desired_speeds

Mine has the same noise every once in a while. I thought it was normal. It was definitely louder before I took off my x pipe, now I rarely hear it.

billbillw

Wow, so that's three of us having this symptom.

I have noticed that it doesn't really happen much when its hot out. I notice it more in the cooler months. I tried to get it to make the sound a couple days ago and couldn't get the car to do it (its 95+ down here now).

Schweinhund

^^ if its RPM related and you've tinkered with the exhaust, particularly the resonator or muffler, it is likely exhaust drone.

billbillw

Stock exhaust. Not RPM related. Doesn't do it in any other gear, only in 5th at those certain speeds. Possibly something trans related.

amgalex

Mine is a daily driver in SOcal with 150k miles,,
runs good other than for rough idle which gets better on certain days, I think its related to the humidity maybe not either way,, my avrg mpg is 17mpg kinda bad but I cant drive it slow

PaloAltoVC

Mine is my new daily driver - with 82,000 miles. Just purchased last week... Silver on black, 2001. So far, very happy camper... Love my E55!

RustbucketRacer

Silver/black 2000 E55 with 143,000. My brother liked mine so much, he just bought a Tectite Grey on black 2002 w/ 108,000
It's the 5th W210 in the family. Old habits die hard.

BrndnMthws

Did you buy it at MB of Walnut Creek?

PaloAltoVC

No - I actually went to look at that one. Nice interior, drove nicely - but had some body damage, and paint damage. The trunk was dinged up, and the rear bumper had paint peeling. That was enough for me to pass - not to mention, they wanted something like $18,000 for it? Way too much.

The car I found was almost identical - but not listed anywhere online. I found it in a parking lot in downtown Los Altos with a "for sale" sign in the window and a local phone number to call. The owner was an old man who had owned since new, and I bought it for $13,000 cash...

Strigoi

I work right next to MB of Walnut Creek and saw that one sitting on their lot. I'm wondering if they sold it or just sent it to auction, because it wasn't there long. I'd be surprised if they got anything close to their asking price for it.

BrndnMthws

Thats what i was thinking about the one at Walnut Creek i work at the MB dealer in Belmont and was looking for a c or an e class stumbled on my 01 with 89k at a sister bmw dealer in san jose , picked it up for 12k. Then i saw that one at a sister mb dealer (same dealer group) another mb tech at my dealer went to look at it (jealous of mine and eventually bought a 430) and they're into it for something like 16.5k and wont budge off the price even for an employee

Strigoi

I really want to say that I saw that car at $16,700 or the last time it was on CL.

Then there's the guy asking $18,500 for the black w/ black wheels E55 on CL right now.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/cto/3189719333.html

Also just saw this one for $5,000. I'm almost tempted to go take a look at it this weekend.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/3205839120.html

RustbucketRacer

[QUOTE=Strigoi;5321492]I really want to say that I saw that car at $16,700 or the last time it was on CL.

Then there's the guy asking $18,500 for the black w/ black wheels E55 on CL right now.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/cto/3189719333.html

His ad says LOW MILES, it better be under 30K for that kind of moolah, and he better throw in a Flux Capacitor.

Here's one for sale over 200K an honest ad, it seems. I feel the same about my E55, very hard to replace.
http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/3190643308.html

desired_speeds

Just got back from socal again. It's about to hit 146k. Exhaust leak is making the car really slow. I'm waiting for the gaskets to arrive to I can fix it.

PaloAltoVC

Why would an exhaust leak slow the car down? I could see something like blocked cats or a blockage in the exhaust causing the car to be slower, but - a leak doesn't sound like a likely cause of a power loss to me...

desired_speeds

it messes up the velocity of the exhaust flow. A lot less torque. Same thing happened on my friend's CLS but my leak is worse.

Wile E. Coyote

Well, I'm a new member and I bought a silver, 2000 E55 AMG about 4 months ago, so count me. My "new" Hammer is in near mint condition and has less than 100K miles on it. Not bad for a 12 year old vehicle, eh? I've just paid for an ECU tune from Eurocharged and am waiting for their USB to OBDII cable to arrive. No doubt, I'll spring for their TCU tune too! This vehicle is a total sleeper!!!

mr4dub5

I'm on my third w210. They rule!

I was debating putting some work in to this one. Can anyone break down the pros/cons of modifying the w210 and what mods are essential versus non-essential? I'm not as concerned with maintaining the value of the car as I am maintaining the car itself. Only has around 41k on it... I don't want to do anything that's going to burn out the car by 100k miles if driven daily. Also if I chose to mod it I wish to spend on what is reliable. Suggestions?

Wile E. Coyote

I think this is true and if so, the W210 E55 model could well be ranked along side the existing classic Mercedes automobiles someday. The base price for my E55 AMG was $68K in 2000. That's about $93K in today's money! My silver hammer is in near mint condition with under 100K miles and I paid under 12K for it this year. What's the point in trying to "upgrade" to a new car? That makes NO sense! Oh, and check out the Chris Harris video on the home page! (Spoiler: He drives a vintage "Hammer" across Germany that was picked up at the Affalterbach factory. His power slides around some corners in the rain are sweet!

Wile E. Coyote

Personally, I'd stick with the basic "street" mods if you plan to keep your "Hammer" for the long haul. There just doesn't seem to be a gob of mods for the W210 beyond that level, anyway. Maybe the following mods I'm planning for my 2000 E55 AMG will give you an idea of what you can do and still be able to drive your vehicle daily without stressing the engine and drive train.

K&N air filters
Methanol injection system (maybe)
Eurocharged Stage 1 ECU tune
Eurocharged TCU tune
CAT back exhaust system

Well, that's it. These mods will get you the most bang for your buck and will not harm your vehicle unless you abuse the improved performance. I do believe things such as the Sprint Booster can possibly do harm if used constantly. Additionally, their mere presence might serve as a devilish temptation to some! ; ) I hope this helps!

mac2001

Took delivery in Germany, May 2001, spent a week enjoying Germany before shipping back to the U.S.

Spends too much time at home in my garage. Now my daily driver is a 2011 Sprinter van!

Wile E. Coyote

To bad about your garage ridden ride! Did you take delivery of a left hand drive 2001 E55 AMG? If you did, you've got a rare one. I think that only 165 were produced. Regardless, I bet you had a blast on the Autobahn! The Sprinter van is the thing those auction guys on TV cruise around in.

mac2001

Yes, I drive it from the left seat. It was ordered through a Mercedes Dealer in So Cal, and at the time, they were the only dealership that was willing to arrange the European delivery. No other way to do it, in my opinion.

I don't know, but 165 is a very small number for a large manufacturer such as Mercedes/AMG.

Here is what I found on Wikipedia - 659 units total. Wondering how I could obtain the breakdown of that number, into left hand and right hand models.

>>The 2001 E55 AMG was a rare version of the W210 E55 in which they only produced 659 units in 2001 It has a 5.5 liter V8 that produces 356 hp and 395 ft-lb of torque.<<

I've heard about the auction TV show. I use my Sprinter to haul my scooter to the track.

mfletch69

My wife and I each drive one as our daily driver vehicles. My '99 just went over 50k miles. Her '00 has about 60k. They are awesome cars. very reliable

MBFLO

Can only imagine how well either of them drive compared to mine , comin close to 150K miles 40k of which are mine and still goin strong but I bet yours are still ride like they just left the showroom floor