as much as we love our cars they bottom line are the biggest pieces of **** on the roads. They are the most expensive and worst made regarding quality and longevity. Mercedes really has come a long way since the early 60's to present time.

the s class's back in the day were true beasts/tanks of a car that could go hundreds of thousand of miles even millions for alot of them without a problem at all.

my 1980 300sd turbodiesel is 30 years old with not one problem and runs unbelievable. it has 10 fuses for the entire car i mean come on if everyone of those fuses failed the car would still run .


i have a 2003 s500 4matic that i have spent over 25k thousand into with full lorinser goodies and fully pampered always taken care of. but that peice of **** is sitting in my driveway with all four air shocks failed and i cant even get it towed. and imagine 7 fuse boxes in a car with over 300 fuses. a fuse box for each wheel one under the rear seat and 2 under the hood. just alitte too much water from a underbody carwash cleaning and you have a serious problem. not only mine but numerous people i know that have these cars and all have the same problems... why isnt anyone reporting this to consumer affairs or whoever?

my 1980 w116 300sd could destroy my sclass w220 in every way. in mileage, comfort, beilve it or not i feel safer in the old school benz and actuall steel they used back then, instead of this light **** aluminum and polyurethane plastic bumper **** we got on there right now.

yea the new ones look better but again why make a car that is designed to fail in everyway especially in safety. belive it or not my shocks in my 30 year old benz have been compeltely shot for a couple years my mechanic said after a recent inspection and yet the car doesnt sag or squeek or even better yet sit in the driveway undriveable.

just think could a w220 or w221 or any new benz ever last 20 or 30 years. i will never buy a new mercedes ever again.

m

 

The W220 was still part of the Chrysler era where quality was very low. The 2007 and up models (most of them) have vastly improved. FYI, my previous W221 was probably one of the most reliable cars I've ever owned, along with our W164 ML63.

 

i got the ml320 w163 dont even get me started on that peice of crap.... needed new engine, new tranny, new compressor, new rack and pinion, new power steering.

all in a car that has 120,000 miles and is driven by my mother in the suburbs all highway miles at no more then 65mph ever hahaha damn new mbzs.


btw i hate ricers but my neighbors 2003 acura mdx and older acura RL sedan for the past 7 years have only been in for oil changes not one problem to date..



i always loved german cars especially when i got my new s500 back in 2003 but since such a bad experience and how poorly there cars are made especailly with all those unnecessary gadgets i will NEVER buy another mercedes again.

 

My s430 is getting up to 190k miles and I guarantee you it runs better than any other car with that mileage.

yes the electronics are the nightmare on these cars, but its not only Mercedes...BMW and every other car maker is moving to increasingly electrically complex cars. Where Mercedes was in 2000, other makers still had simple, largely mechanical systems. Soon all cars are going to be rolling computers and even MORE frustrating.

Also, most luxury automakers are using active suspensions instead of good old coil springs. Air suspensions and penumatic/hydraulic suspensions all fail at some point, whether its a Range rover, Lincoln Mark VIII, 1960 Cadillac, etc. Mercedes S classes have had expensive suspension options going back 40 years and they all need expensive service. Sure I wish they would just offer a standard coil spring option. But Airmatic isnt too bad when you use Arnott parts.

Without the electronic complexity and the stupid suspensions, these cars are otherwise very reliable.

 

yea the 430 or 500 engine are bulletproof if cared for but the rest of the car is crap and i hate saying it since i own one.

but bottom line is your car wont ever last up to 300k or above without serious amount of money spent compared to the classic bulletproof w116 or w123 chasis cars.

 

I bought my 2001 S500 with 80k without a single problem. it has 117k on it now. I do not baby the car. It sees high speeds, lots of WOT, and terrible rough roads. Only problem is the orignal airmatic strut failed at 110k. Replaced with an Arnott unit in my driveway. Job was super easy.

It's been a wonderful car. I'm 20 and have only owned Volvos prior to this car. I do all my own work, and so far, have not had to do any to the Merc minus the shock and oil changes. It does need lower control arms, but other than that, all good.


Day I bought it:



Now:





Bottom line, maintain anything, no matter if it's a rubbish make of car, and it will never let you down.

With that being said, I want a w140 soooo bad. hahaha

 

but thats really a criticism of ALL new tech-heavy computerized cars vs. simple old cars with mechanical systems...


Mercedes was just one of the first to make their cars so complex...but all the other makes have followed, and will be having the same issues with their 2010 models 10 years from now. We are the "early adopters" and the first to bear witness to how expensive tech laden cars can be as they age.

nowdays any little electrical fault sends your fancy new car into "limp home" mode - and all these fancy modules are $500+, theres no more cheap mechanical fixes.... so after warranty ends, virtually ALL new fancy computerized cars are going to suck to own longterm.

 

if you don't like it, quit being a whiny *****, sell it, and drive your 116.

oh and like reliability is affected because you spent 25k on a stupid body kit.

 

but it gives more hp!!

 

I find it super comical that people compare the reliability of a 30 year old car vs. a 220 or anything else.

A 116 has power windows and seats, a radio, and a sunroof. Thats about it. No wonder there are only 10 fuses.

If thats all the electronics you need in the car, then enjoy your 116 until you're blue in the face. There is nothing wrong with the old car, if you don't mind having less features than a kia from 1996.

I like the features. I like the distronic cruise, the parktronic sensors, the AWD, the 25mpg, the dead quiet cabin, the adjustable suspension firmness, the navigation, etc etc.

If you want to compare it to an acura, fine, but don't compare it to a 30 year old car.

In my opinion, I get a bit too much creaking from some of the plastics in my car (read the center vent, the cluster a little, and the rear sunshades), but aside from that, I'm generally pleased with the quality of the car.

 

must be all that hp breaking parts then

 

Ditto!

At 134K, I still very happy with my 04. If I get to the point where I have to go on a whining rampage about my car, I'll just retire it in the backyard or sell it or something.

Perhaps that 25k you wasted on a body kit you could have gotten youself a nice Acura or a few more of those old battleships you used to drive.

BTW. There aren't 300 fuses in this car. I doubt any car has that many fuses.

Also since your car is sitting on all 4's in your driveway, have you even thought between tissue wipes to call 1- 800 4 my mercedes and have them come pick it up? I'm guesssing no.

I suggest the next time you go out and get a benz you do a little research to see of you can stomach the upkeep.

I can't see how you can spend 25K on accessories yet whine about repairs that will cost a fraction of that. Was making your car look like a magazine ornament your idea of babying it?.

Look dude not to bash you or anything so don't take me wrong with this, but EVERYTHING that is MADE FAILS EVENTUALLY. you car is 7 years old with a known issue. Maybe you will get more fans or sympathy on Ihatemybenz.org.
But it's okay to vent here it's your right.

I'm about to shell out $2600.00 for repairs on my car which is about all I have spent on it in the last 4 years give or take 5 or 6 hundred and some mod costs. Does that make my car a peice of crap? Noooooo that means that one of my technically advanced components have reached their end and it's time to address it.

That's called cost of ownership. Deal with it or deal out of it your choice.

 

it's gotta be.

I can't complain about my W220. I bought it used 10 years later. No major issues.

 

That's the problem nowadays. Well, plus the fact that people don't factor in maintenance and "relative" maintenance when comparing to other brands.

Not to mention when people start complaining about the price of gas. Why buy a V8 luxury vehicle when those people will complain about maintenance and gas?

 

no one is whining oliver you troll.. just stated facts if you read the original post. i make enough to drive any car on the road. the fact is that i have spent so much money and time repairing peice of crap w220 that i enjoy it less than half the time ive had it. could of been the car was a lemon straight from the factory but i highly doubt it since i purchased it brand new but who knows. maybe ill give the porsche panerama a try since porsches quality is ranked the highest out of all the other german car makes.

i have a 4matic also just wait till yours needs ton of parts in the near future haha


heres breakdown of some parts in just the past couple months alone

4 new airmatic struts needed- just got car towed to mb shop pretty much destroyed my body kit
2 new compressor pumps
lower and upper control arms
AC compressor
water pulley, alternator pulley and crankshaft pulley
power steering
rack and pinion
4 matic differential or whatever the hell its called
new set of catalytic converters
master central gate or something like that..... got fried when i went through a car wash.

and the tranny is gonna need to be replaced soon as well

i think any of you forum trolls would of had a heartattack if you had to repair these things out of pocket all in less then 6 month period.

 

so go buy something else.

For a such a "baller" you seem awfully concerned about repairs on your S-Class.

Just trade it in at the Porsche dealer and be done with it.

Why is this not something you've done? My guess: You're all talk.

 

maybe because its not fixed yet hence above your post..... towed to dealer for the repairs lol after that its def a trade in unless someone wants to buy the car from the forums for a good deal

 

how about:

why didn't you trade the car in earlier.

Seems kind of odd that a guy who could afford a Bentley Flying Spur would drive a 7 year S-Class with numerous issues.

 

i just purchased a corvette couple weeks back that why i havent taught about a new car yet..


anyone wanna buy the car on here..... its a 03 s500 4matic.. with full orginal Lorinser F01 body package and exhaust.... black lorinser rims and lorinser interior shift knob, steering sport steering wheel and other goods.


pm for pics

 

Haha, this is probably not a good place to try and sell it after you've said its a garbage a few posts up. haha

But anyway - I have a 2001 S55 with 138k miles, I drive about 4-5k miles a month and I'm always accelerating. A few of the electronics have given me problems, some sensors, and some mechanical stuff, but all more or less wear and tear items - find a good indy specialist and don't be ripped off by the dealer. I can't get a warranty because it's such high mileage, but otherwise it's a good daily driver for me.

 

lol if not itll be a nice backyard junker lol

 

interesting. One would think that a guy who "can afford any car on the road"

would get something other than a used non-z06/ZR1 corvette.

Where's your viper ACR, your Nissan GTR, and your Ferrari 599?

 

liked the targa top.... none you can get in the others smart arss


if you wanna get snotty meet me by the dairy queen i know where your at i live close by.

damn thread jacker.... post your opion on the topic and dont bite more then you can chew

 

i am interested at the right price. send me pics sounds like most of the work has been done

 

I'm interested at the right price also... but if it's such a lemon, i'd have to offer something low.