[GTO]

Originally Posted by androdev

Your 530D is the ultimate all-in-one car, which unfortunately is not helping your cause to move to W222 (you will surely miss your 5!!) ;-)

Truly, upgrading from such a car (or your W221) is so darn difficult. Very keen on the W222, main two points stopping me are that it won't be as much fun to drive, and that I won't be able to take it to all the places I drive my F10. I take my 530d like everywhere. Even crazy narrow lanes & bad roads where my friends / cousins wouldn't take their mainstream cars (their words, not mine).

The stock price of Toyota has gone up in my books

Hahaha! Love your language, man. By the way, your post is on our homepage today.

And then one day you find ten years have got behind you..

[deepfreak15]

Originally Posted by androdev

Off late, I am doing frequent road trips covering state highways and village roads in KA and TN.

Nice to hear feedback from people who use their cars on all types of roads our country offers. Just curious, do you drive or get chauffeured around or a mix a of both?

Originally Posted by androdev

Attachment 2256022

That is truly a lovely garage but I just cant help thinking its missing an exotic motorcycle. Please complete the picture, pretty please

[androdev]

Originally Posted by GTO

Truly, upgrading from such a car (or your W221) is so darn difficult. Very keen on the W222, main two points stopping me are that it won't be as much fun to drive, and that I won't be able to take it to all the places I drive my F10. I take my 530d like everywhere. Even crazy narrow lanes & bad roads where my friends / cousins wouldn't take their mainstream cars (their words, not mine).

You will totally miss the agility with an S Class. A typical MB car itself is no match for BMW and S Class is deliberately made to tune out a lot of things. This will be the single biggest downgrade vs 530d. In my case, we are usually four of us traveling so I am happy to make the trade off. Driving alone or just two up front may not make such a strong case for an S Class.

Other aspects are not such a big deal and S class can certainly match your 530D in terms of practicality and go-anywhere ability.

Fuel efficiency: Fuel efficiency will be less but tank range will not let you down.

Ground clearance: I don't know about W222 but W221 is exceptional. My guess would be that W222 will have better GC than F10.

Size: I have driven it in narrow and super crowded places that required millimeter precision - thankfully in India, lot of bystanders offer help if you are stuck in a tight spot. They remove bikes off the road, guide you in extremely tight spots and so on. Tempo travellers and Innovas do this regularly, I just have to be extra patient and careful. I just refuse to move (in a polite way, not as an entitled brat) and someone steps in to help me out of a tight spot. People are extremely helpful and kind if you are gentle and patient. I don't knowingly take my car to crowded places but sometimes do end up in such places. The only strict no for me is I don't park it in random places, I am very particular about a safe parking place.

Originally Posted by deepfreak15

Nice to hear feedback from people who use their cars on all types of roads our country offers. Just curious, do you drive or get chauffeured around or a mix a of both?

I am a big fan of TN and KL rural roads. Great quality surfaces and beautiful landscapes. Would never miss an opportunity to drive on those roads. I am the sole driver and porter :-)

That is truly a lovely garage but I just cant help thinking its missing an exotic motorcycle. Please complete the picture, pretty please

Money can't buy happiness - I don't know how to ride a bike That old Porsche is my Ducati with training wheels. Lol.

[deepfreak15]

Originally Posted by androdev

I am the sole driver and porter :-)

Hats off to you then if you dont look at the rear seats and long to be driven around in literally the lap of luxury, I know I would!

Originally Posted by androdev

Money can't buy happiness - I don't know how to ride a bike

Money can't buy happiness- motorcycling can! Its never too late a white Ducati Panigale would literally complete that picture and will tempt you start riding , I will not let go of that hope of it happening.

[vivekrvcse]

Phew, that was about 2.5 hours to finish

Do you still own the car androdev? How's it going for the S Class with the 911 also there?

In case you are planning on selling this, do leave a reply!

[androdev]

The car will turn 10 years in less than two weeks. I suppose it would create a massive glitch in the space time continuum and lead to disastrous consequences if an S-Class completed a decade of ownership without anything ever going wrong. The world is not ready for another catastrophe I guess, so the air suspension on the S-Class gave up while we were on our way to Coimbatore.





I have decided to replace all four struts instead of the front two alone and estimate looks to be 2.5L per strut plus few other suspension bits due to wear and tear. I think overall I am looking at a bill of 12L.

I have approached Mercedes-Benz for a goodwill discount, let me see how that goes.


Sign of things to come?

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by androdev

so the air suspension on the S-Class gave up while we were on our way to Coimbatore...looking at a bill of 12L.

I have approached Mercedes-Benz for a goodwill discount, let me see how that goes.

Considering the age of the car and the usage it went through, would say the air suspension did its job. Most S classes don't see roads outside urban limits.

Though the bill amount makes sense of why many S classes get abandoned after a decade of usage. But it also means you will get another 9-10 years of service if the air suspension work is done.

Originally Posted by androdev

Sign of things to come?
Attachment 2289452

Hmm..

Hmmm...

You will be using your friend's Camry meanwhile?
Or.
You are looking at a new Camry (Or ES)?
Or.
You are looking at the S class rival, LS500h as an option? (too expensive)

[androdev]

Originally Posted by DicKy

Considering the age of the car and the usage it went through, would say the air suspension did its job.

Agree, I sort of accounted for one replacement but expected it to last a little longer than 64K km. 80K km was the target I had in mind before some big event. It is hard to guess if the suspension failed primarily due to age or mileage. I also didn't expect it to fail suddenly without giving some early symptoms. Interestingly driver side failed first (I saw a message "car too low to drive") and I pulled over to examine and within a minute or two the front passenger side strut "popped" dead.

It's a bit like DSG. You know the day will come - it's just that you are not sure what the circumstances would be.

Though the bill amount makes sense of why many S classes get abandoned after a decade of usage. But it also means you will get another 9-10 years of service if the air suspension work is done.

I guess the fear is that even if you get the suspension fixed, there might be a chance of other expensive repairs cropping up.

You will be using your friend's Camry meanwhile?
Or.
You are looking at a new Camry (Or ES)?
Or.
You are looking at the S class rival, LS500h as an option? (too expensive)

It is more like youthful exuberance coming to an end

[d3mon]

Originally Posted by androdev

Interestingly driver side failed first (I saw a message "car too low to drive") and I pulled over to examine and within a minute or two the front passenger side strut "popped" dead.

Usually you get slow leaks from the struts, where the strut can refuse to hold the car up when left unattended for some period of time. If 2 struts suddenly fall flat, wouldn't that point to possibly something going wrong with the shared components, like the air suspension controller / air lines / compressor or reservoir? Did the Merc guys confirm that both struts failed simultaneously?

[androdev]

Originally Posted by d3mon

Usually you get slow leaks from the struts, where the strut can refuse to hold the car up when left unattended for some period of time. If 2 struts suddenly fall flat, wouldn't that point to possibly something going wrong with the shared components, like the air suspension controller / air lines / compressor or reservoir? Did the Merc guys confirm that both struts failed simultaneously?

My theory is that one strut failed first (degraded rubber maybe) and the second strut got overloaded with the extra weight. The rear struts didn't have issues, so I am guessing there is no problem with the compressor and distributor. Service advisor said both front struts failed and need replacement. The rest of the components will be checked after replacing the struts. It was my decision to ask for replacement of rear struts and service advisor was suggesting there is no need to replace the rear ones. There were no leaks or warnings whatsoever, I use the car regularly. The problem happened after driving for an hour or so. Thankfully it happened on a wide road (magadi road, Bangalore) within city limits.

[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by androdev

...the air suspension on the S-Class gave up while we were on our way to Coimbatore.

Damn, that sucks. Keep your chin up, even if the car can't (please don't slap me).

A question: Did you consider Bilstein B4's air suspension kit for the S350? Would surely cost a lot less than anything Mercedes quotes, with or without goodwill discounts.

Hope she's up and running soon. Time to start thinking of a replacement, maybe?

[androdev]

Originally Posted by iliketurtles

Damn, that sucks. Keep your chin up, even if the car can't (please don't slap me).

A question: Did you consider Bilstein B4's air suspension kit for the S350? Would surely cost a lot less than anything Mercedes quotes, with or without goodwill discounts.

Hope she's up and running soon. Time to start thinking of a replacement, maybe?

I have not ventured outside authorised workshops in the past. I have faith in good quality aftermarket parts (often times they are better than OEM) but it is very hard to find workshops that know what they are doing. Maybe I should start looking for good workshops for future needs - but to be honest my worst fear in life is ending up penny wise pound foolish. Such experiences bother me a lot.

I am still undecided about changing rear struts - as they are working fine and it will be a shame to throw them away if they are not on their way out. Service advisor also told me not to change but that advice sounded more emotional than technical. I am thinking I should change them as a preventive maintenance. However, changing rear struts requires removing interior stuff and I am very certain those barbarians will mess things up big time.

Parts and their cost (labour will be extra):

[sagarpadaki]

I suggest you do not change the rear struts if they are working fine.

I noticed they are changing the brake pads, discs, engine and transmission mounts lower control arm and tie rod as well? Is this also as a preventive maintenance?

[androdev]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

I suggest you do not change the rear struts if they are working fine.

I noticed they are changing the brake pads, discs, engine and transmission mounts lower control arm and tie rod as well? Is this also as a preventive maintenance?

Only the front struts are repair items. All the rest are general maintenance that's been recommended. Mounts and control arms etc I don't know how to judge. Brakes and filters etc, I gave a go ahead as they are indeed due for replacement. Other than struts which are big ticket items, I find the other items reasonable given the age of the car and cost.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by androdev

I am still undecided about changing rear struts - as they are working fine and it will be a shame to throw them away if they are not on their way out. Service advisor also told me not to change but that advice sounded more emotional than technical. I am thinking I should change them as a preventive maintenance

Without any physical signs, it's technically impossible (at least at dealership level) to confirm how long will the rear ones will last. He may have a past experience, and probably is recommending you based on that. If I am paying in full (labour included), I will not replace at this time. It's not as if your vehicle is 5 Years old and this is the only thing that can fail in future, there will be multiple similar items that can fail. And usually, preventive maintenance in the cars is restricted to the parts that affect the operation (engine oil/ filter as an example)

changing rear struts requires removing interior stuff and I am very certain those barbarians will mess things up big time.

Another reason, not to change

Originally Posted by androdev

Mounts and control arms etc I don't know how to judge. Brakes and filters etc, I gave a goahead as they are indeed due for replacement.

Regarding the other parts, I will inspect them physically and give go-ahead only if there is an issue. If you are unsure, of how to inspect, do go through forums or youtube, like

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBshgyYa6DA

The basic principles of operations/ inspection are similar. Or you can simply ask the dealership to demonstrate, how old parts are bad by comparing these with new ones from stores or from any other vehicle and then you can decide.

If before this failure, everything was in order, I will skip repairs for these at the dealership and try to get acquainted with a local mechanic as well. There will be many child parts available from overseas or locally for these cars which the dealership does not recommend.

Regarding engine mounts, if there are no vibrations or physical signs of leakage, I will skip changing these as well.

If all this sounds complicated, get in touch with someone like Patel Motors (erstwhile service partner for MB and now independent but repair everything from consulate to SPG vehicles here) . I will ping you the number separately.