How Reliable are W221 S-Classes? Specifically The S550.

"Luc - The Acadian Oppo" (luc5) 01/16/2016 at 13:33 • Filed to: None

1

29

I just can’t help but notice how insanely affordable these have become. This Beautiful 2007 Champaign colored S550 4matic with 87,000kms (~54,000 miles) is for sale locally for $21,000 CAD with a one owner crystal clear carproof history.

Now don’t get me wrong I know these are much more expensive to maintain and that they are nowhere near as reliable as a Honda or Toyota but what I’m wondering is really just how bad are they?

I mean look at those beautiful lines and all that elegance. For less than what I paid for my for Fusion I could be driving a fucking S-Class!!!

I wonder if you can get a Carmax type warranty in Canada. I mean if you could get a warranty that would cover for 3 years and 50,000 miles for 5k or so this would be a total no brainer.

Parth985 > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 01/16/2016 at 13:52

0

Not very it will have electronic issues and cost a lot to fix the my friends’ have had the command system fail and also the adaptive seats Habe issues as well. The way I see it the less options the better also the trannys are okay they sometimes have problems but everything is usually pretty good mechanically

jkm7680 > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 01/16/2016 at 13:53

1

If you have other responsibilities, or need to pay off a house or something. DON’T BUY IT.

Just keep your Fusion.

MultiplaOrgasms > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 01/16/2016 at 13:54

2

The drivetrain is supposedly bombproof, but there are always the electrics and whatever suspension these had fitted to worry aboot.

PS9 > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 01/16/2016 at 13:56

6

If your trying to find people to tell you not to buy it...you came to the wroooooong tavern, son.

DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT

DanZman > MultiplaOrgasms 01/16/2016 at 14:07

2

+1 for “aboot”

Slave2anMG > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 01/16/2016 at 14:23

3

Vicente Esteve > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 01/16/2016 at 15:29

1

A close relative of mine bought that year S550 just when it came out. He makes a hell of a lot of money, but is one of the most noble people I know so when he wanted to buy a car he invited me to check out the dealerships. We live in a small town, so the Mercedes Dealership wasn’t big at all, and their inventory wouldn’t reach 5. When we got there and asked about the S-Class we were taken to a warehouse I had no clue existed inside the dealership. IIRC there was an armoured E-Class and a CLK AMG. I was astounded by this, and really enjoyed my visit. He ordered it that day, black on beige leather. He used it as his personal car until about 2011 when insecurity due to the drug war got serious and he had to armour it to the highest level. Same year the Mercedes Dealership closed. After that, he started driving an armoured Grand Cherokee and his wife currently drives the S-Class. I have no clue if it gets service as the Mercedes dealership closed 5 years ago, but it still goes and goes.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 01/16/2016 at 17:05

1

Had a customer with one. We did some work on it only to find the entire engine had been torn apart at one time. Half the electronics in the cabin did not work, and the wheels had paint flaking off worse then any old car I’d seen. All this on a 3 year old car with a little over 30k. RUUUN.

My citroen won't start > Vicente Esteve 01/16/2016 at 19:09

0

My mother is still driving a 2007/08 armored S550, no problems so far. Which level of armoring do you guys get in Mexico?

Vicente Esteve > My citroen won't start 01/16/2016 at 20:24

0

From level 1 to 5. His cars are all 5s.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 01/16/2016 at 20:36

1

They just don’t get that way on their own. Someone messed it up. Probably wrecked and cheaply rebuilt by someone who didn’t know what they were doing.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 01/16/2016 at 20:42

4

It shouldn’t have ABC so that’s good. But it will have airmatic. I suspect, unless they’ve been replaced already, it will need at least one front strut in the next year or two. Make sure the transfer case isn’t leaking, ad it is on the same circuit/fluid as the transmission and it’s common from ‘07-’10. The air bladders in the front seats leak occasionally. Those are by far the most common “big” problems I can think of for that car right now. Everything else is really straight forward and not crucial (or easily DIY-able!) to repair immediately. All in all, much more reliable than the internet thinks they are.

My citroen won't start > Vicente Esteve 01/16/2016 at 20:53

0

I think that’s more than we do, civilians are only allowed up to 3A here.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 01/16/2016 at 23:39

1

Thanks A LOT! Much more helpful than the other responses on here.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 01/16/2016 at 23:47

0

I’ll tell you this. My LS400 with 291k doesn’t have a tenth the problems that most Mercedes do, new and old.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 01/17/2016 at 02:08

0

Great, I’m happy for you and your Lexus. But I’ll tell you that I’ve seen more Lexus and Toyota products with seized /sludged engines than I ever have Mercedes, and I’ve never even worked on them on a daily basis like I do Mercedes. That’s just my experience, but that doesn’t mean it’s indicative of everything L/T make.

You can’t seriously tell me that you’ve never seen a car get badly wrecked and poorly rebuilt by someone who doesn’t know the difference between dot 5 and grape soda. One poorly grilled hamburger does not mean all hamburgers are poorly grilled.

Every car has its ups and downs.

Don’t look at this like I’m trying to steer someone toward financial ruin because I work for big bad Mercedes either. Every time the question comes up about how reliable this or that Mercedes is and the problems they have I answer fully and honestly without sugar coating it. People end up buying them anyways. They’re usually worth it. Notice I haven’t made any snide remarks about your brands? Everyone knows the Lexus LS is a fantastic car. Not even I will deny that. But that wasn’t in question here.

This isn’t YouTube, or even the front page for that matter, we don’t hate on others here on oppo.

/rant over

I apologize in advance if I’ve misjudged your tone and intent. But it seemed like a cheap shot to bash something that isn’t what you like.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 01/17/2016 at 11:50

0

I absolutely love S Class. They’re great looking cars, they’re comfortable, and they always have top of the line tech. I just don’t want people to go through the pain of owning them as older cars, especially on a tight budget. Also, Toyota/Lexus engines only sludge because owners know thwy have a Toyota/Lexus and that means they never have to do any maintenance. If you maintain your car, they don’t sludge.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 01/17/2016 at 12:22

0

That’s understandable, I don’t want anyone to go through that pain either. If I didn’t tell people the truth about a car’s reliability it wouldn’t be good for the owner, nor for the reputation of Mercedes and myself, not only that but I would feel guilty and I don’t want that.

The 221 is actually much more reliable than the 220. The only times I’ve seen difficult to diagnose/repair electrical issues on 221's is after someone did a lot of work on one. The engines are fantastic. The transmissions are quite good, especially if serviced on time, the airmatic suspension is much better than previous systems. 99% of their issues are known and easily diagnosed, and not that big of a deal as long as you’re expecting them when you buy the car.

That’s usually the issue with sludge. I have seen a few of their engines seize with good service history too though, all v6's around ‘00 model year IIRC. Which I’ve been told is worth avoiding.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 01/17/2016 at 12:32

0

The only engine that we tend to tell people to avoid is the 3.5L from 2006(cant remember which cars had it starting when)-2008. It took Toyota a couple years to get the bugs all worked out but we also tell people to avoid 2007 and 2008 Toyota/Lexus vehicles in general. Seemed like half the lineup was new and cheapified. My gf has a 2009 Rx350 and it’s fantastic other then the FWD and the whole being an RX thing.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 01/17/2016 at 12:45

0

The balance shaft issue you’re referring to is only ‘06 and early ‘07 V6's (any displacement M272) and early ‘07 V8 M273's. There is an engine number cutoff that can easily be checked with a VIN by any dealer.

“My gf has a 2009 Rx350 and it’s fantastic other then the FWD and the whole being an RX thing” lol I know what you mean.

I like to tell people to avoid the first couple years of production for every new chassis, there will always be bugs to work out for every new car. Most of them get handled under warranty without issue but a few will slip through the cracks.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 01/17/2016 at 12:50

1

Her Rx is the last year of the body but has the debugged brand new engine. Abou as good of a combo as it gets. She loves it and it keeps her safe. And then we just tell people dont buy those years in general because when we start getting all technical their eyes glaze over and they get confused. Also, the amount of people that buy cars you tell them not to buy after selling their super reliable current car is dumbfounding. Like a early 2000s GMC Pickup (about the most reliable trucks on the road) for a similar year Disco. Died inside.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 01/17/2016 at 12:55

0

Yeah, you can only do so much. People will be as dumb as their hearts want them to be.

My wife drives an ‘06 R500 with the last year of the old and impossible to kill M113 V8. Safe and reliable. It has some first year R-class quality issues but nothing too disconcerting.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 01/17/2016 at 12:59

1

The only problem the RX has had was the axle boot was leaking, a super super common problem on those. I helped her get it pre-owned/non-certified from the dealer and they still fixed it as part of the final deal. Lexus of Nashvile was great. Luxury dealerships seem to be the best place to get used cars. They get taken care of, traded in, and put on the used lot for a good deal. Lexus of Knoxville thpugh... I have a post coming soon. (Hint: All I wanted was my complimentary car wash)

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 01/17/2016 at 13:24

0

Our R has had a few more issues than that. But we bought a warranty to go with it so it’s all good! And it has the best service history of any car I’ve ever seen, so that helps.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 01/17/2016 at 13:29

0

Service history is key. This RX was serviced on the dot every 5k at Lexus of Cool Springs, they didn’t even clean it when it came in on trade because they had no reason to. I’m probably going to be looking for a GX for me here soon and having easy CARFAX records (and a lift) is going to be very handy.

JR1 > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 01/20/2016 at 08:00

1

Not sure on reliability but I like it more than either option you posted yesterday (or whenever it was)

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 02/29/2016 at 13:20

1

Pretty much what amg tech said, no ABC hydropnumatic suspension or V12 coil packs to go wrong. I'd maybe go for a later model year, only because 2007 is the first year of the W221. But all and all, a much more reliable car than people on the web will have you believe.

Meo > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 09/24/2016 at 23:03

1

You seem like a funny guy, do you really think just because it has fancy computers the Engine and transmission is not as reliable as a Honda or a Toyota! Buddy this is a Mercedes ok I don’t blame you, you drive a Ford lol.

I have the first gen of this car w221 2006 s500 in Asia it’s named that way unlike some countries regulation they have to refer the Engine size in your case S550=5.5L.

It was actually first introduced by Mercedes in Frankfurt on 2005. So for you who think 2007 is the first year I have news for you It’s NOT! which should be a good thing because it sold for two years in other countroes before it got to you guys living in the U.S and Canada.

Mine is a 2006 and manufactured on 2005 according to my computer on dash an early bird as they say, you could check any w221 by using buttons on steering wheel. I can’t tell you how because it’s a secret menu! Designed to be accessed by dealerships Engineers and Benz Godfathers like my self lol. Mine has 144xxx km on it as of now it’s been 10 years for this old Benz but guess what last I went to my local BENZ specalist NOT the dealer! He did a computer check for free since I’m a regular. Engine life comes at 90%. with this number i did some math it would take about a million and 700 km to kill that 5.5L Engine something Honda and Toyota would need another 30 years to reach that technology and reliability combo.

I would say for a 10 year old Benz I Love when rolling next to a 2010-14 BMW or Bentley...etc and still look at the same level, hell some won’t even look me in the eye hahah and I know why. Simply because they’re mumbling (God damn Benz owners I just spent a 75k on this 2014 BMW and this old Benz still looks like a 2014 lol)

Good luck to you funny guy and hope you find a clean one!

KN8PZI > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 03/22/2017 at 21:27

2

I have a 2007 S550 4matic. I bought it in 2102 with 73k miles. I have put an average of $3000/yr. into repairs of one kind or another. I always perform required maintenance and change the oil at about 7000 miles. I always fix the car proactively as soon as I hear or see a problem. It now has about 133k miles. It is a beautiful automobile. I have owned Cadillacs, Lincolns and Toyotas, and it is superior to all of them. For $250/month I could not do better. I hope to drive it until about 2023 (another 60k miles?) at which time I plan to buy a used W223.