W210 versus W211

[MBZE55]

Well ive had possesion of a W211 for a couple of months , and the annoying faults that appear on a weekly basis , makes ownership quite underwhelming. My W210 E55 , which i had for 3 years , had absolutely no issues , sailed through every MOT and apart from servicing and tyres was a reliable , trouble free car . But my W211 E55k , is totally opposite , recently replaced CD changer and door motor , nsr air bag accumulator repair , dynamic seat compressor , battery control module , keyless entry /door handle and now the offside door mirror indicator has now decided to give up(wiring harness repair required) all these faults have appeared in the space of a couple of months.
All the above faults are common to the W211 , and to be honest i am losing faith in the quality of the Mercedes product , and just waiting for the next issue with the car.
It may be 12 years old , but it has done 80,000 miles and has a full dealer history and reams of invoices , perhaps the legendary German manufacturers build quality is not what it used to be.
It was bought for a weekend car , and ive spent most weekends repairing the damn thing

 

[merc85]

has the w211 any rust? my s211 as been really good, faults ive had in 8k miles have been

Glove box door damper needed repair, and wiring harness in the nsf mirror, Glow plug relay.

Ive had other small issues related to normal wear n tear so dont count such things as torque arms and rear brakes.

Not one bit of Rust on mine anywhere and the mileage is at 87k with fsh

 

[AMGeed]

Shame to hear you have had so many problems in a short ownership period.

I can contrast your experience of a W211 E55 with almost fault free ownership in 2 years. Keyless door handle and heated seats need attention, but pretty minor compared to you.
Luck of the draw I guess.

 

[MBZE55]

Shame to hear you have had so many problems in a short ownership period.

I can contrast your experience of a W211 E55 with almost fault free ownership in 2 years. Keyless door handle and heated seats need attention, but pretty minor compared to you.
Luck of the draw I guess.

bought the car through a trader and was vey well priced , so i did expect a few issues , but most of the faults are relatively trivial and just annoying. Hopefully i will get a few trouble free months to enjoy the car, because it certainly brings a smile to your face , when you put your foot on the loud pedal.

 

[MBZE55]

has the w211 any rust? my s211 as been really good, faults ive had in 8k miles have been

Glove box door damper needed repair, and wiring harness in the nsf mirror, Glow plug relay.

Ive had other small issues related to normal wear n tear so dont count such things as torque arms and rear brakes.

Not one bit of Rust on mine anywhere and the mileage is at 87k with fsh

The rust issue is were the W211 scores over the W210 , my W211 has absolutely no rust at all , unlike my my old faithful W210 which had several trips to my local bodyshop to keep in a presentable condition

 

[E55BOF]

The 211 has much more sophisticated electronics than the 210, so much more to go wrong as well. I loved my E55, but the E55K is in a different league for performance, and worth every penny for it...

 

[kopkid]

I now have had my w211 e55 for 4 years now just had smog pump issue and new battery and everything thing else is spot on including keyless and rust ,, when I had my w210 e55 always rusty and always had gremlins, complete opposite to you

 

[Mrhanky]

Trouble is if you someone wants a trouble free weekend car, then perhaps a 12 year old W211 E55 isnt the best choice. As its bound to come up with little issues and to be fair your list of problems is fairly common.

Im sure once they have all been sorted, you will get to enjoy the car and truly appreciate how good it is.

 

[C36fan]

The w211 is different animal but I'll always love my 210 the stance and the old school look is priceless !

 

[Mrhanky]

The w211 is different animal but I'll always love my 210 the stance and the old school look is priceless !

Can you confirm if I used a bit of oak or cedar would the ride be harder?

 

[C36fan]

Can you confirm if I used a bit of oak or cedar would the ride be harder?

depends how hard you want to be knocked!

 

[Mrhanky]

depends how hard you want to be knocked!

Silly me posted that in the wrong thread...... More wine needed me thinks

 

[C36fan]

Can you confirm if I used a bit of oak or cedar would the ride be harder?

you might find it works better in a Sclass!