Used Mercedes E-Class W212 Buyers guide (2009-2016) Avoid faults and common problems (CDI/CGI)

Mercedes E-Class W212 used car buyers guide and owners guide for E200, E220, E250, E300, E350, E400, E500, E550. Find out about the Mercedes E-Class W212 reliability and the common faults to look for and what to avoid. This guide covers both the CDI engines, the gas/petrol engines, and as is sometimes separately designated the CGI engines. No matter if you are looking for an SE, Avantgarde, Sport, or AMG Line model you'll find useful information in our guide. We do also mention the E63 but we will cover that vehicle in a separate guide.
If you have been thinking about whether you should buy a Mercedes E-Class W212 from 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, or 2016, or are curious about the facelift engine differences watch through our guide for the information you need. Avoid buying a broken Mercedes E-Class that becomes expensive to repair by finding out the common faults to look out for.
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Creators -
Miles Goodson
Legal and disclaimer - Any content not originally created by The Miles Driven remains the property of the original owner and is editorialised for media reporting. All content is used within the confines of media reporting/editorial use and is transformative in nature to inform others with new information and content about cars and vehicles. We use no more of the original content than necessary in alignment with U.S copyright law for fair use and U.K fair dealing. We accept no liability for the purchase of vehicles using our guide and suggest thorough due diligence by individual professional inspections before making a buying decision.
The Mercedes W212 E-Class was first released in 2009, our buyer's guide helps you to buy and own a Mercedes W212.

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[@fuffoon]

I quit smoking in April. My car is in the bodyshop for bumpers, rocker panels, and wheels, plus various touch-ups. That's my gift to myself for stopping a horribly expensive habit. My doctor actually recommended something expensive enough to make sure I stayed smoke free. I was unlikely to live to see 2024 without immediate action to quit.

[@Hashdollars]

Nice I have a friend who quit the habit and had a lot more money now and lower blood pressure etc better health overall. Stay off the smokes

[@tekha1977]

Well done and don’t go back to the smokes.

[@mytriton54]

Congratulations! Proud of you!

[@gettcouped]

Pre facelift w212 is one of my favorite looking cars! It’s such a shame how this generation of MB looked so good and the new ones look terrible.

[@themilesdriven]

Agreed 😁 Well cared for W212's still look prestigious to us, something about the understated styling that has aged so well

[@joedennehy386]

I've got a pre face lift 2013 e 350. Magnificent vehicle it's an avantgarde, so real leather. I've put 18 inch mercedes rims on it. Looks great. Love it

[@erikandrehoglund55]

I agree after w212 = terrible

[@fasttrackblastback8286]

I think both of these look good it's when they started curving the back end it just became a bigger C class but a smaller S class

[@cliftonjackson441]

I think the final refresh is the best

[@jasontroy4723]

I own a w212 e350 2010 . Had it for years and no issues the cars been reliable . It has 155059 klm on the clock . I perform an oil change and full inspection every 6000 klm . I love the quad head light assembly and along with the body lines witch the w211 / w210 were lacking .

[@SiddharthaKS1983]

I purchased an E-class 350D in 2008, the previous owners was a German mechanic. I had some coolant issues and serviced well to stock condition. after that I got it serviced every 6-months and there was a AC compressor which i got it replaced, apart from that, I used it as a daily commute and bringing foreign delegates but even today its running like proper Mercedes. Finally I bought the latest E-class which is way more advanced. I have kept the old one as a memory

[@mytriton54]

The facelift and pre-facelift wagons are just so beautiful! Wow!

[@absolutium]

There is an E400 with a turbo v6 3.0.. arguably the most balanced engine of the series but it seems to be available only in certain markets.

[@eomahony3134]

Very thorough, detailed and logical. Thanks a lot!

[@laithellabban]

Anything with the M276 or M278 is solid. Good video mate

[@nickjohnstone9939]

The pre facelift W212 looks like a proper Mercedes.

[@djocharablaikan8601]

Does look better, but these were the years when mercedes tried to keep up with volkswagen and bmw in terms of car sales numbers and qualit, did go down compared to previous models, interior of w212 doesnt feel as premium as the w211 one, there were issues with air suspension and in general suffered from mercedes policy to push out cars from production line faster, post facelift models did put bigger emphasis on quality and post facelift w212 has placed itself as one of the most reliable cars ever built. Its an exceptional car which had some of its early production flaws ironed out.

[@roelant4914]

Driving a 220 cdi Estate from 2011, for 4 years now. Bought it with 110k miles on the clock for E15k..without gurantee. Very happy ride! Soon after buying had the car running in limp mode for 2 months due to little plastic turbo valve problem. My local free garage could not solve it, and gave the car back without charging anything, the local Ford garage did it for a few 100 E! Replaced leaking air suspension bladders E170 from Amazon in the back myself. Changed brake disks all around myself, materials ca. E250. Had diesel filter error, took the thing out, soaked & cl;eaned. Engine check light came back soon. But the exhaust gas easily passes Euro 5 specs every year. So, no more dpf cleaning/replacement until really needed! 40k miles driven.... Happy camper& engine light on forever!

[@CCI-lv9hr]

Great video! Looking to get a pre-facelift at 120k miles. This video will be very helpful.

[@themilesdriven]

Great to hear and all the best looking for your next car 👍

[@kani729]

220 CDI from 2011 is literally immortal!

[@fortune300]

Own a 2014 E220CDI sold in Sweden. 170000km, one owner and good service history. Cracked plastic seat despite not very hot climate. Corosion on rear suspension but not severe.

[@fuffoon]

I like my 2012 wagon. Its not cheap to keep in top shape. 250 CDI. Purchased new, had subframe replaced on warranty last year, everything working properly.

[@themilesdriven]

Great to hear yours is still in top condition 😁

[@reubinthomas]

Why did you have to replace the sub frame? Was it accidental or rust? I'm planning to get a face-lift 250 cdi.

[@witsend008]

The best or nothing ! Used to be like that. Many years ago.

[@williamkennedy5492]

W212 My rear subframe failed due rust, a known fault on the Es and Cs Mercedes replaced it free of charge , however they managed to charge me £1200 for four road springs and rear brake lines, since they replaced these items the car sit nose down, and they tell me nothing to do with them ! Other problems are rusted rear brake disc covers again an expensive item to replace and i also had a blown manifold its made of plastic and is a common fault its a big job to replace, non merc garages will charge around £1000. I get silly messages and parking assist fails at times. I also own a 1990 R129 300 SL, the quality of the car is far better than the E class. My next move will be to the S class W222. A glutton for punishment me thinks ! Anyone can buy a used Mercedes running one is an entirely different matter and costly.

[@milank5749]

J have e 250 2011 avangarde with 320000. Automatic,wagon. Everything is great,j love it. Service B when needed and drive. Hello from Serbia

[@themilesdriven]

Great to hear that your Mercedes running smooth and that we have people watching in Serbia, all the best 😁

[@CosminDogaru997]

What is your average fuel economy?

[@milank5749]

@@CosminDogaru997 On high way 4,5,6,7 liters. In city 7,8. Sorry for my English, hello from Serbia

[@milank5749]

204 hp,500 nm

[@aktr9955]

Found a 2016 w212 e200 petrol engine automatic gear with 89k km. It's clean, and I wanted to see if there is any specific concern to consider.

[@Kacpa2]

How is M274 with a manual?(Facelift E200)?

[@parisaamirkhosravi5118]

How to fell down the back sits when you want buy a table

[@TiptronicSS]

I have the facelift and I love it a lot! What an epic car, 1 billion for a facelift?! 😅 But the rear subframe rust is annoying, it's supposedly under extended warranty for 20 years. But the dealers just won't change it unless it's broken or about to collapse. Mercedes is fully ignoring customers on that issue.

[@StudioMargalima]

How does a 2010-2012 European one, with around 2.5 or higher behave with a couple of adults, their luggage and driving in mountains with bad weather? I would assume not really too bad, because of the torque (the diesel ones especially i'd guess?)? I would like to know from both 4wd version and none 4wd. Anyone?

[@denalisiomontpellier4064]

I had both the 2013 e class 550 4 matic and the 2012 audi S6...I prefer the sport handling and superb comfort of the audi, it's substantially better than the benz...however that e class facelifting still appear solid inside and out after more than 10 years...way better than the pre-facelifting

[@themilesdriven]

Thanks for sharing your experience with these cars and competitors 👍

[@andykor8755]

I like to know if buying a 180,000 km millage car is a good buy?

[@GamestarsBulgaria]

Obviously it depends, but 180000km for this mercedes is basically nothing. I've personally seen a W212 350 in really good shape at 800000km

[@mohammedshaji9785]

6:24 6:27

[@ja-qf4sr]

Is a 120.000miles considered as high milage?

[@Steven-kc7id]

Yes

[@sutanharahap3574]

No..

[@seeum2098]

Hell yeah

[@sutanharahap3574]

@@seeum2098 not for 2011 mercedes benz...

[@bogdandrgn242]

Kinda i guess it depends on the model

[@julie-annquayle3877]

I have a 2013 E 350 with 55000 on the Clock,oil cooler appears to be leaking,has anyone else had this issue

[@zolikaseffer2065]

It is a very common problem with this car.

[@UhhhhhnooOOo00oO]

How about post face-lift and pre airbag modules becoming un-calibrated and all airbags then stop working. Expensive repair to have them recalibrate at the Mercedes service centers. Causes a well depreciated vehicle to be driven without working airbags. You would think Mercedes would fix that safety issue. They recalled some airbag related issues in some models. The coup and other models. Would a 7 year old Lexus' airbags stop working? No. (The pluralization of Lexus is Lexuses. This was possessive. ;) The car is unsafe and 1/8 the price of the car is required to recalibrate the airbag modules on their "official Mercedes certified weight machine.". Oooh, very expensive.

[@reubinthomas]

Can't you get it done at a specialist garage? Also, let not compare Toyota to Mercedes. Let's not forget WW2. You can put 4 bodies in the trunk of Mercedes. I bet that Toyota can't do that. Let me know if you wanna speak to the manager.

[@UhhhhhnooOOo00oO]

@reubinthomas Let's not forget WW2. The Japanese, the Italians and the Germans. Not to mention Henry Ford. ..that POS. All hands are dirty. You buy a Mercedes for reliability. It's also why I don't want to fix this at rhe dealership. I don't want to give them money. Although, they are in Alabama or whatever and employ many many many "Americans". The problem is, they have to be a certified Mercedes technician and have this 100s of thousands of dollar calibration machine. The real question is...Why do the airbags go? The I'll be screwing around under my front passemger seat. It's usually a module/wire that gets knocked loose. How many fancy Mercedes owners know how to fix their engines or root around under seats for wires? Answer is - Almost none.

[@fasttrackblastback8286]

I have a w169 and they recalled those for drivers airbag fault. Give it a couple more years for people to make serious claims and they will recall.

[@UhhhhhnooOOo00oO]

@fasttrackblastback8286 I know this. I'm still driving a W212 that requires 2000 dollars to recalibrate on their 200,000 dollar machine or whatever. They have faulty passenger seat modules and all airbags don't work, if one is faulty. How is that legal and not coveted by Mercedes? The car was about 5 years old when I bought it. Dealership screwed me. Said it was nothing on the test drive and broke the rear tailight and refused to pay, until I gave them photo evidence of it broken before buying. It's not like the thin UV protection lawsuit on their wood. Ahh..wood.

[@JohnAvantiBK]

Wow, MB for 80k 2013 made a decent car 😂😂😂

[@user-lm5uv6dn6b]

منحنيه للأمام زياده عن اللزوم وشكلها ليس جيدا"

[@napke8571]

I am a V70 D5 ( 2011) driver and very complient with my car. In the run for a nice S212 E350cdi but every vain in my body tells me: keep the Volvo you stupid idiot! And I think it might be wise. The V70 is the better car, especially in terms of motor power, weight, monthly cost etc. If you check the measurements the only benefit is that the booty cargo space of the E-class is bigger than the V70 but thats it. The inner measurements front space and width at the back seats, the V70 wins. Also the height of the loading platform/bumper is little bit higher than the Benz. The whole car is higher than the Benz and thus more practical. I always had the feeling and idea that the S212 was significantly bigger that the latest V70 generation, but that is simply not the case....Volvo did a damn pretty good job contesting cars like the E-class and BMW 5-series, cheaper to buy and less known issues on the 5-cilinder models. I swear to the 5-cilinder engines😊

[@StudioMargalima]

I would expect a 350 CDI have a higher motorpower especially in terms of torque? Yes, a V70 has about 400 nm, but still...?

[@phillipjknight]

Good lord is this an anti Mercedes review. 🤔