Mercedes-Benz S-Class

mickyl · October 2006

Thanks for your response. Before I tell you about this crazy scam that this guy tried to pull off, the car did have the option that I wanted, which was the night view assist, plus P2. There were two other s550s with night view assist around DC areas (with the color combination that I like) but one was loaded with everything and the other did not have much on it besides night view assist. I did search around before settling down on this and while there are vehicles in your area (and I am sure I can get a pretty good discount), the vehicles in your areas simply did not have the night view assist that I wanted, not to mention the cost of shipping, and hazzle of dealing with the seller if the vehicle did not meet my expectation.

Now, getting back to this scam, I came across this ad in the autotrader from this guy who was selling his fully loaded vehicle for $79K (got everything except night view). Got his contact info and spoke with him over the phone. I asked him for the specific details of the car, including any and all 0ptions of this vehicle. He emailed over 25 photos of this vehicle, including a photo that showed that the car was located in FL. However, this guy was calling from CA. So, I asked him for the VIN which you gave me. Did the carfax and the vehicle checked out. But, I still was a bit concerned so I asked him to send me a copy of his driver's license, car registration and title, so that I can verify the ownership. He said he would send it but I never saw it.

A few days later, I was checking out cars on ebay and found this identical vehicle, including all of the photos and VIN.

I realized then that I was talking to someone who tried to defraud me.

Now, he initially sounded like he was leery of internet transaction so he proposes to do the transaction via escrow.com. In fact, he said that he would register on escrow.com and then notify me to make the payment. I know that this guy probably has something on his sleeve. This guy is probably good enough to phish the escrow.com website and take the money that way.

For the difference of $1 to $2K, I wouldn't want to be penny wise and pound foolish.

cannga · October 2006

Posted this on another forum, would like to repeat the question here:

For those in the know, any recent news on this elusive model please? I already searched the forums; no one seemed to know for sure. Someone somewhere did mention October as the possible introduction date. If not October, what is the possible release date, if at all? Thanks in advance.

merc1 · October 2006

Probably sometime next summer as a 2008 model. It definitely won't be here anytime this year.

M

mikespopworld · October 2006

Mickyl, that helps explain why you got only 3k off MRSP and not 5k. I too gave up better % off MSRP deals to get the night assist option which is pretty rare - most dealers at the time had only one car or none with the night assist, so I knew they had little reason to negotiate beyond a certain point. I was able to negotiate just over 3% off MSRP for the car with night assist that I did lease. I had a deal for the same car, same color, same options basically, but without night assist at another dealer that was close to 5% off MSRP - but once I found out there were night assist cars available I had to have one! As a follow up, I've had the car about two months now and driven about 1000 miles and never used the night assist except for a few minutes to test it out...it is pretty cool and does impress the friends, hahaha. Sorry to hear about the scam experience, but congrats on the new wheels - it's a freakin' rocket!

psychdoc · October 2006

...Well, I just got home from a wonderfully stimulating afternoon of gawking at and driving cars.

Here's some of my thoughts.

First off, Lexus did a wonderful job and had enough cars that the lines to drive them weren't excessively long. The entire affair was handled with polish and class. Kudos to Lexus for an entertaining and informative afternoon.

Lexus LS 460 - Very much the "big brother" to our car. Nice but not drop dead "holy cow, I can't believe it" nice. Very fast, nicely balanced and pretty flat through s-curves. On the negative side, the throttle is still very non linear with small changes corresponding to either no change in power or massive "throw you back in the seat" acceleration; the brakes, too were very notchy and "grabby" with small moduations in pressure causing unpredictable and overly aggressive braking. All in all the drivetrain was a major dissappointment in it's lack of harmony and linkage. As this is clearly present in our cars (the ES) one begins to think that Lexus just can't get engines and tranny's to link together properly.

M-B S 550 - WOW!!! Both inside and out, this car radiates class and elegance. Literally everything about it pretty much screams "in this car you have reached the pinnacle of automotive sophistication and refinement." Everything looks like quality and radiates good taste. Awesome, simply awesome. The engine is incredibly torquey (sp?) and it feels like the ability to accelerate is limitless. Power delivery is entirely linear with the degree to which the accelerator is pressed and there is no hesitation whatsoever when you push the gas pedal. Power delivery is immediate with your right foot, the accelerator pedal and the drivetrain all feeling as if they are governed by one mind. Very impressive! The transmission is as smooth as fresh butter and you never feel any shift points at all. On the negative side, the car is heavy and the front end doesn't respond to rapid direction changes as nimbly as the Lexus. There is very little body lean, however and the car maintains a nice neutral posture thru s-curves. The steering is positively awful. The steering wheel is too big and feels like a Mack truck it's so heavily weighted. All this comes at a price (what doesn't?). $86k is what you'll need to bring one of these home.

BMW 750 - This is one seriously ugly car. And you know what? It gets even worse (if that's possible) when you get in. The interior looks cheap and as if it's ergonomics (I admittedly use the term loosely) were designed by a psychotic, retarded person. Buttons and knobs are strewn everywhere with little or no apparent planning. The button to adjust seat position is mindlessly placed on the side of the center stack by your right knee. Buttons are everywhere and you don't even want to get me started on the mind nubbingly dumb-assed "I-Drive" system. It's all a design and ergonomic nightmare. Chris Bangle should be shot for the exterior but whoever "designed" (again, I use the term loosely as this thing doesn't appear so much designed as thrown into some cosmic blender and put together based on whatever spilled out) the interior should be given to Saddam Hussein's kids (if they were still alive, but I guess you get my point). Now onto something a bit more pleasant. The car drives like a dream. As with the M-B, there is total harmony between the engine, transmission and accelerator pedal. Power delivery is immediate and the thing is a rocket ship. There is essentially no body lean and it handles like a slot car. Pretty impressive for a 4500 lb. vehicle. There is simply nothing bad to say about the driving dynamics of this champ. If you could get by it's "Ugly Betty" appearance and hideous interior, this is a killer car. And a steal at "only" $74k.

Lexus SC 430 - Ughhh! Who buys this thing? It looks like an upside down bathtub. It's proportions are all wrong and it's cramped inside. It's not terribly fast and it handles like a Cunard ocean liner. I simply don't know what to say. This baby is just a joke.

Lexus GS 450h - OK, I'm on record as saying that I despise the hatchback appearance of the GS and I stick to that. And the interior is cramped. I couldn't car less about any dimensions that Lexus publishes that say that this is as roomy (or roomier) than the ES...it's not! You feel confined and claustrophobic. It's interior is quite spartan, perhaps taking its lead from it's target demographic, the BMW 5 Series. It's instrumentation is very nice, however and thankfully there are just enough buttons and knobs to control everything that needs to be controlled on a regular basis. You say you want power? Well, let me tell you, have you come to the right place! If the BMW 750 is a rocket ship (and it is), this thing is an anti-missile missle. This thing is frighteningly fast. This must be what driving a Ferrari is like (well, maybe not quite, but close). In very unLexus-like fashion, power delivery is pretty much immediate and the car feels like it could take off with another millimeter or two of accelerator travel. The chassis is as flat as a carpenter's level and it handles s-curves with complete composure and confidence. This thing is like driving a go cart at a carnival. Except it's much bigger, has a roof and goes a whole lot faster. Oh, and it costs just a little more too ($62k). The brakes are a little notchy in reassuringly Lexus-like fashion (what's the problem here guys, you can get this right...you really need to work on this..."Relentless Pursuit of Perfection" huh?...well you have some work to do here) and you have to be very careful modulating them or they grab way too hard, a characteristic seen on just about every Lexus vehicle. If Lexus wants to know how to do brakes right, they should just copy whatever M-B is doing because, let me tell you, they have it dead solid perfect.

OK, end of rant, er, I meant review.

Flame away!

greasykid1 · October 2006

My MB brakes are rock solid with a firm feel on the pedal. Have ocassion to drive Lexus--usually LS. Brakes are "soft" and go down pretty far on the pedal. Keep your foot on the LS brake and it will go towards the floor pretty quick.

detroitlions · November 2006

is the work your having done to the aimatic system covered?

ctsang · November 2006

Among the vehicles predicted to be least reliable by Consumer Reports, a total of eight Mercedes-Benz vehicles made the list, the most for any one brand. These are the S-Class (2006), CLS, E-Class Sedan, SL, CLK, SLK (V6), M-Class, and R-Class. The redesigned M-Class SUV and new R-Class crossover wee especially disappointing, with between 129 percent and 202 percent more problems than the average vehicle.

daisy10 · November 2006

My '97 S420 has 109K miles. Noticing a little change in feel of transmission. Anyone know appoximately what the replacement cost is? New or rebuilt or is rebuilt the way to go? Had a 1978 450SEL years ago and put in rebuilt transmission. It never felt right after that. Would really appreciate advice. Thanks!

esuomm · November 2006

S550 Sport, pretty loaded Sticker $103 got for $100. IMHO, there's nothing like a big sedan like the S class. Still questioning the logic of buying a first generation S, given all the issues MBZ has had with prior years but I just love the car and took a bit of a leap of faith (along with an extended warranty for $5,995 on it after the trade in).

I loved it so much, wanted to upgrade and a month after buying it, I just traded it in for the S600 (That's the car to get.) Sticker, $143675'ish, and they took $500 off, not a good deal but at least I am done shopping and pining away for it. I got $92,500 on the trade in. The S600 is what I got the ext warranty on. Loan rate 5.99%

Two small complaints, the sticker on the inside of the flip of vanity mirror and the ones inside the gas cap door were stuck on crooked. Why can't they get the easy stuff right. I hope they got the complex stuff done. Why bluetooth is not standard, I have no idea.

For those deciding on options - Distronic Cruise is great & Back up Camera is handy too.

Will keep you updated as isssues arise.

anthonyp · November 2006

I saw one today and from the angle it sure looked great Tony

esuomm · November 2006

I agree with consumer reports and have had friends with a lot of problems with their C's, E55's and GL AMG class MBZ's. It looks like in the merger, Mercedes adopted Chrysler's quality and Chrysler got some of Mercedes' styling cues.

Too bad, Mercedes used to have such a strong reputation. I hope they get it back with the new generation but I remain skeptical.

esuomm · November 2006

Developed a small squeek. Told me that it's coming from the power stearing pump and the part's back-ordered and once they get it from Germany they can replace it (Only be a week or so. No big deal). Found a cool looking little fan under pas side seat. They tell me it is from some blower motor (Same deal as PS pump). Computer doesn't show some of the seat config options, they have to research that further.

Also I love the free loaner car. Sales guy tells me to call him ahead of time so they get me a good renta and I do. You turn in a $140+ car for warranty work and they give you a C-Class. When will MBZ learn to treat it's customers better. At least I don't own the stock.

Will continue the postings as things occur. 650 miles....looking forward to 1,000 plus so I can begin to really drive it.

J

shop123 · December 2006

I am curious if any S550 owners have had electrical problems, glitches or bugs with their vehicles?

gusb1 · December 2006

Does anyone know the residual on a lease that MBZ finance is offering on 12K per year for the S class? My dealer just told me it "dropped" to 58%, but not that long ago I thought it was 61 or 62%. Thanks.

terry92270 · December 2006

None for me.

Is there something in particular you have heard, or have encountered personally?

merc1 · December 2006

I'd check out MBWorld.org. There are many S-Class owners on there and there isn't a single problem thread there, the direct opposite of every other Benz model there. The S has been on the road for 10 months here in the U.S. and I think by now if there were some problems they would have come to light.

M

terry92270 · December 2006

You mean the 2007 S Class, not the S Class in general.....

merc1 · December 2006

Yes, the 07 S-Class. We all know the story on the W220.

M

psandhu · December 2006

Well, here is my experience with our S-Class S550 2007 that we purchased in OCT 2007. It has less then 1500 miles on the car. When we purchased the car (our 25th wedding anniversary gift), I told my wife there was a funny smell in the car and it seemed like the fan was constantly making noise. Well she took it into the dealer and they told her it was normal noise (you can hear it loud and it is very enjoying). Well, we took it back again to another dealership for a tire leaking air but this time we complained again about the fan. This time the mechanic was kind enough to pursue the funny smell and he determined it was burning oil. They started looking into it deeper and found the Valve was leaking oil, the head gasket was leaking and they will practically have to replace the whole head assembly to fix the problem (and the parts will have to come from Germany). This folks is for a Mercedes Flag Ship car that is less then 2 months old. We were very concerned about Mercedes quality and when investing almost 100K into a car but we took the plunge. We noticed this problem right away but luckily it tool them 1500 miles to find the problem. It is a shame that you have a 100K car that the Merc is trying to pass off as just a service repair problem. TO me , I have to explain to the next buyer why was a head assembly replaced on the best Merc has to offer. In my opinion, we thought of purchasing a Lexus, but my wife had waited long time to get this Merc from hell. It has been more in Merc garage then our garage. I will say think twice before purchasing a Merc. Oh yes, there is this wall in Merc establishment that you cannot talk to anyone beyond your service manager to complaint. Any company that believe in Glass towers bound to fall, and so far this is my feeling about this company. No wonder Daimler-Chrysler is having problems, quality (hah) , German craftsmanship (bah hum bug). Now I just wish we had never purchased this piece of metal. When we contacted Merc USA, they told us the committee will decide if they will replace the car (committee!!!!!!!) A car with 1500 miles with engine replacement, my God man, what are they thinking. This is a factory defect car, if it has 30,000 miles (and that would also be a shame for a Merc). I did not purchase a SKODA from Russia, I purchased Merc. I will update this forum on this saga, but it is not when your purchase the car, it is what happens after you paid your 100K, well in my book, this company is out of touch with their customer base.

terry92270 · December 2006

Well, a sad state of affairs to be sure.

I wonder if you have ever bought a house? I have invested a dozen times what we pay for a S Class, and had similar horror stories I could recount to you, about houses. For that matter about the market, and its periodic "adjustments".

Maybe if you look at in the proper perspective, you will laugh, just a little. If not, perhaps that tells you something as well....

pat · December 2006

A reporter with a national newspaper is hoping to talk with consumers who have received or are giving a luxury car as a gift for Christmas. Please reply to ctalati@edmunds.com no later than Friday, December 8, 2006 with your daytime contact info.

Thanks,

Chintan Talati
Corporate Communications
Edmunds Inc.

esuomm · December 2006

RE: My original engine squeak and fan problem:
They told me the engine squeak was from the pwr strng pump and that it was backordered. They eventually were able to replace the pump. Got my car back with a different squeak. They told me there was another squeak masked by the original squeak that I hear now. They told me the other squeak is coming from the AC compressor and that needs to be replaced (Backordered too). Once the AC compressor is in, they will let me know to schedule its replacement. To fix the seat issue and replace the PS pump took them two days. I did check and was relieved to at least see that they did replace the PS pump. I had an issue with the pump being on backorder and emailed MBZ basically saying how can these be on back order, as if you are not building any more S600s or V12s anymore and dont have one available for me. I am told they expedited shipping one out and thats why I didnt have to wait that long. I will update about the AC compressor when that is worked on.

terry92270 · December 2006

You are indeed a patient man....

esuomm · December 2006

From your comment of a dealer telling you something is normal, I have always asked to go into a new car just like the one I have an issue with and compare the two. New vs. the one with the issue. If it's not an issue in the new one, shouldn't be an issue in yours.

ALSO does anyone want to comment on how annoying the blinker sound is in the car. I might be picky but it just seems so unluxurios (if that's even a word). Also, why isn't the open and close functions on the sunroof all one touch? I believe, unless I am doing something wrong, I have to hold the thing down or forward all the way until it closes. Probably safety related. At least you can use the nav while you drive, unlike Lexus. Though lexus has all one touch operation on the sunroof.

jsands · December 2006

is it true there will not be an S450?

terry92270 · December 2006

Perhaps you would be happier with a Lexus :confuse:

The good news is, you can sell the S Class, and buy a Lexus, and still have money in your pocket. :P

mikespopworld · December 2006

If they do not tell you right away that you will have your car replaced I would be beyond angry. If not resolved right away post this issue on the other Mercedes forums. If you don't I will. This is a service issue we may all experience if we are unlucky and I want to read that it was taken care of quickly and to the 100% satisfaction of the owner which should be their #1 priority.

So far I have driven my '07 S550 2000 miles with no problems at all. I love the car!

esuomm · December 2006

I owned an 06 GS430, problem free and the car was nice. But after owning both, Lexus (To me) cannot begin to approach the "feel" the S600's v12 Twin Turbo offers and it just doesn't feel as rich or solid. I also have a problem with it's design and how it blends into other brands on the road like Toyota and Acura. They all look the same to me, where as the Benz doesn't. Don't get me wrong, if I have enough issues with the Benz I will put up a huge fuss. I just sued GMC (and won) because the truck i bought new from them had so many problems and they wouldn't take it back under the lemon law or as a trade in for a reasonable value. Fingers crossed.

mikespopworld · December 2006

Did they come through for you?

psandhu · December 2006

Just to be fare with MB, I posted my problems with MB S550 few weeks back. The good news is MB took the car back and from what I understand for every penny paid. Last time I had similar problems with BMW 750IL , I had to fight with them and lost much money to take it back under lemon law. For now my wife wants to stay away from car discussion for next 6 months and maybe this time compare Lexus to MB and decide. The way MB finally came around and handled the situation would make me reconsider their product again. I still have my daughter C230 Compressor to stay as a MB customer.

carnaught · December 2006

Just to be fare with MB, I posted my problems with MB S550 few weeks back. The good news is MB took the car back and from what I understand for every penny paid.

Wow, it's good to know that MB stepped up to the plate.

mikespopworld · December 2006

Kudos to Mercedes for doing the right thing. Good to know I don't have to worry if I have similar issues with my S550. A few more questions though if you don't mind. Did it go smoothly all the way to the end? Did a Mercedes "high up" rep ever contact you? Did they offer to replace the car? Thanks.

danny318 · December 2006

I'm looking to spend app. 50K on a used sedan. I will be driving 170 miles per day / 5 days a week in the northeast. I was thinking of getting a 2004/5 S430 or S500 Merc 4matic. Have I picked the right car?

esuomm · December 2006

Depends on what you want from a car. Do you want reliability, fuel economy, do you need the star on the hood, low repair costs, perceived prestige of owning a MBZ or an S-Class, since NE - do you require AWD or 4WD, etc., etc.?

danny318 · December 2006

Thanks for your reply.

The priorities for me (in no particular order) are, reliability, good power, great sound system, quiet ride, AWD, roominess, and comfort. I'm 6'1" / 240 lbs, so I assumed a large sedan would be the best vehicle type to look into. Fuel economy would be nice, but its not a major concern...basically I'll have a 3 - 4 hours a day behind the wheel and I want to make it as pleasant as possible. I like a sharp looking car as much as the next guy, but its the inside that I'm more interested in.

esuomm · December 2006

I cannot imagine anyone will say that a used S class is a reliable car. I think it the models you are looking at have been some of the worst cars made (asking for trouble here from some forum members) according to some publications, consumer reports included. Reliability will push you to Acura & Lexus. Since you don't care about fuel economy but want AWD and roomines, maybe one of the SUV's from those companies. They are plush on the inside and the added advantage of riding high is a bonus. Not sure about AWD in any of the sedans, sorry, but if the Acura or Lexus make an AWD, may be worth while looking into. S's are sharp but a used one already has a major change in body style (pro - better price, con - a bit outdated.) I specifically waitied for the 07 to come out before buying my S because all the recent qualtiy issues MBZ had experienced. Good luck

rcf8000 · December 2006

I think you should consider an Audi A8. It would seem to meet all of your requirements except perhaps for reliability. But from what I've read they are more reliable than the S class.

psandhu · December 2006

Well, we were being given the run around by the local MB area rep (I think he suggested to the dealer to offer us $3K and make the problem go away), also, somehow we could not get contact info on anyone responsible beyond the dealer. SO, my wife called MB Stuttgart directly and that got some heads spinning right away, I think the next day we got 17 calls people offering to help.

carnaught · December 2006

I've bookmarked "my tracked items", yet when I click on this bookmark, I'm getting the "Make and Topic Index" page.

This happened before. What gives? How can I fix this?

pat · December 2006

Hi there - same thing happens to me!

It's a bug they are still chasing. When it happens to me sometimes I am logged in, sometimes I'm not. (I use autologin and I assume you do also, otherwise bookmarking your "my tracked items" page would never work.)

If I am logged in, clicking on My Tracked Items on the left gets me to the right place. If I'm not logged in, clicking on the bookmark again gets me where I want to be.

This isn't a good place to talk about this, though. You can email me if you like, or you can post in the Forums Software discussion.

Hope this helps.

carnaught · December 2006

Whoops Pat, I thought I was posting on the Forums Software discussion. Sorry, maybe too much holiday cheer.

pat · December 2006

And the holidays aren't even over yet!

potholes · December 2006

I've been researching and test driving high-end sedans. The MB S550 has gotten rave reviews from the auto mags but all the test S550s appear to have been equipped with the ABC (Active Body Control) option. When I visit MB dealers they have no S550s so equipped and claim that ordering an S550 with ABS has an indefinite wait time, as if MB is not building cars with ABC. One MB dealer claimed that you can't tell the difference between the ride/handling with and without ABC unless you are diriving the car at extremes. Has anyone been able to make a direct comparison of the S550 with and without ABS or have any related comments? - Thanks

esuomm · December 2006

My cars got it and I bet unless you are a driver very attuned with your vehicle and driving on the edge, it doesn't matter. Not sure it's worth the $4k myself. I do notice a difference though but it doesn't impact my ability to drive better or matter for the driving I do. You do feel it stiffen the suspension and eliminate roll in a hard turn but how often does that matter. I could do without easily. Good luck.

jrohan · December 2006

I have been offered the following deal on an S550 in LA, MSRP is 104k,fully loaded amg 550,night vision, panorama roof, etc. $3,500 off sticker, 36 month lease $3800 drive off, monthly payment of $1,868.00, money factor of 00345 residual of 58%, 12k miles per year. Is this a "fair" price? Thanks to all for input.

potholes · December 2006

Upon talking with my MB dealer again I learned that MB can build the S-class with ABC, but cannot provide both ABS and 4MATIC in the same car. It was also interesting that apparently only 1 in 500 purchasers of the S-Class get the ABC. Nonetheless, largely because of the rave auto mag reviews, I have just ordered an S with ABC. I suspect it will flatten-out the ride to the point where car/motion sickness will be minimized. I'll let the forum know my impressions when I take delivery in the (likely distant) future.

mobydoc · December 2006

I have had this car now for 3 yrs (bought used ). It now has 58000 miles on it . The other days the car was not driving right ( lag between pressing the gas and the car actually moving ) and the check engine light came on. Turns out that there is a problem with the throttle position sensor. Now that it has warmed up ( in the 50s )it drives fine and the light is gone. I am going to have the TPS changed, but is this a common problem.

blckislandguy · January 2007

Gee, this is a no brainer. To avoid the S Class reliability problem (01-03?),for your 50K you should purchase a slighty used E Class Fourmatic with Starmark OR a 530ix CPO.

esuomm · January 2007

Well they changed out the ABC pump, squek still there, then a bearing, then the A/C compressor, still there, then a pulley, noise still there. I told the dealer to keep the car, I don't want it back and will be calling MBZ on Tuesday trying to get them to buy they car back. Dlr did 4 things to try and fix this noise and I have had it. I'll let you all know how it goes. Any inside help would be appreciated but I am going to tell them to take the car back or I will proceed with a demand letter from my lawyer or be sued. We'll see. Thanks, J

Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles