I just love the design of the rear light clusters. Whenever I seen them pass me it just lightly brightens my day.

This channel is the best of JayEmm, Harrys Garage and Hoovie

Despite this being a MB low water mark during a drought, I love to see this old barges being used and enjoying rather than being scrapped.

Never mind the Merc Jack. My advice is edit out the part when you pick up your phone and play about with it, before an off duty jobsworth plod sees it and you get a CU80 on your licence! 🤣

Re the glove box try a couple of small neodymium magnets in the middle. That way you can the press the release button and pull the glovebox open using the recess. These things are strong so literally only use 1 on each surface.

I marvel at your energy and optimism. Then I remember that you are twenty years younger than me and that’s why my ‘emerging classic’ seems to go to the garage these days rather than having me rolling around underneath with rust dust in my eyes. I shall watch your future career with great interest, as they say.

I had a four year old 2005 Mercedes E Class. A lovely car that spent most of it's time in the workshop

Its got Semperit Wintet Tyres fitted - pretty decent. I've paid more for just Winter Tyres, than you've paid for Winter Tyres with a car attached. I'd wash it, polish the headlights, bit of tyre slick do the bare minimum required to smarten it up a little. Find someone local with Mercedes Star/Xentry, fix any show stoppers using used parts. And use it through the upcoming winter. You really can't lose.

The headlights and the rear arch are easy and will make the world of difference - DO IT!!!!!

Looking forward to seeing more of this S class series 👍👍

Thank you so much for doing a w220 makeover. Looking forward to the next episode :)

looking at the past mot history , its has held up very well . I owned one and did 280k and it did eventually give up mechanically at that point . I now have the newer model and love it . what can you get for £900.00 with that that level of comfort and still look fairly decent . I would run it as a daily driver for one year and not spend a penny on it and see if it lasts ... I would also think about letting subscribers choose a outrageous colour to wrap it in .

I always look forward to your videos. A great way to relax and enjoy. Keep up the good work.

Jack, fix what needs fixing, then smoke around in it for as long as it will run. They are always the best cars when you look back at them. Control your OCD of fiddling!! Don’t even wash the outside, you would be inviting more rust, but sort out the inside, especially the seat height one good bump and you’d be knocked out on the roof at the moment!!

Get steering aligned...when the steering wheel.runs straight, your dash lights will stay off. I had the exact same on my CL55 the steering angle sensor thinks something is wrong if the car is going straight but wheel is at an angle. Ideal car for someone who likes tinkering.

Deep joy, Jacks bought a Merc! Much good advice here Jack. Get a Star diagnostic, I’d go for steering wheel alignment/clock spring and/or wheel sensor. Then work your way through the faults. I can’t wait to share the journey with you, well done! TonyS

Despite its faults it still seems a bargain, you have to take a risk sometimes. Good luck Jack.

Number 27: Hoovies Garage - UK edition?

Don't forget that airbag lights need resetting once the fault has been fixed, they are not like engine management fault lights that go out on their own when they are fixed.

Nice video Jack and I love an old barge! Thank you

Will be interesting to look underneath the car to see its condition and to see what faults the ECU presents and next to analyse what is causing these faults and fix the ones that are easy enough to fix and won't break the bank. Looking forward to the next episodes!

Stumbled across this. A really well presented interesting series.

Superb Jack, great gamble and it looks like you’ve found a good one…..so far 🤔 It’ll be an interesting few months me thinks 😊

Did anyone else take a look at the other vids on this channel and think, "well the cheap Merc was a good watch, but the fancy stuff isn't for me'? More of this sort of thing please if you find it 'works' for you

Love this kind of video. I’ve just picked up an S350 lwb which am absolutely loving. Mine doesn’t have the optional opening glovebox but is soooo comfy !!! Plan is to drive it to Croatia in July…

Looking forward to seeing how this one goes, once you get the diagnosis on it and reset, see what returns and how much / difficult it is and take the decision from there fix or run to the ground One thing either way you can't lose 👍

Jack, on eBay for probably less than ten pounds you can buy an "emulator" to fix that SRS seat pad problem. My son had to do it on his ML320, cheap and cheerful fix.

Good score Jack. Play it by ear with the repairs. Cheers from OZ.

That's a great car. We work on these a lot. First things first for all those lights, check the brake pedal switch is in position and set up correctly 👍

After doing a visual inspection on steering and suspension components, get a 4 wheel alignment check with Hunter alignment equipment. KWIK fit have them and some places will check for free. Hunter is by far the best alignment equipment out there and manufacturers use them in factories. After getting alignment done and all where it should be, there is another stage which Alignment centres bever do and that's recalibrating the steering angle sensor when the steering wheel is in the straight ahead position. You need bidirectional scan tool to do it though. KWIK fit don't have these scan tools so you would need to find someone else to do it. Another thing to not do with these is change them to coilover suspension because you will loose the functionality that the air shocks have. Say you have a lot in the boot which drops the rear of the car. The air shocks will pump the car up to keep it level. The coilover replacement looses this function so the whole ride is changed and ruined. I've worked on several w220 and W221 who have done this it's upsetting to see what people do who sint realise how they have made the car worse.

Interesting vlog. Make sure you change the oil in the gearbox, they are known for the coolant to weep into the gearbox and mix with the gearbox oil.

I was going to suggest the abs rings on the drive shafts as i had the same issue with a W210 E320 years ago. Amazing value for money though so good luck with it and i hope it gets the views for you.

Omg good deal my friend, amazing car ,little bit change and perfect nice car with good price. 👍👍👍🥰

Great video, new to your channel! Love this kind of cheap luxo barge content :)

I think you need to try and outdo Harry Metcalfe’s Arctic Rolls and take the S-class to the Antarctic.

😂😂😂😂 … bonkers :) I’m looking forward to watching this, chap.

Lovely Jubbly, a change in direction.

Starting with this episode of the Benz series on the channel. Streaming it on my TV on a lazy grey afternoon. Cheers from Belgium! And I know these cars can be an (electronics) nightmare. The end of the nineties were a major rust and quality check problematic and erratic era for Mercedes indeed. Again I admire your sense of humour! The brown Italian wreck, isn’t that a Lancia Gamma?

Looks a great buy and actually a clean example. I feel like you wanted to not like it before you even drove it as it sounds like the faults are minimal for £900. Great content for the channel, looking forward to seeing more.

Ha! When you floored it and stuff started flying I lost it. But yes the w220 may not have been MB’s best but it’s a pretty good car despite the rep. I’ve had an 03 S430 for 2 years now and its going strong. The airmatic system has messed with me a few times but I don’t think it’s worth ripping out. It’s kinda the best part.

Our old MD had one of these for years. Wish it was a dark colour, as would look more executive!

Lovely car! I had all those warnings (ABS, ESP, cruise etc) on my SLK recently and it was entirely the fault of one dodgy wheel speed sensor.

What a buy , the drive looked super .

Great car for £900, perfect for a tinkerer like you Jack but i personally wouldn't spend too much on it. Looking forward to seeing the outcome👍🇬🇧

Well done! Have looked at the S500 as well. Think the body is elegant! In light blue metallic it looks awesome. Air suspension is often the first to go kaput

You need to incorporate some more William Woolard 1970s Top Gear poses, Jack.....!! Address camera with foot-on-bumper etc 😂👍🏻

Hi Jack, still loving the channel, great vids as always. Old Mercs! Now you’re talking. I have a few old Benzes myself as well as my ‘89 Alfa spider. I have an ‘89 S124 and the two couldn’t be more different. In terms of build quality they are opposite ends of the spectrum. If memory serves me correct, the W220 was a hasty restyle of the W140, pictures of which were beamed around the world in a smashed state following Princess Diana’s death. The W140 S500 had a particular problem with the rear suspension where if driven at speed and hit an undulation, it would bottom out and then fishtail once it hit the bump-stops. This obviously resulted in the catastrophe that the world saw but was actually reported on by car journos at the time. In fact I remember talking to a chauffeur whose employer would always encourage him to “drive properly” and actually experienced that particular problem. He got rid of the W140 as a result (plus it was getting old) and changed it for a BMW 7 series (E38 model). I believe the air suspension was developed hastily to address the issue (rushed through R&D) hence why the airbags always leak and the reservoir and pump fail. You see a lot of these sitting in the side of the road in a slumped state like ‘70s Citroen as a result. Also MB was preparing for the merger with Chrysler at the time and wanted to show maximum profits on the accounts. They did this by cutting corners and compromising on quality with the whole model range. Hope this old girl serves you well. Cosmetics aside, you might actually have a decent example. What’s the mileage and service history if you don’t mind me asking? Also find yourself a decent specialist as knowledgeable people will save you a lot of time and money. Any thoughts of a name? How about “Bertha the Big Benz?” Can’t wait for the next instalment, hope your channel goes from strength to strength. Keep up the good work! 👍😁

Get a 2nd hand glove box latch rather than bodging with velcro, you know it will only bug you knowing it's not been fixed properly

I think you should call it the 'Mercenary!"

Great content Jack 👌

That’ll teach you to browse eBay after a few beers… subscribed!

nice find. mine is an 03 s500 4matic in the usa, 280k miles. mechanically it is smooth and solid. i have no warning lights at all on mine. i do have to replace control arms and mounts. my drivers seat didnt move in all directions, needed an new door switch. my airmatc works but previous owner put cheapy air struts in it and they are done for, but the system itself works and it doesnt sink after 2 weeks of sitting still all my PSE systems work except the trunk handle. its a great car i love it!

Mate you got a bargain! It's unfortunate that because previous owners of these cars deferred maintenance or just couldn't give a shit about looking after them, the whole series gets a bad rep. Get a good one and the W220 is really a beautiful car.

A lot of those system faults taken together might suggest a (or more) faulty speed sensor on the wheel hub... But then I'm definitely not an expert!

A bit of a long shot but all the warning lights could be to do with the steering not being straight, a lot of modern cars have steering angle sensors so the ABS/traction control knows which way the cars pointing. It maybe worth just having it tracked or check that nothings bent. I used to track cars for an insurance body shop and some would come in with all the warning lights on as the suspension had taken a knock, re-track them and sometimes the lights would go out. With the rust the best adage I’ve heard is “what you see times by 3” for how much actual rust is underneath, so that arch maybe worse than it looks 😬

Could sell the registration to a snooker player for more than you paid for the car Jack

5:14 Mercedes touched by Pilkinton 🇬🇧. So nice to see a w220 without too many rustspots. Good luck with your bargain cruiseship!

Wife's 2006 280CLK Mercedes is called the 2.5 K special (that's how much it cost in 2019) always wakes you up with "thault for the day". However we love it, cost us £293 which included an MOT and new battery in the last year..that's what you call bargain motoring. Hope you get as much pleasure out the S class as we had out of ours Jack👍

One suggestion is to tidy it up and then auction it off for charity. A 50p 3.3 ohm axial resistor should fix that srs light. Just bridge the two connections

The valve cover gaskets are prone to leak on them. The smell you were smelling was maybe oil burning off the exhaust.

I bought something extremely similar a couple of years ago. A 1999 W220 S500 for £1000! I had to spend a bit on it to start with, a full B service, new rear brakes and a repair to the bonnet but overall it’s been a fantastic car. Everything works on it except the keyless go. I upgraded the Comand to an aftermarket unit which was pricy as it needed a new amp and new wiring to bypass the fibre optics but overall it is so much car for the money. I also own a beautiful low mileage 1993 W124 E320 Coupe which is in almost concourse condition but the W220 is far more refined and I think the criticism about all the fittings and switches is a little undeserved. I do get a bit anxious about the airmatic but so far having driven it about 7000miles, I can’t really fault it.

I had a couple of these (same 5.0 V8) over the years and loved them. The main problem that I had was rust. Rust, rust and more rust.

Only 3 mins in…. Smell burning???? @number27 Jack, do we need to talk again about the @firesafetystick? 🤣🤣🤣👍🏻

Nice advert for Bonham's car auctions!

Hi Jack, I had a similar number of warnings on my dashboard and it was a faulty steering angle sensor, so would suggest you start there. Good luck with it!

abs system sees car driving in a straight line,- steering wheel angle sensor sees steering wheel going round a corner - whoops - light comes on ! get steering wheel re-centered [you can either adjust the track rod ends or take wheel off + move around a couple of splines], then reset steering angle sensor.[ i'd check tracking + reset TR ends mesel, less chance of breaking summit]

Battery voltage critical in Mercs of this generation. Worth checking they are both up to full charge and make sure they are exactly the correct battery for the car

I bought a 2002 S320 in 2016 and had it converted to LPG with a 96ltr Donut Tank in the spare wheel recess, used it for Private Hire work for 4 years, best car I have ever driven, and on the LPG very economical, suspension gave up the ghost at 182k so sold it for salvage too costly to get it repaired, had my moneys worth out of it though.

Before even watching, I'm going to pre-emptively answer "of course you can, if you're good with the tools". Same goes for our fully-loaded E46 330d SE Steptronic with M sport and H-K goodies, £550 and a bit of vacuum line plus a turbo/intake cleaning and it's great. Of course not in the same league as the S500 but I did have a 735i SE some years ago that cost me £200 & went right through an MoT no trouble. there are 100% bargains to be had in old luxury and/or sporty cars if you're not scared to get your hands dirty. And nothing beats the feeling of wafting round in something that you paid less than 0.5% of the new price for 20 years down the line.

Looks like you're local, just shout if you want it professionally valeted or have the lights done 😉 I've worked on these before and do like them!

Nice one Jack 👍🏼

This all looks very familiar. I had an 02 CLK that displayed all of the warning lights you are seeing. I purchased a clone MB tool and reset the steering position sensor, bought a new servo (possible sensor problem) and other stuff to painful to list. In the end I removed the battery and battery holder - the wiring loom had been rubbed away and exposed some wires. It was a simple fix after that.Very poor build quality on this age of MB. Good luck

Ooh yes! Will follow this with interest :)

Nice car Hoovie…oops I mean Jack 😂

Re the steering wheel being off centre… the steering angle sensor needs calibrating with the diagnostic, ABS, etc rely on the signal from the steering angle sensor.

You'll probably find there's a loose connection on one of the front cables which throws a sensor and then the ABS/ESP/BAS lights all come on. My CL does that after a battery is flat or when it's had some suspension work... Drive this car for a while - it'll get under your skin 😉

I love the shape of this beautiful car♥️♥️♥️♥️

It wasn't only the S Class of that era that was shoddily built, many Mercedes models of that period suffered from poor build including the E class, SL, CLK etc.

Another great riding car in this price bracket is the Jaguar XJ. Do a video on one of these Brit-wafters?! My personal favourite is the X300 shape, 4.0 litre supercharged straight 6.

Steering wheel needs removing and putting back on with sensor in right location, will solve your issues. Most likely removed for indicator stalk replacement 👍

Funniest start to a video snd the fact the sellers name didn’t put you off 😂👍

Keep it and do it up mate it will be a better when done

I always thought the problems started when Chrysler took over. Instead of Merc bringing up Chrysler quality to their level the opposite happened😉.

I had a LWB one. I loved it 👍🏾

Spotted a Saab Convertible!, hit like right away. Also, now you've got a merc, are you planning on breeding horses as well? (Other than the prancing one you've got already)

In the United States that car would have a set of ridiculously oversized rims on it and the stereo would be tuned to something heavy on bass. Probably cruising in the "HOOD" with a 1/4 tank of fuel because the owner can't afford to full it up. None of the issues would be fixed either..

disconnect the battery for a while then reconnect then strt the engine and turn the steering wheel full lock to the right then to the left and do this a few times then the warning lights hopefully will disappear had the same issue with mine and this solved the problem

Get the front wheels tracked correctly with the steering wheel straight and itll probably solve a lot of ESP / BAS faults. There's a yaw control sensor, its detecting steering wheel position not same as road wheels, so thinks there's a traction issue and closing down the safety system. Just had same on our 2003 W211, kept throwing up ESP Malfunction steering straight on motorway. Got it tracked by someone who knew what he was doing (not a tyre centre!) with the steering wheel straight. Drives properly now and no ESP fault. Can't really complain at £900 though. What's that, price of a rear caliper on Influenza?

I've just bought a 20 year old C200 Kompressor for a pool car.Its needs bits but it's as nice as my 12 month old 318D touring.

That’s in great nick,I’ve had a few Bmw 7 series of that era…great cruisers…sell it and look for the v12…you know you want to…

Great vid Jack. Straight pipe it, rip the interior out, shove a roll cage in and nail a supercharger on it then take it to the Nordschleife. :-D

Fix it up a bit and drive it for a year. Prepare the rear quarter and paint it with a ratle can. You can get a reasonable colour match in custom mixed spraycans.

Not sure if I read the registration plate correctly..... KN0 2 CUE...... Gotta be worth a lot more than the car, methinks. I totally agree that the "finish" or choice of internal materials are not up to S class standards. Look on the bright side. If zero £ spent over the next 12 months it still works out reasonably ok.... can still get at least £125 scrap - or split for spares. Win/win.

That model had a Double sprocket Gromal valve , that always caused issues with the inverterted upward intake lifter . Always best to avoid .

Bought while drunk, paid less than a grand, multiple small issues. KZfaq gold! Jack, Number 27 remains the best channel in the whole of KZfaq!!

Check out the brake pedal switch - that can cause weird issues and errors on Mercs and is usually a cheap fix - using a genuine Merc part from the main dealer was cheaper for me..

I think you are spot on Jack - the off center steering wheel would probably confuse the traction control system and cause a light on the dash

I'd find the warning lights annoying and would also want to touch up the rust spots but putting those issues right should not cost too much and if you get hold of a half decent OBD diagnostic tool, you might actually be able to identify things like wheel speed sensors and then buy and replace them cheaply and easily yourself.

With this model they started being quite complex adding more and more electronics which simply can’t be maintained economically unlike the older models. So it’s not worth keeping after something expensive breaks. Just enjoy it and sell it for parts when the time comes.

I was in the same boat as you about 4 years ago, I bought one at the time for 2k and when it dove ok it was brilliant, then it wasn’t brilliant! It was a total nightmare! But tbh it’s an old merc!