S Class - Dad Tank II
Discussion
Back in 2016 I bought an E320 for picking up/dropping off my eldest daughter, it's a 250 miles round trip that I do four times a month. It's been a fantastic car and ability to 'waft' has become a pretty top criteria for a daily car.
So after nearly 4 years and over 40,000 miles it was time to look for something else and settled on an S Class so went on the hunt for one.
I'd considered the S350 CDI but the 320 models have pretty much the same engine and I'm quite partial to the tail lights on the pre-facelift, also give or take the same engine. So here is my newly acquired S320. It has a 230bhp/420lbs-ft 3.0 V6 diesel engine and 66k on the clock. I didn't have much of a list of extras as these are nicely spec'd as standard but I did want the memory seat package and preferably optional wheels, anything else was a plus. This has the memory seats, optional 19" AMG wheels and a sunroof, £5k on top of the original £60k price tag.
First stop after picking up was the local Shell for £120 worth of V-Power diesel.
I haven't cleaned the car on the outside yet but will give it a decent hand polish and protection for now. Proper detail in the spring.
I did manage to get to work on the interior which is just lovely. Cleaned all the plastics with Chemical Guys Inner Clean, good stuff if you're on the look out for an interior detailer. Gave the plastics a shine up with Autoglym Rubber & Vinyl Care.
I gave the leather a clean with Dr Leather spray and the driver seat bolsters some Gliptone Liquid Leather Conditioner.
I believe the 'leather' is actually Artico so artificial but noticeably softer than that in my E Class. In fact all of the seats are just softer and comfier but in turn the leather is stretched more, comes up nice though.
The Commmand system is pretty cool. Oddly you can turn that screen towards the driver, centre it or towards the passenger. A lot of engineering for not much purpose but hey why not.
No need for a gear stick. This has taken some getting used to!
Managed to get under the bonnet to give the engine bay a clean up too.
So for £7,500 that's quite a lot of car.
I have a few other plans for it, new mats going in today, de-badge the boot and give it a proper once over. I'll be getting the wheels refurbished in the long run. I will also have it re-mapped once I'm confident it's mechanically sound. That will take the power up to 280bhp but 480lbs-ft of torque so about the same as my CLS63.
So after nearly 4 years and over 40,000 miles it was time to look for something else and settled on an S Class so went on the hunt for one.
I'd considered the S350 CDI but the 320 models have pretty much the same engine and I'm quite partial to the tail lights on the pre-facelift, also give or take the same engine. So here is my newly acquired S320. It has a 230bhp/420lbs-ft 3.0 V6 diesel engine and 66k on the clock. I didn't have much of a list of extras as these are nicely spec'd as standard but I did want the memory seat package and preferably optional wheels, anything else was a plus. This has the memory seats, optional 19" AMG wheels and a sunroof, £5k on top of the original £60k price tag.
First stop after picking up was the local Shell for £120 worth of V-Power diesel.
I haven't cleaned the car on the outside yet but will give it a decent hand polish and protection for now. Proper detail in the spring.
I did manage to get to work on the interior which is just lovely. Cleaned all the plastics with Chemical Guys Inner Clean, good stuff if you're on the look out for an interior detailer. Gave the plastics a shine up with Autoglym Rubber & Vinyl Care.
I gave the leather a clean with Dr Leather spray and the driver seat bolsters some Gliptone Liquid Leather Conditioner.
I believe the 'leather' is actually Artico so artificial but noticeably softer than that in my E Class. In fact all of the seats are just softer and comfier but in turn the leather is stretched more, comes up nice though.
The Commmand system is pretty cool. Oddly you can turn that screen towards the driver, centre it or towards the passenger. A lot of engineering for not much purpose but hey why not.
No need for a gear stick. This has taken some getting used to!
Managed to get under the bonnet to give the engine bay a clean up too.
So for £7,500 that's quite a lot of car.
I have a few other plans for it, new mats going in today, de-badge the boot and give it a proper once over. I'll be getting the wheels refurbished in the long run. I will also have it re-mapped once I'm confident it's mechanically sound. That will take the power up to 280bhp but 480lbs-ft of torque so about the same as my CLS63.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCV_JKftZok
shut your eyes and your transported to an S class.... magic...
shut your eyes and your transported to an S class.... magic...
Does not look like a 7.5k car.Thanks for all the kind words, it's certainly in good condition and more so now I've had a chance to give it a once over looks even better.
I gave the outside a proper going over, nothing too heavy going as the weather was a bit unpredictable but started with giving the wheels a de-iron with Autoglym Magma.
No too bad considering.
I then gave the outside a proper wash. Hit it with Citrus Pre-Wash to begin with, rinsed and then washed with Dodo Juice Basics of Bling shampoo and the usual two buckets. Went over the car with Autoglym Super Resin Polish, it's old school but always does the trick. Then a coat of Britemax Extreme Elements sealant which should keep it protected until the spring.
Looking round the bodywork more closely, it's really very good for it's age. There's a weird little touch up on the rear bumper but nothing I'd worry about and what was probably a stone chip touched in on the front bumper. That's really it.
I also fitted the rubber mats which I'd ordered, not the most glamorous but perfect for day to day use and really hard wearing.
Gave the windows some glass treatment as well, this stuff is an excellent rain repellent.
It's only a really small one but couldn't resist the obligatory sticket.
There is one niggle which I need to get the garage to sort out. It's come up with an error that the ABS and ESP were unavailable twice but it has gone off. Hopefully nothing major but not worried about that as the garage will sort assuming it doesn't stay off.
I gave the outside a proper going over, nothing too heavy going as the weather was a bit unpredictable but started with giving the wheels a de-iron with Autoglym Magma.
No too bad considering.
I then gave the outside a proper wash. Hit it with Citrus Pre-Wash to begin with, rinsed and then washed with Dodo Juice Basics of Bling shampoo and the usual two buckets. Went over the car with Autoglym Super Resin Polish, it's old school but always does the trick. Then a coat of Britemax Extreme Elements sealant which should keep it protected until the spring.
Looking round the bodywork more closely, it's really very good for it's age. There's a weird little touch up on the rear bumper but nothing I'd worry about and what was probably a stone chip touched in on the front bumper. That's really it.
I also fitted the rubber mats which I'd ordered, not the most glamorous but perfect for day to day use and really hard wearing.
Gave the windows some glass treatment as well, this stuff is an excellent rain repellent.
It's only a really small one but couldn't resist the obligatory sticket.
There is one niggle which I need to get the garage to sort out. It's come up with an error that the ABS and ESP were unavailable twice but it has gone off. Hopefully nothing major but not worried about that as the garage will sort assuming it doesn't stay off.
I had thought the same about the suspension and did wonder if it had been lowered. It rises up fine and it rides perfectly. Also both sides sit exactly the same so I'm not convinced it's a leaking air bag.
0a said:
That looks very smart. I am considering a petrol engined one of these for my next car (and at similar money).
How do you find the drove? Ie ride quality, noise suppression etc? I guess they are pretty good!
Extremely good. I've come from a W211 E320 which I always thought was comfortable and quiet but this is a different league. My other half has a 2009 CLS and this still beats that hands down for comfort and that's far from a bad car for a long drive. How do you find the drove? Ie ride quality, noise suppression etc? I guess they are pretty good!
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