3rd Jun 2006, 01:00

Absolutely, tires? C'mon get real. If that's the worst thing you can complain about the car, then I think it speaks volumes.

31st Oct 2006, 18:33

Boy boy boy, I was looking for useful comments to help with my purchase decision. If you can afford/buy an $85,000.00 car and can't afford tires, all I can say is boy!!!... Please try to be constructive.

22nd Apr 2007, 03:09

I don't think this is a helpful review at all. You first give it high marks, but say you won't buy it again... Then you complain about the tires, something that could be easily changed out of the car and operation of which was not flawed. And then you only provide two other reasons why this car is bad, one minor, and the other trivial (headlights). Buying such an expensive car isn't a one time payment. We have a CLS550, and prior to that, a E320. We didn't nitpick about premium fuel, nor the tires. We know that they're performance tires, and we put on the same ones after the first set wore out. Why? Because it feels better.

Headlights. It seems pretty trivial, but they're aren't supposed to light up the road like a Christmas tree. If they are too bright, although it seems safer to you, it is a hazard to you and all of those around you. You could be impeding the ability of the oncoming traffic to properly see. If you can't see enough to judge where you're going on a dark road. SLOW DOWN. And if it really is something keeps you from sleeping at night, put in some aftermarket bulbs.

These are great cars and to post something so trivial, with out letting us know more about why you dislike it doesn't help.

5th Sep 2008, 22:17

"is this a known problem for the S430 and what is the solution if there is any?"

4wd 2tonne vehicles generally put a bit of wear on the tyres.

Try buying harder compound tyres...

Just don't complain when the handling is not as good, ride is harsher and you start to hear more road noise.

5th Aug 2012, 00:12

I have a Lincoln Continental, which I bought USED in 2006, and put NEW tires on it; the tires are STILL good, as per my ASE certified mechanics... And they have almost 60K on them, & are 6 years old. Paid $700 for all 4.

I agree with the original poster... for $85K, should have a $2K set of tires that LAST.

5th Aug 2012, 23:54

Unfortunately, these model years were right in the prime of Mercedes' quality slide. The headlights for this model were actually quite cheap, and a lot of owners complain about visibility. Such a safety issue as being able to see after dark, is hardly what I would call trivial.

This model of S also had very cheap shocks, which can contribute to premature tire wear. The newer models have thankfully been upgraded, but M-B is nowhere near the company it was 25 years ago. If it wasn't for the 3-pointed star, with most of their vehicles from the last decade, you'd think you were looking at a Hyundai. And even Hyundai has better build quality!!