Thinking of buying E250 with 130k - what are the likely issues?

[Redlion]

As per title, is this a really bad idea, or could I get a solid reliable car. Any tips on what to look out for. Thanks

 

[Tiim533]

Probably give the year of manufacture for better and more informed responses.....

 

[moog999]

Obviously a full and comprehensive service history would be nice but it could have another 200k miles left in it easy. Try to avoid what I do ie. just buy 1st the nice shiny thing you see, and buy on condition and with a sensible head on.

Make sure it's had the gearbox serviced at some point. If it hasn't then factor in getting it done asap (costs about £200). Even if it hasn't, as long as it's smooth and works fine it'll likely be sound.

If the seller will let you. Remove the engine cover and then start from cold - any "chuffing" sounds and an injector seal may have gone, also check for any, smell of diesel on 1st start, any puffs of smoke and any build up of gunk/fluid over tops of the injectors (google mercedes black death). Not the end of the world if caught early.

Be absolutely sure you are happy with the spec - if you want DAB and bluetooth audio streaming and it doesn't have it, retrofitting is a pain in the ****.

Check the discs and pads are well serviceable, adjust price down accordingly if not.

They are essentially very reliable cars on the whole though.

What age, spec, price is it?

 

[Deleted member 11979]

Petrol or diesel

 

[Deleted member 6183]

It's all about how the 130k miles were completed.

On a taxi bumping around the town or on empty motorways?

 

[markjay]

Petrol or diesel

If Petrol... is it the M271 engine with the 1.8L Kompressor engine? If so, then at that mileage factor-in timing gear change asap (~£1.5k).

 

[Redlion]

Apologies, I should have given more detail. Its a 2010 diesel. Claimed to be fsh but until I see it and check i really wont know whether it is a joke fsh or a proper fsh.
Thanks for the tips, it is a car that i will likely want to keep for a good few years but concerned about the potential for wallet emptying problems.

 

[RAJ55]

The 250cdi is the OM651 engine. Research timing chain issues, they seem to problem on higher mileage cars.

OM651 diesel engine

 

[Redlion]

Thanks for all your help.
Just read about the timing chain issues and that has put me right off, not to mention the EIS and ELS problems. Simply cannot understand how any manufacturer, not least MB (a supposedly quality manufacturer), can make such a schoolboy error in their design process. The cynic in me says this may be deliberate to generate cash for main dealers who i believe make more profit from their workshops than they do from selling new cars - hardly surprising considering the outrageous labour rates they charge. It wouldn't be so bad if they admitted the problem and offered a recall but to not do so is tantamount to fraud in my opinion. Maybe I'll just reluctantly stick to 'old bangers' as anything 'new' seems to be a massive financial liability one way or the other.

 

[MercedesDriver]

I'm currently on 95k miles with my 250CDI of same 2010 vintage (manual, without Start/Stop) and can report it as being very smooth during engine run and cold morning starts. I have only noticed that it runs even smoother on premium diesel (V-Power). Shop around, there are plenty on the market.

 

[Bluegnomes]

I agree that it depends on how the car is service, looked after and generally driven. My taxi guy has a 2011 S212 that’s on 240k and it is unbelievably good for the same engine / gearbox. He’s had very few problems and at his last service Merc dealership mechanic offered to buy it off him if he wanted to sell it.

 

[Redlion]

Having read the timing chain thread it is pretty clear that this is not a question of bad or inadequate servicing as there are multiple reports of this issue occurring on vehicles with full MB service history with as little as 60-70k miles. It may only be a small minority that are affected but from the point of view of a purchasing decision it makes it a complete lottery as to what you are buying as there may well be no evidence of a problem at time of purchase only for it to appear a couple months later. That may well be a risk some might be prepared to take but its enough to put me off. I remember when MB had a well earned reputation for solid robust engineering which translated into reliability and longevity for the customer but it would seem that, like many other manufacturers, they have decided to sink the ship for the sake of a halfpenny of tar - so to speak.

 

[Monkeylegend]

I had better sell mine straight away then, it's done 302k miles

 

[alanjm99]

Has anyone got to the bottom of the issue, was it a dodge batch of chains, or sprockets....?

 

[Benzowner]

As the 220 engine is very similar, is there also a timing chain issue with that engine?

 

[Monkeylegend]

As the 220 engine is very similar, is there also a timing chain issue with that engine?

See post 13

Timing chain issues are very rare on the 4 pot diesel, they are good for very high mileages if serviced correctly.

 

[grober]

The early OM651's definitely had problems with injectors and timing chains but Mercedes claim to have addressed these in later versions of these engines. While like most engines they are sensitive to being serviced regularly I suspect the issue may be rev related. These engines major on a nice torque curve thro-out the mid rev range and if driven that way they should last along time. Constant use of high engine revs to wring the last ounce of performance out of the car in the intermediate gears is likely shorten timing gear life. No way unfortunately to know how any 2nd hand car has been driven during its life.