Originally Posted By: Vikas
We are still talking about rear wheel drive S430; not AMG or V12 beast here! This is almost like bread and butter for MB! I have a feeling that Doug was talking about one of those cars.
But you guys know me better than myself. I am the one who bought Acura instead of CPO BMW couple of years ago; so you know my risk tolerance.
I will know for sure but I suspect the vehicle already has been converted with Arnott. I will have to confirm that before even thinking about purchasing it. I can get third party extended warranty for the car. At this stage I do not know the cost of it. As you know, I am not the type of the person to purchase extended warranty but I may have to make an exception in this case.
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The W220 is a good car, actually, it's an awesome car with incredible ride, handling and luxury, but the air suspension is approaching the age of major work. You'll get to know Arnott Suspension, that rebuilds the struts for half of dealer cost, but still $600 each. Engine is bulletproof. Transmission is the NAG 1 - you'll want to change the filter, fluid and connector plug. Driveshaft will likely need new bearings and flex discs. Brakes are straightforward. OEM pads work great but dust heavily. The brake fluid is often neglected, leading to expensive component replacement.
The big issue with the W220 is the body/systems. EG: close assist on doors leak...then fail, stressing the PSE pump...which then fails, and costs $400.
Thanks for great information!
Trunk flew open when I pressed the opener button. Should it have a damper or something?
By the way, is there a typo about repair cost? $400 is peanuts for *any* S class repair
I did not notice close assistance on the doors. May be it did not have that option? The dealer showed me the older one which he demonstrated the door closer. Trunk flew open when I pressed the opener button. Should it have a damper or something?
We already have our Accord/Camry actually the Acura which we are keeping. This will be an extra car.
If the doors don't suck in, they are already broke.
Again PPI, PPI, PPI.
How mechanically inclined are you? Mercedes are very easy to work on so if you can spin a wrench and for example change air shocks yourself they are not suck a big deal. If your the kind of person that can barely check the oil than you will be spending more.
Another benefit to working on Mercedes is they have the best parts support in the industry and a lot of their parts are very reasonable priced. You can also get the parts manuals and FSM's fairly cheaply threw ripped DVD's.
Lastly typically the drive train doesn't matter. Mercedes makes some of the best engines and gear boxes around so they very rarely give any trouble. Its the rest of the car that soaks up the money. Quite frankly I'd spend a bit more and look for an S55K, they are the best performance bargain going right now. $10k-$12k will snag a very nice example, where else can you get a 4 door that with a few mods will crack 200mph?
When shopping find an example that has the fewest possible owners with the thickest stack of service records. Paying more for a one owner car that was maintained perfectly is money very well spent.