Well, today I bid farewell to my 2020 S560 sedan. No big deal, right? Well, it’s been quite a while since I posted much in W222, so if you feel like reading, here’s the story, by the numbers:

1. I got my first new MB in 1979, a Signal Red with Bamboo 450SL. I loved it and the many SL’s that followed!

2. I had a new 560SEC in 1987, but after that it was mostly SL’s & E Class sedans for the wife, until 2013 when I got my first S Class sedan, a S550 with ABC. I loved it!

3. I then had a 2015 S550, a 2018 S560 and a 2020 S560, all ordered with 18” wheels & Magic Body Control. I loved them all!

4. Unfortunately, after about a year, the very late production 2020 S560 developed a harsh 3-2 downshift. They said they couldn’t fix it and MBUSA bought the car back. STRIKE ONE!

5. I then got a new, $153,700.00 2022 S580, loaded with most every option, including the replacement for MBC called EABC, a $6,500.00 option. That car was an absolute disaster from day one and after about 18 months of headaches & a major breakdown, MBUSA bought that one back. STRIKE TWO!

6. So, I needed a car and the dealer had just taken in a used 2020 S560 sedan with 8800 miles. I took it for about a 30 minute test drive, deemed it a good car and bought it. It was a reasonably “Plain Jane” car, without MBC, 3D Audio or Exclusive Nappa Leather, but it was nearly new and the best I could do at the time.

7. At about 15,000 miles, this SECOND 2020 S560 also developed a harsh 3-2 downshift. The dealer had it for FORTY straight days and when I got it back, it was no better. Today, MBUSA bought that car back. STRIKE THREE! Sorry Mercedes, but you are OUT and GAME OVER!

8. Six days ago, I took delivery of a brand new BMW I7. Please know that after being a very good MB customer for decades, I did not change brands on a whim. As a very longtime, loyal customer, all I can say is that I didn’t leave Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz left me.

 

The i7 looks great!

No offense, but my guess is MB is just as happy to see you go lol.

I think we all get to a point where we are ready for something new. Lexus stopped doing it for you (thats literally the same thing you said about Lexus, you didn't leave Lexus, Lexus left you), Mercedes stopped doing it for you. Hopefully you find some peace and enjoyment out of this car.Focus on what you like don't dwell on what you don't! Nothing is perfect...

 

Ah mystery solved, when you mentioned the newest W222 was in the shop, I was curious... you know, curiosity killed the cat. Now it all surfaced, it was again a transmission shifting issue. Speaking of 9, your thread title, cats have 9 lives, you know...

 

Congrats on the i7, it looks great! Thanks for recapping your MB resume, it hasn't been posted in a few days.

 

Sorry to see you switch over the bimmer . I think , neither bmw nor Mercedes-Benz care about their customers as much as Lexus do . Your posts have been informative on these boards too
Best lucks with your new car

 

MBUSA bought back your pre-owned Mbenz!!? Never realized this is even an option for pre-owned. Is that a CA thing?
Am surprised they couldn’t even fix the downshifting issue. Can you share more context about what happened?

 

Not sure how you can come to the conclusion MB doesn’t care about him as a customer. They bought back 3 cars from him in a row, including a pre owned car which I have never heard of ever in the many years I have posted on car forums. To put that in perspective they have paid for him to drive an S Class for the past 4 years. To me that shows incredible customer service from MB. I was a Lexus customer for 22 years and I can’t imagine Lexus doing anything like that, and my experience with customer service from MB has been as good or better than Lexus.

What more could MB have done for him beyond giving him a full refund for his last three cars? As much as he has had some problems, especially with the S580 he is also a very hard to please customer and to me they have done everything to please him they could possibly do. I would have given up well before this point had I been them.

 

Time to give blood at another station.

 

To be fair and in forum member Streamliner's defense, they have to otherwise a lemon law lawyer will be knocking on their door, after all, he lives in California. https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...ml#post8913458
Or maybe I am missing something, please kindly correct me, after all I know nothing about lemon law as I live in Canada.

 

Not saying anything negative about Streamliner at all...he is just a customer that has very high expectations and a very low barrier for what he will accept that he doesn't prefer. For a service provider that is a very difficult customer to deal with, one who demands perfection. Nothing inherently wrong with being that customer, for me it would be exhausting.

 

I see, I understand that too and I do believe OP deserves better.

 

I hope he finds it in this car, but if he allows himself to focus on the negatives it could absolutely wind up just like the S Classes. I also read and post in the G70 7 Series forums and there are multiple concerns with these cars just like with the S Class. His S580 was one thing, it was a mess and left him stranded but the S560s? I personally have never felt this 2-3 downshift but I know others have. Is this truly something you can't overlook in a car you otherwise really enjoy?

 

OP, hope you'll post on here some of your opinions of the 7-series. I test drove an I6 version the other day and thought it was pretty nice. Biggest thing I noticed was the ride wasn't the same ... the salesman wasn't sure but I suspect it had steel springs and I could tell the difference. Does yours have air suspension?

 

All 7s have air suspension. The gas 7s don't ride as well as the i7, the extra 1,000 lbs has a lot to do with that IMO.

 

Thank you. I feel the same about your offerings here.

How I lament having to move away from Lexus. How they could ever change their course so drastically and go from making the most wonderful, comfortable, rock solid LS sedans to that “thing” they build today is just beyond me. Perhaps one day they will go full circle and get back to what made them famous.

 

Unfortunately I think Lexus is a lost cause...

 

There is this small cache of members here who spend way too much time on these forums, myself included. When I feel some background information will make more casual forum readers understand the situation better, I try to offer it.

 

I know! This was an unusual car, as it was not sold new until April of 2021, so the original factory warranty is still in force until 4/25. I never thought they would offer a buy back and was pleasantly surprised when they did. And yes, I believe it is due to the very liberal “Lemon Law” in California. The law basically states that ANY vehicle covered under a manufacturer’s warranty, that is out of service for a cumulative 30 days, for issues covered by the warranty, is a lemon. I believe—but do not know for sure—that this might even work under the CPO warranty.

A few months ago, I took the car into the dealer, complaining about the harsh 3-2 downshift. The shop foreman drove the car while I rode along and when we came back he told the service advisor that there was, indeed, a harsh downshift. They kept the car for FORTY DAYS, but when I got it back, it was the same. Thats when I contacted MBUSA and opened a case. It took about six weeks for them to approve the buy back and then another month or so before it actually happened.

As I have mentioned before, the ONLY good things about living in this absolutely insane state are the weather and the Lemon Law.

 

Yes. MB knows when they are at a point where the CA Lemon Law has been triggered. They know that if they cannot remedy the situation, that the customer will most likely hire an attorney who specializes in Lemon Law cases—there are THOUSANDS of them here. In addition, they KNOW that they will lose and will have to pay all attorney & court costs, so they take the lesser of two evils and just buy the car back.

 

Thank you. Yes, air suspension in my I7.

 

Some here might think I am too fussy about my cars and that I take advantage of the dealers & manufacturers, but I feel very strongly that if one doesn’t speak up, nothing will change. I mean WHEN did MB forget how to make smooth shifting transmissions? I know, “mild hybrid,” EPA, etc., but those things are no excuse. The transmission I had in my 2018 Ford Transit Van performed WAY better than the transmissions in either of my 2020 S560’s or the absolutely sloppy, jerking slushbox in my 2022 S580. There is no excuse for this. As I and many here have said before, it is high time MB threw in the towel and contracted with ZF to source their transmissions. Having to buy back defective vehicles helps to push MB along to such a decision or to at least drive home the fact that they HAVE A PROBLEM! I’m actually doing them a service.

 

Not fussy. Just dramatic.

 

I know who’s at fault! LOL!

I’m so jealous- That’s one Beautiful ride! To have a buy back on not just one but 3 times in a row - that’s what I call very fortunate. Can you send me a pm with some good numbers to play?

 

Having had both the S560 and the S580, I just have a hard time envisioning the transmission shifting so poorly that it would impact the drivability or enjoyability of the car. My S560 shifted fine as does my S580.

 

My Uncle used to be the guy who didn’t experience a problem, and concluded the problem didn’t exist. He wasn’t the inspiration for the phrase “ignorance is bliss”, but he could have been. I like to be the guy, who when he hears about a problem, leaves the possibility open, that the problem could exist, especially if the problem is eminently plausible.