landru64

hi folks
i used to have an 06 c55, well for about a month, before it got totaled. thinking of getting another one, but i'm wondering now that they are longer in the tooth:

what are your yearly repair costs and how many miles a year do you drive? what's your mileage?where do you go for your service (dealer, independent, self)?

i have read the thread that enumerates the types of things that go wrong, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of info on the actual costs per year involved...

thanks in advance!

mgiannetto

There is a thread on here titled something like "how many miles do you have on your C55" (or something along those lines). It contains lots of posts from happy C55 owners who have 75,000 or 100,000 miles or more on their cars without having incurred significant maintenance costs. I was thrilled when I read that a few months back since I have had my car since new and it only has 22,000 miles on it. Was wondering (as you are now) what I was in for as the car got older and the miles increased. As I said, I was "very pleasantly surprised" at the low maintenance cost of the owners who responded to that thread.

My own experience - based upon very low miles - is the high cost of replacing (too often) the stock Pirelli PZero tires. Other than that, I change the oil (myself) every 5,000 miles. I also did a cabin air filter the middle of last year and had the brake fluid flushed before the winter.

I see you have an '08 M5 - nice car. Just curious - would the C55 replace the M5 or be "in addition to"?

mrobinso

I also would like to add that if you are comparing maintenance and fuel costs to those of an M5, you shouldn't be worried. However, everything is relative. If you want to know how your maintenance and fuel costs will compare to a Honda Civic, even if you do most of the work on the C55 yourself, the Civic will still be much cheaper to own.

With my C55 as my daily driver I spend about +- ($30) $140 a month on fuel, do oil changes myself every 7,000 miles or about two times a year at $70-$80 for parts. The engine itself, being an AMG, is extremely overbuilt and if maintained properly, should run for 100s of thousands of miles. Other things to think about, transmission and differential fluid change every 40,000 miles (about $240 at an indy MB mechanic for the transmission, you can do the diff. yourself for about $60 of fluid plus a $40 liquid vac).

I think fuel is the hardest pill to swallow with the C55, as you are driving a "compact" sedan that only gets around 18.5 mpg in mixed city/highway driving. That being said, you have to know that going in to buying one of these cars. I love my car and plan to continue to drive it in spite of the rising fuel prices. I saw premium fuel at the local Exxon (this station is always overpriced) for $3.75 this morning. That is the highest I have seen in these parts by far.

halteh

That's still slightly below a buck a litre. I'd love to have prices like that in Toronto. I put 60 litres in my 06 c55 yesterday it cost me $78!! You'd think those prices would have me driving the car like a grandmother, but I just can't help myself when I'm behind the wheel. Worth every penny!

sinister55

The cost of maintence isnt that high.
I drive about 12,000 a year. If you use mobil 1 fully synthetic its pretty good and lasts longer then standard oil, (change at 10000 rather then 3000)
The only thing is gas, and if you do highway driving and cruise control you will have great gas mileage.
My c55 gets better mileage then my Cx-7 (a I-4 turbo AWD)
I actually broke down the costs of owning my cars and the c55 surprisingly came out on top

landru64

hey guys
thanks for the replies...
the m5 actually went back today... it was leased. and an utterly beautiful, fantastic car, but i always really had special feelings for my c55 for the brief period i had it. i think the c55 is a gorgeous car!

i did see the thread that was mentioned, but there was little or no mention of costs. mostly people said "hey i've only had to do XY and Z", but without the specifics of $$$$$.

really, the issue is this: if i buy a used c55 and have to spend 3k a year (actually my service advisor, who is a friend, told me it would cost that) on the thing, add to that the continuing precipitous depreciation that my high mileage driving entails, i am concerned i could be leasing or buying a new and very inspiring performance car for the same cost per year. eg BMW's current m3 convertible leases are off the hook good. (well at least they were in feb, and i'm rate locked).

in other words, if my total cost (depreciation including lovely sales tax, maintenance, repairs of broken things) is 600 a month on a c55 for the next few years, why am i not buying a new car that i can get for close to that?

i hear you on the fuel costs... my m5 was a serious guzzler. if i reset the mpg meter and drove around my little town at low speeds, i hovered around 9mpg. i got an average of 14 including a lot of highway mileage and not a lot of abuse (got 25k miles out of the first set of tires). i do remember being a little shocked at the low mpg on my c55, this after having a c43 which somehow always seemed to get 18mpg no matter how hard i hit it and comparing that to a jetta that i own, which is a pathetic and puny car compared to the above, that always seems to get 21-22mpg!!

and these current gas prices are heinous. as bummed as i am about giving up the m5, i am relieved to not be dealing with the stupid fuel costs!

keep it coming...if you have any thoughts about what an average yearly cost would be for repairs (not maintenance like services and brakes, which i know are not cheap), barring anything really freakish, let me know.

thanks again!

Viper98912

I haven't spent 3k a year. In 1.5 years, a few oil changes, DIY at around 90 bucks in materials, changed a few things out, but if the car is in good condition and nothing has blown up, my guess is you're looking at 500 per year if you do a lot of DIY, with the exception that big things can go wrong, and these prices are quadruple if you do dealer work.

masterianvii

As long as you avoid the dealer for any major stuff, maintenance and repairs will only cost you slightly more than other cars. (Although some specialized independent shops charge as much as the dealer. Dealers also sometimes offer discounts and specials which will cost you as much as going to an independent.)

Genuine parts for yearly/10000mi service B will cost you around $300. Service A is half that. They alternate as you're probably already aware.

Tires as noted can be expensive, but Continental came out with the DW, and they're a great tire for a much much lower price. $900 for tires + balancing + mounting should cover you every 10-15k miles depending on how you drive and what tire you buy.

A lot of stuff can also be DIY, so if you're handy you won't have to pay ridiculous labor prices.


You can also think of it this way. Now a days you can buy a C55 for less than $30k, and one that is practically new or not much more. When new these cars would have cost you $70K. You're still buying the same car, but with a $40K discount!! You've already saved big time.

sinister55

900!!! i got my pirelli nero's for 160 a tire and 100 bucks for the balancing and such lol.


And 3000 a year is no where what I pay for.
I guess i get better gas mileage cause of the renntech airbox (w K&N's) and a true dual exhaust.
My Mazda Cx-7 is better on gas, but it cost more then the C55 per a year!
I change the oil 3-4 times before i change the C55 once!

mgiannetto

Landru64,

That's a good question. You might be able to infer a cost figure from what others have said in the other long thread (I think it's titled, "how many miles is on your C55"). However, having others chime in with "actual cost figures" would be good to know - I agree with you there. You are smart to do your homework and ask these questions in advance. The right way to go about a purchase decision such as this.

I've had my C55 since new, but it only has 22,000 miles on it. So I'm not going to be able to provide the kind of perspective as the folks who have 80,000, 100,000 or more miles on their cars. For me, its one oil change per year (DIY with Mobil 1 synthetic and an OEM filter). That's maybe $80. Other than that, I've done tires twice now (last set - Hankook's - cost roughly $800 installed - bought from Tire Rack and used local performance shop for M&B). Other than that, I had the dealership flush the brakes last fall (probably should have done that earlier, but I was fixated more on miles then time - and now realize time is as important as miles). Cost was right around $100.

So for me, the cost to maintain has been trivial - and hopefully will continue to be.

My take from having read the other posts, is that barring something major going wrong - and there does not appear to be many instances of that happening with other owners - your worry of $3,000 per year in maintenance costs may be overly conservative. Again, we need the guys with higher miles on their cars to weigh in here. Of course, you need to find one that has been well taken care of and not abused. From your approach I am sure you'll due your diligence to minimize your risk there.

FYI - My buddy has a 1999 BMW 540i and has tracked his maintenance costs over the last 5 or 6 years. He averages $3k to $4k per year on that car - every year. Every time he needs service (and he does not have it done at the dealership) it is always more than $1,000 and usually closer to $2,000. Now he does have over 100,000 miles on it. However, at that rate he could be driving a new car for not a lot more money out of pocket - and having the benefit of current technology (as you have rightly pointed out yourself). He's come to that realization as well. I sold my '01 540i, because I was worried about exactly that issue (when I bought my C55).

Quicktwinturbo

Things you may need to change while owning a C55
1. CPS
2. Volt Regulator
3. Belts
4. Engine mounts
5. Tranny Mounts
6. Oil
7. Tranny fluid
8. Brake pads
9. Tires...n lots of tires
10. Seat heater.. Over n over..
11. feel free to add something else

mrobinso

Out of curiosity, any idea why your buddy's BMW costs $3K to $4K to maintain a year.

masterianvii

You need to service your car after tracking. Pads, oils, rotors, maybe evne tires. It's an expensive hobby.

Those are all season tires, the PZero's for the C55, which is a summer max performance tire, list for about $1060 a set for the non-run flat. Conti DW is also a summer tire, but cheaper.

mrobinso

He never said anything about his buddy tracking his car, unless I am missing something.

mgiannetto

Mrobinso,

It was always something new every time it went in for service. In fact, just last month he dropped it off at a local garage (specializing in german cars) for a routine service (oil and some other things) and was "thrilled" when the bill came to $600. Said it was the first time in years he could remember paying under $1,000 when he had repair work done on the car.

He did not track the car. It's just a maintenance hog. He did a transmission several years ago - that set him back $7,000. I told him to dump the car at that time and not invest the $7,000. Ridiculous if you ask me.

In the last year of owning my 540i, I had to do a radiator replacement - car had less than 60,000 miles at the time. Then the expansion tank cracked within a few months of that. Another like $400 at the dealership. Then the valley pan gasket started to leak. That was something like $1,500 to replace - its all labor. Clutch was probably going to need to be done within the next year or so. Another big expense. At that point, I decided it was time to let it go and I bought the C55 in replacement.

Have another friend who had a '99 528i. I finally convinced him to dump that pig after he too was dumping $1,500-$2,000 every time he brought it in for service (and this was not the dealerhip, but a very highly regarded BMW mechanic who had his own shop). Now his car was pushing like 185,000 miles, but still. At some point its just good money after bad. He was also doing roughly $3,000 to $4,000 per year the last several years of ownership. He got stranded several times and had to have his car towed to the service station. He was getting to be on a first name basis with the folks over at AAA.

I think BMW's don't age gracefully in terms of maintenance costs. I am surprised by the few things C55 owners seem to need to do with their cars as they get up to and past 100,000. Stunning in fact. I don't think this is necessarily true of other MB cars. The AMG's motors are so well built and last a "real long" time.

landru64

hey thanks to all for the further replies.
thanks also for understanding what i'm getting at. indeed that's the main point: what is the real cost per year and what other alternatives. your friend's experience is not unheard of. hell, i know people with vw's that have gone through 3 trannies for 3-5k a pop. i just spoke to a dealer in utah who mentioned he was looking at service records for a 7 series. there was one bill for 6 grand for a tranny repair. great if you can DIY, but i'm not one of those. in fact i got rid of my c43 because my SA kept telling me how pissed i'm going to be when my car (worth maybe 8k) was going to need a somewhat inevitable 6k transmission replacement.

so i appreciate any data folks have. i can lease a new m3 convertible for 700 a month all day long. that's my benchmark. if a long in the tooth c55 is costing me anywhere near that, it seems ridiculous. ... as great a car as it is, and as much of a soft spot as i do for one

i'm not overly concerned about any engines going bad, although let me paint this picture of the risks associated with an amg car. my c55 was a month old when it got water in the engine due to a flood condition. fortunately it was covered by my insurance. the two scenarios we were looking at were a) replace the motor @42k and b) fix the motor WITH ONLY A 12 mo/12k mile warranty i might add for 35k i think it was. it would have been a spectacular hit to my total wealth had it not been covered by insurance!

that's a lot of downside, right? that car was only worth 45k fair market value (fortunately i stole it from fletcher jones for 45k new old stock, so i ended up even after they finally agreed it should be totalled).

so on all these cars, i think you have to look at worst case scenarios just to be sure you can handle the consequences of something really bad happening out of warranty.

that said, i still want to know folks' yearly cost experiences

masterianvii

..ah, sorry, misread "tracking his costs" to "tracking his". Nevermind .

mrobinso

Seems like a lot of people have already offered up some guidance on this.

Mark.D

I've put 15,000 on mine this year. So far, I've had Service A and Service B = $500.00 for both from the dealer. I've repaired the Secondary Air Injection Pump for $700.00, and gotten new tires @ about $900.00. Other than "normal" wear / tear / servicing, the only additional out of pocket expense has been the Secondary Air Injection Pump. Pretty good, as far as I'm concerned.

There is tremendous variability on the second hand market with these cars, as with any performance cars. Those that have been maintained can be great for 100,000 + miles. Those that haven't turn out to be absolute nightmares.

Arab_Homie

Took my 06 with 46,000 miles to Mercedes of Encino. $2100 for Service B, Trans flush, brake flush, fuel filter replacement, and spark plugs (spark plugs were mb recommend but service advisor said I didn't need them) and extra $200 to tighten my ebrake and fix sunroof sometimes not closing all the way.

ahalibut

With the understanding some may think I'm bringing an old thread back from the dead, I feel it's worthwhile to add a relevant post in 2017 on my approximately 1 year of experience living with a now 12 year old AMG Merc.

2005 Mercedes-Benz C55 AMG, purchased from a Cadillac dealership in Cincinnati, OH with 79,500 miles (approximate). I purchased the car for $12,000. It's my daily driver, and after about a year of ownership I've put on approximately 6,000 miles.

Here's my list of completed repairs, along with two I still need to get to. For context: I'm comfortable doing some jobs, like spark plugs and brakes, but beyond that I don't have the time, patience, nor space in my garage or driveway for wrenching.

1. Water pump to repair water pump bearing - $520 at independent Mercedes-Benz shop
2. Thermostat - $70 at independent Mercedes-Benz shop (lower because it was completed while water pump was being repaired)
3. Windshield wipers - $35. Did myself.
4. Valve cover gaskets - $711 at independent Mercedes-Benz shop
5. Transmission service - $475 at independent Mercedes-Benz shop
6. Spark plugs - $92 for OEM spark plugs, replaced myself (indep. shop quoted $800 for wires and plugs)
7. Continental ExtermeContact tires - 4 - $740 at NTB
8. Alarm siren - $180 for OEM, replaced myself
9. Oil filter to cooler gaskets/leak repair - $206 at independent Mercedes-Benz shop
10. Front/rear Flex discs - $778 at independent Mercedes-Benz shop
11. Battery - $290 at independent Mercedes-Benz shop
12. Service A - $200 at independent Mercedes-Benz shop
13. Running lamp bulbs - $20 at MB dealership during state safety inspection
14. Rear Main Seal - quoted $983 at independent Mercedes-Benz shop - not yet completed (slow leak)
15. Left rear axle seal - quoted $362 at independent Mercedes-Benz shop - not yet completed (slow leak)
16. Vibration at a stop/idle while in drive - not diagnosed, not quoted, likely transmission mount based on forum posts here on this site

Sum of car and completed or needed first year repairs: $5629.05 + $12,000 for the car is $17,629, give or take.

After looking through this and other forums, and talking with the service advisor at my local shop, as well as at the dealership, these repairs are the most common needs for a C55 AMG around 80,000 miles, so I feel this is a relevant and realistic idea of what an owner might expect if picking up one of these cars.

There are also various car issues that can be expected with any car over a decade old, such as panels that rattle or vibrate. They don't bother me, but I've had passengers who've said the rattling would drive them nuts.

All told it's still my favorite car I've ever owned, coming from various BMWs, an Infinity G35 coupe, MINI Coopers, SUVs, etc.

kjb55

Thanks for the post. With only 19k miles I won't be seeing those repairs anytime soon. I'll definitely keep wrenching - I'd estimate DIY'g those would be about $1k? Examples: Water pump (not just bearing) quality brands are ~$70. I did the trans service for $80. Valve cover gaskets are probably easier than changing the plugs - $20. I bought a OEM MB battery for $135. Simple install.

You've got a great car and it's definitely in top condition and well maintained.

Bigpapistu

my c55 was bought last year with 134k miles. Now at 139k, I have gone through hell and back. Spent 2-3k within a year

RenC55AMG

2005 C55 - 176k miles - Last 12 months:

Tires - Conti DWS - $1000 all in
Oil changes - $300 (3)
Trans/Diff fluid - $150
Rotors/Pads - Front - $350 (DIY)
Plugs - $140 (DIY)
Fuel - ~$40/fill up x 1.7 tanks/week - $3500
Depreciation - ?

Total - $5,440; $1,940 maintenance only

Accidental L8 apex

Not including tires and a winter setup, I've only needed to spend roughly $6K in 6.5 years of ownership. That includes VCGs (super common on these) and the rear main seal last year.

Some of that is oil changes and wipers and crap, but I don't really count that as those costs are a given.

I've owned more expensive 4-cylinder VWs and was miserable. Now I have aural antidepressants after the secondaries and resonator deletes for less money, plus RWD>FWD and my body's broken so wrenching is out of the question and VW dealership are plain awful. Buy a new $40k VW and fight for a loaner. Spend half that on a used Merc and get treated like royalty. Why I didn't do it sooner is a mystery.