Used 2004 Mercedes-Benz S-Class S600 Rwd 4dr Sedan (5.5L 12cyl Turbo 5A) Consumer Reviews
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Fantastic car ruined...
kldcoombs, Salt Lake City, UT, 07/14/2015
updated 10/31/2019
Mercedes-Benz S-Class S600 Rwd 4dr Sedan (5.5L 12cyl Turbo 5A)
35 of 38 people found this review helpful
... by inexcusable disregard for quality and repair design. In short, if repair costs scare you AVOID the S600, if you don't care about repair costs I highly recommend it! If you fall in between, read on . . . This review is specifically for the S600, most of the problems are specific to - or worsened by the V12; unfortunate because this car is an absolute pleasure and blast to drive. NOTE: See update at bottom after I owned this care for nearly 5 years. I have owned and loved 3 Mercedes prior to this one. 1996 (R129) SL500, 2005 SLK55 AMG, 2003 ML500. The nearly 20 year old SL500 is probably the best car I have ever owned (and my wife frequently reminds me have owned more than 60). The ML500 is my wife's, 160K miles and it still basically drives like new with less than $2K of repairs (not including maintenance) over it's entire life. SLK55 was brilliant for the entire time I owned it. I purchased the S600 used with 73K miles on it. Out of the 60 cars mentioned above, I have only purchased 2 new. When I purchase a used car I know it is used and plan on spending $2K or 20% of purchase price (whichever is greater) to repair things that have been ignored by the previous owner. I am saying this to provide context and to explain that I don't buy a used car and expect it to be like new. The S600, within 3 months, cost 50% of purchase price in repairs including: 1- Environmental control sensor (common problem on this version of S series) $400 2- Front ABC Struts, $2,400 3- Driver side Ignition Coil Pack $1,800 4- Plugs (recommended every 30K miles) $280 (NOTE: Labor for plugs was applied to coil pack above, otherwise plugs are $900 themselves for parts and labor) 5- Right and Left control arms due to broken bushings $800 Total = >$5,500 NOTE: Although the Struts are a semi-common problem on this version of the S Class, the problem is significantly compounded by the weight of the V12. Ignition coil pack is specific to the V12, on the V8 each coil can be purchased separately, in the 12 6 coils are grouped in a 'pack' meaning if ONE COIL goes bad you REPLACE SIX! Control arm bushings is an issue that is much more common in the V12 due to weight change and no change in design. NOTE: I had a good mechanic go through this car prior to purchase, other than the struts, which I could argue he should have caught, the other problems did not present until I had driven the car for 1000 miles or more. The problems also didn't occur all at once, I fixed one, then another occurred. That is the bad, on the other side of the coin, I am hugely impressed with the driving characteristics of the car. It is a nose heavy pig of a car that weighs well over 2 tons but acceleration is fantastic; I have a 2011 Corvette Grand Sport which will kill the S600 0 to 60 - but 30 to 80 the S600 is nearly even. The S600 takes aggressive corners (corners marked as 35 MPH taken at 60 MPH) and remains almost perfectly flat and entirely composed. With the ABC settings and ride height adjustments this car can go from feeling almost like a really good GT car, to a very comfy drive around (on really bumpy roads). All 4 seats recline, massage, heat and cool (although 'cool' is really ventilate and doesn't work very well). Finally, this is all delivered while getting about 25 MPG on the freeway (drops to about 12 around town). I had planned on purchasing an SL65 or SL600 next spring (SL600 would replace SL500 - SL 65 would replace Grand Sport), at this point I do not intend to ever purchase a 12 cylinder Mercedes again. If I move forward with the Mercedes I will either go with the SL55 AMG or, more likely, the SL 550. That said, the incredibly crazy frequency of issues on the S600, and me having to avoid the top-end Mercedes models (the 63 AMG is still too new for my budget), opens the door to a Jaguar XKR, which which is something that was an almost non-option prior to my experience with the S600. Mercedes had a customer for life, that they have turned to an opportunistic shopper. UPDATE: I just traded this car in for a 2008 GL550. Over the ~5 years and 64,000 miles I had this car it was amazing, and honestly I would still have it except (and I am not joking) I was using it as a tow vehicle for my 4 sear rzr and my wife didn't like the way it looked doing it. It had more power and more torque that the 550, and on the freeway handled towing with ease, although finding someone to put a hitch on it was a challenge. In addition to the work outlined above, I had to change the other coil pack, and replace some vacuum actuators (probably didn't HAVE to do that because the faults were really annoyances, like the soft-close trunk having to be closed like a normal trunk, and the back headrests not falling. because I decided that the car had probably been neglected in terms of repairs, I have increased reliability to 2 from 1. This is probably the most comfortable car I have ever owned for road trips. Darn, this is all the space tha
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2004 S600 Bi-Turbo
bmwerz, 01/26/2007
Mercedes-Benz S-Class S600 Rwd 4dr Sedan (5.5L 12cyl Turbo 5A)
21 of 25 people found this review helpful
It's a great car, very powerful engine. I beat a Porsche 911 Carrera 4 with this car. My car has all the options available plus some more upgrades, so it's a really nice car.
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WOW
JIMS 04 600, 10/23/2004
Mercedes-Benz S-Class S600 Rwd 4dr Sedan (5.5L 12cyl Turbo 5A)
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
WHAT AN AMAZING MACHINE. ALL YOU HAVE TO IS POINT IT AND HIT THE GAS. IF YOU'RE GOING TO DRIVE AN S, SPEND THE EXTRA MONEY. THIS ONE HAS EVERY OPTION KNOWN TO MERCEDES. THE V12 IS NOT ONLY FAST, BUT SMOOTH. ENJOY THE RIDE, FROM THE FRONT OF THE LINE.
S600 '04 startup glitches
Sixftr, 01/18/2004
Mercedes-Benz S-Class S600 Rwd 4dr Sedan (5.5L 12cyl Turbo 5A)
3 of 5 people found this review helpful
Second day, car failed to start. Roadside service hung up on me. Battery replaced, seems ok. Two days later, radio sound went out, came back after setting over night. Repeat a week later. Mercedes service discovered a software upgrade to computer system that had to be orderd. Motor for active suspension replaced.
San Jose S600
San Jose Man, 09/04/2004
Mercedes-Benz S-Class S600 Rwd 4dr Sedan (5.5L 12cyl Turbo 5A)
2 of 4 people found this review helpful
Fun to drive factor is a 10+. Unbelievable torque. Handling and braking are excellent for a sedan this big and heavy. Styling is understated. Comfort and inside room are excellent. Keyless go feature is excellent, however it has failed 4 times in the first year. Highway mileage is 18-19 mpg, city about 12mpg. Built in phone is OK with vocal commands useful. Get parktronic - it's needed. Automatic trunk opener/closer is a favorite - used frequently. Auto Tire pressure reading is useful, but a pain to deal with. I've driven MBZ E Series, Audi A8, Jaguar VandenPlas, Jaguar XJR, MBZ CL500. This car is by far the best sedan! Bought easily over an S55. Great car!