I'm new to the board, but already I have picked up little hints that the 2000 S-class was a ripe handfull to deal with. Is this honestly the case, and if so what are some things I should be looking out for? I imagine it can't be THAT bad, otherwise it would have tarnished the S-class reputation a bit on reliability. Any feedback for this 2-week old S-class owner would be reassuring! Thanks!

 

My p-rents 2001 S500 has not had problems yet...we've got about 19,000 miles on the clock and everything has been smooth so far, except for some small minor things, but nothing to do with the electronics or build of the car.

One thing was the left wiper, it would skip all over the windshield, like rubber on a dry surface.

The other was a loose plastic piece on the door, which made a clicking sound when opening and closing the door. That's about it, other than that, a beautiful work of art

 

Got an s430 registered in sept 1999 so that would be a 2000 model in the US.

I bought it 2nd hand but I have seen the printout of all the work done on the car and it's only ever had regular servicing, oil changes, brake pads etc

The car now has 44k miles on, running fine.

 

My neighbor just bought a new 2003 S500 for 1 month, and I've only seen his car a few times...

He hates it, he said, " I spent $80K on a new car and I'm driving a used C320..." It was the loner car the Beverly Hills MB gave him.

Apprently the ABC was going crazy, it would activate it self and makes the car uneven...

Then the AC went berserk too, after that was the distronic...

He said if he wanted this much problem he would of bought a BMW 745!!!!

But since he got his car back last week, he seems happy with it... So I guess when the car runs good, its a great car.

 

I bought a 2000 S430 in December of 2002. Its been back to service 7 times for the following:

Air conditioner sensor (Still a problem)
Power steering pump
Radiator fan
Front end work (struts, springs, ball joints, rack and pinion) (2 times)
Replaced diffirential
Air conditioner knob faulty

Now MB autobody has it to fix a scratch in the bumper that was caused by service.

Yet the AC still is a problem. If the inside of the car is really hot, it takes forever to get it cool. The air comes out cool but not cold. Yet if the car is in the garage and then take it outside it's fine. There must be an electronic device to determine the temporature in and out of the car to determine what coolness level it should produce to avoid overheating, I guess.

 

Yet the AC still is a problem. If the inside of the car is really hot, it takes forever to get it cool. The air comes out cool but not cold. Yet if the car is in the garage and then take it outside it's fine. There must be an electronic device to determine the temporature in and out of the car to determine what coolness level it should produce to avoid overheating, I guess. [/B][/QUOTE]

The 2000 had a faulty condenser design (too tight a turn in main line that caused a pressure backdraw). Demand a new compressor.....bad thing is they have to take entire dash out to replace.

Also, 2000 didn't have proper UV/IR coating on glass. Get V-Kool coating installed on windows.....cuts heat by 80% with no tint.

 

Thanks MercManiac,

This will continue to be one of my persuits.

Based on your reply, I would expect the AC to be faulty in or out of the garage.

V-Kool Coating, Who would do this kind of work?

 

I have owned and operated my window tinting company in Northern California for over 15 years now and just recently became a V-Kool dealer as well as Huper Optik. These are the 2 highest heat rejecting films out on the market. The best thing to do is to check out their websites and send an inquiry to the company and ask them for a referral. The VK70 is my favorite where it lets in 70% visible light, rejects 55% of the heat, 94% infrared rays and 99% UV rays.
By applying this film, it definitely will help with the heat coming into the vehicle but if you park your car outside in the sun, it will still get hot because of the windshield area. I know exactly what you mean about the ac not working efficiently. I have to turn it on to at least 4 to 5 bars before you really feel anything. Very poor design.
I have heard that you might be able to get Mercedes to replace the system under goodwill but it is always better if you still have warranty. I will find out when I bring my car in next month. Good luck.

 

i got a 2000' s500, mo major problems so far, the only problems are caused by people doing stupid things in my car!

 

Is there a service bulletin for the a/c compressor?

 

it is actually the A/C evaporator... that is why many people are reluctant to do the job because it requires removal of the dashboard. They are afraid it may not go back together correctly. I had an evaporator changer on our intrepid back in the day and the dash definitely wasn't the same afterwards. MB techs/design is probably much better tho.

 

lite, how much to vkool my car? I live in CT.

 

If you are serious about V-Kool, you should contact the V-Kool headquarters and see who is a dealer in CT. This stuff is really expensive and I would probably charge $850 to tint the entire car of the MBZ except for the windshield. Don't know what other dealers will be charging so good luck finding someone.

 

I have a 2000 S430 and its fine with no major problems. Some electrical issues but thats it. Nothing mechanical