Buying review Mercedes Benz E class (W211) 2003-2009 Common Issues Engines Inspection

Buying review of the Mercedes Benz E class W211.

Sources:
2005 Mercedes-Benz W211 E220CDI POV 1.1
Chill Drive

2003 Mercedes Benz E320 Review and Test Drive by Bill Auto Europa Naples MercedesExpert com
Auto Europa Naples

Auto Europa Naples

[Twiggyay]

Honestly the most beautiful sedan ever made.

[stevewuertz]

I bought a 2005 E300CDI with 105, 000 miles on her about 3 years ago. Since then I've changed the oil, cleaned filters, replaced one tire and two lightbulbs. That is it! Its been a fantastic car and is my 4th MB diesel (W123, W124, W210, and now W211) . I get 37MPG on the highway and around 24 in town; not bad for a supremely comfortable car.

[jdbrown]

I own a 2009 E-350 Mercedes, no problems ever, 170, 000 miles. A Lot has to do with the maintenance and the driver, If you want your car to last treat them gentle like your lover and never neglect their needs.

[Visionery]

The last of the beautiful E-Class designs!

[jonanthony]

I own a 2003 E500 with 313000kms. I am its 3rd owner and the vehicle came to me with a comprehensive service history - I have performed a transmission flush and a general service and find no faults with this luxurious vehicle. Still one of the best looking cars on the road even after 21 years and more of a pleasure to drive than many of the new, plastic vehicles in my opinion. I hope to enjoy it for many more years to come and believe it to be one of Mercedes finest vehicles.

[haroldrull]

I got this E350 MB with 206, 000 miles. I was amazed everything was still functional, performs like a tank.

[donaldbryan]

2006 E350. Bought it in March 2016 from the original owner w/ 118K on the clock. First 2 yrs of ownership were expensive: replaced upper & lower control arms, driveshaft, motor mounts, trans mounts, all 4 brakes, and that majorly expensive manifold thing. MBZ reimbursed me for the p&l SBC replacement. All that aside (big aside) I do love this car - lots of fun to drive. People don’t expect it to have the power & handling it does.

[krisbaranowski]

I have W 211 E200 petrol compressor 184bhp.194000km.Just was change full timen chain kit and sparkplugs +batery after 12 years since new.Is not speed demon but give me more space, comfort and good audio system.No problem at all with this car.Enjoy every day to use this car.Avantgarde version.

[misterpeppercorn]

I still drive my 2005 e320 6 cylinder. It's been very reliable though repair costs are high. It's the normal little things that wear out over time but the motor and transmission are solid. I take very well care of it and never miss the recommended service. I have 240k miles on it. I only drive it locally and rarely take on the freeway. I love my e320 and have no intention to purchase a new car.

[Siddharth_shivshankar]

Firstly you have done a great job by putting this on YouTube. Whenever I see a W211 or A W212 I remember my father because he was an Automobile Engineer, my father went to Germany to build his career. (Although we are from India my father used to tell me that Germany is a holy place for car Brands like BMW, MB, VW and Porsche). Finally he came back to India after he became 65yrs old. He bought his 211 with him it had 3.2 or 3.0 V6. He taught me hove to deal with small niggles, finally i graduated as an Automobile Engineer also, we both started to re-work the car we changed the suspension, replaced the 7G-tronic with a 9G-tronic, replaced the AC Compressor, and finally replaced the old ECU with a special ECU made by BOSCH. Recently I got it painted the car with new colour and also the headlamps with Xenon ones. Even today it drives like a GEM and runs like a proper Mercedes, My son recently bought a E320D 2022 version. But i feel the W211 is more closer to my heart.

[___OmerAJ___]

I wish I could buy one of those one day.

[IceMan-ildx]

What a great review. First class - from a car review journalist, well done!!

[Michael.Chapman]

The CLS is beautiful at first glance—the W211 is beautiful to live with. For 10 years I’ve owned an early build E350 with the ‘problem’ M272 engine issues and SBC. I love the car, always a pleasure to drive—though you must be prepared to spend moderately every year on maintenance and essential to use a very experienced MB mechanical shop.

[arxidi]

my father has the 2009 e220 cdi and it has over a million km while it was also drown in water under a bridge and half the car was under the water for 5 hours even after that the engine turned on and it still works perfectly. In my opinion its the most reliable car ever built by any manufacturer and the service is not so expensive the only thing thats expensive is the fuel because the car is kinda old. I will keep this car's legacy alive and i know it will never dissapoint me

[Njesh]

I have a 2004 e class avantgard, never give me a problem sinc i buy it an have 190.000 km its like a new end tank car. Very relaxin end adorable

[sergiofreitas]

2005 E320 With the 4cylinder and a 5 speed auto. Car was previously used as a taxi, has almost 350000km on it, but it still runs strong. Bought at 275000, only major things that needed replacement apart from normal things like brakes, oil and tires were the AC compressor which gave out last year, a new battery a few years ago, and one time had to go to the dealership, it had some fault with the turbo, although it was less than 1000€ to fix.

I don't know if it's just a case of winning the lottery on this one, but unreliable this definitely isn't, it's also comfortable, no rattles, everything feels quality. One thing to look out for is the soft-touch plastic near the headlight knob, that likes to turn to a gooey and melty mess after some years.

[davidboon]

Have a 2007 E320CDI Sport with Brabus chip. 42mpg on run at high cruising speed !!
Top Speed off the clock. 50, 000 miles on the clock ! !
It was a demo with 2k on the clock
This car is Magic Driver & I will never sell it !!

[Michael.Chapman]

I really enjoy my E350 AvantGarde 2005 W211 -- a first gen. E350 with the engine balance shaft issues, also found on the early E500 (which my car shows no sign of to date)... Owned it now for over four years, bought it with 80, 000 km and now just reaching 100, 000 km. I make sure it's oil-changed every 6 months using appropriate synthetic oil, an MB original filter, and that the transmission oil is changed every couple of years. Very occasionally the 7-speed auto can become abrupt on downshift into first or second (less obvious in 'comfort' mode)--this is fixed by an easy electronic transmission reset which you can do yourself in several minutes. Every two years I have the brake fluid flushed and have experienced no probs with the first-ever drive by wire electro-hydraulic brake system... The most 'expensive' repair has been replacement of a certain front-end upward? facing suspension ball joint and link (replaced both sides to avoid future issues), indicated by obvious squeakiness... A pleasing Benz so far and am hoping it matches the 28 year life-span of my previous W124 300E… PS: other probs since posting this comment: 7-GTronic transmission problem of slipping and restriction to second or third gear—like transmission ‘limp home’ mode. Stopping, switching ignition off then back on, ‘fixed’ the issue, but it became more frequent and showed transmission speed sensor errors. Transmission now operates like new, after conductor plate removal, reconditioning and replacement. Reconditioning the original plate can be better than replacement as no reflashing of software code is needed, minimizing potential complications. The job cost about $2000Au. Other work in last 4 years has been intake manifold replacement $1700Au (tumble flap failure), thermostat replaced after it locked open, replacement of the catalytic converters $1000Au, replacement of perished front windscreen lower rubber $850Au.

[nicka]

The W211 is an excellent german luxury sedan for someone looking for something $13k or less with plenty of luxury. I have a 2006 E500 and its wonderful. Reliable, ride quality is superb, and the 5 liter M113 pulls hard. I plan on taking it past the 200k mile mark

[Ray_Yang]

For the face lift models, Cam shaft, fuel pump, O2 sensors. A nice car overall.