great car!

Re: the M35. I test drove a non-Sport version 4 months ago and was overwhelmed by the electronics but underwhelmed by the ride quality. Maybe it had too much pressure in the tires, but it rode harshly. And it was not a quiet car; exhaust noise and road noise were evident. It was not a car I could be comfortable with on long trips; it would be a very tiring ride.

But I still have my fingers crossed; I am hearing so much grief on niggling issues from other E-class owners, I'm already starting to think I may go with a different marque when my current E320 gets tired.. It will be tough though, to find another auto with the refined but rock solid ride and handling, the power, smoothness, quiet, etc. of my E..

microrepair

A friend just sent me an email saying that some auto guru is telling people NOT to use cruise control in the rain. They claim that if a tire should slip that the cruise control will attempt to accelerate the car to a much higher speed making it very dangerous.

Has anyone heard about this? Seems to me that if a tire should slip and spin faster, then the cruise control should do just the opposite; slow down... No?

edspider1

I was talking to my dealer. He tells me that for $900 they will install the motorola blue tooth car kit. Best Buy will do the same for about $400. The kit is about $200 so he wants $700 to install it. Well I guess I should not be suprised. But he also suggested holding off because MB is about to announce something about bluetooth and/or phone integration. He didn't know any details but thought they would appear during the Chicago auto show. Anybody know what MB might be thinking of offering?

neilclarke

Noticed a problem with my 01 E320 over the past month. It only happens under heavy acceleration. When you punch the throttle to speed up rapidly as if to pass, the car really bogs down and struggles to gain speed. The tach revs up but the car just doesn't go. This also happens from a standstill if the car is "punched" to accelerate. Doesn't happen if you ease into the throttle as the car will moderately gain speed if you only half throttle. Car runs fine as long as you don't have to really get on the gas. I took it to a local guy who sells & services Mercedes but they are not a dealer. Said it sounded like a mass air intake problem and he actually swapped a couple of these off some of the E320's on his lot and tried them in my car, but the problem still persisted. Then said it could be the O2 sensor but thought it was bad gas. Said to use a couple tanks of Shell's 93 octane to see if it clears up... But, I'm not buying the bad gas idea... Can understand maybe one tank of bad gas, but not bad gas for a couple months??? Anybody w/ E320's had a similar problem? If so, what was the culprit? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

acco20

have you checked the exhaust system?

neilclarke

No... Haven't checked the exhaust but I really wouldn't know what to check for. It has not thrown a code yet and it didn't show any stored codes or fault codes when the diagnostic was performed on it by an independent dealer that has the exact same computer as the MB dealerships. But something is obviously wrong. How would you check the exhaust? I was thinking it could be plugs/plug wires or maybe the O2 sensor... But it seems like if there was a problem with any of this, it would throw a code stating there is a problem.

blckislandguy

Sorry, no one seems to know much about Deisgno (except as I recall it is a 6K or so option). I wonder how many MB come through with it? It kind of reminds me of the "soft leather" option on some Porsches. For $800 over the usual leather they would provide "soft" leather that looked like a couple had spent prom night frolicing in your front seats. No thanks.

acco20

If any clogging exists in the exhaust system, it is possible the reaction would be somewhat as you are discribing......... Not noticable at slower speeds, but hesitation and lack of power at higher speeds or under heavy exceleration. Just a thought,,,hope it helps.

steve3226

I drive an '01 E-320 and do not experience that problem. If this dealer can't fix it, try another.

marsha7

system, what you are checking for is this...I have seen this on American cars, it is rare but does happen...

In some cars, maybe your Benz, the exhaust pipes may be multi-layers of steel, which may have quieting insulation between the layers...imagine that the inner layer collapses and now a 2 inch exhaust pipe now has a 0.5-1 inch opening, which will not allow the engine to breathe...

At low speed, no problem, does not need to breathe too much...but when you floor it, suddenly the engine is choking on too much back pressure...

If correct (a big if) then listening at idle or high revs will show nothing, as there is no load to choke the engine...in the past, it was only revealed when the exhaust system was removed, the pipe was revealed, and you could see the collapsed layer...drove technicians nuts, because if the systems were welded, pipes to muffler, there would be no reason to cut a pipe in half to look at it if it was welded to the muffler, just discard the entire assembly...

Only when the pipe was not welded to the muffler, could you look in the pipe and see the underlying problem...

Maybe computers are better now, but when this was discovered, the diagnostic computer had no idea what was wrong...

Good luck...

ram83a

My 1992 MB 300E 2.6 is 100,000 miles young. The engine starts with no problem. When the engine reaches optimal temperature (80 C) it misfires and stalls. It will not restart until the engines temperature significantly decreases. My MB dealer in Florida has replaced the speed controller and idle valve with no resolve of the situation. Do you have an answer to the problem?

shipo

The first thing that comes to my mind is, "Vacuum leak". As the engine is running rich while warming up, the extra richness could mask a nominal intake system leak, however, once the engine is warmed up and the mixture leaned accordingly, you may find that there just isn't enough fuel to keep your engine running.

Best Regards,
Shipo

ram83a

Shipo,

Thank you for the reply. The car is now in Vermont and I do not dare to take it out of the garage because of the continued problem and the fact that I can not find a Mercedes Benz mechanic in the area. Can you provide me with a starting point or tool(s) that I should purchase to assess the vacuum system for a possible leak?

Regards,
Richard

shipo

Hmmm, as I haven't played mechanic in many years (as in decades), and as such I don't know what the current method is for discovering vacuum leaks happens to be. Back in my day, one would plug the exhaust pipe (duct tape, would usually do the job), then feed a pressurized air source into the intake manifold and somehow secure that in place as well (more duct tape). With all of that in place, you take a spray bottle of soapy water and spray it all around on the outside between the start of the intake manifold/plenum and down to the cylinder head. If there is a leak in any area that is visable, you'll see bubbles being blown. If the leak is somewhere where you cannot see (or cannot get soapy water to), you might still be able to hear the leak.

I hope this helps.

Best Regards,
Shipo

esf

My wife has an '04 Lexus RX330, and she would prefer something more "sophisticated" next year.

We were thinking of the Audi Q7- I am a loyal Audi fan, and I'm not saying no to that until I see it at the Chicago Auto Show this week.

But, it would be a little odd if we had three Audis in the household, would it not? (I own an S4 Cabriolet, and for an extra car I have an A3 2.0T FronTrak) We also don't really need an SUV because of the A3's ample trunk.

So, I was thinking of going Mercedes-Benz for her.

The CLS is gorgeous, but it's overpriced and doesn't have enough space in the back for my 13 year old son. The E-Class may be the perfect balance of room, luxury, and performance for both my wife and I to drive comfortably.

Any engine suggestions? I hear that the E350 is good enough to brush the E500 off the list, but I'd like to make sure.

merc1

Would you E-Class buyers consider a E280 is Mercedes offered it here. BMW has the 525/530/550, but Mercedes only has the E350 and E500. The E280 has the same engine as the C280, a 3L V6 with 228hp, essentially more power than last year's E320, but with a less torque. Would you consider an E280 if it were priced at say 43-44K?

M

edspider1

Very good question. If the rated MPG were 2 better in the city, I'd do it. But since MB would most likely also lower the interior luxury/option mix, I would be forced to get the E350. I had to make sure I wouldn't miss any of the E500 extras before ordering the E350. I would have liked the air suspension, but that was about it.

edspider1

The V6 is plenty good enough. Get the E500 if the air suspension is worth $6K to you, but don't get it for the extra HP. What about the 4MATIC? I opt'd against it because it doesn't snow that much in Chicago and I didn't want to loose the 7 speed.

ray00edm

Now I had it for 8 months, below is what I thought:
1. Keyless entry. Worth the money. Save time. Open trunk without key. Provide freedom to hide the keys or wearing them around your neck.
2. Xeon headlights: Has more value in cool-looking, then praticle.
3. Dynamic seat: not worth it. Good for showing off.
4. Navigation: worth it.
5. Premium audio system: I found it sound much better then before. I guess It needs to be broken in.
6. Sunroof package. Worth the money.
7. Tire pressure monitor: Way worth the money! It warned my immediately after a punture.