I am considering purchasing a 2011 E550 at some point in the future.
When I last visited my mechanic he had a E350 (I don't know the year, but I think it was a W211 - possibly a W212) on the rack with the engine removed. He had the heads removed and the engine was completely covered with thick, nasty sludge. The owner of the vehicle told my mechanic that he used Mobile 1 and changed it regularly, which I cannot imagine is true with the amount of nasty sludge build-up present in his engine. I've torn down a GM 350 w/ 130K miles that had run most of it's life on Mobil 1 and it was incredibly clean. Be that as it may, my mechanic told me that the Balance Shaft gears were stripped, which is a common, very expensive problem with these engines, which requires the removal of the engine. I told him of my interest in purchasing a 2011 E550 and he said that the V8 has the same Balance Shaft problem.
My internet research has not confirmed this. It seems that the M272 engine had the Balance Shaft issue and the M273 engine has the worn Idler Gear problem, both of which are very expensive to repair.
So what is the real issue with the 2011 E550 M273 engine? If such an expensive issue is likely to crop up, I won't be getting one of these vehicles.
When I last visited my mechanic he had a E350 (I don't know the year, but I think it was a W211 - possibly a W212) on the rack with the engine removed. He had the heads removed and the engine was completely covered with thick, nasty sludge. The owner of the vehicle told my mechanic that he used Mobile 1 and changed it regularly, which I cannot imagine is true with the amount of nasty sludge build-up present in his engine. I've torn down a GM 350 w/ 130K miles that had run most of it's life on Mobil 1 and it was incredibly clean. Be that as it may, my mechanic told me that the Balance Shaft gears were stripped, which is a common, very expensive problem with these engines, which requires the removal of the engine. I told him of my interest in purchasing a 2011 E550 and he said that the V8 has the same Balance Shaft problem.
My internet research has not confirmed this. It seems that the M272 engine had the Balance Shaft issue and the M273 engine has the worn Idler Gear problem, both of which are very expensive to repair.
So what is the real issue with the 2011 E550 M273 engine? If such an expensive issue is likely to crop up, I won't be getting one of these vehicles.