I own a s550 07 (w221) preowned and during the first year i noticed vibrations coming through the steering wheel and seats. Took it to the dealer and they couldnt figure it out, after that my suspension kept malfunctioning, also my air con has this horrific smell every time i turn it on. After that my tranny jerks when shifting from 1st into 2nd which mercedes said all s550's do that when they are warming up, i know that they rev higher to warm up the engine quicker on cold starts but they shouldnt jerk. Lastly, I needed to know if anyone out there owning a 07 s550 or higher can see weld marks located behind the front suspension wells on both sides when looking from under the hood...i have attached a picture of those welds and if someone could let me know if they have them or not. This way I can determine if this car has been in a collision of some sort which would explain these problems....please i need your guys help....

 

I was hoping to check my car and see the same thing for your sake, but mine is much much neater than that. On my car it looks like a 1" wide 1/8" thick rubber/asphalt tape (body colored) that covers the seam. It is very neat and looks like it should be there. Your seam looks like it was applied from a caulk gun and smeared down into place. I don't think yours is stock, I think it was done by a body shop.

 

Thanks so much for your help, I will try and take it to another shop who can probably check it out for me. I think the car has been in an accident. But once again thanks for your help

 

Guess this is one of the reasons ya tell me to buy cpo huh

 

Vibrations - first step is to have wheels/tires “road force” balanced http://www.hunter.com/pub/product/balancer/index.htm then proceed to accident history as suggested

Transmission - check to see when ATF was last changed, valve body “may” need replacement https://mbworld.org/forums/4063190-post9.html

AC odor - mention bulletins S-B-83.00/115 & S-B-83.30/74p

 

Mine has that asphault looking tape as well, but AMG POWER yours really don't look that far off. IMO I think you are ok on that being factory. Why is the 3 nuts for the struts look rusted in the surrounding area though?

 

His does not look bad, it looks like the way other manufactures do it. It does not look like the particular method MB uses (not to say it is better or worse, it just does not look original). I was also wondering on the bolts....

 

One of the reasons

 

When buying used CPO is the best way to go.

 

jta001r and emilner, those bolts seem to have a sticky substance on them, they don't actually have rust I believe. I think the reason is that its a Canadian car and so Im pretty sure they coat it with that to prevent rust, my other car has the same on it. I guess it has to do with the snow and all, do you guys think I will get any compensation if they did sell me a car that has been in an accident and they did not notify me about it?

 

I would not keep my hopes up. Some people will chime in and say DEMAND A REFUND etc, but in reality accidents happen. And they are not always easy to detect. We sometimes think of dealers as all knowing all seeing entities that can spot any repair a mile away. I for one will tell you I have seen damage that can only be found after months of ownership because you happened to see the car in the perfect light at the perfect time of day. I have a suspicion that my drivers door was resprayed. I only noticed a few weeks ago (and I am really nuts when it comes to cleaning/checking the car) because timing was perfect. I could see a couple of small grits in the clear where the panel creases in to the chrome trim at the top of the door. It is really hard to see and could be factory, but whatever.

The point is that the dealer is not a fiduciary here. Their interests involve selling cars and making money servicing them. They could go about it in a honorable way which fosters a good reputation and loyal customers, but lets face it, what is good for them (more profit) is bad for you (more cost). If your car was in an accident, they might have detected it, they might not have. They sold it to you in a condition acceptable to you at the time. Now that you are experiencing problems it is up to them to resolve them (I am under the assumption you bought the car from the dealer). Point out what you found and tell them you are upset and you want the car sorted.

If you did not buy the car from the dealer (where MB warranty work would be done), then make no mention of accidents or anything. Play dumb and ask for things to be fixed. You don't want them denying service bc of the accident work (in the scenario where you did not buy it from them). This is why I like to buy from an MB dealer. You pay more, but if there is a problem they have a vested interest in making it right....

 

Thanks for that, I did in fact buy the car from the dealer and Ill try and do as you said. As much as a I love Mercedes-Benz I was disappointed, but then again its not really their fault but more the previous owners. I'll also do a Carfax report, maybe something might turn up there. Once again thanks for your help, keep up the good work.

 

honestly, that doesn't look unusual to me. Its just some seam sealer.

the cleanliness of the application looks about right. Some cars look neater than others.