I'm going to look at a 2005 S55 AMG. What should I look out for besides leaks? Where are the typical rust spots? Thanks in advance!

 

Service history, especially for the suspension. The ABC system is expensive to maintain, and commonly neglected, and the pump and struts, if needed, are hideously expensive. I bought one with issues, knowing the issues going in. I still haven't decided if I'm going to bring the ABC up to snuff or put conventional coil-over struts in. My fluid was low, but not low enough to dry the pump (VERY bad to run the pump dry!) The accumulators were bad, or at least one of them, so the car sagged to the bottom at the back after 10 or 15 minutes of driving. The accumulators fixed that, but the fluid is BLACK so I know it was not maintained. Maybe I'll try a flush and a valve body rebuild, maybe not. It will wait for cooler weather in the fall!

Other stuff to look for: try all the seat adjustments. Seat position is electrical, cushion adjustment is pneumatic. Power locks are also pneumatic, make sure those work. Rear headrests up and down from the dash button are pneumatic; that button only raises the outer ones, but lowers all three. (At least on mine, and I think that's correct; the center one has to be raised manually so as to not block the rear view mirror.) Check the soft-close of each door. They share an air pump, but each door has its own line from the pump. Close the door so it doesn't quite close, like you'd normally have to open and close again; it should actually pull itself closed. If it doesn't, or the power lock doesn't work, there's an air system problem. That same air pump inflates the lumbar adjustments, too. If the rear seat has the air cushions, there'll be a wheel on the side of the seat near the door. The rear seats may be power adjusted, too, if the switches exist on the back doors.

Don't plan on replacing the factory radio unless you want to spend a lot of money. It's tied into every system in the car, almost. Cables from the head unit to the amp are fiber-optic, not copper cables. Bluetooth adapters are out there, but again, expensive, and most require the Mercedes phone system to be in the car, which mine wasn't. I haven't bothered. The nav system is useless, don't even look for CDs for it. The newest ones available for this unit are 12 or 15 years old, so the maps are slightly out of date.

If it has aftermarket wheels on it, remove one of the lug bolts and try its fit in the spare wheel. Make sure it extends inside the wheel far enough to grab the hub, but not much more than a quarter of an inch or so. Different wheels have different thicknesses at the hub, and finding out you can't use your spare is not something you want to discover 750 miles from anywhere. That wouldn't be a purchase yay/nay decision, but check it out soon after you get the car. I had to replace my lug bolts with longer ones when I removed the stupid over-wide 20s in favor of OEM wheels. While you're at it, if the car has locking lugs, make sure the key exists. Mine didn't...

All that said, the car is extremely comfortable to drive, and wicked fast. Takes premium fuel, and gets maybe 12 to 15 mpg in town; on the road, you might see 20, but not on Interstates at 80+. Don't expect any better than that. Ever.

 

If that doesn’t scare you, just know that as with any SClass, most anything is a “once in your ownership” fix. Expensive fixes perhaps, but not repeated fixes. That should help. But as always, try to buy one from the old man who bought it new, had a warranty and took it back to the dealer for everything. In such case, you can be sure the dealer raped the warranty and the car is pretty much good to go. That said, such cars are rare as hens teeth these days. But they will get over 20mpg at highway speeds over 80mph — just not uphill into the wind. YMMV. And for the prices you’ll see now, it’s a ton of car for the money and I can’t imagine them ever getting cheaper. Ever.

maw

 

As I have acquired an S65 my 2006 S55 will be coming up for sale it has always been a Texas car (no snow or ice with zero rust) and privately maintained.
The condition of my S55 falls in the catagory > " I would not hesitate in selling to my best friend "
I did send you a PM let me know if this might be of interest to you.

Best H

 

To echo wfooshee, I bought one in late May. Paid Brooklyn MB to do a PPI. It was a Florida vehicle and I was told minimum rust. Needed brakes and tires. I asked them to inspect the ABC system, and all they found wrong was dust covers missing. 2 days after I got the car to Az, the Right Rear hydraulic line to the ABC strut failed. Luckily basically in my driveway. I replaced that when I started the car it was leveling and getting the air out of the repaired area, the Left Front line to the strut blew. this one had to come from Germany. In other words concentrate on the ABC system, the other stuff is not to difficult if you have some mechanical background. I am going to start an ABC repair thread soon and include some pics and suggestions if you want to do the repairs yourself. Here in early July I still have not been able to enjoy the car.

 

The air system for active seats has a separate pump just for the seats. The active seats do not use the same pump that controls the locks and door closing and the head rests. I'm not sure if non active seats use the same pump that works the door locks, etc, but I know for sure the active seats have their own, separate pump.

 

And that pump is missing from my car, for some reason. The VIN lookup in WIS says the car was equipped with it, so in troubleshooting, I went into the trunk to look around, and there's a big hole where that pump lives. My brother said that that's where the cocaine went. (It was a south Florida car... )

 

Maw, is this the grey beauty you had? Did you sell it? If you 'Haven't sold it PM me, I could be interested.

 

If you didn't sell it, please provide some details. I'll consider any color but silver.

 

No, Bob, I still have my Flint Grey one and Sam still has it running flawlessly.

Cheers,

maw