S Class - Dad Tank II
Discussion
alec.e said:
Thanks, but don't want to have it permanently live- might have to tap into 12v socket instead.
I'm pretty sure there are fuses that come on and off with the ignition but I don't have an issue with it being live. Means it'll keep recording when I park up. The 12V socket will obviously work with the ignition too.
With lockdown being somewhat boring and me not doing the usual drives I do, I'm ending up washing the car every weekend despite no mileage. Something to do and means some fresh air after working at home all week.
I decided to give the engine bay a bit more than just a wipe over this time, give it a bit more shine. This Chemical Guys New Look Trim Gel is, as you can probably tell from the packaging, really old. I'd probably it's nearly 10 years old but still works a treat.
Only thing I find is that it's thick and if you over do it, it'll stay sticky.
Still for 72k and nearly 13 years old, it comes up well.
I decided to give the engine bay a bit more than just a wipe over this time, give it a bit more shine. This Chemical Guys New Look Trim Gel is, as you can probably tell from the packaging, really old. I'd probably it's nearly 10 years old but still works a treat.
Only thing I find is that it's thick and if you over do it, it'll stay sticky.
Still for 72k and nearly 13 years old, it comes up well.
Almost a year to the day that I picked up the S and I have long had it back from being serviced and MOT'd. The car needed a couple of bits done, two torque strut bushes, one spring link arm and one of the front tyres was an advisory, so I had both fronts replaced. Grand total of..........£1,200
But to put that in context, the tyres were on my radar anyway and an advisory which I just thought I'd get sorted. Now there were some niggles at the beginning, all sorted under warranty and annoyingly common ones which I suspect were revealed by me doing 900 miles the first month where it hadn't done that in the previous 12.
So in reality, it's cost me £900 including the tax and service, plus a glow plug and a tail light LED in the 12 months I've owned it. Probably about £1,000 in overall running costs. I don't actually think that's too bad for what the car offers for the original price I paid. Stop off for a top up before heading home.
I must say the novelty of the car hasn't worn off at all, it's still an absolute joy to drive. Next plan is to replace the rear two tyres and do a few more miles, only covered 6.5k last year I normally do at least 11k.
This can also go into the odd things neighbours do thread but I had to clean up the front wheels. All that tyre soap and my OCD wouldn't let me not check for any marks on the wheels. Glad to say they're all as good as new.
But to put that in context, the tyres were on my radar anyway and an advisory which I just thought I'd get sorted. Now there were some niggles at the beginning, all sorted under warranty and annoyingly common ones which I suspect were revealed by me doing 900 miles the first month where it hadn't done that in the previous 12.
So in reality, it's cost me £900 including the tax and service, plus a glow plug and a tail light LED in the 12 months I've owned it. Probably about £1,000 in overall running costs. I don't actually think that's too bad for what the car offers for the original price I paid. Stop off for a top up before heading home.
I must say the novelty of the car hasn't worn off at all, it's still an absolute joy to drive. Next plan is to replace the rear two tyres and do a few more miles, only covered 6.5k last year I normally do at least 11k.
This can also go into the odd things neighbours do thread but I had to clean up the front wheels. All that tyre soap and my OCD wouldn't let me not check for any marks on the wheels. Glad to say they're all as good as new.
Well the S has been behaving itself mostly and I've just been using it for my regular motorway drives but one issue did decide to raise it's head. The stereo had always had a weird intermittent issue, the sound would fade in and out but 90% of the time it was fine.
Annoyingly the stereo cut out and never came back to life. A bit of back and forth with a rather helpful Facebook group diagnosed a common issue, the amplifier in the boot. It's actually an 'audio gateway' so relates to other features of the stereo and for a brand new one Mercedes will charge over £1k. They've also been known to fail in under 2 years although commonly around the 70-80k mark in terms of use of the car. This is the little b*stard...
Well, I came across a guy on Facebook as a recommendation from two other W221 S Class owners. Having been in a business with a number of S Class' he'd started offering a refurbishment service for these amps. The amp is sealed afterwards and provided with a 2 year warranty.
The unit arrived back with me yesterday.
After 20 minutes or so re-fitting the amp it was back in the car and good news. I now have a fully functioning stereo.
It may not have the connectivity of modern cars but with the built in sub, the sound quality is excellent for a standard system so I'm really pleased.
Annoyingly the stereo cut out and never came back to life. A bit of back and forth with a rather helpful Facebook group diagnosed a common issue, the amplifier in the boot. It's actually an 'audio gateway' so relates to other features of the stereo and for a brand new one Mercedes will charge over £1k. They've also been known to fail in under 2 years although commonly around the 70-80k mark in terms of use of the car. This is the little b*stard...
Well, I came across a guy on Facebook as a recommendation from two other W221 S Class owners. Having been in a business with a number of S Class' he'd started offering a refurbishment service for these amps. The amp is sealed afterwards and provided with a 2 year warranty.
The unit arrived back with me yesterday.
After 20 minutes or so re-fitting the amp it was back in the car and good news. I now have a fully functioning stereo.
It may not have the connectivity of modern cars but with the built in sub, the sound quality is excellent for a standard system so I'm really pleased.
What a great looking motor 
I was looking at these before I decided to stick with BMW and went for my F01 730D; but had a look at 2 of these that were local to me; just unfortunate that they were described as immaculate and turned out to be dogs when I saw them...
I may yet get my brave up and move from the BMW fold next
I was looking at these before I decided to stick with BMW and went for my F01 730D; but had a look at 2 of these that were local to me; just unfortunate that they were described as immaculate and turned out to be dogs when I saw them...
I may yet get my brave up and move from the BMW fold next
CornedBeef said:
Still looks very sharp, I do love these. I'm a fellow bargainous (but potential danger) Merc owner so I'm invested in threads like these! What sort of MPG do you crack on a run?
It definitely has it's dangers but buying from a garage and ironing out some known issues within the first 6 months reduced too many tears. They're not cheap to run but when they're working properly (which this has mostly for the last 18 months) they are such a great car. This is a mapped 3.0 V6 diesel and does about 41/42mpg on a good run. The later versions and 350cdi which is the same engine physically does slightly better on emissions and MPG but for it's size 40mpg+ does me just fine.
All of my driving is in big motorway drives so although I'm not doing loads of miles when I do I'm in the car 4-5 hours so it's perfect.
d_a_n1979 said:
What a great looking motor
I was looking at these before I decided to stick with BMW and went for my F01 730D; but had a look at 2 of these that were local to me; just unfortunate that they were described as immaculate and turned out to be dogs when I saw them...
I may yet get my brave up and move from the BMW fold next
It's a shame that 'immaculate' and 'excellent condition' are two of the most over used phrases in selling a car. I remember going to look at a car marked as in good condition turned up with every bumper scuffed, trim hanging off and the service light on. I was looking at these before I decided to stick with BMW and went for my F01 730D; but had a look at 2 of these that were local to me; just unfortunate that they were described as immaculate and turned out to be dogs when I saw them...
I may yet get my brave up and move from the BMW fold next
I'm pretty sure the 7 series is a pretty love thing to be in as well though!
Looking good, Alex.
It's funny this thread has popped up, as I sadly sold my (your) old CLS today after an unexpectedly short ownership stint - it was a lovely car to own, but I ended up buying a place near work and no longer needed a barge to commute in
This also reminds me, I need to post the sunglasses I found in it back to you (sorry about the delay!)
It's funny this thread has popped up, as I sadly sold my (your) old CLS today after an unexpectedly short ownership stint - it was a lovely car to own, but I ended up buying a place near work and no longer needed a barge to commute in
This also reminds me, I need to post the sunglasses I found in it back to you (sorry about the delay!)
Dalto said:
Looking good, Alex.
It's funny this thread has popped up, as I sadly sold my (your) old CLS today after an unexpectedly short ownership stint - it was a lovely car to own, but I ended up buying a place near work and no longer needed a barge to commute in
This also reminds me, I need to post the sunglasses I found in it back to you (sorry about the delay!)
Sorry to hear you sold up, hope the car behaved in the time you had it though. Certainly served us very well in the 3-4 years we had it. Not sure if you saw our ML that replaced it got totalled but the replacement is a nicer example fortunately. It's funny this thread has popped up, as I sadly sold my (your) old CLS today after an unexpectedly short ownership stint - it was a lovely car to own, but I ended up buying a place near work and no longer needed a barge to commute in
This also reminds me, I need to post the sunglasses I found in it back to you (sorry about the delay!)
No worries on the sunglasses, next time your round this way pop by. What did you buy to replace it?
Alex_225 said:
Sorry to hear you sold up, hope the car behaved in the time you had it though. Certainly served us very well in the 3-4 years we had it. Not sure if you saw our ML that replaced it got totalled but the replacement is a nicer example fortunately.
No worries on the sunglasses, next time your round this way pop by. What did you buy to replace it?
Genuinely gutted it's gone! I had a very enjoyable 7.5k miles in it, and it didn't place a foot wrong - was even surprisingly fun when taking it for a blat! Sadly, my new place is very close to the ULEZ zone, and it just didn't make sense to be running a diesel now. No worries on the sunglasses, next time your round this way pop by. What did you buy to replace it?
Just seen your thread on the ML - Photos look terrifying, glad that Nat and the kids escaped (relatively) unharmed, I can't imagine how worried you must've been. The new addition looks excellent, so I'm glad that worked out
Not entirely sure what the replacement will be as yet, my mind is all over the place. For the moment, I'll use either the TVR or Mum's MX to get around.
One minute, I want an NC MX-5, the next and X350 XJ or CLS350/500 CGI. In all likelihood, I think a E90 330i may be on the cards! I'll drop you a line when I'm next around you way with the glasses
Edited by Dalto on Sunday 2nd January 21:22
Glad the CLS served you well, it was a very capable car especially for a diesel and such a comfortable cruiser. Like you say though, if ULEZ compliance is important then sadly it's not going to fit the bill. CLS63 it is then! haha
Thanks mate, the new ML is actually a nicer spec and lower mileage so a worthy replacement.
Keep me posted on what you go for though!
Thanks mate, the new ML is actually a nicer spec and lower mileage so a worthy replacement.
Keep me posted on what you go for though!
Alex_225 said:
It's a shame that 'immaculate' and 'excellent condition' are two of the most over used phrases in selling a car. I remember going to look at a car marked as in good condition turned up with every bumper scuffed, trim hanging off and the service light on.
I'm pretty sure the 7 series is a pretty love thing to be in as well though!
Tell me about it; I let them know too... They (dealers) never seem to be able to take blunt & direct feedback when you give it to them.... It's like rabbits in headlights... I'm pretty sure the 7 series is a pretty love thing to be in as well though!
But yes; the F01 is a very lovely place to sit and glad I stuck with BMW for now
d_a_n1979 said:
Tell me about it; I let them know too... They (dealers) never seem to be able to take blunt & direct feedback when you give it to them.... It's like rabbits in headlights...
But yes; the F01 is a very lovely place to sit and glad I stuck with BMW for now
I do find it baffling that a dealership can present a car badly. I mean a private seller may have their own opinion but surely a salesman can see if a car is a shed or genuinely good condition! Amazes me how cars sit on forecourts filthy or damaged and there's only a plan to repair them if you commit to buy. But yes; the F01 is a very lovely place to sit and glad I stuck with BMW for now
I was realistic about my S Class when I bought it. It was an older car so I didn't expect it to be as new but it was clean, tidy inside and looked well cared for. They removed a couple of parking dings I spotted but it was tidy.
I must say I'm partial to a BMW. I actually looked at the V10 M5/M6 models before buying my CLS63. I still love the looks of the M6 models!
Alex_225 said:
d_a_n1979 said:
Tell me about it; I let them know too... They (dealers) never seem to be able to take blunt & direct feedback when you give it to them.... It's like rabbits in headlights...
But yes; the F01 is a very lovely place to sit and glad I stuck with BMW for now
I do find it baffling that a dealership can present a car badly. I mean a private seller may have their own opinion but surely a salesman can see if a car is a shed or genuinely good condition! Amazes me how cars sit on forecourts filthy or damaged and there's only a plan to repair them if you commit to buy. But yes; the F01 is a very lovely place to sit and glad I stuck with BMW for now
I was realistic about my S Class when I bought it. It was an older car so I didn't expect it to be as new but it was clean, tidy inside and looked well cared for. They removed a couple of parking dings I spotted but it was tidy.
I must say I'm partial to a BMW. I actually looked at the V10 M5/M6 models before buying my CLS63. I still love the looks of the M6 models!
Fortunately my size makes them think twice about kicking off back at me, but I'm well spoken & articulate, so they kind of just accept that I've called them out on it and leave them with a few choice words
The F01 I've bought needed a fair bit of bodywork (nothing major, just dents and both bumpers respraying) but I'm happy to do that as the rest of the car is superb & the interior rear likes it's never been sat in
Great spec too which always helps!
I've still more bodywork TLC to do, but that's just because I've OCD & high standards. My choice to do it, others would probably live with it...
But that's why I got it at a very good price, so it all balances out etc
My dream car is an E61 M5 touring. V10, amazing car & engine & functional at the same time
d_a_n1979 said:
TBH I think they wait for someone less savvy and then take advantage...
Fortunately my size makes them think twice about kicking off back at me, but I'm well spoken & articulate, so they kind of just accept that I've called them out on it and leave them with a few choice words
The F01 I've bought needed a fair bit of bodywork (nothing major, just dents and both bumpers respraying) but I'm happy to do that as the rest of the car is superb & the interior rear likes it's never been sat in
Great spec too which always helps!
I've still more bodywork TLC to do, but that's just because I've OCD & high standards. My choice to do it, others would probably live with it...
But that's why I got it at a very good price, so it all balances out etc
My dream car is an E61 M5 touring. V10, amazing car & engine & functional at the same time
Completely agree, someone will either put up with it or simply no notice. I certainly know people who'd accept a very average condition vehicle and not think otherwise. Fortunately my size makes them think twice about kicking off back at me, but I'm well spoken & articulate, so they kind of just accept that I've called them out on it and leave them with a few choice words
The F01 I've bought needed a fair bit of bodywork (nothing major, just dents and both bumpers respraying) but I'm happy to do that as the rest of the car is superb & the interior rear likes it's never been sat in
Great spec too which always helps!
I've still more bodywork TLC to do, but that's just because I've OCD & high standards. My choice to do it, others would probably live with it...
But that's why I got it at a very good price, so it all balances out etc
My dream car is an E61 M5 touring. V10, amazing car & engine & functional at the same time
I don't blame you for having high standards. I had the leather inside my S all repainted for example. Don't blame you wanting it 100%.
Don't blame you on the M5 touring. Fast estates are always cool haha. Rather fancy an E63 estate or even an E55.
Alex_225 said:
d_a_n1979 said:
TBH I think they wait for someone less savvy and then take advantage...
Fortunately my size makes them think twice about kicking off back at me, but I'm well spoken & articulate, so they kind of just accept that I've called them out on it and leave them with a few choice words
The F01 I've bought needed a fair bit of bodywork (nothing major, just dents and both bumpers respraying) but I'm happy to do that as the rest of the car is superb & the interior rear likes it's never been sat in
Great spec too which always helps!
I've still more bodywork TLC to do, but that's just because I've OCD & high standards. My choice to do it, others would probably live with it...
But that's why I got it at a very good price, so it all balances out etc
My dream car is an E61 M5 touring. V10, amazing car & engine & functional at the same time
Completely agree, someone will either put up with it or simply no notice. I certainly know people who'd accept a very average condition vehicle and not think otherwise. Fortunately my size makes them think twice about kicking off back at me, but I'm well spoken & articulate, so they kind of just accept that I've called them out on it and leave them with a few choice words
The F01 I've bought needed a fair bit of bodywork (nothing major, just dents and both bumpers respraying) but I'm happy to do that as the rest of the car is superb & the interior rear likes it's never been sat in
Great spec too which always helps!
I've still more bodywork TLC to do, but that's just because I've OCD & high standards. My choice to do it, others would probably live with it...
But that's why I got it at a very good price, so it all balances out etc
My dream car is an E61 M5 touring. V10, amazing car & engine & functional at the same time
I don't blame you for having high standards. I had the leather inside my S all repainted for example. Don't blame you wanting it 100%.
Don't blame you on the M5 touring. Fast estates are always cool haha. Rather fancy an E63 estate or even an E55.
A neighbour has one and it's a fantastic car; but with the drivers seat in the position I'd need it to be in; there wasn't enough room left in the rear for a grown adult! It actually felt smaller than my previous E39 touring because the seats were that much bigger...
There was a nice E300 estate that cropped up; but by the time I'd looked to arrange going to see it, it'd gone...
Edited by d_a_n1979 on Tuesday 4th January 10:19
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