Are there many W221 S class owners on here?
Discussion
So I'm looking for a new luxury car. I've got a Vauxhall monaro up for sale at the moment, it's amazing when I'm giving it stick and making noise out in the countryside but I work away 5 or 6 days a week, so in reality, I have a car which is very susceptible to parking damage (bumpers are £2000 each, no front parking sensors) and it has a load of tranmission shunt. Then I only really use it to go to the shops and up and down the motorway. In short, I miss my old lexus ls400.
Since owning my lexus, I've gone from minimum wage, to a good wage, and I've decided I want another Luxobarge. My current dilemma is wether to spend a few grand and get a W140/C140 or Lexus LS430 or wether to spend more, save less, and get a W221 Mercedes S500 or Lexus LS460 (I'm currently eyeing up the red S500 in Edinburgh on the auto trader).
So this thread is really about the W221. I know the W220 had quality and reliability issues which Mercedes seem to have improved vastly, but I've spent the last couple of weeks googling them, but it seems W221 owners on the whole aren't big forum users, or Internet users for that matter. What I have found out - diesels have diesel problems and v6 petrols have timing gear issues (not an issue as s500 or nothing for me). I think some cars can have gearbox issues around the 120k mark but I've not worked out which engine has to be fitted for this to be an issue. aside from these issues they seem pretty reliable on the whole, am I right? Is there anything I should be looking out for?
Spec wise, I'm limiting myself slightly as I don't really want a boring colour with a black interior, but is distronic worth looking for? How's the lower spec audio, and do they all have an aux in, is it easy to fit one if not? Do cooled seats really make much of a difference? Other options I should look for?
Has anyone had a go in this and the LS460? I've yet to test drive anything (seems rude to do so before I've sold my current car) I'm interested to see your comparisons.
Thanks all.
Nick
Since owning my lexus, I've gone from minimum wage, to a good wage, and I've decided I want another Luxobarge. My current dilemma is wether to spend a few grand and get a W140/C140 or Lexus LS430 or wether to spend more, save less, and get a W221 Mercedes S500 or Lexus LS460 (I'm currently eyeing up the red S500 in Edinburgh on the auto trader).
So this thread is really about the W221. I know the W220 had quality and reliability issues which Mercedes seem to have improved vastly, but I've spent the last couple of weeks googling them, but it seems W221 owners on the whole aren't big forum users, or Internet users for that matter. What I have found out - diesels have diesel problems and v6 petrols have timing gear issues (not an issue as s500 or nothing for me). I think some cars can have gearbox issues around the 120k mark but I've not worked out which engine has to be fitted for this to be an issue. aside from these issues they seem pretty reliable on the whole, am I right? Is there anything I should be looking out for?
Spec wise, I'm limiting myself slightly as I don't really want a boring colour with a black interior, but is distronic worth looking for? How's the lower spec audio, and do they all have an aux in, is it easy to fit one if not? Do cooled seats really make much of a difference? Other options I should look for?
Has anyone had a go in this and the LS460? I've yet to test drive anything (seems rude to do so before I've sold my current car) I'm interested to see your comparisons.
Thanks all.
Nick
Edited by bigfatnick on Friday 10th April 06:38
To be completely honest, I've forgotten about my 221 S Class. I had a 320, later a 350 and neither had problems which costed heavily to repair. The only major problem I had is when I left the car alone for a while and I couldn't change gears, but the Mercedes Mobile Mechanics came and fixed the problem with 2 hours. Personally, I'd recommend a 222 S Class, maybe wait a year or two for them to depreciate but if you want a car now make sure you have a Mercedes Approved Used Car.
Ive got one!! 
I have had it for around 9 months now. Think its a fantastic car, I have previously had an Audi A8, 520d, ML420 and a RR Vogue 4.4 and this is by far the best motorway cruiser and bang for buck.
I have only had one problem with mine and that was the DPF sensor which is a common problem - sensor was only 50 pounds and 1 hour for fitting so not a huge amount.
There are common issues with the car but to be honest they are so well known and documented if something does go most specialists know exactly how to repair and can do it swiftly.
Not a cheap car to run though over all...
I have had it for around 9 months now. Think its a fantastic car, I have previously had an Audi A8, 520d, ML420 and a RR Vogue 4.4 and this is by far the best motorway cruiser and bang for buck.
I have only had one problem with mine and that was the DPF sensor which is a common problem - sensor was only 50 pounds and 1 hour for fitting so not a huge amount.
There are common issues with the car but to be honest they are so well known and documented if something does go most specialists know exactly how to repair and can do it swiftly.
Not a cheap car to run though over all...
That is a lovely looking car. I'm not after a cheap car to run, but could be swayed towards something else if I know I'm likely to receive bills for multiple thousand pounds, I'm hoping this will be a long term keeper so I'd like something built to last and without too many design flaws.
Thanks for replying!
Thanks for replying!
Hi BFN
I have a W221 as my work car. I think it is a sublime bit of kit.
On the road it has effortless performance and feels exceptionally surefooted and solid.
I'm 6ft4 and it is one of the few cars I don't have trouble finding a very comfortable seating position. Seats are wide and very supportive, cooling seats are brilliant.
The interior feels very special and is beautifully minimalist, though every function one can imagine is there.
Satnav is a bit duff, but the central screen is good for everything else, I especially like the radio and the column gear shift
Lots of nice little features.. curry/shopping hook in the boot... secret compartment in the boot, loads of places for things... e.g. door handles have an integral compartment for gadgets etc.
I always thought the styling was a bit weird at first, but it does grow on you and it streets ahead of the W220 which I don't think has aged terribly well.
Not deparately onerous on servicing... only £300 over the last 12 months... the previous 12 months were a little harsher when the heater broke, I recall that was around £600 or so. Otherwise just the standard consumables.
When buying... unless you are carting people/family about, I'd go for the standard wheelbase and not the L. Be careful of pimped crap with non standard wheels and AMG body kit etc. I think it looks best in Black or Dark grey... totally stock and well polished. btw the black interior isn't drab at all... wish I'd found one with a panoramic roof...
Only downside is my mates take the mickey about it being like an airport taxi etc... but they all love travelling in it...
Buy one you won't regret it, but as others have said, get a main dealer approved one, or get it initially checked out and fettled by a main dealer, then maintain it at independents.
Best of luck
A
I have a W221 as my work car. I think it is a sublime bit of kit.
On the road it has effortless performance and feels exceptionally surefooted and solid.
I'm 6ft4 and it is one of the few cars I don't have trouble finding a very comfortable seating position. Seats are wide and very supportive, cooling seats are brilliant.
The interior feels very special and is beautifully minimalist, though every function one can imagine is there.
Satnav is a bit duff, but the central screen is good for everything else, I especially like the radio and the column gear shift
Lots of nice little features.. curry/shopping hook in the boot... secret compartment in the boot, loads of places for things... e.g. door handles have an integral compartment for gadgets etc.
I always thought the styling was a bit weird at first, but it does grow on you and it streets ahead of the W220 which I don't think has aged terribly well.
Not deparately onerous on servicing... only £300 over the last 12 months... the previous 12 months were a little harsher when the heater broke, I recall that was around £600 or so. Otherwise just the standard consumables.
When buying... unless you are carting people/family about, I'd go for the standard wheelbase and not the L. Be careful of pimped crap with non standard wheels and AMG body kit etc. I think it looks best in Black or Dark grey... totally stock and well polished. btw the black interior isn't drab at all... wish I'd found one with a panoramic roof...
Only downside is my mates take the mickey about it being like an airport taxi etc... but they all love travelling in it...
Buy one you won't regret it, but as others have said, get a main dealer approved one, or get it initially checked out and fettled by a main dealer, then maintain it at independents.
Best of luck
A
Thanks Andrew. I'm glad you said about being able to get comfortable, it's something I've struggled with in the past, hence the Vauxhall Monaro as finding sports cars for people who are big is tricky to say the least!
The servicing sounds like a real bargain compared to what myself and the previous owner has spent on my car. Though I am concerned that people keep saying to buy from a dealer. I think these cars are at the age where thy are no longer being sold by Mercedes dealers. All the w221 s500's under 13k (my auto trader search) are either at second hand dealers or private sales. Though I have noticed that many are one owner cars, which indicates to me that the owners might just buy a new S class when the new one comes out, trade the old one in, which the mercedes dealer doesn't want to sell so it goes to a local second hand dealer or auction.
Thanks
The servicing sounds like a real bargain compared to what myself and the previous owner has spent on my car. Though I am concerned that people keep saying to buy from a dealer. I think these cars are at the age where thy are no longer being sold by Mercedes dealers. All the w221 s500's under 13k (my auto trader search) are either at second hand dealers or private sales. Though I have noticed that many are one owner cars, which indicates to me that the owners might just buy a new S class when the new one comes out, trade the old one in, which the mercedes dealer doesn't want to sell so it goes to a local second hand dealer or auction.
Thanks
BFN
True enough main dealers won't be selling 2006-2009 models. I've just had a look on Pistonheads classified there are two really unusual ones on there. A carneol red one up in Scotland, looks good. The second is a blue one in Gloucester. If you can bear to go down an engine notch to the 6 cylinder 350 there are a couple of very low mileage ones there too...
If you're after something sportier I note some CL's C216's are heading down towards your budget. Same same but more complicated (active body control) ... I haven't had a C216 but had its predecessor and it was utterly amazing... but also horrifyingly expensive to keep.. If you're a big bloke, you'll feel small in one!
Cheers
A
True enough main dealers won't be selling 2006-2009 models. I've just had a look on Pistonheads classified there are two really unusual ones on there. A carneol red one up in Scotland, looks good. The second is a blue one in Gloucester. If you can bear to go down an engine notch to the 6 cylinder 350 there are a couple of very low mileage ones there too...
If you're after something sportier I note some CL's C216's are heading down towards your budget. Same same but more complicated (active body control) ... I haven't had a C216 but had its predecessor and it was utterly amazing... but also horrifyingly expensive to keep.. If you're a big bloke, you'll feel small in one!
Cheers
A
Woohoo! So I sold my monaro today!
The Scottish red S500 is at the top of my list (it isn't on the silver/grey/black scale, has a light coloured interior and seems well ish specced). I'm also hoping to view the lwb, black (but tan interiored) and well specced S500 in Blackburn tomorrow, that said the garage was a bit iffy with me on the phone and I HATE rude garages.
I'm interested in the CL's but I feel I'd be really scraping the barrel with a C216 CL500, looking at the absolute cheapest on offer, and whilst I'm sure the c215 are amazing, they are from the era of dubious Mercedes quality, so whilst I wouldn't mind a couple of grand throwaway one, I think even a nice C215 could be a timebomb. Or am I over thinking this?
On a side note, I had a go in an old knackered W140 S420 today, just because I could. Very refined, but not for me I don't think, I think Id like something a little more modern.
I'd still like a go in an LS460.
The Scottish red S500 is at the top of my list (it isn't on the silver/grey/black scale, has a light coloured interior and seems well ish specced). I'm also hoping to view the lwb, black (but tan interiored) and well specced S500 in Blackburn tomorrow, that said the garage was a bit iffy with me on the phone and I HATE rude garages.
I'm interested in the CL's but I feel I'd be really scraping the barrel with a C216 CL500, looking at the absolute cheapest on offer, and whilst I'm sure the c215 are amazing, they are from the era of dubious Mercedes quality, so whilst I wouldn't mind a couple of grand throwaway one, I think even a nice C215 could be a timebomb. Or am I over thinking this?
On a side note, I had a go in an old knackered W140 S420 today, just because I could. Very refined, but not for me I don't think, I think Id like something a little more modern.
I'd still like a go in an LS460.
So I drove a W221 today. The black lwb one with the tan interior in burnley. Well it was one of those garages where they basically wanted you to commit to buy before you could drive it, I explained it was between his and the one in Edinburgh and I couldn't commit before having a go.
Impressions, not really any improvement in ride or roadnoise over yesterday's w140. and the engine is nice, but the gearbox nowhere near as nice as the 8 speed in the f10 523i I drove yesterday. Still good, but not amazing. Didn't get up to open road speeds, garage only allowed a 5 minute, round town test drive. Tan leather is my favourite thing! And I don't mind black paint if combined with tan leather. Bum warmers were not particularly good, nothing like my brothers e65 7 series and worst of all, a car like that, fully specced up, and no aux in for the audio. Is this common? However, with all these comments, it was comfy and made me feel special ( especially the tan interior) which is the main thing for me.
In short, I liked it, it made me happy, lack of aux in and decent bum warmers was disappointing.
Is it an easy job to retro fit an aux in? Or can you play music through the Bluetooth?
Thanks
Impressions, not really any improvement in ride or roadnoise over yesterday's w140. and the engine is nice, but the gearbox nowhere near as nice as the 8 speed in the f10 523i I drove yesterday. Still good, but not amazing. Didn't get up to open road speeds, garage only allowed a 5 minute, round town test drive. Tan leather is my favourite thing! And I don't mind black paint if combined with tan leather. Bum warmers were not particularly good, nothing like my brothers e65 7 series and worst of all, a car like that, fully specced up, and no aux in for the audio. Is this common? However, with all these comments, it was comfy and made me feel special ( especially the tan interior) which is the main thing for me.
In short, I liked it, it made me happy, lack of aux in and decent bum warmers was disappointing.
Is it an easy job to retro fit an aux in? Or can you play music through the Bluetooth?
Thanks
Edited by bigfatnick on Sunday 12th April 19:38
BFN
Couple of things... glad you had a go in one.. I do not understand dealers like that..
The heated seats do take a while to warm up... but once they do they are as good as anything else I've tried.. There are or should be three toasting levels.
Now on aux sockets, I don't think these were ever offered. The Comand system does have a slot for a SD card or PCMCIA slot so one can load up all your music onto the card from your PC and it can be read from the screen... bit clunky to set up but works fine. see here
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tera-Converter-Mercedes-Na...
or if it has an SD card https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJW-DFdfMYE
I do not think retro fitting an Aux is easy.
The best way to really feel how good the gearbox is hard acceleration to say 130mph (you will hardly notice that) on a dual carriage way... then you will feel how super smooth it is... and of course on some twisty hilly roads..
At the age you are looking at... these cars were absolutely state of the art and I would forgive the aux socket and slower seat toast and think about the incredible V8, the enormous margins of safety...the pedigree, the onboard tech and quality of materials throughout. The options list on these things was enonrmous so one is always going to have indvidual variablity depending on what the original owner specced.
Hope the red one is better!
Cheers
A
Couple of things... glad you had a go in one.. I do not understand dealers like that..
The heated seats do take a while to warm up... but once they do they are as good as anything else I've tried.. There are or should be three toasting levels.
Now on aux sockets, I don't think these were ever offered. The Comand system does have a slot for a SD card or PCMCIA slot so one can load up all your music onto the card from your PC and it can be read from the screen... bit clunky to set up but works fine. see here
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tera-Converter-Mercedes-Na...
or if it has an SD card https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJW-DFdfMYE
I do not think retro fitting an Aux is easy.
The best way to really feel how good the gearbox is hard acceleration to say 130mph (you will hardly notice that) on a dual carriage way... then you will feel how super smooth it is... and of course on some twisty hilly roads..
At the age you are looking at... these cars were absolutely state of the art and I would forgive the aux socket and slower seat toast and think about the incredible V8, the enormous margins of safety...the pedigree, the onboard tech and quality of materials throughout. The options list on these things was enonrmous so one is always going to have indvidual variablity depending on what the original owner specced.
Hope the red one is better!
Cheers
A
Thanks again Andrew, this mercedes section of pistonheads does seem to give very good service! Perhaps indicative of the type of person who enjoys a mercedes!
I'm glad you've said about that PCMCIA slot! Myself and my Dad couldn't work out what the slightly minidisc ish slot beneath the cd barrel was for. Now we know. Does it play most of the normal file formats?
I have to agree the engine was very nice, didn't pull or have urgency like the 6litre ls2 in my monaro, but could definitely be described as effortless, and the car didn't Rock and shake like mine does on idle, difficult to tell it was turned on. A nice noise too, it's nice to know you have a v8, the Lexus I had was maybe too quiet, and the monaro too shouty, a nice compromise. I definitely wouldn't have said the gearbox was bad, maybe not quite as good as the modern 8 speed zf in the BMW's, but still nice. I woke up thinking about how much I actually did quite like it, the quality really was there, it made me feel special, and that tan interior,
.
I've just spoke to the dealer of the red one as I'm in Scotland today with work today, unfortunately he has someone coming today to view it, he says he'll let me know how it goes. I will say he sounded a lot more accommodating than the last garage.
I thought these cars would be difficult to shift, people tend not to want v8's these days, but I keep missing these ls460's and s classes! Lucky for me I'm not in too much of a rush.
I'm glad you've said about that PCMCIA slot! Myself and my Dad couldn't work out what the slightly minidisc ish slot beneath the cd barrel was for. Now we know. Does it play most of the normal file formats?
I have to agree the engine was very nice, didn't pull or have urgency like the 6litre ls2 in my monaro, but could definitely be described as effortless, and the car didn't Rock and shake like mine does on idle, difficult to tell it was turned on. A nice noise too, it's nice to know you have a v8, the Lexus I had was maybe too quiet, and the monaro too shouty, a nice compromise. I definitely wouldn't have said the gearbox was bad, maybe not quite as good as the modern 8 speed zf in the BMW's, but still nice. I woke up thinking about how much I actually did quite like it, the quality really was there, it made me feel special, and that tan interior,
.I've just spoke to the dealer of the red one as I'm in Scotland today with work today, unfortunately he has someone coming today to view it, he says he'll let me know how it goes. I will say he sounded a lot more accommodating than the last garage.
I thought these cars would be difficult to shift, people tend not to want v8's these days, but I keep missing these ls460's and s classes! Lucky for me I'm not in too much of a rush.
So I managed to get a go in the red one last night, the garage were brilliant, excellent customer service (actually drove out to meet me - I'm a lorry driver and they said I would struggle to park near them, so they brought it out to the ring road for me).
It was essentially the same as the black one, both in a similar, one very well off owner, want for nothing, excellent condition, even the spec was basically the same, barring the black one has Bluetooth and is Lwb. The red one also had 17 inch wheels, an inch smaller, I would say there was a noticeable difference to ride and possibly even roadnoise.
I have to say though, in pictures the red one looks quite different to in real life. The red is slightly more purple and the interior slightly more yellowish, I'm not sure it felt as special as the black one (mainly down to my love of tan interiors).
I think I have some soul searching to do. (And potential viewing of the newly appeared on the auto trader, 111k, one owner CL500 for sale in the Midlands.)
It was essentially the same as the black one, both in a similar, one very well off owner, want for nothing, excellent condition, even the spec was basically the same, barring the black one has Bluetooth and is Lwb. The red one also had 17 inch wheels, an inch smaller, I would say there was a noticeable difference to ride and possibly even roadnoise.
I have to say though, in pictures the red one looks quite different to in real life. The red is slightly more purple and the interior slightly more yellowish, I'm not sure it felt as special as the black one (mainly down to my love of tan interiors).
I think I have some soul searching to do. (And potential viewing of the newly appeared on the auto trader, 111k, one owner CL500 for sale in the Midlands.)
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