Now that I've had the car for about two weeks, I wanted to give some thoughts on the car, as well as show what I've done with it in that time.
Driving it to work every day has just been an absolute joy. Stop and go traffic doesn't bother me as much as it used to, especially when I have the music on. A lot of people complain about the stock BOSE system, but I think it sounds pretty darn good, and that's through the supposedly inferior aux-in port in the glovebox. I'm sure it'll sound even better once I install an actual iPod connection. I also like driving without any music on, because of how quiet and peaceful the ride is, even at 80mph. The engine pulls strongly and still returns surprisingly good gas mileage for a 5L engine. I calculated my gas mileage the last time I gassed up and I got close to 20mpg in mixed driving, which includes me driving like an idiot sometimes. The S500 handles surprisingly well for a car of this size, it really don't feel as big as it is. Last night I had some fun with the Airmatic set to the stiffest setting, I got the tail to slide out a few times during some rather spirited driving, which was just great fun. Don't get me wrong, this is no track car, but it makes me happy to know that it can still handle very well should I ever need it to.
Everyone that's been in the car has commented on how nice it is, and I've had the car full of people a few times with great success. The S500 doesn't feel any worse when fully loaded, and it still pulls strongly. Having usable cupholders in the front and back is quite wonderful as well, as that's something that my BMWs sorely lacked.
The climate control works perfectly, and I haven't really needed to touch it after I set it to 72° on auto. The charcoal filter is a nice addition that really makes my commutes a lot more pleasant, since I don't have to smell exhaust fumes from poorly tuned diesel trucks.
Earlier this week I was browsing Craigslist like I usually do, and I spotted some interesting-looking wheels that were for sale. I got in touch with the seller and I ended up driving down 30 miles to Casa Grande to pick them up. I drove a few miles on dirt roads to get to the seller's house, as he was in a rather remote part of town. I'm happy to report that the S500 handled that extremely well with the Airmatic suspension raised up. Upon arriving at the seller's house, I looked over the wheels and found that they were genuine 18" Lorinser LM5 wheels. These wheels cost thousands when new, and I scooped them up with good tires for only $300. Zing. They're quite curb rashed and have some peeling clear coat, but for the price I don't mind it at all. I can always refinish them later on. The wheels came with 7mm hub-centric spacers bolted onto them, so they line up quite nicely with my S500's body. I'm liking the look, they certainly make my S500 look a little more aggressive. The 275 rears and 245 fronts also make the car gripper in turns, and I don't spin my wheels when going WOT from a standstill anymore.
Initially, the wheels made a clicking noise when I put them on. They weren't rubbing from what I could tell, so I figured that perhaps the lug bolts were not the right length with these new wheels. I took the S500 to Wheel Specialists in Tempe, and had them look at the wheels. They determined that the stock lug bolts were too long, and they were hitting the parking brake assembly a bit, causing the clicking sound. $50 later, I had some nice new lug bolts and no more clicking noises. My S500 felt a little out of place in their parking lot though... So many nice cars in one place.
I also got some tint installed on Wednesday. I had it done at Star Windshield in Chandler, and they did a pretty good job. I chose 35% all around, for a uniform (and legal) look. I've already noticed a pretty big difference after having the car sit in the sun during the day.
Excuse the dirt, I have to wash my car this weekend. I've put about a thousand miles on it in the past two weeks.
Last night I popped the hood into service mode and did a really thorough inspection of the engine. The hood service mode is incredibly easy to engage with the S500, whereas my BMWs required tools to do that. Overall, the engine is incredibly clean. The valve covers look tidy, the serpentine belt is pretty new, the transmission bell housing is completely clean, and the whole engine compartment is just incredibly clean. I wasn't wearing gloves when I poked around the engine compartment, and I didn't even get my hands dirty. The air filter/engine cover is brilliantly designed and comes off super easily. Seriously, Mercedes really knocked it out of the park with this engine compartment, everything is so user-friendly and easy to access. I replaced the Airmatic relay with a Hella one, as the Airmatic relay was still original. Since the original relay worked just fine, I put it in the trunk tool compartment as a spare. Tomorrow morning I'm going to replace the crankshaft position sensor, as the engine was too hot to do so last night.
Overall, it's been a great experience so far. Next week I'm going to some more comprehensive maintenance, like air filters, cabin filters, oil change, and fuel filter change.