bebrewer

I have been speaking to the local dealership about buying a pre-owned Mercedes for the past few days and my choices came down to an '11 E class diesel or an '07 S 550. Both are in about the same price range and I am leaning heavily towards the S 550. I've been reading a lot on this forum since yesterday (lots of great information!) and was hoping that I might could get some guidance.

It looks like the center console does not have the bluetooth puck bracket already installed. The only thing in the lower center console is a switch that flips up to 1 or 0 and I have no idea what it does. The upper center console has two small buttons, one of them has a wrench icon on it so I'm guessing the bracket would have to be installed by the dealer and at which point, I might as well let them install the puck as well. Am I on the right track here?

Also, I have been reading the thread about the command software and that definitely needs to be updated (doesn't have birds eye view as an option) along with having the maps updated to the latest version. Is there something specific that I need to pass along (part numbers, etc) to make sure they understand what I am asking them to do for me to agree to the deal?

Lastly, there is no AUX input like there was on the 11 and I read that the kit for that to be added to the S 550 is pretty rare so I'm probably out of luck there. I frankly don't plug my phone up to my current vehicle for music that often so that's not as big a deal to me if it is hard to make happen. I am totally fine with buying an SDHC PCMCIA card and using some old SD cards to put MP3's on for listening to music in addition to the satellite radio. One question on that system, is the 6 disc changer for DVD's and/or CD's or just CD's only? I'm guessing that regardless of disc type that it would read MP3's. Is that correct?

Thanks for all of the great information here!

Mike5215

I think a common misconception is that, because a Mercedes is more expensive than many cars, it's somehow more reliable. In reality, they are just as prone to breakdown and system failures as any other car, probably more so. Additionally, they tend to cost quite a bit more to fix.

So where a 2007 S550 with mileage in the 70's seems like a steal at $25k or so, there is an axiom to remember: There is no such thing as a cheap S Class. Meaning if you're not taking a hit on the front end in terms of price, you will more than make up for it on the back end, in repairs and maintenance.

My advice, having now owned three S Class (two 220's and my current 2010 221) and my strong recommendation is that unless you can afford a CPO car, you should not buy a used S Class. I'd also recommend that you structure your deal with the expectation that you'll trade out of the car before the CPO expires.

In the example you provided, I would take the late model E Class, and buy a CPO extended warranty for that car as well. With respect to the S Class audio, unless it's got the Bang & Olfsen audio upgrade. it's a pretty pathetic sounding system. I wasn't happy with mine until I'd replaced most of the speakers. The CD/DVD changer does read MP3 on both CD and DVD so it is possible to load quite a bit of music on there. I believe the Ipod kit can still be purchased and dealer-installed on the pre-facelift cars but I have no direct experience.

bebrewer

Thanks, I appreciate the advice and will take it under advisement. The S 550 has 43,000 miles on it and is in near mint condition. I am interested to see what kind of service guarantees I can get for the car since it is not part of the CPO program. The 11 E class is a CPO car. My wife is wanting me to also look at the '13 or '14 C class cars they have as well.

Any suggestions on the questions I had about the navigation, command center and bluetooth upgrades?

Mike5215

43k is good, and you should be able to find a 3rd party service contract on the car based on that mileage that won't be too costly. (Expect to be in the $4500-$5000 range for a top end plan with a low deductible). I had an EasyCare plan on my last 220 that was relatively hassle free, but the best bet is to ask the service department at your dealership, or your indie shop, which companies they prefer working with. Those are usually the ones that require the fewest hoops for a claim.

My 221 is a 2010 so I don't have any experience with the audio system as far as navi and COMAND in the 07-09 cars. If there's no BT puck or cradle it's possible the car has BT built right in...no adapter required. You'd have to play around with COMAND to access the BT pairing function to be sure. The 1 and 0 control is for flow of cold air into the console. The little wrench button summons Mercedes Roadside Assistance and the "I" connects you to Mercedes Concierge service. An active MBrace subscription is required for both.

BOTUS

if it has the phone kit it... it was supposed to do BT as well.... it doesn't work! you need an add on BT device, luckily they do integrate with command

the ipod kit is almost impossible to obtain (out of production since 2011) and doesn't integrate with command

no third party kit can be added to 221 s class

audio upgrades are pretty much restricted to speaker replacement unless you want lots of fun / expense (std or surround system) is weak on sub frequencies.... a massive speaker in the boot does appalling over the top midrange not sub and sounds awful

you want the bird's eye sat nav update a dealer can add for you for 1 hrs labour (gives TMC for US mkt as well)... while they do this will bring all other software / systems to current level

nav map updates, borrow this years disc, bung it in with a charger on the battery takes 40 mins

read the posts on engine numbers and idler gears

Mike5215

This year's Navi disc (at least in the US) now generates a unique installation keycode and once it's been used it is worthless.

I've replaced most of the speakers in the cabin. The boosted mids are most likely coming from the two 4" midrange speakers that flank the sub in the rear parcel shelf. (Pull up that narrow grille that runs the width of the boot and you'll see them)

They're part of the surround system but even with surround toggled off they still play a straight stereo signal. Those, as well as the 4" mids in the front doors, and the single 4" mid in the center dash, are all the same speaker and are horribly over-bright.

I replaced the 4" door mids and tweeter with Focal KRS100 and that cured about 80% of the mid range issues. I replaced the 4" rear surrounds with an inexpensive set of MTX coaxials that were much smoother, and Hushmatted all four doors and the rear parcel shelf. The Hushmat tightened up the mid bass and also eliminated rattles, allowing for much fuller low bass.

If you don't want to get into the parcel shelf, you can take a good deal of the harshness out of those rear surrounds by cutting a 4" circle of craft foam and using it between the speakers and grille. The grille just pops out...pry an edge with a butter knife

I left the stock 8" subs in the front doors as well as the odd shaped main sub on the parcel shelf (boot) and the system sounds gorgeous now. Really a joy to listen to every day. I highly recommend doing the Focals up front if nothing else. Incredible detail without harshness.

steveb9771

NOT CORRECT
The unique installation keycode only applies to 2010 and newer vehicles which also require a different part number DVD than for 2007-2009 vehicles. DVDs for 2007-2009 vehicles can be purchased from NAVTEQ. DVDs for 2010 and newer can only be purchased from dealers.

The issue with the newer vehicles is each vehicle requires a unique installation key that can only be obtained from dealers. The installation key is generated for a specific vehicle VIN number and will only then work for that vehicle.

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