C55AMG05

Sorry for creating a separate thread for this; the others I noticed were dated and seemed to be dead ends.

I have an opinion question. I bought my c55 a year ago from a buyer who did not drive it. He was the original owner since 2005 and I bought it in July of 2011 with 15,500 miles on it. This is something I now regret (the low mileage). Since owning it, I've almost doubled the mileage; it now sits at 27,000-ish.

Shortly after I bought it, the driver heated seat had an issue. It overheats to the point of burning the seat. $900 dealer quote to replace seat bottom. I decided to live without the heat. Second issue: rear door actuator developed issue. Again, I just live with this minor problem.

Third item: passenger headlight goes out. Not the bulb, not the ballast, not the fuses, and not the ignitor. Needed whole modual/unit. Indy shop did this for around $1,200. Three months later, the driver side goes out lol. I've tested the bulb myself and it's fine. I hope it's not in need of the whole modual being replaced. I don't drive too much at night, so I've been putting this matter off.

Lastly, today the AC blowing warm air was diagnosed by dealer as a leak in the evaporator. Seeing as entire dash must be disassembled, 15 hours of labor plus parts leads the dealership to quote me $3,600. I've looked at the DIY videos, but I'm a bit hesitant to tackle something this complex without the experience.

My opinion questions: what should I do? DIY? Get Indy quote? Just deal with AC matter next spring? Sell car? Try to obtain extended warranty? What would you do?

The car is in excellent condition appearance-wise and aside from the seat, light, door, and AC issues. It's a nice car- my first AMG- it's not too common- its got all available options-again, I love it. BUT, I'm afraid more issues might develope down the road. I'm already having thoughts that it's a lemon sadly. I'm not really sure what the best course of action is.

I appreciate in advance any suggestions you might have. Thanks, Chris

grane

See if you can get the regional mb or Amg rep involved unless you bought it privately or thru a used car stealer. You seem late to the ball, sorry.

Did you have a Pdi by a good tech?

C55AMG05

I bought the car privately, so no luck there. I'm afraid the fact that the car was never really driven previously has contributed in some way to these issues. Performance and appearance wise, the car is flawless! No other issues; but, what I've experienced in only one year's time is very discouraging. Oh, and these issues are in no way reflective of my ownership- It's very well kept.

NCE500

I bought my 06 last Summer with 27K miles, original owner had driven it 11K miles in 4 years and traded it in when the warranty expired. 2nd lady owner drove it just over a year from 11 to 27K miles. It was clearly a garage queen for the first 4 years of it's life and it shows, the car looks new inside/out. I'm presently at 41K miles, use it as my DD, very happy with it. Have not had any problems per se, it is very dependable.

I did do a PPI when I bought it, everything checked out, but more importantly I bought a 4 year warranty for it last Fall. Just had annual service done at my dealer, they fixed several items I was unaware of under warranty, which has now paid for 50% of it's price in 9 months.

I would absolutely get a warranty if you plan to keep it, it will make your ownership tenure much better.

testknight

I say go to an independant that specializes in A/C work...not just any independant garage. I'll bet you'll see a much lower quote. I've often found shops quoting services not needed...

My suggestion, don't tell new shop about your other quote, they may use that as baseline. If you look young enough throw some old text books in your car (like you're a college student) and wear jeans/tshirt (may not help, but anything to reduce dreaded 'mercedes tax')...perhaps even sing a song about how concerned you are that its going to be too expensive to fix....

Chedeng88

I'm surprised the car doesn't have any leaky seals. That's something I'd expect from a rarely driven car that sits in the garage for long stretches of time.

Regarding your question, I'd first get a quote from an indy show specializes in MB or European cars. Goodluck!

testknight

Don't focus on a euro or MB indy...there is nothing more to this car than any other and in fact it has been easier to work on for the number I've things I've done (alternator, water pump, crank seal, etc)....you'll find the euro shops to charge a higher labor rate for no reason.

A lot of people think they need someone MB specific to do work on this...and it may be the case/ideal for some repairs...but this is a standard function with nothing special about it over any other vehicles. If any concerns when you go ask them if they think this vehicle will be any more diffucult than any other...these guys will know what to do with you car, they've probably cracked open hundreds of dashboards including MBs.

C55AMG05

NCE500:
I am leaning toward an extended warranty. Did you obtain a third-party aftermarket one or one thru MB?

I love the low mileage on my car as well; I've just been a bit discouraged by the items that have occured in such a short period of time. An extended warranty will make me feel better about the risk of anything happening further down the road.

Nice E63 btw.

testknight:
Thanks for your suggestions! I'm 26, so I think I could pull off the whole "poor college kid" thing if need be lol. The indy quote will help. The MB labor rate is something like $155/hr. Their quote included 15 hours of labor-- so in labor alone the cost is $2,325. I would love to find an indy shop that would let me learn/help/assist in the repair so as to both learn and reduce the cost.

Chedeng88:
Agreed. According to dealer's inspection and my experience there are no leaky seals believe it or not. Well, none currently I should say...

mikekuriger

You may be lucky in adding some leak detector/stopper to the AC system. I added some to one of my other cars and it hasn't leaked since.

As for your headlights, try replacing the $100 module on the bottom of the headlight. You can get at it if you remove the fender well plastic cover.

good luck!

C55AMG05

Do you recommend a certain kind or does it need to be special in any way. As long as it cannot hurt anything, I'm certainly willing to try a leak stopper. Do you happen to have a part # for the module you mention? I'm not quite sure what this is. Thanks!

boost420

^most of the refills that are found at any auto store will have a leak prevent agent in it. I have a leak in one of my cars, but a refill twice a year and I am good to go.

amx1397

from the sound of the problems you have had,, this car must have been in a low,close to the Ocean, Flooded garage. When these multiple things happen and looks like everything you're talking about is electronic, it tends to make me think it was flooded. jim

C55AMG05

Well, all I know about the cars history is that I purchased it from the original owner, a police captain in Michigan. He bought the car new, drove it very infrequently, and kept it in a climate controlled barn on his property. He said he never drove it in the winter, which given its condition, I tend to believe. When I purchased it, I had MB do an inspection and they remarked that the condition of everything was perfect.

The carfax is flawless as well. I certainly hope it was not involved in a flood. There's absoutely no rust or replaced parts or anything. I agree though-- the problems all being electrical do make me wonder...

C55AMG05

I think I will look into the refill suggestions. Seems like a good idea to try. Nice mods, btw.

C55AMG05

Adding sealer/leak stopper is a bad idea. I ran the idea past a master MB tech (a friend) and he said it may fix matter for a short period, but I'll have much more problems as various parts and systems will become clogged. I'm glad I consulted him first.

Nachtsturm

Seeing this made me laugh.

The dealer repairs are very expensive.

My CLK55 is a garage queen. I took it in for service A at the Benz dealer, and the inspection came up with some issues that needed to be addressed. Lower Thrust Bearings were worn, valve covers were leaking, lower oil pan leak, and the Rear main seal was seeping.

Dealer quote you ask? Over 4,000 dollars to fix.

By buying the parts myself and having an indy do the labor part, I did all mentioned above plus both the upper and lower thrust bushings for less than 1500. Most of the cost was for the Rear Main Seal labor, without that repair the cost would have been under $500.

The leak was not that bad, but I have to have it perfect. Haha.

Do not sell the car for bad air, try to obtain the parts yourself and have an actual A/C shop do the work.

xxaarraa

I am not very familiar with AC systems so I don't know if a stop leak will work in the evaporator system. But I highly recommend trying some sort of stop leak before shelling out that kind of money on repairs. If it doesn't work, you are out $15 bucks, and even if it does work temporarily, you are golden.

Amnaggar

Was advised by the British Service Manager at dealer to NOT turn the A/C off before turning car ignition off. Just turn car off and lock it. This allows some heaters to dry off excess damp, so it doesn't cause damp and smell (bacteria). He says this is advised by the car manual.

yovenim

Hey, my car just started blowing only hot air. I didn’t hear the compressor kick in. Took it to get checked, was told the coil is shot. I was quoted 1020 for parts and labor for a compressor, drier and install. 425 for the compressor and 40 for the drier, then 300 for compression labor and 180 for drier labor. What is the rationale for a drier install? Isn’t the drier inside the condenser? I live in Florida so it’s hot as *****. Would love some info on what you all would do.

Socal Sam

Is the EC light on when blower is operating? If light is on, compressor is off or not working. EC light should be off which indicates compressor is working. If light is off, blend door actuator is likely fault. AC drier acts as a filter for E134a. When system is opened, always a good idea to replace.