Topic: Used Vehicle Review: Mercedes-Benz S-Class, 2007-2013 (W221)

[Autos_Editor]

S-Class loved for world-class motoring experience, but have a dealer inspect any used model fully before purchase.
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[hemusbull]

After "complaints are hard to track down" begins an anonymous long list of "common issues"...
Be aware of out of warranty Mercedes S class!

[omee]

I signed up just to tell my story with such a car...

One of the worst and costliest mistakes ive made was to take-over a 2009 S class with 100,000km on it. It had about a year left on its lease . Looked immaculate both inside and out. Was serviced at the dealer regularly however didnt have any warranty left on it It was one of those times in my life where I was thinking from my heart, not my head.

So here is a list of all the problems that I encountered during my 9 months with the car and approx 6000 km:

• Three weeks in, the inner driveshaft broke! Cost to fix $3500. Go 4matic!
• About a month after, started smelling burning oil. Turns out plastic caps on the valve covers were leaking (apparently a very common problem) $150
• 2-3 weeks after started getting cyclic vibrations at highway speeds. No CEL. No mechanic could figure out what the prob is
• Started hearing a knocking sound from the engine. Checked the oil EMPTY!.No notification either. Oil change was done 6000km before me taking over. Consumed oil like a mofo
• Couple of weeks after, front drivers side wheel bearing went. $500
• While on my way back home , front passenger side bearing goes. Turn around and give keys back. $500
• One fine day, car is dragging to the right. Calliper Seized. too bad they were Brembo calipers. Cost $1250
• 1 month or so after, smell burning oil again. Valve covers themselves are leaking oil onto the exhaust manifold.  Estimate $500
• CEL light came on - valve timing retarded or something like that, mech couldn't figure it out but speculated this is the cause of the cyclic vibrations, also speculated that it could be improperly balanced camshafts (another common problem). Reset CEL light. Would come on intermittently
• Arrived to a puddle of water underneath the car after standing all day. Winsheild washer fluid was leaking. $150
• Heard roaring sounds from the engine followed by a bang and then squealing and screeching. Proceeded to get scared out of me. Idler pulley bearing seized, and being plastic exploded inside. New belt and pulley and tow $350
• Drivers side HVAC fan stopped functioning on Auto setting. Had to specify temperature. Would randomly stop working altogether as well. Did not find cause.
• Car would sit lower on the drivers side compared to passenger side. Driver's side strut was leaking air. Go Airmatic! Estimate $1500
• Transmission pan gasket was in bad shape and leaking fluid. Estimate $350
• And just to mess with me, 1 hr before returning it for good. Car wouldn't start. Miraculously started, but would recognise only 1 key
• Returning the car with numerous problems and getting full security deposit back: Priceless

Moral of the story: When your mechanic says 'Bye! see you next week', it is time.

I am typing this as my uncles 2011 GL 350 Blutec is in the shop for more than 2 weeks for oil leakage and non-starting issues.

Who knew Merc would make such Craptastic vehicles. Oh well, lesson learnt. Only Lexus for me now.

[mmret]

That's.... kind of a lot. Didn't you look at service/warranty records? Or are we to believe that it suddenly turned into evil incarnate.

I'm not saying an S-Class is a paragon of reliability but sounds like you walked into someone else's lemon.

[mixmanmash]

That's.... kind of a lot. Didn't you look at service/warranty records? Or are we to believe that it suddenly turned into evil incarnate.

I'm not saying an S-Class is a paragon of reliability but sounds like you walked into someone else's lemon.

This.  To be fair, MB has had more lemons than say Lexus.  You can walk into some MBs and they will be pretty stout (my dad and his friend have been lucky in this regard), others not so much (have a doctor friend and a former coworker who had nothing but issues).  Things of course have improved from 2009 too.

And one thing to remember is with a S-Class that problems will be S-Class in size and nature, and the repair bill will be S-Class sized.

I personally feel in MB, the stoutest model with the best balance is the E-Class.

[Snowman]

"When your mechanic says 'Bye! see you next week', it is time." 

[johngenx]

All the flagship cars are used crap-shoots.  S/A8/7 are risky used propositions - they can quickly empty your wallet with large repair bills.  They were never built with simplicity or ease of repair in mind.  The problem is that they depreciate like mad - making the purchase price within reach of "normal" people that think they've stumbled onto a crazy cheap way to drive a luxury car.

[Fobroader]

I signed up just to tell my story with such a car...

One of the worst and costliest mistakes ive made was to take-over a 2009 S class with 100,000km on it. It had about a year left on its lease . Looked immaculate both inside and out. Was serviced at the dealer regularly however didnt have any warranty left on it It was one of those times in my life where I was thinking from my heart, not my head.

So here is a list of all the problems that I encountered during my 9 months with the car and approx 6000 km:

• Three weeks in, the inner driveshaft broke! Cost to fix $3500. Go 4matic!
• About a month after, started smelling burning oil. Turns out plastic caps on the valve covers were leaking (apparently a very common problem) $150
• 2-3 weeks after started getting cyclic vibrations at highway speeds. No CEL. No mechanic could figure out what the prob is
• Started hearing a knocking sound from the engine. Checked the oil EMPTY!.No notification either. Oil change was done 6000km before me taking over. Consumed oil like a mofo
• Couple of weeks after, front drivers side wheel bearing went. $500
• While on my way back home , front passenger side bearing goes. Turn around and give keys back. $500
• One fine day, car is dragging to the right. Calliper Seized. too bad they were Brembo calipers. Cost $1250
• 1 month or so after, smell burning oil again. Valve covers themselves are leaking oil onto the exhaust manifold.  Estimate $500
• CEL light came on - valve timing retarded or something like that, mech couldn't figure it out but speculated this is the cause of the cyclic vibrations, also speculated that it could be improperly balanced camshafts (another common problem). Reset CEL light. Would come on intermittently
• Arrived to a puddle of water underneath the car after standing all day. Winsheild washer fluid was leaking. $150
• Heard roaring sounds from the engine followed by a bang and then squealing and screeching. Proceeded to get scared out of me. Idler pulley bearing seized, and being plastic exploded inside. New belt and pulley and tow $350
• Drivers side HVAC fan stopped functioning on Auto setting. Had to specify temperature. Would randomly stop working altogether as well. Did not find cause.
• Car would sit lower on the drivers side compared to passenger side. Driver's side strut was leaking air. Go Airmatic! Estimate $1500
• Transmission pan gasket was in bad shape and leaking fluid. Estimate $350
• And just to mess with me, 1 hr before returning it for good. Car wouldn't start. Miraculously started, but would recognise only 1 key
• Returning the car with numerous problems and getting full security deposit back: Priceless

Moral of the story: When your mechanic says 'Bye! see you next week', it is time.

I am typing this as my uncles 2011 GL 350 Blutec is in the shop for more than 2 weeks for oil leakage and non-starting issues.

Who knew Merc would make such Craptastic vehicles. Oh well, lesson learnt. Only Lexus for me now.

Thank you for that. When it comes to high end German cars, this is about the kind of experience that I would think one would have. They are pretty....oh so pretty....and shiny.....but at best, lease and run away.

[johngenx]

Go back 20 years and I lusted after a W140 S-Class.  A friend of a friend had an S600 that I wrangled a ride in, and OMG - it was like traveling in a land-based executive jet.  Then I got to know a few owners, and realized that I'd never, ever want one.  All S-Class cars since 1992 have been incredibly complex and require massive amounts of labour for what might be a simple job on other cars.  I know that this picture isn't relating to the model in the OP - but it's illustrative of the thinking that MB uses when it comes to these cars.  The W140 models suffer from weak and leak-prone HVAC evaporators - and here's the car in mid-repair.  (the book is over 40hrs of labour...)

[aquadorhj]

I signed up just to tell my story with such a car...

One of the worst and costliest mistakes ive made was to take-over a 2009 S class with 100,000km on it. It had about a year left on its lease . Looked immaculate both inside and out. Was serviced at the dealer regularly however didnt have any warranty left on it It was one of those times in my life where I was thinking from my heart, not my head.

So here is a list of all the problems that I encountered during my 9 months with the car and approx 6000 km:

• Three weeks in, the inner driveshaft broke! Cost to fix $3500. Go 4matic!

• About a month after, started smelling burning oil. Turns out plastic caps on the valve covers were leaking (apparently a very common problem) $150

[/b]

• 2-3 weeks after started getting cyclic vibrations at highway speeds. No CEL. No mechanic could figure out what the prob is
• Started hearing a knocking sound from the engine. Checked the oil EMPTY!.No notification either. Oil change was done 6000km before me taking over. Consumed oil like a mofo
• Couple of weeks after, front drivers side wheel bearing went. $500
• While on my way back home , front passenger side bearing goes. Turn around and give keys back. $500
• One fine day, car is dragging to the right. Calliper Seized. too bad they were Brembo calipers. Cost $1250

• 1 month or so after, smell burning oil again. Valve covers themselves are leaking oil onto the exhaust manifold.  Estimate $500

[/b]

• CEL light came on - valve timing retarded or something like that, mech couldn't figure it out but speculated this is the cause of the cyclic vibrations, also speculated that it could be improperly balanced camshafts (another common problem). Reset CEL light. Would come on intermittently
• Arrived to a puddle of water underneath the car after standing all day. Winsheild washer fluid was leaking. $150
• Heard roaring sounds from the engine followed by a bang and then squealing and screeching. Proceeded to get scared out of me. Idler pulley bearing seized, and being plastic exploded inside. New belt and pulley and tow $350

[/b]

• Drivers side HVAC fan stopped functioning on Auto setting. Had to specify temperature. Would randomly stop working altogether as well. Did not find cause.
• Car would sit lower on the drivers side compared to passenger side. Driver's side strut was leaking air. Go Airmatic! Estimate $1500

• Transmission pan gasket was in bad shape and leaking fluid. Estimate $350

[/b]

• And just to mess with me, 1 hr before returning it for good. Car wouldn't start. Miraculously started, but would recognise only 1 key
• Returning the car with numerous problems and getting full security deposit back: Priceless

Moral of the story: When your mechanic says 'Bye! see you next week', it is time.

I am typing this as my uncles 2011 GL 350 Blutec is in the shop for more than 2 weeks for oil leakage and non-starting issues.

Who knew Merc would make such Craptastic vehicles. Oh well, lesson learnt. Only Lexus for me now.

Thank you for that. When it comes to high end German cars, this is about the kind of experience that I would think one would have. They are pretty....oh so pretty....and shiny.....but at best, lease and run away.

you know...   reading that list, some of those prices are actually very reasonable..  like the ones i highlight (bold) .   but some of the hardwares are understandably expensive, and those annoying electrical glitches would drive any person insane.

[Fobroader]

To me to have those kind of failures on such a low mileage and expensive car is inexcusable.....I wouldn't be ok if any of those happened to my Cavalier if it only had 100k km on it.

[omee]

That's.... kind of a lot. Didn't you look at service/warranty records? Or are we to believe that it suddenly turned into evil incarnate.

I'm not saying an S-Class is a paragon of reliability but sounds like you walked into someone else's lemon.

Before taking over the lease, I called the Mercedes dealer and provided them with the VIN of the car. They informed me that the car has come in for regular scheduled maintenance. There was nothing out of the ordinary to suggest that there was an underlying problem with the car. Having said that, before they handed over the car to me, they only visually inspected it, didn't do a physical check on the car. In hindsight, I dont think it would have helped much, because most of things that went wrong, went wrong almost overnight. You can 'inspect' a driveshaft today, but can break the next day. Same thing for the HVAC controls. work fine one day, and be completely messed up the next.

you know...   reading that list, some of those prices are actually very reasonable..  like the ones i highlight (bold) .   but some of the hardwares are understandably expensive, and those annoying electrical glitches would drive any person insane.

LOL there are a couple of reasons for this. First of all I took the car to an independent shop where the mechanic is amazing at finding aftermarket/OEM parts for the car to avoid going to the dealer. Second, towards the end, he actually started feeling sorry for me and wouldn't charge me labour (or would charge very less). The winsheild washer fluid and belt/pulley come to mind. I downside to this was that he would work on the car when he had free time. I estimate that out of the 9 months I had the car, it spent about a month if not longer at the mechanic. Similarly the tow operator felt sorry for me the 3rd time I called him and charged me only $70 for a flatbed tow.


I actually remembered a couple more problems that I forgot to add to the list above. One was a weird faint grinding sound that would only come when I would turn right. and Second was clunking sounds coming from the rear suspension when going over tiny bumps. Both issues couldn't be pinpointed. Mechanic basically said to let them get worse so that they figure out what's going on.

The funniest part about all this is seeing the car on Autotrader a couple of weeks after listed as  'Off lease' 'One Owner' 'Full service history at Dealer'. LOL poor guy who bought that.

[bensonc]

I signed up just to tell my story with such a car...

One of the worst and costliest mistakes ive made was to take-over a 2009 S class with 100,000km on it. It had about a year left on its lease . Looked immaculate both inside and out. Was serviced at the dealer regularly however didnt have any warranty left on it It was one of those times in my life where I was thinking from my heart, not my head.

So here is a list of all the problems that I encountered during my 9 months with the car and approx 6000 km:

• Three weeks in, the inner driveshaft broke! Cost to fix $3500. Go 4matic!
• About a month after, started smelling burning oil. Turns out plastic caps on the valve covers were leaking (apparently a very common problem) $150
• 2-3 weeks after started getting cyclic vibrations at highway speeds. No CEL. No mechanic could figure out what the prob is
• Started hearing a knocking sound from the engine. Checked the oil EMPTY!.No notification either. Oil change was done 6000km before me taking over. Consumed oil like a mofo
• Couple of weeks after, front drivers side wheel bearing went. $500
• While on my way back home , front passenger side bearing goes. Turn around and give keys back. $500
• One fine day, car is dragging to the right. Calliper Seized. too bad they were Brembo calipers. Cost $1250
• 1 month or so after, smell burning oil again. Valve covers themselves are leaking oil onto the exhaust manifold.  Estimate $500
• CEL light came on - valve timing retarded or something like that, mech couldn't figure it out but speculated this is the cause of the cyclic vibrations, also speculated that it could be improperly balanced camshafts (another common problem). Reset CEL light. Would come on intermittently
• Arrived to a puddle of water underneath the car after standing all day. Winsheild washer fluid was leaking. $150
• Heard roaring sounds from the engine followed by a bang and then squealing and screeching. Proceeded to get scared out of me. Idler pulley bearing seized, and being plastic exploded inside. New belt and pulley and tow $350
• Drivers side HVAC fan stopped functioning on Auto setting. Had to specify temperature. Would randomly stop working altogether as well. Did not find cause.
• Car would sit lower on the drivers side compared to passenger side. Driver's side strut was leaking air. Go Airmatic! Estimate $1500
• Transmission pan gasket was in bad shape and leaking fluid. Estimate $350
• And just to mess with me, 1 hr before returning it for good. Car wouldn't start. Miraculously started, but would recognise only 1 key
• Returning the car with numerous problems and getting full security deposit back: Priceless

Moral of the story: When your mechanic says 'Bye! see you next week', it is time.

I am typing this as my uncles 2011 GL 350 Blutec is in the shop for more than 2 weeks for oil leakage and non-starting issues.

Who knew Merc would make such Craptastic vehicles. Oh well, lesson learnt. Only Lexus for me now.

My dad have a early W140 S500 then upgraded to W140 S600.  And the newer year model is a lot more reliable.  He later got a C215 CL500 which is a nightmare...  Back in the time, when airmatic fail, we need to replace all 4 struts together as a kit, $20000... add in all those other small engine and electronic problem....

And to quote one of my friend who work in car import business.  He told me when they pick up car in the ship deck.  Every M.Benz should have oil mark in the rear diff. area.  If one is dry, it must be under fill and they need to chk that car out... 

[deramg]

Sorry to jump in guys... reviewer made my first post though 

Just want to say this used review only tells you 1/10 of the story, and I wish this is a more responsible review that really tells the reader what to expect.

For example, if I'm going to buy one W221, I will be full of troubles. 

My advise is , if you are not loaded or wanted to waste money, ignore my comment.

But if you do, WALK AWAY from a W221. Don't get it wrong, its a flagship car from Mercedes Benz. But I would say its the highest maintenance car for the last past 6 generation S Class I've driven. And this is a shame, we have been driving them for decades, now we start to think.

I'm still driving a pretty new one in low 20000 kms. And already gone to the dealer for warranty repairs over 6 times. At least 3-4 times were Airmatics because it seem it don't survive our winter nights that dips below -30. Our previous SL550 did NOT survived it too with same damage and toll to the Airmatic. And please note for those who really wants a W221, once somewhere in the network leaks, the air compressor will be tossed too. Its NOT just a simple leak fix, and don't be naive.

So my last advice is - do not buy one if it do not have factory warranty. Same to other MB with Airmatics.

Although all our fixes are under warranty, but with so many problems within just short period of time  , its time to wake up Mercedes Benz! 

Das Beste oder nichts 

[mixmanmash]

Interesting.  My dad's friend has a W211 with airmatic.  He only had issues twice under warranty and hasn't had any issues since.  His is a 2008 and the last time he had an issue was in 2011.