incubus

Hey guys

I'm new to this forum.. I'm planning on buying a 2003 S55 with 136K KM on it . just wanted to know if anyones had any experiences with it and any general S55 check and issues i should know about before buying it...

The only problem highlighted by the current owner is the front left air shocks are leaking air when the car is switched off ... needs replacement


Also are there any cheap after market cables that work i\with the carsoft diag. s/w

Cylinder Head

iTrader: (1)

Wow man you are walking into a minefield of problems. Those shocks are $2,000 US apiece.

incubus

Yeah i know .. .luckly they are being replaced by th ecurrent owner before i buy it


aare there any chronic problems though anything a new s55 owner should be wary of

pmb600

Seriously dude, the W220 S-Class had lots of problems. The shocks are probably the first of many. It's obviously your choice, but I would suggest getting a less expensive Mercedes (newer) and with a warranty.

JRAMGV8

Yeah the car has how many miles? 136K!!! so you will experience alot of maintenance issues. Get a newer model like anywhere between 05-06 and with alot less miles with an extended warranty. Good Luck..

pmb600

he said 136,000 kilometers, so thats lower, but still high...probably around 80,000 miles? I would not take a chance with any Mercedes of this era without a warranty.

JRAMGV8

I'm with you on that...

SaMaS

+1 ...

GrepAwk

The 2003 S55 AMG does not have air shocks. It has the ABC system which uses hydraulic fluid/high-pressure pump to adjust the damping and ride height of the suspension.

Does the current owner realize this? Is it really an '03 S55AMG?

Check the top of this forum where you will find the TSB's posted for the '03 model year.

You can scan the car with any standard OBD-II compliant tools in the USA. MB has to comply with mandated emmissions trouble codes. I'm not familiar with the software you mention. Dealers have the StarDiags system for scanning and programming the vehicle.

I have listed my problems in earlier posts. You can search for my call sign.

o supercharger squeak (not really a problem, per say. just annoying)
o had some alarm bugs. Car alarm would trip if I delayed arming it for more than 2 minutes after shutting off the engine. Dealer fixed it.
o various Command components sometimes lose touch with each other (radio, phone...Engine restart always fixed it for me.)
o Secondary Air Injection pump relay and ECU code recall/repair for certain VINs.
o various gremlins with seat position sensor(s) that caused passenger headrest to go up and down.
o electronic dash display got an automatic extended warranty due to some reported problems.

Also check if the car's On-star like system has been upgraded from the older analog cellphone technology to the newer digital cellphone technology. Your SOS button and info/service button may not work after 2007.

Hotrod-Realtor

My 03 had several problems which have been fixed and it has been good. The car is incredible to drive and worth a few problems. Bottom line is the bottom line. How much is the car? If you pay like you know there will be maintenance issues then it may be a great deal. Good luck with your decision.
Warren.