S Class - Dad Tank II
Discussion
Back in 2016 I bought an E320 for picking up/dropping off my eldest daughter, it's a 250 miles round trip that I do four times a month. It's been a fantastic car and ability to 'waft' has become a pretty top criteria for a daily car.
So after nearly 4 years and over 40,000 miles it was time to look for something else and settled on an S Class so went on the hunt for one.
I'd considered the S350 CDI but the 320 models have pretty much the same engine and I'm quite partial to the tail lights on the pre-facelift, also give or take the same engine. So here is my newly acquired S320. It has a 230bhp/420lbs-ft 3.0 V6 diesel engine and 66k on the clock. I didn't have much of a list of extras as these are nicely spec'd as standard but I did want the memory seat package and preferably optional wheels, anything else was a plus. This has the memory seats, optional 19" AMG wheels and a sunroof, £5k on top of the original £60k price tag.
First stop after picking up was the local Shell for £120 worth of V-Power diesel.
I haven't cleaned the car on the outside yet but will give it a decent hand polish and protection for now. Proper detail in the spring.
I did manage to get to work on the interior which is just lovely. Cleaned all the plastics with Chemical Guys Inner Clean, good stuff if you're on the look out for an interior detailer. Gave the plastics a shine up with Autoglym Rubber & Vinyl Care.
I gave the leather a clean with Dr Leather spray and the driver seat bolsters some Gliptone Liquid Leather Conditioner.
I believe the 'leather' is actually Artico so artificial but noticeably softer than that in my E Class. In fact all of the seats are just softer and comfier but in turn the leather is stretched more, comes up nice though.
The Commmand system is pretty cool. Oddly you can turn that screen towards the driver, centre it or towards the passenger. A lot of engineering for not much purpose but hey why not.
No need for a gear stick. This has taken some getting used to!
Managed to get under the bonnet to give the engine bay a clean up too.
So for £7,500 that's quite a lot of car.
I have a few other plans for it, new mats going in today, de-badge the boot and give it a proper once over. I'll be getting the wheels refurbished in the long run. I will also have it re-mapped once I'm confident it's mechanically sound. That will take the power up to 280bhp but 480lbs-ft of torque so about the same as my CLS63.
So after nearly 4 years and over 40,000 miles it was time to look for something else and settled on an S Class so went on the hunt for one.
I'd considered the S350 CDI but the 320 models have pretty much the same engine and I'm quite partial to the tail lights on the pre-facelift, also give or take the same engine. So here is my newly acquired S320. It has a 230bhp/420lbs-ft 3.0 V6 diesel engine and 66k on the clock. I didn't have much of a list of extras as these are nicely spec'd as standard but I did want the memory seat package and preferably optional wheels, anything else was a plus. This has the memory seats, optional 19" AMG wheels and a sunroof, £5k on top of the original £60k price tag.
First stop after picking up was the local Shell for £120 worth of V-Power diesel.
I haven't cleaned the car on the outside yet but will give it a decent hand polish and protection for now. Proper detail in the spring.
I did manage to get to work on the interior which is just lovely. Cleaned all the plastics with Chemical Guys Inner Clean, good stuff if you're on the look out for an interior detailer. Gave the plastics a shine up with Autoglym Rubber & Vinyl Care.
I gave the leather a clean with Dr Leather spray and the driver seat bolsters some Gliptone Liquid Leather Conditioner.
I believe the 'leather' is actually Artico so artificial but noticeably softer than that in my E Class. In fact all of the seats are just softer and comfier but in turn the leather is stretched more, comes up nice though.
The Commmand system is pretty cool. Oddly you can turn that screen towards the driver, centre it or towards the passenger. A lot of engineering for not much purpose but hey why not.
No need for a gear stick. This has taken some getting used to!
Managed to get under the bonnet to give the engine bay a clean up too.
So for £7,500 that's quite a lot of car.
I have a few other plans for it, new mats going in today, de-badge the boot and give it a proper once over. I'll be getting the wheels refurbished in the long run. I will also have it re-mapped once I'm confident it's mechanically sound. That will take the power up to 280bhp but 480lbs-ft of torque so about the same as my CLS63.
Thanks for all the kind words, it's certainly in good condition and more so now I've had a chance to give it a once over looks even better.
I gave the outside a proper going over, nothing too heavy going as the weather was a bit unpredictable but started with giving the wheels a de-iron with Autoglym Magma.
No too bad considering.
I then gave the outside a proper wash. Hit it with Citrus Pre-Wash to begin with, rinsed and then washed with Dodo Juice Basics of Bling shampoo and the usual two buckets. Went over the car with Autoglym Super Resin Polish, it's old school but always does the trick. Then a coat of Britemax Extreme Elements sealant which should keep it protected until the spring.
Looking round the bodywork more closely, it's really very good for it's age. There's a weird little touch up on the rear bumper but nothing I'd worry about and what was probably a stone chip touched in on the front bumper. That's really it.
I also fitted the rubber mats which I'd ordered, not the most glamorous but perfect for day to day use and really hard wearing.
Gave the windows some glass treatment as well, this stuff is an excellent rain repellent.
It's only a really small one but couldn't resist the obligatory sticket.
There is one niggle which I need to get the garage to sort out. It's come up with an error that the ABS and ESP were unavailable twice but it has gone off. Hopefully nothing major but not worried about that as the garage will sort assuming it doesn't stay off.
I gave the outside a proper going over, nothing too heavy going as the weather was a bit unpredictable but started with giving the wheels a de-iron with Autoglym Magma.
No too bad considering.
I then gave the outside a proper wash. Hit it with Citrus Pre-Wash to begin with, rinsed and then washed with Dodo Juice Basics of Bling shampoo and the usual two buckets. Went over the car with Autoglym Super Resin Polish, it's old school but always does the trick. Then a coat of Britemax Extreme Elements sealant which should keep it protected until the spring.
Looking round the bodywork more closely, it's really very good for it's age. There's a weird little touch up on the rear bumper but nothing I'd worry about and what was probably a stone chip touched in on the front bumper. That's really it.
I also fitted the rubber mats which I'd ordered, not the most glamorous but perfect for day to day use and really hard wearing.
Gave the windows some glass treatment as well, this stuff is an excellent rain repellent.
It's only a really small one but couldn't resist the obligatory sticket.
There is one niggle which I need to get the garage to sort out. It's come up with an error that the ABS and ESP were unavailable twice but it has gone off. Hopefully nothing major but not worried about that as the garage will sort assuming it doesn't stay off.
I had thought the same about the suspension and did wonder if it had been lowered. It rises up fine and it rides perfectly. Also both sides sit exactly the same so I'm not convinced it's a leaking air bag.
0a said:
That looks very smart. I am considering a petrol engined one of these for my next car (and at similar money).
How do you find the drove? Ie ride quality, noise suppression etc? I guess they are pretty good!
Extremely good. I've come from a W211 E320 which I always thought was comfortable and quiet but this is a different league. My other half has a 2009 CLS and this still beats that hands down for comfort and that's far from a bad car for a long drive. How do you find the drove? Ie ride quality, noise suppression etc? I guess they are pretty good!
Thanks guys, I certainly didn't go into buying with the expectations of it being hugely cheap to run but fingers crossed it's not stupidly expensive.
The idea of the car is that it's purely for my trips up and down from Surrey to Bristol and back, not exactly strenuous but you never can tell. My E320 was excellent for this but always felt it could be that little more comfortable, which this S certainly seems to be.
The idea of the car is that it's purely for my trips up and down from Surrey to Bristol and back, not exactly strenuous but you never can tell. My E320 was excellent for this but always felt it could be that little more comfortable, which this S certainly seems to be.
Thanks guys. It really is a lovely car and a stupid amount of car for that price. I know they're not cheap to run but hopefully this one isn't a t
t to me haha
Thing is the early W211 E Class was meant to be unreliable and problematic with the electrics. 42,000 mostly trouble free miles in that. Luck of the draw maybe.
I'm still considering warranties for it though.
t to me hahaThing is the early W211 E Class was meant to be unreliable and problematic with the electrics. 42,000 mostly trouble free miles in that. Luck of the draw maybe.
I'm still considering warranties for it though.
Couple of little things with the S today.The weather believe it or not was clear until about midday so got to clean the car.
Numberplate recess cleaned, polished, sealed before fitting the new plate holder and plate.
Annoyingly neither the OEM mats of these ones have a heel plate cover so I ordered this off eBay. Same as I fitted in my E Class. Nicely made for under £10!
Despite the cloudy weather it stayed clear so I got to wash the car and apply a layer of this stuff. It's Meguiars Hybrid Wax which you spray on a rinsed by wet car. On first application you just dry as normal then apply wet and rinse on subsequent coats.
There's still a few cosmetic things I'd like to get done but for now I'm pleased with how the car comes up.
I have a list in mind I'd like to get done to the car in the coming months, next up will be a full service. It was serviced about 6-7 months ago but I want it done so I know it's 100% and I'll ensure it's using Mercedes oil.
Oh and I'll de-badge the bootlid at some point when I have more time to polish it up and re-seal.
Numberplate recess cleaned, polished, sealed before fitting the new plate holder and plate.
Annoyingly neither the OEM mats of these ones have a heel plate cover so I ordered this off eBay. Same as I fitted in my E Class. Nicely made for under £10!
Despite the cloudy weather it stayed clear so I got to wash the car and apply a layer of this stuff. It's Meguiars Hybrid Wax which you spray on a rinsed by wet car. On first application you just dry as normal then apply wet and rinse on subsequent coats.
There's still a few cosmetic things I'd like to get done but for now I'm pleased with how the car comes up.
I have a list in mind I'd like to get done to the car in the coming months, next up will be a full service. It was serviced about 6-7 months ago but I want it done so I know it's 100% and I'll ensure it's using Mercedes oil.
Oh and I'll de-badge the bootlid at some point when I have more time to polish it up and re-seal.
AndrewCrown said:
Hope you don’t mind an honest opinion...but that rear plate spoils it a little...tbh I quite like the raised lettering...very popular in Hong Kong...and there a lot of S’s there and it looks good..I’d lose the surround and reduce the size of the plate.. I’ll try and dig out a photo for you on that look.
Agree the pre face lift rear lights are better...
These are amazing cars and without question I would have another.....
Always open to an opinion mate so don't worry on that. Intrigued by the smaller plate. I rather like the surround and plate. The 3D plates are fairly subtle as you only notice the lettering from an angle otherwise it's just standard. I'll de-badge the tail gate soon enough. Agree the pre face lift rear lights are better...
These are amazing cars and without question I would have another.....
Definitely like the tail lights, were always a favourite and added real character to the car. Shame they got rid of the style on the next models.
Good to hear you'd have another. My W211 has been superb for what I've needed it for so the S has some big shoes to fill.
AlonzoHarris said:
Lovely car op. I think Mercedes really named the styling on their entire ranges of cars in this area. The C, E, S and M Classes from this generation all look better than their replacements to me.
I mean I'm a little biased as I still have a W211 to sell, I also have a 2007 CLS63 and the other half has a 2009 CLS350. Kinda leaning heavily towards this era of Mercs. I really like the current E/C Class estate models, I'm also rather partial the brand new CLA where the previous one was hideous! Well my E320 sold the other weekend to a nice chap and his partner. Sad to see it go but it was an excellent car and I certainly got my money's worth. Other than servicing the car cost me £2700 in depreciation over nearly four years, couple of minor wear and tear items to fix on it but overall an excellent 43,000 miles of service!
Back onto the S Class now. I had suspected it had a slow air leak as the rear of the car would sit very low overnight. Contacted the dealer I bought from and they advised me to book it in with someone local for investigation and they'd pay. I used DDR in Surrey who are a Merc specialist who diagnosed the issue as a leaking valve luckily so a minor issue and all sorted. Whilst it as with them I had the gearbox serviced and I had my usual mobile mechanic give it a major service so mechanically we're all set.
Annoyingly whoever bought it new didn't opt for Xenon headlights and the bulbs fitted were a bit rubbish. Opted for a set of Osram Night Breaker Laser bulbs.
Hard to tell from the photo but definitely a worthwhile update. Not as white as Xenons but a huge improvement in brightness.
Next up was debadging the rear of the car. I'm not a fan of badges on the back of Mercs. My E320 looked much cleaner without badges and unless usually the badges don't really do much for the look of the car. Unless it's a genuine AMG in which case it's worth it haha.
So a gentle heat with a heat gun meant I was able to lift the badges off by hand. Warmed the glue underneath to remove the remnants, Autoglym tar remover and a light polish/seal to finish.
Much tidier.
This is where the OCD number plate kicks in. For some reason on the seats and arm rest there were tiny spots of what I assume was white paint. You'd hardly notice them unless they were pointed out but finding it really really annoying and couldn't shift them.
I was geared up to get a specialist to look at them and in the end booked in a local leather repairer. I decided to go full out and have both from seats re-painted. We discussed the finish I wanted and agreed I'd like them to look as close to factory as possible but whilst blending in with the rears.
Really interesting process and a hell of a lot of effort involved as the seats are technically sprayed and lacquered. It also turns out it is genuine leather where I'd been assuming it was artico! The seats have some creases in which is to be expected for a 12 year old car but look fantastic and I'm very pleased.
Side bolsters all look like this now
To be fair the leather wasn't in bad shape anyway but now it looks as close to new as you'd get.
That'll be it for the time being, next up will be a wheel refurb and remap.
Back onto the S Class now. I had suspected it had a slow air leak as the rear of the car would sit very low overnight. Contacted the dealer I bought from and they advised me to book it in with someone local for investigation and they'd pay. I used DDR in Surrey who are a Merc specialist who diagnosed the issue as a leaking valve luckily so a minor issue and all sorted. Whilst it as with them I had the gearbox serviced and I had my usual mobile mechanic give it a major service so mechanically we're all set.
Annoyingly whoever bought it new didn't opt for Xenon headlights and the bulbs fitted were a bit rubbish. Opted for a set of Osram Night Breaker Laser bulbs.
Hard to tell from the photo but definitely a worthwhile update. Not as white as Xenons but a huge improvement in brightness.
Next up was debadging the rear of the car. I'm not a fan of badges on the back of Mercs. My E320 looked much cleaner without badges and unless usually the badges don't really do much for the look of the car. Unless it's a genuine AMG in which case it's worth it haha.
So a gentle heat with a heat gun meant I was able to lift the badges off by hand. Warmed the glue underneath to remove the remnants, Autoglym tar remover and a light polish/seal to finish.
Much tidier.
This is where the OCD number plate kicks in. For some reason on the seats and arm rest there were tiny spots of what I assume was white paint. You'd hardly notice them unless they were pointed out but finding it really really annoying and couldn't shift them.
I was geared up to get a specialist to look at them and in the end booked in a local leather repairer. I decided to go full out and have both from seats re-painted. We discussed the finish I wanted and agreed I'd like them to look as close to factory as possible but whilst blending in with the rears.
Really interesting process and a hell of a lot of effort involved as the seats are technically sprayed and lacquered. It also turns out it is genuine leather where I'd been assuming it was artico! The seats have some creases in which is to be expected for a 12 year old car but look fantastic and I'm very pleased.
Side bolsters all look like this now
To be fair the leather wasn't in bad shape anyway but now it looks as close to new as you'd get.
That'll be it for the time being, next up will be a wheel refurb and remap.
Must admit there's something far more gangster about the W220 S Class, they still look really smart when they're mint! I've not travelled in one though but suspect they're stupidly comfortable too.
Bit of sunshine today and having been stuck indoors working from home, thought I'd spend a few hours outside. As you all probably know, I like a clean car.
Standard pre-wash with PH Neutral Citrus pre-wash and rinse. Washed with the usual two buckets, microfibre mitt and Dodo Juice Basics of Bling Shampoo. The car has a layer of Britemax Extreme Elements Sealant topped up with two coats of Meguiars Hybrid Ceramic Wax. I'm quite taken with that product, seems to leave a lovely finish and great beading even on an unwashed car.
The car was then dried with microfibre towels and tyres given a shine with Meguiars tyre gel.
Interior received a vacuum and a wipe down with Meguiars Interior Detailer. Found a bottle lucking in the back of the cupboard. Leaves a decent matt finish which is ideal for the S as there's very few plastics so you don't want everything shiny.
Gave the rear seats a clean with some Dr Leather spray too. Very good stuff that as even on leather that appears clean it removes dirt and leaves a nice finish. Still love the centre arm rests in the Mercs.
Engine bay was given a quick once over to keep it tidy.
I also attacked my other halfs CLS350 which hadn't been cleaned in a long time. Stupidly didn't get many pics. Although I did have a little helper come and soak me with the hose!!
Couple of moody photos tweaked using an app I downloaded recently.
Now for a pint and a curry, indoors obviously!! haha
Bit of sunshine today and having been stuck indoors working from home, thought I'd spend a few hours outside. As you all probably know, I like a clean car.
Standard pre-wash with PH Neutral Citrus pre-wash and rinse. Washed with the usual two buckets, microfibre mitt and Dodo Juice Basics of Bling Shampoo. The car has a layer of Britemax Extreme Elements Sealant topped up with two coats of Meguiars Hybrid Ceramic Wax. I'm quite taken with that product, seems to leave a lovely finish and great beading even on an unwashed car.
The car was then dried with microfibre towels and tyres given a shine with Meguiars tyre gel.
Interior received a vacuum and a wipe down with Meguiars Interior Detailer. Found a bottle lucking in the back of the cupboard. Leaves a decent matt finish which is ideal for the S as there's very few plastics so you don't want everything shiny.
Gave the rear seats a clean with some Dr Leather spray too. Very good stuff that as even on leather that appears clean it removes dirt and leaves a nice finish. Still love the centre arm rests in the Mercs.
Engine bay was given a quick once over to keep it tidy.
I also attacked my other halfs CLS350 which hadn't been cleaned in a long time. Stupidly didn't get many pics. Although I did have a little helper come and soak me with the hose!!
Couple of moody photos tweaked using an app I downloaded recently.
Now for a pint and a curry, indoors obviously!! haha
swiveleyedgit said:
I wish you would stop posting up pictures of your lovely cars Alex, it's a reminder of how filthy mine is!
Oh, I like W220s, having one myself.
It's not been the easiest time of the year for keeping cars clean, looks like we're getting a few more dry days so no excuses now haha. Oh, I like W220s, having one myself.
bolidemichael said:
Good effort on a detailing! I'm a massive fan of Bilt Hamber products myself, in the main.
Yeah I've used a couple of their products and really liked them, always a brand I forget for some reason but always decent. I've tended to use a variety of brands over the years. I've always had a few go to products from Autoglym and Meguiars but then mix it up with Dodo Juice, Chemical Guys, Poorboys, Collinite, Britemax, Menzerna, Gyeon...just so many worthwhile brands out there. I like trying all sorts. I'll be eyeing up more Bilt Hamber stuff now.
andyroo said:
The leather respray came out very well... would you mind letting me know the ballpark cost please?
Cost me £370 in total, which included both front seats, the two parts of the central arm rest and the driver side arm rest on the door card. I'd imagine for a whole interior you'd be looking at £600-700. Not a small sum but for an interior that looks like brand new on the right car very much worth it. andyroo said:
Cripes, that’s not very much to pay to get a brand new-looking interior. I thought it was going to be way more. Thanks for sharing!
Compared to buying new seats entirely then yes it's a bit of a steal. I'd imagine to re-paint everything it would be an entire day's work as there's a lot of masking and prep that they do first. This was two people working on mine and probably a good 4-5 hours. As the chap pointed out, rear seats often don't get half as much wear as the fronts so he matched the front finish to fit in with the rear.
andyroo said:
Thing is, this gives a whole new consideration to cars whose interiors I would have previously deemed to tired and shiny. If the leather can refinished for not too much then it opens up the search wider!
Funnily enough this is kind of what my E320 taught me. I bought that as a daily car and long distance car. I do 1,000 miles a month picking up and dropping off my daughter. It had 100k on the clock when I bought it but was in really good condition. I had it nearly 4 years and it looked I'd say 95% mint even with another 40k on the clock. Interior looked tidy, exterior had been given plenty of TLC too. I ended up really looking after that car but also of the mindset that a reasonable condition motor with the right treatment can look pretty close to new. So with my S the bodywork is really good, the interior was good but it's not even better. 12 years old or not, I intend for the condition to not show it at least.
J4CKO said:
I redid my 944 seats with a kit from Furtniture Clinic and got a really good result for about £60, not including the £250 on a compressor as the aerosol cans it comes with are crap.
Nice one. At least you have the compressor for any other tasks. I'm not sure I'd trust myself but I understand these jobs can be done by hand, I'm not sure I have the skill or the patience haha
Not been doing much with the car as it's not moved due to the lock down, as I'm sure many cars on here haven't. I did managed to fit these new puddle lights. May be a bit divisive but I quite like them and for £12 off eBay worth a shot.
Old above and new below.
Slightly wobbly image due to the gravel but work really well. I'm rather pleased.
Gave the car a clean yesterday and applied another coating of this - Meguiars Hybrid Ceramic Wax. The car has two layers of sealant applied (Britemax Extreme Elements) anyway but can't hurt to top up. For those who haven't used it before, you wash and rinse the car, then for the initial application spray all over and just dry the car as normal.
For the next application you simply spray on a washed and rinsed car
Then hit it with water, preferably a pressure washer and it applies a top up coating.
Leaves you with some really good beading. Not sure on the longevity of each layer but I'm impressed. I've tried a few other sealants that you apply in the same way, other than Gyeon Wetcoat this is my favourite so far.
Bit of a minor thing but decided to give the fuel filler cap a clean up as well.
All about the little details right! haha
Old above and new below.
Slightly wobbly image due to the gravel but work really well. I'm rather pleased.
Gave the car a clean yesterday and applied another coating of this - Meguiars Hybrid Ceramic Wax. The car has two layers of sealant applied (Britemax Extreme Elements) anyway but can't hurt to top up. For those who haven't used it before, you wash and rinse the car, then for the initial application spray all over and just dry the car as normal.
For the next application you simply spray on a washed and rinsed car
Then hit it with water, preferably a pressure washer and it applies a top up coating.
Leaves you with some really good beading. Not sure on the longevity of each layer but I'm impressed. I've tried a few other sealants that you apply in the same way, other than Gyeon Wetcoat this is my favourite so far.
Bit of a minor thing but decided to give the fuel filler cap a clean up as well.
All about the little details right! haha
andyroo said:
Between this information about repainting seats and all the detailing info I’ve seen on line, it seems entirely possible to restore even a fairly tired car to a pretty high standard for not too much money. Obviously I’d prefer a car that’s been looked after, but at least it’s still possible to reverse most of the inevitable signifiers of age. i mean, your S looks like it could be a year old with 20k miles on it, so result!
Yeah I know what you mean. Frustratingly the interior on this car wasn't really tired, I suppose 66k on one of these isn't significant. Annoyingly though someone had managed to get paint on the leather. No way of getting it off without stripping the leather anyway. Probably a bit overkill as most people wouldn't notice but it's nice to have nearly new looking seats. Hot1 said:
Great looking car, and I really like the effort you go to in keeping it looking so clean. Do you do all your polishing by hand or do you use a machine?
Thank you. So far with this car I have just polished and protected by hand. I'll look to do a full detail one the weather improves with a full decontamination, clay, polish by DA and protection. J4CKO said:
Its not that hard, perhaps worth getting a scrap seat and having a practice,
That's not a bad shout, if you can get an old scrap seat worth experimenting to see if you can get it mint! gmaz said:
Gorgeous car
As you have mentioned remapping and Bristol, I can recommend Avon Tuning who did my C220d from 172bhp to 210bhp, but amazingly I can get 80mpg driving very carefully e.g. long motorway run at 60-65mph.
Not sure they could get yours to 290bhp though?
https://www.avontuning.co.uk/tuning/mercedes/s-w22...
Thank you mate, I live in Surrey but take regular trips down to Bristol so I'll definitely keep them in mind. As you have mentioned remapping and Bristol, I can recommend Avon Tuning who did my C220d from 172bhp to 210bhp, but amazingly I can get 80mpg driving very carefully e.g. long motorway run at 60-65mph.
Not sure they could get yours to 290bhp though?
https://www.avontuning.co.uk/tuning/mercedes/s-w22...
I've seen 280bhp as a fairly common power output after a re-map. I mean technically it's the same 3.0 V6 Mercedes have used in various vehicles and different outputs.
To be fair to the car, the car shifts surprisingly well as has just shy of 400lbs-ft of torque. Once mapped the torque figures are comparable to the 6.2 V8 in my CLS! Good times haha
I have had a major service and gearbox service carried out just prior to the lock down, a completely clean MOT as well so hopefully in a good place for a re-map later in the year.
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