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2008 one owner 60k mile Florida truck. Almost gave up on the G55 and dove heavily into researching and landing on a few prime G550 candidates to have them all fall through my fingers.
Came across this G55 last night on Autotrader, contacted the dealership, met this morning, had an amazing experience w the dealership and have a new AMG for the stable.
Took it out to stretch her legs in Angeles National Forest. Still grinning ear to ear.
A few things I want to change ASAP:
- Headliner is light grey, going to get this changed to black alcantara, feels too cavernous with the lighter headspace
- Update to more modern headlights
- Powdercoat the chrome bits to the a color match of the tires in the darker grey.... looking for examples of trucks to lock this one down
- I want to remove the spare cover and just rock the naked tire, just have to look at locking nuts
- Need to figure out how to connect bluetooth to the stock head unit, couldn't find an Aux jack anywhere
- Connect the MB Bluetooth Module for hands free calling
- Get it dirty
Also, coming from the older LR and RR Classic world, I have to get used to freeway driving... I'm used to cruising and 60/65, everytime I hit the throttle and have that power I totally forget Im in a truck.
Patience pays off and you have some good ideas - I am getting my tips powdercoated as well and you may want to get the emblems painted in the same color, or Black.
Patience really does pay off! Really glad you were able to find the one to take home. The color looks great out in the sun and jealous of the mountain roads you have out there. Excited for the build you're planning on doing.
re: headlights the xenon bulbs might just be tired and are in need of replacement. I find the factory bi focal HIDs plenty bright - check out the latest Philips / Osram D1S bulbs
re: removing tire cover, there are aftermarket mounts out there to flip the tire so that wheel faces out. Alternatively I think the vinyl covers are also nice, especially the factory semi rigid cover that MB put on the professional G350d and G300 CDI models. This is what I’m going with after replacing my 19s with the factory 16s
Thanks fellas this truck is amazing... did a little "off roading" and can't wait to do the overland build out in a few months.
Also just realizing I need a front plate mount. Found this thing on Amazon, going to give it a try.
Don't want to drill holes and haven't found the stock plate bracket that goes in the four holes in the stock bumper, but want to keep the front bumper intact without even taking out the stops.
I did a lot of research on this and ended up going with the 911 Motorsports front license bracket. Purchased it yesterday so it'll be here in a week or so.
The OEM piece is a joke - super cheap plastic and crazy expensive.
I did a lot of research on this and ended up going with the 911 Motorsports front license bracket. Purchased it yesterday so it'll be here in a week or so.
The OEM piece is a joke - super cheap plastic and crazy expensive.
Truck has just over 61k miles. I went outside today to remove the spare, and after taking the rear cover off, I actually like the open look without the cover. Going to get a pin-lock to put in the 1/4" hole for security and rock it this way for a bit.
Now just doing some research on re-upholstering the headliner, A-Pillars, Sun Roof and sun visors to get rid of the dated grey cloth.
After that I am going to get all of the speakers updated to work with the stock headunit, as the sound compared to my same generation E63 is pretty lack-luster.
Lastly, after putting some miles on the truck there is a "crayon" like smell that after doing some research is due to some type of insulation wax MB used on earlier cars, so looking to remove that and add some additional sound deadening material in its place.
For now I'm going to enjoy the truck as is and note any additional changes. I'm going to photograph and log them all here for anyone else going through some of these changes to take note on.
Now to decide where to drive to next
Last edited by almostordinary; 05-03-2020 at 02:34 PM.
This is in my current build out sheet. But holy hell, $650 for a pan w a lid
I agree the open look isn't for everyone but I like that it adds a bit of the ultimate utilitarian look this truck will have once I outfit it.
At the moment I'm focusing on creature comforts as I am driving up the PCH w the wife and our two great danes in 8wks for our move from LA to Seattle.
- Looking into full audio options, the stock sound system in my 07 E63 is amazing, this one is the worst I've ever had.... so that's going to be addressed in the coming weeks.
- Going to do a tune up and oil change to have exact mileage numbers since it's in my care now
- Preparing to do Service C
- It's had all of the maintenance done @ MB up to and including the 60k mile service
I'll be interested to see what you do audio-wise, as far as improved speakers.
My next purchase along those lines is a GMRS 2-way radio for off-road and on-trail communications with my Jeep buddies. Something simple like the Midland MXT275.
Once I get the rig built for off road use I will definitely be looking into that and potentially a standalone GPS device. I plan on doing some treking up in Canada as well since the wife's family is in Victoria.
Also quickly found my audio problem.... Blown rear subwoofer. Went under the rear seat and it looked good but when I pressed down on it I could see the foam had separated.
Did some digging here on the forums and found this replacement, will be here Thursday
05-02-2020, 07:15 PM
