DaleB

Recently bought a 2007 S600, and now I'm enjoying the ride while I try to sort out a few minor but annoying gremlins. It's my first Benz. Also the first car I've owned (out of a long string going back to the late 70s) that will run a sub-13 second quarter.

MJ50

congrats & welcome to mbworld...

DaleB

So, I spent a little time this week sorting through a few used-car gremlins that needed killing.

I had a non-functional cruise control; there was a bad radar sensor. The replacement part was in a box in the car, but not installed. I didn't know there were four of them, so the scan tool helped tell which one to replace. Now I have cruise control again. And boy, did I feel like an idiot when I figured out there actually ARE four of them, with the inner two hidden under a block of foam. It's SO nice to have adaptive cruise control. Although this is obviously nowhere near as smart or as smooth as the one in my wife's 2017 Volvo, it sure beats spending 4 hours with your foot on the gas pedal.

A couple of times the car completely freaked out, with ABS/ESP malfunctions indicated, limp mode, no power steering. The jury is still out, but it seems that the ABS/ESP control connector just needed a clean & reseat.

The intercooler pump was bad, so I replaced that and filled/bled the intercooler system. It drives like a completely different car now, especially in stop & go traffic once it's warmed up. There was a lack of power before; now the thing moves out smartly from stoplights even in comfort mode. I haven't really had a chance to stretch its legs, but I'm looking forward to trying it out this weekend. Next week I'll install the external expansion tank (THANKS, @Flight Test) and new fill cap

Oh, and I found some well concealed damage evidence that wasn't in the Carfax report. There are a couple of pieces behind the bumper on the right side with M-B part number labels on them (service parts), and a plastic finger was sheared off that locates the right headlight assembly in its mounting frame. I had noticed that side pointing a little low and shaking when I went over bumps, so I knew something was wrong. I had a bolt & washer on hand that threaded in place and fixed that problem. Also, the side marker lens on the right side mirror is cracked. It's not obvious and replacements are cheap, so some day I'll figure out how to get the mirror assembly apart and replace it.

All in all, not bad considering the price I paid for the car and its incredible comfort and performance. We'll see how the gas mileage is now that it's not sucking down 180 degree air. It already beats my pickup (EcoBoost F150) in town if I don't get on the throttle too much, and on the highway even cruising 5-10 MPH faster than I do in the truck. Yes, it requires premium, but it's a small price to pay for a ride like this.

While I had my son scouting a couple of S63s and this S600 for me, he fell in love with and bought an '08 E550. Right now he's using my scan tool to troubleshoot a rear climate control issue in his car. That turned out to be an excellent investment.

chassis

Welcome! Please post a photo of the S600. Which scan tool are you using?

DaleB

I bought the iCarsoft MBII scan tool. If the weather ever clears up I'll get a picture or two. If I took one today, it would just show the hood up and a very frustrated owner contemplating where to swing the axe. Got in to take the wife shopping today, and once again -- ABS, ESP, Pre-Safe errors, no start with Keyless Go button. We ended up taking her Volvo instead. It's been trouble-free for a week, I was starting to get hopeful. Removed and re-seated ABS/ESP connector, still no dice. Looks like I'm going to have to replace the effing thing. I just need to make sure I can do just the electronics module without ripping out the whole ABS pump; I'm really not in the mood to have to do a complete 4-wheel brake fluid replacement.

Sigh. Maybe some day this thing will actually be a reliable car. Now... not so much.

dbldpr

Welcome please post picture of your ride

Nor Cal SL55

Show us a picture of the crack in the mirror lens. Every mirror I've seen has this crack and I am starting to wonder if this is how the part came from the factory.

Welcome to the site DaleB!!!

DaleB

The new ride:



And the cracked lens. Looks like a rock impact.

stephos

The car looks good (apart from the cracked lens obviously)

DaleB

Thanks! It's not without its flaws. The left front bumper is scraped pretty badly right along the wheel opening lip, but it looks like it's been painted with some touch-up paint so you don't really see it unless you're looking right at it. The gray hides a lot. No dings or dents though, only a few minor rock chips. The car presents itself really well. I've been tempted to get a little touch-up paint and a buffer and go after it, but figure I'll wait until I get the garage cleared out enough to actually park it inside. It's a 3-car garage, but my wife's Volvo, the McLaren and the '65 GT40 take up most of the space, with the Miura up on a lift above the GT40.

OK, a guy can dream, right? Actually the wife's Volvo IS in there, with a '66 Mustang coupe undergoing restoration in the third bay, and the second occupied by a workbench, bikes, another workbench, a crapload of parts, some lawn implements and whatever else gets tossed in there. I'm working to get it cleared out. The truck has lived outside most of its life, but I just don't want to park the S600 in the driveway forever. And if you're married, you know perfectly well that the wife's car NEVER gets left out.

stephos

no garage is ever big enough

Nor Cal SL55

That is definitely a rock issue! There is a small crack in the curved portion of many MB's models of the 2004-2008 era that I've seen. So identical, I've always wondered if it was just made this way. Can't feel it on the surface.

DaleB

I haven't been able to drive the car since Friday night. We went out to go see a movie, and the keyless-go didn't work. I put the key in and turned, and of course got the ABS, ESP, Pre-Safe, parking sensor alarms. Screw it -- took the Volvo. It's now gone from an intermittent thing that happened once a week or so and quickly went away, to a solid condition that's not going away. That's actually a good thing; intermittent errors are a ***** to fix because you never really know if it's fixed or just dormant. I ordered a used ABS pump unit with a 180-day warranty, it's due in some time today. My tentative plan is to just swap the electronics module on to the existing ABS pump and valve block. I'd like to avoid doing a 4-wheel brake bleed right now, but it's due soon anyway. If I end up having to do it now, that's life.

I'm really, really hoping this is the last of the issues with this car for a while. So far, over the 3 weeks I've owned it, It's been the least reliable vehicle I've owned in decades. I knew about the radar issue when I bought it, but the intercooler pump and this issue were surprises on a 1-owner car that had been regularly serviced at M-B dealers. I bought it right, so spending a little time and money getting it up to snuff is acceptable... for now. We'll see how reliable it is over the longer term. I've got the maintenance schedule plotted out, based on the information I have available from the CarFAX report. If it's not listed in there, I'm assuming it wasn't done. Next up will be the transmission fluid and filter, since at 48K miles I don't see that it's ever been done.