Congrats to you sir! I hope to be 90+ !

 

I love everything about my 2017 S500 ( S550 in us) ...only thing I love and dont have is Burmester 3D otherwise would keep it as long as it runs...

 

Do you have the basic Burmester system? I know it's standard on all US cars. If so, don't worry about the 3D system, I have the 3D system and while it might be better than non 3D, but not drastically. At least that's my opinion.

 

Interesting. Did you try to tune and adjust the Audio settings, Carlos? I really found the 3D to be soooo much better than the standard one, but only until I really dialed in the setting very carefully. One of the best sound systems I ever had, and certainly much better than BMW B&W.

 

My 2016 S550 just turned 70k miles, I bought it new and still love it every time I drive. Pure class, buttery smooth comfort and surprisingly quick even in stock form. I used to switch out my daily driver every couple years but no plans for this one to leave.

Btw; I used to be a little bummed not having the 3D sound, but added the rotating tweeters and a JL Audio sub with amp and now it sounds amazing.

 

Theres really no other car out there I'd consider over my 2018 S560. I thought about a Lucent Air, but I don't like the low roofline and not so good visibility plus the Adaptive Cruise is probably better in my S560. Also not ready to make the switch to Electric right now at this time. I wouldn't consider a 2021 and above S580, don't car for the interior and I like the exterior better on my 2018. The only other alternative I considered if I were to make a change would be a Bentley Continental Convertible but initial price is very high and maintenance costs are through the roof and not very many dealers. So looks like this car is gonna be a 200,000 mile keeper, up to 68K miles so far. Hopefully there will be no major surprises along the journey.

 

My first Mercedes was a 1971 300SEL, black over cream that i picked up in Vienna and drove 5,000 miles to Athens and then back up to Germany - drove it for 105,000 miles until the air suspension wore out. With not even 32,000 on my '18 S560 (Emerald Green Metallic - not a common sight), and at my advanced age and limited driving, I don't even consider changing. So many negative things read about the W223 - not going there. I've played the Bentley game,three times, gave my '03 sedan to a charity as it was just too cramped inside. I tried the first EQS my dealer sold, but it's been gone for over a year. The only thing I miss about it is the four-wheel steering. With no reason to change, and nothing to change to - well, here I am..

One of my not unoccasional pleasures is looking through my iPhone photo folder with photos of the different cars I've had, or as close as I could find an image to mine...what a way to drive down memory lane, going back to my 1953-54 year at Cornell.- Chevy, Ford, Bristol, Fiat, Olds, Audi, Porsche, Pontiac, Corvair, Morgan, Lexus, BMW, Range Rover, SAAB, Chrysler,- I think that's the lot. My S560 tops the list.

 

I've tuned it every way I could; I think my expectations were a little too high. I have a Dolby Atmos 7.4.2 setup in my home theater so I thought it would replicate that experience more than it does. The sound is great, no doubt about that, but not as immersive as I had expected. And up until late 2022, with a couple years of exception, I had aftermarket car audio installed in my cars. I actually installed car audio while going through college back in the mid 80's, so I've kind of always been in that arena. So maybe I should have realized that it wasn't going to blow me away. Your last post about helped me take more time to tune it to what I liked. And for some reason Spotify sounds better than it did., and I'm still using bluetooth in the car. I might have changed the setting to high resolution on my phone or something after your previous advice. Plus, I love the extra lighting from the overhead 3D speakers so that's a bonus. I wouldn't have bought a car with ablack interior without the 3D speakers. And to the OP's point; for all those reasons I plan to keep my car as long as it possible. This will be my last ICE car, nbext will mist likely be hybrid, or a full electric vehicle. Probably going to buy a Ford Lightning truck as a DD in the next couple years, then my W222 will be my "date-night" car for me and the wife

 

Based on the above, I'd guess you're somewhere in your mid-60s. How nice it would be to have your hearing. Once you go to hearing aids, sound quality is no longer a problem, it's non-existent. It's not an esthetic problem for me because I've never been an audiophile.

 

Close, mid 50's and hanging on to every vestige of youth I can these days!!

 

Lou B. Wow you have had a lot of different cars over you lifetime. I've had around 58 cars over the 50 years I've been driving, most of them were when I was younger. First car @16 was a 1965 Pontiac GTO.

 

Love to see how much people here love their W222…. Completely the opposite of what am reading on the W223 forum. Wish I was able to keep both W222s I owned for a fraction of how long u guys are planning to keep yours : ), but I just like to switch from one car to another as often as I reasonably can. The W222 is an awesome car for those who don’t care much about trading every once and awhile. Really sad to not see the same trend with the W223 owners.

 

This is what concerns me the most about upgrading to the W223...the difference in the general consensus between the two forums

 

Yes, I have the the basic Burmester system ( it says PREMIUM SOUND SYSTEM) ...as I am into audiophile sound systems I really like to have the 3D... unfortunately its not very common here in Australia... I am generally happy about the sound system, I wish it had a bit more Bass ...

 

I am thinking to add rotating tweeters and the sub... did you get original rotating tweeters? did they really improve the sound or only for cosmetic purpose ? also did you use active subwoofer ? did you also upgrade the amplifire as well or not?

 

maybe try Tidal as I think the Spotify don’t have high res ( last time I checked) , the file resolution can make difference if the sound system is capable enough ...( I have tried almost all Audiophile headphones as my hobby in past and the file resolution can only make difference if the system is good enough) , funny thing is I still keep my 2010 Mazda 3 because of the Focal sound system, the sound system is at least 4 time the price of the car itself I can tell the differences in my Mazda 3 when use Tidal high res and low res but not in my S550 with basic Burmester...

 

Add a subwoofer, makes a huge difference

 

I think we have lost or gotten away from this topic - "How long will you keep your W222?"

 

conversations ebb and flow…

 

I got the rotating tweeters sold on eBay or Amazon, which come with a module to interface with non 3D equipped cars. I was mainly doing them for the looks, but turned out they are slightly brighter sounding which was an added bonus

The amp I used is made by audio control, and was easy to connect to factory sub outputs. The sub itself is a single JL 12w3v3 in their high output box. Fit really nice in the trunk without loosing comfort box or floor panel access.

I added pictures to the forum a while back, wasn’t very difficult or expensive but wow what an amazing improvement

 

I love my 2019 S560 and plan on keeping it until the hideous IPad goes away and a more classy interior on the W223. The W222 is just a classic luxury car fit and finish all the way around.

 

Thanks for putting this thread back on topic.

I echo your thoughts.

 

I must say I do worry quite a bit about having major issues in my plans to drive this car over 100K miles, I still have 32K miles to go though until I hit 100K miles. I know probably between now and then I'll have to at least have the motor mounts replaced and maybe other things although at 68K miles I think the motor mounts are still ok. My extended warranty runs out in about 9 months.

 

Maximum until 2027 when I can't extend the warranty. I will sell it though if I have issues with the AC again which I'm afraid will happen eventually. (CO2/R744 AC)

 

I have a 2015 S550 4matic that I love. I'm surprised most of you have such low miles. I'm well over 118K miles now and it's the longest I've ever kept a car as I usually get bored or change it out every few years. (prior cars included 911s, various BMW sedans, SUVs). It does everything well, comfort, good performance. Favorite limo for my kiddo yet fun to drive sporty or just let it eat miles.

In the almost 10 years I've owned it, outside of routine service (fluids, plugs, tires, brakes), these were the problem areas for me.
1. Bad coils X 2 between 41K-90K miles, CEL, running rough. Left me stranded once, fortunately in town. Ended up replacing all at 90K miles DIY at home. Been good since.
2. Heater would blow cold air around 85K miles, dealer was booked for a week and it was dead of winter so DIY replaced heater coolant valve (some cussing and scraped up my hands pretty bad lol but less than $100 in parts).
3. Torn front outer CV boot 96K miles. Dealer specs full axle replacement, dealers don't touch just boot replacements. I had reputable suspension/axle specialty shop replace both side outer boots. Take it to a shop that does these things routinely and has the right tools/presses etc as few "Mercedes Specialty shops" were hesitant to tackle it. It was around $900 for the pair for the outer boots.
4. Bad Thermostat at 111K miles. (stuck open, would periodically throw code when warming up as it was detecting coolant wasn't getting up to temp quickly enough, ran fine tho), replaced at Independent shop and drain and fill coolant for around $900
5. Windshield x 2 due to chips/cracks.

That's pretty much it, everything still works great. I've never kept a European car this long and I've been thinking of getting a W223 but been hesitant as I don't really like them all that much, perhaps W224 will be better. I still have thoughts of upgrading as I do wonder how long this car will provide me with great service and relatively low repair costs given how complex the car is. But given how badly these cars depreciate (one of the best used car bargains I would say!), and how much I love this thing, I might just run it into the ground.

Other "upgrades"
1. Did sacrificial connectors and replaced a bit leaky CPS. Read up on oil migration issue that may damage the ECU, that's a huge expense if that occurs, highly suggest you do this if you plan to keep your W222.
2. Major sound system upgrade in 2017. Added custom JL subwoofer setup, upgraded tweeter to the burmester 3D rotating, added ski pass through in the trunk.
3. S63 wheels

Best, most well rounded car I've ever owned.