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Mercedes-Benz S-Class
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Comments
Thanks,
Chintan Talati
Corporate Communications
Edmunds.com
Anyway, If you are thinking about getting a S class.. you may want to think again. I'm a 3rd generation of Mercedes owner and it looks like I might have to switch to the new LS 460.
when the timing chain broke, it may have bent the valves and damaged the pistons, they want to take off the heads and do a valve job and inspect the valves to see if they are bent, also look at the pistons to see if they are damaged. Cost estimate is $6,300!! If the valves are damaged, or worse, if the pistons are damaged, the cost could go up even more.
I'm having a hard time understanding how the valves and pistons could be damaged. In the old days when timing belts broke, you just replaced the belt and that was that. Can anyone tell me if what they are saying makes sense, and what about the cost of $6,300, for basically what amounts to a valve job (plus a timing chain and a valve cover). What if they just put on a new timing chain and valve cover - would I be okay??
Thanks,
Duane
This bends the valves, possibly damages the pistons, and may wreck other bits and pieces in the head.
No, they can't just replace the timing chain and valve cover. The valves are bent and broken. They won't open and close properly (if at all) and the engine would not run.
Sorry for the bad news, but the dealer isn't trying to screw you over on this. I'm surprised the cost is only $6300.
I received this message display 'No magazine' when I tried to activate the cd in my 2002 S500. The cd magazine is in the changer located in the trunk, but if I try to eject it, it will not eject as well. Does anyone experience this problem with their cd magazine and could advice me on this? I took it to the MB dealership for an estimate to fix it and they say it'll probably be $1200k to change the whole unit. Any advice would really appreciated.
If it actually needs replacing, you'll find a similar (if not better) head unit available elsewhere for less. In my '98, the MB factory unit was actually made by Alpine (a Japanese company!), and the exact same Alpine unit without the MB symbol on it was available at Circuit City for about half the price.
Yes, I mean $1,200.00! I think you're right that I'll have to try an auto sound shop out there instead of MB. There seem to be so many auto sound/stereo shops out there that I'm not sure which one to trust. If I walk in Circuit City or BestBuys, do you think those sales guys know enough to know which cd unit would work with my MB? So in your MB, you purchased the unit from Circuit City and an auto sound shop install it for you for a reasonable charge??
Actually, in my case the MB dealer ran out of MB-branded units and installed an Alpine unit. I didn't discover it until months after I had bought the car. I then checked out at CC the same unit the dealer had put in, and it was about half the price that MB was asking.
But I did buy a replacement car stereo at CC for another MB car I had (an old E320 wagon that we passed on to my daughter), and they installed it without any problem.
I had a brief interaction with an S600 on yesterday at the local MB dealer. The car was really amazing and better than I thought. I drove an S550 for a whole day about 2 months ago and really liked the dynamics of the car. While not quite as planted as my previous 760iL or even the S65, it adapted to the road really well. The only hold out for me would probably be that the interior isn't quite up to Audi's standard. No huge biggie, but I wish they would've spent more time on interior refinement, which was once a MB strong point.
Which brings me to my point. Have any of you fellas drove or bought either of the AMG variants yet, or even an S550? I'm really leaning towards the S63 as 503-hp is quite enough for this car.
I've narrowed my choices to the S63, the upcoming LS460L(depending on suspension refinements), Maserati Q-P. So any help would be appreciated.
I know someone else with a 1999 E320, which has the same 'no magazine' error as my MB. They didn't get it fix either as they think its too costly from dealership quotes.
A couple of questions -
Is it recomended that I take it to the Mercedes Benz shop to get replacement pads or can I go to a shop that specializes in foreign cars?
Does the AMG make a difference when replacing brakes?
Will the signal go off if I take it somewhere other than Mercedes?
The Mercedes shop quoted $250 while other shops are in the $150 range - is that right?
If I take it to somewhere other than Mercedes what should I ask the shop -
please respond jkp4030@yahoo.com
Also I was planning on going out of town MD- NY and Mercedes can't get me in before, would it be okay to drive and get fixed upon return? Light came on two days ago.
Thanks!!!!!!
Jacqueline
Well it was Chrysler and Daimler-Benz that merged back in 1998. I at the time needed medical attention upon reading about it, but have since recovered.
M
I assume the more recent decision to get the Audi S8 means all of this has been decided already???
M
M
I suppose that the laminated glass should be more safe and more sound-proof.
Any comment?
Just picked up my 2007 Mercedes S550 yesterday and spent most of the day testing it out on the highways of northern New Jersey and I am impressed and totally satisfied after the initial day and 150 miles. I Got the andorite grey with black interior with premium package they all seem to come with, that's the keyless go and ventilated seats among other things. Also got the night assist, which throws up a crisp and clear infrared image, i tried it out and it's cool, but without fog or some other more stressful situation it was easier to just look out the window 100% of the time. Anyway, took advantage of the 73% residual for 27 months, which is now 72% I think, and also got about $3000 off MSRP ( not a lot off because it had the "rare" night assist option which i wanted).
I decided to go with RWD (rear wheel drive) after researching it versus all wheel drive and found that decent snow tires on a rwd car will perform nearly as well as average tires on all wheel drive in almost all cases. Took a curving, pretty sharp highway turn at 85mph that most cars wobble in doing 50mph - in the S550 it was as smooth as can be - at 85mph! Wow.
Beautiful car. Enjoy it and please keep us posted as to your experience. What were you driving previously?
Be aware there seems, in my opinion, to be a large stock of RWD(rear wheel drive) '07's all around the country - I called several large dealers around the country and they all had plenty to choose from, and with the 4matics out in a few months you can count on dealers wanting to move a few at a decent level. Keep us posted!
Yes.
I'm also told that the 2007 won't have the hump in the passenger footwell that my 2003 S430 4Matic has - true?
True, the new S-Class was engineered from the ground up for 4Matic and the 4Matic system is also brand new and more compact compared to the version in use on every other current Mercedes.
M
You are right - can you imagine the hassle of trying to sell the car on your own? PASS! I didn't even mention that only 2 or 3 of the 15 or so '05 S500's on Ebay had bids! Not too much demand...
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I shopped around and I think the shipping cost will add at least $1K on top of the negotiated price if I were to buy it out of state. But what really got me off a wrong foot was that there was someone (private seller) who tried to defraud me. For $2 to $3K difference, I don't really think it makes sense for me to take a risk on that.
So, I bought the S550 today at the price that I asked earlier.
Thanks for your comments, anyhow.