Mercedes-Benz S-Class

is4b2rd

Geesh, what a pain with your car. Of course as soon as you drive it to the service department it won't fail. From experience, unless you can duplicate it exactly, don't bother with service. THey gave me such grief on my CL instrument cluster. I could understand their point, they said the part was about $3k and if they ordered it, replaced mine and sent the old one back to Germany and there wasn't a problem, they would have to absorb the cost of the part and labor, instead of MB picking up the tab. HOWEVER, I have a feeling if I were Bill Gates, they would have replaced it no matter what. So, it took 3 visits for them to see that it was actually defective.

Regarding the 760, yes in the US it will only be the 760Li, the long-wheelbase. In Europe, as they do now, they will have the 760i, short-wheelbase model.

Our first model here will be the 745i and then followed probably about a month later with the Li. The pricing has gone up considerably though.

mrman_3k1

Today everything works fine, there are no problems and everything is fine.

As far as the 760 is concerned, I do not really care that much with price as long as it is under 200K. I was also wondering if the new 7 series has the rear seats with a seat cooling feature like the S-Class has. And my final question is when will the 760 come out, I have my order placed but they do not have any information but they will call when they do. I am the 2nd person on the list for the 760 so it should come in soon after it comes out. Thanks

is4b2rd

There wasn't any info on when any of the models will be coming out. I only know that the 745i will be first because that is what they are showing on their website and from car magazines. I would imagine the 760Li will have cooling rear seats, but again, this car was the 745i and that is all they were focusing on.

If your budget can go to 200k, then you might want to consider the new Bentley that is coming out in about 4 years. It is supposed to be priced in the mid 100's.

I am wondering, since BMW seems to be heading towards MB price range that the 760Li will be about $110k or more. Remember how the current 750iL is really a bargain compared to the S600.

mrman_3k1

I do not know why, but I do not really like those Rolls and Bentleys, they are too gaudy and do not have that BMW and MB feel which I like. I like efficiency and technology which I do not feel Bentley and Rolls has. To me they look and feel big and bulky not smooth and aero-dynamic like the S-Class for an example. I also have never really been a fan of British motoring design rather I prefer the Teutonic design.

rexconde1

Have you considered the Ferrari 355 F1?

It is under 200, and much nicer than the M3

Robert

mrman_3k1

Actually I am on the waiting list for the 360 Spider, I have been on it for about a year now and it will be at least another year or so before the car arrives. Plus I would feel a lot safer using the M3 as a more daily driving car than the Ferrari. With the Ferrari I would be scared someone might scratch it, but with the M3 I would not be as scared since it is not that limited production as the 360.

wayne49

My S420 has a leak in the air conditioner evaporator. I found that it will take 23 hours of labor to remove my entire dash and console to replace the faulty evaporator. In other words, it will cost around $3,300 to replace this "wear" part. I think this was terrible engineering! A wear part should be more easily accessible to be repaired. Has anyone had the evaporator replaced? If so, what was your experience and what do you recommend?

bitkahuna

On the waiting list for both the 360 spider and the new 760 yet "scared someone might scratch" the 360?

You seem truly torn between your desires and fears. If I may say, it's hard to be happy that way. If you have 200K to blow on a car, just buy it and drive it and don't worry about it. Maybe hit it with a shopping cart to get it over with. In the end, it's just a car.

rexconde1

While he probably has the money to blow. When you have that much money I dont think that you just toss it.

MrMan seems to be a very fortunate car enthusiast and at that level you would be caring about your car wether it is 30K or 150K.

The 360 is more limited and look how long he is waiting for it... for that long a wait yeah I would drive it but I would also would not be taking it to the local grocery store.

The M3 is a year wait and cheaper. The Ferrari is about 3x as much and 2-3 year wait.

Besides with all of the cars he has, having the choice, how could you not be happy. A car for every situation..

Robert

bitkahuna

I consider myself a fortunate car enthusiast too, obviously not with the same amount of money as mrman, but I long since got over worrying about a car being scratched.

As far as how could anyone not be happy with a lot of cars - easily actually. 'Things' won't make you happy - they may bring pleasure, but they won't make you happy.

Read 'The Art of Happiness' if you're interested in more on this.

Don't get me wrong, I love cars, and I enjoy them a lot, but they won't make me or anyone else happy.

mrman_3k1

When I say I am scared to get the car dinged, that happens no matter what. My motto is when you have it use it, but don't abuse it. I have worked very hard and am very happy with my life, I have put myself through school with a BS, MS, MBA, and PHD. I am in the biotech industry and love what I do and would not trade the way my life is for anything, not even a car. I have recently in the past few years begun to reap the rewards of incredibly hard work and am enjoying life. Like rexconde said is that I am careful, I like to plan ahead and I do not know about you, even if all the cars costed a dollar but you had to wait one year for one, and three years for the other, you might be a little more careful about it getting the 3 year one hurt. Also out of curiosity, how can you say that I am torn between my desires and my fears because I have yet to meet somebody that would not care if their car gets bumped. Even when I had my old '85 Honda several years back, I was always careful.

I do not want to be known as a rich snob that gets everything because I can assure you that is not how it works. If you love what you do that is what truely makes you happy. The cars and physical things are just toys to play with, it was just like when you were a kid, only with more expensive toys. Anyway have a nice 4th of July, I will be down in San Diego with my family. Have a safe one.

rexconde1

I understand what you are saying. I guess we only see one side to mrman, I mean Dr. Mrman, here (autophile) , which is why we are all here... to discuss CARS!! WHOOHOOO!!

When I had my moms 93 jeep I took great care of it watching evry ding, scratch on it.

Any way have a great holiday. I'll be on LSD during the fireworks.

Robert

bitkahuna

Congrats on your hard work paying off.

"you might be a little more careful about it getting the 3 year one hurt" - Cars don't get 'hurt'. I would never wait 3 years on a waiting list for a car, but more power to you.

"I have yet to meet somebody that would not care if their car gets bumped" - You're conversing with one. I certainly used to care. Was afraid of it happening, got mad if it happened, cursed a lot, dreaded all the hassle of insurance, repairs, and diminished resale value. But all that is pointless. We can be afraid of a possible future and mad at it if it happens, but that doesn't change anything (except our stress level). I'd rather have less stress, so I don't worry about "what if's" that would hardly be critical in the grand scheme of things.

"when you have it use it, but don't abuse it" - that's different than being scared of it getting scratched. A scratch on a car will not make it drive any differently. It's all in our intepretation of the scratch, how it makes us feel. If even the thought of a scratch on an expensive car makes you scared, I guess you'd be pretty upset if it actually happened then. I say get over the fear and the upset and just enjoy the car. Life's too short to believe we have to park a car miles from everything else so it doesn't get scratched (which just seems to attract other cars anyway), or in other cases, not drive it at all, for fear of it getting damage, or eek, miles ending up on the odometer.

That doesn't mean I park my car recklessly in the middle of an intersection, but I just don't go to the other extreme, to any unusual measures to try to prevent damage.

"I do not want to be known as a rich snob" - didn't mean to imply that, but when discussing a 70K car you said you'd pay up to 200K which is a bit insensitive perhaps.

Anyway, we all love cars, they're marvels of design and manufacturing, and I hope you have a great 4th also.

mrman_3k1

When I say I am scared and don't want the car hurt, that means bumped, I do not create a personal relationship with the car because that is absolutely silly. Look, my ML has several scratches and a guy even ruined the rear bumper which had to be replaced. Anyway, enough phsycology and let's get back to cars which is what this forum is all about, not personal lives. Happy 4th everyone, I am currently in SJC waiting for my plane to start boarding for San Diego.

rexconde1

Wow so dedicated to even write when you are at the airport.

rexconde1

I just read my message back there.

I mean LSD as in Lake Shore Drive (LSD) ORD not the drug.

Robert

rexual

My dealer faxed me the "NetStar" order update today and the "confirmed" built date for the S55 is now 1/7/02 instead of third week in July,'01. The order was placed in Jan, 01. Is anyone aware of a sudden order glut or something back in Germany? There is something like a PO number that has 10 digits on the fax. I'm wondering if there is a way to check order status via the web or via email. Why do they go by a Decade Plan/Schedule date? Have a great 4th of July, everyone.

duopshebob

Well, they finally replaced the sound system module in my S430. It has been a week and no more pauses or blips. So, I am happy about that. It only took them 7 months to do something about the problem. About the A/C smell, they took out the charcoal filter and said they were getting a new type, But now they said they are not getting a new type, so they are ordering a new one of the original kind. Where do they come up with their stories?? The other day I was driving along 45mph minding my own business. The car all of a sudden lost power and the engine revved up and I felt like I was going nowhere . The car was kind of jerking along. Power, then no power, making this noise. I kept driving to my destination, another mile, scared out of my wits. No, I didn't touch the gear shift by mistake and my hands were on the wheel at the time. I called my husband freaking out and he came to get me with the other car. Then he drove the car and it was fine and hasn't acted up since. We took it to Mercedes and after they checked it out, they told me that either I moved the gear shift by accident or must have imagined this, because the car computer log showed NO ERRORS or malfunctions! I have been driving for 30 years, so I think I know when a car is acting weird! Before my husband came to get me, I had called the emergency Mercedes number which was in NY. The guy said that he thought it sounded like an electrical problem and that I should have it towed. Right away I thought of the pauses in the sound system and it felt like I was getting those pauses in the transmission. I received no malfunction messages on the dash either. The problem has not repeated itself. Why, when the dealership cannot replicate the problem, do they tell you there is nothing wrong?? If I have one more problem I am declaring my car a LEMON and demanding a new one. Anyone had a similar experience while driving?? I think my next car will not be a Mercedes. Yes, its pretty to look at, is suppose to be one of the best mechanically engineered cars, but too many bells and whistles causing too many other problems. Also, it takes me 10 tries for the voice recognition to get the name right.

rexconde1

My father has experienced the same thing... He originally was going to get the S55 some time this year, but they too have pushed back the date to early next year.

The Dealer said that they stopped production for a while.

Robert

duopshebob

Robert

Which of these items that I mentioned did your Dad experience??? Smelly A/C, sound system cut outs, or imaginary transmission problem?
thx sally

scargo160quick

Just started yesterday...twice. First time i thought the station just cut out temporarily, but then it happened on another station.

Will see if it conitnues, otherwise i am due for 10K svc soon. What has been the procedure (ie. fix) for this?

Thanks all. Happy 4th!!!!!! God bless America and Mercedes Benz!

rexconde1

The comment was made to rexual.

My father's order for his S55 was pushed back because MB stopped production of the S55 temporarily. My father wasnt so clear on the details, or perhaps the dealer wasnt.

Robert

megasuvowner

congratulations on your decision to get a Ferrari , I personally have an '85 Testarossa, owning one is a great experiance. When i first purchased my car second hand, i was scared to take it out of my garage, then i realized that i might as well use the car or else its not worth having. So now i make sure that i get a chance to drive it at least once a week. I wouldn't recommend it as a daily driver (although some people do that) because of the high maintance costs and lack of being practical, but if you get a chance to take it out about once or twice a week, it is worth it.

chapman7

If the production of the S55 has been temporarily halted for 6 months or so you might want to consider waiting for the 2003 model and get the rumored upgrades in engine, etc. unless ofcourse the delayed production model will incorporate the contemplated 2003 model changes. There must be a reason for the production being halted and I would certainly want to know the reason why.

rexconde1

I would like to know the reason for the delay as well...

I will Call Mr. Schremp up tonight and find out.

Robert

rexconde1

chapman7

Robert: When you find out why MB is halting production of the S55 for six months or so please let us know. Thanks.

pwas

What is the mechanical difference between the 92 300SE and 95 or 97 S320? Im looking at both. the 92 300SE has 26k and the 97 S320 has 47,000 miles. How is the reliability between the 2 cars. Any suggestions or comments ?

rwharcha

Need name of magazine or periodical , listing suggested values of vintage MB. I will be selling not buying . TIA

Russ

duopshebob

The fix for our 2001 S430 was Module Q10. Our radio and Cd have been cutting out since we got the car 8 months ago. We have had the new module a week and so far so good. We have not had any problem since the new module...yet. Supposedly this module has all the updates and has corrected all the bugs in previous sound system modules. Now we are working on getting our entire AC system replaced. As someone before suggested to me in this forum..we will have to go over the dealerships head. Let me know how it goes.
Sally

sally

mblover

Hi Roger

Unfortunately my Dad is an impatient person by nature. The one thing he really dislikes about his current car is the heat build up, esp. since the car is in Toronto in the summer & Florida in the winter. I try to convince him to just manually increase the fan speed when required, but ever since I mentioned that Mercedes had upgraded the glass with its "infrared reflecting" technology he wants to get a '02 model. You mentioned that rumour has it ... Can you tell me where you came across these rumours - another post on edmunds or a car magazine web article, etc? Also can you tell me what options you got on your car?

Thanks for your help.

John

drew_

Actually, the infrared reflecting glass is an option for the '01 S430 SWB and S430 LWB. It is standard equipment for the S500 and S600. However, both the '00 and '01 S-class have laminated glass that inhibits UV penetration. Here's the odd part though. I can't find any pricing for the infrared reflecting glass option on my '01 price card. There will be no interior changes for '02 S-class, as confirmed by MB Canada.

We may see a very slight exterior refresh for the '03 S-class, and the 4-matic option will definitely be available as a be a late availability option. There may (hopefully) be more drastic improvements for the interior of the '03 model, even though I think the current interior is pretty darn nice already. I doubt that there will be any horsepower increases at all though. I also doubt that the COMAND system will be DVD-based. The all-new '02 7-series won't have a DVD based navigation system either.

Partly due to the slowing economy, S-class sales have been down in Canada. The Lower mainland greater Vancouver region currently has about 30 '01 S-class sedans ready for immediate delivery. They can be had at a slight discount too since the '02 models will arrive in a month or so.

As for the rumours, they're usually from car magazines, posts here in Town Hall, or info that people have heard from their dealers. I also know a couple of people at the MB Canada head office, so that sometimes helps too ;-)


Drew
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bitkahuna

You mention that COMAND and nav are not DVD based... what are they based on, CDs?! If so, I'd guess that makes them fairly limited. Does MB supply a stack to cover the U.S. or Canada, or what?

drew_

Yes, they're CD based and there are maps for all of the US (I think there are 8 of them in all; the map CD slot is easily accessible though, just above the COMAND screen). However, only Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver are available for Canada. Lexus, Acura/Honda, Jaguar, and Infiniti/Nissan do not even offer GPS systems as of yet for Canada...Not sure why. AFAIK, besides MB, BMW is the only other manufacturer to offer map coverage for parts of Canada.

chapman7

Drew: Do you know or have a reliable source that can tell us why the S55 production has been halted for 6 months or so?

drew_

You should try writing to MBUSA via their website (there should be an e-mail address there) and then they can respond direclty to you. Perhaps you can share the information with us when you hear from them. Or, you can also try phoning the 1-800 number, but those folks are sometimes pretty clueless.

I have contacted my MB Canada source about this, but she has not replied yet. I'll let you know as soon as I find out anything.


Drew
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drew_

Just a reminder that the MB chat is on tonight (6-7pm Pacific/9-10 pm Eastern). Hope to see you there!

http://www.edmunds.com/chat/mercedeschat.html

rexconde1

I finally asked my fathers dealer and this is what they claim. They said that they had to halt production because they ran out of parts, and they already had a back log of orders, so they halted it to release remaining as a 2002 model.

This is what the dealer claims, I'm not sure if there is any truth to that though.

Robert

georget3

Yesterday as I was driving at about 35 mph, the car started flushing Airmatic, ESP (Electric Stability Program), & BAS (Brake Assist) visit workshop! The car seemed to be driving normally as these alerts were flushing. I stopped at a shopping center, turned off the ignition and then re started. Afterwards, everything seems to be normal again. It shows no malfunction.

Has anyone had any experience like this?

ps: I called MB Paramus NJ dealer, my experience with their service has been very bad. They kept putting me to appointment desk's voice box. It has taken them 5-6 hours before anyone called me back. Both times they called back at 5.30 pm to my office when everyone had left!

rexconde1

I would ask to speak with the general manager.

If the service at the dealership gets really bad, write a letter to the owner and CC: MBUSA, and your regional rep.

I had a couple issues with my dealer, wrote to the owner of the Store, MotorWerks of Barrington and the issue was resolved. At least my dealership cares about getting the excellent marks on its card.

After the service ask them for the evaluation card if you aren't already provided with it.

As shown before the dealership quality varies greatly. Its a shame but it does happem

Robert

scargo160quick

No further problems to report, maybeit was just a fluke. Neverheless I will bring it up when I take it in for service later this month.

scargo160quick

Has anyone used this on their "S" - if so, what were the results? I love the Rolls Royce/Bentley smell but can't imagine it in the Benz. Is there anything better?

sillydriver

I had an experience like georget3 trying to set up a service appointment recently. I kept calling and asking to speak with anyone in the service department in order to set up an appointment and was told several times they would have to call me back. This was no good since I am hard to reach during business hours. I finally found an independent mechanic who did the needed work on my older car (a 95 SL). Later I actually did get a call from the dealership -- the service rep told me they were absolutely swamped with calls. My concern is that Mercedes might be experiencing a quality catastrophe with their newer models -- possibly the S given the number of electrical glitches I've had on my new 2001 model -- that is filling up their service capacity.

georget3

I was so frustrated with my MB dealer - not been able to speak to anyone for two days who could have helped. Last night I surfed the MB web and found my dealer's site. I then used their site and reported the problem. Early this morning at 8.30 am, I received an E-mail reply that described my experience with "Airmatic, ESP & BAS" warnings as likely computer glitch unless they persist.

I cannot wait to see how efficiently this web based service appointment may work when a service is indeed required.

rexconde1

Also dont forget to add the 2 key words when you write your displeasure with the serice

cc: MBUSA

is4b2rd

thing you can use on your leather..

chapman7

Drew: I took your advice and sent an e-mail on 7/10 to MBUSA re what's causing the production delays. No answer yet but if I do get an answer I'll let you know what they say.

tomsky

I've used it on my E430. It works quite well on the smooth areas, but tends to get trapped in the perforated holes. For that reason, I think a lotion type, such as Lexol, is better.

Jack

is4b2rd

when you have perforated seats. First you apply the Rejuvenator oil. Let it sit outdoors in sunlight for a few hours. Then you take the Cleaner, which works GREAT on vinyl as well and then remove any contaminates that were pushed out by the rejuvenator oil. PLUS, that great leather smell comes back real strong.

Lexol leaves a film, which I do not like. I don't want anything "clogging" the pores of the leather, which would cause it to dry out prematurely. Of course if I only planned on keeping a car for about 3-4 years, then I might think differently. But if the car is LONG term, I think you can't beat a product like Leatherique. I was quite skeptical when friend recommended it to me. If you have dried out leather, you supposedly can see a big difference. Anyway, that's my experience, your mileage may vary.

drew_

If your Lexol leather conditioner application leaves a film, that means that you have used too much. As they say, a little conditioner goes a long way. Multiple (sparing) applications are better than just one over-application. That's also why you have to wipe off the excess Lexol after letting it sit for some time. I have found that using a little bit of water helps a lot too.


Drew
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