The Differential May Develop Leaks From the Seals or Cover

"Crank no Start" Due to Failed Crankshaft Position Sensor

Only problems since buying new 202 S-500 during Oct 2001, have been ball joint replacement, oil pan seals, failure of driver side door closer, replacement of flex joints, whatever they were, and now a battery that discharges overnight, just repaired by MB agency for $90. Not bad at all for 136000 miles. I love the car, and hope to keep it another 2 years. yes I would like a new generation S-550, but can no longer afford to buy new S class cars, that I have done for the last 15 years. find one with 50 or 60k miles, and you'll save huge in purchase cost, drive it another several years at reasonable cost, but be prepared when something goes awry. Biggest complaint, and had same for BMWs owned, is that german car interiors are prone to early wear and interior parts break. Little doors on center console, visors, door grips etc, are all flimsy compared with US cars, and do not last long. replacements are expensive. Overall, I highly recommend the S-Class as a long-term keeper.

I have a 2000 S 500 with 91,000 miles. I am the second owner and have owned it for 3 years and about half it's mileage. It has been a great car. This body style, built from 2000-2006, gets an unfair bad rap in many online forums. The early models especially 2000-2002) are cited as being unreliable. Mine is very early, being built in May 1999 and sold new in July 1999. It has not been without repairs at all, but they are consistent with what I would expect from a car now almost 12 years off the production line, and it has been less troublesome than the 1997 S Class I had before it. The key to this body style is to find one with the fewest owners and the most maintenance records you can afford. I have the records since new and the car still looks new, despite the abuse three kids and no garage can inflict. If you like to do your own routine maintenance like I do, fluids, oil, fuel & air filters, spark plugs, cabin filters, crank and cam position sensors, and the serpentine belt are all very easy to access. If you don't want to do this, find a GOOD independent shop if you have one locally that will probably charge half as much per hour of labor over the dealer, but still use MB parts. Stay away from independent shops that claim to work on Mercedes but don't have any satisfied customers you can talk to. Change the coolant every three years and the brake fluid every two. Use only synthetic oil and ignore the dash indicator saying you can go 10-12,000 miles, change it every 7,500. Replace the transmission fluid every 40,000 miles or so, do not leave it it permanently like Mercedes initially claimed you could.