Buying advice - E63 Estate - 5.5 biturbo. Early model 2011-2012

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

///ajd

Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2007
Messages
48
As title, any tips or advice gratefully received.

Or perhaps a pointer to the best UK forum to discuss, if this is not it?

Cheers
 
Nice car with a few on here owning them, myself included, though mine's the facelift.

Service history is important, ideally with MB, though I wouldn't discount a good independent specialist. Condition obviously, paying attention for signs of neglect like wheel damage or interior scuffs/scrapes. Make sure you get one with as many options as possible. These cars come pretty well specced to start with, though the more toys the better, especially for me. :)

Rear tyres wear pretty quickly and are not cheap, brakes are expensive to replace and the gearbox tends to be slow to change, though not excessively, but I'm probably nit-picking here.

An awesome car which is easily tuneable and is equally at home driving your Granny to the shops or blasting down an Autbahn.

Someone more eloquent will be along soon to assist with your search, though I'd like to say that mine is probably one of the best cars I've ever owned. :)
 
Hi Dave,

Thanks for the reply.

I actually am in a slight minority in preferring the looks of the pre-facelift (angled lights + the old stick up 3 pointed star which I've always liked), but would like to know what the diffierences were, and if they are significant.

In understand the 5.5 came in around 2011 - but without many other changes other than getting the better steering wheel?

The facelift from 2013? seems to get the rounded lights & central SEC type radiator badge - what else changed? Was COMAND much better? Still looks like a small 7" screen?

Did the transmission get improved at some stage? Is this always a conventional torque convertor job, or any dual clutch tech? Was the suspension changed? Really basic questions, what do the buttons do next to the transmission do?

I'm really looking at 20-30k mile cars, so assume there will have been little gone wrong at this stage. I assume the rusty naff water paint days are long gone?


Cheers


(I've had a C32 in the past, thought the interior was pretty low rent, also an SL500, thought that was pretty good inside and drove well with ABC. As you can probably tell from my questions I've totally lost track of Merc tech evolution in the last 10 years).
 
I have a pre-facelift BiTurbo saloon.

The facelift cars (other than the obvious cosmetics) received a minor power uplift, updated COMAND system and that's about it.

All models have the MCT Transmission, which uses a wet startup clutch in lieu of a torque converter, but is in other respects just like any other auto box.

As Dave said, go for the best spec you can find. Dynamic Multi-Contour ventilated seats are a magnificent addition, but some of the other options are nice too. The Driving Assistance Pack which includes Distronic Plus is fantastically relaxing on long motorway runs, for example. The Performance Pack Plus cars have 557bhp (same as the non-S facelift cars) and 800Nm torque (vs. 720Nm for the non-S facelift cars). They also get the LSD which is pretty much an essential on these cars unless you don't mind the traction control interfering with progress pretty much every time you pull away. The PPP cars have red brake calipers and composite front discs which are a significant cost to replace, so make sure they're in good nick. Non-PPP cars have silver calipers and somewhat cheaper discs.

When in Comfort mode on the transmission many - but not all - exhibit a minor vibration from the drivetrain under light throttle acceleration from low speed (think in terms of turning left into a minor road and gently accelerating). This is nothing to worry about.

All the engines are a bit clattery on startup, but if it's really clattery and thrashy then chances are it's an early one that needs a mod done on the secondary timing chain tensioners. Search the forum for the thread I started about M156 rattle on startup for details. I'm not sure whether this would be carried out FOC on a goodwill basis by MB for a car out of warranty, so it would be worthwhile checking.

Other than that, make sure all the toys work properly and that it drives well. Expect some gravel rash on the front underside of the sills, on the lower section of the front wings behind the front wheels and on the rear door / rear wing "haunches" in front of the rear wheels.

I've done 25k miles in mine in the two years I've owned it and it still makes me smile on every journey. I can honestly say it's one of the most accomplished cars I've ever owned, and the fact that it can go from luxurious mile-muncher to super-car performance just by prodding harder on the throttle pedal is surreal. They really are a special car, and something of a bargain to boot.
 
I also own a Bi-Turbo facelift saloon. They are brilliant cars indeed. I bought mine in the summer from a main dealer with an additional 2 years warrantee. Havent had any problems to date, but if anything does, it'll go under the warrantee.

My car is also a performace pack plus model and its immense!! Its alos got the amg drivers package, dynamic seats, amg diff lock, amg ride control and the lux pack. if the spec is right these are amazing cars.

As said above, never fails to put a smile on my face every time I start her up. Good luck with your search:thumb:
 
Thanks for the replies guys, I'm still thinking about it, so I have a feeling I might be about to do something about it.

What are the service intervals? If I look at a car with 20k or 40k on the clock - what stamps should I expect in the book - are these serviced on condition and how you drive rather than a fixed schedule?

Is there anything other than oil/coolant/plug/pads/discs to consider on the schedule - e.g. tranny fluid or rear diff etc.? I guess these would not need doing on a sub 50k car anyway.

Anyone near Newbury could help me look at one I've found?
 
Service interval is 12 months or 12,500 miles whichever is sooner.

Transmission fluid is changed at (from memory) 37k miles.

If it has a factory LSD then the diff oil is changed (again from memory) every other service.

Plugs are changed at 4 year intervals even if mileage is low as otherwise they risk seizing in the cylinder heads.

There is no service book, it's all electronic. If the car is at an MB Main Dealer ask then for a service history print-out. If not, but it's been serviced at an MB Main Dealer, then the owner should have the last service summary sheet which includes an access code. This can be used on the Mercedes-Benz Website "Owners" area to interrogate the service history.
 
Thank Phil, good tip on the service sheet.

I feel like I am totally out of touch with these cars - too long in a BMW LOL.
 
Just added a Wanted ad in the classifieds.

If anyone local to Bath can show me around one, that would be very helpful.
 
I'm in Sussex, if you happen to be around when I'm free you can have a look around mine. It's not an estate though.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom