S Class - Dad Tank II
Discussion
Few little updates on the S Class. Got a nice error indicating that my left brake light was out. Did a check with the help of the other half and yep, the left one had gone.
Looked on all the usual sites, no joy on finding a bulb. Turns out it's a row of LEDs and not generic part. Spoke to my local specialist who had a look, initially determined it was the light cluster thinking it was integrated. £140 just for the part.
Turns out it was the wrong part and the LEDs can be replaced separately. Still £40 for what is technically a bulb isn't cheap but £100 less than I anticipated.
I have also moved on from using MP3 DVDs and got myself a PCMCIA adapter off the world of eBay. Not convinced it's genuine but it reads SD cards no problem!
Also managed to sort the time on the clock. It's a known issue with these that the clock doesn't update no matter what you change it to on the Command system.
There's a trick to it. Leave the car overnight, get in and set the clock within the first 60 seconds and it changes and stays. Really weird but you basically have to beat it to picking up the GPS!
Gave the car a bit of a clean today, nothing heavy just a standard wash and topped up the Megs Hybrid Ceramic that's on the car. Hadn't been cleaned in 6 weeks!
Quick once over on the interior.
Sealed the glass too as I suspect I'll be driving in the rain more now we're in Autumn!
Next on the cards will be the glow plugs. The little coil light is staying on that bit longer and has come on whilst on a drive a couple of times now. Car starts no problem but I'll get the plugs checked. Funny thing is that the car has just hit 71k and my other half's CLS350 (same engine) needed glow plugs done at almost exactly the same miles.
Looked on all the usual sites, no joy on finding a bulb. Turns out it's a row of LEDs and not generic part. Spoke to my local specialist who had a look, initially determined it was the light cluster thinking it was integrated. £140 just for the part.
Turns out it was the wrong part and the LEDs can be replaced separately. Still £40 for what is technically a bulb isn't cheap but £100 less than I anticipated.
I have also moved on from using MP3 DVDs and got myself a PCMCIA adapter off the world of eBay. Not convinced it's genuine but it reads SD cards no problem!
Also managed to sort the time on the clock. It's a known issue with these that the clock doesn't update no matter what you change it to on the Command system.
There's a trick to it. Leave the car overnight, get in and set the clock within the first 60 seconds and it changes and stays. Really weird but you basically have to beat it to picking up the GPS!
Gave the car a bit of a clean today, nothing heavy just a standard wash and topped up the Megs Hybrid Ceramic that's on the car. Hadn't been cleaned in 6 weeks!
Quick once over on the interior.
Sealed the glass too as I suspect I'll be driving in the rain more now we're in Autumn!
Next on the cards will be the glow plugs. The little coil light is staying on that bit longer and has come on whilst on a drive a couple of times now. Car starts no problem but I'll get the plugs checked. Funny thing is that the car has just hit 71k and my other half's CLS350 (same engine) needed glow plugs done at almost exactly the same miles.
tgr said:
Great work Alex!
Thank you mate. 
Hammerhead said:
That’s a handsome, very well pampered car, indeed!
Looks like it’d devour an epic trip through Europe without breaking a sweat.
Thanks mate. Yeah it's incredibly comfortable. I do regular 240 mile drives so that's why I bought it. I can imagine if you wanted to do a huge road trip, there's not much better out there. It even managed 41mpg on a run which I think is admirable. Looks like it’d devour an epic trip through Europe without breaking a sweat.
jwwbowe said:
Very nice, the leather refresh and colour makes it look brand new. That’s a lot of car for the money, good work.
Was on a late delayed flight home from Germany a few years ago and the airport taxi firm my work uses gave the job to a different private driver as it was so late. He turned up in one of these can’t remember if it was a 320 or a 350 though it was this generation S-Class. It had reclining rear seats and after the squeezy jet flight I had just got off of I was very happy about that, think I slept the journey back down the A3 to the south coast from Heathrow no trouble. Perfect mile muncher I would say, very fit for your intended purpose.
How do you think the Meguiars spray on hybrid wax compares to Autoglym HD wax application, worth a try?
Yeah I'm really pleased with the leather, has made such a difference making it look brand new. The rear wasn't overly worn but having that factory matt finish makes it look unused. Luckily the bodywork was in decent shape so a bit of detailing and it looks good. Was on a late delayed flight home from Germany a few years ago and the airport taxi firm my work uses gave the job to a different private driver as it was so late. He turned up in one of these can’t remember if it was a 320 or a 350 though it was this generation S-Class. It had reclining rear seats and after the squeezy jet flight I had just got off of I was very happy about that, think I slept the journey back down the A3 to the south coast from Heathrow no trouble. Perfect mile muncher I would say, very fit for your intended purpose.
How do you think the Meguiars spray on hybrid wax compares to Autoglym HD wax application, worth a try?
The long wheel base models had options of reclining rear seats and other bits for the passengers. I'm not surprised you were comfortable. Any faults aside, they nailed the comfort and refinement in these.
I really like the Meguiars Hybrid Ceramic Wax. I used the spray on one which once a base layer is applied, you can spray on and rinse to top up. I have a sealant underneath but I highly rate the Megs stuff. I've not used the AG HD wax but always heard good things about it. I think the Megs product can be used as a standalone protection but I like it for topping up regularly.
jwwbowe said:
Yep that matt finish is ace. Ah didn’t realise it was a LWB, though I imagine a SWB is plenty comfortable in the back to. I’m sure that 200mile regular journey of yours breezes by.
Thanks for that I’ll give the Megs hybrid spray a go then. I highly rate their snow foam, it’s a bit pricy but the best I’ve tried. I’ve just bought a old wagon that needs a bit of TLC (thread to follow) still have some AG HD wax that can be a base when I can spend some time on it, a spray top up would be very handy indeed though.
Yeah it's nice to have that factory look. So many of these balms and leather treatments just make it shinier. The Dr Leather spray is a good cleaner and keeps them looking original.Thanks for that I’ll give the Megs hybrid spray a go then. I highly rate their snow foam, it’s a bit pricy but the best I’ve tried. I’ve just bought a old wagon that needs a bit of TLC (thread to follow) still have some AG HD wax that can be a base when I can spend some time on it, a spray top up would be very handy indeed though.
Apparently and I was surprised by this but the LWB outsells the SWB models, goes to show how many are bought for people to be driven in rather than to drive themselves. I've not driven anyone in the back of the car yet, usually just me and my eldest and she sits up front. I'm 6'1 and I'd be able to sit behind my seat still so the LWB must be ideal. I think the biggest difference from the likes of an E Class is the size of the seats. The E or CLS hardly lacks room but the S has wider and deeper seats so you don't feel cramped even slightly.
Let me know how you get on with it. Apparently it will bond to the surface regardless of what's already applied so could make an ideal top up to the HD wax like you say.
The initial layer they suggest is sprayed onto a wet car and then you simply dry it, the process of drying should spread the product and then it can cure. The following layers can be sprayed on and rinsed straight off (much like Gyeon Wetcoat). I always use the initial process though as I'm drying the car anyway and by all accounts it lasts better that way.
The mats are more practicality over looks as they're not exactly luxurious. I have the original mats though which are clean and under the boot floor protector. They are nice thick carpet but if using the car in all weathers, I'm happy with the rubber mats for that sake.
Guess the plates are divisive although in the plastic, they're hard to spot as being much different to normal plates really.
Guess the plates are divisive although in the plastic, they're hard to spot as being much different to normal plates really.
bolidemichael said:
Do you use H2GO on the headlamp lenses?
Sorry completely forgot to respond to this question. I don't generally use the H2Go on the headlights mainly as they bead from whatever protection I use on the car anyway. Gave the car a last clean for 2020 so despite doing far less miles (around 6k) than I anticipated I'm looking forward to using it more this year.
Can't beat giving unnecessary parts of the car a clean.
I can honestly say I had no idea what a glow plug looked like, until I found the one that was replaced lurking in the engine bay. I always assumed they were like a spark plug but I can see how they snap now!
So in short, I'm still in love with the car. It's had it's niggles and as picked up by PH on FB, it's one of those cars that offers a hell of a lot for the money. A hell of a lot of car and potentially a hell of a lot of expensive repairs. I'd recommend one!
1Toomanycars said:
It's interesting you mention the glowplugs and the associated light as I bought a W220 back in the summer with exactly the same issue. It started absolutely fine but the light stayed on for an increasing amount of time as the temperature dropped.
After deciding earlier in the year to have all 6 replaced on our X5 as a matter of course @ circa 80k (because BMW) and our mechanic finding one wasn't actually working, I booked the S Class in too for replacement of all 6, and surprise surprise, one not functioning correctly. Been perfect ever since, although it's now off the road for winter.
Well worth doing whether you can do it yourself or have to pay someone. I paid less than £150 all in.
I'm very tempted by a W221 but would ideally like one with the AMG kit etc, although yours with just the wheels looks good and the prices at the moment are so low even for sub 100k ones, but alas our driveway can only fit four 5 metre long cars on it (or six normal sized cars) and all four spaces are currently occupied!
I started to notice that light coming on but I always assumed it would stay on longer and longer. This one was odd as it would go off fairly quickly then come on again even after an hour of driving. With my other half's CLS, with the same V6 diesel it did as yours did whereby the light stayed on longer and longer. We had all of hers replaced where as the specialist I used recommended just the one purely as it's not uncommon they snap so replace as required. Let's see how the others last anyway haha. After deciding earlier in the year to have all 6 replaced on our X5 as a matter of course @ circa 80k (because BMW) and our mechanic finding one wasn't actually working, I booked the S Class in too for replacement of all 6, and surprise surprise, one not functioning correctly. Been perfect ever since, although it's now off the road for winter.
Well worth doing whether you can do it yourself or have to pay someone. I paid less than £150 all in.
I'm very tempted by a W221 but would ideally like one with the AMG kit etc, although yours with just the wheels looks good and the prices at the moment are so low even for sub 100k ones, but alas our driveway can only fit four 5 metre long cars on it (or six normal sized cars) and all four spaces are currently occupied!
I must admit I do like the AMG kit on these and the S63 looks pretty mean. But at the same time I quite like the understated looks of something like the S600 which has the power but the exterior doesn't give it away. I like how with this particular era of the W221 there's no exhausts on show for example.
I'm sure you could find some space somewhere mate haha. We've just had a deposit put down on my partners CLS but replaced it with an ML which although a bit shorter isn't not exactly petite! That said I store a couple of cars in a specific car storage facility so keep them out the way.
Purchased a new dashcam just after Christmas so decided to fit that today. I know they're divisive on here, partly due to the reputation dashcammers have for instigating problems then playing the, 'I've got a dashcam' card. Morons. That said I had a dashcam in my old E Class, I used to leave it on when driving and forget about it. Nice to know I had an independent witness though and also managed to help someone else out as it captured an incident up ahead.
Anyway, I went for this a Nextbase 522GW. A marked improvement in build quality and features over my first one. Takes a 128gb memory card so up to 16 hours of recording, has GPS built in and also has a bluetooth connection so you can get the videos straight off the camera.
Simple job of piggy backing off one of the fuses, the only bit of exposed cable is round the A pillar.
Job done. Really pleased with it.
Anyway, I went for this a Nextbase 522GW. A marked improvement in build quality and features over my first one. Takes a 128gb memory card so up to 16 hours of recording, has GPS built in and also has a bluetooth connection so you can get the videos straight off the camera.
Simple job of piggy backing off one of the fuses, the only bit of exposed cable is round the A pillar.
Job done. Really pleased with it.
alec.e said:
Would you know the fuse that you tapped into? Embarrassingly, I am having a hard time finding a suitable switched power feed on my CL- the fuse taps stuck out too far for the cover to fit- which did you use?
Thanks
I don't know exactly what the fuse does but if you're looking at the side of that panel, it was the second from top fuse. Only thing is that it is live all the time so do have to be mindful of turning the camera off. That said, I had the same in my old E Class so I'm used to it. Thanks
Hope that helps mate.
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.
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!
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?
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!
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!
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.
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