95Sinned420

Hey w222 forum! I’ve lurked here for years and was an owner of a w140, w204, and w212. All of which I drove over 150k miles on, bought used and so I drove them above 200k miles. Anyways, since the w140 I’ve always wanted to get back into an S-Class.
Fast forward to today after having my w212 totaled, I bought a decently optioned out and fairly low miles (68k) S550. Here’s the vin: WDDUG8CB7GA237636

It’s has been lovely driving it, no issues and everything works. It’s pristine inside and out, no wear and tear, seats and interior immaculate and its the cleanest used Benz I’ve ever owned.
The only issue I ran into is the wiper blade on the driver side came off during a car wash.. (magic vision blades) which I have in order from FCPEuro. The driver window controls, I think the bottom left one that controls the rear driver door shades sometimes gets stuck and I would have to wiggle it to sit in neutral position. Doesn’t bother me too much as I don’t intend to use that it often. Next up, I plan to tint and clear bra the front bumper and headlights. I always end up with a road rashed up headlight and bumpers driving a lot of highway miles. Also installing CarPlay integration (I had good experience with w212 road top unit).

Anyways, as far as what I should do next, what do you guys recommend? They told me it’s oil was changed and according to the carfax report it was just a few hundred miles ago. I’m thinking spark plugs, cabin and engine air filter? Diff and trans fluid, etc next?
What should I for? I heard this chassis also suffered from the oil in wire harness from cam magnets, correct? My w212 had that issue, which I had addressed and replaced all the sensors and magnets. Should I do the same for this w212 as well?

BenzV12

Sorry to hear about your W212 . As a W212 Owner , I don't think oil issues from cam magnets are too common in W212 but probably one of the weakest points to the M278 engine . Make sure tensioner and pulleys are in good condition too .
Happy Driving

Mason.Safari

congratulations...I'm buying 1 used 2016 S500 ( I think equivalent to S550 in US)...
Are you installing the Apple carplay yourself? The only lack I can see is car play which i used to it for years

95Sinned420

Thank you! Yes, I’ll have to have a mechanic check the tensioners or replace them with updated parts as a preventative measure.

Yes, I saw some tutorials how to take the center console apart to access the head unit. Pretty straight forward.

Mason.Safari

Excellent...what's the best unit for the apple car play on market ?

DaveW68

I'm pretty sure this only applies to the MY 2013 & 2014 M278 engines. By 2015 this was resolved.

nybenzo

Congrats on the new vehicle. Post some pics if you can. Enjoy the ride

Tom in Austin

Drive it and enjoy it!

95Sinned420

I am going with RoadTop unit. I’ve had good experience with them for my w212, no issue.

MBNUT1

Pictures

95Sinned420

Doing some research, thankfully this seems to be the case!

Thanks! Haven’t taken it anywhere decent to take some photos yet, but here she is in diamond white.

MBNUT1

Pretty

Tom in Austin

Looks great. Not sure if you mentioned, do you have any service history for it?

95Sinned420

Yes, based on CarFax it was maintained properly at the Benz dealer, every 10k. Outside of normal oil and filter changes, it had brake fluid changed, rear brake rotors changed, and tires, and body lubricated. It was also CPO warrantied but never utilized.

Diceman3

Good luck, sounds like you scored a good one. I still have my 2015 S550 4Matic. Drives still like a dream. Great engine on the 14’s through 16’s. Only have 43,000 miles on it.
Good luck.

95Sinned420

I installed the RoadTop version I got off eBay. Highly, highly, recommended! Straight forward install, I did everything under 30 minutes. I did have to configure WiFi settings in the menu to US setting in order for me to see the WiFi signal. Also had to tweak the reverse cam settings so 360 camera functions operate as intended (it would turn off CarPlay whenever I signaled left or right, I think it thinks my car turns on cameras when I signal, like on Teslas).




Glad yours is going great! Hope for many more miles to go! I’m loving the ride so far and still learning new things.
I signed up with BenzNinja and ordered the components to be able to unlock a few features as well as for diagnostics in the future.

badq45t

I assume you had to dismantle the center cosole to get that in? How is the sound quality of music?

Redrodent

Check cam covers for oil leakage, aka “the alternator killer”. And although Mercedes claims the cam magnet leakage has been resolved, considering what’s at stake, I would inspect their connections, and the cam position sensors too. Should only take 10-15 minutes. If you insert a small pick under the connector, after releasing and pressing down on the locking tab, they slip right off. Dang near impossible to get them to release just by press and pull.

95Sinned420

Yes, it’s very easy to do. Literally 6 screws total to remove. A pick tool, torx 25 and torx 30 screw driver, a plastic wedge and drill is all you need. I followed the video tutorial below, although the RoadTop unit is slightly different, it’s basically the same setup. I did drill a tiny hole for the Aux to USB connection, however I think if you’re able to unlock Aux audio, it might be unnecessary to drill. I’ll have to test this with BenzNinja soon.
Audio quality is good, as expected. Just like how it was for my w212. It sounds like BT streaming audio. Satellite radio still sounds better so I’m usually listening to satellite radio and having CarPlay just for navigation (I mute gps sounds anyways)

95Sinned420

So over the weekend, I was able to check these cam solenoids and magnets. I had the set ordered along with the pigtails. I ended up only installing the pigtails, as the magnets and solenoids were all in great condition with no signs of leakage. I don't know if the previous owner had them done or not. However, I did notice the parts all have a green dot on them. Not sure if they came from factory like that or not, or whether or not the dots meant they're the updated versions. I also had the chance to see the connection type for the magnets and they are the 3 prong ones, so I have a set of pigtails for those coming (ordered from eBay since MB doesn't make those like for the solenoids).

Anyways, I was also able to change my air filters, and cabin filter, a long with doing the spark plugs and serpentine belt. Oh my god that was a PITA for cylinder 1 and 8. Didn't get to tackle and oil change or transmission fluid change because FCP euro sent me the wrong filter for oil. For some reason, my m278 came with a m276 oil filter? Apparently that is the situation, some came with the m276 filters.
The transmission fluid change was halted because I needed a second floor jack. For the W222, the geniuses at MB decided to put the transmission support right across the last two bolts of the transmission pan. So in order for you to remove the support, you need another support under the transmission first, then remove and support the tranny where the support was. Only then can you access the pan without any blockage.
That'll be another project for the next weekend. I was also able to get Benzninja to unlock ILS+, AMG Engine data, Climate control off button, and Fuel level Gallons vs. %. Peter is amazing! I can't believe we in the United States have been driving around without this 10 year old ILS+ tech, it should be standard on all cars...

wheatswake

Very nice updates to your car. The newer version cam sensors have a green o-ring on them if you didn't know. I would suggest the UPD air intake spacer upgrade, bypass the exhaust vacuum solenoid so flapper/damper on the tailpipes are open, Xpel tint front windshield and get Covercraft sunscreen to protect the dash from curling (also condition leather to help prevent curling), phone mount setup in the "climate control off button video" (see links below), tire repair kit with inflator if your car does not have a spare, wheel alignment hanger, Xpel paint protection film if needed, prob. think of others later. I got my 17 S coupe for 65k w/tax and already spent additional 12k on upgrades/2yr warranty extension. Crazy but love the car.

https://www.amazon.com/Charger-Aergi...88&sr=8-8&th=1
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=ibolt+amp...f=nb_sb_noss_2
https://www.proclipusa.com/products/...lass-2014-2020
https://www.amazon.com/Charging-Comp...53&sr=8-4&th=1
https://www.amazon.com/Inflator-Comp...zcF9hdGY&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/BETOOLL-Repai...51&sr=8-5&th=1
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Steel-W...s%2C147&sr=8-5

https://www.amazon.com/etguuds-Charg...6-c72c1df98776

nybenzo

Congrats on the vehicle. Looks awesome enjoy

95Sinned420

I heard about the o-rings being the updated version. I didn’t pull them out to verify, only checked for leaks. I have pigtails on them now so should they leak, I’ll be safe and then I’ll replace them. Thanks for the suggestions. I currently use a cup holder phone mount because I don’t want to block the vents/clock, nor do I wanna stick anything in the nice dash. I have 3M Scotchgard Pro Series 200 clear bra for the front bumper and headlights. Will be installing them after I repair and repaint the front bumper that has license plate holes. Definitely will be ordering a tire flat kit since now I’m running Michelin A/S 4s. I also have the cover craft sunshade already, love the custom fit and doesn’t interfere with my dashcam.

Tom in Austin

I'm doing my plugs now, congrats for tackling that job! Curious, what did you use to get the coils/plug boots off? And how exactly did you end up getting out the 1 and 8 plugs where they're so close to the inner fender? I saved these for last so love to hear any tips/tricks!

95Sinned420

All the DIY tutorials on YouTube used boot pliers. I found this method to be very risky in tearing the boot. Instead, I used a pair of shoe laces. Tied a loop and looped it under the notch on the boot and pulled the boot off in the direction parallel to the spark plug boot’s shaft.


Green arrow is the notch