New car. 2003 S600

[restorer]

There was no oil in the gearbox, leaking sump plug. Old oil didn't smell burnt so not cooked the clutches. Autotech pulled the wiring connectors apart to clean it and it showed a fault on the laptop after that, so replacing the plug and connector today and should be all done.
There's a blower ( described to me as being like a hairdryer! ) that feeds air to into the engine at cold start up. Excuse the lack of technical terms, I'm always keen to learn more from any members who know more about these things. Anyway, this has failed now. Apparently Mercedes want £500 for one. They do take the mickey on parts prices for these old flagship models don't they? Anyway, that's ordered.
And they've ordered a door lock.
Looking forward to actually using the car. Just hope I haven't bought a 1 owner, low mileage lemon ;-)

 

[renault12ts]

The auxiliary air is for emissions as far as I know...and not really necessary?

 

[restorer]

The auxiliary air is for emissions as far as I know...and not really necessary?

That makes sense. They said it was because the engine runs rich at startup. I'll get it done because it needs fixing, rather than it NEEDS fixing if you know what I mean. I like my cars to be right.
That's why I'm permanently poor!

 

[ChrisHampshire]

It's the secondary air pump aka (in the US) smog pump. You don't really need it but you may well get a CEL if it's not working.

 

[grober]

The secondary air pump is to help the catalytic convertor/s get up to operating temperature on engine startup. If faulty can lead to an engine check light coming on. There are several pneumatics/ electrics associated with it so they should be checked out also to make sure its the pump that's gone and not the relay for example.
layout and plumbing varies according to engine / model but operating/fault finding is basically the same
Mercedes-Benz W211 Secondary Air System Component Testing (2003-2009) E320, E500, E55 | Pelican Parts DIY Maintenance Article

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[restorer]

The secondary air pump is to help the catalytic convertor/s get up to operating temperature on engine startup. If faulty can lead to an engine check light coming on. There are several pneumatics/ electrics associated with it so they should be checked out also to make sure its the pump that's gone and not the relay for example.
layout and plumbing varies according to engine / model but operating/fault finding is basically the same
Mercedes-Benz W211 Secondary Air System Component Testing (2003-2009) E320, E500, E55 | Pelican Parts DIY Maintenance Article

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For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

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Autotech have checked and it is the pump that’s faulty. Engine check light came on which alerted me. Although the unit may not be necessary for it to run ok I want it fixed. I always feel that I want to keep a car such as this totally properly maintained. Such an attitude is the source of my poverty ;-)
Hoping I’ve bought a good car and not a lemon: time will tell. Historically I seem sometimes to be drawn to yellow citrus fruit when buying cars.
Fingers crossed, onwards and upwards.

 

[restorer]

Been back on the road for a couple of days now. Runs beautifully.
Secondary air pump on hold at the moment. Vendor is sourcing one, not sure why. I spoke to him and he suggested it leaves the warranty clear in case I have a bigger costing problem. Warranty is for 3 months, up to £1000 per claim and for a total up to the car's value so I'm a little non-plussed but as long as it's done I don't mind which way he goes.
Door lock seems to be working ok now, though it is a little slower than the others. Maybe lubricate the mechanism and see if it's happy at that?

 

[restorer]

Been trying to post pics of the interior but it won't take them. File too big I suppose. I'll have to try to save pics in a smaller file.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Door lock seems to be working ok now, though it is a little slower than the others. Maybe lubricate the mechanism and see if it's happy at that?

I'd give that door lock more time to settle back to normal. It's a dialogue I have with one of my engineer friends. He always wants to dive in and fettle any issue on a "new to him" low mileage car, while I always say "give it time to see how it settles." I usually win.

I also think that lubricating things that aren't meant to be lubricated can risk creating other issues.

Glad to hear things are working well.

 

[restorer]

I’ll take your advice Mike and not be too hasty.
Not very hopeful though: it’s significantly slower than the other three, both in locking and unlocking, and once it took a few goes to get it to unlock at all. I’m thinking it’s just got ‘lazy’ but I’ll leave it alone for a while and see if it settles down.

 

[jpwilliams]

Been back on the road for a couple of days now. Runs beautifully.
Secondary air pump on hold at the moment. Vendor is sourcing one, not sure why. I spoke to him and he suggested it leaves the warranty clear in case I have a bigger costing problem. Warranty is for 3 months, up to £1000 per claim and for a total up to the car's value so I'm a little non-plussed but as long as it's done I don't mind which way he goes.
Door lock seems to be working ok now, though it is a little slower than the others. Maybe lubricate the mechanism and see if it's happy at that?

I`d be surprised if any 3rd Party warranty would cover your costs as the problem(s) were existing when you bought the car and the warranty will not cover pre-existing conditions.
Do not forget your Statutory Warranty however which provides a legal obligation on the seller (if a Dealer) to make good any significant problem manifesting itself within 3 months of purchase. I bet he has not told you about this????
Good luck.

 

[restorer]

I know about the dealer’s statutory obligations and know that the gearbox oil debacle wouldn’t be covered by warranty, but dealer’s paid for that.
Secondary blower failed after I got the car so would expect warranty to cover it. But dealer says he is sorting it out himself. Ok by me, but I’m keeping a close eye on progress

 

[restorer]

Received my correct full pack of manuals in leather case, as sourced by the dealer who sold me the car (Tim Hayward Car Sales, Cardiff - good guy). He has sourced a secondary blower which will be coming to me soon. Only the door lock to sort out now: I've left it a while and its not getting any better, in fact it's getting worse really. Doesn't unlock once in every 6 times on average now: needs another lock/unlock cycle to get it to catch up.
There's a slight vagueness in the steering. I'm still new to the car so maybe that's what they all feel like, but turning to right lock (and back) produces a bit of a clunk often. Wondering if a joint in the steering assembly has some wear in it? That's the next thing to look at.
Enjoying the old girl.

 

[restorer]

Had a detachable towbar fitted. Took a bit of searching to find someone who said it could be done! Used Wez Plummer of Audenshaw, Manchester. He did a proper job, good quality fittings and first class fitment. He even did it on a sunday for me so I could use it the next week.
Towed our caravan to Snowdonia for the weekend. Totally effortless. And smooth. Total combined weight 3.7 tons and still accelerated like a sports car if wanted. Averaged 15.8mpg over the weekend, which is a little painful but better than I had expected though. Considering LPG conversion now.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Had a detachable towbar fitted. Took a bit of searching to find someone who said it could be done! Used Wez Plummer of Audenshaw, Manchester. He did a proper job, good quality fittings and first class fitment. He even did it on a sunday for me so I could use it the next week.
Towed our caravan to Snowdonia for the weekend. Totally effortless. And smooth. Total combined weight 3.7 tons and still accelerated like a sports car if wanted. Averaged 15.8mpg over the weekend, which is a little painful but better than I had expected though. Considering LPG conversion now.

15.8 mpg ! Fifteen point Eight Mpg !! For the whole weekend, including towing ?

Hell's teeth, that's good for a V12.

Lpg conversion for a V12 ? Fine, if you plan to scrap the car when you're done.
Just don't expect to find someone who wants to buy a fantastic V12 with Lpg.

If you want an S class with low fuel consumption, buy a diesel. You'll get different maintenance issues but lower fuel consumption.

Great car. Photos ?

 

[Smart320]

Received my correct full pack of manuals in leather case, as sourced by the dealer who sold me the car (Tim Hayward Car Sales, Cardiff - good guy). He has sourced a secondary blower which will be coming to me soon. Only the door lock to sort out now: I've left it a while and its not getting any better, in fact it's getting worse really. Doesn't unlock once in every 6 times on average now: needs another lock/unlock cycle to get it to catch up.
There's a slight vagueness in the steering. I'm still new to the car so maybe that's what they all feel like, but turning to right lock (and back) produces a bit of a clunk often. Wondering if a joint in the steering assembly has some wear in it? That's the next thing to look at.
Enjoying the old girl.

I bought a 2007 ML from the same dealer in Cardiff and had a few problems . They were told after the test drive that the tick over was too fast compared to my E class with the same engine. Told me it had been checked and was fine, a week later they had to source a new throttle pedal ( supplied a new MB part but took 10 days to arrive by post ) I replaced it as I did not want a 150 mile round trip. Also pre collection they sorted out a glow plug warning light but a month later it was back on. Returned the car and they said they then replaced the 6 glowplugs and controller, A month later same problem. Refused to ring me back or respond to my messages , so gave up had it done at local Indi . They said all 6 were cheap Chinese copies so put original MB plugs in and all ok ( controller was working but also not MB part )
Having said all that the car was also a very low mileage , 42k only , and except for the problems ran well and only had ABS wheel sensor problems during the following year.
Just make sure that you get things sorted properly within the first 3 months as I thought the paper warranty looked to have the usual very long list of exclusions and get out clauses

 

[restorer]

15.8 mpg ! Fifteen point Eight Mpg !! For the whole weekend, including towing ?

Hell's teeth, that's good for a V12.

Lpg conversion for a V12 ? Fine, if you plan to scrap the car when you're done.
Just don't expect to find someone who wants to buy a fantastic V12 with Lpg.

If you want an S class with low fuel consumption, buy a diesel. You'll get different maintenance issues but lower fuel consumption.

Great car. Photos ?

Great car. great engine, Fantastic mpg for what it is. Mind you I had my good lady travelling next to me. That sort of reigns things in a bit!

As for lpg, there do seem to be a lot of misconceptions about it. Firstly there's so little difference in bhp and mpg between using lpg or petrol it's not discernible with an engine like this. Secondly, it burns a bit hotter than petrol but if your cooling system is in good condition then the difference in burn temperature is slight enough to have no adverse effect at all. Thirdly it burns vastly cleaner than petrol so emissions are much lower. Witness the printouts at MOT time. Look inside the combustion chambers of an engine that has been running on lpg for a bit and they and the pistons will be bright silver rather than black. The main byproduct of combustion is water.
I have had a Volvo V70 T5 which I converted to lpg at 168K miles (it was a three year old ex-police car) and ran it for five years to 270K miles. There were no problems relating to lpg use.
I then had a BMW 545i which I had converted. It had to have both heads off at one point to replace a water seal behind the pump - not an lpg induced problem - and again the inside of the engine was pristine, no step in the cylinder bores etc.
The point is, as long as the installation is designed and executed by someone who properly understand engines and lpg then there is no problem at all, more by way of benefits. If, for instance, an lpg system is put on a JLR car (V8, anyway) then unless it has a specific lubricant feed and tank built into the setup and properly calibrated then the engine would be ruined within 40K miles max. If the lubricating setup is properly installed then you can have six figure mileages without problem. Mercs don't need the lubricating system. Some engines do.
The PR problem of lpg are the horror stories people hear that are caused not by the fuel, but by unknowledgeable fitters who don't really know the ins and outs of it.

A diesel S class would be cheaper than a petrol, but not nearly as cheap to run as an lpg car, with lpg being about half the price of petrol currently (near me, anyway). Plus the diesel engine is never going to be as nice as the V12.

And there is a market for LPG converted cars out there. Mostly people like me who want to run an interesting car but could do with the fuel costs being reduced as they have enough money to maintain it properly but find excessive fuel costs on top to be difficult.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

My point was who wants to buy a V22 with lpg ?

I know all the reasons for folks doing conversions. But I don’t see a healthy market for other people’s conversions on ultra expensive cars.

It’s hard enough selling a V12 in the first place


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[restorer]

My point was who wants to buy a V22 with lpg ?

I know all the reasons for folks doing conversions. But I don’t see a healthy market for other people’s conversions on ultra expensive cars.

It’s hard enough selling a V12 in the first place


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You may well be right, Mike, though I struggle to understand how anyone could consider it a disadvantage rather than an advantage.

As for your question ".....who wants to buy a V12 with lpg?" - surely the answer is: someone who would love to enjoy a V12 but finds 18mpg a bit prohibitive, but running that engine with a fuel-cost equivalent to a 36mpg car more comfortable?

 

[restorer]

My point was who wants to buy a V22 with lpg ?

I know all the reasons for folks doing conversions. But I don’t see a healthy market for other people’s conversions on ultra expensive cars.

It’s hard enough selling a V12 in the first place


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When I was considering selling my E55K, and just before I bought the S600, There was a black E55K Estate advertised which had lpg installed 4 years before. I was too late. It had no trouble selling apparently.

I presume most people realise that such a car is dual fuel - ie can run on lpg OR petrol, switchable, your choice. Personally I'd rather buy fuel at 62p/L rather than at £1.39/L (Shell V Power)