About to buy an S280 2002
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Newbie
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 3
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S280
About to buy an S280 2002
I've posted in W140 but @oldsinner111 said I should have posted here, so here I am.
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Hi guys, newbie from Malaysia here
.. never own a mercedes before.
So I'm about to buy my first mercedes, check it out here http://www.mudah.my/2002+Mercedes+Be...n-54439469.htm.
Can you tell me is this a good buy, in terms of reliability, maintenance wise?
I'm going for a test drive tomorrow.. so excited about it yay!
thanks.
---
Hi guys, newbie from Malaysia here
.. never own a mercedes before.So I'm about to buy my first mercedes, check it out here http://www.mudah.my/2002+Mercedes+Be...n-54439469.htm.
Can you tell me is this a good buy, in terms of reliability, maintenance wise?
I'm going for a test drive tomorrow.. so excited about it yay!
thanks.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 2,473
Likes: 439
From: Ball Ground, GA (N of Atlanta)
2003 S500 2007 GL450
You are buying a high-quality, luxury car that is fifteen years old. Things will be worn, things will be broken, maintenance will have been neglected. Parts will be expensive, labor will be expensive.
What happens to you will be largely determined by luck, and by how you prepare for problems.
If you are willing and able to do almost all of your maintenance and repairs, things should go very well.
If you must depend upon an independent mechanic, and you are lucky enough to find an honest one who is familiar with the Mercedes, things will be more expensive, but still might go pretty well.
If you must depend upon a Mercedes dealer, I hope that you are wealthy.
Buying a Chinese clone of the Mercedes STAR system will help a great deal. This computerized diagnostic system will take time and study to use properly, but will tell you what is wrong and how to fix it. This and other W220 forums will give you a great deal of support and information.
Welcome and good luck!
What happens to you will be largely determined by luck, and by how you prepare for problems.
If you are willing and able to do almost all of your maintenance and repairs, things should go very well.
If you must depend upon an independent mechanic, and you are lucky enough to find an honest one who is familiar with the Mercedes, things will be more expensive, but still might go pretty well.
If you must depend upon a Mercedes dealer, I hope that you are wealthy.
Buying a Chinese clone of the Mercedes STAR system will help a great deal. This computerized diagnostic system will take time and study to use properly, but will tell you what is wrong and how to fix it. This and other W220 forums will give you a great deal of support and information.
Welcome and good luck!
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,284
Likes: 37
From: North Carolina
2003 S500 - Toyota Corolla (in the rain)
Welcome to the forum.
There is a little plastic piece in the gear shift housing that will certainly break and will need to be replaced if it hasn't already. There was also a problem with the instrument cluster in the earlier S classes. It was a manufacturer recall but that car is past the recall date. IF it has soft close doors the actuators that control them will eventually have to be replaced (particularly the driver's side door). Little annoyances that aren't expensive to replace - Crankshaft Position Sensor (CPS), serpentine belt plus idler and tensioner pulleys.
They are great cars but like Wally stated if you are able to do a significant amount of your repairs it will certainly make life easier.
There is a little plastic piece in the gear shift housing that will certainly break and will need to be replaced if it hasn't already. There was also a problem with the instrument cluster in the earlier S classes. It was a manufacturer recall but that car is past the recall date. IF it has soft close doors the actuators that control them will eventually have to be replaced (particularly the driver's side door). Little annoyances that aren't expensive to replace - Crankshaft Position Sensor (CPS), serpentine belt plus idler and tensioner pulleys.
They are great cars but like Wally stated if you are able to do a significant amount of your repairs it will certainly make life easier.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 6,150
Likes: 533
Mercedes
To clarify , some instrument cluster were covered by a ten year extended warranty while others were covered under a USA recall which never expires . But these programs were only in the USA and a s280 isn't a USA model
