dpm7471

Looked at a nicely equipped 2012 S550 at a Mercedes dealership today. 68,000 miles and was in amazing shape. Well equipped with sport pack, rear seat package, entertainment pack, along with bang and Olufson system. They told me It’s too old for them to be able to certify. I am concerned about repair cost and discussed aftermarket warranties which are very expensive. Any known issues or advice/ warnings u can give? Any help appreciated.

DaleB

Aftermarket warranties are quite expensive. I just got done looking at options for my '07 S600; a 3/36 plan is over $3K. On the other hand, replacing the ABS/ESP module alone will cost over half that. Ultimately I didn't buy because it didn't cover the ABC system at all. I'm not terribly worried about engine internals or turbos with the low mileage on mine (under 49K), but I'll be perfectly honest... after what I've been through buying this one, if I were buying again today I'd insist that whatever I buy has some sort of maintenance plan. CPO or aftermarket. I'll just build that into the acquisition cost of the next car.

Donnymac

Other than oil changes, trans svc and brake work, what do the service records from MB say?

dpm7471

Car has had regular service every 10k miles. No other issues.

Donnymac

Mine was serviced by the book by MB Dealer. My waranty was purchased from a credit union and worked very well.

my maintenance items were customary as would relate to DD not a grocery getter. I replaced 2 stunts, motor and trans mounts once and front A arms/ ball joints once.

car runs like new with +110,000 mi on it. Very trouble free.

good luck.

1bad540

there excellent cars, that said at 68k miles you may be needing air struts soon. engine and trans are pretty solid. whats price on the car? whats the warty they are quoting you?

dpm7471

Price is $24k plus I'm asking them to do a bunch of touch up/ cosmetic things along with the 70k service. Im being quoted $4k for a 2 year exclusionary warranty that's supposed to cover just about everything. Warranty is with premier.

1bad540

hmm so 28k w 2 yrs warty w 68k miles...ehhh. I think the miles are on the higher side.

dpm7471

Cost for car is about 1k more than I thought I could get it for, but they replaced all 4 tires, reconditioned 4 wheels, and touched up the rear bumper along with the 70k service. I thought $4k for the 2 year warranty although a lot of money wasn't bad. It was originally a lot more. Car is in exceptionally good condition. No accident history.

tx170754

It depends on how many mile you will be driving the car in the next 2 years but if the car is good condition, as you mentioned, I would be surprised if you will spend $4K in repairs, just my 0.2.

Johnny Good

Would a pre purchase inspection be recommended for the OP's car? I ask cause I am looking at a local 2012 as well.

DaleB

Depends on how lucky you feel, I guess. Here's my experience:

During the checkout and test drive, the car was essentially flawless. Everything worked, MIL was not on, no warnings or anything. The Carfax showed regular dealer maintenance, and minor rear end damage repaired at a dealer. We drove it 15-20 minutes, took a look at it up on a lift, noted a few cosmetic things and the need for new valve cover gaskets. I didn't have a PPI done by the dealer or a local shop because I was out of town, didn't know where to take it, and only had a day to check out a couple of cars and make a decision. It seemed like a good deal, and I got the price down a couple $K based on a few cosmetic things and the unknown origin of a little blue fluid on the floor where the car had been parked.

Since then I've discovered a dead intercooler circuit coolant pump ($120), a bad ABS/ESP control module ($1500), a bad starter ($200), and a few other minor issues. The mechanic tells me he thinks the front end of the car has been apart for some reason... don't know if that's true or not. So, that $2K I knocked off the price is already gone, and I'm hoping the intermittent air conditioning issue isn't anything major.

Here's the thing: The Carfax report will tell you what the dealer or repair shop DID. Not what they did NOT do that needs to be done. I'm certain the M-B dealership knew about the bad parts in this car, but if the owner didn't have them fixed -- nothing shows up in the report. If I take it to the shop, the tell me the transmission is about to die, but I decide not to fix it -- you won't know that from teh Carfax report when you buy it, you'll just find out later when you have a really big repair bill.

So yeah, get a PPI, unless you like gambling. I know my next Mercedes purchase will be done very differently.

Beeson

I think that's a fair deal personally. A little high on the mileage side, but its specced extremely well and has the M278 motor which is remarkably stout. I wouldn't worry too much about anything if it seems to drive fine. Have a PPI, but I wouldn't fret over the car. Air shocks could be bad or could be fine, my 2007 S550 just rolled over 100K miles and I just replaced the Airmatic pump for the first time. Nothing else on the air system has been serviced but I am prepared for the next repair. Take care of it and it'll probably be fine. Being a 2012, its in the clear for many potential issues that 221 models face. IE idler gear, early 7G tronic issues, electronic bugs, etc. You'll definitely be happy with your decision if the car happens to be in good shape. But, remember, it is an S-Class at the end of the day and normal maintenance is more expensive than say a C or E class. Brakes, tires, basic servicing, and more will just be that little bit more to maintain. I think it's worth it, and if you don't take everything to the dealer it shouldn't be too bad. I have a thread somewhere on here titled "My S-Class Update" where I document many of my costs and experiences owning the S.

Anyways, good luck with the search and do what your heart tells you to buy. Life's too short to drive ****ty cars.

Johnny Good

Excellent, that is good info.

The Thomas J

TBH that is a great price for a 12-year-old S600. If it's a non-exclusive policy I would seriously consider it.

The Thomas J

The most common repairs on the S550 will be control arms, ball joints, transmission, and engine mounts.

DaleB

I would have, but.... it excludes pre-existing conditions and doesn't cover ANYTHING to do with shocks or struts. Mine has already been to the dealer and the bad ABS/ESP module is known. After I pay for that, the only other thing I'm really worried about that could justify the cost would be ADC, which isn't covered. So... nope. If I weren't already on teh hook for the $1500 control module, I'd have done it.