Thinking about buying...
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Jeep
Last edited by sclasslove; May 27, 2015 at 07:27 AM.
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 616
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From: Planet Earth
S500
Comparing your gp to an S is like comparing Ducks to Bananas: makes no sense,except they have both 5 roundly formed items controlling the movement of the vehicule.
Yes you can diy a lot of maintenance,which is relatively easy for a W221 S500 or a S550.But when the **** hits the fan you need to have acces to a Xentry(M-B Diagnose system) and or a specialized Mercedes techie.
The stealers are (all) crooks and will take as much of your money with the least possible effort, especially because you're the big boy now,driving their top model and that they will proudly show you with any repair bill.
Generally the S-Klasse ist sehr very well engineered and lasts you a long time if properly taken care of(30+ years or 1MegaKms is not unheared of for an S).
Yes things will break over time and yes even for a diy-er etc can be expensive and or sometimes too complex to fix in your driveway.
Yes you can diy a lot of maintenance,which is relatively easy for a W221 S500 or a S550.But when the **** hits the fan you need to have acces to a Xentry(M-B Diagnose system) and or a specialized Mercedes techie.
The stealers are (all) crooks and will take as much of your money with the least possible effort, especially because you're the big boy now,driving their top model and that they will proudly show you with any repair bill.
Generally the S-Klasse ist sehr very well engineered and lasts you a long time if properly taken care of(30+ years or 1MegaKms is not unheared of for an S).
Yes things will break over time and yes even for a diy-er etc can be expensive and or sometimes too complex to fix in your driveway.
Last edited by marthyh; May 27, 2015 at 05:25 PM.
Super Member
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 764
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From: North Carolina
2010 E350, 2015 S550
So now, you are basically saying that it's not going to happen? Well, you sure will look silly when I am driving around in an S-Class. There is nothing wrong with having a positive look on things, I will tell you again that I AM interested in purchasing an S-Class within the next few years. If you respond with sarcasm or inappropriate humor again, it will not be worth my time to respond to you. For the other people who have responded kindly with no rudeness or sarcasm, thank you!
Don't take too much offence at the humor tossed around on this forum. There is a ton of good experience and lots to be learned from the senior members, or should I say fanatic members of the forum. Some times it comes at the expense of being able to laugh at the situation or comments tossed around.
That all being said, I would not own any of these cars without an extended warranty. I just repaired a rear view camera on a '10 E350, don't think it's any different than the camera on my S, at a cost of $3400 under extended warranty. Things like this break on these cars and parts are NOT cheap. I am sure that aftermarket stuff is around but I don't have the time to look for it and I am not inclined to replace this kind of stuff myself. I also had air bladders replaced in the driver's seat. Also not a cheap repair. Suffice it to say, these repairs were in low milage, < 45k, extremely well maintained cars. Everything that has been said about owning a car with a sticker price, in some cases well North of $100k, is true when it comes to fixing something that breaks on these cars. These cars are easy to fall in love with. But like any love affair, they can get expensive.
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Joined: Dec 2001
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From: USA
W140 Mercedes S350, W221 S550 sport
The trap. A car that retailed for $100,000 five years ago has depreciated 75% and it's still in great shape, cosmetically, and it looks like the maintenance was perfect as well. It even drives like new.
What's the catch? The catch is that while the depreciated price of the car puts it in Honda territory, the cost of repairs HAVE NOT DEPRECIATED ONE CENT. Parts are still priced for a $100,000 car. What kind of parts are used to build a $100,000 car? Not Jeep parts is what.
Perfect cosmetics is zero protection. Perfect maintenance is zero protection. The only protection is low, low mileage and a monster warranty.
What's the catch? The catch is that while the depreciated price of the car puts it in Honda territory, the cost of repairs HAVE NOT DEPRECIATED ONE CENT. Parts are still priced for a $100,000 car. What kind of parts are used to build a $100,000 car? Not Jeep parts is what.
Perfect cosmetics is zero protection. Perfect maintenance is zero protection. The only protection is low, low mileage and a monster warranty.
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Joined: Jul 2007
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S350 BT 4MATIC
Sclasslove,
Don't take too much offence at the humor tossed around on this forum. There is a ton of good experience and lots to be learned from the senior members, or should I say fanatic members of the forum. Some times it comes at the expense of being able to laugh at the situation or comments tossed around.
That all being said, I would not own any of these cars without an extended warranty. I just repaired a rear view camera on a '10 E350, don't think it's any different than the camera on my S, at a cost of $3400 under extended warranty. Things like this break on these cars and parts are NOT cheap. I am sure that aftermarket stuff is around but I don't have the time to look for it and I am not inclined to replace this kind of stuff myself. I also had air bladders replaced in the driver's seat. Also not a cheap repair. Suffice it to say, these repairs were in low milage, < 45k, extremely well maintained cars. Everything that has been said about owning a car with a sticker price, in some cases well North of $100k, is true when it comes to fixing something that breaks on these cars. These cars are easy to fall in love with. But like any love affair, they can get expensive.
Don't take too much offence at the humor tossed around on this forum. There is a ton of good experience and lots to be learned from the senior members, or should I say fanatic members of the forum. Some times it comes at the expense of being able to laugh at the situation or comments tossed around.
That all being said, I would not own any of these cars without an extended warranty. I just repaired a rear view camera on a '10 E350, don't think it's any different than the camera on my S, at a cost of $3400 under extended warranty. Things like this break on these cars and parts are NOT cheap. I am sure that aftermarket stuff is around but I don't have the time to look for it and I am not inclined to replace this kind of stuff myself. I also had air bladders replaced in the driver's seat. Also not a cheap repair. Suffice it to say, these repairs were in low milage, < 45k, extremely well maintained cars. Everything that has been said about owning a car with a sticker price, in some cases well North of $100k, is true when it comes to fixing something that breaks on these cars. These cars are easy to fall in love with. But like any love affair, they can get expensive.
Also can you describe the repairs?
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Joined: Dec 2014
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From: Northern NJ
2015 E550 Coupe
Super Member
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 764
Likes: 10
From: North Carolina
2010 E350, 2015 S550
So the rear view camera on my E350 failed or should I say intermittent operation. This is the second time I had the car in for intermittent operation on the RV camera. The first time they replaced thte control module and performed a software update. That seemed to have solved the problem for a few months. Until last week. This time the camera failed completely so back to the dealer it went. A few hours later they called and said that the repair was complete. I asked how they fixed the problem this time and was told that the camera was replaced. The said that supprisingly they had one in stock. When I asked what that would have cost without the warranty the service adviser said about $3400. I did not challenge him since there was no out of pocket cost. I was just glad that I had the warranty. I can't imagine that the removal and replacement was that involved. I am sure that the cost was purely driven by the cost of the spare part.
Last edited by mnje350; May 31, 2015 at 04:22 PM.
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S350 BT 4MATIC
That repair cost seems to be a quite high, but when going to the dealer, the mark-up is going to be incredible. Plus that includes multiple trips for the repair service, so that seems understandable based on the time they probably charged you for the time spent for "diagnosing the issue", and the replace/repair of the LRUs. involved.
Last edited by Nuru; May 31, 2015 at 05:03 PM.
Super Member
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 842
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From: Northern NJ
2015 E550 Coupe
So the rear view camera on my E350 failed or should I say intermittent operation. This is the second time I had the car in for intermittent operation on the RV camera. The first time they replaced thte control module and performed a software update. That seemed to have solved the problem for a few months. Until last week. This time the camera failed completely so back to the dealer it went. A few hours later they called and said that the repair was complete. I asked how they fixed the problem this time and was told that the camera was replaced. The said that supprisingly they had one in stock. When I asked what that would have cost without the warranty the service adviser said about $3400. I did not challenge him since there was no out of pocket cost. I was just glad that I had the warranty. I can't imagine that the removal and replacement was that involved. I am sure that the cost was purely driven by the cost of the spare part.
Now if you had said they had to not only had to replace the camera itself, but all the electronics in the car associated with it, then maybe that would have been a justifiable price. Lots more labor and time involved. After all, they would have been taking apart a good portion of your front dash to get at the internal wiring into the command unit.
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Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 764
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From: North Carolina
2010 E350, 2015 S550
Like I said, I did not challenge the cost the Service Advisor said since there was no out of pocket cost. I don't know what they tested before they determined that the camera should be replaced either. Perhaps he was mistakenly thinking of the 360 degree surround cameras that are on the new MBs these days.
I am supprised to hear that dealer cost on one of those cameras is only $100. I would have guessed more, given the fact that dealer cost for a cargo net for an S class is in the $30 - 40 range. But I am not in the car business so I don't have any first hand knowledge of the parts costs at an MB dealership. Regardless, my original point was that a warranty is critical IMHO in owning one of these cars. There was no fretting over the cost, I had a free loaner car, and they would have picked the car up at my house and dropped it off had I asked them to do that.
I am supprised to hear that dealer cost on one of those cameras is only $100. I would have guessed more, given the fact that dealer cost for a cargo net for an S class is in the $30 - 40 range. But I am not in the car business so I don't have any first hand knowledge of the parts costs at an MB dealership. Regardless, my original point was that a warranty is critical IMHO in owning one of these cars. There was no fretting over the cost, I had a free loaner car, and they would have picked the car up at my house and dropped it off had I asked them to do that.
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2016 C300
Like I said, I did not challenge the cost the Service Advisor said since there was no out of pocket cost. I don't know what they tested before they determined that the camera should be replaced either. Perhaps he was mistakenly thinking of the 360 degree surround cameras that are on the new MBs these days.
I am supprised to hear that dealer cost on one of those cameras is only $100. I would have guessed more, given the fact that dealer cost for a cargo net for an S class is in the $30 - 40 range. But I am not in the car business so I don't have any first hand knowledge of the parts costs at an MB dealership. Regardless, my original point was that a warranty is critical IMHO in owning one of these cars. There was no fretting over the cost, I had a free loaner car, and they would have picked the car up at my house and dropped it off had I asked them to do that.
I am supprised to hear that dealer cost on one of those cameras is only $100. I would have guessed more, given the fact that dealer cost for a cargo net for an S class is in the $30 - 40 range. But I am not in the car business so I don't have any first hand knowledge of the parts costs at an MB dealership. Regardless, my original point was that a warranty is critical IMHO in owning one of these cars. There was no fretting over the cost, I had a free loaner car, and they would have picked the car up at my house and dropped it off had I asked them to do that.
The light could not be ordered independently. It was part of the rear view mirror assembly. The mirror happened to be motorized (it could be set along with the other memory features). The rear view mirror was $1300. With labor the warranty paid just under $1500 for the little lamp.
Folks like to talk about how cheap and easy it is to find parts for nothing and install them themselves, but it seems like very few have ever actually done it. I say that because when anyone asks for technical or DIY advise the response is usually dead silence.
BTW, it's not necessary to dismantle the dash to get to COMAND. It's a few Torx screws and the thing is sitting in your lap. I'm sure the price the dealer charged you was in line.
Last edited by Mike5215; May 31, 2015 at 09:39 PM.
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S350 BT 4MATIC
LOL!, yep, you may be happier with all those options, but you definitely want, newest year you can afford, low miles and a solid warranty for as long as you keep it. More options, more complexity, and potentially more opportunity for issues.
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Joined: Nov 2015
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From: Newcastle, WA
2019 S63 4Matic+, 2018 E400 Cabrio, wardens car.
Not to pile on here but I have to agree with what most of the posters are saying. I purchased a 2012 S550 4Matic 3 days ago with 26K miles for around 43K thinking I was getting a steal. I love the car but a day after I brought the car home the rear view camera stopped working. Off to the dealer I went as the car still has 1 month of factory warranty left. Wanted a second key as well. 400 bucks later for a stupid key and who knows how much for the camera fix but that part is covered. I will be extending the warranty for 3 years and then promptly dumping the car for another used one. Spend the money and buy the still in warranty car that you can then extend the warranty on. You can get a 3 year exetended bumper to bumper MB warranty for around 3200 bucks. Worth every penny in my book. At the end of the day I will be into it for around 46K plus tires and brakes. Way more manageable and predictable.
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Joined: Jul 2007
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S350 BT 4MATIC
If you need parts, check out these sites:
www.mercedespartssuperstore.com (USA)
www.getmercedesparts.com (USA)
ww.mercteil.com (Europe)
They all tend to have pricing that is a lot less than dealers for OEM parts.
www.mercedespartssuperstore.com (USA)
www.getmercedesparts.com (USA)
ww.mercteil.com (Europe)
They all tend to have pricing that is a lot less than dealers for OEM parts.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,904
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S350 BT 4MATIC
My 220 had a little led ambient light that lived in the rear view mirror and blew. The car was CPO so I asked for a new little light.
The light could not be ordered independently. It was part of the rear view mirror assembly. The mirror happened to be motorized (it could be set along with the other memory features). The rear view mirror was $1300. With labor the warranty paid just under $1500 for the little lamp.
Folks like to talk about how cheap and easy it is to find parts for nothing and install them themselves, but it seems like very few have ever actually done it. I say that because when anyone asks for technical or DIY advise the response is usually dead silence.
BTW, it's not necessary to dismantle the dash to get to COMAND. It's a few Torx screws and the thing is sitting in your lap. I'm sure the price the dealer charged you was in line.
The light could not be ordered independently. It was part of the rear view mirror assembly. The mirror happened to be motorized (it could be set along with the other memory features). The rear view mirror was $1300. With labor the warranty paid just under $1500 for the little lamp.
Folks like to talk about how cheap and easy it is to find parts for nothing and install them themselves, but it seems like very few have ever actually done it. I say that because when anyone asks for technical or DIY advise the response is usually dead silence.
BTW, it's not necessary to dismantle the dash to get to COMAND. It's a few Torx screws and the thing is sitting in your lap. I'm sure the price the dealer charged you was in line.
https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...ferrerid=60539
between shopping for parts on German ebay and sourcing parts in the USA and overseas, with a little patience I think I have done well in at least the Fridge retrofit..
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 806
Likes: 27
From: Rochester, NY
2009 S550 AMG sport pckg. 2014 Ford F-150 Lariat Supercrewcab
It was a little bit offensive to say that my Jeep cost next to nothing brand new... If I am correct, the window sticker says $40,000. It has many options that weren't standard for that model year. Actually I AM in the market for a used ML or S-Class, If I weren't, I wouldn't have come to the forum. Just because I haven't owned a Mercedes-Benz yet and I am still new to all the different things you have to do to maintain them doesn't mean that you have to be rude about it. Within the next few years, I am almost certain that I will be driving an S-Class.
Last edited by Nickthegreek; Nov 11, 2015 at 11:05 PM.
