chico_mustangs

First off hello to all! I am getting a 2001 S500 with 28k on it in just under 2 weeks. The car was purchased brand new by my grandfather and had always been maintained by the dealership until 5 years ago when he passed away, it has been sitting in a garage parked ever since. When I had gone to his home last year the battery had died and the car was sitting on the ground. I purchased a new battery for it and she fired right up! I drove it about 15 miles without any serious issues aside from the tires, brakes, and a couple other things needing replacement.

I will be flying out to pick the car up in just under 2 weeks and driving it across the country. Are their any things that I should have serviced before I drive all that distance? I will be getting all of the pads/rotors replaced along with the tires and oil. I looked around through the maintenance guide online but it really didn't say much. What oil/filter does well in these? I am VERY new to Mercedes, I am a car guy but more of a Domestic car person, well until now that is...

Is their a mod that you can do to the factory navigation system that will allow you to play DVD's in it while driving?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

tusabes

cant play DVDs in a 2001 benz, the nav is CDROM not DVD

You should get the brake fluid and coolant flushed too before the drive.

Sitting for 5 years, some rubber parts (hoses, seals etc) may have dried out or cracked without fluid running through them, have those checked.

The battery you put in last year is likely to be dead again. DO NOT JUMP START THE CAR. Disconnect the battery and charge it, then reattach it.

Skylaw

Welcome to the forum.

As a new owner, I strongly recommend the W220 S-Class Owners Start Here sticky at the top of this forum; and suggest that you might like to look through the owners' manuals before the trip. Sources of electronic versions are in the sticky.

chico_mustangs

Ok I will do that, thanks for the advice! Is the newer DVD based nav plug and play with the older cars or would you suggest just going with an aftermarket unit? I want to still be able to use the factory controls on the wheel for the stereo. I know if I go to an aftermarket unit the turn by turn will no longer go through the instrument cluster, right? I disconnected the battery when I left last year so it should be ok hopefully.

tusabes

Its already April, so depending what time last year it was purchased, the battery should be charged before reconnection. These cars will exhibit all kinds of electrical errors if you use a low battery.

You can get a cheap battery charger from Sears, Kragen etc. for about $30-40.

AH1W-COBRA

based on miles your brake components should still be good unless they were abused/overheated in some way.a little surface rust on rotors will be gone within the first few brake applications.IMO if the coolant hoses are still in good condition than i would not change coolant,10 years/150,000miles.coolant is a tricky fluid and you could end up with leaks/seepage with a coolant flush and you dont want that going crosscountry.buy the best battery you can find that is designed for the car and start fresh.new belts,change engine oil with the recommended synthetic/viscosity.mobil one/castrol syntech.new set of tires and drive her home.save the goodwill dollars for real repairs that havent occured yet.it is a MB and sounds like a gem.

Skylaw

DVD-based COMANDS are definitely not plug 'n play swaps for older cars (thoise with a D2B fiber optics bus). I know of one guy who says he has done so with Euro spec units - http://www.benzworld.org/forums/audi...and-2-5-a.html
-but I'm not aware of any U.S. spec changeouts without swapping out the entire D2B bus for a MOST bus, and everything on it.

Depending on the third party unit, if that's the way you want to go, steering wheel interfaces are made for some units - but I don't keep track of which ones. Investigate before buying, and be sure the interface works with MB.

Unless you can make a CAN Bus tie-in with a 3rd party unit, you will lose all COMAND - related displays on the MFD.

Having left the battery disconnected so long, you may have a number of things not working when you reconnect it. Charge the battery before reconnecting it. Then see https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...ml#post3682080 to get things working again.

sloanben

If you'd like a proper introduction to turn of the century S-class ownership, take it in the closest MB dealer and ask them for quote to check it out and prep for the long-distance trip.

chico_mustangs

Alright well thanks for the advice! I was going to buy one out of a newer Mercedes and hope it went in, I'm glad I didn't waste my money. I don't really think that I care about COMAND displays but I will do some research on here to see exactly what that includes before I do anything.

I'll just have to run by a local parts store and pick a battery charger up when I land, I don't want any unnecessary headaches.

AH1W-COBRA

im not sure what the effect of a trickle charger on a battery that is still connected to the car will have.i would not advise putting the key in the ignition or even opening a door.IMO just buy another battery and forget charging the old one,these cars can definitly challenge you with electronic issues all on their own.you dont want your maintanance decisions to be the reason for the hassle.enjoy your new to you S class,once smitten you will judge all your other cars by your MB.

Skylaw

You can also call your dealer for Roadside Assistance to replace your battery. The cost is only the price of the new battery - which will be a fit to your car - and you escape the 1 hour labor charge. It's done at your location, most convenient. No running around for you.

Blk04cobra1

That is the best suggestion I have heard yet. I would call roadside when you get to the vehicle. They may require some type of proof of ownership, if it's still in your dad's name, but as stated above, they will come to you. The technician can also run a diag on your battery and let you know if you truly need a new battery. Depending on which one you bought, you might be OK even though it has sat for a year.

Also, depending on how your grandfather drove, your brakes should be fine. I might be concerned with the tires, but if the tread looks OK, the only thing might be a little dry rot or possibly out of round. I would also highly recommend having your service done at an MB dealer and they will check over everything for you and let you know what they recommend replacing.

Good luck with your cross country trip. Remember if you have any troubles, MB roadside is a courtesy for a battery jumpstart, if you run out of gas, or if you have a flat tire.

shellshock

+1 on the roadside assistance! Let MB take care of you!

chico_mustangs

Well I'll just take it out and bring it to where I bought it to have it tested. Doesn't Mercedes charge you for the roadside assistance? The brakes felt like crap when I drove it last and the rotors had some grooves in them. I would rather just replace them and not take a chance. I believe the tires still have excellent tread but they are very weather cracked. It's much cheaper and easier to get it repaired before something happens on the side of the road and they get to charge me whatever they want. If I have my oil changed at the dealer to they check over everything or is that a separate service that I need to request? I know when I tried to turn the A/C on the button wouldn't light up and it never kicked in so that's one thing I need to have them check out.