Pic's of my new car.... S65AMG V12 Twin Turbo W221

[S500Matt]

As I said on M3C, Sam, epic car!

The W221s are getting common now LOL.

 

[BlackC55]

Brave move owning an S65... even I would think twice and I own a garage!

 

[S500Matt]

Brave pill taken and the rewards are worth it, Sam. I was scared buying an S500, but once you start driving it, you realise it is only a car and soon the intimidation wears off.

The W221 platform is easy (IMO) for drive way mechanics. I have managed to fix the following at home without much faff:

Starter Motor replacement
Front arms
Rear suspsension level sensor
plus and oil change etc.

 

[michaeldargan]

They’re facelift W164 21” AMG wheels. If you look, the profile of the wheel is different at the centre.

The X166 wheel has a defined edge to the diamond face, with the area around the bolt holes painted.

The W164 wheel is is much rounder in profile, and is diamond cut all the way to the centre of the wheel.

That car is absolutely unreal.

 

[chic0821]

I wish I lived near you as I would love to watch you doing the underside of your car. It is amazing, I keep looking back at the pics of your previous car. Don't suppose you have time to fit mine in

 

[Sam87]

Well in that case the 20" look great, and I am looking forward to seeing my own same ones on the car. I think your old car with the 21" alloys did look better.... but the 20's are more than enough for me

For you Petrol is probably much better, as you do low miles. I intend to do a lot of miles eventually, and given I'm not wealthy Diesel is a better option for me. I'm also not that bothered about performance now I'm in my 40's

I'm looking forward to seeing what you do to this one, how do you find the audio? I find the Harmon Kardon a but disappointing next to other cars I have owned.

Have you considered improvements to the in car entertainment? I'm thinking an Android box and surround cameras for mine eventually, so I can have a bird view system.

I'm trying very hard to like the 20's the car has at the moment but i have to say, I'm struggling
I can't help but think the 21's fill the arches better

If the S65 was my only car, I don't think I would have gone for a V12 as a daily

Ah, it looks like I'm not the only one that is disappointed with the sound system! I think it's poor for such an expensive car and it's meant to be un upgrade. I love to listen to music loud and I do wish it sounded better on the S class but it was the same on my previous one so I have kind of excepted that. I don't think I will do anything about the sound system

Great thread OP and some lovely machines. I recognise that you first W221 from a certain detailing forum!!

Thank you Alex!
How's the CLS63AMG? It must be the lowest mileage one in the UK!
I saw a CL500 the other day when I dropped some wheels off for a refurb. It was having it's wheels done and the CL with the AMG kit looks beautiful. It made me think of your car but obviously it was nowhere near as clean as yours

As I said on M3C, Sam, epic car!

The W221s are getting common now LOL.

Thank you Matt
Nearly as common as M3's

Brave move owning an S65... even I would think twice and I own a garage!

I took some strong pills to help with the decision
I'm a bit fed up now with the ABC light coming on because I thought it was sorted but yesterday, it came on again while driving the car. This time the car didn't raise, just ABC light on. I can't do the level calibration because it asks for number to be put in the boxes and I have no idea how to do that. How do I measure it, from what point to what point do I take the readings and add them to the computer to do the calibrations? I'm happy to pay you to sort out the calibrations on the car. I live in London, how far are you from me?

Brave pill taken and the rewards are worth it, Sam. I was scared buying an S500, but once you start driving it, you realise it is only a car and soon the intimidation wears off.

The W221 platform is easy (IMO) for drive way mechanics. I have managed to fix the following at home without much faff:

Starter Motor replacement
Front arms
Rear suspsension level sensor
plus and oil change etc.

I wasn't over the w221 S class yet. I wanted to own another one and this time it had to be an S65AMG. Like you said, I took some brave pills. Lets see how long this pills will last .
Some jobs are not too bad to do at all on this cars and I don't mind getting my hands dirty.

I wish I lived near you as I would love to watch you doing the underside of your car. It is amazing, I keep looking back at the pics of your previous car. Don't suppose you have time to fit mine in

That's very kind of you to say @chic0821 . The end results are nice but believe me, if you saw the process, how much time it takes and the effort that goes into it, you'll say why would anyone go through this?! In my case, I just don't seem to learn. I say I'll never do it again and as soon as I buy another car, I end up doing the exact same thing

 

[Sam87]

Yesterday I went to Mercedes in Beaconsfield to pick up the gearbox mount. They know me by my name now, I've been going there that often
I thought maybe it's best to change the mount as I couldn't tell what condition it was in.

As you'll see below, it looks like it was a good idea to change it.

Before going to Mercedes, I stopped at Hyundai dealership to pick up a part and as I went into the car park, a few guys from the workshop walked out when they heard the car. I saw one of them come into the reception and say to his college, come and look at this Mercedes. When I walked out, there must have been about 6 or 7 guys looking at the car . We started chatting for a few mins and it was nice to see that people like the car. The S class has so much road presence, It really stands out parked up or on the move.

As I left Hyundai I was happy and thought '' Yeah, i done the right thing buying this car'' That thought didn't last long. The ABC light came on ''again'' and it's really frustrating that I can't seem to fix the issue. What's annoying is that, it only started after I lowered the car, change one of the levelling sensors and changed a shock absorber. Not sure which one of this caused the issue as they were changed at different days but I never tested the car until recently

 

[SmartAmg]

Nice, when people admire the car, makes it all worthwhile, doesn't it?

 

[Sam87]

Nice, when people admire the car, makes it all worthwhile, doesn't it?

I have to admit, it's a good feeling . Just a shame that feeling didn't last too long

 

[Sam87]

It would have been nice if the same parking spot was available

Previous car [ S600 ]

 

[c16rkc]

I'm trying very hard to like the 20's the car has at the moment but i have to say, I'm struggling
I can't help but think the 21's fill the arches better

I think they look fine personally, but its personal taste really. I saw a car on Youtube with 22" rims and I think that's too much; it almost has a 4x4 look to it. I think 20 and 21" rims are the sweet spot.

Ah, it looks like I'm not the only one that is disappointed with the sound system! I think it's poor for such an expensive car and it's meant to be un upgrade. I love to listen to music loud and I do wish it sounded better on the S class but it was the same on my previous one so I have kind of excepted that. I don't think I will do anything about the sound system

I had an E65 series BMW in 2018 before I bought a C216 Mercedes, and I was bitterly disappointed that the Mercedes Harmon Kardon sound system is no where near as load or Bassy as the BMW E65 was. Oddly the BMW had what they called the Logic7 system, same as the Mercedes. Now that I am back in the same platform with a W221, I again find the Harmon Kardon slightly disappointing.

This makes for interesting reading if you are thinking of making some changes to improve it:

w221/W216 AUDIO UPGRADE GUIDE

UPGRADES FOR THE HARMAN/KARDON LOGIC 7 2007-2012 S & CL CLASS

w221audio.wordpress.com

The last bit, describing the glove box mounted Clarion equalizer, appeals to me, as I would probably only use the aux in if it was connected to my phone. I am thinking of combining it with a Bluetooth Aux in to try it out first.

On another note, I am really sorry to hear your ABC suspension is playing up, have you had it on STAR to see if that sheds some light? Given my CL has been grounded for a year now due to ABC issues, and my slow progress of fixing it... I sympathize with you!

...and on yet another note.... I am tempted to update the rear lights like you have! - They really update the look of the car.

 

[Sam87]

I think they look fine personally, but its personal taste really. I saw a car on Youtube with 22" rims and I think that's too much; it almost has a 4x4 look to it. I think 20 and 21" rims are the sweet spot.


I had an E65 series BMW in 2018 before I bought a C216 Mercedes, and I was bitterly disappointed that the Mercedes Harmon Kardon sound system is no where near as load or Bassy as the BMW E65 was. Oddly the BMW had what they called the Logic7 system, same as the Mercedes. Now that I am back in the same platform with a W221, I again find the Harmon Kardon slightly disappointing.

This makes for interesting reading if you are thinking of making some changes to improve it:

w221/W216 AUDIO UPGRADE GUIDE

UPGRADES FOR THE HARMAN/KARDON LOGIC 7 2007-2012 S & CL CLASS

w221audio.wordpress.com

The last bit, describing the glove box mounted Clarion equalizer, appeals to me, as I would probably only use the aux in if it was connected to my phone. I am thinking of combining it with a Bluetooth Aux in to try it out first.

On another note, I am really sorry to hear your ABC suspension is playing up, have you had it on STAR to see if that sheds some light? Given my CL has been grounded for a year now due to ABC issues, and my slow progress of fixing it... I sympathize with you!

...and on yet another note.... I am tempted to update the rear lights like you have! - They really update the look of the car.

I also think the 22's are OTT. They look too big whereas the 21's look just right

Thank you for the link. I will have a look at it. I wouldn't mind having the aux so I could connect my phone. That way I could listen to music without making CD's all the time

I will get it plugged in to a STAR as I think the program my friend has is not as good as STAR and see how that goes. I'm annoyed with it because it was perfectly fine until I changed the parts.

I do like the facelift lights. I actually prefer a full facelift conversion but for the moment it will stay as it is. Who know what I will decide in the future

 

[c16rkc]

If you want the Aux it is quite easy, but will need to be activated on STAR, might be something you can get done while you have the ABC looked at.

Here is how to add it physically:

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[Sam87]

If you want the Aux it is quite easy, but will need to be activated on STAR, might be something you can get done while you have the ABC looked at.

Here is how to add it physically:

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Thank you! I think I'll get this done

 

[c16rkc]

By the way did you know you have the PCMCIA slot where the DVD player is (in your center console). You can also use one of these to be able to put music on an SD or Micro-SD card. Much easier than ripping loads of CDs.

Pardon our interruption...

Or if you prefer, there are more expensive ones that will be delivered much quicker, but I did not mind waiting.

 

[c16rkc]

One more thing that occurs to me, you might already have the Aux input and not know about it. If you do, there will be a cable in the glove box, and I think all early cars had the 30pin i-Pod cable.

 

[Sam87]

Another day, another update

I recently done a service to the car using genuine filters from Mercedes and Mobil 1 oil...................... It was done exactly 35.8 miles ago
After I bought the car, I put it up on the ramp to do an inspection, I noticed that the engine sump was a bit wet. There was a small oil leak. I traced it and found out that it was leaking from the oil level sensor. In order to take the oil level sensor out, you have to remove the engine sump .

I thought I'd get an O ring from Mercedes and when I'd do the service, I would also change the O ring. Once the service was completed and the O ring changed, I took the car for a test drive and I noticed that the car still had an oil leak. This time I decided to buy a new oil level sensor from Mercedes [ £150+ ]. Maybe the new O ring was faulty or the sensor itself had a hairline crack that I couldn't see. I didn't want to risk taking the sump off again, change the O ring once more to then find out it still had a leak, that's why I thought it's best to change the sensor.

At the same time, I wanted to use this as an opportunity to drain the oil and put new one again. Lets call it an oil flash.... Un unnecessary one as the car had only done 30+ miles since it was last changed. I know, I know, I do go over the top with my cars but some of you know me by now. I can't help myself
I went to Mercedes yesterday to pick up another oil filter and got some Mobil 1 5W40 oil

I can't update the thread without some pic's

On the way to Mercedes in Beaconsfield, I found this spot and thought I'd take a few pic's of the car.







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Outside Mercedes in Beaconsfield



New oil level sensor next to the old one

picture upload sites

Clean oil coming out









Here is what a 6.0l Mercedes engine looks like on the inside [ part of it ]
Yes, the paper was taken out before putting the sump back on





Finally a dry sump

 

[Sam87]

Oh and just in case anyone is wondering what the fuel consumption is in one of this . Here is how much fuel it has used from a full tank, which i filled up until I could see some fuel. 35.8 miles later, cruising most of those miles and a couple of pulls [ not too crazy ]

 

[ALFAitalia]

So over a quarter of a tank for under 40 miles!!! Hmmm....

 

[Sam87]

By the way did you know you have the PCMCIA slot where the DVD player is (in your center console). You can also use one of these to be able to put music on an SD or Micro-SD card. Much easier than ripping loads of CDs.

Pardon our interruption...

Or if you prefer, there are more expensive ones that will be delivered much quicker, but I did not mind waiting.

One more thing that occurs to me, you might already have the Aux input and not know about it. If you do, there will be a cable in the glove box, and I think all early cars had the 30pin i-Pod cable.

The car does have the PCMCIA [ which I have no idea what it means ] but I know what you're talking about as I have seen that in the centre console.
I will check in the glove box as I haven't looked in there properly. I only found out yesterday that is has a remote control for the rear screens which pops up when you press on it. I thought that was cool and it must have been even cooler in 2006