My 2015 Mercedes S550 Build Journal
#1
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My 2015 Mercedes S550 Build Journal
Hello guys, just picked up a 2015 S550 with 46k miles and wanted to start a page to track the progress of repairs and/or mods I do along the way. I'll do my best to document everything as much as I can and show pics along the way. I live in St Louis MO and flew down to South Texas to look her over and get a PPI before signing the paperwork. Everything checked out good, clean title 2 owner car that's always been serviced at Mercedes dealer. Drove her all the way home and it was the most comfortable drive I've ever been on. The car did amazing on fuel as well I might add, I got 28mpg on average and that was with some heavy testing on the way home. Can't beat the bang for the buck with this car. I really enjoyed the floating on clouds suspension, cooled massaging seats and burmester 3d sound system on the way back home. Here she is waiting for me on the showroom floor the day I flew in to pick her up.
Last edited by Rmayrap; 02-26-2023 at 02:15 AM.
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First thing I did before driving off the lot was remove the front plates and unfortunately I now have 2 small holes in my bumper, I've used bumper plugs before on previous cars so may go that route again, unless I do the face-lift conversion. Here she is fueling up on the way home somewhere in Oklahoma.
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chassis (03-01-2023)
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Before pulling up to the house to show the wife I decided to stop at a touchless car wash and rinse off the dirt from the 1100 mile journey. Here she is all cleaned up. The wheels look nice in black but they are begging for spacers, which is usually the first thing I do on any car I get...
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chassis (03-01-2023)
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During the wash and interior detail the next day I noticed a few issues that needed to be addressed. The center console cupholder flapping door was stuck in the open position and wouldn't retract back to close. Also the seat back of the driver side seat magazine compartment thing was unclipped on the inside so the bungee strap wasn't pulling it back closed and the passenger seat back leather was coming loose. No choice but to take everything apart and fix it. It's not as scary as it looks lol...
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chassis (03-01-2023)
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The cupholder door latch was stuck because of some sticky coins that were covered in coffee or some type of liquid. Once I took the whole center console out and flipped it upside down the coins fell out and I was also able to steam clean all the sticky crap from underneath. The magazine holder strap simply came loose and had to be clipped back, accessible once you take apart the seat back of course, and the other seat back the leather around the vents simply needed to be reglued. Looks like the heat from the south texas summers dried out the adhesive? Here is a interior pic from the dealership, notice the cupholder door is open, little did i know it was stuck open lol, also notoce the magazine holder is loose on the drivers side...
Last edited by Rmayrap; 02-26-2023 at 02:55 AM.
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#9
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With most of the cosmetic issues complete I decided to focus on the engine bay. First thing here are the air filters and cabin filters. Fcpeuro and a few hand tools the new filters were installed. Also read Mercedes camshaft adjustment solenoids commonly leak oil from the sealing ring or through the harness connector. So I bought the harness kit from fcp and plan to throw those on for peace of mind soon.
Last edited by Rmayrap; 03-31-2023 at 07:28 PM.
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Next up were wheel spacers, I wasn't sure how aggressive I could go so decided to play it safe and went with 15mm rears and 12mm fronts. Spacers are made by Bonoss and are very high quality and lightweight forged and hubcentric. No issues, no vibrations. However I'd recommend 15mm all around for a slightly more aggressive fitment, the rears are good but the fronts can come out a bit more for my taste. Yes I know my mirror is missing lol
Last edited by Rmayrap; 02-26-2023 at 03:07 PM.
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#11
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Today I installed a painted trunk spoiler I got from ebay for $93 that's made in Taiwan and is a perfect color match and seems like high quality. And I also added the "BITURBO" emblems on the side fenders. Not trying to be an AMG just like the look.
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chassis (03-01-2023)
#12
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Here she is so far after 2 weeks of ownership. Still a long list to go for her but she is looking much better already imo.
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Rmayrap (02-26-2023)
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#15
MBWorld Fanatic!
Great thread! Keep the updates and pics coming!
I am not usually a black wheels kinda guy, but they work here. I appreciate that you didn't black out everything and still keep it classy with some chrome.
I am not usually a black wheels kinda guy, but they work here. I appreciate that you didn't black out everything and still keep it classy with some chrome.
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#17
MBWorld Fanatic!
Congrats, thanks for sharing this beauty
Happy Driving
I'm a big fan of black interiors as well
Happy Driving
I'm a big fan of black interiors as well
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Rmayrap (02-27-2023)
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Rmayrap (02-27-2023)
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Today I installed a Pedal Commander. Bought it used off fb marketplace for $120. All i can say is wowaweewa, its very nice! It got rid of that awful lag and now the car feels alive when I want it to be and reserved when I dont. For example when my wife drives it I can tone it down, when I drive it I can adjust to my liking. Any 'PC43' model will work for the Mercedes, they aren't model specific. Also it connects to an app on your phone and can be controlled that way so you can completely hide the unit if preferred. Highly recommend it guys.
Last edited by Rmayrap; 02-28-2023 at 11:43 PM.
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