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Hello all, I've decided to do a write up on my thoughts and opinions of my 2007 S550 after the past year and couple months.
First thing, running costs. I've definitely put some money into my S, though the vast majority is normal maintenance and upkeep. Starting in chronological order, here is everything done to the car since July 24, 2017 when I acquired it. (disclaimer*, I've lost some of the receipts so it might not be exact, but should be close.)
1. Car was programmed at Foreign Performance auto shop to enable auxiliary input and enable door lock chime. $170-180 (8/20/17)
2. Auxiliary input adapter was ordered from eBay for $9 (this cable just failed as of 11/16/18, I ordered a female version to be delivered for $25.)
3. Car was having a vibration in the front, had the tires/wheels balanced for $15 at a local shop. Issue persisted, they informed me my front tires should be changed within the next thousand miles or so and the rears not long after.
4. Replaced rear right lower control arm at $64 with a "guaranteed" part on eBay. Hydroplaned during torrential downpour because lack of tread on rear tires, hit curb scraped wheel. My uncle helped my install it and we polished the wheel out. (10/9/17)
5. Front and rear tires at about $880 installed at my local Discount Tire. Pirelli P-Zero Nero All Seasons 255/40/19's in the front and 275/40/19 in the rear. I dislike these tires quite a bit and feel they don't befit the character and ride of the car, they also don't handle very well at all compared to the Michelin Pilot Super Sports that were on it. I'm going with the PSS next time or PSAS. (10/12/17)
6. Car was aligned at local shop for $180, not a very good job, but oh well. Follow up on this later. (10/15/17)
Drove like this for a while and absolutely adore the car.
7. Front Brake pads and rotors done at local shop for $480. Had issues with terrible squealing upon braking about two weeks later, they replaced the pads at no charge and the issue came back (sounded like a fork scraping against a plate but the volume is 10x that. Absolutely horrific.) They ended up getting the right MB pads from the dealer and greased everything, did this at no extra cost. (2/19/18)
8. Had the car tell me it was time for a Service B, went to my local dealer and it was done for $280. Car had 85k miles and the service was done on 2/23/18.
9. Inspection from Service B found a leaking PCV valve, fixed at $244. Collapsed Transmission mount, replaced for $205. Four corner alignment and Airmatic calibration done for $300. for a total of $847.97 including diagnostic fee of $43.50 *rolls eyes*. (can't remember the exact date.)
10. LED license plate lamps installed, left incandescent burnt out. $16 off amazon. (9/25/18) (Man this was incredibly hard.)
11. Power steering fluid was low, steering was firmer and made slight whine when cornering. Added some Pentosin CHF11S at about $20 for the can. I used very little and it fixed it. Car doesn't seem to be leaking.
12. Rear brake pads to be installed soon by my family's business at cost of parts $47.50 (no labor)
Total cost: $3014.47
This looks to be all of the things done to my car in the past year or so, I don't think it's great reliability wise, but it hasn't been bad. Vehicle now has 94,450 miles on it and still drives incredibly well. I have lots of little complaints with the car, but what do you expect out of an eleven year old S class with almost a hundred thousand miles. Now i'm going to list some of the little issues or oddities of my car.
1. Squeaking like an old mattress over speed bumps when it's cold out. Assuming ball joints, but happens rarely and hasn't annoyed me enough to spend the cash to fix it.
2. Drivers bottom seat cushion no longer heats. I've researched it and it's a common issue with the W221 and you have to replace the whole cushion, i'm gonna keep my money until it gets in the teens outside. Then I might succumb to having it replaced.
3. Driver's side Xenon lamp flickers occasionally upon starting. Also seemed to happen the other day when I driving over a pothole.
4. Airmatic pump is extremely loud occasionally. My uncle said that it sounds like the exhaust (I guess the pump would have an exhaust?) is probably loose. It's annoying, but it only runs when first starting the car, so I'm just gonna wait until it goes caput and get one from FCP Euro.
5. Transmission used to shift weird and occasionally hard, but it hasn't done that in months. Oddly, the car drives much smoother now that I drive it harder (my ticket deferral expired this year ) I didn't drive the car for four days, hopped in it this afternoon and it shifted smooth as silk immediately. Which wasn't the case prior, and it's around 40 degrees F outside!
6. This is my last, but most annoying complaint. The door panels rattle ridiculously bad. I listen to music all the time in my car and really enjoy the H/K system after taking some of Mike5215's tuning tips. But, when listening to music with deep bass the LED strips in the door panels rattle so bad. You hear it buzzing along with the music basically the whole time i'm playing it. When applying pressure to the door panel below the wood trim it goes away, only to return as soon as you let go. It drives me mad. The same thing with the rear deck. That weird 8x12 or 8x10 subwoofer POUNDS when tuned with an equalizer on your device, but recently the rear deck started to rattle very loudly. This usually happens under deep resonant bass tones (song example that makes it go crazy "When the Party's Over," by Billie Eilish. It also has beautiful vocals and super deep bass that really showcases the H/K's abilities.) Applying pressure to the rear deck on the speaker grill immediately kills the noise, but when you let go it's right there again. It's also not the speaker separating from housing like some other in this forum have said as I took the grill off and checked.
I'm going to sum this up as it has really turned into more of an essay than a summary. All in all I absolutely adore this car. It gives me the biggest smile every day I get into it and click that "ENGINE START" button. My running cost over the past year and change has been pretty high, but I personally think it's worth it. I didn't include insurance in this, because it's different for everyone, but I can say it's pretty damn high for my 18 year old self. (Progressive was charging my mother and I over $650 a month for my S550 and her 14' Ford Escape, no accidents or tickets on record.) Now in the mid 300's with Liberty Mutual. Same full coverage. Gas mileage is laughable, but has improved drastically with the weather getting cooler and no longer running the A/C. Went from 14.5 Average to about 16.5 Average (calculated with GasBuddy app.) Even though I only have an old S550, i'm now hooked on the S-Class experience. My family had a 2017 Lexus GS350 (R.I.P. ) and have a 2006 E350 and they just don't come close to the ride quality and feel of this car. The whole ambiance is that of quality and luxury, and it's immediately relaxing as soon as you get in. It's also kind of a sleeper, no one expects the big boat Benz to fly off from the stop light. One click of the kick down switch and I'll certainly have a grin emerging. The stereo is incredible once EQ'd to remove the shrill mids and increasing the lows. I just love all the little conveniences and hints of good design. I still forget i'm driving something that was designed before the iPhone was even a thing. It still feels so modern and technologically advanced. All in all, I think a used W221 is a great vehicle IF you can afford the upkeep. They are basically rolling computers and will eventually need some stuff fixed. Thank you all for reading my post, feel free to chip in on your thoughts and opinions.
Thanks for the write up. I enjoyed reading it. I am addicted to my W221. The ride characteristic is so luxurious that it becomes noticeable when you are not riding in an S class.
The ride characteristic is so luxurious that it becomes noticeable when you are not riding in an S class.
So VERY TRUE. A "S" Class spoils you in a very good way. It will be hard to ever go back to an "E" Class.
What a difference when I get into my wife's "C" Class.
Something like 80% of the time, wheel alignment is a scam
Your car only requires alignment service if
it was done incorrectly last time
it’s been in an accident that damaged the suspension.
Ball joints have worn
Ignoring the first example, alignment correction always requires parts replacement. There is no adjustment for these conditions. In addition, you likely remember the accident or can feel the symptoms of worn parts. If it feels fine it’s likely your tires are wearing normally and you don’t require alignment. And for sure if you pay for alignment and there were no new parts installed, you were scammed. Hitting a pothole is not an accident and doesn’t bend your suspension. It physically cannot change alignment in any other manner. If it broke your suspension, you’re not driving away.
Have owned cars since the 1960s and one time only replaced a tie rod and verified correct alignment. Otherwise never needed nor paid foralignment.
Great write up! I wish i could own a 221 when i was 18 ..of course they had just came out then lol .Definately agree with you on the comfort and qaulity. We are still rolling 220 S class in the family and they are amazing and different to be in. That said comparing an S to an E or a Lexus Gs doesn't do it justice ...those vehicles are in a different segment and playground. I have an older fully loaded Ls460L and it rides completely different from my friends new Gs or Rx suv.
side note !! Make sure you keep up with the transmission fluid services. If you dont know past history i would definitely service it. 722.9 is a great transmission..that had a few hiccups along the way with valve bodies and conductor plates. Keeping it serviced is key . 07s also had timing gears wearing out prematurely..i certainly hope your free from that worry. Keep it up on the maintenance and goodluck!
Great write up! I wish i could own a 221 when i was 18 ..of course they had just came out then lol .Definately agree with you on the comfort and qaulity. We are still rolling 220 S class in the family and they are amazing and different to be in. That said comparing an S to an E or a Lexus Gs doesn't do it justice ...those vehicles are in a different segment and playground. I have an older fully loaded Ls460L and it rides completely different from my friends new Gs or Rx suv.
side note !! Make sure you keep up with the transmission fluid services. If you dont know past history i would definitely service it. 722.9 is a great transmission..that had a few hiccups along the way with valve bodies and conductor plates. Keeping it serviced is key . 07s also had timing gears wearing out prematurely..i certainly hope your free from that worry. Keep it up on the maintenance and goodluck!
I haven't done the transmission service yet as I currently don't have the $800 my dealer wants for it to be done. The car shifts smooth as butter, but I do plan on it being done before the car hits 100k miles. As far as the timing gears, I've never found out whether or not my car is in the affected engine range but *knock on wood* if it's made it this far and is running fine I hope it'll be okay. I scheduled to have my car brought in at my dealer to take advantage of the $150 off a $300 service coupon. They scheduled me for a service A and said with the left over amount I could get some other services done for cheap if not free. My dealer charges $280 for a Service B and $120-$140 for a service A. I asked them about the timing gears last time and they said the on the M273 cars they check the oil for metal shavings and mine was perfectly clean. I took the car on a 430 mile road trip this past weekend and noticed the car has a vibration at speeds of around 60-70, much worse than usual. I read the early 221 vehicles have a service bulletin for something in the front suspension that causes a vibration. Other than that the car was incredible on the road trip, most of it was interstate and the car cruises wonderfully at 85 at a mere 2100 RPM. I had two family members with me and their overpacked luggage yet the car fit us all perfectly. I was so impressed with the power and serenity of the car at such speeds. It honestly feels smoother at 85-90 than it does at 60. The only thing I wished for was obviously the vibration to be fixed (it will soon) and Distronic Plus. I even averaged a decent MPG figure considering at least 20 miles of it was stop and go traffic.
As far as a 220, my grandmother had a 2000 W220 S500 that I absolutely adored. She had leased C classes for about 20 years until she decided to retire and move. She moved back and needed a car and I found a one owner S500 with 88k miles. We went and test drove it and she was in love (I was like maybe 12 at the time.) She drove the car for about three years and it finally became a doorstop at 160-170k miles (she was a realtor and drove a lot.) She left the car unlocked and someone stole the instrument cluster, amplifier, and some belongings out of the car. It had some other issues when this occurred so she sold it and now drives a BMW 323Ci. It was such a sad way for the 220 to die, such an awesome car it was. No one could believe it was a 2000 model as it had more features than most modern cars. That Bose audio system was pretty incredible too, much cleaner sound than the 221 H/K, but far less bass.
Here's a picture of the 220
Last edited by Beeson; Nov 26, 2018 at 08:19 PM.
Reason: adding photo
The first alignment was for hydroplaning into a curb at about 35 mph during a torrential downpour. The car had to be towed as it was crab walking from the bent control arm. After that the steering wasn't completely straight and felt as if it wasn't right. The place I had it done with at first did correct some of it, but it wasn't perfectly centered. Felt like all roads were crowned more than usual. The MB dealer actually got everything straight and the car no longer pulled in any direction and was / is dead centered. I do have a question for you (all) though, since it's been quite cold outside (it was about 25º F today) my steering makes a sort of squeaking noise when turning. I checked the fluid levels and everything is fine since I added some CHF11S the other day, but the squeak hasn't gone away. Car doesn't seem to be leaking as the engine compartment and under the car is bone dry.
Great write up! I wish i could own a 221 when i was 18 ..of course they had just came out then lol .Definately agree with you on the comfort and qaulity. We are still rolling 220 S class in the family and they are amazing and different to be in. That said comparing an S to an E or a Lexus Gs doesn't do it justice ...those vehicles are in a different segment and playground. I have an older fully loaded Ls460L and it rides completely different from my friends new Gs or Rx suv.
side note !! Make sure you keep up with the transmission fluid services. If you dont know past history i would definitely service it. 722.9 is a great transmission..that had a few hiccups along the way with valve bodies and conductor plates. Keeping it serviced is key . 07s also had timing gears wearing out prematurely..i certainly hope your free from that worry. Keep it up on the maintenance and goodluck!
i have a ‘07 S600 so some things are different, but for item #1, I may have an easy fix for you. I don’t have a sway bar (abc suspension doesn’t have them), but had squeaking from the front end. I also had a vibration at highway speeds. I assumed I had one or more ball joints or control arm bushings bad. I started with tire balance, didn’t help. Did a front end shake down and everything was tight except for some play in the wheel bearings. My local Indy guy adjusted the bearings and packed them w grease for free! Easy job. Took care of the vibrations but still had the squeak. He explained that the factory balljoints come with a tiny amount of grease in them so they squeak well before they actually go bad. I decided to buy a grease gun and a needle tip for it. I added grease through the ball joint boot on a couple ball joints that I thought were the culprit and within driving about 20 miles, the squeaks stopped. Give this a shot if you don’t have play in your ball joints. Some will say that putting a tiny hole in the boot will cause premature wear, but if they’re squeaking, they’re going to go out either way-this will prolong the joints. You have a sway bar, though. Be sure your sway bar mounts aren’t the cause of the squeaks. Very common in your car. Replace the whole bar with new version of mount bushings for this. Good luck! Pm me for any further details, I’d be happy to share
Hey how did you change the license plates lights ?
It was a f**king b**ch to replace. I cut my hands and said way too many profanities but the end result was great for the price. You take the top trunk liner off. Take the hinge covers off, remove the emergency release button. Take off the plastic trim pieces (maybe a different order for that part.) Then you eventually get to the hard part. You have to stick your hands up in the top where the lights are from behind and unscrew some torx screws / bolts. Then you have to punch these four triangular (pyramid type) clamps and pop off the plastic cover that surrounds the lights. After that you should be able to disconnect the lights from the housings and remove them. The new LED lights have their own housing and you just plug the cable into it, reseat them and reverse the process. I recommend needle nose pliers, good set of torx bits, a compact drill to get in the crevices (makes it a bit faster), and lastly a LOT of patience. It took me about an hour or so (but a good amount of that was trying to find the tools.) it’s just extremely frustrating because the area is really hard to get to and is even worse if your hands are larger than a 7 year old’s.
Hello all, I've decided to do a write up on my thoughts and opinions of my 2007 S550 after the past year and couple months.
First thing, running costs. I've definitely put some money into my S, though the vast majority is normal maintenance and upkeep. Starting in chronological order, here is everything done to the car since July 24, 2017 when I acquired it. (disclaimer*, I've lost some of the receipts so it might not be exact, but should be close.)
1. Car was programmed at Foreign Performance auto shop to enable auxiliary input and enable door lock chime. $170-180 (8/20/17)
2. Auxiliary input adapter was ordered from eBay for $9 (this cable just failed as of 11/16/18, I ordered a female version to be delivered for $25.)
3. Car was having a vibration in the front, had the tires/wheels balanced for $15 at a local shop. Issue persisted, they informed me my front tires should be changed within the next thousand miles or so and the rears not long after.
4. Replaced rear right lower control arm at $64 with a "guaranteed" part on eBay. Hydroplaned during torrential downpour because lack of tread on rear tires, hit curb scraped wheel. My uncle helped my install it and we polished the wheel out. (10/9/17)
5. Front and rear tires at about $880 installed at my local Discount Tire. Pirelli P-Zero Nero All Seasons 255/40/19's in the front and 275/40/19 in the rear. I dislike these tires quite a bit and feel they don't befit the character and ride of the car, they also don't handle very well at all compared to the Michelin Pilot Super Sports that were on it. I'm going with the PSS next time or PSAS. (10/12/17)
6. Car was aligned at local shop for $180, not a very good job, but oh well. Follow up on this later. (10/15/17)
Drove like this for a while and absolutely adore the car.
7. Front Brake pads and rotors done at local shop for $480. Had issues with terrible squealing upon braking about two weeks later, they replaced the pads at no charge and the issue came back (sounded like a fork scraping against a plate but the volume is 10x that. Absolutely horrific.) They ended up getting the right MB pads from the dealer and greased everything, did this at no extra cost. (2/19/18)
8. Had the car tell me it was time for a Service B, went to my local dealer and it was done for $280. Car had 85k miles and the service was done on 2/23/18.
9. Inspection from Service B found a leaking PCV valve, fixed at $244. Collapsed Transmission mount, replaced for $205. Four corner alignment and Airmatic calibration done for $300. for a total of $847.97 including diagnostic fee of $43.50 *rolls eyes*. (can't remember the exact date.)
10. LED license plate lamps installed, left incandescent burnt out. $16 off amazon. (9/25/18) (Man this was incredibly hard.)
11. Power steering fluid was low, steering was firmer and made slight whine when cornering. Added some Pentosin CHF11S at about $20 for the can. I used very little and it fixed it. Car doesn't seem to be leaking.
12. Rear brake pads to be installed soon by my family's business at cost of parts $47.50 (no labor)
Total cost: $3014.47
This looks to be all of the things done to my car in the past year or so, I don't think it's great reliability wise, but it hasn't been bad. Vehicle now has 94,450 miles on it and still drives incredibly well. I have lots of little complaints with the car, but what do you expect out of an eleven year old S class with almost a hundred thousand miles. Now i'm going to list some of the little issues or oddities of my car.
1. Squeaking like an old mattress over speed bumps when it's cold out. Assuming ball joints, but happens rarely and hasn't annoyed me enough to spend the cash to fix it.
2. Drivers bottom seat cushion no longer heats. I've researched it and it's a common issue with the W221 and you have to replace the whole cushion, i'm gonna keep my money until it gets in the teens outside. Then I might succumb to having it replaced.
3. Driver's side Xenon lamp flickers occasionally upon starting. Also seemed to happen the other day when I driving over a pothole.
4. Airmatic pump is extremely loud occasionally. My uncle said that it sounds like the exhaust (I guess the pump would have an exhaust?) is probably loose. It's annoying, but it only runs when first starting the car, so I'm just gonna wait until it goes caput and get one from FCP Euro.
5. Transmission used to shift weird and occasionally hard, but it hasn't done that in months. Oddly, the car drives much smoother now that I drive it harder (my ticket deferral expired this year ) I didn't drive the car for four days, hopped in it this afternoon and it shifted smooth as silk immediately. Which wasn't the case prior, and it's around 40 degrees F outside!
6. This is my last, but most annoying complaint. The door panels rattle ridiculously bad. I listen to music all the time in my car and really enjoy the H/K system after taking some of Mike5215's tuning tips. But, when listening to music with deep bass the LED strips in the door panels rattle so bad. You hear it buzzing along with the music basically the whole time i'm playing it. When applying pressure to the door panel below the wood trim it goes away, only to return as soon as you let go. It drives me mad. The same thing with the rear deck. That weird 8x12 or 8x10 subwoofer POUNDS when tuned with an equalizer on your device, but recently the rear deck started to rattle very loudly. This usually happens under deep resonant bass tones (song example that makes it go crazy "When the Party's Over," by Billie Eilish. It also has beautiful vocals and super deep bass that really showcases the H/K's abilities.) Applying pressure to the rear deck on the speaker grill immediately kills the noise, but when you let go it's right there again. It's also not the speaker separating from housing like some other in this forum have said as I took the grill off and checked.
I'm going to sum this up as it has really turned into more of an essay than a summary. All in all I absolutely adore this car. It gives me the biggest smile every day I get into it and click that "ENGINE START" button. My running cost over the past year and change has been pretty high, but I personally think it's worth it. I didn't include insurance in this, because it's different for everyone, but I can say it's pretty damn high for my 18 year old self. (Progressive was charging my mother and I over $650 a month for my S550 and her 14' Ford Escape, no accidents or tickets on record.) Now in the mid 300's with Liberty Mutual. Same full coverage. Gas mileage is laughable, but has improved drastically with the weather getting cooler and no longer running the A/C. Went from 14.5 Average to about 16.5 Average (calculated with GasBuddy app.) Even though I only have an old S550, i'm now hooked on the S-Class experience. My family had a 2017 Lexus GS350 (R.I.P. ) and have a 2006 E350 and they just don't come close to the ride quality and feel of this car. The whole ambiance is that of quality and luxury, and it's immediately relaxing as soon as you get in. It's also kind of a sleeper, no one expects the big boat Benz to fly off from the stop light. One click of the kick down switch and I'll certainly have a grin emerging. The stereo is incredible once EQ'd to remove the shrill mids and increasing the lows. I just love all the little conveniences and hints of good design. I still forget i'm driving something that was designed before the iPhone was even a thing. It still feels so modern and technologically advanced. All in all, I think a used W221 is a great vehicle IF you can afford the upkeep. They are basically rolling computers and will eventually need some stuff fixed. Thank you all for reading my post, feel free to chip in on your thoughts and opinions.
This is a GREAt write up and I thank you for taking the time to do it. You are 18? WOW, what a great time in life and what a great car. I do have one question. You mentioned
"Mike5215's tuning tips." Why does that mean? I wold love to tune buy system BUT,. I am not a lover of base so I tend to turn it down quite a bit. Love to hear a bit more about the tuning tips. BTW, what is a "door lock chime?" LOVE your car. Drive safely. I have an O8 4Matic because up in Boston, that 4 week drive comes in pretty handy. My car was purchased 4 months ago with 125k and I have put on about 1,000 per month max. I love and adore this car. It is amazing.
Well, Mike5215 is an MB world user (who migrated to the 205 forum) and has a complete write up of his experiences essentially gutting a lot of the HK system and replacing it with after market. Here’s his Wordpress page -> https://w221audio.wordpress.com/
Since I listen to almost all of my music in the car using my phone and the auxiliary input, I was able to tune my Spotify equalizer to cut some of the midrange and emphasize the low end. It dramatically changes bass response and helps cut the overbearing midrange. This is a highly subjective thing, but the H/K system is able to produce MUCH stronger bass that allowed by the COMAND equalizer. But it’s not too loud or “boomy” at all. Here’s my equalizer settings. (I find the bass response so much better and cleaner (less distortion) than my family’s recently acquired W205 C300 with Burmester. Though the Burmester is a bit clearer and has much nicer midrange. ) Experiment a bit with the settings, whether it’s turning the bass up or down. There’s apps on the AppStore to do similar things with Apple Music. Sadly, you’re restricted to the auxiliary input or iPod adapter and Bluetooth. Have a great day guys!
Well, Mike5215 is an MB world user (who migrated to the 205 forum) and has a complete write up of his experiences essentially gutting a lot of the HK system and replacing it with after market. Here’s his Wordpress page -> https://w221audio.wordpress.com/
Since I listen to almost all of my music in the car using my phone and the auxiliary input, I was able to tune my Spotify equalizer to cut some of the midrange and emphasize the low end. It dramatically changes bass response and helps cut the overbearing midrange. This is a highly subjective thing, but the H/K system is able to produce MUCH stronger bass that allowed by the COMAND equalizer. But it’s not too loud or “boomy” at all. Here’s my equalizer settings. (I find the bass response so much better and cleaner (less distortion) than my family’s recently acquired W205 C300 with Burmester. Though the Burmester is a bit clearer and has much nicer midrange. ) Experiment a bit with the settings, whether it’s turning the bass up or down. There’s apps on the AppStore to do similar things with Apple Music. Sadly, you’re restricted to the auxiliary input or iPod adapter and Bluetooth. Have a great day guys!
Is there a Bluetooth adapter that will plug into the old Apple 30pin iPod connector in the glove box ?
Yes, it’s called a Tune2Air module. It interfaces with the car’s iPod software and allows you skip tracks, display track/artist info, and more through the COMAND screen. Here’s a link:
Yes, it’s called a Tune2Air module. It interfaces with the car’s iPod software and allows you skip tracks, display track/artist info, and more through the COMAND screen. Here’s a link:https://www.amazon.com/Bovee-Bluetoo.../dp/B074CP7MNY
I don’t have the iPod interface but I do have the Aux input so sadly I can’t use this.
this looks interesting. When I connect my old iPod to my direct connection, it works well but it does not charge. Will this charge it?
this looks interesting. When I connect my old iPod to my direct connection, it works well but it does not charge. Will this charge it?
I’m assuming so, as the connector should provide some power. What iPod are you plugging in, and does it just not charge but shows the indicator, or nothing happens besides playing music.
I’m assuming so, as the connector should provide some power. What iPod are you plugging in, and does it just not charge but shows the indicator, or nothing happens besides playing music.
I think I have to look at it again and I am traveling away from the car till next Wed. I THINK, that it just has the little battery icon and there is no lightening bolt that shows it is charging. As such, I have to bring it in the house at night, charge it Nd try it again the next day. A full charge gives me about 3-4 hours.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
My S-Class Update
) I didn't drive the car for four days, hopped in it this afternoon and it shifted smooth as silk immediately. Which wasn't the case prior, and it's around 40 degrees F outside!
) and have a 2006 E350 and they just don't come close to the ride quality and feel of this car. The whole ambiance is that of quality and luxury, and it's immediately relaxing as soon as you get in. It's also kind of a sleeper, no one expects the big boat Benz to fly off from the stop light. One click of the kick down switch and I'll certainly have a grin emerging. The stereo is incredible once EQ'd to remove the shrill mids and increasing the lows. I just love all the little conveniences and hints of good design. I still forget i'm driving something that was designed before the iPhone was even a thing. It still feels so modern and technologically advanced. All in all, I think a used W221 is a great vehicle IF you can afford the upkeep. They are basically rolling computers and will eventually need some stuff fixed. Thank you all for reading my post, feel free to chip in on your thoughts and opinions.
..of course they had just came out then lol .Definately agree with you on the comfort and qaulity. We are still rolling 220 S class in the family and they are amazing and different to be in. That said comparing an S to an E or a Lexus Gs doesn't do it justice ...those vehicles are in a different segment and playground. I have an older fully loaded Ls460L and it rides completely different from my friends new Gs or Rx suv. 
