Car Model Guide/ Mercedes-Benz/ E-Class/ S211/ E 280 CDI
Mercedes-Benz·E-Class·S211 wagon

E 280 CDI OM642

The V6 diesel. Effortless and long-lived, with two known age items: the oil cooler seals beneath the intake, and the swirl-flap linkage.

Overview

The E 280 CDI is the OM642 diesel version of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class wagon (S211), sold 2005–2009 with 190 PS and auto_7g. Demands diligence at level 3. The V6 is long-lived, and its two documented items are the oil-cooler seal leak and the intake-port actuator, both labour-heavy rather than fatal. 16 failure modes are recorded against its engine, gearbox, chassis and shared components, one of which is a walk-away item without documented proof. Prices on this page are illustrative placeholders rather than a sourced market sample. See the methodology for how the bands are derived.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class wagon (S211)

Mercedes-Benz E-Class wagon (S211) · photo Mercedes-Benz E 220 CDI T-Modell (S211, 2008) (53046907823) by Charles from Port Chester, New York · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Power190 PS
Torque440 Nm
Years2005–2009
Fueldiesel
DriveRWD / 4MATIC
EnginesOM642
Biggest risks

Ranked by probability × repair cost. 16 recorded in total.

40Fragile
  1. Sensotronic brake unit failure (pre-facelift)€1,200–€2,500partly checkablewalk away
  2. Corrosion at the arches, boot and tailgate€300–€2,500checkable
  3. Oil cooler seal leak€900–€1,600checkable

Risk level −22 · Walk-away failures −12 · Likely spend vs price −26 · all issues →

System by system9 systems reviewed · 1 with no recurring fault reported
Engine⚠ attentionOil cooler seal leak, €900–€1,600.
Fuel system✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.
Intake & airwatchIntake-port shut-off (swirl) actuator failure, €400–€900.
CoolingwatchCoolant expansion tank cracking, €120–€250.
Emissions⚠ attentionDPF clogging and forced regeneration, €250–€1,800.+1 more in this system
Transmissionwatch7G-Tronic conductor plate and 13-pin connector leak (722.9), €400–€900.+1 more in this system
ElectricswatchFootwell module (FRM) failure, €150–€700.+2 more in this system
Suspension & brakes⚠ attentionSensotronic brake unit failure (pre-facelift), €1,200–€2,500. Walk away without proof.+3 more in this system
Body & interior⚠ attentionCorrosion at the arches, boot and tailgate, €300–€2,500.+1 more in this system

Pre-facelift or facelift, this engine spans both

The same badge either side of the changeover. Bands are split at the facelift year from the generation record.

PhaseYearsLowAverageHighGood buyWhat differs
pre Pre-facelift2005€3,350€5,500€9,300€4,450The specification the car launched with.
LCI Facelift (LCI)2006–2009€3,650€6,000€10,150€4,850Sensotronic brake-by-wire dropped; Revised lights and interior; OM642 replaced the OM648 in the E 280 and E 320 CDI

Known issues, ranked by expected cost

Faults recorded against this engine, its components and its chassis, ranked by likelihood × repair cost. Costs are indicative ranges with a stated labour basis.

Sensotronic brake unit failure (pre-facelift)E-Class platform€1,200–€2,500
A red brake warning, a message telling you to stop, a much harder pedal, and in some cases the car limiting itself. The electro-hydraulic Sensotronic unit has a pump and accumulator with a counted service life, and once the counter expires the system demands replacement. Mercedes dropped the system at the 2006 facelift, so later cars aren't affected.
Check: Establish the build date first, since facelift cars don't have it. On an earlier car, have the SBC counter read on a diagnostic and treat a high count as a bill you're about to inherit.
Later parts: Conventional hydraulic brakes from the 2006 facelift
BrakescommonPartly detectablewalk away without proofevidence: manufacturer100–200k km
Corrosion at the arches, boot and tailgateE-Class platform€300–€2,500
Bubbling paint at the rear arches and around the boot lid or tailgate, and rust in the spare wheel well. This generation was built during Mercedes' worst period for corrosion protection, and cars in salted climates suffer. Later cars are better than early ones, but the body is worth more attention here than on a W212.
Check: Look along the rear arches and the boot or tailgate seams in good light, lift the boot floor, and check underneath for previous repair.
Body & corrosioncommonDetectable at viewingevidence: documented
Oil cooler seal leakOM642 3.0 V6 CDI€900–€1,600
Oil weeping down the back of the block, burning smell, oil in the valley beneath the intake. The oil cooler sits in the vee under the intake manifold and its seals harden with age. Access requires the intake off, so labour dominates the bill.
Check: Look down the back of the engine with a torch for wet oil and fresh cleaning. A suspiciously spotless engine bay on a 200,000 km V6 deserves a question.
EnginecommonDetectable at viewingevidence: documented150–280k km
DPF clogging and forced regenerationDPF€250–€1,800
Warning light, limp mode, oil level rising above the maximum mark from fuel dilution. The filter needs sustained hot running to regenerate. A car used for short urban trips never completes a regeneration cycle.
Check: Read the DPF soot load and the distance since the last regeneration on a scan tool, and check the engine oil level and smell it for diesel. Ask what the car was used for. A short-trip city diesel is the wrong car regardless of mileage.
EmissionscommonPartly detectableevidence: documented120–250k km
Front control arm bushing wearE9x chassis€300–€700
Knocking over bad surfaces, vague or wandering steering, uneven front tyre wear, steering shimmy under braking. The front lower arm bushings are a known wear item on this chassis and go well before the ball joints.
Check: Drive over a rough road at low speed with the windows down and listen. Check the inside edges of the front tyres for feathering.
SuspensionuniversalDetectable at viewingevidence: documented80–150k km
7G-Tronic conductor plate and 13-pin connector leak (722.9)Mercedes 7G-Tronic seven-speed automatic (722.9)€400–€900
Harsh, delayed or jerky shifts, holding a gear then banging the next in, and limp mode, often with speed-sensor or gear-ratio fault codes. The speed sensors in the conductor plate (mechatronic) fail, and/or the external 13-pin connector leaks fluid that wicks up the wiring into the control unit. Early units are the most affected.
Check: Test-drive through every gear cold and warm. Scan the transmission, and pull the external 13-pin plug to check for fluid on the pins.
TransmissioncommonPartly detectableevidence: documented120–220k km
Run-flat tyres and kerbed or cracked wheelsE9x chassis€150–€900
Harsh ride, vibration at speed, slow punctures. Stiff-sidewall run-flats transmit impacts straight into the rim, and these alloys crack rather than bend.
Check: Inspect the inner rim edge of every wheel for cracks and hairline splits, not just the face for kerbing. Budget for a set of conventional tyres; most owners switch and the ride improves markedly.
SuspensioncommonDetectable at viewingevidence: documented
Corrosion at the rear subframe and arch seamsE9x chassis€300–€2,000
Bubbling at the rear arch lip, scaling on subframe mounting points and rear suspension components. Age plus road salt. This generation isn't a notorious rotter, but nothing from 2005–2013 is immune in a salted market.
Check: Put it on a lift and look at the rear subframe mounting points and the arch lips from behind. Largely a non-issue on cars from southern Europe, a real one on northern and Baltic cars.
Body & corrosionoccasionalDetectable at viewingevidence: documented

Ranked by probability × repair cost, not by how loudly a failure is discussed. Inherited from the engine, gearbox, chassis and shared components, each written once. All 16 issues in full →

Pre-purchase inspection

The same issue records, reordered into the sequence you can actually check them in: cold start, static, drive, paperwork.

16 checks · saved in this browser ·

1Static checksEngine off, ideally on a lift.

2On the driveInclude low-speed manoeuvring, not just an open road.

3PaperworkOn these cars the folder is most of the value.

4OBD scanMandatory. A seller who refuses a scan has answered the question.

Mileage and servicing

What the odometer does and doesn't tell you here, plus the service items whose neglect causes the expensive failures above.

Mileage barely matters against condition. Look for oil weeping down the back of the engine, which is the oil-cooler seal telling you a labour-heavy job is due.

Service itemIntervalCost
Oil-cooler seals
Labour-heavy because the intake and turbo come off
if it weeps at the rear of the engine€700–1,300
Intake-port actuator
A known OM642 fault that trips limp mode
on a scan (P2015)€400–900
7G-Tronic fluid
Not a lifetime fill despite the label
roughly 80,000 km€300–500

What to pay

What this engine sells for, against the median of every engine in the chassis. All figures are illustrative placeholders. See the basis chips.

Enter an asking price to get a verdict against this variant's band: cheap, fair, good buy or overpriced.

United States vs Europe

1 EUR = 1.08 USD ·
🇪🇺 Europe · EUR€4,450band €3,350–€10,150
🇺🇸 United StatesNot soldE 280 CDI OM642 was never a US-market car
What that meansNo US band exists to compare. Any car you find there's a private import, parts and specialist knowledge are thinner, and the price says more about import cost than about the market.

US figures are the EU band converted at a stated rate. No US market differential is modelled: we hold no sourced US asking prices, and inventing one would be worse than saying so. What the comparison does show for real is availability. Most of this range was never sold in the US.

  • ModelMercedes-Benz E-Class E 280 CDI
  • ChassisS211
  • EngineOM642
  • Years2005–2009
  • MarketCentral EU
  • Windowrolling 12 months to 2026-07
€5k€7.5k€10kS211 median, all 4 engines €4,300Pre-faceliftPre-facelift: low €3,350, good buy €4,450, average €5,500, high €9,300€5,500€3,350€9,300€4,450Facelift (LCI)Facelift (LCI): low €3,650, good buy €4,850, average €6,000, high €10,150€6,000€3,650€10,150€4,850
Good buy at or under the marker · Median asking price · bar spans the 10th to 90th percentile · dashed line is the s211 median, all 4 engines

Good buy isn't the same as cheapest. Any car without documentation for sensotronic brake unit failure (pre-facelift) should be priced as if the repair is still owed. Full breakdown by facelift phase →

Buyer notes

Our judgement, kept separate from the records it's built on.

Our read, not a record
The OM642 V6 turned the W211 into the car it should always have been: smooth, torquey and quiet enough to make distance disappear. It's a durable engine, and its two known faults are about access rather than fragility. The oil-cooler seals sit in the engine valley and weep with age, and the intake-port actuator can fail and drop the car into limp mode. Neither ends the engine, but both mean the intake and turbo come off, so factor the labour in. A facelift car with those addressed is excellent.

Everything above this line comes from the issue and specification records. This paragraph is our judgement on top of them. See how we reach it.

Full specification

Manufacturer figures for this engine and body, as recorded in the variant and engine data.

Engine codeOM642 3.0 V6 CDI
ConfigurationV6, turbocharged · 2987 cc
Fuel / injectiondiesel · common rail
Model years2005–2009
Facelift phaseSold either side of the 2006 facelift, 2005 pre, 2006–2009 LCI
Power / torque190 PS · 440 Nm
Transmissions7-speed automatic (7G-Tronic)
Gearbox familiesMercedes 7G-Tronic seven-speed automatic (722.9)
DrivetrainRWD · 4MATIC
Economy (real-world)6.5–8.5 l/100 km mixed
MarketsEU