How Much Would Mercedes Charge to Fix My £900 eBay S-Class? (£1000 Luxobarge S1:EP3)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
- Episode 3 in the £1000 Luxobarge Series. I thought it would be interesting to see what a Mercedes main dealer would find wrong with my cheap W220 S Class and how much they would charge to get it fixed to their standards! The results are somewhat predictable...
Maybe you should have place the car in a “service position” when removing the wheel…that’s why maybe it went back flat
There is no service position.
True,not all cars can be lift just like that
Hi. I have owned and driven my merc s320 for 200,000 km and have gone through most if not all of the issues. For the airmatic issue, please consider changing the "height level sensor" at the driver side front tyre as a cheap fix before deciding to change the strut since it appears the strut is fine. There is a "height level sensor" for each of the front tyres. But there is only 1 sensor located for the rear wheels and this is located at the rear axle central position - you might want to make sure that sensor is secure and not loose. It can become loose and you must secure it otherwise it can cause your rear suspension to drop. As for the rear prop shift coupling change, i think you would be able to manage it as a DIY but you should raise the car on all four tyres in future to do any work under the car. This will avoid loading the weight of the car on less than 4 old air struts which could then cause a leak.
Interesting report. To be fair, I have an invoice from Mercedes for £5500 on a Smart Roadster, so doesn't seem too bad on an S Class that was originally 9x the price!
It is normal for the car to drop on one side once it has been jacked up then lowered to the ground. Because the gap between the road wheel and body increases the car thinks it is riding too high and exhaust the air from the strut. I am surprised you didn't have this symptom on all four wheels when you lowered the car down off the hoist. When I was working with these cars at Mercedes Benz, I always had to start the engine so the car would raise so I could remove the hoist arms from under the car after I had it up on the hoist. Cheers enjoyed the Video. Now you can take the car to an independent workshop who will let you know what and what not to worry about. I would suggest the tail shaft coupling be looked at to see how bad it really is. Love what you post, good work!
@number27, I had the same car for similar price. Had all the Airmatic issues and replaced struts with replacements from Arnotts. Before you lift the car you ned to know the proper process otherwise you get the same issue you had with the struts that were lifted not being reinflated immediately.
Listen out for a noisy air compressor.
Full marks to Oxford Merc for parking the car at the front of the dealership.
On some cars with air suspension , you have to set the system into a certain mode before you can jack it up. It tends to mess up the height sensor setting.
Hi there from my last experience of a Mercedes Dealer Mechanic , i would advise you to just leave the car as it is if its running good as i used to have a little Smart Car and i put it in for a service at Mercedes Beaconsfield ,£200 for the service all was good , 6 months later gearbox went on the car and when i took it to an independent Mechanic they said the Mercedes guys had tampered with the box as there were obvious signs of vandalism , not good at all.
That's a great video ! For me, safety, then reliability, then whether I would get even 50% back on a repair if I sold the car would my decision tree. The report from the dealership looks pretty comprehensive. Very weird that the air suspension fixed itself. But great that it did !
Weird indeed.. some say it’s just that jacking it confused it! Seems absolutely fine now!
I don't want to take my car to a merc dealer because of the outstanding emissions test recall, they say it doesn't affect the fuel consumption, but I read a lot of comments that say it does, and I've never had a car as good on fuel.
Absolutely, I still have the letter. There's no way I'm letting anyone make my car run worse and use more fuel. I think if you tell em not to do the upgrade they won't, an independent def won't.
I reckon the cars worth more without the upgrade.
@@tomf4547 Oh, They'll do it, bring it in for AdBlue and they'll do it.
@@_Daio_ 😭
It would be interesting to take it to a Mercedes specialist and see what they say and price accordingly.....
Seconded.
That be great!
@@waynepantry7023 I think he meant an independent specialist …
@@waynepantry7023 Mercedes specialist as apposed to a Mercedes Main dealer. Their labour prices are considerably cheaper in general.
Cylinder shut off was deleted as part of a service measure, the pilot bush takes around 4 minutes to change and costs £24. I could go on and on but won't.
It certainly has given you back more than you expected. Very interesting episode. Would be good to know what an independent would charge.
The reason the suspension went down was because you took it from its level and it let's air out and then resumes to auto level
Didn’t do it other times it’s been up on the air though?
Far out cars are so cheap in the UK. where I am in Melbourne Australia the same car would never in a million years cost 900 quid. it would be more like 5000 quid here. And the main dealer prices here are astronomical they charge 100 quid an hour for labor. I love your videos and hope you enjoy your 900 quid merc
Oh those pesky Merc security bolts. Some idiot did mine up with an impact gun and I chewed through about half a dozen keys getting them off.... FML
As you say, not actually a bad report at all, but I am with those other commenters who say 'take it to a mechanic, not a dealer'. Anyway, surely it can't be more difficult than the Influenzo!
The three pronged suppository that keeps on giving.
The MBZ labour rate is about £160+vat/hr. Crazy
overall dead on! they find 2gs wrong on anything over a few year old id say
how much was the insurance and tax for this car? Any recommended insurance for cars worth below 3k pounds as I find insurance usually cost 1.5-3k (0 NCB) regardless of value of the car.
Jack...........Did the Merc dealer charge you for the inspection.....if so how much ?
The worry is it has only done 155k. Some say a big Lexus is just run in, who knows ?
I thought it would be much more
How much did they charge to inspect it and check diagnostics etc just out of interest?
£122 - basically an hours labour
@@Number27 good to know thanks
Why dont you speak to Alex at legitstreet cars U tuber from chicargo great guy and a merc master mechanic, do you need to put car in service mode before wheel change other wise suspension is upset.
Merc dealer would be proud to display your '02 plate; longevity and loyalty are the brand values. My '03 and '13 have never seen a stealer since I got 'em, but run so well that to part with either would be to send a pet to the pound... You're old enough to have one comfortable car, so man up and nestle in the old girl's leathery depths...
A couple of weeks ago I took my 1997 SL600 to our big MB dealer in my home city and it attracted a lot of attention. As I was standing at the parts counter I had random people come up to me asking me if it was for sale. Feels good man.
@@SchwarzeTulpe you are so fortunate to have that car I'm planning to make one out of an sl280 in a few years keep hold of yours !
With my mild dyslexia, I read that number plate as 'No Clue'.
SPOT ON THE
In the entire history of mankind; those security lug nuts have only been useful for locking the owner out and leaving him stranded by the side of the road
Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo true!
Problem with main dealers is they are part replacer’s, they don’t repair cars!.....they diagnose a fault, then change every part pertaining to it, not the single culprit! Buy the parts from a main dealer if the car warrants this!, then get a trusted specialist to put them on.
True, but it's the same with every garage now.... just replace parts... they never repair anything... the day of the proper mechanic is gone
Nope! Quite happy with it!!
@@lewisbrown51 generally yes. but my tech is a true proper mechanic.
Problem with apostrophes is they can represent abbreviations or indicate 'belonging to', whilst many people think they represent multiples. What's really annoying is I put all that effort into learning how to correctly use the apostrophe and it turns out it doesn't fuck'ing matt'er!
@@K1lostream 🤣🤣🤣
Main stealers don’t repair - they replace. Not mechanics, only fitters.
@@dizzy2020 I too speak from experience and knowledge of main dealer operations.
A quality mechanic will invariably branch out on their own and give the customer what they want not what stealership accountants and shareholders demand.
@@modmod392 some of those independent brand specialists know how to charge too. In some cases they’re sometimes not much cheaper than dealers for routine stuff like servicing. They’re a better bet though for fault finding especially on older cars.
@@samcourt6228 totally agree
@@dizzy2020 do MB dealers discount for older cars? BMW have their value service for stuff from four years which drops the price considerably for routine work and gets pretty close to the local indy. I guess the kicker is when there is additional stuff that needs doing and you get stung for main dealer labour rates.
Unfortunately true, main dealers may well have skilled technicians, but the ethos will always be to change as many parts as possible to make as much money as they can out of the customer. My opinion is based on long term experience and that of others.
With regard to the air suspension, is there no pre-jacking procedure for "locking" the air units and preventing excessive droop during work? On at least 3-4 cars I've had with air suspension they've had a service/tyre change mode which if you failed to follow would show the types of faults you observed. Worth paging thru the manual ...
Yeah, my feeling is with a finicky suspension setup like this, you can't just jack it up and lower it back down and it not freak out the computer.
This was my first thought and I don't know anything about cars
This, I think jack torgot to put in “jack” mode
You can just jack them up I own one and have never had any issues doing this the only cars I know that you have to put in service mode are Tesla and land rover
Do t think there is a specific procedure with these cars!!
Mercedes dealer: numerous minor and semi major faults are detected
Jack: The Merc drives comfortable and is MOT safe so why bother 😃
That’s not bad for a main dealer, wonder what a specialist would make of it.
My thought exactly!
What a great way to have your car fully inspected and have a list of faults and parts that need replacing or attention!
Was there a cost involved in that or is that a free inspection and quote for work?
Re the 'air injection pump', I presume they're talking about the secondary air pump aka 'smog pump'. Firstly, you don't really need to replace this at all, it's just for emissions on cold start. Even if you do replace, although the OE Bosch pump is quite expensive (although I can't see how they get >£1000 to replace that), you can buy a chinese version for
Thanks for the info!!
I also presume it is an sai and simple fix is just to pull the relay out (especially if it's failed and sounds like a hoover due to the casing separating).
That would be a good episode taking the merc to a german cars specialist to see the difference in price and or criteria.
Some German indies charge as much as the main dealers.
@@1701_FyldeFlyer But they tend to know what they're doing .
Find a garage that repairs Taxis
Mercs are just German Taxies. This is just a posh trim version.😁. And remember if a for hire vehicle is off road its not earning and if its not right then theres legal hell to pay.
Jack did you put the car in Jack Mode before lifting the car?! If not that will be the error. The W220 doesn't have a button to put is in jack mode, so a trick is too leave the hood or a door open and this way the car will keep the strut charged as a safety procedure.
Agreed
Yeah I wondered if that was the problem. My car (not a Mercedes) has air suspension and I was told to put it in jack mode before a tyre fitter would jack it up to remove the wheel
That is so clever.
Thank you Inacio, that’s great to know and I’ll try it next time!!
@@Number27 you welcome.
Great stuff Jack, liking this series as much as the 308!
Now, immediately go to the nearest breakers yard and purchase four normal MB wheel nuts. Then take that security adapter, and the four corresponding nuts and throw them as far as you can, preferably in different directions! Invention of the devil, in my books.....
Check the hand book on changing a wheel.
Some air suspension cars need either to be lifted on all 4 corners at the same time, or have the boot open with the hazard warning lights on to change a puncture.
The part with having to have the boot open sounds pretty logical. It's sort of a message to the computer that the changing of the wheel is a emergency procedure (side of the road changing of a punctured tyre) and that the computer should ignore any signals from the suspension-sensors that there is something wrong with the suspension.
Yeah I was thinking the same thing. Teh air suspension may need to go through a self levelling cycle after you jack one corner. May be fine.
@@ibast1 Could be that the system usually monitors the total air-level of the whole system, triggering the "emergency-signal" makes it check each corner seperately. From Mercedes-perspective that would be a huge moneymaker if the procedure is ignored.
I was thinking the boot thing was bs 🤣
@@tomf4547 That's how Range Rovers are, tailgate open, hazards on.
You should take the list to a back street merc specialist for a revised quote and get it all done. I'm guessing less than a grand. (£)
Don't forget - Mercedes are not going to tell their customers "We took the air valve out and gave it a bit of a blow-through with the WD40. Give it a go and see what happens". Mercedes are going to fix ze car! Immediately!
Looking forward to this progress, I bet a lot of this can be sorted quite cost effectively over a period of time.
spill the beans, how much was that diag. at merc ?, my guess £160.
suspension got confused with u fannying on with wheel off, reset itself when car saw correct signals from OSF height sensor. there will be a "jack mode" setup in car software somewhere to prevent repeat
i work at a main stealer, thought they did well, but were u recognised off the telly, so getting "special" treatment?
splits in rubber doughnuts usually start around bolts, in a circular pattern, so worth another look
keep the good content coming, onwards + upwards!
£122 dod diag!!
@@Number27 good price, must be your boyish good looks.....
The reason the strut went down was because you jacked it up without telling the car, so it tried to level itself. You lowered it and it confused the system.
This has become one of my favourite car channels. 👍
Thank you!!
@@Number27 Honestly pal top quality viewing. I can imagine it takes an age to do and edit these videos. I also Like how you experiment with figuring things out and will try and do it yourself before heading to a garage. Its entertaining and very interesting. Look forward to the next one. 👍
@@Number27 was absolutely chuffed for you when you figured out the coil problem.
Don't trust the main dealer thay are just going to rip u off back street garages are not to bad at least thay know what thay are doing not like pen pushers
As a Merc owner Ive found dealerships have a set time for doing the job, this doesn't mean they will take that amount of time, i.e. Book says 1.5 hrs but technician takes 45 mins. I have a very good man in North London who does what's needed and charges for the time he takes, never a worry for me.
considering its age i actually don't think that was too bad haha. i would've expected10k+ they're such beautiful machines. used to have a W140 and even my mechanic told me to junk it as it was just not worth repairing anymore when the fuel economy when 20L every 100km on HIGHWAY!. it had done 340,000 kms on it, time was up on it. still hands down best car i've ever driven.
Nice video. Entertaining and informative. All common sense suggestions and the price quote was far lower than what I thought they would be asking for. Would be interesting to see if a good sorted version of this car would be the repair price plus the original purchase price of this car. Looking forward to the next episode. Keep up the good work.
If you can troubleshoot and fix a 308, this should be a piece of cake.
Merc's and BMW's make Italian engineering look like Toyota.
Quite the opposite. Toyotas are most of the times not even on the roads anymore with those miles. You will almost never find a Toyota that looks and feels that nice after all those years.
@@martinsvensson6884 At what cost? If they engineered them for reliability at a reasonable maintenance cost we would not be having this conversation. And that does not even take into account the initial purchase price.
@@sheer64 At about the same cost as any other car in the same segment. They are no less reliable than any other of the brands. Quite the contrary. MB have the most miles on them before junked among all brands.
You cant build an S-class from Toyota Yaris parts. I think you understand that.
@@martinsvensson6884 I think you are living the MB past. There is a reason this car was 900 pounds and the video clearly explained why. And if you did spend 5-6k it would only be the start of an endless money pit.
@@sheer64 Yes, and the reason is that people are afraid of the cars because they have read alot of bs on the internet. They think something big is going to break. And dont realize that its actually far less likely that you have to change something big on that car like the transmission or engine.
There's a lot of electronic gadgets though of course. But if they break you didnt have them on a cheaper car to begin with, if you dont have the money to fix them.
The only thing you need to know is that the components in a big car will of course be more expensive and plentiful than in a Toyota Yaris.
That this particular car cost £900 might be because the owner have neglected maintenance and replacing things. Or its just a great deal.
Those cars in maintained condition normally cost around €5k. Not 0,9.
Great video as always, looks like you got a good car for the money, could of been alot worse ☺️ If you can rebuild a Ferrari Engine then the work on the Merc will be childs play 👍
Maybe reach out to “diagnosedan” for tips on the fault codes. His channel has videos on modern engines / modules etc & are first class.
It would be really interesting to see how much a mercedes specialist would charge to do the exact same work, as a comparison to main dealer cost.
I think you got a good deal there, Jack. I was honestly thinking five figures and not four, on that estimate. Great car to just run into the ground and spend the bare minimum on.
Oh, I'm so ready for a laugh with this... bring it on!
Thats not nice .....Wont sub you.
@@gazzertrn in an expectant way nothing more, good content and not that bad, still looks good for the money.
@@Lot76CARS yeah but lotta money too fix
@@gazzertrn I think some eBay used parts and free labour he’ll have it fixed, after the Ferrari will be a walk in the park for Jack
@@Lot76CARS by the way i did sub your site its rather good .
How much for diagnosis/estimate/health check?
£122!
My 2001 Lincoln has rear air suspension using bags similar to this Mercedes. Before the car is lifted, I must toggle a switch in the trunk ('boot') that disables the system and basically locks-in the pressures in the bags. If I fail to do that, when I put the car back on the ground the rear suspension is totally collapsed. Luckily, both times I have forgotten the switch the car did haul itself back up to normal height. But that did not happen immediately; it was several minutes of stressful waiting. I think your car may have a similar arrangement.
As for the cracks in the bags, I would be very surprised if they could leak without failing completely due to the high pressures involved. The original bags in my car were still functional at ~130k miles, but they also had fairly deep cracks in the folds. I replaced them with heavy-duty Arnott bags, which cost $100 apiece. The replacement was a bit of a pain, of course; suspension work always is.
Thanks Michael! Will find out about the lifting procedure if there is one!
Car needs to be put in jack service mode through instrument menu and steering wheel buttons
Suspension sounds fine. They don’t take well to just having a Jack shoved under one corner and jacked up. Much of what is listed there is DIY to a competent mechanic.
Methinks we have a budding British Hoovey in the making. Now to find an equivalent wizard😊
Great video and interesting to see the cost at Mercedes to bring a car like this back to nearly perfect. I had a 1999 Mercedes E class until a few years ago and it was still running great, but with only 80,000 on the clock. A simple thing for the headlights to make a big difference, is to smear them with Mothers Metal and Mag polish and then give them a good rubbing, preferably with a buffer and only takes a few minutes. Wiper blade from Halfords or the pound shop and that's a bit of money saved haha.
I've used the headlight polishes and they do a good job if the lenses are not too far gone. In places like Florida they deteriorate so badly you have little choice but to replace them. Fortunately, most Floridians are so old they no longer drive after dark.
This barge content is pure gold. I have a Swedish barge, Ulrika, and she has a terrible drink problem.
lol, all Swedes have a drink problem! Even my Volvo 66 is a bit of a drinker and only prefers the dear stuff (99 RON). I bet Ulrika is a bit of a good time gal though?
@@doktoruzo She goes like a barn door in a gale.
@@enzodisciullo2557 . Ha,ha ! Like most Swedish birds
Thing is, what was the cost of your £900 car when new? I bet is was very expensive so whatever the repairs, its not going to be cheap. That is why it was only £900. 😊
Still, at least its German and reliable and will get you about despite the faults, unlike a certain Italian stallion... 😉
S class was sixty grand new for petrol model my friend bought one
Not sure relatable is the right way to describe these…
I’ve decided I quite like this idea. Buy an old cool car (for cheap) and see what’s wrong. Much more relatable than buying a Ferrari/Porsche/Lotus (although still v entertaining!)
Yes but always avoid bad bodywork and rust. Then it becomes a money pit
I have no seen this yet !!!! but its £100 to put car on ramp ,, £100 for him to open his tool box ... I going for £2,800
More
@@JacobtheSaw I know ive just watched it its a joke !!!
@@markthoughtswithukrainemas2072 😉 I own two w220's s320 and s55. Piggy bank on wheels. Less problems with s55...take care Fella🤜🏻🤛🏻
Love your videos, Jack! Take the 308 out to get some tacos and do a review!
I love this content Jack! Keep it coming buddy😃👍
Thanks buddy!!
what was their cost for the initial diag.
£122
I think you can shave this bill in 1/2 by doing some DIY and the more difficult ones done by an independent garage. All parts, especially steering tie rods, ball joints, should be Mercedes OEM if possible. This car is worth a lot more than 900 quid, even though the market says otherwise. Pretty sure once it's all done you can sell it for at least 1500-2000 quid.
In reality it would cost less. They priced them all as separate jobs. If some are related and involve the same strip down the cost will reduce. I did something not quite as radical once and they agreed a special price because of the duplication their pricing system builds in.
I have owned 6 Kias without issue. I have owned one Mercedes that spent half it's life at the dealership being sorted.
Looking at it from a purely economic perspective -- the £900 that you spent on the car already is irrelevant. From an investment perspective it's a sunk cost. It's gone. All that is important is the future investment (what MB suggested) and the return (what you can sell the car for). For example, if you bought the Porsche GT3 from your brother for £9, does that mean that you'd never consider investing more than maybe £50 in the car? Of course not! As a wise flipper, you'll invest what you need to in order to maximize the value of the car when selling it.
The concept of the purchase price defining what you'll invest in a car is curiously common, but economically silly.
This is absolutely logical. The low cost a a former high value car requiring apparently (not always actually) expensive repairs includes a discount that in a perfect market allows the cost of those repairs against the value of a car of the same age and condition not needing any obvious repairs. Of course, markets involving humans reflect our psychological biases so it is never quite so neat as that. The key point is that the purchase price being very low is not an indicator that a car is not worth repairing, it is often an (approximate) indicator of the anticipated cost of repairs. Assessing what is good about the car is obviously what helps with a decision on purchase - a mechanically repaired car with a ratty interior and terrible paint is not going to make sense.
Mercedes S500 W220 - 2002
155k Miles, MOT until June 2022
I will do the bad bits first:
Rusty Rear arches, has split the paint and bubbling is clearly visible
SRS Light on
Scrapes on bumper
No Service History
NSR electric window does not operating
Grumpy seller who will not deal with clowns - This one is most important
Really pointless car unless you want one
It's got winter tyres on it, which aren't the best but just about legal
Does about 20 MPG, does not run on electric
Android based stereo
Good bits:
It's a 5.0 V8 S-class
It polishes up well, especially if you wear glasses and aren't wearing them
Does about 20 MPG does not run on electric
Engine seems as smooth an quiet as you would expect
I would expect it's been looked after well until recently
I removed the number plates because they said 'THE ICE MAN' on them so the number plates are in very good condition.
Android based stereo
So.. My friendly mechanic alerted me to the possible scrappage of this vehicle about 2 months ago, he knows I am a serial early 2000s Mercedes Licker and would not want to see it die. The chap who owned it before had been wafting around in it for a few months and had spent money getting some unnecessary things fixed like the sunroof and on having it MOT'd which in true massive Mercedes fashion it immediately repaid him by getting stuck in park.
Rather than fix it, he threw the towel in and asked my friendly garage to weigh it in, luckily I rescued it. I know a thing or two about early 2000s Mercedes build quality and know that the hook thing that holds the car in park was originally plastic, because brittle plastic is not the best, metal ones are available.
So for £15 and an hours work, the broken plastic hook thing was replaced with a metal one and voila! car out of park and on the road and I've driven it for a couple of hundred miles without incident..... except for 1 incident, which is when the ABS, ESP, and some other thing came on. I switched it off and started the car and these lights disappeared and have not come back since. Again, knowing a thing or two about a thing or two, these will come back on, Mercedes of this vintage were way ahead of the times, but having the ability to fix themselves is beyond their capabilities. I would suspect that the fault maybe with a speed ring as it fault I have experienced in other Mercedes of this type, I don't have access to STAR (Mercedes software) so unable to confirm this or indeed tell which one is faulty.
At best it might not come on, at worst you could replace all four if you can do it yourself for under £50. Possibly the worse case here is that the vehicle falls apart like a clown car, in the rain when you are on your way to a wedding as you are side hustling in it on weekends.
The SRS light, this was present at MOT but intermittent. It is now permanent and again without star I'm only guessing but I believe it related to the passenger seat squab, I have out weight on it at various angles and can get the light to go out. I bought some contact cleaner the other day, I may try squirting this on the plugs to see if it relates to dirty contacts, or I may not. You will then either buy a car with no SRS light and no contact cleaner or a car with an SRS light and a can of contact cleaner, unless it didn't work, then you will receive a car with no contact cleaner and an SRS light.
Alternatively you can buy an emulator to fool the system to believe someone is sat in the seat, this may or may not be legal, I've no idea. Alternatively to that, you could ignore it, I would suspect the airbag would fire regardless. There is every chance that 20 year old airbags don't fire anyway but I'm not going to test it.
Rusty McRusterson: Rust rear arches were an expensive option on pre 2005 Mercedes Vehicles and the original owner of this vehicle did not hold back. That isn't fair, they aren't the worst i have seen, but if you stick a private plate on it, the neighbours are unlikely to believe it is a new car. You can kind of see them in my photo, foolishly I didn't take better photo's of them but will do so by the weekend and upload here. As far as other rust goes, I've not spotted any around the windows where they normally go or the boot lid but I would expect there is some lurking. I have not looked underneath and can see not MOT advisory for any corrosion.
OSR window does not work, seems to have power so suspect stuck regulator, either fix or replace.
Lots of things do work, air con is cold, sunroof works, radar cruise works, the air suspension seems to raise and lower as it should which is very surprising. The engine is very clean and I do believe it's been well treated until perhaps recently, there is no service history but that is relevant to the price bracket.
I bought it because I didn't want to see it die but I've no reason to keep the car. I have an E320 of the same age which provides everything I need in terms of a family car, which I am looking to replace in the new year with a more modern version plus access to other cars including an MGF which covers off the fun factor. If I didn't have the E-Class I'd probably keep it and see what surprises the MOT next year had in store. I thought I might get more out of owning an S500 but the E class is big enough and actually slightly better equipped due to ticked options. It is quite nice to plant the foot and get the nose up but it's not a sporty car. The glove box comes open when you hoof it, needs blue tak
The car is what it is, the prices on here are all over the place, I've seen a few W220s at +12k which is mental for a 20 year old donkey and I've seen others around the 2.5 - 3k mark. To assist in assessing the vehicle I would say this worth between 1.5k and 2k, the SRS light is fixable and the rear arches can be improved but you will never fully get rid of the rust without serious spend. I've no idea if it will pass an MOT next year, I guess that depends on mileage but would MOT again right now no problem.
As I've said shed like Mercedes barges are bit of a hobby of mine, I've owned other E's S's, 190s, 300s and all around this price, the sort of money that I can always make at least some back in scrap if it goes wrong but ultimately any hobby costs money. My mate likes fishing and spends 100s of pounds on that a month. If you are like me then this car is probably for you. If however you are looking for a cheap runabout then I suggest you avoid it like the plague, it will cost you money and it will probably break but that's the point.
Likewise if you plan on flipping it with a bit of filler and spray over, i doubt very much there's money in it for you.
Sorry if this is difficult to read but I am short on time, this also indicates that I am a busy chap and I don't suffer fools gladly. I will answer questions twice a day via messaging, once in the evening around 8pm and once in the morning around 10am. You should come and look at the car but needs to be on my terms. There will be no picking up for stations, delivery, dropping 500 quid, selling parts off it or test drives without insurance certificate and licence check code ( I have a relatable job so will be OCD on this)
It is a 5.0 V8 but it's not that quick so no good for ram raids, or LADS
On 05-Aug-21 at 10:52:30 BST, seller added the following information:
Well; I made many grammatical errors in my original listing, I whole heartedly apologise
So it appears I was a little harsh on the rear arches, please see 2 uploaded photo's. One looks like an Aero chocolate bar but the other one doesn't so nowhere near as bad as I said. To make the car more presentable you could by some of those lovely chrome arches and whack them on with some No More Nails?
The car is not in Dover, it is in Folkestone. I can drive it to Dover if that bothers you,
I see a Non MOT one at 3k on here, why buy that when you can buy this?
On 08-Aug-21 at 16:57:26 BST, seller added the following information:
The original Ice man contacted me to say that he had looked after the car in his ownership. He enjoyed my description and was not offended by the removal of the ice man plates.
So last night I took a small gaggle of ladies are to a wine bar in the car and they commented on the cleanliness and smooth ride of the vehicle.
I'd say if you are the type of person who takes high heeled, short dressed ladies to places and are looking for an executive appearance so as to not attract attention. This could be ideal, no privacy glass though.
Anyway, I should mention that the steering wheel is at a funny angle. I've had Mercedes like this before, it drives straight and true.
Due to the android head unit the volume control buttons on the steering wheel don't work.
This also makes it difficult for the to change the clock, for those who don't know you can get into the command settings via the heater display but you need to Google the codes.
I quite enjoyed driving it last night and may had a moment of regret but go it must.
I've not sprayed contact cleaner on the SRS plugs, I might do it tomorrow.
The Iceman said that the rear window ne
Around my way, there are people who buy that sort of car just because it's £900 or less on the used market. They never service anything. They even save costs by not buying insurance or tax, or taking it for its MOT (it would fail anyway). These types of people are my neighbours. They think they impress people by having a heap of unmaintained junk on their driveways just because it's a Mercedes.
5.000£ not too much, but I think a car of a price level/value around 1.000-2000£, as yours, should be fixed either by a mercedes independent mechanic & not from the main dealer network (Probably will cost half the price) or by yourself ....you need your private garage in order to lift the car & work from underneath properly. Bon courage
I hear people ragging on Mercedes, saying they don't make them like they used to, etc. But every one that I've seen has held up well for all its years on the road. My wife has had three over the last 21 years and they've all given her great service and reliability. I'm starting to feel like your investment in this one may turn into one of your video stars...as well has giving you some great entertainment and driving experiences.
Most people who say that are the ones claiming the older ones lasted for years and years when in reality yes they did but they still needed to be repaired and back then when u bought something u kept it for years where as now it’s a throw away society but when u was a kid it was unheard of a car going 100k miles without needing anything (apart from a service) now pretty much every car goes that far without a problem
I Guess this car is "£900" because someone decided to get rid of it taking a huge loss, and not because there is something wrong or bad about it. You just got very lucky! Driving big at expense of someone else's depreciation. Just for comparison, those cars trade in Portugal at several thousand Euros, depending on the condition. But we don't get the ridiculous rust issues you have...
I know this was an exercise just to see what a main dealer would charge, but no one with half a brain is going to buy a car for £900 pounds, then spend between £5000 and someone suggested £13000😂 to get it put right! The result being a car that’s still going to be worth ......£900. Yeah right😂😂😂😂😂😂
I had the CL55 with hydraulic suspension. Very similar. When you jack it the wheel over centres its sensor. When back on the ground, re start and it will then re set. I drove for 3 years with ABC valves faulty which lock and hold the height on turning key off. It slowly sank after a day. So long as it jumps right up on start it will keep going. Vibration will definitely be the rubber Guido joint. Febi do them about 40 quid. An hours work and fixes it.change gearbox rubber bush at the same time. It's a world of difference !
£5,400. Just for Chuckles & Giggles, go back and ask for a quote on moving the Steering Wheel over to the proper side of the Car.
😂🤣😂🤣 Cheers Mate!
I have an ml 320 cdi from 2006. Have had it for 8/9 years. Airmatic is a pain in the bum bum..... I stopped bringing my car to merc dealers... just the worst. Airmatic bag and struts like to leak just measure the sides with tape and you will know which one is broken.... still have the ml but my daily is a skoda kodiaq, awesome car!
The thing with the W220 S-Class, and W221 as well, is that they are money pits and terrible cars to work on and especially the W220 simply bad build quality. Mercedes-Benz lost their touch for a while in the early 2000's. Too much complicated electronics that are guaranteed to break down at some point and bad quality paintwork. The cars themselves are worth absolutely nothing, but the original parts extremely expensive, since a dealer can only fit those and works with set time amounts I am not surprised that the dealer charged these amounts, I would have even expected more.
Without knowing that dealers hourly rate things are a bit of a mystery. You may know it. Several jobs appear to take the same time, 1.7 hours. which seems more than a coincidence. Say £200 +vat? The expensive pump might be able to take a service kit of a few O rings and sealing washers. This is the sort of thing an indie can do. There are several MB forums around and I'd be hitting them up for advice if you haven't already. She's a very nice barge and worth a bit of attention. Don't buy cheap wipers!
To be honest, £6250 for a sorted S500 isn’t bad at all. And you could probably save enough by getting a good independent to do the work to fund the cosmetic stuff. I’d say you’ve bought lucky there (apologies if that proves an irresistible temptation for fate).
If only the repair costs depreciated at the same rate as the vehicle! I agree with the other comments here:
1) Not bad at all for a main dealer. Looks like they gave it a decent going over.
2) Yes, it'd be interesting to see what a decent independent specialist would make of it. They can do a lot of cost saving things that a tech at a MB dealer wouldn't be allowed to do.
Hi. I bought a 2002 S320 with 183k km in March. As far as I've understood water in the Airmatic system can get in because the rubber pipe between the compressor's air filter and the compressor perishes and splits.This can let water in, which can damage the compressor but also the solenoid valves in the air distribution valve block. Mine's at an independent Mercedes specialist right now for a similar issue and I'm waiting for their verdict...
*Listen our Man (enthusiast) in the old Enzo Ferrari game has a subscriber with a proper old Mercedes Benz that the Merc dealer would be proud to have outside namely a 2.5-16v Cosworth with the dog leg manual*
After watching to end, not as bad as I thought.Spending £6000 or £7000 for such a beautiful and exclusive piece of kit that would be mechanically sound isn't a bad proposition in my book.
An eye opening insight into real [ unreal ] costs of running a modern so called premium brand car. Laughable. Relatively few private owners would or even could pay those massive totals, most costs like that would be set against company running expenses overseen by accountants and bean counters.
That unfavourably distorts the costs of running a car for the private owner. One of my cars I bought as project which was rejected by the previous owner as he was quoted a four figure repair sum was DIY fixed for eight quid after I spent a few minutes research on the web. Reality is a whole different kettle of ball games.
Some of those issues I expect is well within the resources of Jack's range of DIY talents with the tools.
Judging by the replies, I think it’s safe to say most people think main dealers are rip-off merchants!!!!!!!!........and anyone who doesn’t either works for a dealership or is easily parted with their money😂
The strut may not be leaking. It may be you just confused it by jacking up one corner. It may need to go through a levelling process after you do that.
If it eventually does prove to be failing you have a few options. Some people are rebuilding these. Also, you can reputable aftermarket brands. And lastly you can go new Merc. The replacement itself is not a big job. I'd replace in pairs.
For mine, mechanically, I'd replace that oil pressure switch myself and maybe look at the prop shaft. And I'd put both ball joints on a to do list.
Apart from the rust, you’ve got a proper merc.
My brother hated his GLC 43 AMG that much for shocking build and crap gearbox he sold it back to them after 2 months.
At 7:00 I would buy the parts and have a go at fitting them myself, them get a local garage to fit the rest. Most of the parts do not sound expensive 🤔 while the fitting times indicate that most of the quote is for labour charges. 😱 Rear brake pads; lower ball joints; transmission oil filter and pilot bush. Rear propshaft coupling. At 8:00 buy the oil pressure switch and see if replacement fixes the engine fault. 😎 Then enjoy wafting along until you start another project. 😀
B40/2 at the V12 is for cylinder deaktivation, but not for your V8 engine. Same number, different sensors. Yours is at the oil filter housing. Seems like star diagnosis at the dealer mixed the engines and wrote the wrong text.
Great video, Jack.
My dad has the facelift 2005 S350, W220. It's had a few issues, but overall a great tank.
Cheaper than the Wizard! Bargain!! 🤣
The labour works out at £174 per hour!
I bet the mechanics, splutter!! - sorry, "technicians" aren't on that. ;)
So you could fix that up for 5 grand at a main stealer? So call all that around three grand at an independent plus the £900 purchase price, less if you do some of it yourself .... I'm not sure that car is ready to be run into the ground just yet! You might get fucking years out of it!