port25

Eyeballing a few 2003+ S500s. An online acquaintance from a cars group told me the W220 S500 suspension service or something requires the engine or tranny to be dropped and he basically cursed buying one.

How does the forum feel about the 500 versus the 430? I know the mechanical and physical differences headlines, airmatic being cheaper to fix now, etc. Just making sure I'm not buying an exceptionally bad model or something.

Thanks for your input

tusabes

Both s430 and s500 have airmatic standard , some s500 had abc as an option . Avoid abc cars as the suspension is costly and more problematic then airmatic

The engine does not need to be removed for suspension service on either car . The repair costs and problems of both s430 and s500 are virtually identical

Fried Chicken

I disagree with the ABC assessment. ABC is an incredible piece of technology which mechanics are simply afraid to touch because they have almost no understanding of hydraulics.

Unfortunately I can’t comment on airmatic as I’ve never driven one, however the ABC suspension handles unlike any car I’ve ever driven. Body roll is eliminated, as well as front dip on braking and rear dip on acceleration. It’s an astounding piece of kit that delivers a sublilme ride and performance usually reserved for the best racing vehicles.

The key thing is to swap your fluid regularly (30-50k miles; some say 20k miles).

tusabes

I have both airmatic w220 and abc w215 cars. The airmatic is far more comfortable , as a sedan should be.

Yes you can easily swap fluid every 20k miles , but it won't eliminate problems . It might help extend pump life and keep valve blocks clean but it won't help with strut, accumulator , or abc hoses, which will fail around every 20k miles on cars this old (and is a good time to change fluid ) . As others have said , the abc system needs regular hydraulic Maintenance , which includes regular fluid hose and parts changes, every few years - unlike airmatic which needs no maintenance .

At the age of these cars, both airmatic and abc are likely to need service . Airmatic repairs tend to be far less costly than abc repairs . When an airmatic strut or pump fails you replace a $400 part and that's it . But When something simple as a abc hose fails, if the pump runs dry , it is ruined and then sends metal fragments throughout the system damaging the valve blocks and struts - a $4000+ repair job

Welwynnick

Good car with few long-term downsides. Certainly no more than any other comparable car - just different problems, that's all, and no great horror stories.

I'm with Fried Chicken. I would never have a W220 without ABC, but there are very few S500 cars with ABC, so that doesn't matter much.

Nick

Benzman33

I wouldn't go near the ABC..... The S430 flows really well. It has the perfect amount of power. I love my S430.

eldos1

He brings up a few good points. I would watch the 4 parts.

What I do like about these cars is that you can still find some great cars that have not been thrashed. The S500s should have a few more stock options over the S430 and a little bigger V8. I will also say that these cars a not fast, but quick. If you think you need power, then start with the AMG vs trying to make your car an AMG. My friend has a w219 6.3 Kleemann. That is a fast car.

Welwynnick

https://mercedessource.com/

Kent's a good guy. Takes a long time to make a point, but he knows what he's talking about.

Nick

Fried Chicken

The hoses last decidedly longer than 20k miles, and their replacement is pretty simple and inexpensive (you do not need to buy mercedes hoses, just go to a hydraulic store). The hoses will also start showing signs of leaking so you know when they need to be replaced.

The accumulators will fail, however it's not catastrophic, and replacement is trivial.

I think mechanics tend to freak out over hydraulics because it's outside of their comfort zone when it really need not be. Hydraulics have been used for over a hundred years under way more demanding conditions than an automotive suspension system.

The end result is you get a car with a sublime ride and simultaneously incredibly good handling.

tusabes

I meant at this age , all the hoses are so old you can expect to replace a different hose every 20k or so miles , as they are all old and failing - not that the same hose lasts only 20k miles

Just like accumulators, if you don't change them all, you can expect to replace those every so often as they all are old and will fail. That's why people who can't diy should avoid abc cars, as they are a never ending problem as each old component requires replacing . Sure if you're mechanically inclined it's no problem -but if you can't do the work yourself it's a big problem

e_dasani

congrats on buying a s430, its a great car (abc or airmatic), hope its been taken well care.

Fried Chicken

I would honestly recommend just replacing all the hoses and accumulators at once, and also cleaning the valves and changing the o-rings.

I honestly think this could yield another 100k miles of worry free ownership.

The whole thing should cost less than $2k (with most of the cost being in the accumulators).

Welwynnick

That's what I did. Probably spent about £200 on pipes, plus one accumulator.

Tusabes is right about being able to do things yourself.

Ebay is full of S600's with ABC and ignition problems.

Nick

port25

Thanks for all the advice guys. Looks like I should be okay, definitely going airmatic because ABC sounds like a PIA. Hopefully this lady buys BMW tomorrow so I can dive into S500 or potentially 430 ownership! Found a 2003 Black S500 with 123k miles and clean title for $5800.