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C140 V12 Maintenance Costs

5K views 13 replies 11 participants last post by  JLCampbell 
#1 ·
Hi, in looking for a G500 for my wife, I decided to also look at a 600 coupe for myself. I've read that they can be quite reliable, if well treated and if the main things (AC compressor, wire harnesses) have been done.
Question is how much $$$ to budget for annual maintenance costs. I have no idea. I will not be DIY'ing anything on the 600, but intend to take it to a specialize MB only mechanic.

Looking at a mid-to late 90s C140 with under 100,000 miles, well cared for, all records. If wire harnesses and AC compressor are under 10 years since replacement, how much should I budget for annual service and maintenance?
Assume for 4 years only.

Thanks
 
#2 ·
Hi Surge,

Try reading this post from a well respected member here on Benzworld:

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w140-s-class/1258392-2-years-ownership-update-long-potentially.html

The M120 is a beautiful engine and certainly considered the pinnacle of the W140s, but it also comes at a cost. You are buying a car that is a minimum of fifteen years old and cost six figures when new. Therefore, it's still a six figure car to maintain and will cost much more to upkeep than a Honda Accord or a Ford F-150.

I would go down and talk to your mechanic and find out how much they will charge you for routine maintenance and what they have seen as potential problems in the 600s as well as the G-wagons. Have them perform a PPI on any car you potentially want to buy as well.

Other 600 owners will chime in on costs, but hopefully this will get you started in the right direction. Best of luck and keep us updated on your search. :thumbsup:
 
#3 ·
Thanks for your help TankNoir. I did read the post you referenced, and 'unfortunately' he did all his own work, so I have no idea on the labor costs.
I am a former automotive industry engineer and so I know my way around… I realize it's not going to be like maintaining an Accord.
I'm just trying to put some $$$ numbers to the maintenance experience. Otherwise, it's mostly qualitative words… and what "reliable" is to someone may not be the same to someone else.

So, let's get some annual maintenance costs out on this thread!

I will speak to the mechanic but I don't trust him. He wants me to buy one, after all, so he will likely under-estimate the costs.
 
#4 ·
I would find a mechanic you trust, especially if he is going to be maintaining two of your cars. They can be found, I have one that helps maintain three of mine.

You can then ask your mechanic what he would charge for the things that said member did on his 600. It gives you a launching point to work off of. It can even help in interviewing a potential mechanic; Mechanic A chargers this amount versus Mechanic B versus Mechanic C.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Surge,
See if you can get an "Ecklers" Benz catalogue with parts listed. I did this and started comparing Cl500 engine parts to CL600 parts. Most of them were the same except you might have to "X" by 2 for certain items. Remember the 12 banger is nothing but two 6 bangers with 1 crank but with a lot more labor. I'd go for later models that didn't have distributors and points. The 300 series 6 cylinder was like the old Chevy 6, a classic.
Anziani
 
#10 ·
Surge,
See if you can get an "Ecklers" Benz catalogue with parts listed. I did this and started comparing Cl500 engine parts to CL600 parts. Most of them were the same except you might have to "X" by 2 for certain items. Remember the 12 banger is nothing but two 5 bangers with 1 crank but with a lot more labor. I'd go for later models that didn't have distributors and points. The 300 series 6 cylinder was like the old Chevy 6, a classic.
Anziani
True and Indeed.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Dont be scared with horror stories...a car is a car...v12 or v24...if it is well cared...looked after...correctly maintained...and used regularly why be scared.I am very happy with my V12..it is a blessing...I am excited on every occasion that I drive her...feel special...
Just find the right one.My previous 560 cost me twice the purchase price and still couldn't bear with the ongoing costs...sold..bought this baby..expensive parts can be purchased thru respected car dismentlars on ebay...like mafs....ezl...buy the right car and you enjoy it...they can come costly on the purchase later you will surely save it...
My two cents...
Stryker has 4 of them...Where are you bro...enlighten us on the Wonderful V12's....

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App
 

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#7 ·
The 96+ cars don't have the wiring issues. AFAIK, the soybean coating was discontinued in the 95 cars.

The V12 running costs aren't all that astronomical. If you wind up with a bad egg (be it V8 or V12), then you can drain a bank account very, very quickly. By bad egg I mean a car that's been ragged on and not cared for properly (such as: heavily worn interiors, crappy repaints, and deferred mechanical maintenance).

The big-ticket items for the V12 are the coil packs and the shocks. Front shocks are $800-900 and rear shocks are around $600-800 (see if your mechanic will sell them to you at cost). I don't remember how much the coil packs are, but one of my mother's V12s had some replaced, and the bill was about $2k (I'm not sure if that included other work or not). Again, see if your mechanic will sell them to you at cost.

If your mechanic will not sell you parts at cost, then parts.com is a great resource. Parts.com has wholesale pricing and ships quickly.

Besides the shocks and coil packs, there isn't a whole lot of difference between the V12 and the V8 W140s. Transmissions are expensive for both engines. Best to buy a used one off ebay if need be.

If you wind up buying a pre-95 model, then expect to replace all the wiring in the engine bay at some point. It will fail. Eventually. If you think it hasn't yet, chances are it has and you just haven't noticed yet. Key symptom is a hot-running engine (don't ask my why though, as I don't know). By purchasing the wiring through parts.com for my '94 coupe, I saved just over $2k on the parts alone. It's roughly a 100 hour job to replace all the wiring, so you can calculate what your shop will charge you.
 
#8 ·
Hi there and welcome! I can only speak from owning a V8 that if it isn't reasonably cared for before you buy it, your money will become a distant memory. Work out a plan to keep it up to speed when it needs it with your mechanic and build a good rapport with him/her. Judging from what folks who own 600's say about them, that would be the way to go. Stay on top of the reading here and you'll be very satisfied!
 
#9 ·
I have a 98 CL600. Previous owner maintained the car well. Great car! I offered it for sale a year ago. Actually happy no one bought it. 97 and up would be your best bet for lower cost to own and maintain. My .02$
 
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#11 ·
I can chime in, having a 99 CL600. But, my advice is to be taken in context. Meaning I only drive the car about 500 miles a year, so it may not apply.

I budget about $1000/year for maintenance, but rarely do I spend that much. Last year, I bought a new OE battery for $190 from the dealer. (Which by the way, is one of the things I cannot stress enough for the 600. The car needs the current draw capability the OE battery can provide.)

General fluid changes run higher than you would think due to quantity needed.

Brakes are not that expensive. Readily available from multiple on line sources.

Alignments are no harder than any other car, so basic costs.

Tires do not last as long as you think. Mostly due to the near 6000lbs of weight of the car. But, maintain the suspension and alignment and don't buy cheap tires and wear will be decent.

Bigger maintenance items can cost a lot: Coil Packs, Spark Plugs, etc. Cost both in amount and quantity; you need 12 of everything... Engine and Trans mounts can be pricey for OE quality; but you should only need to do those every few years.

Air filter are cheap-ish. K&N Fliters are $50/ea, qty:2

A Side Note: Replacement keys run about $350, and there is no guaranty that they will work with the car once ordered. These cars only allow a finite number of RF remotes to connect to them. I was told that number is 5. So, if you order a new key, and it turns out that 5 keys have already been synced to the car, the new one will not work. Not the case with my car. But it's something to know if you get a car with 1 or 2 fob remotes. Unlimited number of actual mechanical keys can be used.
 
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#12 · (Edited)
I can chime in, having a 99 CL600. But, my advice is to be taken in context. Meaning I only drive the car about 500 miles a year, so it may not apply.
Old thread and the reasons for reviving it are not clear, but I will chime in too. My case is even more extreme. I've logged only about 20 miles in 2.5 years:

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w140-s-class/2799802-today-i-drove-more-miles-than.html?highlight=

My cost (parts only) is a solid 4-figure number. Projected to increase as the car begins to be driven and the cosmetics are addressed (just put in window regulators in the back and can vouch that they are not cheap).

Bottom line -- the c140 V12s are 18-24 years now and maint. cost will vary considerably. Even the best examples will require more than just fluids and filters to stay roadworthy.

Steve
 
#13 ·
Well, my experience is different. Maybe I have been lukcy... :wink

My M120 has put over 50,000 miles on it in about 2 years and it has needed almost nothing after I did some work to it after I bought it. MB USA were even surprised and comp'd me a service when I got to NY on one long trip.

But I spent quite a bit up front to get things taken care of before I started driving it long distances (per MAVA's exact recommendations) and it was a 1 lady owned always garaged 1998.

Not meaning to be at all sexist here, but I have to wonder if most guys buy the V12 for the power and enjoyable swift driving (translation - and hence thrash it from time to time) whereas perhaps Lady owners don't do that as much? For example, when I first took the car for a test drive, and after it was properly warm, I changed down the gears manually at one point and the lady owner sitting next to me was, well..., a bit surprised saying "I didn't know it could do that" and "I've never taken the revs up quite like that" etc.. - and I wasn't even pushing it... :devil

Maybe I got lucky, but in truth MAVA (and several guys on this forum) deserves much of the credit as he said to me buy this one and told me not to buy another one that was more of a cream puff!

Also, perhaps these cars are much more reliable when they are driven every day! That has been my experience anyway. Best and cheapest car I have ever had BY FAR - with sincere thanks to Stryker, MercS600 and MAVA who cajoled me into it... :thumbsup:

PS - only time it let me down was when I fell asleep in it for several hours with the lights on and the CD playing = New battery. Duh! :frown :eek
 
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