[123.rishabh]

As Auto enthusiasts we keep scrolling used car platforms & keep window shopping for rare & classic cars.
I also have been doing the same since many years but could never make up my mind for getting some project car due to the impracticality factors plus NGT.
One fine day, i saw a single owner modern classic German car on sale.
It was the most neglected & commonly found luxury RIP car Mercedes-Benz model in India the W220 S Class.
The w220 is one of the most controversial S class. Revealed at the 1998 Paris Motor Show and sold from 1998 to 2005, it was a technology marvel at the time but was also plagued with lots of electronic issues making it unreliable.




In the 1996 Daimler targeted on raising Daimler-Benz's operating margin by increasing efficiency and cutting costs via efforts like internal competitiveness drives and Japan's just-in-time manufacturing.
in 1998 the merger with Chrysler to form DaimlerChrysler AG was announced. This was done to enhance the long term competitiveness of both companies.
According to experts & what I have read on the forums, the new chairman of the Board of Management, took Mercedes's focus off engineering as he believed Mercedes cars cost too much to produce and sell because of "overengineering" & they ended up spoiling the basic engineering.
W220 ended up with "better performance with lower fuel consumption, more interior room, increased safety, lighter weight, and a range of equipment that was as comprehensive as possible. As it was the flagship vehicle so it had to have pioneer new technologies that would set it apart from rival contenders.
It was the first car in the world with keyless start, radar-based cruise control (DISTRONIC), Cockpit Management and Data System (COMAND), with GPS navigation, updated Linguatronic voice-controlled phone/audio functions, and TeleAid.


The Facelift model was launched in 2002 & it had solved a lot of electrical issues which were present in the older car

Now coming back to the present, the car for sale looked decent in the pictures so i went ahead and talked to the dealer who had posted the ad.
He said the car is with the owner & is a single owner 2005 S350 3.7 Petrol with full service record from MB till 2018 & is in a decent shape.
Firstly I went to Mercedes Benz Service & checked the service history of the car which seemed to be in order, Post that I fixed a date & went to see the car in person.
I found a clean W222 S Class parked outside the house which made me sure that the car is in the right hands and would be as it looked in pictures.
On seeing the car which was parked inside the garage,



it looked decently maintained for its age, but definitely had issues which I could notice in a short inspection like -
1. Air suspension was not levelled properly
2. Starting the car took a lot of time
3. Central locking was not working
4. Soft close not working
5. Rear seat electronics (Vent, Heat, Adjust) Not working
6. Single key in a broken condition (Was working fine)
7. AC not working
8. Both front fenders & boot lid were painted
9. Driver side seat had a tear in the seat cushion central part
10. Sunroof Hesitating while operating

On asking the driver I came to know that the car was driven less than 500 kms in the last 2 years & even before that the driving was not more than 2000 km per year atleast since the last 6-8 years
Took a short drive of the car & understood that the car needed a lot of TLC for bringing it back to shape.
Requested the owner to let me take her to MB for a checkup on which they refused.
Opened the hood & while opening broke the brittle old star monogram on the bonnet (Felt it was not fixed properly & some fixing had been done before), engine bay looked decent & finally I left home after telling the owner that let me evaluate the expenses & ill come back to you.

Also some good parts which I found in the car
1. No rust in the bodywork & no accidental history
2. Leather needed conditioning & thorough cleaning but apart from the driver seat rest of it was in impeccable condition
3. Suspension up & down function was working fine
4. Car was breathing out clean water from both the tailpipes
5. Genuinely done only 75000 km
6. Engine bay looked fairly clean


Went home & thoroughly went through all the service history & made my mind that ill pick this project car & try to bring it back to factory spec

Took delivery of the car & drove it straight to GT Tunerz for a comprehensive scan


Found the following errors in the vehicle after scanning
1. PSE Pump Failure - Multiple Errors
2. SRS Failure - Passenger occupant detection sensor fault
3. MAF Sensor - Multiple Errors (Possibly responsible for the dead pickup)
4. Cylinder 6 misfire

On further DIY inspection, other issues which we identified
1. Sunroof Not opening & closing properly
2. Airmatic suspension not levelling properly
3. Headlamps out of focus
4. Rear Boot close retractor not working
5. Faded headlamps, Dirty taillamps inside
6. Shaky Glovebox unit
7. Full Service requirement with all Fluids & Filters
8. Dull chrome all around
9. Rear Electric Seat functions dead
10. IC Central display visible after 5-6 kms of running
11. Coolant had some traces of oil - Possible Oil Cooler Failure

After this took the car home & planned way forward for the work to be done

Here are a few pics of my 3 Germans together





As a weekend project, have planned to do things one by one.
BHPian Jatin Patel helped me a lot by sharing his knowledge & letting me know how to work on this car & where to begin from.


Project 1

Identify & Fix PSE Pump

PSE - Pneumatic System Equipment is responsible for the following functions which were not working
1. Central locking
2. Boot opening & Boot close handle auto retraction function
3. Lumbar support
4. Door Soft Close

Found that the pump is located inside the boot in a black box which is further placed in a thick foam casing to avoid shocks.
Took help of my FNG mechanic & removed all boot trims & found this box with a number of pipes coming out of the same.


Carefully disconnected all the pipe fittings & the electrical connector from the box & took it out of the car
On opening the same, found a motor & an electrical circuit board which had a lot of black powdered stuff around it.



On further inspection & opening of the motor, we found the Graphite impeller had shattered & turned to powder form (A common problem in these cars)





Reviewed my service records & found that the whole pump unit had been replaced once, so tested the motor & it was working fine.
Started the hunt for a impeller which could fix things up & found one supplier in UK from where i plan to order the same in future.
For the time being arranged a working used pump & took out its decent condition impeller & installed in my pump housing post cleaning up everything.

So for the time being central locking, boot handle retraction, lumbar support, & rear seat headrest retraction functions are fixed & working.
The soft close still needs a fix.

Project 2

Sunroof Repair

On opening the sunroof, it was opening an inch & stopping again & again.
I thought that since the car was parked since the last 2 years, the sunroof would need lubrication & hence that will be helpful in smooth opening & closing of the same.
Opened the sunroof all the way by pressing the button again & again & gave the rails a good clean with a damp cloth.
Made sure that the drain holes were not blocked.
The sunroof had dust in the channels but was in a decent shape overall

Before



After


Ordered a Silicone Lubricant Spray from VW which was suitable for lubricating the sunroof channel.
After cleaning, sprayed the silicone spray in the sunroof channel


After doing all this in the sunroof, there was no improvement & the hesitation still persisted.
Called Jatin & he told me that the sunroof needs re learning procedure as the car was standing since a long time. He sent me a video of the same and i followed the procedure to make the sunroof relearn its operation & the Sunroof started to work perfectly.
Also used the silicone spray on the Ashtray rails & Rear Boot Retractable handle & they work smoothly now

Meanwhile saw a W222 at a local FNG which had come for a Paintjob in the open


Project 3

A/C Issue Diagnosis & Fixing

Since the AC was not switching on & the compressor was also not turning on, we suspected that there was no gas in the system.
Put the car on the Robinair AC refill machine & checked for leaks
The machine immediately detected a leak & we started searching for it.
Started from the engine bay side & we were lucky enough to find the leak in one of the main pipes located in the engine bay near the LHS shocker mount.


Was able to arrange a new OE pipe & fixed the same.
Leak testing was done again & no leak was found. New gas & compressor oil was refilled using the machine & the AC started to work perfectly.

Project 4

Interior Cleanup & Leather Restoration

Since the car had not run for a long time, the leather had turned hard and there were dirt deposits & some kind of fungal growth as well


Used a water soluble all purpose Leather & fabric cleaner concentrate to clean the seats and carpet, followed by Nanoskin leather cream conditioner in order to restore the original shine & supple feel of the leather



Will need to to some more leather conditioning to get the softness back.

Project 5

All Fluids, Filters Change & Belts inspection

Since there was no record of the car been serviced since the last 2 years so it was really important to do all this properly.
Planned to skip the Transmission oil & filter for now since it was done in 2016 at 66000 kms (9000 kms back)
Ordered other OE equivalent parts from MANN Filter & the following were changed
1. Oil Filter & Engine Oil
2. Dual Cabin Filters
3. Dual Air Filters
4. Brake Fluid Flush & Bleed
5. Coolant Flush
6. Serpentine Belt Inspection
7. Steering oil & lines Inspection
8. Suspension checkup


The Air filters were in a decent condition, but as per the records i could not see any AC filter change in the last 2 services. It came out in a pathetic chocked condition



The Serpentine belt was changed in 2016 & looked brand new upon inspection.
Engine Shield was a heavy metal part with ventilation ducts for engine cooling. It had scratches & scuffs leading to superficial rust formation.
Gave it a good sanding & got it resprayed in Black both inside out




The Steering Pump & Oil had been replaced in the past so we just checked the level & checked the lines for any leaks or seeps & did not change the same.
Moving to the coolant reservoir, we noticed slight oil traces in the coolant which is suspected as a future failure of the oil cooler. Flushed the coolant with distilled water multiple times & have ordered a new oil cooler post which we will be filling in new coolant.

Brake pads were cleaned and reinstalled & a full brake fluid bleed and replacement was performed

Suspension checkup was done and everything was found to be in a decent shape.


Project 6

MAF Sensor & IAT Sensor issue

The car has a lethargic pickup and also the FE is pathetic, on scanning we got an error which was related to the MAF sensor, hence I have given the car to GT tunerz and they are working on diagnosis of the issue

Will continue the thread further once the car is back from there.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[batish]

How do you manage to run this with 15 year rule in place? How did you get it transferred to your name due to the same rule?

Don't you think the reliability would be an issue due to it's age?

Also post some more pictures, if you can. Would like to see the interiors.

[Shreyans_Jain]

Didn’t this generation of Mercs come with the biodegradable insulation on wiring? That was the cause of all kinds of issues, especially in tropical conditions.

[KkVaidya]

Salute you buddy.
People would shudder to even touch this White Elephant that has a runny nose and you had the courage to ride it home
As you have the knowledge and access to complex electronic repairs required on a Mercedes of this age, you would be able to fix it on your own. If not, the cost of repairs would be un-imaginable - you know that I am sure.
Looking forward to a stately S class soon.

[hdman]

Just wow! You have put in lot of thought before taking the step of getting it, and that shows. I’m desperately waiting for the updates on this thread.

How much are you expecting the total cost for this to be? Also, if you don’t mind, could you share how much were you able to negotiate the price for it?

[ritedhawan]

Nice effort in bringing this Mercedes to shape. The car --by the looks of it--is a German Tank! The efforts and the time spent to bring it back to shape will be well worth it. Awaiting the completion of Project 6.

[bhargav2015]

Finally, someone who picks a German car well past its prime. Kudos to you! May the motor gods bless you abundantly.
The shortage of genuine parts in our country makes it what we know it to be: a white elephant.
Now, the crazy ones have one of these as their primary car. Do you think you would have looked at the situation any differently had it been your ONLY car?
Also, could you also share some reliable sources for parts? Any experiences with refurbished parts from UK/ European sellers?

[androdev]

Amazing thread. It's time W220 start seeing restoration efforts. I am sure you would have got a W221 for similar funds in a ready to use condition, but this definitely is more ambitious and consequently more rewarding. Pneumatic system is interesting - I always wondered how lumbar support, soft close etc work in my W221. A lot of technology used in W220 is found even in the latest generation of S class, some with improvements (air suspension) and some more or less in same state (this pneumatic system and rear-AC unit). This thread is going to be a reference for many such efforts. All the very best

[Iyencar]

This is a fascinating thread. Colour me impressed. I was already in awe at the detailed knowledge and complexity as I was scrolling through and then I read this:

Called Jatin & he told me that the sunroof needs re learning procedure as the car was standing since a long time. He sent me a video of the same and i followed the procedure to make the sunroof relearn its operation & the Sunroof started to work perfectly.

.
God damn! So a piece of glass, from 2 decades back whose only purpose in life was to go back and forth, forgot how to do that? And you found a tuition teacher online to teach it again!!!

[vredesbyrd]

This is a very nice thread! Love it that the old yacht is getting some much deserved TLC.
However, I'd like to repeat Batish's question on how did you defeat the scum of the earth (NGT)? Because this gets my hopes up in the near future.

[d_payne]

I'll be glued to this thread. Love the incredible attention to detail here, and more than the (gutsy) restoration project, this thread is also a deep dive into the insane engineering in a Mercedes S Class

[bamaboy]

Congratulations Rishabh! That's a lovely barge you have acquired. Replace the stock rims with 19" W222 wheels and it will transform into a head-turner.

There are lots of scrap doner W220 lying in Punjab area which can be used for salvaged parts for your project car.

Originally Posted by 123.rishabh

1. Air suspension was not levelled properly

Needs to be driven around. The onboard Airmatic system will try to recalibrate and level it out. If not then it needs to be recalibrated with OBD scanner. Launch and Autel scanners can do it.

Originally Posted by 123.rishabh

6. Single key in a broken condition (Was working fine)

You can get a new key shell from ebay.co.uk which is very inexpensive. Look for China/Singapore based sellers. I'd ordered a similar key shell for my Cousin's W203 F/L. Also, order a new blank key that can be replicated as a spare.

Originally Posted by 123.rishabh

9. Driver side seat had a tear in the seat cushion central part

This can be fixed easily with silicon and leather dye/spray paint. Search for DIY youtube videos.

Originally Posted by 123.rishabh

The car has a lethargic pickup and also the FE is pathetic, on scanning we got an error which was related to the MAF sensor, hence I have given the car to GT tunerz and they are working on diagnosis of the issue

You can try getting it cleaned with MAF cleaner spray. I'm quite sure it will work fine after cleaning. If it needs to be changed then go with the original OEM brand MAF sensor only. I have wasted my money and time with aftermarket MAF sensor in my W124.

[123.rishabh]

Originally Posted by batish

How do you manage to run this with 15 year rule in place? How did you get it transferred to your name due to the same rule?
Don't you think the reliability would be an issue due to it's age?
Also post some more pictures, if you can. Would like to see the interiors.

Originally the car was DL number, but the owner thankfully took the NOC in time & got it registered in HP so it is valid till 2025 & can be renewed further.
I plan to use it for outstation trips since its a great highway cruiser.

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

Didn’t this generation of Mercs come with the biodegradable insulation on wiring? That was the cause of all kinds of issues, especially in tropical conditions.

As far as i know, the biodegradable insulation was there will the W140 & W124 generation. This car thankfully does not have that issue.

Originally Posted by KkVaidya

Salute you buddy.
People would shudder to even touch this White Elephant that has a runny nose and you had the balls to ride it home
As you have the knowledge and access to complex electronic repairs required on a Mercedes of this age, you would be able to fix it on your own. If not, the cost of repairs would be un-imaginable - you know that I am sure.
Looking forward to a stately S class soon.

Thanks man, hoping to get it back to its original glory soon.

Originally Posted by hdman

Just wow! You have put in lot of thought before taking the step of getting it, and that shows. I’m desperately waiting for the updates on this thread.
How much are you expecting the total cost for this to be? Also, if you don’t mind, could you share how much were you able to negotiate the price for it?

Total budget of the car plus restoration should be under 9 lakhs as per my calculations

Originally Posted by ritedhawan

Nice effort in bringing this Mercedes to shape. The car --by the looks of it--is a German Tank! The efforts and the time spent to bring it back to shape will be well worth it. Awaiting the completion of Project 6.

Thank you

Originally Posted by bhargav2015

Finally, someone who picks a German car well past its prime. Kudos to you! May the motor gods bless you abundantly.
The shortage of genuine parts in our country makes it what we know it to be: a white elephant.
Now, the crazy ones have one of these as their primary car. Do you think you would have looked at the situation any differently had it been your ONLY car?
Also, could you also share some reliable sources for parts? Any experiences with refurbished parts from UK/ European sellers?

Blessings from the motor gods is very important for this car, i can never think of this as my primary car considering the age of the vehicle. Talking about parts, i have currently bought some parts from boodmo & some from my local dealers in Delhi. I plan to order more of them from Pelican Parts USA once my cousin plans a trip to India.

Originally Posted by androdev

Amazing thread. It's time W220 start seeing restoration efforts. I am sure you would have got a W221 for similar funds in a ready to use condition, but this definitely is more ambitious and consequently more rewarding. Pneumatic system is interesting - I always wondered how lumbar support, soft close etc work in my W221. A lot of technology used in W220 is found even in the latest generation of S class, some with improvements (air suspension) and some more or less in same state (this pneumatic system and rear-AC unit). This thread is going to be a reference for many such efforts. All the very best

Thanks a lot, I remember having a lot of discussions with you regarding the W221 earlier. The W221 which were available in this price were in a very poor mechanical condition. This car was a single owner plus had a clean service history & was mechanically fit (In terms of engine & transmission) hence went in for this, plus the rarity of the W220 now a days

Originally Posted by Iyencar

This is a fascinating thread. Colour me impressed. I was already in awe at the detailed knowledge and complexity as I was scrolling through and then I read this:
.
God damn! So a piece of glass, from 2 decades back whose only purpose in life was to go back and forth, forgot how to do that? And you found a tuition teacher online to teach it again!!!

Everyday I get to learn new fascinating things about this car.

Originally Posted by vredesbyrd

This is a very nice thread! Love it that the old yacht is getting some much deserved TLC.
However, I'd like to repeat Batish's question on how did you defeat the scum of the earth (NGT)? Because this gets my hopes up in the near future.

As mentioned above its HP registered and plan to use it for Highway runs

Originally Posted by d_payne

I'll be glued to this thread. Love the incredible attention to detail here, and more than the (gutsy) restoration project, this thread is also a deep dive into the insane engineering in a Mercedes S Class

Thanks a lot

[Guru_Shikhar]

Firstly hats off to you for the risk appetite and mitigation levels you have.

The restoration project keeps an automobile lover very engaging and help gain knowledge; thanks to supreme folks like you

This is also a good sign for someone who wants to dive into this section of buying and restoring old gems with the readiness to study the mechanics and dynamics of it.

Locating the parts is major task in such cases needs one to have ample of patience which you already have.

Already loving this thread

Pl post project 6 details asap.

Thanks

Cheers.