The S Class - Dad Tank II

[Alex225]

What does the OCD stand for?

I think it means I get a weird sense of satisfaction over picture like this hahaha

 

[SmartAmg]

What does the OCD stand for?

Obsessive
Car
Detailer

 

[Alex225]

Obsessive
Car
Detailer

That's the one haha

 

[Alex225]

Got my boot liner this afternoon. Sadly Carmats4U don't do a boot liner for this model so I found a seller on eBay. A perfect fit for £30 plus postage.

 

[Alex225]

Well, I took the S on it's first trip this weekend. My eldest daughter lives in Bristol so I go pick her up every other weekend. I'd bought my E320 to do exactly this drive and with the S being a step up in comfort it didn't disappoint.

I essentially did two round trips of 250 miles this weekend and the car did not disappoint. Oddly it took a fair bit of fiddling about to get that perfect driving position for sitting on the motorway. Actually found it better to go slightly higher as in the E I'd always had the seat as low as possibly.

For covering long distances, the S is hands down the best car I've had the pleasure to drive. I thought I'd take it easy just do a nice leisurely run at 60ish but actually find the car is better at 70, fuel economy is unaffected (averaged about 39mpg). Obviously the engine is stock but despite only having 230bhp near 400lbs of torque means it gets moving when it needs to - That said I still want a re-map! haha

Oddly it's the first car I've bought where I've found intimidating to drive, just in terms of sheer size. I went from an RS Megane to my CLS and shortly after my E Class but they just felt very natural. The S feels like a massive car. Especially negotiating a multi storey car park on Saturday but it also feels like far more of an event to drive it. Definitely more special despite not being a top end model.

P.S - V5 hasn't come through yet so annoyingly had to put the original plate back on for the time being. Luckily the number plate frames make it really easy to change them over.

 

[Atavus]

It’ll shrink a bit over time. Mine doesn’t feel as huge as when I first got it.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

I’ve always found that the S-Class *feels* much bigger than it is because of the interior; it’s quite square and spread out compared to say your E-Class which has more of a wraparound feel.

The seats were certainly designed to allow for men of a certain girth...

 

[Alex225]

I’ve always found that the S-Class *feels* much bigger than it is because of the interior; it’s quite square and spread out compared to say your E-Class which has more of a wraparound feel.

The seats were certainly designed to allow for men of a certain girth...

Yeah the interior is definitely more spacious, designed to feel bigger. That said when you see the S parked alongside the E or even other half's CLS it appears to be quite a bit larger. Definitely a higher roof line and a bit wider. Similar in length though certainly to the CLS.

Like you say Atavus, it'll shrink over time certainly in terms of how it feels. I suppose like with any car, you learn how to use it comfortably. Whether that's jumping up in terms of performance to changing the layout or size of your car. I found with the CLS it was the fact I was driving a car with double the horsepower than what I was used to with this I suppose it's gauging the size.

All that said, for the mileage I did at the weekend the car didn't feel ponderous at any point. I'd say in long fast corners it's almost more planted than my E Class. Then again it's a much newer platform so would make sense to feel better.

 

[Alex225]

Who buys a £65k car and doesn't spec Xenons headlights? Well the first buyer of my S Class that's who haha. Having come from the E which does have them and despite the cloudy headlights were way better at lighting the road.

So I did some reading up and opted for some Osram Night Breaker Laser bulbs.

Foolishly there's me thinking that being a German car it will be nice and easy. Well that was cr*p as it was a right faff. Luckily moved the washer bottle back and was able to get the passenger side sorted, drivers side was just hard work.

Possibly the last pic of the E320 and the S320

Couple of random pics from last night as did 250 rather lovely miles last night.

 

[Atavus]

You’d expect them to be standard on an S Class.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

Strangely, there’s a lot of 221’s that don’t have Xenons and I’d probably hazard a guess that more 211 Avantgarde’s have them than the S-Class

 

[Alex225]

I was surprised too. I suppose back in 2008 they weren’t as common.

Ironically my 2003 Clio 172 had them as standard, the 2006 Megane 225 I replaced it with was only one of about 40 of them which were spec’d with Xenons.

Just surprises me that a fairly flagship model as in the S didn’t get them. But these new headlight bulbs are impressively good.

 

[Alex225]

Well I gave the car a quick wash today and a layer of Meguiars Hybrid Ceramic Wax just as a top up.

I've been itching to de-badge the back end of the car. It's my favourite part of the car, in part because of those tail lights.

So, cracked out the heat gun and gentle warmed the badges. These simply peeled off leaving a bit of residue behind.

Autoglym tar remover, a quick polish and a protect. Looks far more smooth now.

Much less fussy, very pleased with that.

 

[SmartAmg]

Fantastic motor, Alex, love the de-badge.

 

[Alex225]

Thanks mate. I think the de-badge is a nice easy change that cleans up the back end so easily.

To be fair other than a genuine AMG, I like Mercs nice and plain on the back. Just look cleaner.

 

[Smart320]

Strangely, there’s a lot of 221’s that don’t have Xenons and I’d probably hazard a guess that more 211 Avantgarde’s have them than the S-Class

My 2008 211 Avantgarde had Xenon's and I did miss them when I traded it for an ML which didn't .

 

[Alex225]

My 2008 211 Avantgarde had Xenon's and I did miss them when I traded it for an ML which didn't .

Yeah my E was an Avantgarde and had them.

Must admit the new bulbs I’ve fitted at damn good. Not the xenon white/blue but comparably bright at least.

 

[The Smudger]

That is lovely... You mentioned you had/have a CLS? How much more comfortable is it? I have just bought a CLS and to be honest its not as 'comfy' on a long run as i expected it to be?

 

[Alex225]

I do have a CLS63 (07) and my other half has a CLS350 CDI (09). Don't get me wrong they are fantastically comfortable cars but yes the S is a step up for long drivers.

It's hard to put a finger on specific things it's just the overall feel of the S for comfort that makes it a bit special. The seats are the comfiest and most adjustable I've ever been in, it's quiet as well and soaks up the road. I suppose it's by default a higher spec even in base form. I'd say my CLS63 is similarly spec'd in terms of features as my S320 with a couple of options.

The CLS is definitely better on a winding road. The S feels planted on fast long corners but the CLS feels far more agile, even the 350.

 

[Alex225]

Another update on the S. Had it booked in with DDR for a gearbox service. I don’t know if it’s had one before, the gears were smooth and quick so didn’t see an issue. Thought it was prudent to have done though.

Has made a lovely difference though. Gear changes are unnoticeable now. I mean I thought it was smooth before but well worth the money.

Also, I’d kept an eye on the suspension as I felt it sat a bit low and seemed lower after being sat overnight. They looked into they and found a leaking air line. That was replaced too and the garage I bought from will be paying for that.

Very pleased with things so far.