RE: Shed of the Week: Mercedes-Benz S500

RE: Shed of the Week: Mercedes-Benz S500

Author
Discussion

st4

1,359 posts

132 months

Friday 15th March 2019
quotequote all
W12JFD said:
That is quite a saga. The chap has clearly had some issues as at one point he mentions being detained in a secure unit.

He states his preferred outcome was to be the arrest and imprisonment of the MD of Mercedes - and I believe he was serious!
Imagine this. You go buy an approved used car, it breaks down, you phone the breakdown service that came with the approved used package and then it’s deemed they broke it and you’re basically thrown under the bus liable for all the repairs not caused by you. I think they wanted £15000 to fix it - and he hadn’t had it long. I believe it was jump started by Mondial (the breakdown company Mercedes use for mobilo and what you get when you buy an approved used Mercedes) and that fried the electrics. That is the nuts and bolts of it.

Their disdainful treatment of the customer wasn’t good and sadly the courts didn’t rule in his favour. He wasn’t for giving up that said biggrin

I’m sure this is the same car, Nick (well known in Merc scenes) bought the car off the guy cheaply given it’s non runner status and got it going. I saw the car at a Mercedes forum meet up and I’m pretty sure this is that car. Something about the colour and regi plate that rings a bell - I feel I’ve seen it before but I could be wrong as it is a long time ago. It was when I had “the shed” - an e320cdi I owned that kept breaking. “The shed” was well known for its dogged determination to breakdown on Merc forums at the time.

Edited by st4 on Friday 15th March 09:48


Edited by st4 on Friday 15th March 09:48

JBUK

106 posts

142 months

Friday 15th March 2019
quotequote all
BFleming said:
The very car user Elesmart said would make a better choice than last week's Golf Mk4. I'm sure there will be a lot of hate, but not from me. As the annoying taxi driver in the GoCompare ad says... 'FANTASTIC'!
He also suggested a lovely 2005 Subaru Legacy that I was too slow to get to! Damn.

ChrisHampshire

97 posts

182 months

Friday 15th March 2019
quotequote all
If you do fancy a W220, the extra money for a facelifted car would be well spent. Improved electrics and way less prone to tin worm (my 2004 W220 has no rust at all).

Arsecati

2,286 posts

116 months

Friday 15th March 2019
quotequote all
Absolutely shedtastic - THIS is what top shedding is all about!

longblackcoat

5,047 posts

182 months

Friday 15th March 2019
quotequote all
st4 said:
W12JFD said:
That is quite a saga. The chap has clearly had some issues as at one point he mentions being detained in a secure unit.

He states his preferred outcome was to be the arrest and imprisonment of the MD of Mercedes - and I believe he was serious!
Imagine this. You go buy an approved used car, it breaks down, you phone the breakdown service that came with the approved used package and then it’s deemed they broke it and you’re basically thrown under the bus liable for all the repairs not caused by you. I think they wanted £15000 to fix it - and he hadn’t had it long. I believe it was jump started by Mondial (the breakdown company Mercedes use for mobilo and what you get when you buy an approved used Mercedes) and that fried the electrics. That is the nuts and bolts of it.

Their disdainful treatment of the customer wasn’t good and sadly the courts didn’t rule in his favour. He wasn’t for giving up that said :
There's a reason the courts didn't rule in his favour.

st4

1,359 posts

132 months

Friday 15th March 2019
quotequote all
longblackcoat said:
There's a reason the courts didn't rule in his favour.
And what was it?

The breakdown company mercedes used damaged the car? I don't follow how he managed to lose the case?

itcaptainslow

3,694 posts

135 months

Friday 15th March 2019
quotequote all
st4 said:
An extremely brave shed. Unsurpassed value for money.

Edit - was this Nicks (euromerc nick from mbclub) old car. The one he bought off the dude who took Mercedes to court and lost pretty much everything he owned.

https://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/index.php?threa...

https://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/index.php?threa...

https://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/index.php?threa...
I’ve had a read and I still can’t really see what his beef was... laugh

longblackcoat

5,047 posts

182 months

Friday 15th March 2019
quotequote all
itcaptainslow said:
st4 said:
An extremely brave shed. Unsurpassed value for money.

Edit - was this Nicks (euromerc nick from mbclub) old car. The one he bought off the dude who took Mercedes to court and lost pretty much everything he owned.

https://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/index.php?threa...

https://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/index.php?threa...

https://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/index.php?threa...
I’ve had a read and I still can’t really see what his beef was... laugh
And neither could the courts.

The phrase ‘vexatious litigant ‘ might well be an accurate descriptor.

mwstewart

7,554 posts

187 months

Friday 15th March 2019
quotequote all
Wow. Decent engine, nice car, very cheap!

st4

1,359 posts

132 months

Friday 15th March 2019
quotequote all
itcaptainslow said:
I’ve had a read and I still can’t really see what his beef was... laugh
You're kidding, right?

st4

1,359 posts

132 months

Friday 15th March 2019
quotequote all
longblackcoat said:
And neither could the courts.

The phrase ‘vexatious litigant ‘ might well be an accurate descriptor.
No. He phoned the breakdown company provided by mercedes, they fried his car. Both breakdown co and Mercedes washed their hands of them. Doesn't seem right to me.

anonymous-user

53 months

Friday 15th March 2019
quotequote all
I was never found of this era of Mercedes, more than a whiff of cheap wedding car about them. This one in particular will no doubt cause significant pain financially and looks exactly what it is, a shed.

nono

anonymous-user

53 months

Friday 15th March 2019
quotequote all
Wasn't there one of these in the Readers Car threads where everybody had a massive circle jerk where people were offering to buy it from him?

There soon followed a tale of woe and he ended up swapping it with a member of the travelling community for some gold rings and it was eventually banger raced?

This thread sounds like history repeating itself.

Hasn't slow also got one of these that is rusting away in a field with his Nissan 200SX and Rolls Royce?




aaron_2000

5,407 posts

82 months

Friday 15th March 2019
quotequote all
I bought a lovely 735i shed for £1400, put £200 into a gearbox service and it was golden. I wanted a CL500, I test drove a facelift one in black, it was so smooth, for the money, I don't see how you could do any better than this S Class tbh. Although personally I prefer the 7 Series, the S Class/CL just had a feeling to them that makes them feel new, almost timeless.


Dusty964

6,919 posts

189 months

Friday 15th March 2019
quotequote all
I had a 2001 with an amg kit and wheels, a jap spec imported to dubai.
Silver, black leather, lwb.
Fantastic car for a long journey, spec was good even a few years ago, let alone when it was launched.
Mercifully reliable, plenty or room for 4, electric everything and the 2nd best ac I've ever had, which is needed when it's 40 in summer.
As lovely as it was though, I always preferred the way the 740li I had before drove.


W12JFD

377 posts

164 months

Friday 15th March 2019
quotequote all
longblackcoat said:
And neither could the courts.

The phrase ‘vexatious litigant ‘ might well be an accurate descriptor.
Indeed and being defendant in these circumstances is very unpleasant. I was dragged in on the perifery of such a case and the cost in terms of time and stress was immense.

Sadly I knew and liked the guy but he convinced himself of a conspiracy which simply hadn’t happened and very much imagined some of the chain of events including my bit part. It felt very strange defending myself against something I new to be untrue.

st4

1,359 posts

132 months

Friday 15th March 2019
quotequote all
W12JFD said:
Indeed and being defendant in these circumstances is very unpleasant. I was dragged in on the perifery of such a case and the cost in terms of time and stress was immense.

Sadly I knew and liked the guy but he convinced himself of a conspiracy which simply hadn’t happened and very much imagined some of the chain of events including my bit part. It felt very strange defending myself against something I new to be untrue.
Is this the same case or another?

I only heard Robert's side of the story but he seemed a logical and well pulled together chap - and was just terribly unlucky and badly treated by MB/Mondial.

R8Steve

4,150 posts

174 months

Friday 15th March 2019
quotequote all
Joey Deacon said:
Wasn't there one of these in the Readers Car threads where everybody had a massive circle jerk where people were offering to buy it from him?

There soon followed a tale of woe and he ended up swapping it with a member of the travelling community for some gold rings and it was eventually banger raced?

This thread sounds like history repeating itself.

Hasn't slow also got one of these that is rusting away in a field with his Nissan 200SX and Rolls Royce?
Yes, it was mine.

Eta, the full traveller/gold ring/banger racing situation was madness and doesn't really reflect how good or how much of a bargain these cars can be.

Edited by R8Steve on Friday 15th March 14:17

pSyCoSiS

3,581 posts

204 months

Friday 15th March 2019
quotequote all
This was the car I said should have been SOTW last week!

Fantastic machines when looked after and running right.

I've had all iterations of the W220, including the petrol and diesel S320, S500, S55 AMG Kompressor, and S600 BiTurbo. Never had the 430 (but wouldn't you rather have the 500?!), and never had the 280, or naturally aspirated 55 and 600.

They do throw up big bills now and then, e.g. engine and gearbox mounts on the S55, air suspension struts and valve blocks, etc. Servicing the 600 isn't cheap as they have 24 spark plugs.

However, these are seriously overlooked as second hand ownership prospects and there aren't that many better ways to waft along the motorways. With 306 bhp this will be no slouch either.

SOTY will be hard in December 2019.

st4

1,359 posts

132 months

Friday 15th March 2019
quotequote all
pSyCoSiS said:
.

However, these are seriously overlooked as second hand ownership prospects and there aren't that many better ways to waft along the motorways. With 306 bhp this will be no slouch either.

SOTY will be hard in December 2019.
They do go very very well in their favour.