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Considering an S550e Hybrid - what to look out for
Hello all,
For those of you who are familiar with this relatively rare S class - I am considering purchasing a 2015 with 60k miles. Any advise on what to look out for that should be done at this mileage? Also, is the 2015 model year a safe purchase given that it was the 1st production year of the hybrid (as far as I know)?
Any advise would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you.
I don't own an S550e and don't know much about them, but I believe that if/when the hybrid battery is worn out it must be changed to continue driving the car. Considering the one you are looking at has 60k miles, a replacement may be in your future and you should budget for such a cost.
Good luck!
Last edited by cfmistry; Feb 16, 2022 at 09:16 AM.
I don't own an S550e and don't know much about them, but I believe that if/when the hybrid battery is worn out it must be changed to continue driving the car. Considering the one you are looking at has 60k miles, a replacement may be in your future and you should budget for such a cost.
Good luck!
Thank you. I will call the dealer and ask about remaining battery life test. I do believe that the battery is 10K to replace. If anyone else can chime in about overall reliability that would be wonderful.
Thank you!
Thank you. I will call the dealer and ask about remaining battery life test. I do believe that the battery is 10K to replace. If anyone else can chime in about overall reliability that would be wonderful.
Thank you!
That sounds correct; in searching on this forum I found that the part is around $7400. I also read that the battery comes with a 10 yr / 100k mile warranty from MB, which makes this an easier purchase for you. There are not many threads on the hybrids on this forum, so I would encourage you to read them all.
Is it not the case where the after 10 years the battery may only be at 90 percent capacity? I think the 10yr warranty refers to no depletion of 100% charge in the battery during that timeframe .I might be wrong but having owned a 740e that was certainly the case. Might be worth checking.
Is it not the case where the after 10 years the battery may only be at 90 percent capacity? I think the 10yr warranty refers to no depletion of 100% charge in the battery during that timeframe .I might be wrong but having owned a 740e that was certainly the case. Might be worth checking.
If after 10 years the battery is at 90%, I would be pleased as it would not need replacement
It is a great car; I only really purchased this model so I can use the fast lane by myself to commute to work. I couldn't care less for the fuel mileage or battery range. The hybrid battery did fail on me at 12,000 miles. I believe it was around a 20k warranty job (over a month in the shop awaiting the battery shipped from Tesla). It did make the car in-op, so be mindful of that.
Many years and miles later the car has been trouble free and a pleasurable experience aside from that. I am not sure what vehicle you are coming from but, do keep in mind that this was over a 6-figure car when brand new, so service and maint prices will reflect those of a 6-figure car. I would have cash ready aside for when things go wrong, especially when purchasing out of warranty. This was my first MB, a huge price jump in service compared to the many Lexus cars I owned for 20 years prior. But I now am aware of what services need to be done when and have since purchased two more MBs.
I am just about the only active 550e owner on here, so please feel free to PM me any more questions, or if you would like to chat more about the car.
It is a great car; I only really purchased this model so I can use the fast lane by myself to commute to work. I couldn't care less for the fuel mileage or battery range. The hybrid battery did fail on me at 12,000 miles. I believe it was around a 20k warranty job (over a month in the shop awaiting the battery shipped from Tesla). It did make the car in-op, so be mindful of that.
Many years and miles later the car has been trouble free and a pleasurable experience aside from that. I am not sure what vehicle you are coming from but, do keep in mind that this was over a 6-figure car when brand new, so service and maint prices will reflect those of a 6-figure car. I would have cash ready aside for when things go wrong, especially when purchasing out of warranty. This was my first MB, a huge price jump in service compared to the many Lexus cars I owned for 20 years prior. But I now am aware of what services need to be done when and have since purchased two more MBs.
I am just about the only active 550e owner on here, so please feel free to PM me any more questions, or if you would like to chat more about the car.
Thank you! Beautiful car! Just sent you a message.
What was the original EPA mileage rating for one of these, not sure I ever saw it?
I did look at an S550e when shopping for my car and the seller explained that since these cars qualified for a $7,500 tax rebate when new, they should sell as a used car at a similar differential to a gas-engine model. Too small a market to know one way or the other but that logic seemed curious to me at the time.
What was the original EPA mileage rating for one of these, not sure I ever saw it?
I did look at an S550e when shopping for my car and the seller explained that since these cars qualified for a $7,500 tax rebate when new, they should sell as a used car at a similar differential to a gas-engine model. Too small a market to know one way or the other but that logic seemed curious to me at the time.
EPA rated mine at 58MPGe and 26MPG combined. I get 20 miles EV range. And I do see about 26-35MPG real world commuting. I always leave mine in hybrid mode. There’s 4 modes to choose from.
I have one too, was tough to find when i decided I wanted one in March/April 2019 and finally found 2 one in Phoenix and one in LA, I live in the Bay Area. I ended up losing the PHX one and bought in LA. I love the car and getting crazy sorts of gas mileage is amazing in such a big luxury car. I typically end up around 32-39 MPG and the tank is small only 15 gallons but I can get from SF to LA on one tank easily. I usually get 32-34 MPG on that drive going 80+ the whole way and climbing up and out of Bay Area and into LA over grapevine climb.
The car isn't really great for using electric except for short trips, I have a 8 mile or 19 mile round trip to markets (one north and one south) and if you baby it you can get nearly all the 19 on all electric, sort of has become a game. The cars have plenty of punch too, just a hair less than the V8 I test drove.
I would highly recommend it but as noted check on the history at the MB dealership. I pre-purchased the 3 years of maintenance which worked out well for me. I just did the 6 year B7 service and although I have only 39k it was essentially the 60 service. I live in Bay Area where everything is more expensive but this service is $2200 at Autobahn Motors in Redwood City, CA.
If I were you i would pay to have the car checked out at the dealership, unfortunately there are not going to be 3rd party mechanics that have the equipment to check the battery health. at 6 years and 40k I haven't lost any range that I can see.
Not in CA, you get the stickers for I think 4 or 5 years from purchase. So if you buy a 550e it would need to be a 2019 to qualify.If you live somewhere else the laws may be different. When I bought mine I passed because I didn't really have a lot of places that it would help me and I didn't want that sticker on my car permanently.
UPDATE: Someone pulled the trigger faster than me and got a nice deal on a 114K 15' 550e with 63K miles for 41K from a local MB dealer... I am now considering an S600.... the polar opposite of the S550e
I lost a 123k MSRP for 59k with only 19,000 miles and found a 117k for 58 with 32,000 but it was CPO and had AMG package vs. rear seat package which I didn't care about since I rarely have people in the back.
What was the original EPA mileage rating for one of these, not sure I ever saw it?
I did look at an S550e when shopping for my car and the seller explained that since these cars qualified for a $7,500 tax rebate when new, they should sell as a used car at a similar differential to a gas-engine model. Too small a market to know one way or the other but that logic seemed curious to me at the time.
Hello,
I drive our '15 s550e (54k miles) every day. My commute is 6-mile one way of suburban drive. I plug the car every night for a full charge. The morning drive is mostly electric, the afternoon drive is hybrid. At the end of the day, the odometer states 30 mpg.
A couple of weeks ago, I drove 370-ish miles on 1 tank on the same day. That's close to 25 mpg, driving a good speeds. It's such a quiet ride when the gas engine shuts off.
My average mpg over the past few months is 27mpg. The car is fairly quick, I think it feels quicker than the v8 in city/suburban traffic thanks to the electric motor.
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