That's the whole point. He has certainly taken apart enough of it to illustrate his point.

I'd love to see someone rip apart a '98-'06 LS interior one handed in thirty seconds with zero tools.

 

I mean you could....it's just going to require a LOT of force for some areas and hand pain. I took my 02 and 07 apart for cleanings (seat, center console, and parts of the dashes) and I was consistently going back and checking the instructions for the 02 in particular since I kept thinking I was missing something due to how tight some parts were. I ended up using trim prys and just trusting that the panels I was pulling were two sections like the diagrams showed.

The 07 has some trim that is not as well secured but still doesn't really move or shift, the refresh is the same way. The LS500 looks far nicer and has way nicer door panels but the console/dash is not as solid

 

Oh yeah! I ain't driving that for a week lol

I've done it. I have had the dash apart in the LS400, LS430 and LS460. You can take all the trim off with one hand, there is just MUCH less trim

I think the reason they make so much of the dash face trim now is so they can easily change it in a refresh...

 

That is bizarre. Speaking of front camera... I parked next to an S and noticed the camera is installed off to the side. It was like at least half of a foot off the center. Looking at the picture on the website, it doesn't look as far off as it looks in reality. But still, can't they have it in the center?

Is this something German designers like? Asymmetry? Like the posted BMW right above this also has the driving sensor off the side. On the non M X5, the air vents are also not the same bilaterally. The mirrors also don't fold in the same way. But people don't seem to be bothered by this. They claim the mirrors are slightly placed different to account for the position so driver could see less different from both sides. Yes, they are a bit different. But when folded, why can't they be folded in the same amount?

 

This is something that frustrates me about the W223 redesign. On the W222 the front camera is hidden behind a door that opens when the camera is in use, it keeps the camera from being ugly, like that, and it keeps it clean. I hate that on the 223 they did away with the door and just put the camera on there like that

I circled where the door is. If I ever have my S560 in my possession again I will post a picture of it open lol

 

I freaking love the hidden door the W222 uses. One of the best Mercedes touches IMO! On par with the hidden screen and tweeters in my D4 and the Bentleys

 

Other sensor arrays behind the panel were prioritized over the camera which doesn't suffer much from being off center. But yes I've noticed the mirrors not folding in the same way and a general disregard for symmetry. The W140 S-class air vents not being centered over the console drove me nuts and so do the W223 vents being offset from the infotainment screen.



Definitely a victim of cost cutting.

 

Speaking of powered/moving items does the W222 have a standard powered moonroof shroud? I assume that is does?

 

Yep, it does

 

Read an interesting stat about leases- would anyone have ever guessed that Honda is the #1 brand for leases (by volume)? Here's the top 5:
1. Honda
2. Chevrolet
3. Toyota
4. Nissan
5. Ford

Why would 2 of the 3 most historically reliable brands (Honda and Toyota) be leased so frequently? I know nothing about leases so perhaps this is an ignorant question. I just always assumed if I ever leased I would do it with cars that were higher luxury, lower reliability since you know you wouldn't have to deal with them in 3 years..?

 

Maybe fleet leases contribute to that?

But ultimately, there's a large % of people who lease that do it because it's a lower monthly payment, and don't really understand when it's advantageous, or not, to lease vs buy.

 

i know several people who are not good with money who lease because that's all the car payment they can handle. of course these folks are also the ones who get entirely ripped off when they walk in the dealer because of their focus only on the monthly payment.

 

Honda historically has some really cheap leases. Like - CRV for $199 and stuff like that which draws people in.

 

So, my car is finally ready. They can find nothing wrong lol. 4 days in the shop to find nothing wrong and complete a simple recall. Going to get it now.

 

Just slam down two mounts on the service desk as this point and tell them to figure it out....