Mercedes 2003-2006 E500 Reliability?

"Anon" (tjsielsistneb) 03/18/2014 at 21:38 • Filed to: None

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I've heard that the non-AMG V8 Mercedes E classes are very reliable. I'm really looking at one as a next car so if anyone knows anything about them it would be a big help!

Josh > Anon 03/18/2014 at 21:45

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My brother has an 2003 E500 as his daily driver, 170,000 miles on it. From what I understand air suspension can be a problem but I have heard engine and transmission are strong.

heliochrome85 > Anon 03/18/2014 at 22:27

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This is from the dark era of Mercedes-Benz. Id be weary of it. The 500s had air suspensions and abunch of complex systems that the 320s didnt have. Repairs will be pricey to say the least. That being said, Id vote a few years newer, and the 350. Its 9/10s the experience, with much better reliability.

Anon > heliochrome85 03/18/2014 at 22:38

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Are the C350s also good?

drunkenup4 > Anon 03/18/2014 at 22:41

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Three things off the top of my head-

Airmatic air suspension - air springs go bad eventually and need to be replaced, but very infrequently and Arnott makes cheap replacements that are warrantied. Wasn't an issue with my 2002 S430.

SBC Brake by wire system - various failures however if I remember it is warrantied for 10 years.. most of those expire this year and I don't know if they are any more reliable after fixed.

Fuel tank and fuel pump leaks - if you do a search you'll find that a overwhelming amount of owners are experiencing leaks.. a few severe enough they are getting disoriented from fumes while driving. Temporary solution for many is simply not to fill the tank all the way. You can blame the increasing concentration of ethanol in gas for that.

Other than that and a few electric gremlins, these cars are friggen bulletproof. I will say, though, for E500 money, you can also have the much more sport C55 AMG or the much more luxurious S500. Believe it or not the C55 and S500 suffer from less issues than the E-Classes too, no SBC on either, and no fuel leak issues on the S500.

heliochrome85 > Anon 03/18/2014 at 22:41

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Drivetrains and chassis are always mercedes strong suits. Issues with modern mercedes usually stem from complex computer systems and small trim bits. The previous gen C of which you are talking about should be avoided at all costs prior to 2005. 06-07 are solid. Just recognize the 07s got the 7AT which may be a sticking point for maintenance as it was a new tranny to MB,

Deputy Kovacs > Anon 03/18/2014 at 23:12

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Finally, something I'm an expert on!

I used to have an E500 4matic wagon. It had a lot of problems. It just went over 100,000 miles this weekend. It has been through many minor accidents, since it was driven by me (ages 16-18) and my brother (currently 17). If you live in a cold climate, the air suspension does not cope well when sitting overnight in cold weather. We went through consumables (brakes, tires) quite quickly, but I'm sure with careful driving those will last. It's absolutely awful in terms of fuel economy. Highway driving with a light foot is somewhere near 19-19.5, but whipping will give you a 12 mpg rating without a question.

But through everything, I love that damn car. I would never steer someone away from buying one if they had the time to keep it in good shape.

Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. > Anon 03/19/2014 at 05:25

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Why not up a little bit and get the 550?

If you got that one, we'll have same car! :D

Anon > Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. 03/19/2014 at 08:04

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I thought you drove a CLS 600?

Jobjoris > Anon 03/19/2014 at 09:43

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There was a major update in 2006. It really needed that update so try to get that one ('07 model year and beyond). V8's are not unreliable but a car has more technical (and costly) complexity than the engine alone these days.

Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. > Anon 03/19/2014 at 12:10

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No, i'm driving a CLS550.

Essentially a same car with E550 with the same era, only my car has lower roofline and less practicality.

Musabasjoo > heliochrome85 03/22/2014 at 12:24

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Leary?

Musabasjoo > Musabasjoo 03/22/2014 at 12:25

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Wary?