analyzer

Hi there,

I am planning to buy very soon a 2004 E 55 AMG (120 000km ~ 72000 miles, sold for 14 000€ - ~ 15 700$), so I am coming on this forum to get maximum of valuable informations and a do quick presentation

I am from france and hoping the car is really well maintained and no bad "surprise" waiting for me

I will post images if needed if the buy goes smooth ;-)

kajtek1

Welcome to the forum.
E55 is higher maintenance model and in USA they sell pretty cheap because of that.
Sounds like they keep good value in Europe.
Anyway -tell us more about the car as options differ from market to market.
Most likely it has SBC - have the count read. Does it have airmatic? How old are the bags?
Don't hesitate to spend good money on PPI as those cars can come with very high maintenance bill and you don't want that to happen right after the purchase.

analyzer

I am a little afraid of high maintenance bills too..

Here the specs (not that much options..):
SA codes
Parameter Value
044 NEW TELEMATICS GENERATION NTG 2.5
206B OWNERS MANUAL AND SERVICE RECORD - ITALIAN
213 SPEED-SENSITIVE POWER STEERING/VARIO STEERING
220 PARKTRONIC SYSTEM (PTS)
222B INFO PLATE COOLANT/REFUELING - FRENCH
242 FRONT SEAT RH ELECTRIC ADJUSTABLE WITH MEMORY
249 INSIDE AND OUTSIDE MIRROR AUTOMATIC DIMMING
250A LEATHER
250B MOBILO LIFE/EUROPE SERVICE PACKAGE
251A LEATHER - BLACK/ANTHRACITE
265 LINES-NO.PLATE DISCONTINUED
275 MEMORY PACKAGE (DRIVER SEAT, STRG. COL., MIRROR)
293 SIDEBAG IN REAR LEFT AND RIGHT
354 ANTENNA FOR TELEPHONE D/E-NET
382 PORTABLE CTEL
401 FRONT SEAT CLIMATE CONTROL
404 MULTI-CONTOUR SEAT, FRONT LEFT
405 MULTI-CONTOUR SEAT, FRONT RIGHT
414 ELECTRIC TILT/SLIDE SUNROOF IN GLASS VERSION
423 5-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
481 UNDERSHIELDS
489 AIRMATIC DUAL CONTROL / AIR SUSPENSION SEMI-ACTIVE
500 OUTSIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR LH AND RH FOLDING
527 COMAND DVD APS WITH NAVIGATION
540 ROLLER BLIND, ELECTRIC, FOR REAR WINDOW
543 SUN VISOR WITH MAKE-UP MIRROR L. AND R., BE-
543L ITALY
551 ANTI-THEFT/ANTI-BREAK-IN WARNING SYSTEM
573 CHILD SEAT MOUNTING, ISOFIX IN REAR
581 AUTOMATIC CLIMATE CONTROL
5XXL EUROPE
600 HEADLAMPS - CLEANING EQUIPMENT
614 BI-XENON HEADLAMPS FOR RIGHT-HAND TRAFFIC
673 HIGH-CAPACITY BATTERY
744U BRILLIANT SILVER METALLIC
772 AMG STYLING PACKAGE-FRONT SPOILER, SIDE SKIRT
804 YEAR OF MODIFICATION
810 SOUND SYSTEM
819 CD CHANGER
831 VERSION FOR ITALY SUPPLEMENTARY PARTS
882 INTERIOR SAFEGUARD
910 DYNAMO WITH HIGHER CAPACITY (FFO)
915 FUEL TANK WITH LARGER CAPACITY
926 EXHAUST GAS CLEANING WITH EURO 4 TECHNOLOGY
954 EQUIPMENT PACKAGE FOR AVANTGARDE VEHICLES
983 COC PAPER EURO 4 TECHNOLOGY W/O REG. CERT. PART II
F211 SERIES PRODUCTION 211
FW LIMOUSINE
GA AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
HA REAR AXLE
L LEFT-HAND STEERING
M001 ENGINES WITH SUPERCHARGER
M113 V8-GASOLINE ENGINE M113
M55 CAPACITY 5,5 LITRE
VL FRONT AXLE HALF, LEFT
VR FRONT AXLE HALF, RIGHT

analyzer

By the way wonder if 810 is Bose sound system or just standard option

kajtek1

European spec looks quite different than those on US models.
I also notice
HA Rear Axle.
good to have one
Good luck with the purchase.

analyzer

Thanks

Any way to know history of the vehicle at MB and if all recalls have been done ?

kajtek1

Called "Master inquiry" in USA is available to dealers only and they not suppose to release it to new owner for liability reason.
That said, I got one from friendly technician on this forum and if you take the car to the dealer for service, you can talk them into giving you copy with the names of PO blanked out.
Recalls should be answered over the phone once you have VIN.

analyzer

Thanks for your quick answer
Problem is that if I take it to the dealer, I already own the car
I have already VIN and immatriculation certificate copy by the way ;-)

analyzer

I succeeded in having the "repair history" but only actions made under warranty (Called "Incidents")

Weird thing is that MB database doesn't store services date/details ? (or it is hidden from technicians)

kajtek1

Each country has different way of doing things and even not all US dealers bother to report the repairs to central database, but even in my native Poland- good technicians can dig in car memory previous oil change resets.
It is not MB database where you should seek the records.
It will be MB of France, just like we use MB USA.

analyzer

Possible to check when and which service will take place on the car ? (on the dashboard perhaps ?)

kajtek1

Dashboard will not give you any history.
The history is buried in car memory and it takes skilled technician to find it.
At least that what smart mechanics in Poland are saying.
Ask Plutoe on this forum if he's got the skills?

analyzer

Sorry for misunderstanding, I forgot a word:
"Possible to check when and which next service will take place on the car ?"

I just wanted to know which assyst will be needed next and when ;-) (assyst B+ is kinda expensive on this car, could help negotiating)

kajtek1

The next service due is displayed on the cluster after pushing few buttons.
Read the manual as it might be different on your model.
On our cars, I scroll bottom left buttons on the wheel to temperature display and then top left buttons will change the page to service reminder.
Frankly I never read the manual, but buying the car 3000 miles from home- I had lot of time to play with buttons while driving.

analyzer

At the moment, the buy is still not done (some hole in service maintenance, no trace of gear box oil change, ...)

By the way, if anyone on the forum is selling his E55 for a fair price and with a good care of it, I am interested (in western europe, but depends where and depend of the car) ;-)


PS: When I see all the cars "For Sale" on this forum, what a shame that they are all located in USA otherwise would have been verrrry happy