A Mercedes-Benz enthusiast thought he scored a bargain when he bought a $100,000 EQS for just $34,000. But the electric luxury sedan quickly revealed why it was so cheap. From coolant problems to a dead computer, warranty work piled up fast. In the end, Tyler decided he would rather drive a V8-powered Mercedes than continue to gamble on an EV.
Selling my Mercedes EQS after after battery control unit failure and a mysterious coolant loss.
The 2022 Mercedes EQS 450+ cost over $100,000 new when new, but Tyler Hoover paid $34,000 in 2025 to take it home. Mercedes sells it with an MSRP of $102,900. That is how much customers pay for the electric luxury sedan powered by an electric motor, which pushes it from 0 to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds. It generates 355 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque.
Tyler thought he got his hands on an electric Mercedes, which, unlike many of his cars, would not cause him any headache. Unfortunately, the opposite turned out to be true. Within just a few months, he realized the EQS fell short of the reputation carried by the Mercedes name.
When he popped the hood, he saw that one of the two coolant tanks was low on coolant, which meant that there must have been something wrong with the thermal management of the battery. Concerned, he decided to take the EQS to a Mercedes dealership to get to the bottom of it.
The battery was still under warranty, so he hoped repairs would not break the bank. Still, Tyler was already thinking about moving on. He admitted he would miss some of the EQS’s luxuries, like its plush air suspension and relaxing massage seats.
One of the car’s highlights is its rear-axle steering, which makes maneuvering the massive 205.4-inch (5,216-millimeter) sedan a walk in the park. While many claim the EQS is the ugliest Mercedes ever made, Tyler thinks it is not that bad. He can live with the streamlined silhouette, specifically designed in the name of aerodynamics.
Weeks later, he gets his EQS back from the dealership. With his warranty set to expire on July 29, 2026, he didn’t have to pay a dime for the work done. A simple software update addressed the coolant consumption issue.
The technicians also took care of a safety recall, replacing the rear headrest cushions and adding an airbag safety label “somewhere in the car.” The door panels, which had come loose, were tightened as well. Even so, the creaks and rattles in the cabin reminded him that Mercedes’ build quality wasn’t what it used to be.
The diagnosis showed the battery was drawing in more coolant than normal when it was supposed to. The car lived in San Francisco for the first three years of its life, so Kansas’ scorching summers may have been a shock to the system.
Unfortunately, when the experts attempted another software update, the computer completely crashed—leaving the car dead. In the end, they had to replace the entire control unit before handing it back to Tyler. The final bill came to just under $6,000, but since the car was under warranty, Tyler didn’t pay a cent.
Even so, after dealing with all these issues, he made up his mind to sell the EQS. It will soon cross the block at a Barrett-Jackson auction alongside four more of his cars. For Tyler, the decision was easy: he would rather drive a thunderous V8-powered Mercedes or AMG than an electric luxury sedan with a three-pointed star on the hood.
