Thinking of buying a 2003 S55
I am a good wrencher but this will be my first MB. Any tools/tips/tricks i should get/have?
Thank you for your help....




Well to start I have a 2003 S55 and I love it!
I would try and find out what if any ABC work has been done. The pumps are good for about 80k miles and then they need replacement. Other than that I wouldn't be to scared just the damn ABC. It is always expensive when it fails.
Johan

The originals are Michelin Pilots.
-There are plenty of shields under the car…you wont be able to see much from below….check for the following (you probably already have all of this on your list)
-Make sure it has the navigation DVD
-The car will have no antenna, other than the SAT/Cell block antenna on the rear window.
-Any records are a plus
-Check the front and rear rotors, they are both cross-drilled in design
- Good front tires and bald rears don’t necessarily mean the car was abused, everyone tells me that 20,000 miles on a set of rears is normal without smoking the tires….and the fronts will last twice that. Make sure the rear has different size tires than the front…they are wider.
-The keyless start only requires you put your foot on the rake and press (and quickly release) the gearshift button, it should start quickly.
- Check that glovebox door, it should close and stay closed with a uniform gap.
- Work al of the windows and the rear shade, they should go all of the way down and smoothly.
- The trunk opener will hit you in the head if you are not careful, and the right close button will lock the car as well.
- Lock the car at least once, the mirrors should fold in smoothly at a uniform speed.
-The car should be relatively silent at all speeds.
- Check all glass for the Three pointed star symbol, it is a dead giveaway for damage if aftermarket glass is present.
- I saw a few scrapes on the right front wheel…this is common but not very pretty, point out these flaws to the salesman and the price becomes lower…
- The sunroof has the pop up function and the slide back function, as well as a shade and wind deflector.
- It should be very docile at low RPMs but really bite back when pushed…if you see a flashing triangle under hard acceleration, that is normal and you are spinning the rear tires. I don’t recommend flooring the car until you are used to it…you can break the rears loose at 50MPH loaded with passengers, with no problem, on dry roads.
-Try the power rears and the rear HVAC, it is a contained unit all within the center console (and takes up all of the storage space there).
- Try the phone and make sure you get the Cellphone with it….you will probably want to get a Bluetooth module later, but the original phone is worth about $250 on EBAY. The Bluetooth module will cost about $300 but will work fine with your I-phone.
-The Navigation will seem quite antiquated compared to your I-phone…remember it is a 2004.
- Make sure it has the CD-changer magazine and that it ejects OK.
- The spare wheel is a solid black 18” wheel that is a five-spoke design……you will need that to fit over the big brakes.
-The tools are a plus but a standard wheel wrench will work fine.
- I have found that the heated seats take about 10 minutes to warm up, I wouldn’t worry about too much testing of them…..they will work.
- Check the ABC and Power steering fluid levels…there aren’t any dipsticks for Oil or Tranny fluid….I’ll help you get those on EBAY later.
- Filp through the menu screens and make sure there are no “Messages” after driving, this will tell you if something is wrong and the car will tell you.
` - Don’t be too alarmed if the TPMS (tire pressure moitoring system) is not operational….each in-tire monitor has a battery and they go dead after about 5 years…they are $50 per wheel, at the dealer, to replace the battery…Mine has stopped working (all four) and gives me a message every time I drive it.
- There is a button on the center dash console that shows the car going up and down, push it and the car will raise or lower about two inches very quickly (While running)…try it out.
Bottom line, don’t think you wont find a better one, if you don’t like it….just walk away…there are plenty of these cars out there…especially in TX.
Love the ride...and after 150 miles....ABC warning...WTF...so i have to get to my benz dealer on saturday to check it out......I CANNOT believe this happened after me trying it about 20 times....the car does not sag..it stays where it is...but it wont lower or go up...it drives ok but a bit spongy..still love the car and i will get it fixed up.
Love the ride...and after 150 miles....ABC warning...WTF...so i have to get to my benz dealer on saturday to check it out......I CANNOT believe this happened after me trying it about 20 times....the car does not sag..it stays where it is...but it wont lower or go up...it drives ok but a bit spongy..still love the car and i will get it fixed up.
1. Unless you are a pro mechanic that specializes in these cars, you should never ever ever buy one without a full pre-purchase inspection done by an MB dealer or indepedent specialist shop. The car can look great, drive great, and need an easy $5K in repairs. Not saying that's going to happen to you, but it can happen (happens to me often, but I can return the car, I buy 20+ of them per year).
2. Making the car go up and down in parking lot is not the same as driving it, although it sounds like you DID drive it and it still was OK. Many time is needs filter cleaning and hydro fluid flush, but drive very cautiously and get it to shop ASAP. Take pic of cluster showing miles and ABC warning as proof of problem to show to seller, get estimate, do not do any repair work, and then speak to seller to try and get them to take responsibility.
However, if you did your test drive, and drove it off, and had no warranty, technically it's on you. It truly is possible that the problem actually happened for the first time on your drive home, but it's unlikely.
Bruce

I recently workied on mine and made the mistake of starting it while it was up on jack stands...it threw a real fit with the ABC and ESP warnings...However, when I took it for a quick drive afterward (with warnings blaring) it setled right back down and all warnings turned themselves off. You should definetly check the ABC fluid level before driving it for any period of time and certainly check for leaks all around. From the sounds of your pre-purchase checking, I would suspect that the problem may be minimal....but you never know. I can attest, however, that it would be difficult for an individual, or even a dealer to hide an ABC issue for any amount of time ( I mean even for 5 minutes) without the warning messages appearing.
Keep us posted.
Mike
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so i guess the IR isnt working....i am going to see if the fob puts out an IR signal later today and if it is then i guess the IR system in the car isnt working...any thoughts?And even though i have had a few issues allready in the first 24 hrs.. i still smile when the engine comes alive ...so i guess thats a good thing.
The Best of Mercedes & AMG

Too bad the TPMS isnt that easy.
Mike

I still smile when I hear that rumble too...wait until you are going along at 140 and it feels like 80...talk about smiles !!!
Mike

Keep it in sport if you want to race everyone that you pass...it will happen that way too.
Mike
The car has been in Comfort mode the whole time...in sports mode it does it even stronger...but its ok...
Anyways....after having the abc warning on all day since after lunch i finally got home and wanted to get the actual error code...so i hooked up my scanner and turn on the car.....and wait....wtf....NO ERROR...hhmm...let me play with the ride height....so i sat ther for ten minutes putiing the car up and down...no problem....and all at idle...if the pump were bad it wouldnt create enough pressure at idle to do this....so i sucked a little fluid out of the reservoir and took a look...its pretty dirty...im thinking the system has never been flushed...so i will go to the dealer and do just that...and just for good measure ill do a tranny flush as well...does anyone know how much either usually runs?
The car has been in Comfort mode the whole time...in sports mode it does it even stronger...but its ok...
Anyways....after having the abc warning on all day since after lunch i finally got home and wanted to get the actual error code...so i hooked up my scanner and turn on the car.....and wait....wtf....NO ERROR...hhmm...let me play with the ride height....so i sat ther for ten minutes putiing the car up and down...no problem....and all at idle...if the pump were bad it wouldnt create enough pressure at idle to do this....so i sucked a little fluid out of the reservoir and took a look...its pretty dirty...im thinking the system has never been flushed...so i will go to the dealer and do just that...and just for good measure ill do a tranny flush as well...does anyone know how much either usually runs?
it! The pump would put out about 175 Bar cold but once warm dropped like a rock. I believe the seals inside the pump wore out and my fluid as well was filthy black. Unfortunately I waited to long and ended up having to replace both valve blocks as well because I contaminated the system by waiting to long! I hope it all works out for you and good luck. By the way I ended up spending about 7k in repairs to my ABC but I still LOVE this damn car.

btw mike... the abc seems to get actually better....now it works more than it doesnt...so maybe a good flush WILL do the trick.
And still smiling on startup in the morning.....had the first tank go through...im doin about 14mpg with 90% city driving...not too bad.

I am trying to figuere a way to flush the ABC without using the dealer too...I know about the RODEO function but cant figure why the simple raise and lower functions wont serve the same purpose during a flush...I refuse to pay the dealer prices for basic services....
Mike

Mike
I do agree with you guys about the dealer, I will only go back to them if it is the ABSOLUTE LAST RESORT.

Mike

There is a way to flush the whole thing by removing the input and output pump lines and connecting a pressured machine to "flush" the entire system coolers, etc, with kerosene. I'm not sure how to get all of the KERO out, after completion...maybe just keep pushing the ATF through untul all red. I also bought a "SHOP" transmission dipstick tool on EBAY for a "before" and After" level test.
Mike



