I'm surprised there hasn't been other contributions already.
We have 2 -05's here. Wagon and sedan. Don't know what you were told, but these are not maintenance free cars. I hope you knew that already and you can do some of the routine maintenance at least (brakes, filters, etc).
We have had to replace 2 compressors and 2 sets of air-shocks in the last 4 years, but both are over 100K miles. NO SBC or fuel tank issues yet. I NEVER buy cheap gas though. Air shock work is VERY expensive if done at the dealer. Find an indi who will do it when it needs to be done, or just bend over and pay. Symptoms, one side lower than the other after idle for a few days, that sort of thing. The wagon would drop to the floor and the compressor died bring it back up every time the car was used (I'm guessing). Compressor is DIY, but PIA. I can't do the shocks.
So we didn't spend more than $10K for either of these cars and both were bought from 2 different dealers w/ impeccable service records. Going in I knew it would cost something for repairs, but starting out cheaply (considering the new price of the car), the loans are very low - even gone now. So an occasional expensive repair is still less than months of car payments. If I lose one of these, I will go find another.

 

SBC is covered by a 25 year unlimited mileage warranty.
The fuel tank is covered by a 15 year unlimited mileage warranty. Fill it up to the top and sniff around for fuel smell. If you smell any take it to the dealer and have the tank replaced free of charge. I had my 04 wagon fuel tank replaced last year with just 3 months left on the warranty. $0.
The air suspension is expensive to replace but there are aftermarket options, both airbags and coil spring conversions. If your suspension isn't collapsed in the mornings it's fine. Enjoy the new ride.

I NEVER buy cheap gas though.

Why? Does throwing money away on expensive fuel make you feel better about driving an old Mercedes?

 

tits1 - Oh sorry - did I say EXPENSIVE gas?
Let me check, why - no I didn't.
Feel free to buy no-name gas from wherever you like. I don't pay your repair bills.
It was merely a suggestion that one should be selective regarding the quality of fuel.
Anyway, what do my feelings have to do with this topic? I didn't know you cared!

 

All gas in a given geographic area comes from the same refinery, regardless of the brand. What goes into the gas is strictly regulated by both the federal and state government. Buying anything other than the cheapest gas available is a waste of money.

 

The "air ride experience" is overrated. Factory coil springs offer the same ride quality with much better handling and reliability. Only thing you lose is the ability to move the car up and down. If you're going to pour money into the suspension, coil springs is the way to go.

W211 Mods and upgrades!

I'm curious to know what kind of modifications have people done to their W211. I'm taking the E55 out because you can find tones of stuff for that model. I assume that wheels, lowered suspension and lighting are the most common. It will be cool to have everyone list their mods and upgrades plus...

www.benzworld.org

 

Perhaps you are already aware of just how things work here. On the forum, bad news travels faster than good news or a good experience. Do not lose sleep over problems you have yet to experience. But there is certainly nothing wrong with being well informed, assembling a statistic of likely issues and perhaps learning to recognize them before they become critical. I believe your original post to represent this perspective.
Over the past nearly 40 years of driving these cars, I have treated most critical issues as they arise. The exception is the routine maintenance items that I can do myself or have attended to by the local garage when appropriate. For instance, I have had 3 wagons. Each required one of the front drive-shafts to be replaced. I do not know why, but that is hardly mentioned in this forum as a common problem of the wagon. I have had one fuel pump go bad (ML430), but no other fuel related issues in the 6 used E-class cars this family has gone through (W210, W211, valid for this discussion).
On the other hand, I have had idler pulleys, belt-tensioners and water pumps die. Crank position sensors and alternator regulators too. These are now all replaced around the 10 year / 100+K mile point. None of this should be an excuse to ditch the car, as none of them account for serious money in repairs, but they all will happen to you if you take it to 200K miles.
Having owned a couple with the 'air-ride' system, I find its difference from the conventional suspension noteworthy and pleasurable, but I'm old and perhaps less arrogantly critical than others. To call it 'overrated' is a personal opinion, perhaps held by one who does not own a car so equipped. Yes, there are alternatives to it, but you must first be able to account for the quality of workmanship of the installer who is willing to modify the car in a critical area. Yes, this system will eventually give you trouble, and first signs will likely show up (or down) in the winter if you live where it gets cold. Personally, I have chosen to have them repaired when they gave me issues, and the Arnott product has proven to be a viable OEM replacement. However, consider that I have been accused of throwing my money away on occasion, but mostly by people who do not drive a Mercedes, never mind these particular models.
Do replace the transmission fluid and filter soon. You do not know how the prior driver treated the car.
I hope you find this helpful.

 

Perhaps you are already aware of just how things work here. On the forum, bad news travels faster than good news or a good experience. Do not lose sleep over problems you have yet to experience. But there is certainly nothing wrong with being well informed, assembling a statistic of likely issues and perhaps learning to recognize them before they become critical. I believe your original post to represent this perspective.
Over the past nearly 40 years of driving these cars, I have treated most critical issues as they arise. The exception is the routine maintenance items that I can do myself or have attended to by the local garage when appropriate. For instance, I have had 3 wagons. Each required one of the front drive-shafts to be replaced. I do not know why, but that is hardly mentioned in this forum as a common problem of the wagon. I have had one fuel pump go bad (ML430), but no other fuel related issues in the 6 used E-class cars this family has gone through (W210, W211, valid for this discussion).
On the other hand, I have had idler pulleys, belt-tensioners and water pumps die. Crank position sensors and alternator regulators too. These are now all replaced around the 10 year / 100+K mile point. None of this should be an excuse to ditch the car, as none of them account for serious money in repairs, but they all will happen to you if you take it to 200K miles.
Having owned a couple with the 'air-ride' system, I find its difference from the conventional suspension noteworthy and pleasurable, but I'm old and perhaps less arrogantly critical than others. To call it 'overrated' is a personal opinion, perhaps held by one who does not own a car so equipped. Yes, there are alternatives to it, but you must first be able to account for the quality of workmanship of the installer who is willing to modify the car in a critical area. Yes, this system will eventually give you trouble, and first signs will likely show up (or down) in the winter if you live where it gets cold. Personally, I have chosen to have them repaired when they gave me issues, and the Arnott product has proven to be a viable OEM replacement. However, consider that I have been accused of throwing my money away on occasion, but mostly by people who do not drive a Mercedes, never mind these particular models.
Do replace the transmission fluid and filter soon. You do not know how the prior driver treated the car.
I hope you find this helpful.

Thank you for offering your perspectives. I’m data driven (carry over from 40 years in business) even in retirement and always try to plan ahead for budgeting purposes. I appreciate everyone’s input and it’s true that bad experiences with any product are more frequently shared publicly than positive experiences. I would be interested in hearing from anyone who had converted to Strutmasters or Arnotts and their experiences and costs.

 

This is a bit long, but worthwhile and relevant

I bought my 2006 E500 wagon roughly 6 years ago with 54k miles on it. Today it's at around 78K and it's just as great to drive as the day I bought it. In my first 5 years of ownership, I did 3 oil changes, 2 crank position sensors (one was DOA out the box) and a set of tires with an alignment. Living in the North East, and hitting many pot holes during winter, I also cracked all of the rims several times which resulted in slow leaks. Each rim required welding and re-finishing as a result. As for the air suspension, never any issues up front but to this day the rear will start to drop after a week of sitting, sooner in winter. But start the car and she picks right back up That's it. Even the battery is the same one that was in the car when I bought it; with a date code of 10/2012. All other maintenance items I deferred thinking that after 5 years I'd probably sell it (because that's about the time I'm done with a car)

Here we are in year 6 and I still like the car very much; enough to keep it a few years more. All the maintenance items that I had deferred have now been addressed. Plus several other issues that happened this year that was unexpected, but isn't uncommon. (i.e. motor mount, torn front axle boot, leaky valve cover gasket). Some work I've done myself, like changing out all the pulleys, trani filter and fluid, motor mount...and some I took to an indi shop because it was too much for me, i.e. torn axle boot (very messy)

All and all I really enjoy the wagon a lot. The M113 engine in our W211 car has been around for years and has a reliable track record. The E500 has tons of usable power and torque for beating around town, or long distance travels. I really wouldn't get too hung up on the cost of maintaining the car because it's so reliable; seldom breaking down anywhere. However, there are maintenance items that really should be addressed per the owners manual at the recommended intervals. When you defer things too long, that's when you start to get bad break downs like a crank pulley breaking lose and tearing up the front of the engine. I'd recommend you find a good indi Benz guy. Labor rates for Indi in NYC area are around $120/hour, dealer is closer to $200/hr. and try and tackle small jobs yourself. You;d be surprised what you can do yourself and the literal thousands you can save. Dealer quoted me $1200 for replacing the S-Belt, tensioners and all associated pullies. I paid $180 for a kit and did it myself; just sayin'.

best of luck

 

I just got my 2004 E500 W211K wagon back - converted to springs and shocks - new transfer case and BAM its super amazing - I hear I should change the camshaft position sensor?

 

They cam sensors are pretty darn reliable on the M113 engine.
The crank sensor is the much more common one.
Glad the car feels great.