KCMC582

Hey all. I am in the market for a CLS AMG, and am trying to decide between a 63 or a 55. Of course ive heard the stories about never buying a first year car, which a CLS55 is, however, its not the first year for that engine, trans, etc, just the CLS itself. So i am not sure if that necessarily applies here.

The 55 is more my price range, and im looking for one with low miles, like under 50k. Thats more reasonable and there is more selection with the 63, but that stretches my budget a bit.

So what are the major, or minor, things i should look for when checking out 55s? I know there was something with the supercharger belt, maybe a whine or something? I was looking for an FAQ sticky or something, but didnt see one, and the Wiki doesnt include CLS's, so any information you guys have would be great.

The CLS will follow in a long line of impractically practical cars (except my current maxima), and i cant wait to get one and get out of this wrong-wheel drive vehicle! Thanks for your time all.

useras224

I can't speak for the CLS63's out there but I agree the 55's seem to be plentiful and in great shape all the way up to 70-80k miles. There are a lot of 1 owner cars out there who were owned by people who cared. That's the first thing I look for in ANY car. I fell upon a super clean 25k mile example and jumped on it before someone else on this very list could buy it. When they're hot, they're HOT!

As for the mechanics of these cars they're E55 based and you're right, they are solid. First year models are usually a dicey buy but since these cars come from a good lineage, it's not the same risk.

The pulley bearing is a issue is a minor one. It's not so much a whine as it is a diesely grinding sound if I am correct. There's a youtube vid that shows an easy way to replace it and it gives the P/N for the new bearing. This makes it look like ANYBODY can do it. I bought a 17mm multi point socket just to remove the belt and spin mine. Guess what? It grinds a little -- at 26k miles! So, I may be doing this myself in the near future.


My Audi tech buddy, who works on Mercs and BMW's too, tells me the air suspensions go on these cars (CLS63, CLS55 and E55) so embrace that. There are people here who have success stories in replacing these as well.

Other than that, there's not much. My car doesn't have massage seats, or parking sensors so I suppose the more options you get the more that can go wrong. Just look around and don't be afraid to go outside your home town to look. I did a 500 mile radius search and still found one close. Sometimes it's just pure luck.

Good Luck!