When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Hey Guys!
My name is Josh and I'm about to buy a stunning 2004 S350L. It belongs to my employer (Diplomatic Mission) and they are decommissioning it as one of their official cars. At $3000 dollars (AUD) it is an absolute steal with a one owner history and 150k (km) original kilometers. But that's where we get into the tricky bits...
It's $3000. What's wrong with it you may ask? Quite a bit. This is why I'm asking for your opinion on whether or not I should go ahead with this.
Due to financial constraints, the once meticulous servicing was put on hold for the past two years. It just confuses me how everything has just gone up in flames all at once.
1. Engine Light and the dash screen cycles between ESP and ABS warnings. The screen announces four malfunctions.
I have a rudimentary scanner (certainly not Star level) that gave me this code: P0720. Now everyone knows that this probably means either a wheel abs sensor (the steering is crazy heavy) or the sensor on the conductor plate of the 722.6 transmission. I don't know if the classic connector plug is leaking but it has not wicked up to the TCM in the fusebox area. Doing the left to right wheel reset worked once for all but 4 seconds and clearing the code on the ECU lasts for about the same time.
2. Transmission is in limp mode (I'm assuming it is tied to #1)
- It also audibly and physically slams into gear when moved from park to reverse or drive. Now I think this is either the conductor plate or the flex discs in the driveshaft (not to sure how to distinguish the two).
3. Climate Control is not blowing cold. I turned both sides to LOW and it blew hot air. The button that controls the compressor was locked in the off position so I checked the codes and it came back with KLV 1424 which has to do with the carbon filter so that doesn't seem to be related. Except in clearing the codes, I was able to "engage" the compressor. (I can't really tell if the compressor is running or not since it does not have its own belt).
4. The central locking, soft close, rear headrests and lumbar supports aren't functioning. So when I checked the 20 Amp fuse in the passenger footwell it was blown. Put another one in. Boom. Blown again. So I put another one in and shut the door. Suddenly I hear a faint pump noise and that dies out before I get to the trunk to listen. Fuse is not blown but nothing is happening. Except that the rear doors now trigger the lighting.
So the car has sat for around 6 months and the battery appeared to have trouble cranking the engine each time I fired it up. I left the car running for about 40 minutes in hopes of charging it and potentially removing at least some of the gremlins. Except the cranking still seemed labored so perhaps the battery is cooked. (Perhaps it is causing some of the problems)
Some positives include it being unbelievably sexy. It has power seats front and back and four zone climate control. It has the lovely gray perforated leather that is so soft that it suggests the cows were at peace when then became S Klasse Seats. Content with their fate. New tires too. Bose Audio has me shaken from it's pure clarity. (I get that some people hate it but I'm in love with it). The paint is nothin short of pristine except for a gentle boo boo on the driver fender.
Anyways. On face value, this beautiful black beast of a car seems like a total bucket of sh*t if you look past the good bits. But it's soooo preeetty...
Clearly, I'm biased to the look of the car
MMMMM
So there we have it, good price, right? All similar specced and aged cars are going for about 5 times this one. So it seems like it'd be a good deal if I fixed it up.
Should I go for it? I'm reasonably technically capable so I'd be doing the work myself except for the exception of star diagnostics or something like that (unfortunately the MB Dealer is a good 45min from where I live)
I'd love to hear your opinions on my potentially financially crippling project.
Many thanks!
Josh
P.S. I could hardly talk about it without showing you a picture right??
Back in March 2017, I bought a 2004 S430 4Matic for $3300. It's pretty nice overall. I proceeded to put 30,000 miles on it since then, mostly trouble free. I had to replace a rear air shock a few thousand miles ago, and minor maintenance items here and there. The CEL came on but it was just the air pump on the engine so i ignore it. The COMAND eventually died, but was working when I got the car. Now, at 215K total miles, I am having the driveshaft rebuilt due to some vibration and noise in the center bearing.
On the test drive, the car ran very well and handled nicely. Everything worked except the TPMS and soft close on a couple doors at the time I bought it. It had brand new front air shocks on it too, and a brand new transmission module.
I think you can do better for the money. There are cars out there that have been well taken care of by long term owners. W220s will generally need more love than many other MBs, but they are worth it for the rewarding drive. Buy the best car you can find in your price range. There are good ones out there and they have all depreciated a LOT.
I am going to be in the minority here, but - If you have somewhere to work on the car, and if you are willing to spend many hours in testing and minor repairs, I think that you might enjoy bringing it back to life. It possibly would be well worthwhile waiting a bit - they may not find a willing buyer anytime soon. Let them know that you are a very interested buyer - at a lower price.
I wouldn't hesitate to buy it. I would also immediately find a reliable vendor for an SDS - it will be absolutely required.
If you do get it, the first thing to do is to get a really good battery in the car. These cars do not do at all well with a weak battery.
They also do not do well with sitting idle. The electronics and electrics fall apart - but they can be fixed.
After you get a good battery, and run the "quick test" with the SDS, you can start working on the problems.
it sounds like you've done your research . All the problems can be fixed , probably cheaply if you diy , and post progress on the forums and maybe find a local Mercedes enthusiast with sds
get a fresh battery , get the conductor plate /fluid /filter. And do a full Adaptation reset using sds. Do that and I bet Just driving this car daily will probably cure all the gremlins
I am going to be in the minority here, but - If you have somewhere to work on the car, and if you are willing to spend many hours in testing and minor repairs, I think that you might enjoy bringing it back to life. It possibly would be well worthwhile waiting a bit - they may not find a willing buyer anytime soon. Let them know that you are a very interested buyer - at a lower price.
I wouldn't hesitate to buy it. I would also immediately find a reliable vendor for an SDS - it will be absolutely required.
If you do get it, the first thing to do is to get a really good battery in the car. These cars do not do at all well with a weak battery.
They also do not do well with sitting idle. The electronics and electrics fall apart - but they can be fixed.
After you get a good battery, and run the "quick test" with the SDS, you can start working on the problems.
Agreed. This is awesome advice. Might get it for cheaper, plus if you spend some money for a new battery, and test it for a bit with it, you can see what gets better.
I am going to be in the minority here, but - If you have somewhere to work on the car, and if you are willing to spend many hours in testing and minor repairs, I think that you might enjoy bringing it back to life. It possibly would be well worthwhile waiting a bit - they may not find a willing buyer anytime soon. Let them know that you are a very interested buyer - at a lower price.
I wouldn't hesitate to buy it. I would also immediately find a reliable vendor for an SDS - it will be absolutely required.
If you do get it, the first thing to do is to get a really good battery in the car. These cars do not do at all well with a weak battery.
They also do not do well with sitting idle. The electronics and electrics fall apart - but they can be fixed.
After you get a good battery, and run the "quick test" with the SDS, you can start working on the problems.
I assume you're in Australia since you've quoted the price in AUD.
Just find an independent workshop that specializes in Mercedes. Most of the problems you have with it are quite common and they should be able to fix it for a lot less than the dealer.
12-17-2017, 05:56 AM
