E250 - E300

[Lalaisgongon]

hmm i am thinking of getting a e250 or e300. either from PI or AD?

 

any tips and comments?

 

stuff that are pretty impt to me, keyless start and go. harman kardon sound system. Command GPS( secondary ) cruise control?

[Cerano]

I would sincerely get an E250.

 

the drive is much more engaging if you have an FI engine.

 

PI is good if you know a reliable car dealer.

 

Comand APS, I can vouch for it personally that it is better than Holux/Garmin in usability and accuracy. Definitely good stuff but I dont recommend you spec it as an option.

 

Retrofit it instead

[Lalaisgongon]

hmmm retrofit??

 

i was thinking if get from the PI it is still reasonable?

 

are you using the w212 command aps?

[Cerano]

hmmm retrofit??

 

i was thinking if get from the PI it is still reasonable?

 

are you using the w212 command aps?

 

Hi bro

 

I am using a retrofitted W204 Comand APS.

 

it is entirely the same as factory fitted. 100% OEM

 

As of now I am providing Mercedes Benz retrofit systems.

 

i can do anything from Designo leather to Bixenons to Comand APS for your W212.

even memory seats!

 

Kindly email me at [email protected] or sms me at 91525566 if you have any queries!

I will explain to you why you shouldnt get it as a factory option!

 

Cheers

Zacc

Edited August 10, 2010 by Cerano

[Toeknee_33]

I have been thinking about getting a used W212 E300 as a replacement for my current car.

 

Does anyone own one here and has any comments with regards to its driving attributes as well as its reliability?

 

Thanks in advance.

[serenade]

E300 has a smooth V6 engine. It is a good long distance cruiser. Around town as the torque is higher up the range, need to rev harder compared to the turbo E250. As a result, the FC is quite bad.

 

The FL W212 with 2.0 turbo/counter-balanced engine is much more economical and a better drive around town. 

 

But if I were to do frequent trips up north on NS highway, I will prefer the smoother engine of the E300. At long distance cruising,  the FC difference will not be much.

[Toeknee_33]

Thanks Serenade for the inputs. I agree with you on the more accesible torque of the turbo engines but I drove both the pre- and FL W212 E200/250 and I didnt like the feel of the engines. Mercs dont make the best 4-cyl engines around and I thought I should hang on to 6-cyl engines before they become dinosaurs in this world of downsizing.

 

How bad is the FC in typical SG driving conditions?

 

Anybody has comments on the reliability or any Achilles Heel that the car has? I know the engine is an old workhorse and should be ok, but the 7G-tronic GB?

 

Edited February 22, 2016 by Toeknee_33

[ER-3682]

The older 7G-tronic,not very lasting,i heard in some rough driving cases,the gearbox can only lasts 60,000km.

[Toeknee_33]

As I had planned (see above thread), I got myself a low mileage 2010 W212 E300. Have been driving it for about a month.

 

Just want to share my weird experience:

 

It was a hot afternoon yesterday at the office as I got into my oven hot W212 E300. To my horror, the car wouldn't start. The dash lights would come on at the 1st push, but nothing happens on the 2nd push. No cranking. Headlights wouldn't come on and the horn also won't sound. All classic symptoms of a flat battery.

 

I had an associate with me, and embarassingly, had to leave for lunch in his car instead. Upon returning to the office, getting ready to pull out my jump cables from the boot, I tried starting the car again. This time, the V6 roared into life without hesitation. I was like, wth?!?!

 

An hour later, I had to leave the office. The car started and I moved off, but the engine check light was on. It seemed to be in limp home mode as acceleration was limited. The car was also jerking. A few minutes later, the ESP malfunction warning light came on, and this time, the power was cut and I can only coast to the side of the road. Upon restarting, the ESP light went off and I can drive off again, but the light soon came back on again and I had to coast, stop and restart. This process repeated 3 more times, with the last time stranding me on the hard shoulder of PIE.

 

After that it continued in limp home mode from Changi to Orchard without further incident. After my work appointment, I drove to my workshop in AMK. Had hardly enough power to climb the slight inclines on the CTE. After plugging in, my mechanic found fault codes thats says "ESP malfunctioned due to undervoltage". After resetting the engine check light, everything was back to normal. I heaved a sigh of utter relief. To be safe, I asked for the battery terminals to be tightened.

 

So the sequence of events suggested that the battery went MIA for a while that made the car unable to start (later confirmed when I found my trip meter was reset), and also disrupted the electronics of the car that made the ESP and engine ECU go haywire.

 

So it seems that the W212 does not like the typical Singapore summer heat! Worrying.

[mersaylee]

Is there a car cam or aftermarket DRL on the car?

[Toeknee_33]

Is there a car cam or aftermarket DRL on the car?

 

The car has standard factory DRL. Other than that, nope, havent gotten around to installing any aftermarket electrical/electronic stuff yet; the only thing I have done so far is to only plugged in a USB charger into the cigarette lighter socket.

[mersaylee]

I usually unplug it when I disembark.

[serenade]

Did yo by any chance leave your car unlocked for an extended period?

 

The W212 when left unlocked is in ready drive to mode. Meaning all the sensors are active and draining the battery. 

[Toeknee_33]

Did yo by any chance leave your car unlocked for an extended period?

 

The W212 when left unlocked is in ready drive to mode. Meaning all the sensors are active and draining the battery.

Its a possibility that I left the car unlocked for the morning, but doesn't quite explain how the car could be restarted an hour later.

 

BTW thanks for the tip about the W212 ready-to-drive mode.

[ER-3682]

Did yo by any chance leave your car unlocked for an extended period?

 

The W212 when left unlocked is in ready drive to mode. Meaning all the sensors are active and draining the battery. 

Cannot be,my Friend leave in a Landed property,he NEVER lock his car,key leave inside the car,battery lasts 4 years++.I don't thing any Car Mfg will do a car like this....

[serenade]

Cannot be,my Friend leave in a Landed property,he NEVER lock his car,key leave inside the car,battery lasts 4 years++.I don't thing any Car Mfg will do a car like this....

 

It was a pre-FL W212 E300 of my sister which was left in landed property garage and unlocked when went away for a week plus. Came back, battery flat. Sent to C&C where the Service Advisor said that if leaving the car unattended for a length of time, lock the doors to conserve the battery. 

 

I tested out the theory on my FL W212 E250 by closing doors  without locking, and after locking. Once locked, the instrument binnacle went dark. When I did not lock, the binnacle stayed lighted for a long time till I lost patience waiting for it to switch off. I locked and left so I cannot tell whether the binnacle will switch itself off eventually.   

 

Don't know if any difference or not, the E300 does not have ECO mode and so is a single battery. While the E250 has a second battery in the boot. Either way, I now always lock car doors even when park inside for few hours.