I Bought A Mercedes BITURBO V8 E550 4Matic! - Airmatic Suspension WORTH The COST? - W212 Review
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- Опубліковано 1 лип 2024
- Here are the three things I really like about my 2012 Mercedes E550 W212 with the BiTurbo M278 V8, 4Matic all wheel drive system(AWD), and the dreaded Airmatic suspension. Due to massive depreciation, this car is an outright bargain, and definitely something you should be looking at if you are wanting to get into a solid, reliable, German, Sport Luxury Sedan.
Cheap, reliable, versatile, and fun, this Mercedes does it all, and looks great while doing it! - Авто та транспорт
I missed a few features in the "little stuff it does for you section." One of my favorites is the automatic high beams, I can flip on the high beams and as soon as the car detects oncoming headlights it will dim them for me, as soon as the car goes by, the high beams come back on. Really cool until you get into a car that doesn't have the feature and end up brighting all the oncoming traffic!
One last one is the parallel parking assist. This feature was in it's infancy for Mercedes in 2012. Once you are below a certain speed it will start scanning for a parallel spot that is big enough for the car, once it finds a suitable parking space it will inform you, then offer to help you parallel park. It won't actually turn the wheel for you like the newer cars do, but it will guide you with on screen instructions. I have only used it a couple times, I wouldn't say it is incredibly useful, but it is neat to see the infancy of a feature like that.
Just the fact that it lets you know if the space would be big enough to parallel park alone would be helpful for my wife.
@@BlueL1n3 True. It really is a cool feature, it uses the front and rear parking sensors to do the scanning then tells you what to do on the main screen. The parking sensors are kinda cool in this car too. It has a little display on the dash that gives a visual clue to how close you are getting on either side, has the same display on the ceiling over the back seat so you can see it in the rear view mirror. Lots of cool little touches in this car.
I have these as well as they work great. Some of the strongest lights I have ever had
My 2010 e350 fully loaded has that! It’s almost fully loaded .. amg rims, panoramic, can close/open the trunk w/o leaving front seat 💺 also has factory rear headrest monitors ! How many fully loaded models do you think they made 2010-2012? I plan on getting e63 front bumper! I can’t believe they even had built in hard drive! There’s literally like 7-8 different ways to play music/movies 🇩🇪❤️💯
Hey buck, who manufactures the ecu upgrade you were talking about? dont want to get a dodgy one.
A tune on these is really crazy. +80-100hp and +150-190lbs of torque. For like $1500 it’s some of the least expensive for gain out there.
Any time you buy a used Benz it needs what I call the "Benz Special". Motor/transmission mounts, front lower control arms, harmonic balancer pulley, all fluids and new spark plugs along with MAF and TB cleaning. They run like brand new after that and you feel the difference especially when you swap out the mounts.
That is a good list. I am planning to work on the control arms soon. After 114k miles, I think they could use a refresh. I'm thinking the car should feel a bit tighter than it currently does.
@@bucksgarage Yeah changing out parts definitely makes a difference on these cars. It's weird, you can run a Toyota into the ground and for the most part they feel normal but the second one thing is out of order on a Benz, BMW or Audi the car definitely lets you know. It's like a cat, it let's you know what's on their mind.
@@IKhanNot Isn't that the truth. I have always thought that the German cars feel really good when everything on them is just right. It just isn't very often that everything is just right on them!
“I really appreciate depreciation” you need to get that on a shirt!
Great idea... will have to work on that!
Best line ever!
I bought a 2012 E550 Coupe in October, 2011, and I still have it. In the summer of 2012 I took it on a road trip from Ontario to Saskatchewan and back (5,406 km or 3,359 mi). I got 7.7 km/100km, which, converted from the incomprehensible to the sensible, is just over 30 miles per U.S. gallon. Power, luxury and economy in one fine package. That said, I've just ordered a Renntech ECU upgrade (ECU:54.207.E550BT) which purportedly yields 540HP and 705 lbs-ft of torque. Can't wait to see how that goes (pun intended).
Let us know how the tune works out!
@@bucksgarage Just installed it this morning. Holy s**t! In casual driving, there's little difference other than throttle tip-in and general feel seem to be even smoother than stock, surprisingly. But, wow, stab the accelerator and hang on! Pulls like the world's quickest freight train. As the old ad phrase goes: "Try it. You'll like it." Or in my case, love it. Renntech's claimed numbers, which I now believe completely, are:
Factory Claim Stock: 402HP and 443 ft-lbs
Actual Tested Stock: 435HP and 508 ft-lbs
Renntech's Upgrade: 540HP and 705 ft-lbs
Not inexpensive, but worth every penny and more!
I am one very happy camper. 😁👍
@@portaltwo Awesome! I need new motor mounts and need to address an oil leak. But once everything is back in good shape, the tune is next on my list!
@@portaltwo Just saw the Renntech is $2,500, what made you go with that over some of the cheaper tune options?
@@bucksgarage Reputation, primarily. Hartmut Feyhl was 12 years with AMG before starting this company and by all accounts Renntech still has a semi-official working relationship with both AMG and Mercedes-Benz. I read many reviews and testimonials and they are almost universally good. I can understand anyone on a tight budget balking at the premium price, but hey, these are premium vehicles. Personally, while price always matters of course, I'm willing (within reason) to pay extra for proven quality and reliability. Now that I've tried it myself, I can vouch for the results. As to whether the cost-benefit equation makes sense, that's up to each individual. I'll be interested to see what product you end up choosing and how it works out!
This video put a massive smile on my face. Hope to see more of your 550 in the future.
Thanks for watching!
The W212 is my favorite E Class! I had a 2012 E350 and loved it but when it hit 200k miles I bought a 2016 E350 (last year of production) with every option including Distronic (like yours) and steering assist. It’s the luxury model which I’m told is very rare for that year. Love yours!!!
I am a big W212 fan as well. Fits me better than the older E Class and something about the newer E seems to have lost the Mercedes classic look. W212 is a great combo of classic Mercedes look and awesome car. Your 2016 sounds nice! Step up to the 550 for your next one and you won’t regret it. Thanks for watching!
Nice W212, I also got S212 and I really like this car and for the first time not thinking about changing for something else.
Thanks I will stay tunned for the next one 😄
So glad I held out and waited until I found mine in the spec I wanted (non-airmatic , w/ HK7 and massage seat, and advanced lights) ....told myself I’d take either a 2012 or a 2013...and very happy the 13 dropped in my area first. Full color screen, and will actually charge your phone. :)
Sounds like a great spec! I would have liked one in white instead of this dark brown. Really wasn't crazy about the color at first, but it has definitely grown on me, and these E550's are hard to find!
Great review! I have the CLS 550. I will COMPLETELY AGREE the HP is WAY under rated. Most think the hefty torque is why you get that “try and grab the dollar off the dash” feeling but have read these have been on dyno with 420+ completely stock. With all the electronic stability disabled and in sport mode a brake and stop will shred the rear tires. My CLS is a bit rough even in comfort mode and will be putting some taller rubber on next time. Thanks again!
Sometimes I wish my car was RWD so I could burn a little rubber, but the 4Matic is really nice too so I'm okay with no burnouts. Big fan of the looks of the CLS, very nice cars!
Just subbed!!!! I've really begun to like this year E class.
Thanks for the sub! I like it a lot too. Nice mix of old school Mercedes grill and modern look.
Nice to meet you Buck, great content and will be paying attention as I got my same year E550 Coupe in next couple of weeks (it’s being shipped). Have you had any problems with the biturbo coolant tubes from engine to turbos leaking coolant?
Congrats on your E550 coupe, you will love it! Nope, no coolant leaks for me so far.
beautiful car. I'm a huge W class fan. owned two V8 e classes
Thank you, and thanks for watching!
I love the air-matic suspension. Nothing better for long drives and not tterribly expensive to fix if there is problems.
Definitely agree on the long drive comfort, reasonably sport for a big car too.
I love my airmatic on my 2014 ML550. It’s not a complicated system at all. The ABS system was complicated but Airmatic is awesome
Mine has been in good shape so far. One small issue with the compressor, but it was a free and easy fix.
My 2007 S550 has those light cornering features. But with the high beams, wait until you witness 2014 ILS+. I enabled it on my E63S (it's a LOT of coding work) and it seems like magic.
This E550 is a insane value. I wouldn’t be surprised the value goes up on these in near future. Beautiful ride!
You would be shocked at how cheap I got mine back in Feb of 2020. Last year in the used car market hike, it was worth close to double what I paid for it!
@@bucksgarage I remember seeing these for dirt cheap in 2020. I really regret not buying one. They are expensive and very hard to find now 😞
Just sold my C5 Corvette 3 days ago and picked up a 2011 E550 and love it so far. It's no Vette,but plenty of power plus WAY more comfort.
Hope you enjoy the new ride. I have never driven the NA V8 from that era of 550, but it is a tried and true motor.
Nice Mercedes indeed, I looked hard at these a couple of years ago after my Pontiac G8GT got smashed by a tree in a windstorm, just sold a 2010 BMW 335d that was fun car but a little small. I definitely am looking getting a E550 in the near future.
I came from a BMW 530i, really enjoying the switch to Mercedes, no regrets on the E550 so far!
The best video I seen about this car I’m going to get it yess sir
Still have mine and still love it every time I drive it. Been commuting in an EV lately so the E550 doesn't get daily duty anymore, but still great to drive when I get a chance!
@@bucksgarage I’m going to get it
Camshaft sensors are a good preventative replacement as well 🤙🏼
I will be working on those soon. Haven't seen any issues so far, but definitely don't want to cook my ECU either. Thanks for watching!
I’m going to have to upgrade to nice sweaters like this when I get mine, too.
I found this sweater in the emergency kit next to the spare tire.
@@bucksgarage lol that’s the perk of owning a Benz. Is it somewhat quick?
@@thebridge5483 Check out my other video on taking it to the drag strip. Went faster than I thought it would!
Nice channel. One thing to mention is that if your car gets past 130mph you are tuned. This car hits a hard speed limiter wall at 130mph. That said with just a tune, it will get to 180. I have ps4s Michelins, upgraded Brembo pads, and rotors. The stock Brembo calipers can take the speed, but the stock Zimmerman rotors can not. And for the love of god, do not get a tune. I have to slap myself to stop from going out there, and ripping on this thing. I need some professional help with this addiction.
Good to know on the speed limiter, I would have thought it would be limited at 155. Think I hit 127mph on the test drive, but that’s been about it so far. I’ll have to look into those Brembos when the time comes for brakes. I went and bought another Merc that is a touch faster than this one, makes me want to tune this even more...
Last months of 12 have springs instead of air suspension. 2012 e550 M278 with air suspension is unique.
Interesting, I knew the 2013's came with springs, but didn't know you could get a late 2012 with the springs as well.
Nice car mate, you got a few options i didn't get (adc + fancy seats) However its fairly similar to mine. Does your model have an LSD ?
The fancy seat is a nice addition. I don’t use the massage very often, but it is nice to have on a long drive. I don’t believe it has an LSD.
Did u do any key maintenance yet like turbo coolant lines and pigtails for cam sensors?
In the US, airmatic dc is standard equipment. Bear in mind that airmatic dc is not the same as airmatic (ads ii) is cheaper and tends to be more reliable. Congrats on the car! It is lovely and you got a hi spec car.
What does the DC stand for? Thanks, I am really enjoying the car. When I first saw it online I was casually interested, but once I saw how well it was specced out, I knew I wasn’t leaving the dealer without it!
DC stands for Dual Chamber.
Each chamber has different air pressure for comfort and sport.
Thank you
I have 2014 cls550 same platform luv the car
I bought a 2010 e550 sport. Rwd. I didn’t know about the air struts when I bought the car. And the front was on the ground on the passenger side the next morning. Started it up and it raised back up. I lucked out the previous owner had just recently replaced Borge rears. At first I was finding that each air strut was $1200 just for the part. And I knew I’d need to replace both. However after a little research I found them on rock auto for about $515 each. When I got them I found that the new ones they didn’t look like the old ones. Rock don’t have any customer service. So I contacted Aarnot the manufacturer and found out they were redesigned. I also found out they would give me $125 for my old ones each. So $395 a strut! The job only took me about an hour for both sides after watching a video.
I absolutely love this car! It looks just like yours and with some slight differences like the fog lights.
Glad you found a good deal on the Arnotts. How long have you been running them and are they holding up well? Reviews online seem mixed from really good to not lasting more than a few months. The price difference wasn't that great for my car so I decided to go OEM given the mixed reviews. Agree that this is a great car, still looks good a decade later and always fun to drive, thanks for watching!
@@ChrisHimself1357 Glad to hear you have good experience with Arnott. I did a lot of searching online and spoke to some local mechanics and the reviews were really mixed on Arnott. I didn't want to have constant issues even with the lifetime warranty. I figured if the OEM set lasted 100k, another 100k out of a second set of OEM would be worth it. Happy with them so far, probably going to tackle bushings and ball joints next. I think they could use a bit of a refresh after 114k miles.
2010 e550 here for 9 years and can never get the brakes right. Always seem warped or squeeking. On 3rd set in 85k miles.
@@jasonrabe1664 I’m at 131k no break issues.
@@bucksgarage so 8 months in no problems except one I made where I didn’t get new bolts with lock tight. Ended up ripping off the eye where one bolt was missing. Arnott still honored the warranty. Also when I first got them they told me they had just redesigned them to work better.
I have exactly the same car and the same color! (as you can see on my youtube-channel) but it is a diesel with 136 HP.. E 200 CDI, MJ 2010, 5-speed Automatic, Elegance version. It is very fuel efficient which is very important here in Europe, and it has low maintenance cost which also is important for me and for many of us here in europe who drives Mercedes.
I should believe Mercedes are more like an "normal daily drive" car here, most Mercedes here are basic A, C and E class with the small 180/200/220 diesel engines.
Mercedes is a very popular car, you really see a lot of them here in Sweden and all around europe.
E500, S class and so on are not so common.
Yeah Mercedes seems to be much more of a higher end only car around here. I wish we had more diesel options but they never have done much of that around here.
Yes they restrict their power , I had a cls550, ecu tuned it and it pushed 585 hp
Very good review. That steering wheel looks out of place though
Very nice car with this engine (M278).
I havd also one but in Facelift. Full option. In about 1 and 1/2 year i drove about 30'000 km (think 20'000 miles?) Without any problems so far 🤞my interieor is Full black leather with dark alcantara roof and the nice black wood on the cockpit. Hope this car raises on mount because its a rare car and the last 500 on E-Class
Wish my car had a full black interior with a better wood package. May have to add that to the list of things to do to it.
@@bucksgarage dark/ black interieor is simply the best looking and with the dark wood its the best looking for young peoples (only carbon would be nicer)
Just wanted to see how other people felt about this driving one daily. I actually have the exact ECU tune on my 2013 coupe model left from the previous owner. The tune is activated through sport mode and it’s an absolute demon with the tune. With spring suspension tho it will beat the hell out of you
when in comfort mode it goes to stock tune and in sport mode it goes into the performance tune, is that through the button used for airmatic suspension or a different button
Do you have a link to that ECU tune?
@@Califoryan if you look up renntech tune with your model and year you’ll find all of the options and the one I have is renntech.
Hey man great content. I make almost 2,000 a month. Is that enough to afford this type of Benz or the w211 e 550 or should I just stick with the v6 e350?
The V6 is definitely cheaper to maintain. If you can avoid the airmatic and 4matic that is going to make it cheaper to work on and maintain as well. The E550 with airmatic and 4matic is a great car, but parts are not cheap when it needs work.
I just picked up a 2013 E550 coupe, 100% awesome
Nice! Does yours have the Airmatic? I can see the benefit to the 2013's and the more simple suspension system. Great all around cars!
@@bucksgarage so the coupes don’t have it which is another reason I was happy to pick it up over a sedan. My dad got a 07’ S550 and within the first week he had to replace the air suspension
@@joshuamathew9220 it definitely has it’s pros and cons. I really like the versatility of it, but the repair cost does hurt.
@@bucksgarage Yup you can’t beat the comfort rides like a boat
Hey bro I'm picking up a 14 cls550 can you compare the two because I was offered a 16 e550 coupe
my NA w212 e550 from 2010 with 4matic and a tune is incredible. I cant bring myself to sell it because its value is so low and its FUN factor is so high. 75000kms and she still drives like it was when it was new.
Still a great looking car too! I like this older version better than the facelift W212.
How much hp you pushing with tune
@@davidj7998 maybe a little over 400... Still loads
How did you change the steering wheel? Where did you buy the steering wheel . your car is beautiful.
Check out my channel, I have an entire video on where to get the steering wheel and how to swap it out. Thanks for watching!
Ugh you making me second guess my 2013 e350 bluetec purchase 😂 i love it but you sold me on this
Haha, I test drove a 350 5-6 years ago, really enjoyed it. When the 550 came available, I knew I had to jump on it!
I just purchased a 2012 e550 coupe non airmatic and non 4matic. I can live without the 4matic but have been condireing converting it to airmatic. you mentioned a part that adjusts the ride height better could you post that part pleaser as well do you know of any software tune that further improves the handling, stiffens and lowers it for performance driving. my 2012 ml blutech handles decently but it could be better, i know its not a bmw but would like to improve it
You can buy a module that allows you to adjust the ride height, it runs around $500-600. I haven't done that, I just adjusted the sensors in the front because it wasn't sitting level when I bought it, it wound up sitting a bit lower overall and I am happy with it there.
You are going to need that tune to catch the Jag.
You might have to upgrade to the supercharged V8 XJ, not sure your XF can hang!
Which steering wheel is that? I’ve got the upgraded “wood trim” wheel on my e350 but would like something sportier
I have a full video on the steering wheel swap on the channel. Lots of different options for wheels available to swap, just depends on what you want and how much you want to spend. I had the wood wheel too, not a fan at all.
Good looking car is this the same engine in the cls550 ? I’m investing in one for my daily.
Depends on the year, the older CLS550 has a naturally aspirated V8, I believe they moved to this same M278 in 2011.
What type of steering wheel did you use for the car? I know it’s AMG but what model is the steering wheel
I'm not totally sure what model of Mercedes this wheel came out of, I believe it may be out of a C63 AMG of the current era. I just got it off the website in the description and added the aluminum paddles to it.
Can you please do a video on the AMG steering wheel and put the parts need to change it
I’ll see about getting one worked up. There are some good videos out there currently, but I did run into some problems that weren’t covered in the videos I found. I might do one a bit more in depth and try to cover some of that stuff. It really did a lot to change the feel of the car, really glad I did it.
what is your take on a 2012 e550 convertible I saw a 18k with 80000 miles on it with that much HP I'm thinking of getting rid of my mustang 5.0 and have this although I wouldn't like the depression on my car? what do I have look out for? BTW main reason I'm thinking about it is the air suspension I Love the comfort I . Thank you
I think you would be in really good shape with the 550 vert. It will be quite a bit more refined than a 5.0 Mustang. The 550 is plenty fast but it doesn't really feel like a muscle car. If you watch my drag race video you will see that it is somewhat limited in 1st gear due to the transmission tune, so it doesn't launch hard like a muscle car. But once it is moving it is damn quick. I would check out the air suspension thoroughly before you buy. I have a video on the air sus and it's repair costs as well. It is easy to work on, but the parts are really spendy. At 80k miles you are likely looking at some shock or airbag issues soon, mine had 94k and the shocks were blown. Factor in another $2-3k to replace all that when you negotiate a price.
Love this car. How do I obtain the AMG Steering wheel?
Check out the other videos on my channel, I have a video all about obtaining and installing the steering wheel.
steering wheel info please!! iv looked into but having the driver assistant option. makes it a bit confusing what parts to get and/or transferable.
Check out my other video on the steering wheel, I give a good bit of detail in there. If you have questions after watching that, hit me up. Thanks for watching!
Do you have links to the ECU flashing and the AirMatic module?
I haven't had to do any computer wizardry on the car yet. New air shocks fixed the suspension for me. I did have one issue with the compressor but that was due to a worn out corroded pigtail on the compressor. Otherwise it has been problem free so far.
Is that tune good for the trans or is there a tune for the transmission too ?
I haven't done much research on trans tunes for this car, it works pretty well in sport mode in my opinion, much better than the older 5 speed Mercedes used that definitely needs a trans tune.
A1 review
Thanks for watching!
E550 is a bullet Proof V8 ... Congratulations
Hoping that is the case!
M273 yes, M278 no
I will take biturbo V8 over non any day ...
I have the same car I have mine tuned by renntech but the only thing that sucks with the car tuned you have to change the spark plugs every 15,000 miles but it's worth it I wouldn't want the car with out the tune
Glad to hear the tune is worth the money. I am going to take the car to the drag strip and see what it does stock, then I’ll probably tune it. I’ll post up a video of the stock runs, might do a stock dyno run too.
What is the color of that car? It looks gorgeous
It’s called Cuprite Brown Metallic. Looks almost black at night, sometimes looks burgundy, but it is definitely brown. Can’t say I ever thought I would buy a brown Mercedes, but the color has really grown on me and it’s pretty unique.
Purchased a Black 2012 E550 ..... really interested in the ECU tume u recommended on this video! Which one is it? If u don't mind sharing?
Hi Byron, I haven't tuned mine just yet, still planning on doing so at some point, but I have some suspension issue to deal with first. Weistec has a good tune, and lots of people like the tunes Eurocharged does. RaceIQ can do a remote dyno tune which is likely the route I will want to go.
Ok....thank u sir for sharing! Having my suspension looked at as well.....seems to affect all models, hopefully not to bad. Worth the fix!
Where did you buy, that Steering Wheel ?
Can you help me please ?!
I just filmed a full video on the steering wheel this weekend and will post it later this week. Sub to the channel to get a notification when that comes out.
Which tune do you speak of at the 17:30 mark? Thanks
There are tons of options out there with varying prices. Weistec seems to be popular and is on the cheaper side, some like Renntech but they are really expensive. I have heard really good things about Eurocharged too. If I go down that road I think I will look into either Weistec, Eurocharged, or I might see if RaceIQ will do a live dyno tune on it for me.
i'm still figuring out things about ECU tunes. will an ECU tune ruin the engine over time? and will it also affect fuel economy? i had no idea an ECU tune could make AMG power. that's so cool.
There are of course lots of opinions about ECU tunes, and some tunes are better than others. But a turbo engine like this is pretty easy to tune some more power out of. I would be worried about a transmission suffering from more power long before I was worried about the engine, but the trans in this car is pretty stout so I am not worried about it at all. Some tunes do claim to deliver better fuel economy. But typically people have a hard time keeping their foot out of the extra power, so I don't think people usually see the better fuel mileage.
@@bucksgarage that was very helpful, thank you. You made a good point, I forgot the transmission has to take a bigger load. We have 3 E-Classes right now, a 2007, 2011, and 2014. We did scheduled transmission services and all have been problem free!
Because of your video I'm going to purchase find myself a 2013 E550! The drivetrain looks amazing plus I think the old body style is better. Thanks again.
@@russelalmanzor2039 If you watch my drag race video, the transmission computer won't give it much power in 1st gear, so even with a tune I don't think the transmission is going to take much abuse. Hope you find a nice E550! I agree there is something cool about the pre-facelift body style, bit more classic Mercedes look than the facelift version.
I'm looking at one that looks just like yours albeit black and only 70k, it's a shame the tunes are much more than JB4 and APR. with them they're about 5-600, car and driver rates 0-60 a full second faster than my 535xi was rated at stock, so I guess I can probably keep it stock for awhile. Probably will chop the muffler and resonator off after it's inspected.
Yeah the tunes are a bit pricey, but the gains seem to be worth the expense. Good luck with your purchase, hope you end up with the car!
@@bucksgarage thanks I’m hearing nothing back from that dealership, I got a cls550 on backup, I’m not gonna use the backseats anyway hence why the E550 was a backup for an S5, but someone got to that before me, unless their deal falls through in the next few days.
@@kookieless I sure like the looks of the CLS550. Haven’t had a chance to drive one yet. Hope you get into something cool!
Is it 4.7 or 4.6 L? There seems to be confusion regarding this
4.7 as far as I know.
W212 is still my favorite E-Class by far! Wish I never got rid of mine as finding a clean one with decent mileage is virtually impossible now! 😕
I agree, a bit more aggressive looking than the W211 and I like the styling better than the newer stuff too.
@@bucksgarage couldn't agree more! The newer cars are...nice, but the W212 (in my humble opinion) was the last stand alone E-Class! It doesn't look like a smaller S-Class or a bigger C-Class! Oh and I totally subscribed! 👍🏼
@@B0RRAC0 thanks for watching and subscribing. I appreciate it!
just picked up a w212 rwd e63 amg s with 16k miles and one owner , 2015 model. sadly :
a. front pads are low
b. rear tyres have 3mm tread left , down 1.5 since I bought it 2 weeks ago.
c. Ac compressor is punctured and a pain to replace
d. foot break gets stuck
e. it doesn't have dynamic seats. cheapskate previous owner optioned it poorly.
but otherwise its a lovely car. swapped it for a w211 e63
@@andyp8464 An E63 would be awesome. Hope your repair bills aren't too bad and you get to enjoy the car, congrats!
I have a 2012 E550 4Matic when I turn my wheel while reversing it scoots or makes a popping noise ? Is this the suspension parts or my front differential? Any help is appreciated it. My next stop is to change the differential
Fluid and potentially add anti slip fluid.
Hmmm I have not come across that issue with my 4Matic. The popping sounds like suspension, but if the tire is scooting then that does sound more like a diff issue.
Arnott does air suspension shit for these for a lot cheaper and it’s got a life time guarantee so if a bag pops you get a new one for free! Once I need to replace my bags I’m gonna go through them!!!
That is a decent option. However, all the reading and talking to people I did led me away from the Arnott option. Too many stories of blow shocks or bags with not many miles on them. Sure it is great to get a new part for free, but swapping struts every 1-3 years due to blown bags is not something I wanted to do, especially when it can leave you stranded on the side of the road. I figured if the OEM bags lasted over 100k miles, then a second set of them will last another 100k.
can you give us an update about your E550 ownership? has it been reliable, how easy is it to work with?
I still have the E550, just got done with a road trip in it yesterday. It was 123k miles on it now and I have not had to do any repairs to it other than the video I did on the air shocks. It does need some suspension bushings as it is clunking over some bumps now, so I will be buying parts for that and will put up a new video when I do the replacement on them. Other than that the car has been flawless so far.
@@bucksgarage We're missing you man! when you coming out with your next video?
@@Vegas3662 I have been seriously slacking lately. I am in a new location which has taken a lot of my free time. Hoping to get back on the car and UA-cam this winter. The 550 needs suspension work so I should have something on that soon.
Tune it!! 😂.Your gonna kick yourself in the ass for waiting so long!
I know! Unfortunately it needs motor mounts right now so it definitely doesn't need more power until I get that fixed.
Can you ell us more about this $150 part which allows you to adjust the ride height
They are essentially just fancy turnbuckles that replace the arms on the ride height sensors. You can make them longer or shorter which in turn raises or lowers the ride height by fooling the computer. Not the fanciest solution, but it does work after some adjustment. There are also modules that you can plug in to the OBD port that allow you to change the height electronically, but the cheapest I have found those is $550 or so. Much more convenient and adjustable on the fly, but a lot more expensive.
Thanks
Do you know if W212 e550 exhaust diameter is 2.5 or not…?
Not sure on that one, I haven't cracked into the exhaust yet. Thinking about doing it in the near future!
I have 2011 E550 sedan sport, do you know any place that can remove the speed governor?
Eurocharged can tune it but idk if they can remove the speed governor?
Pretty sure eurocharged can take care of that for you. Every tune option I have seen has had the option to remove the speed governor as well.
@@bucksgarage thank you very much for your fast response, pls share more about mods and things to do for the W212 brother… subscribed🤟
@@bduzgit should have some new E550 stuff soon. Thanks for the sub!
Did you ever end up tuning yours? I was looking at an E63 but now im looking at this model because it also offers awd compared to this model generation E63.
Still haven't tuned it yet, been thinking about it more and more. With the newer cars getting faster and faster I think this one might be ready for another 100hp or so.
@@bucksgarage Thanks for the update. Your point about cars getting faster is actually why I am in the market for this Mercedes. My 2004 SUV feels so slow now compared to all the turbo 4 cylinders in many cars on the road.
@@salsa83 I had the opportunity to drive one of the new C8 Corvettes this past weekend. The car was fast for sure, but what really shocked me was how fast the transmission was. Really made some of my older stuff feel pretty dang old.
@@bucksgarage I recently drove my friends 2008 ISF and its transmission felt like a dream compared to the old cars I drive. Im sure that C8 felt out of this world!
Is there any chance I can get springs as my suspension that I’ll put on as an after market part
If your car came with Airmatic it is very difficult to go to a regular spring setup. I didn't ever find a very good kit for it, and if you do it, your car will throw lots of error lights and warnings due to the missing airmatic. If you really don't want airmatic it is likely a better idea to sell the car and find one without it.
@@bucksgarage I want air matic I just don’t want the problems that come with it
@@arsxlxn1113 Definitely some risks involved, I find it worth it so far.
I'm debating picking up a 2011 e550 with 104000 on it. It's in pristine condition. They're asking 12k for it. I'm thinking if it's got decent service history, I'm gonna pull the trigger on it.
I've had my 2011 E550. Bought it 5 years ago with only 23k on the clock. Only at 63k now
@@cleanerdetailsllc8481 Nice. I ended up buying the one I mentioned and so far so good. Took me a minute to get use to the turn signal and I still occasionally end up hitting the cruise control lol
hey bro, what do you think of the e550 2010-2012 ? with the bigger non turbo v8? i cant quite afford smartly 20k$ cad for the 2012 and up , whats your opinion? are they still good? are they powerful? dont care about gas
I have a 2010 e550 4matic and it’s a great car but only problem is air suspension and you have to stay away from pot holes
I don’t have a lot of experience with the older E550, but I did test drive one before I bought this car. I think they are a great engine, but not really on par with this engine. I wasn’t terribly impressed with the test drive on the older NA 5.5. I’d hold out and keep looking/saving for a newer E550 if you can.
@@Rooftop923 bro lying for no reason
@@oscarb6268 what you don’t understand and again only problem I have on mine is fricken air suspension specially on front
Where can i find that $1,500 ECU tune? Do you know the name of it? I want to tune my 2012 E550 as well.
There are a lot of different places that offer tunes for them, comes down to who you are most comfortable with. Weistec is pretty well known and $1,500. Eurocharged has options as well. I think VRPSpeed has some tunes too.
@@bucksgarage Cool 😎 , thanks for the info.
Buck, I have been looking at buying one of these came across your videos on them, I am looking at a 2012 just like this one (lane change sensor is out) the other is a 2014 550. It is in fantastic shape yet is 15k more in asking price.
My question is when buying what should I be looking for specifically on these cars that would be a potential problem (air suspension? CV boots?) That would make you walk away.
Dan
Sorry for my ignorance, I'm a BMW guy looking like you at a switch over.
Hey Dan, thanks for checking out the channel. The only thing I have come across that people say to watch for is on the 2012's. 2012 was the first year for the M278 BiTurbo in this car and some of them had an issue where some of the sensors were letting oil leak in. If you had enough oil leak into the wiring harness it could get to the ECU and cook the ECU. From what I can tell it was a very rare problem and usually happened in the first 20-30k miles. Mercedes did update the sensors and they are easy to swap out. I will probably do mine soon even though my car has 114k on it and no issues so I don't think they will be a problem. The air suspension can be an issue depending on miles. If you watch my suspension video I go over costs to replace it. The parts are spendy but the work is really easy, can be a good negotiating point if you are buying one with suspension problems. Other than that, I have not heard of or had any serious issues. The engines are known to be reliable, I haven't heard of major issues with the 4Matic. So if it is in good shape and decently taken care of, I don't think you can go wrong. $15k does seem like a large premium to pay for going from 2012 to 2014 unless there is a huge difference in the mileage. For reference, I only spent $13k on mine, it had 94k miles, and did need suspension work. That was before all the COVID used car craziness, but hopefully that helps you out a bit.
@@bucksgarage thanks for the detailed reply. The 2012 is not as well taken care of, little rough around the edges, it's got 85k miles on it. Private sale.
The 2014 is a dealer (hence the 14k extra) yet it's in fantastic shape and 60k miles on it only.
Back to the 2012, You can do allot of work for 14k, yet I don't know the history of the car very well and I think the guy drive it hard.
There are allot of E350s for sale, yet not as many 550s. The 2014 is one really nice car. I just don't think I'm ready to drop 30k on a 14! I have watched all your videos about the E550s even the steering wheel one!
@@dannycameo859 Yikes, $30k is a lot for a 7 year old car. The used car market is all sorts of crazy these days. I have been casually looking for a C63 AMG, the prices on them are nuts right now. Good luck in your search, hope you find a 550 that is a good fit for you.
@@bucksgarage what is your opinion on the S series? I have found a couple for a somewhat reasonable price? An 2009 S450 and a 2012 S550, I have read these engines are strong. Is the S class much more to maintain than a E series? Again forgive my ignorance. I know from owning a 7 series bimmer to a 5 is allot different! Dan
Air suspension.....?uh oh. I'd personally would avoid it. Beautiful though. I had the V6 version. Great car. Wondering how reliable the 4.6 turbo would be.
Mine has been rock solid so far. Just passed 116k miles on it.
@@bucksgarage cool thanks. A bit hard to find but I'll keep my eyes open for one.
@@djdramatical got lucky and just stumbled across mine, not really looking for it. The test drive was enough to convince me to go for it, glad I did!
How bad is to replace the air suspension
Have you tried connecting and using an iPhone in this car to play music ? I have and it doesn’t work in mine until after 10 minutes of operation.
Yes I use my iPhone with the built in Bluetooth music streaming all the time. Works great in my car. I will be adding CarPlay to the OEM stereo here pretty soon. Will post a how to video when I get the install done.
I had that sorta issue for a while but it like fixed it self (thank god!) if woukd be staticeyyy/ or not play at all. It’s weird my girl has an android and her phone works 100% perfect
I always find that these cars are way more reliable than BMW. While not having the spin of a BMW and it doesn’t have the engine problems either.
@@johnbates606 I bought my luk brother a ‘14 535i Xdrive with only 35-40,000 miles &. To be honest it’s so much faster than the e350, day and night and it’s li me a 27 horsepower difference..I hate that merc didnt detune then fr the public, you and I both know they did de-tune the e350’s. The bmw is nice and hasn’t given us much drouble yet. It’s a dark gray 535, if you have some free time, you send me some wheels that would look good on it with correct offset? It drives me crazy cause I don’t understand it much. I don’t won’t then poking out heavy lol just aligned perfectly with fender/quarter pane w/o using spacers! Any particular brands/models of wheels you think that are thousands of dollars. I’ve only ever bought 1 set of aftermarket wheels for my anniversary ‘07 anniversary edition (only 07 had this trim/sporty look) RIP MY 1st car C2Thirty, I had some good quality 19x8.5 & 19x9.5 bbs lm reps, some people hated on them but when some drunk lady hit my car while it was parked bitch hit 3 cars and kept driving ... cops found the car a few streets away but not her.. the body shop that didn’t the work called me and said “the cheapest wheel we can find is 1350-1450.. I was confused for a second; all I said to the was “you know what, I’ll take the cash -and buy my own used wheel at some later time” and surely they gave me a check for close to 2,000 or more and I sold the rims for 900$ , I lost a little money. The wheels were reps but the center caps were genuine bbs... it paid off in the end, ended up putting that as down payment on a 2006 Gsxr600 😍 sorry to make the message long lol
@@MrHustleSwag the thing with BMW is that they are made out of aluminium. Great for weight. Not so good when crashed as you need to get new parts. What I don’t enjoy is all the recoding you have to do after an accident. Even a light needs recoding. I prefer Benz cos most of these things are easier to do. Yes I have had a BMW 535i active hybrid and I hated it because it wouldn’t stop (batteries add quite a lot of weight)
What kind of steering wheel is that
Check out my channel for a full video on the steering wheel install.
I that the same engine in the S550?
Yes I believe the S550 from 2011 or so had this same engine.
13 min : I find that mercedes how downgraded a bit in that option.
my 2003 S55 the headrests actually fold over. not just pop down.
I briefly had a 2000 S430, thought the pop down feature was pretty cool.
U have that palikkia song if u know
Currently in the process of fixing my airmatic and my wallet is crying. you got experience working on that?
also do a video on the steering wheel swap?
Yes I have replaced the front air bags and struts on the car. Will be doing a video this week on that and will be replacing the rear shocks as well. Should drop the video on Thursday if all goes to plan.
I’ll do a quick video on the steering wheel as well, probably in 2-3 weeks. Thanks for the sub!
@@bucksgarage Anytime! look forward to those vids. Can definitely use more insight on that airmatic suspension.
@@Azhang22 as far as the air components go, mine has been really good so far. It is the shocks that were all dead on mine after 100k miles. Unfortunately in the front that means you have to replace the bags anyway, the rear bags are holding on okay for now.
@@bucksgarage Rear just went down too recently if left in sports mode :( I checked for leaks all over but couldn't find anything but my search continues lol
@@Azhang22 Bummer! Hope you are able to figure it out and the fix isn’t too expensive.
Airmatic isn’t that bad. It was worse in the w211. It has become more reliable.
My air system has been pretty reliable so far. Unfortunately the front struts were blown when I bought the car and there is no way to replace the shocks without replacing the entire assembly. So even though my airbags were fine, I had to replace the whole thing. The work was easy, but the parts were silly expensive. Will be doing a video on the rear as soon as the parts show up.
"BMW hasnt come up with a VW...V8 that was worth anything" are you dropping easter eggs to other German cars we might see?
Adaptive cruise control amazing, does the E550's allow for stop-and-go traffic (ie bringing you to a complete stop and then starting up again when traffic starts moving) without touching the pedals? Not all of them do this, so I'm just wondering.
Haha sorry, just a "presenter" who can't seem to form a sentence. You should see some of the outtakes, gets pretty rough! The full stop and go is hit and miss with this car. It has done it for me, but I have also had it just beep and turn off. I have only tried it at stop lights, I need to try it in stop and go freeway traffic, but I try to avoid traffic like the plague!
@@bucksgarage lol, you really are doing a great job! I'm pretty sure I would be butchering every word or forget what I was talking about mid sentence like the whole time.
That sounds about how my Outback's works. I know some do the stop and go really well, Doug DeMeuro mentioned that one of his cars does it and I was kind of blown away, and I can see how that would be a game changer for driving in Southern California like he does. Maybe not so much for us living in Southern Idaho :) ...yet
@@BlueL1n3 Soon enough on the traffic around here I am afraid...
What a steal. Bought right before the pandemic used car madness?
Yep, Feb of 2020 before the prices went nuts. It had some suspension issues so the dealer wanted it gone, was a real nice deal.
What x pipe is that bro ima need
No exhaust mods so far, all stock for now.
@@bucksgarage i have no idea why UA-cam commented this on this video when I typed that out on another video. Anyways, sick car bro.
Unplug your oil pump pressure control solenoid. You're welcome.
I have a 2013 e550 and it does not get anywhere near that mileage! It gets maybe 17
That is pretty dang low. Do you drive it like you stole it? Even with my new 20" wheels I am still getting over 20 in town.
Fix any issues, I have e550 too and after serving it, it went up to a very good mileage 👍
It’s not 2003, what’s with the music?
Lol @ airmatic suspension part
Yea good luck finding one of these now 😂😂
You can change your NTG theme to the gray as in the NTG 4.5 version 2
How? Does it require a module or is it just a software update/change? The gray looks a bit nicer IMO.
Bucks Garage get into the engineering mode. Should be somewhere in hw settings > hu parmeter
@@Chris-rs3dj Awesome, thanks for the tip, will check it out!
@@bucksgarage ua-cam.com/video/TbnoRCE0AUk/v-deo.html
its in German, but pretty easy to follow.
@@neilhefty2999 Awesome, that looks much better, will give it a shot tonight! Might poke around in that menu and see if I can get the lane keep assist turned off too. It won't work with my new steering wheel (even though the wheel can do it) so I get a warning message every time I turn on the car. The main menu won't let me disable it because it thinks it is already broken.
I have the coupe and deleted the resonators what a difference.
Got any video of the sound? Thinking about some exhaust mods on mine to wake up the sound a bit. Almost thinking an electronic butterfly valve or something so I can have loud when I want it and quiet the rest of the time.
That car does not have 410 hp it has 402
It’s underrated. It really has like 430-435. People have dyno’d it stock and made 370 wheels.
In my opinion sport sedan is a joke! Sport coupe is the real thing
kardeşim seni TÜRKİYEDEN TAKİP EDİYORUM
The Engine M273 5500ccm with 387HP is all over💪💪💪. The M278 you can completely forget 🤮🤮🤮💩
german junk? lol. if it was junk ud never buy one
Airmatic suspension is like no other suspension , when it works . With proper maintenance it won't bite your wallet
What to look for when you buying one