Hello - I have owned a 2006 S350 for five months, and I love it. Second owner, I have all records, car in great condition. I have had a few things replaced: control arms and control arm struts; motor and transmission mounts. Car was always serviced on time at MB dealer; I have service history.

Drives well, handles well. I do have a few questions, and I thank you in advance for any answers/suggestions/advice.

1. When traveling at low speeds over uneven bumpy roads a lot of creaking is present, especially when the temperature gets below 50 F. Also, when I go over larger bumps a noise emanates from the right rear that sounds as if something heavy is banging up and down (one time for each bump). At high speeds on smooth roads there is no noise.

2. Service "A" is due in about 3,000 miles. What does this entail?

3. I assume that the engine is a M112, but I do not know the transmission number/type. Do I need to worry about the harmonic balancer pulley on this engine? Anything to know about the transmission in the way of problems?

4. A small portion of the passenger side quarter panel strip is broken off, at the end nearest the rear of the car, and the material that lines the wheel well is slightly damaged. Any source for a quarter panel out there (SWB, of course)?

5. Finally, anything else -- issues, problems, recalls -- I should know or keep and eye on?

Thanks in advance,

James

 

Creaking is usually the ball joints

 

creaking is likely ball joints or sway bar bushings.

The rear sound may be more serious in that it may be subframe bushings.

Service A is generally an oil change and some lookie-lou stuff like checking brake pads, fluid levels, etc.

I do these myself so I also take out the engine air filters, and just knock some of the debris out of them, as well as doing an inspection of the serpentine belt, looking for leaks, abrasions, etc.

the 3.7L V6 in your 350 is a derivative of the m112, but since its a late model, it likely does not have dampner issues. Still, if you feel vibrations or notice the rubber squeezing out, you may need to replace. I like to mark a line on it with chaulk to see if the ring has separated from the center.

 

One thing that you can try if you are willing to do minor work on your car yourself...
If you don't have these items, you can buy them very reasonably at any auto parts store, Walmart, etc. You will need a grease gun (I prefer the type with a squeezable pistol grip); a tube of moly grease to fit the gun, and a needle that snaps into the fitting on the grease gun (usually on a card hanging near the grease guns in the store). Install the grease tube into the gun, and snap the needle into the coupling on the gun. Carefully pierce the rubber boot on each of the front suspension joints and pump four or five shots of grease into the boot. This will often lubricate the joint, eliminating the squeaks and making the joint last much longer.


On the heavy bump in the right rear, make certain that the battery is securely fastened down.

 

James,
I also drive the same auto since Sept. 2009. The other posts have answered most of your questions. So, hesitantly, I'll focus on #5.

Airmatic suspension has been a major problem on my auto. Replaced the front left airmatic strut at 46K miles; the right front at 52K miles; the left rear at 59K miles; and the airmatic air compressor and valve block at 58K miles. Also had to replace the air conditioning compressor at 55K miles.

Also replaced parts you mentioned at first part of your concerns.

Maybe the luck of the draw and I picked a bad one, or local roads contribute,
or airmatic suspensions on S class wear out too fast. Owned 3 E class with springs and hydraulic struts and NO suspension problems.

Just try to miss all pot holes and I hope your suspension is more reliable then mine. If a problem occurs, you will get a message, "Car too low, drive to shop"
Raise car up so you can drive to shop; or you may hear an air leak hiss as I did when the right front went bad.

My air conditioning would not start to cool until the engine temperature rose to 80-90 on the temperature indicator. Then A/C worked normal? Fix required a new compressor. Use A/C 365 days yearly, never heater.

Had trouble starting the car, would crank but not start. Let it sit 15-30 minutes and it finally started, but had to replace the crank case sensor which may be a common problem. Good news is original battery had been in car 8 years, still working good (PROBABLE BECAUSE IT IS IN THE TRUNK) but replaced it anyway when started having starting problems and did not want to get stuck out on a highway. Never heard of a battery lasting that long, but then most are in engine compartment subject to heat!

Hope all this does not discourage you too much, but mine is what it is.

The above fixes I paid for, did a lot of other repairs the first year under CPO at no cost......TPS; sun roof leaked, door/trunk soft close, window motors,etc. to mention a few. This particular car had too many problems?

Oh, and since I only drive approx. 6K miles yearly, the "A" and "B" maintenance required come on in about 5K miles or 9-10 months instead of 13 K miles or 12 months? Just another quirk of the car or maybe the computer is smarter then
us humans?

My lease will be up in 6 months and some wholesaler will get a problem free car for another 40-50 K miles.

Enough said, are you sorry you asked?

I really enjoy the car in those trouble free periods, but it has been expensive enjoyment! Hard not too think about another S-Class, but a minimum bells and whistles E- Class may be more practical.

Tropical