Hi Ukmlowner,
The air intake on the U.K.(righthand drive) S class is on the left under the vents covering the bonnet(hood in the US), but I guess the grill area around the wiper blades on the M class would be the same function. As Skylaw says just check that the drain is not blocked in any way. As for the modification all I have done is drill a couple of 8mm holes in the side of the intake box as low down as I could get,that way if the drain should get blocked again at least any water will run out the side holes before building up and flowing into the car.
Best of luck steve
I'm a W140 S320 owner looking to upgrade to a W220, thought I might check out the 220 forum. Boy! With all this grief over water I'm more inclined to go out and pick up a 7 Series Bimmer. It's a grim picture - I thought only 140s had trouble!
Is the W220 basically a sound purchase? Any other typical problems? Appreciate your thoughts... [:0]
Hi Ukmlowner,
The air intake on the U.K.(righthand drive) S class is on the left under the vents covering the bonnet(hood in the US), but I guess the grill area around the wiper blades on the M class would be the same function. As Skylaw says just check that the drain is not blocked in any way. As for the modification all I have done is drill a couple of 8mm holes in the side of the intake box as low down as I could get,that way if the drain should get blocked again at least any water will run out the side holes before building up and flowing into the car.
Best of luck steve
Hi Steve,
My S320 (2001) is with MB dealer today.
I had water penetration which caused electrical faults due wet wiring loom.
The drain pelum was clear, the car couldnt cope with the shear volume of rain water ! ( bad design)
Can you suggest a long term solution to prevent this nightmare again. My battery warning light , ABS, BAS, ESP warnings then came up followed by loss of power steering and power assist brakes.
The car then died !!!!!!!!
Hi Air-force-1,
Sorry to hear about your electrical problems guess I really got lucky. The best idea is to remove the stupid reed valve in the bottom of the air intake and then drill a couple of 10mm holes in the side of the intake as low down as you can get, just in case it still gets plugged.
__________________ In 1886 Benz invented the first car, everything else is just a copy.
It is the intake area under the wiper blades; on my car, the drain was on the passenger side. Reaching under the intake well (no removal of the mesh was necessary; just reach down the outside) I was able to find the pinched-off valve. If yours isn't pinched, feeling from the outside will let you know where it sits, so you can find the opening more easily (as in the photos earlier in this string) and unclog it. You may also find leaves or other debris simply blocking the valve opening.
Some analysis of the wiring diagrams your electrical system would be required to link your electrical problem to the water buildup and leak. However, it is a possibility. My guess is that Mercedes would only pay if your car were still in warranty.
I need some help. I did as instructed.. and successfully drained the water down. However the air still does not blow to the inside of the car. I understand that there is another passage way where the air can go into the car.. I can hear it sucking air.. but its not going inside the car. The inside did get wet.. and I dried it with a rag of some sort. Should I wait for the water that was sucked inside the car to dry?
*sigh* the true nightmare is when your drainage is plugged, you don't know it, and go through the car wash and flood your fusebox. After you find out that you've basically comprised the *brain* of the car, you then find out that your engine computer is back ordered and really really expensive.....and possibly not the only problem as a result of the flooding. Any advice?
Sorry about the late reply - my answer won't help much. It did take several hours before my air circulation returned to full normal. It started to return within minutes, but not fully. I hope yours came back to normal operation.
aweilbacher - unfortunately, no good advice. No magic bullet. I was fortunate that water didn't enter my passenger compartment; inspection of my electronics by the dealer after my incident showed no damage. Sorry yours hasn't turned out better.
Sorry i cant give good news on this thread either. We always, when servicing the w220 models, check all the drain points for blockage. But many people dont have their car serviced thus;
Its rainy season here in China and already we have 8 flooded w220 in the workshop with varying degrees of damage.
Certain modules need to be removed and cleaned with electrical cleaner and compressed air and they are;
a. Signal Aquisition Modules front left and right located under the drivers and passengers seats (front). This requires the removal of the seats.
b. Under the rear passengers seat on LHD are several modules a fuse box/ relay box and the phone module all need to come out and be cleaned. The rear SAM is also under there. The SAM's are very important as they collate the signals and send signals the the other computers.
c. To clean the modules you have to open them and remove the Mother Board, spray with electrical cleaner and dry with compressed air.
d. The wiring running between all these units is under the carpets in black plastic channels, these channels should be opened and dried out.
If the above is not done properly the your car will experience all sorts of, very annoying, control problems later
Now, as for the w140 chap who was gonna buy a w220 DONT. Get yourself a 7 series BMW, they are slightly more expensive on the servicing side but they dont have serious failures. I have never had a 7 series with flooding problems
Some folks have asked (especially after Tropical Storm Fay dropped 26 inches of rain on some locations in Florida) where the A/C intake and intake well are. Here's a photo from my S-Class. I have not had to remove the mesh grid; I suspect it pulls up after removal of the two screws indicated; likely held in place by clips (the problem in my '00 was solved by straightening the drain hose at the bottom of the intake well).
Yes, I'll wash the engine compartment this week! Lots of dust lately from highway construction nearby.
In 1886 Benz invented the first car, everything else is just a copy. 
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