UK CLK55 (W208) | Been lurking for a year so thought I'd say hello...

[Butters]

Hi there all, as in the title I signed up a year ago immediately after buying a W208 CLK55 for a bit of technical info but thought I ought to say hi and post a few pics. I have an E36 M3 track only car so was looking for something fast yet comfortable and practical as a daily. Having always been fond of these cars and the price they seem to have dropped to here in the UK of late I had to take a closer look. With super unleaded (98 RON) up at around £1.50 per litre over here these old AMG heros have taken a real beating on price. I have only covered 5000 miles in the last 12 months as I commute on the train to London during the week so it's fine for me. So it was a completely standard 10 year old car when I bought it in fantastic condition and full MB dealer history with exception of one service which was an MB specialist. The wheels were the original 17" AMG 5 spokes but I changed these after about a month to the genuine Brabus Monobloc IV 3-Piece wheels you see here. I am really keen to lower the car as it just looks too high on the really low profile tyres so we'll see what happens there... Here she is! I absolutely love it. James.

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[BRIZZOK84]

Nice looking car !!!

[AMGY]

Nice AMG! Really like the Brabus rims.

[Mob]

Nice to see another UK member with a 208 55

What's the mileage? How much did you pay if you don't mind me asking? (PM if you don't want to say)

I have a black opal CLK, I love it.. Just spent £700+ on KLEEMANN split rims.

I will need to lower mine when the wheels are fitted... How you planning to lower yours and at what cost?

[Stiggs]

Looks to be in great shape!

[CLK55AMGW208]

BRABUS + MERCEDES AMG= real WINNER!

[Butters]

Thanks for the comments guys. I did the test the water recently with regard to selling and quickly found out that people just aren't touching anything with a V8 in this country unless they have deep pockets and are spending tens of thousands on something new and as such don't worry about fuel economy. The market for these cars has bombed in the UK with Super unleaded at nearly £1.50 per litre. I commute on the train to London all week so it doesn't particularly worry me.

I figured if I could get strong money I may consider selling to upgrade but not even a silly offer came my way. Not one call! I love the car and don't want to give it away so have decided she's staying, most likely for good because it's worth more to me than it is actually worth to sell. When I upgrade she's going in the garage as a second car. It's awesome!

So moving forward it's coming up for it's annual MOT. For those of you Stateside this is the UK Government compulsory test/inspection for all cars over 3 years old which tests it for road worthiness. A very strict going over basically. I have had to book it in this coming Thursday because on a big blast with a few friends over the weekend I noticed a bit of a problem. Nothing too drastic but needs to be sorted asap.

We basically planned a 150 mile route to the South Coast and back just for fun staying clear of the motorway and enjoying our great countryside roads in the UK. It was a great hoon with my car, an E39 M5, E46 M3 and an S2000. After about 50 miles following hard acceleration there was a loud thud when backing off. It sounded like an engine mount was broken and the engine was slamming back down in position. Having done a little research this seems the case as I stumbled across this video on YouTube...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AOKheguRn0

So luckily it's all booked into my local Mercedes specialist for the MOT and to investigate the mounts. I've covered 6000 miles since the last service and the next is not due for another 6000. It's been 12 months though so I have told them to change the oil and filters to keep it fresh, change the brake fluid as the warning appeared at the end of my fun day out and adjust the wheel speed sensor for the cruise control as this has not functioned since I fitted the 18 inch Brabus wheels. I am assuming a sensor must have been set for the 17" wheels and now with the larger diameter it's missing the rim.

Other than the broken mount then I have had 12 months perfect motoring coving 6000 miles. She's not missed a beat.

Next steps will be suspension and the exhaust. I had the middle silencer removed shortly after buying the car which made it a little deeper but my friend who has a 2000 E55 has just removed this plus both sets of cats which sounds like a race car! It's epic. I think I'll just remove the secondary cats for a little more but we'll see...I may change my mind on the day.

Suspension wise I am going to install KW V2 Coilovers. As you can tell from the tale above I do enjoy driving my car and don't just cruise about in it. I don't thrash it at all but do use it for what it is. We have some fantastic roads over here and despite being a euro spec car, when you're really enjoying yourself it just seems that bit too soft. I had the V2s on a Golf R32 a few years ago and they were fantastic in the corners without being too hard. Quite pricey at £1200 but for the enjoyment I will get it's worth it. Hoping I can get this done next month so will post pics when it's done.

It's all good. If I enjoy my car this much I can't imagine what the newer 6.3 AMGs are like with their flappy paddles. Amazing!

James.