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I bought this car from a broker in 2013. I do not have an extended warranty, and by the way someone please recommend the best extended warranty for this car please. I've learned my lesson. Car has 98,000 miles
I've had numerous problems here and there, but the major problem is the car is stuck in 1st , 2nd, or 3rd gear I guess. Now, sometimes while driving over the last 6 months, it would get stuck, but then if I pull over, shut the car off, then cut it back on, that would fix the issue, and I can go about my day. When stuck, it's basically like the RPM is high but I'm only going like 25 MPH.
Their has been 2 occasions when I tried to go in reverse, and the car would not go in reverse. As of last week, the check engine light is on, and the car is completely stuck in 1st gear. Now, you know those 2 I guess shifting buttons on the back of the steering wheel? When I hit the left side button, it shows the number 1 on the dash board, but sometimes it will first show up the number 3, and now it's showing up the number 4, when I first hit the left button. I don't know if this means anything good or bad, but it doesn't show 1 all the time anymore like it used to.
Right now, the car is at a EURO repair shop right by my house. Thought I would see what they say first on a $85 diagnostic fee before taking it 45 minutes away to the Mercedes Dealer.
Your thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated . Again an extended warranty recommendation would be great. Besides that, here are the other issues.
1. Sunroof won't close, it's closed now but if I open it has to be manually closed
2. Battery changed in the key, but the car will not lock.
3. Windshield Wiper Fluid light is on, but dealer wants hundreds to fix the issue
4. Sounds like a winding noise while in idle. Don't know if it's a belt, or it's related to the 1st gear issue.
I love this car because it's a head turner. Everywhere I go people are starring and complementing me. I hate to get rid of her, but I dont know. I owe $15K and I believe I can sell for $21K, but I will miss her.
As you've painfully discovered, a used S Class out of warranty is an enormous crap shoot. The high mileage (07,08) cars look attractive from a price standpoint and can be very well maintained cosmetically but they will murder you on repairs and maintenance.
The axiom goes "There is no such thing as a cheap S Class". It's going to get you on the front end with the higher prices of CPO or low mileage cars, or it'll extract it from you on the back end.
I'm not aware of any 3rd party warranty worth anything that will take a car with 100k miles on it once it's been sold and taken off a dealers lot. You need to buy the warranty up front, preferably CPO or 3rd party via your bank or credit union.
I'd fix whatever is necessary to unload it and count it as a learning experience. The problem with a car that's worth $21k is that it's easy to dump half that again in repairs that are unrecoverable financially. A $21k S Class that has has $10,000 in repairs is still a $21,000 S Class.
AutoPom is a sponsor here and they sell great warranties. I have one for my car. 5k may be a lot of money but then again one or two big repairs in the 4 years I'll have it could more than pay for it.. The problem is at 100k miles I don't know if anyone would even write a warranty for you. If they did it would most likely be alot of money. Usually the warranties get much more expensive once the car hits 61k miles..
AutoPom is a sponsor here and they sell great warranties. I have one for my car. 5k may be a lot of money but then again one or two big repairs in the 4 years I'll have it could more than pay for it.. The problem is at 100k miles I don't know if anyone would even write a warranty for you. If they did it would most likely be alot of money. Usually the warranties get much more expensive once the car hits 61k miles..
Thanks for my reply. I guess i should not have included warranty info in this post, because no one is focusing on the main issue at hand, the 1st gear issue
- Your transmission valve body needs to be replaced.
- sunroof may need to be reset. Try pulling the fuse and resyncing
- does the car lock with a different key?
- windshield washer float is probably stuck. Try cleaning it out, if not, then replace the reservoir/ float.
- when was the last time you did a transmission service? I've seen the transmission pump start to whine if not serviced after 100k miles. Could also be your power steering pump. Does it whine louder when you turn the steering?
Good place to start is a quick test via star diagnostics, clear all the codes and drive it to see if anything comes back.
Where are you located?
Last edited by desired_speeds; 02-02-2015 at 02:28 PM.
- Your transmission valve body needs to be replaced.
- sunroof may need to be reset. Try pulling the fuse and resyncing
- does the car lock with a different key?
- windshield washer float is probably stuck. Try cleaning it out, if not, then replace the reservoir/ float.
- when was the last time you did a transmission service? I've seen the transmission pump start to whine if not serviced after 100k miles. Could also be your power steering pump. Does it whine louder when you turn the steering?
Good place to start is a quick test via star diagnostics, clear all the codes and drive it to see if anything comes back.
Where are you located?
If the Valve Body needs to be replaced, I'm going to be sick. My car note is due today, and the cars in the shop, and now that's what like $1,000 to $2,000 to get fixed?
The sunroof makes a loud grinding noise when you try to close it. I've had people open without my permission, then this guy has to come out, take off the glass, then reseat it, and close it.
If the Valve Body needs to be replaced, I'm going to be sick. My car note is due today, and the cars in the shop, and now that's what like $1,000 to $2,000 to get fixed?
The sunroof makes a loud grinding noise when you try to close it. I've had people open without my permission, then this guy has to come out, take off the glass, then reseat it, and close it.
Your conductor plate aka tranny valve body needs to be replaced. It has to be done at the dealer as it requires scn coding and Indies generally don't have scn generating capabilities.
The moonroof needs rails redone. It is a maddening tinkering unrewarding job that some wretched Indy might be able to accomplish.
The key locking issue needs to be troubleshot wih das. It could be many things.
The whistling is most likely a belt or pulley or... Many other things lol...
the washer fluid level sensor needs to be inspected/ cleaned/ replaced
Your conductor plate aka tranny valve body needs to be replaced. It has to be done at the dealer as it requires scn coding and Indies generally don't have scn generating capabilities.
The moonroof needs rails redone. It is a maddening tinkering unrewarding job that some wretched Indy might be able to accomplish.
The key locking issue needs to be troubleshot wih das. It could be many things.
The whistling is most likely a belt or pulley or... Many other things lol...
the washer fluid level sensor needs to be inspected/ cleaned/ replaced
Thanks for the response. The guy says he can do everything the dealer can do, but maybe he's just lying.
First, take a deep breath. I'm not going to sugar-coat this.
Sell the damn car for what you owe on it and consider yourself lucky. Next time, *before* you buy a Mercedes, research the hell out of it before you buy. If you are not a DIY'er, have plenty of cash on hand. Speaking for myself, I think you're nuts if you think you can get $21K for that car with the issues you described. Those repairs would be thousands of dollars if the dealer were to repair the problems.
Not trying to be harsh, but ego leads one into expensive territory. My Mazda 3 is cheap to maintain and requires minimal labor (I perform all work myself) and has cost me ~$1000 in maintenance costs over six years. *Tools alone* in one year resulted in an investment of >$1500 just so I could work on my two Mercedes. (OTOH, I've saved that much in labor costs by not having to take my car to the dealer.)
My Mercedes average five to fifteen times more per year in parts costs compared to the Mazda 3. I'd like to attribute it to more power and more complexity but in actuality I attribute the difference to a lack of quality control and systems feedback in the Mercedes system. I like the cars but am seriously disappointed in the vaunted Teutonic engineering. The Japanese have them beat hands-down with 6-Sigma engineering.
Seriously, if you can't afford it, check your ego at the door and just purchase a nice reliable car that you enjoy. Honda S2000, Mazda RX-8, etc, etc.
I hope it works out for you whatever choice you make.
^+1. Build a warranty into the upfront cost of the car. If the combined cost pushes you past your budget, walk. This thread should be a sticky for the guys who seem to show up every couple of days asking if the high mileage S550 they found on a used car lot is "reliable" and wondering what they should be prepared for.
^+1. Build a warranty into the upfront cost of the car. If the combined cost pushes you past your budget, walk. This thread should be a sticky for the guys who seem to show up every couple of days asking if the high mileage S550 they found on a used car lot is "reliable" and wondering what they should be prepared for.
Agreed! It makes the most fiscal sense with one of these technological wonders to purchase the lowest mileage car you can afford and factor the price of an exclusionary warranty into it. The lower the mileage, the cheaper the warranty is and longer coverage becomes available. Purchasing a high mileage car like the OP did will end up costing him more within a few years than purchasing a low mileage car with a warranty figured into the over all cost.
I'm sure you appreciate all the advice (erm, I mean help) that has been provided on things you should have done prior to purchasing the vehicle . Keep us posted on how it works out and good luck!
With all of the information available to the consumer, especially with the help of our friend Al Gore, if somebody doesn't do their homework prior to purchasing a car, then it is likely their fault if turns out to not be the "deal" that they thought it was going to be. There is plenty of info on this board, which seems to be the most popular W221 forum, as well as other forums and discussions easily accessed on the web about repair costs and frequency on higher mileage cars like these. Google is your friend.
Somehow I don't think he'll be on the forum for long. Several members with some mechanical knowledge and personal experience here did offer insight into the likely culprits and typical repair costs. I'm not sure what else we can do for him.
First, take a deep breath. I'm not going to sugar-coat this.
Sell the damn car for what you owe on it and consider yourself lucky. Next time, *before* you buy a Mercedes, research the hell out of it before you buy. If you are not a DIY'er, have plenty of cash on hand. Speaking for myself, I think you're nuts if you think you can get $21K for that car with the issues you described. Those repairs would be thousands of dollars if the dealer were to repair the problems.
Not trying to be harsh, but ego leads one into expensive territory. My Mazda 3 is cheap to maintain and requires minimal labor (I perform all work myself) and has cost me ~$1000 in maintenance costs over six years. *Tools alone* in one year resulted in an investment of >$1500 just so I could work on my two Mercedes. (OTOH, I've saved that much in labor costs by not having to take my car to the dealer.)
My Mercedes average five to fifteen times more per year in parts costs compared to the Mazda 3. I'd like to attribute it to more power and more complexity but in actuality I attribute the difference to a lack of quality control and systems feedback in the Mercedes system. I like the cars but am seriously disappointed in the vaunted Teutonic engineering. The Japanese have them beat hands-down with 6-Sigma engineering.
Seriously, if you can't afford it, check your ego at the door and just purchase a nice reliable car that you enjoy. Honda S2000, Mazda RX-8, etc, etc.
I hope it works out for you whatever choice you make.
I am not sure I completely agree and accept the vaunted Asian quality assumption either. I have had some higher end Jappanese cars with expensive unexpected repair costs as well. Granted the costs to repair are not in the world of an S class but not cheap either. Compete fuel injection plumbing, oil lines, stearing racks, entertainment systems. Nissan and Toyota are the brands.
like bbirdwell say,I'm not gonna sugar coat this as well.
I purchased a 2008 s550 4matic with 995k on it.
And believe me there's no 3rd party coverage will give you a reasonable price because:
1.its a merc
2.its old
and a real rich guy won't buy a car with such mileage.
I study in college now,so for me,all I need is to earn an average of 1100 bucks a month(and I did it) in order to pay gas,maintainance,insurance and loan.
And god forbid nothing serious will happen to this car.If anything serious happen to this car,my parents gonna take care of it or if it worth to sell than fix,I will do it right away.
If you are the kind of person like to go to stealership do maintainance,that will be an average WAY more than 2000 bucks to do maintainance on this car(includes change tires yearly.)
Buy a s550,or any high end car in market with such a low price,you better have the same amount of money that you purchase this car in your bank account just in case anything happens and you need money to fix the car.
Don't dream that the high end car will have a low end maintainance/fix fee.
My neighbor's kid bought a brand new fully loaded Corolla, he replace the best oil/part he can find (K&N,Mobil 1,Peak,etc.) and cost an average of 900 bucks a month includes gas,loan,insurance and maintainance(at least this is what he told me).
Complement is worth nothing comapre to how much money you spent/gonna spend on this car , I drive this car for a decent of time and nobody gives it a fk
In short:
sell it before it cause you more trouble.
Last edited by Wings of Divine; 02-04-2015 at 12:00 AM.
like bbirdwell say,I'm not gonna sugar coat this as well.
I purchased a 2008 s550 4matic with 995k on it.
And believe me there's no 3rd party coverage will give you a reasonable price because:
1.its a merc
2.its old
and a real rich guy won't buy a car with such mileage.
I study in college now,so for me,all I need is to earn an average of 1100 bucks a month(and I did it) in order to pay gas,maintainance,insurance and loan.
And god forbid nothing serious will happen to this car.If anything serious happen to this car,my parents gonna take care of it or if it worth to sell than fix,I will do it right away.
If you are the kind of person like to go to stealership do maintainance,that will be an average WAY more than 2000 bucks to do maintainance on this car(includes change tires yearly.)
Buy a s550,or any high end car in market with such a low price,you better have the same amount of money that you purchase this car in your bank account just in case anything happens and you need money to fix the car.
Don't dream that the high end car will have a low end maintainance/fix fee.
My neighbor's kid bought a brand new fully loaded Corolla, he replace the best oil/part he can find (K&N,Mobil 1,Peak,etc.) and cost an average of 900 bucks a month includes gas,loan,insurance and maintainance(at least this is what he told me).
Complement is worth nothing comapre to how much money you spent/gonna spend on this car , I drive this car for a decent of time and nobody gives it a fk
In short:
sell it before it cause you more trouble.
Yikes! Do they still teach Writing in college? That's one hot mess of a post, man. But I am impressed that your car has just under a million miles on it
Yikes! Do they still teach Writing in college? That's one hot mess of a post, man. But I am impressed that your car has just under a million miles on it
+1 lol.... You've got to admit that Corolla deal sounds sweet. only $900 a month!! I can get rid of those yearly tire changes too....
Yikes! Do they still teach Writing in college? That's one hot mess of a post, man. But I am impressed that your car has just under a million miles on it
First of all,I have to say English is my third language,I'm sorry for myself have lots of issues with my writing skills, I'm also sorry to know that you drive a 2010 s550.
Isn't that a MAD OLD CAR?Judge by how you say my car,I bet your car have 0 mile on odometer.
What happened bro? Gasoline price still too high for you?
It's pathetic that you still drives a 5 yrs old car old richie
Last edited by Wings of Divine; 02-04-2015 at 02:58 PM.
First of all,I have to say English is my third language,I'm sorry for myself have lots of issues with my writing skills, I'm also sorry to know that you drive a 2010 s550.
Isn't that a MAD OLD CAR?Judge by how you say my car,I bet your car have 0 mile on odometer.
What happened bro? Gasoline price still too high for you?
It's pathetic that you still drives a 5 yrs old car old richie
You is saying good points. I asks my parents newer S Class but they says no way because my interwebs posts to retarded!? So stuck with crappy 2010 for now. WTF parents?!
BTW, Borat, I was pointing out that you listed your mileage as 995k which I'm guessing was a typo but whatever language you speak I'm pretty sure 995,000 is still 5,000 shy of a million.
02-02-2015, 12:08 PM
. Keep us posted on how it works out and good luck!
