Curious how long you’ve had yours and how long you are planning to keep it.

I’ve had my s550 sport for 4.5 years almost. 100-128k miles. $13000 or so in repairs and maintenance. Car is mint.

I’ve decided to keep the car for as long as possible. W222 never really appealed to me that much and m278 bore score is headache I don’t care for. Those are not 100-200k cars like previous S class.
w223 is in another league of problems. So I’m left with no car I’m really that crazy about and since my cars are hobby cars ( I take train to work and we do have a Lexus for family duty ) I decided to keep mine for as long as I can. Resale values are laughable and I rather keep it in mint condition and enjoy it.

I toyed with an idea of getting an off lease w223, but the depreciation on those cars is just scary. Even with a car warranty, it’s a bad financial move. And is it or that much better than a w221? To me no. Needless complexity galore.
I’ve had Lexus LS cars before and I thought about getting a newer ls500 but I just hate the way they look. Maybe a last year ls460 I thought, but I had a 08 LS and it was great car, but I already had it.

 

Same here. Mine is a 13 and has about 69K miles. Condition is excellent like yours and was counter plating on selling it but there is nothing else that catches my eye so don't know what I am gonna do. Just spent about $7K in a full overhaul of the engine and knock on wood that is all I have spent in the 4 years of my ownership with the exception of the oil changes which I do myself. Also have a 2021 Grand Cherokee that we use daily so in no rush to make a decision...

 

I have had mine for 10 yrs, plan to keep it forever,
I do plan to drive it daily for at least 10 more years.

Generally I was never one of these types that change cars every 3 years to keep up with the neighbors.

I maintain my cars at the dealer, I use only genuine parts, and I replace things when they start to make noise i.e. at "Phase I" of going bad.

I don't care about the costs. I just don't want to buy another S class. I love my W221, I love the fact that it's non-facelift, and I appreciate that I bought a M272 and I get 11L/100KM mixed highway/city year after year.
I know it's faults, I have fixed everything (balance, 7G, intake) and I'm fine with it. It's not a W140, I know.

It's not even that I have "too much" in the car to sell it, I just don't feel that replacing it will bring me any additional happiness.

I don't love any material things, but I can say that I do, really love my S350. It's not exhilarating, it's not exciting, it's not "push you back in your seat", it's just a LWB S class that has made me happy enough to say "I'm good".

 

Had mine since 2014 got it with 42k on it and only done 72k miles now

as for ANY engine block with electroplated bores - they are all temporary loaner vehicles designed to give up

currently on Hols with access to two toyota's - everyone here thinks they are the best cars of any available and think they are some impregnable fortress of reliability

the hilux is a 2008 (but bought new in 2011) 3.0 D4D tractor - it handles like a pig, has stupid heavy power steering with almost no steering lock, has suspension for 1000kg more then it ever has in it even with 7 onboard, the brakes are horrible, the 4 speed auto has 3-4 ratios too little, the diesel rattle is horrific, its drinks like a fish, the centre bearing fails because the prop shaft expansion joint (to accommodate length change with the live axle bouncing about on leaf springs) seizes up, so all the forces go into creating acute angles on the rubber bush of the centre bearing. At 117 k miles (189k KM) everyone thinks its baby and claims they should do 300k (500k km) on its cast iron block engine - but no one seems to be aware they only fitted pistons that work for model year 2014 - any earlier ones crack - so if you open the throttle you may have armageddon at any point

the other one is a 2005 corolla zzr120 - its got stupidly light power steering - that's fantastic, and exactly what the w221 always needed !!!, add in the most crazy soft suspension married to dangerously nervous handling, its quite entertaining to chuck around - even with a super gutless, but incredibly flexible1.4ltr VVT 4 pot engine.

Never owned or worked on toyota's before - they are so overly complex and so crap in many areas its an eye opener, there is nothing about their engineering that is right

wrong length bolts, wasting metal and adding weight
5 rubber sections and 4 steel pipes when it needs a simple length of vac tubing on the engine - why ?
same terrible design as many others with alloy heat shields held up with tiny steel fastening - creating a galvanic reaction rotting the alloy
door check straps (8 across both cars) of an identical design that don't have any workable detents - so car parks are a danger, as is trying to get out on a slope
both have headlights that basically do nothing at all - although the corolla at least gets 4 lights on high beam like all cars need
but they have one redeemable feature - neither have flash seats, not even lumbar, let alone squab adjustment on the seats - but both give NO back issues whatsoever ! even on 13hr non stop drives - and are more comfortable than any fitted to any German vehicle in history !!!!

 

Fully agree. Makes one wonder why carmakers still build iron lined engines when they can put a throwaway car on the road with plated bores. VAG EA839 V6 uses iron bores unlike many of its contemporary VAG engines.

Re: the seats comment. Try the 2019-current Cayenne 18-way sport seats. Best seats ever. Well bolstered and fit like a close fitting bespoke tailored suit.

 

New 221 owner here.

Just picked up a 2010 RWD with 133k on it. I’ve had an x164 for the last eight years and before that a w211. At this point, I viciously DIY everything and this vehicle will never see the dealer.

so far I am into it for $500 for motor and trans mounts, lower control arms, all filters. I’m expecting to replace carrier bearing and flex discs and rear trans seal while I’m in there. The aux battery is also probably factory so that’ll need replaced.

I’m on the very opposite end of the spectrum from some of you who dealer maintain - if it isn’t important and is broken, it will either get a $0 fix or stay broken. At this point I consider this car close to fully depreciated but still a very nice ride and an even better looker.

The plan is to hand it off to my new driver in five years and move on to a 222 with the v12.

 

Congrats! Pics!

Do you have a lift to work on the car?

 

Got my 2008 S550 4MATIC back in April 2022 with 101K miles on ii, in near mint condition and I probably overpaid a bit at $15K. Repairs and maintenance since I bought it have been about $4K and it now has 133K miles. Lot of smiles per gallon with this car, it's my daily driver and I have no intentions of getting rid of it anytime soon. It has been very reliable and shows really well.

 

i’m gonna do the engine mounts like this, but I have a buddy with a lift for when I do the center bearing, if I need it.

i’ve got some other pics posted over in my buying a 2010/2011 thread of the trunk in various states of disassembly and I’m going to continue my maintenance thread there.

 

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! Haven't been on this forum in years and decided to check it out. For the new W221 owners, the MBWorld forums are a wealth of information on these cars for repairs and I have appreciated all the knowledgeable contributors over the years.

I still have my iridum silver 2007 S550. It now just went past 300K MILES on the clock. I bought it from the MB dealer with just over 100K back in 2012. In the intervening time I've replaced 3 airmatic struts, starter, lower control arms, engine and tranny mounts 2-3 times now, fuel pump, and usual wear items like brakes and bulbs. Recently had the timing chain replaced but that is not a surprise given the miles. Engine runs so smooth and quiet. Overall, Mercedes W221 ownership very reasonable in terms of cost. I still get oil change service at the dealer and take it to trusted independent shops for repairs. I have been VERY fortunate to know good mechanics who don't charge an arm and a leg. The car is my daily driver to work and given the age with some scratches and dings here and there, it's the 'beater' car in the family. I take it to downtown San Francisco without worrying about what the riff raff may do to it so I have that peace of mind with this car. The car goes when the car/engine or I die. I do not intend to go first.

Also had a W222, but there was not enough trunk space for two sets of golf clubs with all the electronics behind the rear trunk panels so traded it for a GLS. I love the W221 so much I jumped on the opportunity to buy a fully loaded magnetite black (gorgeous color) 2012 4-matic with B&O sound system, 4 zone climate, rear reclining seats, night vision, distronic plus, etc. It is in perfect condition. I drive it on occasions like our recent trip to Pebble Beach Resort.

Still contemplating a W223 inline 6 engine powered S500, but the ipad screen and loaded technology is not a something I really care for at middle age. You learn in life that having too much (of anything) can sometimes be a burden. The W221 is all I need and being grateful for the wonderful experience of driving an S-Class is enough.

 

That’s one of the highest mileage m273s I have heard of ( I have a 2007 4.7 l at 276k miles now) and it is not in the affected soft idler gear range, which is perhaps why…

have you read out your engine number?
glad to hear the usual suspected parts are the ones that need constant replacing, such as suspension components, etc.

 

Thank you. I took a photo of the speedometer this weekend because it was such a beautiful day and I love the way it drives even with over 300k miles. Another thing that helped (I think) is changing the oil every 4000 to 5000 miles and always using premium unleaded fuel 91-92 octane. When the shop opened up the engine and timing cover to replace the chain they remarked how clean the engine looked compared to other engines they worked on before. However they said the teeth on the timing gear was worn down. I looked at the part and didn’t know how it was even able to run the valves with no teeth on the gear. I love the M273 engine. Normally aspirated with no silly turbos to complicate it. My goal is to hit 500k miles. It took me over 12 years to drive 200k. I should be well into retirement in another 12 years by then.



Bits of gear teeth found during timing chain replacement.



Where’s the teeth???

Beautiful day driving a high mileage S550

 

And yes the engine serial number is in the affected range. I received the paperwork for the lawsuit settlement back in the day and didn’t need it at the time since the engine was still good. I have an earlier model W221 S550 because it doesn’t have the backup camera. I recall Mercedes had a problem sourcing cameras at the time. Parktronic and mirrors work just fine for me especially for tight spots in downtown San Francisco.

 

My future BIL’s M273 W221. Thought he was messing with me when he said “it has about 500 on it.” Taken last Thanksgiving so probably closing in on 500k.

 



 

Wow! I’ve come across only one other M2 73 that had worn down teeth, and the effect was negligible. There was just a pronounced ticking noise in the engine, but it had full power and had not skipped time, because it’s just a balance shaft drive. Not so much in the M2 72 it will grenade itself.

At what mileage did you discover this?

 

All hail the king