Sensible family daily wagon - Mercedes Benz S211 E500
Discussion
Thanks Pablo. I recall that I've seen that one for sale before in around 2018 or so, so it has probably been in the trade since and I'd check the mot and service history carefully, as it had already been sitting for a while when I saw it and the seller was asking £5k in pre-covid prices. I do like the blue on blue, however.
I called my indy yesterday. He confirmed a failure of coil pack #5 and said that the spark plugs were well overdue for replacement. A genuine coil costs £113+VAT and having inspected the others is comfortable that they're okay. He says that it'll run much smoother with new sparks and I'll be very interested to experience the difference.
amongst the other items being replaced is the fuel filter. He said that this requires access to the fuel tank. It's a fifteen year/150k interval job so I imagine that it has probably never been done after nineteen years and 182k. However, he says that the fuel pump also needs to be replaced at the same time and is awaiting this from Mercedes being delivered tomorrow.
Since the rear seats are taken apart in order to gain access, I've asked him to take time to inspect the vacuum line that control the pop up rear headrests, since the two on the larger rear squab have never worked. I've also asked him to look at the operation of the convenience access when raising the handle to drop the rear squab, for through loading. The nsf moves forward by a few inches, so as to accommodate the raised seat base, but the osf doesn't, despite the motor operating when the handle is raised. Unnecessary titivation is what keeps the wheels spinning on this thread and nailing this would be very satisfying, but I'm not holding my breath.
I think that I'll pop in tomorrow morning, in order to check on progress.
amongst the other items being replaced is the fuel filter. He said that this requires access to the fuel tank. It's a fifteen year/150k interval job so I imagine that it has probably never been done after nineteen years and 182k. However, he says that the fuel pump also needs to be replaced at the same time and is awaiting this from Mercedes being delivered tomorrow.
Since the rear seats are taken apart in order to gain access, I've asked him to take time to inspect the vacuum line that control the pop up rear headrests, since the two on the larger rear squab have never worked. I've also asked him to look at the operation of the convenience access when raising the handle to drop the rear squab, for through loading. The nsf moves forward by a few inches, so as to accommodate the raised seat base, but the osf doesn't, despite the motor operating when the handle is raised. Unnecessary titivation is what keeps the wheels spinning on this thread and nailing this would be very satisfying, but I'm not holding my breath.
I think that I'll pop in tomorrow morning, in order to check on progress.
Yes, an early 5 speed saloon.
Mine has done significantly less miles with a piffling 105k on the clock. Really I was asking for it by abandoning it for a year, blaming work for that. A start up and quick drive prior to going for MOT and I got the trio of ABS, ESP and some other warning within a few yards. Asked my indie to sort it and they are pretty reasonable, I collect it in the morning so not entirely sure what the bill consists of.
Conundrum now is, mine, being an early one is starting to suffer body wise. Needs both rear arches attended to and few other bits and bobs. Undecided if I keep it and spend the money....there are other temptations that I'm looking at. Much more fragile and finicky temptations though, the old M113 has me spoiled with its bulletproof-ness
As you've alluded to though, these cars are incredibly capable and they do start to sing nicely when you've got about 4k on the clock in top gear
Mine has done significantly less miles with a piffling 105k on the clock. Really I was asking for it by abandoning it for a year, blaming work for that. A start up and quick drive prior to going for MOT and I got the trio of ABS, ESP and some other warning within a few yards. Asked my indie to sort it and they are pretty reasonable, I collect it in the morning so not entirely sure what the bill consists of.
Conundrum now is, mine, being an early one is starting to suffer body wise. Needs both rear arches attended to and few other bits and bobs. Undecided if I keep it and spend the money....there are other temptations that I'm looking at. Much more fragile and finicky temptations though, the old M113 has me spoiled with its bulletproof-ness
As you've alluded to though, these cars are incredibly capable and they do start to sing nicely when you've got about 4k on the clock in top gear
Quick breakdown of my bill today: front discs and pads, wire sensor, nearside bottom balljoint, rear abs reluctor rings and abs sensors. Oil and filter service. Labour was 200 odd quid, rest was parts and VAT. Total £861
Could've sourced a little cheaper from local motor factor and done it myself but I've plenty of other things to be at.
Could've sourced a little cheaper from local motor factor and done it myself but I've plenty of other things to be at.
bolidemichael said:
How much is the labour charge and whereabouts are you?
Not sure on the hourly rate, I dropped the car off at 0930 and they phoned me at 1700 to collect. They were ram packed yesterday to be fair. Previously they've done rear subframe bushes and a transmission service on this car and the last 50K of history on my C Class is with them too. I trust them and they're close to me.Breakdown now I'm looking at the invoice:
A Service
Front discs and pads
2 rear ABS rings
LHF lower ball joint
Rear pads
Rear ABS sensor
Labour was £210
Parts £476.24
A quid for screen wash
Read fault codes £30
Total £718.24 + vat (£861.89)
I use a Mercedes specialist just outside Coleraine, Co. Londonderry.
So that's around £55+VAT per hour or so... around half of what I pay in SW Landaaan!
Car collected this evening. First impressions are of the smoothness, smoother than a warm Beyoncé coated in coco butter. Sure, it's likely placebo, but it seems to rev freely and clicks through the gears seamlessly.
They didn't flush and replace the coolant, which needs to be done every fifteen years or 150k and haven't ordered another service book to stamp.
Tomorrow I'll be heading to MB for a sunroof check and then I'll arrange for them to collect and finish the work.
It was cleaned, though and looks great in the dark, very sparkly. Obsidian black is fantastic when clean and this one defies its age having benefitted from a recent paint job and ceramic coating etc. The alloys really stand out, having been recently refurbished, the centre caps are shocking.
Car collected this evening. First impressions are of the smoothness, smoother than a warm Beyoncé coated in coco butter. Sure, it's likely placebo, but it seems to rev freely and clicks through the gears seamlessly.
They didn't flush and replace the coolant, which needs to be done every fifteen years or 150k and haven't ordered another service book to stamp.
Tomorrow I'll be heading to MB for a sunroof check and then I'll arrange for them to collect and finish the work.
It was cleaned, though and looks great in the dark, very sparkly. Obsidian black is fantastic when clean and this one defies its age having benefitted from a recent paint job and ceramic coating etc. The alloys really stand out, having been recently refurbished, the centre caps are shocking.
Edited by bolidemichael on Wednesday 1st March 20:40
Off to MB this morning and the engine seems to have an ever-so-slightly irregular rhythm on idle. It's fine and then there is a succession of mild interruptions.
Also, the sound with the new pulley is different to what I'm accustomed to. There's definitely a pulley whine which settles -- do bearings, pulleys and belts need to bed in, commonly?
Also, the sound with the new pulley is different to what I'm accustomed to. There's definitely a pulley whine which settles -- do bearings, pulleys and belts need to bed in, commonly?
They often put extra pressure on bearings that wasn't there before - I fitted a new belt to a car and it highlighted the slop in the tensioner and the wear in the idler pulley - I put the old belt back on and whisper quiet. Ended up replacing the idler, tensioner and belt and it was all quiet again. Age gets to them all.
Thanks for that suggestion, I'll raise it with my indy -- I don't want a pulley failing whilst traversing the autobahnen later this month.
Sunroof recall... I was at MB Croydon for 0745hrs yesterday awaiting their 0800hrs opening...
They kept me updated by text throughout the day -- when the technician had taken the vehicle and when it was ready to collect. It was quite slick, really.
When I had booked the vehicle in, I was told that this time they would remove the glass sunroof and replace the adhesive.
As I went to leave, I spotted some glue like substance on the a pillar and door frame -- it was soft and squidgy so I went back in and asked them to remove it. It wasn't there when I left it -- the car had been washed the previous day by the indy.
A rather miffed technician emerged and told me that they hadn't done anything to the vehicle... just inspected the code on the glass to verify the requirement for replacement ot not! Therefore, not glue would've been in hand; I elaborated on the reason for my assumption, that I had been told about the replacement adhesive -- he said that if it was the case that replacement was required, the entire cassette would be replaced!
So between the letter from Mercedes saying that it required another inspection (after having been inspected already and surely the information was captured... or not?), the chap in Croydon saying that it would definitely require new adhesive and this chap telling me that it just needed a code check... what a palaver. Thankfully it didn't cost me too much time.
Anyway, I got the f
ker to clean the residue off the car.
Sunroof recall... I was at MB Croydon for 0745hrs yesterday awaiting their 0800hrs opening...
They kept me updated by text throughout the day -- when the technician had taken the vehicle and when it was ready to collect. It was quite slick, really.
When I had booked the vehicle in, I was told that this time they would remove the glass sunroof and replace the adhesive.
As I went to leave, I spotted some glue like substance on the a pillar and door frame -- it was soft and squidgy so I went back in and asked them to remove it. It wasn't there when I left it -- the car had been washed the previous day by the indy.
A rather miffed technician emerged and told me that they hadn't done anything to the vehicle... just inspected the code on the glass to verify the requirement for replacement ot not! Therefore, not glue would've been in hand; I elaborated on the reason for my assumption, that I had been told about the replacement adhesive -- he said that if it was the case that replacement was required, the entire cassette would be replaced!
So between the letter from Mercedes saying that it required another inspection (after having been inspected already and surely the information was captured... or not?), the chap in Croydon saying that it would definitely require new adhesive and this chap telling me that it just needed a code check... what a palaver. Thankfully it didn't cost me too much time.
Anyway, I got the f
ker to clean the residue off the car.Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff