After spending all that money on it why would you sell it for parts ? Theres a ton of options for airmatic struts on this vehicle. Fix it and keep it ! And also please post pictures ...would love to see this beauty !

 

 

Still have all original Airmatic setup. Just now am replacing the lower front control arms. Squeaking at ball joint below the strut. Still have original battery. I do all maintenance myself and it has been just tires brakes fluids and tune up. I keep up with everything by the book. My last benz I drove 325k, w126 chassis. It appears by this thread that 300k is doable in the w220 chassis. When these cars were new it looked like it was the end of DIY maintenance but we have adapted and most everything seems possibl now.

 

I have 121,000 miles on mine

 

I have 206,000 miles now.

 

126000 miles and running like a dumper truck

 

251,000 miles

 

Do all the work myself, overall been very reliable for the amount of miles.
Mostly routine maintenance, some unexpected such as
Replaced,- Radiator, Power Steering Pump, Fuel Pump, Ignition coils (cracked on the bottom) and the intake manifold started cracking in places. most parts came from a very low mileage 05 model from the local pull-a-part

 

helga is a 2001 with 121593-we changed out the transmission conductor plate at 120000 miles-shop wanted to replace the entire transmission rather than replace the $300 parts. we did it in the driveway

 

on my 2000 s500 i didnt have to change the whole plate yet but did have to replace the pilot bushing and open tcu box to drain out tranny fluid that whicked up the electrical wires in the connector and spray it all down with that cleaner made for computer chips and wires.

but i did have to get my 2005 E500 conductor plate repaired by a place in California then sent back to me and i did all the rest of the d.i y. Company only charged me $230 to repair the input turbine sensor. Not sure how being its molded into the plate but thats why i paid them instead of dealing with dealership that said it would take 3 months and over $3,000 and a copy of my registration and driver license. And was turned down by every indie shop in town

 

2000 S430, 391,300 miles. I'm trying to go for 400k and looks like I'll make it.

2nd owner, transmission and engine untouched but a lot of other things have had to be repaired/replaced. All the front suspension, both front air shocks, 2 water pumps, one alternator, motor for the door lock vacuum system plus a few misc. items but nothing really major. I do most of my own work such as oil changes/filters/brakes and a few more difficult things if I have the time and inclination. The car runs great, burns about a quart every 3k to 4k miles (5W-30) and gets 26 to 28 mpg on the road. I bought it used in '09 with 158k on the clock knowing it had a few issues but at $8k for the car it was hard to lose at that price. I use Mobil One and change every 6k to 10k miles in the past but I've found a new type of Mobil One that claims 15k between changes and have used that the last two changes (though I only went 13k the last time.)

I don't hesitate to head out for long trips with it and have gone from Mexico to well into Canada. It's only let me down twice and it was my fault for not heeding the water pump leaking and fixing it right away. The pump bearing wore to the point the serpentine belt came off and I could not get it to stay so had to call AAA for a tow home. The other time, the alternator went out and I was in North California without tools enough to do the job so had to fork out $750 to get a rebuilt installed. I had noticed some unusual material around the bearing indicating a problem but figured it would last a little longer but it did not.

I have an S 550 but the S 430, IMO, is the better car from both a ride standpoint and a seat position standpoint. When the 430 finally goes, I'll use the 550 but frankly, I'd trade it for a good 430 any day.

 

Purchase 2003 s500 November 2018 with 26,420 miles and paid 14K for it. Plus I had it shipped from Florida to Washington state for 1.2 K and 1.7 k for sales tax and license. So that makes it just under 17K total. Always serviced at the MBV dealer one a year.
Terry Borth
Bellingham, WA

Please can not find what Mobile one viscosity. I was going to use 5-40. Does that seem a correct weight?

Thx

 

Well I think you have the lowest mileage 2003 S500 out there!

 

Welcome to the W220 family, I have a 2003 S500 that has 64,851 miles, still love this car. Had it 15 years now, wife drives it daily
p.s. I am a distillation engineer and I spent a great summer at the Georgia-Pacific plant in Bellingham, stayed on Whidbey Island...

This forum is an awesome place to get info on this car, it can be a real test of patience. I could not keep mine running without the guys on this forum...Tsunabes,WallyP and others Thanks!!!

 

whats the update on you reaching the 500k mark lol??? Recently purchased a s500 with high mileage been a little over a year so far so good.

 

Ive got a 2005 S430 with 101k on it.
Got it at 49K from Benz as a precertified car.
Had all fluids done, plugs, motor mounts. (Trans/Diff/Transfer case)
I replaced all airmatic components, (valve block/pump/Bilstiens)
WIred a BT Gateway to run my iPod and bluetooth
Put a front left axle on it and did the valve covers/breather covers/hoses
Replaced the secondary air pump.
This thing is not fast off the line, but highway this thing is a 747....amazing.
You really cannot beat the ride of the Airmatic system....its amazing...
Everything works, even the little LEDS behind the door handles....
Love my Benz and will drive it until the wheels fall off, then I will get an S560....

 

2000 S500, 265k miles.

 

2005 S430 with 237,000 miles and still loving it!!!

 

j

 

I paid 1200 for a well maintained 2006 S430 that had 255,000 miles and a couple small problems. Less than a year later I have 277,000 miles and hope to keep it to 400k

 

I have a 2006 S500 with 260,000 miles and I am trying to get a million and see Mercedes gives me a new S.???

I have done the regular maintenance and this car has been bulletproof! I purchased this with 130,000 miles on it in 2017. There no other car that makes feel like this one and I have had Porsche and BMW.

I’m told that when Mercedes made the S500 back 2000, they where trying to make the best car in the world and I think they have succeeded during it era because this car can still hang with the best of them today.

 

’05 S500 - 230k miles

 

I read somewhere that a guy have 2007 Toyota Tundra with 1,000,000 miles on it and Toyota brought the truck from him and gave him a new one!

Does anyone think Mercedes will do the same for us if we reach a million miles on with the S500 and or the W220???

 

Hell no. They barely hand out high mileage certificates anymore. Their business model has shifted. They *don’t* want people to own their cars forever, it’s bad for their bottom line. They want their cars to be fleeting. Here today, gone tomorrow. Just look at the new S-Class. That’s going to age like potatoes. The only thing we can hope for is that Mercedes doesn’t go full BMW and design their cars to fail after XXX number of miles.

 

2003 S500 w/sport package and designo pain/interior
Mileage: 104,795
no that's not a typo.