Hello,

I have a 2003 s600 with about 120k miles on her
Shes a daily driver and gets about 30-40k miles (highway) per year since i got her 2 years ago

The car is starting to act up a bit though, there is a hard shift in the transmission if accelerating slowly.

The abs suspension is starting to sag a touch on the drivers side rear and there is feathering in all the tires.

There is a whining noise in the car related to engine rpm not speed(tested on a hoist)

Do i need to replace my shocks?

the stealership offered me 5k on a trade in but I'm not sure the car can't be used for a few more years

how many miles do people get out of their s600's before so much is wrong that it's not worth fixing?

I had a dealership service the tranny but it made no difference, the mechanic said everything looked good inside/ in the filter

what are your thoughts?

 

$5000 trade in? For which part of the car did they want?

Could a transmission mount need replacing? That'd explain the hard shift.

 

i changed the trans mount, did nothing to affect the hard shift

I laughed at the trade value too
the car is pretty cherry, no dents or rust and all the toys work

 

Howard would have loved your car since its in canada

 

Likely needs the shift plate replaced. Common issue, hard shifts, and will lock into gear.... I think full blown retail is right at $900-1100 for that.

Possibly shock or a valve block.... would have to be diagnosed.

Could be as simple as a idler pulley, or a ABC damper...or as brutal as the ABC pump....



Sounds like the lowest I have ever heard. I will buy it from you for $5k right now.


EA

 

maybe i'll take it to a different dealership to have them look at it

I was hoping you guys would be able to simply say " there is a 90% chance xxx is wrong"

 

The best bet is the dealership..... reasons why I say this are....

1) Your dealing with a suspension system that normal car mechanic shops have NO idea how they work, and don't have the correct diagnostic equipment.

2) The trans is kinda the same thing, a simple scan at the dealership could tell you if the shift plate is going bad, and would have saved you whatever you spent on the trans service that did nothing for the car.

I dunno where your at, but the issues your having will be simple for a MB dealership to diagnose.

EA

 

George,

Yes, good stuff, always.

I lived in London which was only 200kms east of Windsor.
Only been there once to see my tutor who led me when I started my first job.
Nice city facing Detroit.

All the best.

Howard