This is my first thread and i'd like to ask some questions
I want to by a second hand 2003 S600 with just 30000 mile on it, and it's "fully" loaded.

How is Fuel Consumption? Duh V12 but i heared it's not much

How expensive are spare parts? (how much would you pay per visit)

Are there any problems in engine, ABC , electronics ... etc? (Costs?)

thanks

 

I will be completely honest with you, I dont want you to lose faith in benz and sadly enough a v12 will do it to you.......

if that car is NOT covered under warranty be prepared to shell out your first born to get it fixed

Consumer report says that the average v12 benz owners car is in the shop a MINIMUM of once a month, that is not a fun thing.........

The problems I have seen lie in the engine, its a decent design being a 6 litre its fairly small displacement and makes good power............but Ill give you a few for instances of where if you dont have warranty

Things that fail on these engines, god only knows why the biggest design flaws are so deep into the motor that it would almost be cheaper to buy another car
main ABC hose that goes from compressor and for some rediculous reason wraps up and over the engine and trans back to the rack.......leaks on v12s more than v8s, now it wouldnt be a problem except you must remove the engine to replace the hose, so if your not under warranty you are looking at 18-20 hours labor and about 400 in parts, so thats roughly, 2500 bux to replace a hose, now if your lucky you catch the hose leaking before it destroys your pump wich in many instances is not the case, then your looking at 900 for a pump and 5.5 more hours labor, another 1500

Engine oil cooler goes out a lot, leaks like a stuck pig, once again this item is deep into the engine, 20-30 hours in labor depending on what shop you take it to, to remove both cylinder heads and parts 4-500

I have only seen a few water pumps go out these arent too bad, about 3 hours labor 600 for parts

coil packs go out pretty often, luckily when you buy one coil pack you get 5 free, labor 2 hours parts 1000

engine harness loves to suck up oil, this is a friggin nightmare, for this problem you get a new wiring harness, and an array of other sensors and control modules that this destroys along the way, I dont even want to start with the costs

the fact its a v12 and EVERYTHNG is harder to do you will be paying a lot more in labor, Like I said I dont wanna bad mouth the brand cuz I do like the cars, but I dont want anyone to lose faith in the benz, a great car is a later production 220 s55, I dont see many of these is the shop for many major items, just little tidbits here and there

 

Thrillhouse hit that nail straight in the head. If money is your concern, stay away from it. Afterall, it's easy to afford the payment but the repairs would make you want to sell your home. 05 S55 is a good bet. Almost same power level and just as fun. It all comes down to $$$$$$$$$$$$

 

Sorry for stealing your thread but I'm looking at a few S500 4matic. anything I should be concerned about on this car? I've heard that the airmatic thing can be a problem, other than that I really don't know. thanks

 

yeah as far as airmatic, sometimes youll get some clunking noises when struts start to wear, doesnt mean they are gunna go bad real soon, if you can live with the noise then no big deal, the front seals go bad after a while, if you have to pay for it cp its actually not too bad, bout 2.5 hours labor and like 40 in parts

worst possible scenario, pump goes bad, car will almost sit on the ground

other than that all I ever really see these cars for is little things, and campaigns

as with any make and model try to get a later production year as most of the bugs will have been worked out

 

It's actually a 5.5 Litre BiTurbo motor. I heard a few bad things about it, but weren't those just the '03 editions, considering that it was the first year of production for that motor.

 

early model v12s were not turboed, and they are garbage, even later model ones , sorry to say it v8 kompressors.....yumm

 

https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w220/150076-mercedes-s600.html

see they lost faith cuz of the v12............I wasnt lying, I think this stupid motor ruins benz's reputation

 

My father owns a S600 Merc and my only advice to you would be stay far away from this car!

 

I have the 2004 S600 and the car is identical to the 2003. My S600 has 12,000 miles on it and has been in the shop two times. The first was for an oil change after 12 months of driving and 7500 miles. The second time was for a leaking hydraulic line within the power steering unit. This car is one of the best built cars I have ever owned. It is reliable, extremely fast and handles like a Porsche (Since I have a Porsche I can compare).

I would tell you to check the service history before you buy.

Before 2003, the S600 was a problem child and I would steer away from those cars.

Remember, I own an S600 and I am giving you advice that I honest and not speculative.

 

I am considering purchasing an S600L Bi Turbo (used). I tried the S55 AMG L out and found the engine noise/exhaust note got on my nerves.

Are you guys saying that S600L pre Bi Turbo should be avoided (no intention of getting one of these) or are you saying that some of the Bi-Turbo models are bad as well?

Also, I am assuming the ride, exhaust note on the S600L are the same as other non AMG S classes - is this correct? I currently have a 2001 S430L.

 

The 2003-present S600 have the best engine design (Twin Turbo) and avoid the others. These cars are so fast that they are almost unbeatable.

I have the 2004 S600 with the AMG package. The AMG package does alter the ride a bit. It consists of suspension, rims, tires, brakes and a different chip program.

Incredible car. MSRP was 139,689.00 (has every option available).

 

after owning this car for 6 years it has cost me more than having a divorce. The only thing I regret is not having a total write off crash in it. All the problems are design faults caused by so called Merc engineers who will not accept responsibilty for designing such a piece of rubbish. I will never look at another MB wagon ever again.

 

Way to bring back an old thread from the dead. Last post was over a decade old...

 

Did you notice it was kieron the first and only reply on forum?
Sounds like he bought car at about 10 years of age and it did not work for him.

 

What? No one with the username or signature Kieron or Lennox was on this thread before the recent post. He also said he bought it six years ago...