S Class - Dad Tank II

[Alex_225]

Shakermaker said:

Alex_225 said:

mdmay said:

Thanks much appreciated

Any time mate. The only trouble I'm having now is due to my somewhat OCD nature, I'm looking at the other bits of the leather going, 'Should I just get that done so it looks like new'. haha

Those of us who know you understand it is a question of "when" rather than "if" you'll get it done. We'll expect the photos in the next couple of months.

Well yes perhaps you're right. There is a list though, wheel refurb may take precedence. We shall see.

Either way not much I can do until I'm allowed out the house. Well other than washing it!

[Alex_225]

Meriden Man said:

It is real ‘animal skin’! That's what Mercedes calls ‘passion leather’, which would have been a £1,000-plus extra.

That's interesting, wasn't aware that the real stuff was an option on these. It's certainly very nice that's for sure.

J-2 said:

Hi Alex
I had the esp light come on on a 204 c class a few times it turned out to be the stop light switch just not switching off if you were very gentle when releasing the brake pedal. If it comes on again just put your foot under the brake pedal and pull it up and if the light goes out it must be the switch.

John

Hi John, not currently suffering with the ESP light. Handy tip for if it does though mate.

[Alex_225]

Well not much to do in the current climate other than fiddle with the car and clean it.

Now these may be a bit divisive on here but I quite fancied some of the projector puddle lights so thought for what they cost I'd give them a go. Nothing too 'pimping' but for £12 a pair worth a go.

Old ones at the top and new ones at the bottom. For the price and the fact they're from China they appear to be made extremely well.



Literally a two minute job each door to get them fitted and I actually rather like the result



so much so that I fitted some on the rear doors as well. Bit of a sharper image not begin on the gravel.



Now compared to my old E Class, the S doesn't appear to be having any issues with sitting still for a week or two at a time. My E, I would put on charge if it was sitting for longer than a week as it would give me an error about convenience features being switched off. This car doesn't but doesn't mean I want to risk a flat battery so installed the Ctek convenience plug.



I looked at installing in the boot as the E had it's main battery by the spare wheel. The S has it behind a panel right behind the rear seats. I couldn't quite see how that came off and for the sake of ease thought I'd fit it up front. I'll figure out the logistics of the lead draping over the side of the car but should do the trick.

[Alex_225]

bolidemichael said:

My view is that the lights are so, so naff! But it's your lovely stinky diesel and I respect that

Funnily enough, the CTEK convenience chargers are featured on the latest Harry's Garage video.

Erm, well yeah thanks for that! lol

[Alex_225]

So I've had a fun 4-5 weeks with the S Class. I drove it properly for the first time since lock down and it went into limp mode. Plugged in my diagnostic machine and it gave me an error regarding the transmission control module as in the well known conductor plate issue of the 7G gearbox. Joy!

I booked it in with my local Mercedes specialist following a conversation had with the dealership I bought from. It actually turns out that the EGR valve was the cause of limp mode and had to be replaced (£500) and was done so under warranty.

Next came the conductor plate. Essentially this was throwing up an error but not showing any symptoms, the main two being stuck in park or only staying in 2nd gear but nonetheless the error was there. So after coming to an agreement with the garage, that was also replaced!

So with the car mechanically fit (I hope), I also had the wheels refurbished. They were a costly option and some cheapskate had just painted them silver. The OEM finish is silver with a diamond cut face. I have had them powder coated a genuine Mercedes light anthracite with a diamond cut. Now I'm mindful of diamond cut wheels as they don't seem to last. I discussed this with the wheel repairer and they explained that they actually use acrylic lacquer which is basically powder coating as well so last a lot longer.

I'll shut up now but overall really pleased with the look now.











The anthracite has a great metallic fleck in it and I like the contrast it gives. Still subtle and OEM but different.

[Alex_225]

Trustmeimadoctor said:

Well my prediction of gearbox has come true its a shame

Sorted now though so all good.

[Alex_225]

bolidemichael said:

Well, to paraphrase Tony the Tiger, the wheels look GGG-reat! Which company did you use?

Your comments on the lacquer are interesting. My summer set of alloys are diamond cut and the lacquer has tarnished at the aperture for the bolt-holes. As a consequence, the metal underneath has reacted and caused some milky spots to appear, which isn't ideal. I'll have to get them done again, but will probe 'Spit n' Polish' before I do so.

Thanks mate, I'm ridiculously pleased with them.

I'm intrigued how well the lacquer lasts. I'm completely aware of how the finish on normal diamond cut wheels lasts, as in it just doesn't seem to. One chip and the moisture gets in and it starts to lift.

Speaking with one of the main chaps at the place I used, he actually took me through to show me some of the process. He referred to 'wet lacquer' which is standard lacquer to go on paint. He said (as we know) that it just doesn't adhere properly to bare metal, it will look nice for a while but eventually tarnish and isn't suitable. What they use is 'dry lacquer' which is acrylic lacquer that goes on as powder and is then baked. Apparently as strong as normal powder coating and should last. Time will tell of course but I'm hoping that with looking after them and cleaning them properly they should last me.

Trustmeimadoctor said:

im glad you got it under warranty try and get every other common issue triggered and fixed. Still a lovely looking car

That was kind of my views on it as well. The issues I've had are all relatively common faults and on a car that's low mileage for it's year these will inevitably raise their heads.

[Alex_225]

Trustmeimadoctor said:

yes im bitter as mines had everything but i had to pay to fix them ;(

But they are awesome cars so hopefully worth it.

Funny thing is that I went to pick up my eldest daughter in my other half's CLS350 CDI. Same engine but the car is that bit more sporty. Now I've always consider the CLS to be a great cruiser and one you can really do some long drives in. Yet compared to the S, it felt too harsh not because it is but because the S is so refined. Even now it surprises me as to what a relaxing drive it is.

[Alex_225]

aaron_2000 said:

I ended up buying back my old W220 for £850, couldn't ask for a better daily driver

For £850 you can't get much more car than an S Class for the money! Good times.

[Alex_225]

One of the handy things of working from home is having 3 hours of my day back from no commute. Decided to give the S Class a clean now it's got it's newly refurbished wheels fitted.

Gave the car a rinse and citrus pre-wash as usual and washed. I finished off with another layer of Meguiars Hybrid Ceramic. I'm still going on about this stuff as it's impressed me more than other products, even other spay on rinse off sealants. I've heard the term 'self cleaning' with coatings and waxes but I can honestly say that seems to apply to the finish this leaves behind. Other half's car has this applied, covered in bird sh*t, heavy rain washed it all off.



Gave the interior a wipe down. This Chemical Guys Inner Clean claims to have UV protection built in it but I like the matt finish and it smells nice!



Dr Leather cleaner for the seats, again just a cleaner, gentle and smells like leather.









Thought I'd try the liquid Meguiars Hybrid Ceramic Wax on my wheels. Means I can top up with the spray next time, let's see how it lasts.

[Alex_225]

JIMMYJ4ZZ said:

Looking fantastic.

Thanks. I'm really pleased with how it's looking now, certainly seems to be defying it's 12 years!

bolidemichael said:

With regards to the wheels, a detailer recommended CarPro Deluxe Sealant Kit.

Nice one, I'll have a look into that. I'll be aiming to have the wheels off the car again at some point to give the wheels a proper coating. Thanks.

[Alex_225]

aaron_2000 said:

What did you use on the tyres?

Just the Meguiars tyre gel, it's one of those products that just works and lasts so haven't deviated from it in years.

Only thing I would say is that I wouldn't ordinarily put it on so liberally if I was driving the car in the next few days as it will fling off the wheels a little. But the car isn't moving for two weeks now so will dry well. I have an old rag I'd wipe over the tyre with after to leave a more subtle finish and to remove any excess.

AMG01 said:

Hoping to use a polisher on my car for the first time and looking at a Ceramic finish, Car Pro Quartz Lite, but Meguiars Hybrid Ceramic is cheaper, what do you think of it? Whats the bedding like? Did you put a detailer on top of it when finished. New to this so getting confused on how it works

I wouldn't class this as a completely ceramic solution, I guess that term is a bit like 100% carnauba was ten years ago. Every product is supposedly ceramic in one sense or another.

So with this product, I use it to top up the sealant I have on the car already. So I polished the car (by hand for now) and applied two coats of Britemax Extreme Elements which is a sealant that should last 6-12 months. I've then used the Meguiars Hybrid Ceramic wax to top that up and so far it's done an excellent job.

To apply it you wash and rinse the car, then whilst it's wet you spray it on and for the first coat you just dry the car. That spreads the product and leaves a base coat. After that you can simply spray on a wet car after washing and rinse to top up, although I think the spray and dry method is better. I have used it as a standalone product on another car and it works well. The liquid version I used on my wheels I would imagine works best on it's own and then top up with the spray.

It's not to be confused with proper ceramic coatings which when applied properly will last years and years but for a nice easy top up it's excellent and leaves a nice slick feel to the paint. Beading is really good too...



Hope that helps mate.

[Alex_225]

AMG01 said:

It does thanks, alloys also getting refurbished next week and may add cermaic wax to them, your car looks amazing btw.

It's meant to last really well and let's face it, in the summer there's less nasty stuff on the road compared to the winter so should see them through no problem.

Thanks for the complement mate, it's certainly now how I would want it. Bodywork is nice, interior looks pretty spotless and the wheels are doing the car justice now.

Next on the list will probably be the steering wheel as the top has worn, clearly a few years of someone driving with their hand at the top of the wheel. Also a re-map will make a huge difference. My previous E320 was mapped and it felt so much better. The S320 is slower despite more torque and comparable power but it's obviously more heavy. A bump up to 280bhp and 470lbs-ft will make all the difference.

[Alex_225]

Mezzanine said:

Fantastic looking barge.

It’s threads like this that can lead a man to troubled lands

Thank you mate.

Haha it's a compelling argument for buying cars like this. On one hand, I expect it to be costly to maintain fortunately I have had a handful of known issues resolved under the warranty but even things like tyres and brake discs won't be cheap.

On the flip side, even if I'd paid for the repairs myself I've got say a £10k car which offers everything it did when it was £65k. My experience of big Mercs is that they wear their miles well. Even at 142k my old E Class looked good and drove brilliantly. I'm hoping this will give me a good few years of extremely comfortable service haha

[Alex_225]

Well working from home certainly has it's perks, in that I can go and get the car re-mapped in my lunch break!

Since buying the car the only thing lacking about the driving experience is the power. It's far from slow, it has 234bhp and 398lbs-ft as standard but my previous E320 was re-mapped and had slightly more power and torque but was a lighter car.

So I booked in with a local mapper who I used before. He knows his stuff and uses Quantum re-maps, laptop plugged in and original map modified. The claimed figures are 283bhp and 476lbs-ft which is comparable torque to my CLS63!



I did over 20k on the last map I had from them, it really transformed my E Class. I've only done a short drive in the S since it's done but it pulls significantly better, in gear is quite something. Next is to see how well the fuel economy is on a long run!

[Alex_225]

Just a quick clean up of the car today and a once over with some more Meguiars Hybrid Ceramic, still loving that stuff! :thumb:







Was trying to catch the metallic in the finish of the wheels, comes out really nicely in the sunshine!



Quick vacuum and wipe down in here.



And the same under the bonnet.

[Alex_225]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

No problem, I had them done by a place called Premier Wheels based in Surrey.

I did speak to another place who I'd used before but they still weren't sure on lacquer on bare metal. This acrylic lacquer is meant to last but certainly the finish is spot on!

[Alex_225]

J4CKO said:

Your cars always look better than they did when they left the factory, I thought I was a bit fussy !

Thanks mate, I'm not sure it's quite factory fresh but I'll definitely try my best to get it as close to that as possible.

I'm contemplating having the same guy out to repaint the back seats as did the fronts. They're not particularly worn but it would be nice to see them as good as when they left the factory.

[Alex_225]

thecremeegg said:

Car looks great, and thanks for introducing me to Volbeat, they're amazing!

Thank you and glad to be of service! I stumbled across them about ten years ago and they've just gone from strength to strength. Even managed to get my other half listening to them and she's no metal fan!

[Alex_225]

So I had the last piece of the OCD puzzle is now complete!

Since having my front seats and arm reset repainted, the rest of the leather despite actually looking really good, I wanted to look like new. Also, it seems that despite it's relatively modest 69k one previous owner liked hold the top of the wheel and in turn it was annoyingly worn.

So I contacted the chap I had the previous work and he had a slot today to come and do some leather repainting. First up was the steering wheel, lost of masking...



That has come up really nicely. Not as much texture as you would get on the original as it has to be filled slightly to level out the worn parts but the finish is spot on.

With the rears, we discussed it and his advice was not to bother with the vertical part of the seats. He said they were in excellent condition so I just had the bench done. This has some general wear and tear but not much. Now looks like this.







These are the fronts he did about 3 months ago now.





So basically that's everything cosmetic I wanted done, it's all been fully serviced and now re-mapped. Time to enjoy (more than I have already!).