[Stryker-1999 S600]

It's taken me almost 2-years, but FINALLY, it's done, the 1999 Sedan is now 'perfect', as in car-show quality.

I started with a car in already good shape (no accidents, garaged), but with a bit of deferred maintenance. With my indie helping out on the 'normal' stuff (brakes, tires, oil, etc.) and a couple of MB-dealerships helping out on the more unique-to-Mercedes stuff (window shade motor, air pump for seat bladders, parktronic sensors/harnesses, sunroof seal, replacement of the OEM HID lighting, etc), I was able to get everything mechanically done right.

The front of the headliner was coming down, so my car interior repair guy did a great job replacing the thin suede that had basically shrunk with more REAL suede. Color matching was impossible so I went with an offset shade. Works great!

Next, the seats needed a bit of work, again nothing really bad that needed replacement, just a couple of scuffs and scratches that were taken care of by another specialist I know, a leather repair specialist.

And now, the car is SET as a terrific daily driver. Everything works, all the final touches are done, and I'm thinking this car will be a lasting part of the fleet.

Cost of getting it all 'just right': About 3.5-times what I initially paid for the car.

Joy of driving it, with the OEM sound system blasting Bocelli: Priceless!!

 

[The andrew]

MOAR PICS lol

Oh and information on the wood B pillars and tray tables of course


Very nice, a proper example

Next North East meet you better be there!

 

[Stryker-1999 S600]

Next Northeast Meet: I'm looking forward to it!

Make the announcement already!

 

[DBA-ONE]

That is classy. I dig the trays, etc.

 

[z168]

Cmon dude all that hard work and you show 2 seat pics and a left panel. I can even see you dont want to wear out your roof handles and put your laundry in the back seat

Cmon more pics

 

[Stryker-1999 S600]

Very observant of our moderator to notice my laundry habits! Ha-ha.

More pics will be forthcoming. Promise. Too busy shuttling down the highway at warp speed, oblivious to all.

 

[JIXX]

I dont like unorginal stuf, if you put on tabeles they must me orginal W140 and they are electrickal, for me it loks horible!

 

[Stryker-1999 S600]

Good point, Jixx.

But I did keep the original seatbacks. Just in case I wanted to go back to all original.

 

[greggster]

pics please!!

 

[zeaq]

Post more .. nice S600

 

[vvee12]

vewwy vewwy nice ")

 

[quakercity]

Insurance

Great to finally see one of your cars. The extra wood looks classy. I do have a question. You have obviously spent some bucks on refurbishing your car to perfection. I am guessing you have spent much more than the insurance companies would typically pay if the car were totalled. Do you have some type of special insurance to cover your investment? If so, can you share the info? I have thought about this with the possibility of repainting my car.

 

[Stryker-1999 S600]

To QuakerCity: Talk to your agent about insurance options. I use Chubb, they specialize in high-value personal possessions: Homes, boats, artwork, automobiles, planes, etc. They have my 99-sedan listed as insured for $58k, based not on market value, but on replacement value. Yup, I pay a premium for that, but amortized out over a number of automobiles, etc., it's not too hefty. The piece of mind is worth it.

More photos for your perusal:

 

[Stryker-1999 S600]

In order to get the rain-sensing wipers to work involved replacing the front windshield, which was already done by the PO, but using a 'in-your-garage' installation service approved by insurance carriers. They did such a lousy job with the install, I had to have it done over again with a new windshield. The new window sticker works well with it:

 

[zft325]

wowwwwwwwwwwwww

 

[quakercity]

Stryker thanks for input on insurance. I lost a few grand on my lfirst S500 when it was totaled. If I invest much more in my Grand Edition, i will look at Chubb. Not sure if USAA has the "special" insurance.

Your car is a masterpiece! I to tend towards OEM, however the tables and extra wood look OEM. Quite tasteful. Thank god you did not put 26" wheels on it!

 

[Stryker-1999 S600]

Hey, could you tell I'm not a fan of the oversized wheels?

Thanks for your kind comments.

Now that it's all sorted out, I'm happy with the result. FINALLY!!

I like it's understated, low-key look, even though it alone (the series) has perhaps the highest level of quality MB put into their product in recent memory.

Well worth the time and effort to bring it back to virtual 'certified pre-owned' status.

I would welcome other W140 owners to do what I've done, to their cars.

 

[ANT9]

Nicely Done...! Persistance... and Patience.. pay.

As you know this comment comes from a fellow 1999 S600 Owner. I believe the 'used' W140 owner is a rare breed, who knows to appreciate beauty & value engineering. Up keep is a critical component of the W140 owner ship. It is sheer joy to see some one like you demonstrate that. A car speaks a lot about its owner. Great car.. thanks for sharing.

While my car is also in great shape (promise to share pictures), I have tried to keep everything 'original' (sometime this can be boring). Personally, I think the designers have thought about aesthetics a lot. I see you have used a lot more wood than how the car was originally designed. While it certainly looks regal, its my humble opinion is that it is over done. Wood is like red color in a painting.. a little touch here and there adds so much brilliance and life. But if the painting itself is red, then it may come across as harsh and opulent.

Aesthetics aside, how much in repairs did you have to spend to get everything back to working order? While my car is in almost perfect mechanical condition, I know I am looking at mechanical issues that plague our cars - like Trans replacement..motor mounts, shocks.. etc. in the not too distant future. I'd like my car to drive 'perfect'. I do get a little rattle from my right rear door and from somewhere near the moon roof - now and then. I do need to get the CD player fixed and hope some day I will get a bluetooth system to work with the audio system - while keeping everything original.

Thanks again for sharing...your story, pictures and advice (get to a dealer..). Truly motivating.

 

[iss]

hi! i am looking for the wood trim like this one tooooooo(wow,nice!), where did you take yours?

 

[Stryker-1999 S600]

ANT9: The wood trim isn't for everyone, I acknowledge that. But I made the car (maybe uniquely) mine with the pieces I've added. In the meantime,I've saved all the pieces I've replaced and stored them away, so if I ever get tired of the look or want to return the car to 'all original', I can do so with no problem at all.

The wood comes from a variety of places, the dashboard piece was made for me while I had my original 1995 Sedan, I just never installed it in that car. I don't recall where I got it back in the late 1990's.

If you've been following my posts, I bought a new 1995 S600 sedan and, fearing huge repair bills, traded it in on a W220 S55 when the warranty was up. What a mistake that was! The '95 S600 was a gorgeous car that I foolishly replaced with an absolute dog that I wound up getting rid of. I was so disappointed in MB products at that time that I swore off the brand for awhile. After review, it became apparent that the Chrysler merger dealt a big blow to MB in a number of different areas, and now I look very carefully at what MB is offering. Some of their cars are absolute gems, like the W140, while others are not. You need to know what you're doing, like anything else.

Anyway, back to the W140, I think these are cars, in whatever configuration, that are real diamonds, some of which may be in the rough. People selling them simply don't know what they have. These cars were designed to compete with RR and Bentley when they were engineered. I think they did a masterful review of the later model W140 S600's/CL600's in their two-tone leather and enhanced wood trims and suede headliners. So I've made mine personal to me.

In the end, spending multiples of what I originally paid to obtain the model I have, I look it over and it's all well worth it. l can drive it everyday and know it cost near to $150k when new (taxes, guzzler fees, etc included), and today, all in, I've spent a fraction of that. My property taxes reflect the low basis of the acquired car, my insurance is reasonable, and now that I have the car to the point of needing only basic care, carrying the car is another bargain for what it is to drive.

The shame of seeing (most) W140's on the road today is that the deferred maintenance is obvious. Original owners having their car for many years will often get tired of them, hand them down to disrespectful children who use the cars for dump runs and Home Depot pickups. A shame. Then they sell them to people for little money who don't have the resources or the time to get the details taken car of. And once little things start to go on these cars, watch out for cascading failures!

Whether you're a DIY'er, use the local indie mechanic, seek out the MB service bay, or ship the car back to Germany for restoration, as long as you bring the car back to full useable condition, it's all good. If you don't have that intention or can't really afford to do that, I suggest you consider an alternative ride. Half-way is really half-assed when it comes to these cars.