seefiftyfive

Alright, some quick background info. Mid 20's - I've built a turbo gsr, done an auto to 5spd swap (no mechanical training) and I do most work on my cars and my parents cars.

I owned a 335i for about 4 years, forge d/v, chipped, bbs lms, H&R coils, delimited, ice, audio, etc. I had alot of issues with the car as it was one of the first 335's to hit the states. I had a few interior issues, cams replaced, etc (all under warranty).Turbos started leaking oil so I quickly got rid of it.

I found a Lexus GS4 for a great price - bought it and so far have put alot of work into it - srt ecu+cai, iforged, coils, alot of other adjustable suspension mods, audio etc. I took off on a 335 on my 19's yesterday (closed road/air strip).

Now it's time for me to move on. I've been looking at the c55 but I have no experience with MB's at all. I'm looking for something reliable, little to no issues, don't care much to modify it other than suspension/wheels.

Anyone have some tips, or words for me?

and yes, I like [affordable to me] fast cars.

AMGnut88

well ive owned one for about 3 months now and i love every time i drive it, its the ultimate sleeper.if you stay ontop of the regular maintence they dont have all to many issues and the engine is near bulletproof. but im no expert here but for the money its probably one of the best 4 door performance cars out there.

loudandheard

Find one with warranty and you'll be fine. These engines are fairly reliable you just get common oil leaks, valve covers mainly. Test drive the car and that will definitely tell you if you want it or not. You will mod it everyone does and you already have it in your blood, it's like a disease.

thegreatfnr

This.

It has been a very reliable car for me over the years and it gets boat loads of compliments from others.

ZachG

+1 to a C55. I've had mine for ~6months and there is virtually NOTHING about it I complain about. IMO its a really really great car for the money.

91RS

I've had my car right at 2 years (doesn't seem like it's been that long!) and I still love it. I'm fixing to supercharge it. Whether or not you want a warranty is really up to you. There aren't really any big major problems that go wrong. I paid a little extra for a CPO car so I had one year of warranty because I wanted to try and get all the common problems repaired (which I did). Here's my list of things I had replaced under warranty: idler pulley, valve cover gaskets, left front seat bottom heater, brake booster travel sensor, torque arms, rear main seal, and motor mounts. I've had no problems since my warranty expired.

AMGnut88

speaking of the bottom seat heater i think my passanger one is kaputt, any word on how difficult to DIY?

91RS

Depends on whether or not you're good with upholstry. The element is part of the seat cover itself so you have to replace that. Also about $500 for the part if I remember correctly.

dre5373

Probably the best writeup I've ever read...
https://mbworld.org/forums/c32-amg-c...ty-report.html

AMGnut88

well i guess my passanger will have to deal with being partly warmed haha.

Chedeng88

If you are indeed going to keep it stock apart from the suspension/wheels, then I would highly recommend the C55 to you. It's pretty reliable and you do get a lot of car for the price it is selling now.

On the other hand, you seem to be pretty handy, so I'm just gonna throw a C32 recommendation as well (if you haven't looked into it yet). It costs way less than a C55 and is more tuner friendly. Just make sure to get a late 2004 model.

seefiftyfive

I guess I was trying to convince myself that I won't mod it, but looking more and more at bigger quad tops, aero parts, etc I am finding myself more inclined to mod this.

I don't see much aftermarket support for the c55 and I don't want to have to get custom one off parts made.

C32? -- Hrm...learn me more.

loudandheard

C32, slk32, and srt-6 can be had for very reasonable prices. I would recommend 2003+ for C32 because of a potential issue with the cams, never proven, and radiators leaking into the transmission. The radiator issue would probably have been taken care of by warranty or the previous owners. You can check by the looking at the brand of the radiator. If it's a valeo replace if behr you are good to go.

The intercooler pump tends to go bad and will make the car feel bogged down. The ecu will pull timing because of the heat, so the car will not feel so fast. The heated seats go bad on all the mercedes and they are integrated into the seat cover, warranty will usually take care of this issue. The seat control modules tend to go bad, but there's a fix or you can buy an updated part. Door locks can go bad, but the lock is around $100 and can be a pain to replace, but can be done. Sound system is easy to upgrade either with factory parts or aftermarket parts.

The engines are fairly solid, but there have been a few members that have had issues, but most of them were from 2002 and modded. I think it has to do with the cam lobe shifting over time, but it's never really been proven. With all mercedes you get the usual oil leaks. Most of leaks I have encountered are from valve covers, the front main seal, rear main seal, oil cooler, and power steering pump. Most of the seals are easy to replace except for the rear main seal. Maintenance on the car should be a piece of cake for you. Oil change is a piece of cake if you use an oil extractor and the oil filter is top mounted, filters can be found for $10-$15 and the oil is mobil 1 0w40. Trans flush is fairly simple, but you will just need the right tools and you can find the fluid fairly cheap now from ryder. The differential fluid change is very easy, just need the right tool. The coolant flush is simple and the intercooler pump change is simple as well. The coolant that I use is valvoline Zerex G-05, essentially the same fluid mercedes uses just half the price. I've made DIY for just about every thing I've listed and I have a list of fluids that replace the factory fluids and are usually much cheaper. Supercharger pulley tends to wine because of the bearing, but it's a cheap and easy fix. I've heard of the water pump pulley shearing off, but you can get a pulley saver kit which can help reduce over rotation from adding a larger crank pulley.

Brakes are easy to change, but you will spend a bit over $600 if you replace all 4 disc, pads, fluid, and upgrade to stainless steel brake lines, if you do the work yourself. The job is simple and there are various DIY's.

As for engine modifications, there are tons of options and a few are still available. There are various crank pulleys to increase boost, 178mm, 181mm, and 185mm are the sizes and it's recommended to get a tune to adjust airflow and it really increase performance. There's a new smaller supercharger pulley as well which increases boost and can be a bit easier to replace than the crank pulley, but that's fairly simpler too. Cooling mods are recommend if you do a pulley, usually just an upgraded heat exchange. Headers are an option if you can still find them. You have the option of shorties, equal length, and long tube, but most of the ones you can still find are short tubes. Mainly the major tuners still sell them, such as kleeman, renntech, and evosport. You can do a dual exhaust, but it can be a bit difficult to get the right sound, most people complain about droning. A lot of people just eliminate secondary cats and the resonator and call it a day, but everyone wants the c55 dual exhaust look. Intakes help a lot too, most people go with an sl55 intake which can be had for around $500. You can get the speed shift tcu tune from eurocharged, which also provides most of the tunes everyone uses and the crank pulleys. There area few options for custom intakes, but we don't have a lot of space in the engine compartment like the slk32 and the srt-6. With an intake, larger heat exchange, 185mm crank pulley, and a tune, you can be in the high to mid 12's if not better.

As for cosmetic mods, there are body kits that you can some times still find, brabus, carlsson, and a few other I can't think of. You can get a carbon fiber front lip for around $250, you can get a rear trunk carbon fiber spoiler for $100, and a rear diffuser for around $250. There are various options for wheels, but most prefer to stay with 18"s which do not come stock with the c32, you get 17"s. When you purchase the C32 try to get the car with bixenons because they can be costly to purchase after you purchase the car and it makes the car look that much newer.

Take in mind most of this info applies to the C55, except for some of the mods and some of the issues specific to the C32.

You could consider getting a kleemann c55k, which can be had for fairly reasonable prices if you can find them.

Panzerknacker

I had a C32 previously and now own a CLK55. Forced induction motors respond to mods a little easier. Increase boost, tune ECU to match and they start vomiting power. Obviously there are supporting mods to go with that but it seemed to be the general equation with any car I ever owned that was turbo'd or S/C'd.

There is a pulley and tune kit from LET motorsports for the C32 that many forum members, including myself, have had a good experience with.

advans

where are you located... did u get my PM?

91RS

The only real engine mods for a C55 are headers and a supercharger.

Tump43

There is a little more to do than that, see my sig., but on the overall, the C55 is a great car. If I had to do my mod's over again I would start with the KW v2, then the BS steering rack, then the Kleeman Headers, then the ecu tune (Kleeman or Jerry) and leave it at that. The rest is nice, but not so necessary. On the overall the car is very reliable. These cars become exponentially more expensive, the more you modify them. It helps if, like you, you are handy with tools.

betrezra

Ported Polished heads
exhaust mods
cams
supercharger
LSD
suspension
tune
oh boy oh boy the fun you can have...... but get out the wallet, and get a good OBDII scanner, and even a nice obdii data-logger to help trouble shoot CEL's and things that will cost $500-$1500 at the dealer can be done at home with the help of this forum for pennies on the dollar.
Oh yeah and put autohaus (in AZ) dot com (on your browser favorites) for factory parts