“Invested about $7,000.” Minsker about the cost of restoring the Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W221) in an AMG body kit
The love for a used premium, it seems, will never go away among Belarusians. It is not for nothing that the old, well-worn samples of BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi are still in demand in the secondary market. Today we will talk about Maxim's experience in owning a German S-Class in AMG configuration, its maintenance and bringing to mind. The expert will study the weaknesses of the model, and also issue a verdict on the state of the 13-year-old "luxury".
“The car was on its knees - invested about $ 7,000”
Maxim from Minsk has been owning a Mercedes-Benz S-Class in the W221 body for the fifth year. The man admits that he has been fond of the premium German brand since childhood, and he has been looking for a specific instance with a three-liter diesel engine and AMG equipment for a long time.
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- I started my life as a driver with a Mercedes-Benz W123, and after that I only had cars of this brand. I changed a lot of models: W210, W211, and then the pre-styling W221, which sunk into my soul. I left for three years and started looking for the latest update option - I did this for a very long time. A suitable one was found in Grodno, and he bought it from a young guy who obviously spared money for car maintenance.
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- As soon as the ad popped up, my wife and I waved on the minibus to Grodno. The owner turned out to be adequate: he met us and showed us the Mercedes. Inspected, after which I was convinced: it's mine! Attracted native mileage — 240 thousand kilometers. In addition, they gave me two sets of original 20-inch AMG mixed-width wheels.
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— The first owner purchased it new in the cabin. It was a diesel S-Class, but they are not found in AMG versions ... Therefore, the owner of the car optionally ordered the AMG package, from the interior to the pedals, discs, body kit and exhaust systems. In general, the dealer made him a beauty. I bought a sedan already from the second owner.
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— My main goal was to keep all the options in working condition. This is the luxury segment: there is a seat massage, a mini-bar, a refrigerator - everything works. I love the car very much, because every spring I applied “ceramics”, despite the high cost of the procedure.
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— During the period of ownership had to invest a huge amount of time and money to restore the sedan. Eliminated all sore spots. The interior was dry-cleaned, and the steering wheel was changed, as were the side supports of the seats, because the “internal” was in a poor state. The windshield was broken, so I also bought it for a lot of money.
There's an adaptive headlight that didn't work. I replaced the lenses and brought another factory option back to life.
- This motor has a disease - "oil-burner". I am extremely pleased that my S-Class unit does not eat up liquid at all. Even in the process of restoration it turned out: all the engine mounts were torn. As it turned out, they are not easy to find in Belarus. Refurbished to match the original ($150 for each pillow), and the internal combustion engine worked smoothly.
- As I said, the former owner spared no money for the Mercedes, so there were cheap Chinese brakes, although perforated ventilated discs are put here. Now I put Brembo here, thanks to which the car slows down from 220 km / h in 4 seconds. Four piston calipers.
— Had to restore the front and rear suspension — made in stock. Air struts did not hold the body, so in the morning the car was crouched. Two months "Mercedes" stood in the garage, and the issue was eliminated.
— One of the biggest cost items was automatic transmission and air suspension. At first, not a single month passed that I did not restore anything. My wife and I constantly discussed that too much money was spent on Mercedes. Nevertheless, I will never change this brand, besides, I dreamed about the S-Class for a long time.
These Mercedes-Benz have the following problem with the “box”: the gearbox board fails due to oxidation of the chip, which is installed from below. "Automatic" went into emergency mode, so the car had to be taken on a tow truck. Replacing the original board, including labor and adaptation, cost $700.
Served a sedan at a dealer, and I also got a lot of help from Prolive, where I work. We are an authorized Mercedes-Benz service, so some spare parts, official programs and databases with components were at hand. If not for the help of our guys, more money would have been spent.
According to Maxim, he invested about $7,000 over the two years of restoration work. On this, a series of repairs was interrupted, so now men in the family actively use the car without any hassle.
- You sit in the S-Class after a hard day's work - and as if you find yourself in another world. It seems that everything around will wait when you close the heavy tinted door. The road home is accompanied by a seat massage - you just relax behind the wheel.
The consumption of this car depends on the driving style. "Retirement" on AMG will not work. My on-board computer does not show more than 12 liters of diesel fuel, but my wife somehow manages to achieve even 6-7 liters. I did not buy Mercedes-Benz with the last money, otherwise it would be a big mistake. To maintain an S-Class, it's best to have about 50% cash on hand. I knew what I was getting into, so I'm not complaining, but enjoying the possession.
Now Maxim has put up a 13-year-old S-Class for sale. The price is $24,500. According to the owner, he does not intend to switch from Mercedes to another brand, but at the moment the family needs a more spacious representative of the German brand.
“There are cosmetic nuances, but far from through corrosion”
To check how the Mercedes-Benz body was preserved, we went to the KROWN anti-corrosion protection center. Denis Zudov, a service specialist, will assess the condition of the premium "German", and also name the weak points of the model.
“Let’s start in order,” the expert begins to diagnose. - Corrosion is present on the front shock absorber cups on the inside of the wheel arch. Dirt and road reagents fly in there - right behind the attachment point. We have reviewed quite a lot of similar "Mercedes", so we can state: usually these body models are rather weak. Most often, problems are found at the bottom of the car.
- There are enough chips on the overlays, but given that they are made of plastic, then this is not at all scary. Eliminated by cosmetic coloring. This usually accounts for the bulk of the sandblasting. What is her mileage? Denis asks the owner.
- 240 thousand kilometers, and these are native values.
- What am I talking about ... If these body elements were made of metal, chips would easily turn into paintwork swellings, under which corrosion would already develop with might and main.
- As in all cars, there are traces of operation in the opening - scratches. The doors here are aluminum, and there are no chips along the bottom edge - this is a big plus. I see no signs of repair: the doors were obviously not removed.
- The rear wheel arch on the inside is replete with "beetles". So far, this is all decided by cosmetic colors, but sooner or later the time will come when the arch will have to be given to the bodybuilder for repairs. It would be interesting to look under the plastic lining. It fits tightly, so it will not be possible to remove it easily and quickly. Sand and moisture are always clogged there, which is why cars with such a fender liner design reactively rust.
- From the outside, the junction of the rear bumper and fender looks good, but if you look into the seam, you can see that the paintwork is slightly worn. This will inevitably lead to corrosion.
— Chips and scratches on the bumpers should not surprise. Often more suspicion is caused by perfectly clean elements on older cars.
- Symmetrically on the rear right wheel arch, we can see swelling of the paintwork. If you do not resort to painting, then it is enough to apply rust converters to problem areas.
Nevertheless, when evaluating the arch itself, it is worth noting: the metal is completely “alive”, nothing crunches, which means that it is far from through corrosion. I repeat: in fact, these are cosmetic nuances.
— On the right side of the door, it is also in good condition and has not been removed: the paint on the mounting bolts will not let you lie.
- In front of the threshold, we also see chipped paintwork on a plastic lining. The fact is that under it there is already a metal element of the power body - it can also suffer. In one of the previous articles, we noted the importance of having mudguards, but in the case of the S-Class, the problem is simple: there are no such original spare parts for the model.
Sometimes the owner wants to, but there is no way to put them. On the other hand, the consumer request of the first buyers of such cars does not include the "collective farm" and the desire to purchase mudguards that worsen the external aesthetics of the car.
- At the junction of the wing and bumper on the right, a putty crack was found. If the wing were metal, not aluminum, it would be worth worrying about. In this case, a sad picture in the form of a corrosion center will not hide under the crack.
"Felt protection creates a greenhouse effect"
From studying the state of the front part of the body of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the expert moved on to examining the "wrong side" - the bottom and hidden cavities of the car.
— As I have already said, from above the car with a large number of hinged aluminum parts looks beautiful, and the main problem areas are hidden from the owner’s eyes.
- We have surface rust along the entire length of the body. In places where the protection is attached - around the threaded studs - corrosion abounds. At the junction on the welded joint, a slot was noticed, but this is still trifles.
— It is necessary to make a compliment to this car. The niche between the engine compartment, the threshold and the spar is quite large, but sand and salt do not throw in there - usually there are real snowdrifts. Although the surface is dusty, in general it is clean, which means that the manufacturer has thought this point through.
- Felt underbody protection does a disservice to the car. I would recommend removing it and driving without pads. Like it or not, moisture and sand get in there. Protection in this case causes a greenhouse effect, and corrosion loves such conditions. The felt barrier has already outlived its usefulness.
- Apparently, the threshold was repaired using putty, because it was already cracked. It looks doubtful, but it's definitely not a disaster. If desired, local body repair will correct the situation.
- If you look under the protection, you can see that there is nothing criminal there. And this is surprising: there is surface corrosion in open areas, but everything is fine under the felt.
In the rear, aerodynamics always flies more dirt. This is reflected in the condition of the body. Pockets have surface rust. Again, corrosion spreads from the threaded stud. Under the thermal screen, sand and salt can also be clogged.
- In a good way, I recommend the owner to remove the protection and thoroughly rinse the bottom with an anti-salt solution. Then inspect the places hidden from the eyes, paying attention to the niches around the fuel tank. It's metal here, with a lot of surface corrosion. Ideally, treat the bottom with a protective compound to conserve rust and stop its spread.
The place where the rear subframe is attached is also a painful area where moisture and dirt accumulate.
- If we look into the niche of the trunk, we will again see surface rust there, but there will be no “drafts” - I am one hundred percent sure of this. Once again, I note that the car is largely saved by a large number of aluminum elements.
— Studying the hidden cavities with the help of an endoscope, we found a preservative there, which was applied at the factory. We see that the foreign car was not only dressed up on the outside, but also protected inside. Most likely, it has already frozen and does not fulfill its function. Nevertheless, its presence is an essential argument in the battle against corrosion.
“The car is very, very “alive” on the bottom, but there are nuances that I would advise you to do,” the expert states. - The sedan is interesting, which is stupid to deny ... There are questions from below, and they are all solvable. The unequivocal recommendation is to deal with felt protection and rear wheel arch liners. Technically, it is clear that the car has been inspected, and the nuances of the paintwork are inevitable. At this stage, cosmetic defects can be eliminated. You can drive to full pouring and ride without knowing grief. The margin of safety is still quite impressive.
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