hygaard

Hey guys,

I recently came into possession of a W208 AMG (2001) and really love the car. The last person who owned it didn’t really seem to treat it too well though :/ When I replaced the oil it looked like it was probably run for 20k Miles! I wasn’t 100% sure of what oil to use so I stuck with 0w-40, which I have read is standard (Should I use 5w-40? I hear that a higher weight is better in older cars…). I opened up the air box and I found about 2 cups of loose dirt and debris in it, including dry dog food! I put some nice K&N air filters in and the change in engine sound was amazing. I also noticed a power steering fluid leak that I was able to fix pretty easily by just tightening a clamp back up. That’s about all I know how to do for maintenance though, but I hope to learn more soon!

I’m only 20 and in college, and I’m hoping this car will last me quite a while. I really want to get it back into top working order.

I’ve noticed some jerky shifts sometimes, but only if I’m driving enthusiastically and it could just be the car reacting to an inexperienced driver (After having it happen a couple times I learned to roll into acceleration or just manually shift). Also it may just be that I’m not used to a car with this much torque/hp, but when I’m going downhill the car always seems to downshift and have a lot of engine breaking (Unless I give it a tiny bit of throttle). These things make me think that maybe the Transmission could use a flush, and a filter change?

One thing that just happened yesterday, is that one of my friends was getting out of the back seat, and when I moved the little lever down the seat stayed moved all the way up. If I try to move it back with the controller on the door it makes a real faint click, the way it normally sounded when you engaged the movement function. Is the motor shot? Maybe it’s just a fuse?

Even though this forum might not be for diagnoses of problems, I think I’ll ask… Lately the CEL has popped up too, throwing codes (Don’t recall off the top of my head, something about Mixture at idle). Which lead me to replace one of the oxygen sensors (Which was coming up as bad also) and the Mass Airflow Sensor. The O2 sensor code is gone for good, but even with the MAF replacement I still have the light pop on after I clear it. This only happens when I’m stopped at a light or something, I can take the car on a 300 mile trip and not see the CEL, but when I stop at a red light after getting off the interstate it’ll pop back up. Any suggestions there?

But ultimately I’d just like to know what upkeep needs to be done to it. I just hit 90k on the odometer, and let’s assume that for 45,000 miles / 4.5 years no proper care was given to it. (During the time the last owner had it… before that a TN football player, who I’m sure cared for his car, had it.)
Since I’m in college I don’t really have a lot of money (I can save maybe 200 a month up for her), so if you can come up with some must do’s (asap) and things that can wait for a while I’d really appreciate it.

Overall I feel like I saved the car to be honest. It might just be in my head, but every bit of service I’ve done seems to make it happier (More jaunty at least :p) The day I spent 8 hours detailing the interior, on top of my initial 5 hour cleaning, it seemed to fly extra fast when I gave it some gas. Can’t wait to start my exterior repairs.

Thanks in advance guys!

C43AMG

You've got 2 replies to this same post over on the Private Lounge.

d11133

I read your post and am interesting in any responses you got. I am also looking for a 2001 clk55 and would like to hear what it may need before I get into it. How has it been for you since you posted ? Reliable ? Any major problems ?
Thanks,

hygaard

Hey,
The car's been a dream overall.

The root of all my problems was that my left engine mount failed. And when I say failed, I mean that the hydraulic fluid in it had turned to powder.
The CEL was because the engine was moving around and kept pulling out a vacuum tube connection.

I finally figured that out when it pulled my booster hose one time... (Not having power breaks is fun >_>)
Got a local indie shop to replace the mounts and do a coolant flush for $600.
I'd recommend a coolant flush because the guy who had mine before me had some ****ty green stuff in it, and if you don't use the MB Orange with the extra anti-corrosive you can have trouble with head gaskets. When I picked mine up there was an SLK32 in with issues because he didn't use the proper coolant...
Changed my oil twice since I got it, costs me about $70 for the oil and filter when I get them from Amazon.

I did get the transmission flushed and most people recommend it every 30k miles from what I've seen. IIRC the trans flush was like $125.

The problem with the seat was a blown fuse in the trunk, it happened one other time but it's been good since then. $2.00 for a pack of fuses at Walmart.

I'd suggest you stick to All Season tires, my father has an S55 and I know that his car eats through summer tires like crazy. (3 sets a year) With my Michelin A/S Pilot Sport Plus 2s I've put 15,000 on them and they look like new still. They have almost as much grip, and unlike those performance tires, you don't slip off the road in light rain. Those'll run ya like $1,000.

When I got the car the brake pads were about 80%, I'd say they're like 70% now. Not too bad wear... The guys at the Indie shop did warn me that replacing the front AMG rotors will cost an arm and a leg. (May as well upgrade to Brembos for the price...) The pads aren't too bad though.

I got mine for $12k even. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

rj96mb

How many miles on the car when purchased? I am interested in a 2001 or 2002 and would like to know.

Thanks.

hygaard

About 86,000 when I got it. I'm up to 94,500 now. It's a 2001. Original Owner was a TN Titans player.