Hope you all learnt something today about the 221 s class. Especially that the simplest of fault can cost a furtune to fix 😅 As always all the best to you all.
Another superb video. But I don’t think you accentuated the positive. If your customer spent £2-3,000 pa over 6/8 years with you keeping the car in good shape, he was running a super-luxury automobile with lower monthly costs than many leased tin boxes would have cost. You’re a gem - hope the business is going well.
Maintenance or depreciation, take your pick. Monetary value or intrinsic value. The older S classes may have low monetary value but have high intrinsic value for the owners.
I’ve owned my 07 S500L 5.5 loaded, for just over a year, purchased for £6k, spend to date £7228, in 12 months. The one point I would like to make, ABS/ESP are becoming a major issue. Pumps failure, with a £2k price to replace, which I had done at the main dealer last week. I understand I purchased the last pump Mercedes UK had on the shelf, with no delivery date, to replace. Do I regret the purchase, no the car is worth investing in, my main issue is finding a garage to work on it, which understands the car.
Great video. When buying an MB, service records are so important. I spent over $20,000 US in maintenance on my 2012 S63 I bought in November 2023. The car had over 10,000 spent as well in 2022! It can be painful, but I love the car. Pretty well sorted until next year.
More modern vehicles with sculptured sealed beam lights can fail mot but each front light on Audi or BMW can be over £1K whereas on older car a replacement top quality bulb less than £20. Great video thanks.
Really enjoyed this video Sam. I have been a passenger in an S class, and had a few opportunities to have the wheel. Nothing can describe the effortless way the car moves off and the superb suspension ding its job. Now retired I could afford to buy one, but it would be totally impractical for my needs . May see about hiring one occasionally to satiate my cravings. Keep up the great work on the channel.👍😎
As a huge Mercedes-Benz fanboy, finding this channel has been a dream, always exited to learn more for every model and engine, especially as someone who does not plan to one a car from any other brand. I hope you keep up the hard work and find success. Currently own a humble 1999 W202 C180 M111 , which i love dearly and have been fortunate to find full AMG body kit and the famous 17'' AMG monoblock wheels. But currently the car leaks a huge amount of coolant and a bit of oil. For the coolant we are talking over 2litres for about 1000km. Everyone ive talked with and my internet research seems to suggest that the head-gasket has failed, but the car does not smoke from the exhaust, it doesnt mix coolant and oil, and it does not overheat even in extreme traffic conditions - it goes at most to 95 C. It has a brand new waterpump and that didn't change anything. The coolant loss has been gradually gotten worse the past 30 000km which is how long ive owned the car (3 years). The car runs flawlessly otherwise. No other issues what so ever. I Dont have any history from previous owners and have no idea how it was maintained. If i go with the headgasket changing job, what else should be done as a "while you are in there".
welcome, 111 engines were great, while your in there jobs can be as much as you like, if your doing the head might be worth valve stem seams and guides.
Maintenance costs, yes. But with low/no depreciation in the value of these now, the total cost of ownership isn't that bad at all. You could easily own a newer car for 4 years, not have £2k of annual maintenence costs, but have more than £8k of depreciation
Really enjoyed the video and a nice s class fully loaded, a lot of motor to take on and would need deep pockets for the maintenance cost for parts and labour if things go wrong. Fortunately, you guys did my om642 common faults with the diesel v6 engine of which I am glad you sorted for me. Keep up the good work you and your team do.
I have owned a facelifted W221 S350L for 10 yrs. For the longest time, it had a vibration at around 80km/h. It was finally cured when I replaced the entire propshaft which is surprisingly inexpensive at around GBP450 excluding labour. I wonder if this is a common problem for the W221 or was I just unlucky? The problem started when the car was 4 yrs old and I only fixed it at year 7 or 8.
Just over a couple of grand a year, similar ballpark to what I've been spending on my C204 C63 not too bad really. Definitely want to buy the best example you can though with a pre purchase inspection!
On this model I prefer to use as replacements for air shocks the ones made (refurbished) by arnott they are way way superior then the shit that de dealer sells and they are a 10th of the price and 24month warranty instead of that 12 months, as for disks for the w221 I only install textar I don't bother with the "genuine" garbage, i declined jobs on w221 when owners insisted on "genuine" disks and shocks , i will not do it , i feel so bad charging customers the riffoff proces for those SUBPAR parts
Interesting video and nice to understand the costs. Around £2000 per year seems reasonable to maintain a car like that? I have a 2004 Porsche 911 and it has similar maintenance costs, including tyres etc….. best never to add up the bills😂
If I bought this car and a 1996 A124 today, which do you think would cost more in maintenance over 5 years? Is it a bit of a show stopper if you see an MOT with ‘corrosion - not bad enough to affect rigidity’ etc? I feel compelled to buy an A124 but my head is screaming at me not to. I have visions of you putting it on the ramp and a pile of rusty parts fall on the floor with a biodegradable wiring loom on top.
Nice enough car, but are they worth having? All this ageing and complex German stuff (including Bentleys) seems like a good way to burn a lot of £20 notes and for what?
depends how you look at it, bills average 2k a year, a modern nice car on lease or finance 7k plus a year and still not driving an s class and depression taking place
£17000 in maintenance, but you're still driving about in an £80,000 car , that you've only paid £6000 for . Plus someone else has paid a percentage of that £17,000 . Mmm think I'll stick to my piccanto .
lets settle this, ive just rang my local Mercedes dealer UK, blower motor and resitor total cost inc VAT is £600 plus fitting, genuine parts. i cant get more accurate than that.
$17k in maintenance over 8 years for such an amazing car is pretty reasonable but a lot more reasonable if you buy the car now for $5k not 8+ years ago for $20k+
£17k is a lot of money on maintenance, but then again you could easily lose more than that in depreciation if you ran newer run of the mill cars instead....
Great video guys. Thank you… Let’s give ol mate S Class a bit of a chance at redemption. Replacement parts such as radiators, airmatic, heater blower fans, door locks and switches ect. Those parts I would imagine is most likely the original parts fitted to the car. That’s 17 years of wear and tear, with a bit of abuse on the side from previous owners, and there aren’t too many manufacturers out there that can make that claim on the quality of their cars sighting those parts lasted 17+ years. I have a friend who owns a 2017 Nissan Patrol and he’s replaced the radiator 5 times because it keeps splitting and losing its guts all the time, and there genuine parts he’s used. So let’s not throw ol mate S Class on the rubbish heap just yet. Regardless of any car, when you buy and older car it’s to be expected that things go wrong. The only difference is what you’re willing to pay for parts will determine what car you want to buy.
I love the dour Northern tone to the dialogue... Should have been an undertaker..😂 Still if I had a Mercedes then I would be taking it to SPR and spending what they told me to .
I had 2010 S550. Had 4 major problems. Trans conductor plate, front control arms, both sides. 2 airmatic struts and biggest was the amplifier for navigation and radio in the boot.That would have been $5,000 new from Mercedes but was able to get it repaired. Caused from leak right where seals fit along boot lid causing it to drip right onto the amplifier. . Great car otherwise. I own 2019 S560 w222 which is way better. Great video as always.
Also 17k since 2016 is just over 2k or under 200 a month per year. What would a car like that cost on lease or PCP. Equally a small runabout new is over 200 a month on pcp
Bottom line do the work yourself. I replaced the blower motor myself total cost 70 bucks. If you love the car maintain it. It is a lot cheaper than 180 grand for a new one. If you are lucky to find a low mile one whos owner kept up with the maintenance it will last a long time and be a joy to drive and also be reliable. The older W221s also did not use plastic manifolds and were built much better than the new ones. They are also good to work on if you are handy and have a place to do the work. This year of S class is my favourite. To me, it has enough tech and has a very understated yet classy interior and exterior that has aged well. I still get compliments today driving her my 2007 S class 550 4matic sweetheart! She has very low miles for her age 116,000 km / 72 thousand miles on the odometer with night vision, headlamp washers power heated and cooled front and rear seats power opening and closing trunk with rest feature which blows hot or cold air when the car is parked and not running for up to 20 minutes is great I can go on but you get the picture I am in love with my old S class. Another feature I absolutely love is the fact I do not have to get fingerprints all over a screen I love the scroll wheel how your hand naturally falls on it with no effort and without even taking my eyes off the road I can adjust everything plus all common adjustments can be made by metal switches all lined up in a neat curved row. These Germans back then knew how to do ergonomics perfectly.
Not always.My w220 is 25 years old and drives like new.Since 2017 I have spent under 1500e on repairs and maintenance.No Airmatic or electronical problems.I do all the work by myself and know the model very well.
The takeway is that you need deep pockets to run a W221 unless you can do your own repairs. Genuine Mercedes parts are pricey but they're always money well spent. Genuine parts are not always the mot expensive. I had to replace one of the intercooler hoses on my W204 and a genuine part was cheaper than some of the aftermarket ones and my local dealer had one on the shelf.
A great lesson learnt today, you want luxury be prepared to pay😀. Great video as always, very interesting in what’s needed in an S class as you say it’s more of a maintenance guide which is extensive on a car such as this.
The tech failures of older benz cars, will reflect on to other manufacturers as they adopt features 10 to 15 years later. Benz has always been innovators, Thank you.
Great review and something people should know before buying such a car. I currently own two W221 Mercedes, an S65 AMG V12 BiTurbo and an S63 AMG with the newer V8 BiTurbo engine. They are amazing cars but parts are very expensive and when things do go wrong, you’re still paying the same prices as when the cars were new.
Very interesting as always. Especially the cash side of things. I've owned a 2011 C180 GGI car for just over 11 years. It's a 13 year old car. I recently itemised all expenses in 11 years of ownership excluding MOT, tax and insurance. The total was £2,400. About 63% of this on standard servicing. 23% on tyres - 5 tyres - two of which fresh on in March so really only 3. The balance of total relates to two issues - screenwash pump failed during Covid lockdown and I had the thermostat replaced and coolant.
@@sprautos thanks. I'm quite chuffed with it. I should have mentioned the mileage which is currently 61k (bought at 17k). I bought it privately 11 years ago at two years old for £14,250. Current value about £4k. I must admit I did run a 3 series BMW concurrently for 8 years - had quite a few issues - nothing major but niggly things. Put me off BMWs big time. I always buy petrol vehicles - not diesel.
Good morning Sam …. Just watched this vid on the S class ……. I’ve come across a 2011 reg S350 which the advert says has an M276 engine petrol ….. how do these fair out issues wise … it has 40k on the clock … apart from the rest of the car the engine is my concern …. Thumbs up or down if you can advise please Sam …. Thank you …… Owen 🫡
have you ever had a m272 or 3 motor be in time and still throw timing codes? im having this weird issue where i can check the timing manually and the marks line up but im still getting implausible exhaust cam codes. I rebuilt resealed the motor all nee sensors etc. i did notice that the plundger that slides into the adjuster was slightly stuck but i managed to free it by taking it out n cleaning it i also just replaced the adjuster for good measure. but this damn motor has been beating my ass. if this still doesnt fix it im gonna have to check the ECU. any suggestions
I have an 07, and I still love it. The amount that I have paid since 2013 is the price of another car. It is beautiful and classic. The odometer says 323000.
substandard engineering and quality, it's not what you pay for, most German brands cannot design and manufacture technology,effeciency and reliability as a whole, their engineering is only a show,purely cosmetic
Just did the turbo lines..there are 5, I believe. Mercedes chose to use plastic connectors at the ends that get brittle from the heat of the turbos. Nothing like finding an independent mechanic you can trust and stick with to look after your money pits that bring smiles to your face when you sit behind the wheel. For what it's worth...I tried being sensible and driving Toyotas for a few years but went back to Mercedes because I felt my soul leaving my body every time I sat in a Camry.
I've spent almost half the value on my S63 with parts alone and haven't had the car for a year. Thankfully I'm a tech and do the labor myself, but indeed he is beyond right when it comes to maintaining these cars.
To be honest, if I had 'I don't care' levels of money, I'd rather keep one of these going Vs a modern Merc. This gen has beautiful lines, the right level of tech and is aging so well. Meanwhile I'll stick to my Civic. Just don't need large car repair bills in my life right now!
Would that cost have been much lower if non genuine or remanufactured parts are used? I ran a Jaguar XJR for a couple of years and I used very few new genuine Jag parts which kept cost down massively i.e. door locks could be sourced from a breaker
Great video as always Sam. My best friend had a diesel 221 a few years after launch, bought used from a main deal£r. A few months out of warranty and a window spontaneously broke when winding it, someone keyed it, then the engine went wrong and would have cost £5500 to mend, and something else I forget…all in 2 months. I told him the last person to leave an S class in that state was Princess Diana. He got a dodgy guy in Blackpool to clear the warning message and traded for a new E class cabrio at the main dealer that sold it. We both miss his 221 though… beautiful inside with a light nappa interior, felt solid, lovely to drive at motorway speeds, quiet, perfect front seats. I remember him being made up that the designo wood they used was discontinued because it was becoming extinct.
LOL "What do you expect to spend guide" XD anytime a new SPR vid comes out I instantly have to stop what I am doing to watch! You might've brought an interesting thought experiment to my mind. Personally, I would rather pay 10k for a used S-Class + 17k in maintenance than buy a brand new 2024 POS Kia/Hyundai for 30k. Every 10 years cars seem to get cheaper and cheaper built despite going up in price. Money is losing it's value and I think this S-Class is just a sign of things to come with all of these newer cars having cheap electronics EVERYWHERE. Germany is getting in bed with a lot of Chinese suppliers and manufacturers too, I sincerely hope Mercedes stays away from that trend.
Great video. I have owned my "08 S550 for about a year. Changed the oil and transmission fluid. Replaced the spark plugs (the easiest car ever to change). Arizona car, garage kept, like new. Everything works. So far so good. Timing chain cog was changed by Mercedes for a better one after December of "07, so shouldn't be a problem now.
17k on repairs.......if hes selling it give me first dibs .....another great video lad to be honest I was hoping that you would do a buyer's review on a S Class and really enjoyed it 👍
This is by far the most comprehensive and honest review of an S-Class maintenance cost. Lets just call it what it is, Mercedes Benz = Overpriced plastic junk. They are selling status not cars. I'm getting a Lexus, thank you very much!
£17K over two years = approx. £2K/year in maintenance. For the initial cost of the car @£80,000 I wouldn’t say that’s too bad is it ?. I know some who buy Volvos and shell out more than that.
Wise words. I've had one for the last three years and the costs pretty much align. Gorgeous car but not cheap to maintain. Avoid main dealers unless you want to pay a lot more.
@@bigdz5969. The majority of people will agree it drives better! But if someone is a die hard merc enthusiast they'll naturally be biased! Mercedes were top of the tree in the luxury car market. Obviously, Rolls Royce and Bentley are ultra-high luxury. So that's a different ballgame! Mercedes knew they always had it in the bag with the S-CLASS as the best luxury car. However, back in the early 90s, they knew they had to go back to the drawing board and come up with the W140 because they got shook when Lexus dropped the LS 400. That's a fact! Research it online if you believe differently.
I might have asked already, I'm trying to get this breather hose for an r170 M111 seems to be impossible to get hold of Mercedes tell me it doesn't exist on my car! clearly they've got it wrong! They tell me it is it's not the right hose??? it goes from the bottom of the oil filter housing to underneath into the head near the Block, where the bracket underneath the head is attached to the Head block as well not just a hose seems a strange fitting, its split and it's leaking oil the only thing i can do is Super Glue it?? Any idea what this part number is supposed to be? mean for this hose? 2.3L supercharge suppose to be but I'm not sure if that's the case either! the engine has been changed they've rubbed off the engine numbers I believe it's not near the bell housing where it should be on the top. So could it be a 2L???
I have a cl from 08 Bloody drainage ducts under bonnet were blocked and basically flooded my drivers footwell and the rear,so please check as I’m in a whole world of hurt at the moment😢
great video amazing cost that customer has spent loads of money but he cant be a normal joe bloggs must have a business but cars now are a fortune to service and manufacturers dont have the build quality in them unless you buy a car like that
If it’s worth it price wise then do it, far better quality and 2 year warranty. You will be surprised how competitive they are compared to quality brands these days. And I’m not talking eBay specials
Our 221 air con has a fairly substantial leak, regas only lasted 1hr. What would be your favourite for leak location? How on earth did it passed the vac test for the garage to proceed and fill?. !!! 😡
You need to Have a nitrogen test carried out this can take a few hours btw cover the system Ina puppy water until you locate the leak, might even need to take The bumper off to inspect the condenser which is the usuel culprit or the dryer in the wheel arch , a vac test is not reliable way to determine a leak.
