E-class E350 cabriolet history issues

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Dolgoed

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Feb 1, 2021
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Location
mold
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E Class
I am looking to purchase a E-class E350 cabriolet 2015 to 2016, I have found a car at a MB dealer.
The only problem I have is when I researched the MOT history, it states Aug 2018 Pass 31,411 miles then the next MOT is Oct 2020 Pass but only an extra 280 miles in 2years!! I have spoke to the dealer who told me it was a MB car and it had sat in the compound await a software upgrade for 2years and all E350 required this upgrade!! Maybe that's why there is no 2019 MOT?

Opinions please.
 
How many customer E350s sat around for 2 years waiting for software?
Who are the previous registered owner(s)?
What does their sevice / maintenance history say.

It may all be genuine but I'd make them work for their sale. It's been sat outside in a compound for 2 years, it's February and pissing rain out there and its a cabriolet.
 
All that aside, the insides will need a damn good clean as it's going to have mould and other stuff in there I would suspect.
Then there's the flat spot tyres, electrics will be dead, oils will be meh.....

As above, make them work for it
 
In a compound for 2 years waiting for a software upgrade; maybe it is true but it is unlikely to be the only reason it was unused for that length of time - think about it - it does not make sense there must be more to it. It has obviously been sitting somewhere unused and that is not great especially if it has been sitting outside. This car has trouble written all over it; find a different one would be my advice.
 
I have spoke to the dealer who told me it was a MB car and it had sat in the compound await a software upgrade for 2years and all E350 required this upgrade!! Maybe that's why there is no 2019 MOT?

Opinions please.

In that case every `15 /`16 E350 that went through every main dealer would need to have this "upgrade" done , in which case every MD compound would be full of "waiting" cars , which i very much doubt.

FWIW , the smell of dealer b/s is worse than the mouldy smell of a soft top that has been left standing outside for a few years.

Dont think that the re-commissioning of the vehicle will be done to the exacting standards of a MB advert , the car will have the minimum amount of work required to get it sold , what happens after that will be a drama should it need any further work done by the supplying dealer.

They say it is an MB car so there will be only one owner , MB , seems strange that the have an older model on their "fleet". I you do go for it then get it to a recommended indy for a full health check and back to MB for the repair under their approved used car warranty should it need it.

Good luck , however you proceed.

K
 
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If this is an E350 petrol, then the 'software update' might be less sinister.

If it's an E350 CDI, then the software update means 'diesel gate' update, and you might find that economy is worse, it does very frequent DPF regens (and hence will need a new DPF at 35-50k miles instead of 100k+) and you might find it essentially is not able to get into the highest gear unless traveling above 75mph. Or not. Who knows. The mystery, lying and concealment around the diesel updates is concerning.

I've got an older E350 CDI and there is no chance I'm letting it near a dealer for an 'update'. My understanding is this is not restricted to Mercedes practice. I'm happy to be corrected on any points as what I have written is heresay.
 
There will be plenty of other cars without an ambiguous history, so keep looking.
 

That looks quite a nice rare car , does seem a bit strange that a main dealer has that amount of stock value sitting in a pound for two years waiting on an update ?

More homework required before i took the plunge. Can you get any more info on this "update" from other E350 petrol owners or from MB themselves ?

K
 
May have been the subject of a repossession/legal ownership dispute--- in all events stay clear
 
Last service was Arnold Clark Grangemouth in October 2020.

I'd steer clear, it has missed its 2019 service so does not have an up to date Service History.
 
It’s from an MB dealer (?) so will benefit from a Tier 1 years used warranty , the service history will be “brought up to date “ so it’s covered by Mobilio .
If brakes and tyres, have been changed and the vehicle has been test driven and the price is right I wouldn’t rule it out .
Have you a link to the car ?
 
The car has 0 previous owner's which sounds right but not been taxed since 2018 is the price £18,998
Its been for sale since November
 
It’s from an MB dealer (?) so will benefit from a Tier 1 years used warranty , the service history will be “brought up to date “ so it’s covered by Mobilio .
If brakes and tyres, have been changed and the vehicle has been test driven and the price is right I wouldn’t rule it out .
Have you a link to the car ?
It’s at Arnold Clark Grangemouth
 
Doing a further search on another site it states "vehicle is affected by the diesel emissions issue". Would the upgrade affect the MPG? what could be the expected MPG
Mix of journeys?
 
Doing a further search on another site it states "vehicle is affected by the diesel emissions issue". Would the upgrade affect the MPG? what could be the expected MPG
Mix of journeys?
Probably down to early to mid 30’s ?
 
I'm happy to be corrected, but that seems to be an unusual regn no. for a Merdedes-owned car; in my experience MB-owned cars are usually in the K* series.

It certainly won't have been simply sat awaiting an update for two years; it might require the diesel update which, being an MB dealer, they will insist on doing before sale; more likely they weren't going toupdate it until it's sold. You can easily account for 2020's lack of use, thousands of cars have been sat around for obvious reasons.

It seems to have a high mileage for a MB car and it won t have been 'a senior MB director's personal car, sir', more likely on lease for 3-years, still regd to MB (finance?) then awaiting sale since then, or forgotten about somewhere in the system.

It might still be a good car once all fluids, battery etc. changed.
 
Looks like £2k off at the moment!
 

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