Potential Owner w/ Questions
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Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2014
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'09 E550
Potential Owner w/ Questions
Good evening,
I have an '09 E550 Sport on an overnight test drive and have a few questions.
42k miles.
AMG wheels & exhaust.
Sunroof.
Bluetooth.
Nav.
Heated & Cooled Seats.
1) Asking $23,991. Is that fair?
2) I noticed that the alignment is significantly off and that the outer edge of both front tires seem slightly "chewed up". The dealer offered to align it, but is that indicative of a more serious problem?
3) The "AC Fan Speed Up" button no longer "springs back", but functions. Will that develop into a more serious problem? Like it sticking and turning the fan all the way up?
4) There is a very faint clicking noise from the steering column while turning. Anything serious?
5) Any time you turn the car off and back on, the radio seems to mute but turning up the volume does nothing. You have to change the station to get the sound back.
Is there anything else I should be looking at in particular? I'm aware of the Airmatic issues.
Thank you.
I have an '09 E550 Sport on an overnight test drive and have a few questions.
42k miles.
AMG wheels & exhaust.
Sunroof.
Bluetooth.
Nav.
Heated & Cooled Seats.
1) Asking $23,991. Is that fair?
2) I noticed that the alignment is significantly off and that the outer edge of both front tires seem slightly "chewed up". The dealer offered to align it, but is that indicative of a more serious problem?
3) The "AC Fan Speed Up" button no longer "springs back", but functions. Will that develop into a more serious problem? Like it sticking and turning the fan all the way up?
4) There is a very faint clicking noise from the steering column while turning. Anything serious?
5) Any time you turn the car off and back on, the radio seems to mute but turning up the volume does nothing. You have to change the station to get the sound back.
Is there anything else I should be looking at in particular? I'm aware of the Airmatic issues.
Thank you.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 6,190
Likes: 1,549
From: MA
2008 E350 4Matic, 2011 E350 4matic
Is that the regular E550 and not 4matic? Price wise, it seems like a normal dealer price, not a screaming bargain, not super overpriced. They probably have some room in there. It has the bluetooth puck? Does it have the ipod interface? Check to see that the rear sunshade works, not sure if you have manual side blinds either. No keyless go? No bixenon? No parktronic? When you say sunroof, you mean regular or panoramic? They all came with sunroofs, the panoramic one was an option. If the alignment is off, then yes, get it aligned, but if it's just the regular E550 and not 4matic, it has different sized tires on the front and rear which means you can't rotate the tires so of course the front are always going to wear out more especially the edges. As for those other issues, you should take them up with a Mercedes dealer and get a PPI (pre-purhase inspection). They will probably charge you anywhere from $200-$300 to do it. You should also get the VMI (vehicle maintenance info) from the Mercedes dealer so you know all the work that was done on the car. Also pull both carfax and autocheck. Found a car that had an accident, but it didn't show on carfax, but it did on autocheck.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,084
Likes: 68
From: Athens, GA USA
2011 E63, 2011 Hyundai Genesis 4.6 v8, 2013 GMC Denali XL, 1965 Ford Mustang, 2005 Merc. E500
Get the front end alignment checked by a Mercedes Dealer or get it writing that the dealer you are purchasing it from will align it and pay for any needed repairs to the suspension during your first 30 days of ownership. You should not hear noises while turning the steering wheel and tires should not be chewed up.
