RVAE34

I finally got my E39 back together and posted a short video that apparently went viral. Someone from work today told me there are now over 3.5million views! I am not on FB so I have missed all the fun.


Got the call last week that my fuel tank finally arrived. Dropped it off Friday and picked it up yesterday. No more smell. I even got a free tank of gas. I dropped it off as close to empty as possible to save them the trouble of a heavy tank and having to drain all the gas and it was full when I arrived. They gave me a list of all items replaced but I don't have it with me now. Very pleased with the whole situation and how MB handled it here in Richmond. Didn't cost me a thing!


If you smell gas after filling the tank more than 3/4, go talk to your dealer about the extended warranty with unlimited mileage for this issue. It's apparently considered a warranty issue and not a recall issue for whatever reason.


I have had the car for a few months now and am still absolutely in love with it! Just a great all around car that checks off about every box I could want. I have even had 2 new loaner E class and still prefer the W211.

sloanbj

I'm curious why such a gear-head who can swap interiors, engines and transmissions out of a car after dinner would pay so much for a warranty. I thought warranties were for suckers like me who hate doing their own work.

CarbonHan

Good call on warranty IMO. Head bolt issues arise with AGE and not mileage. The longer the old style (pre 2011) headbolts are sitting in coolant, the more likely theyre developing rust.

I just had all 4 of mine replaced and this is what they looked like:




My warranty was covering the replacement of my lifters and camshafts so I wanted mercedes to check my headbolts and replace them if they showed sign of rust. After everything was said and done, I ended up paying out of pocket $400.

On a side note, check with your warranty what its maximum payout. Mine was ~$18k.

lseguy

yep, total max lifetime (including if the warranty is ever transferred) payout is usually book value of car at time of purchase of the warranty

RVAE34

I have found a car I really want to buy and am considering selling my AMG if anyone is interested. $30k OBO with the warranty. I paid $29,100 for the car, $400 for transport, $4k on the warranty, $1200 for tires/alignment and $1500 for the panoramic roof repair.




It’s a 2007 model with only 38,500 miles. Clean and clear title with no wrecks. The car was a CPO car until 2013 and has always been serviced at Mercedes. I am the 3rd owner. The 2 previous owners only averaged 3k miles per year. The car was actually driven around 3k per year so it never sat for extreme periods of time. It was owned in Texas and the Hamptons before I got it. I have access to the vehicle master report from Mercedes with all service done and would be happy to provide a copy. The previous owners had it serviced often with regular oil changes every 3k miles and always had any potential issues fixed right away. This car also has a current $4k warranty that is fully transferable. There is still 2 years and 8 months and/or 50k miles left on the warranty with LaSalle. I did a lot of research to find a good reputable warranty company that deals with high end cars. I got the gold coverage and only excluded air suspension. I only did this because it was a $1500 add on and for that money, you could buy all 4 new Arnott air shocks.


The 2007 cars have been known to have problems with a hard down shift from 2nd to 1st. However, this was fixed by MB in 2013 and they updated to all the newer parts. I also just had the entirefuel tank replaced under extended warranty from a known leak issue with Mercedes. 2 months ago, I had the panoramic roof motor replaced as well. Motor and trans mounts were replaced early this year. The car also has practically brand new Continental DWS06 tires. There are 3k miles on the rears and only 500 miles on the fronts. Current February VA inspection as well.


Mercedes Benz went through this car front to back while replacing the fuel tank and pano roof motor. The only issue they found with the car was that the front driver airmatic shock is making a slight popping noise over hard bumps at low speeds. However, the ride quality is not affected whatsoever. I decided to buy a used Arnott airmatic and will provide that with the car. I did not want to replace it until it failed completely. There are no other issues whatsoever. No fluid leaks, no vibrations etc. I just changed the oil with synthetic 0w40 per the manufacturers suggestion.

This car is an amazing vehicle. The M156 V8 makes 500hp and 450 ft lbs of torque and is a blast to drive. The 7 speed auto can be used in comfort, sport or manual mode. In manual mode, shifts are very quick with the paddles. And you get a nice gurgle from the exhaust when down shifting. The ride quality is second to none even in sport plus mode. In comfort mode, it’s butter smooth. The stereo is one of the best stock systems I have ever heard. The car has Bluetooth for calling only but does have a factory auxiliary plug in the glove box that I plug into my phone for Pandora etc.

Overall condition is incredible. One wheel has minor curb rash. There are no dings that I have found but there are some minor chips on the front bumper and hood from highway driving. Paint is incredible! Interior is a 9.5/10. Very minor wear on the driver seat. Passenger and rear seats looklike new. The small headlight panel has some sticky residue on it like there was some clear sticker over it that has been removed. However, this is just cosmetic. The front bumper was painted at some point in the past because of a curb hit. There was a very minor crack underneath the bottom lip (not visible unless on a lift) that was epoxied and the paint is a perfect match. No other paint work anywhere on the car.

I still have the $93k window sticker. The car was optioned with a rear motorized window privacy screen, napa leather and adaptive headlights.

The only upgrades I have done were having the chrome trim and grill vinyl wrapped in matte gunmetal. This can easily be removed by hand. I also painted the chrome headlight housings to match. This makes the car lookmore aggressive in a very subtle way that no one notices until I tell them. I did buy a used headlight in case I ever wanted to return the lights to stock and will be included. Lastly, I installed clear projector lenses and Osram Xenarc bulbs which are the best money can buy. This greatly improved the headlight output but it fully legal and does not affect the cutoff or oncoming traffic. No other modifications have ever been done to this car.

e34nication

That was quick. Good luck with the sale.

RVAE34

I think the car I wanted already sold I spent too much money on cars this year..

e34nication

I know how that goes.

fila0220

damn...RVAE34,

It's a shame to see her leave your hands, I was looking forward to see what would come out of her. I'm a fan of your other builds.

RVAE34

Just wanted to update. A few interested parties but no takers. One guy from here was cool enough to make an offer. I countered, he accepted and then he said he needed to think about it lol! What a dead beat!!


Anyway, since it doesn't seem likely it will sell for my asking price and I have no interest in taking a bath on it, I have started driving it again and forgot how amazing the car is. Just about to hit 40k miles. So I am no longer actively trying to sell it. The car I really wanted sold anyway so there is nothing in my sights. If someone were to offer me my asking price, I would still sell but am just as happy to keep it.


Starting to consider the resonator delete again. However I read a few people weren't happy with it and some suggest removing the secondary cats and adding an X pipe. I am also curious if anyone knows the actual OD of the pipes? I don't have a caliper gauge to measure. Would love to get the Wald (sp?) LED fogs but $500 is just too much. Curious if anyone has ever made their own?

lseguy

Sorry it didnt work out, but glad you get to keep your E63! I see you've also reversed course on not modding! :-)

Curious..what was the model of vehicle you were seeking that sold?

Also, need a set of mint (no curb rash I dont think..would need to go in the garage attic to confirm) MSW 18 inch wheels with near new winter tires mounted for the winter? If so, let me know.

RVAE34

I just want a little better sound and some aesthetic stuff. I just don't intend to do any performance mods while under warranty. I am getting the bug though now that the wagon is pretty much finished. At the time, I was sick of all the work. Now that I am finished, I want to build another car. I am a glutton for punishment.

I had found a mint one owner 1 of 50 2001 BMW E38 740i sport short wheel base alpine white with black interior and 80k miles. Been looking for one of those forever but I am all tapped out for the year after buying the E63 and the truck. I would have had a guy I know immediately swap in an M5 S62 V8 with 6 speed and M5 diff. I still think the E38 is the most beautiful car BMW has ever made. But it sold pretty quick. I might end up just buying an E38 also when I get my tax refund early next year. But that's a lot of car to own, inspect, pay taxes on, wash etc etc.

No interest in any wheels, thanks. I will rarely drive this in the winter.

fila0220

Glad you stuck with it. I'm actually in the same boat as you. Was selling the 63, had a handful of counter offers I accepted and then ...crickets.
I was planning on getting a clean 2 owner 1999 S500 (w140) I saw online, but its sold now. I currently don't have that new car motivation, so I'm no where near as desperate to sell it.

Looking forward to your work on the w211

hachiroku

if you want sound...save for some long tubes with X-pipe. if the sound isn't enough then cut out the resonators. currently love love the sound of my car. LTH, X-pipe, resonator delete

lseguy

White on black e38 with that low mileage? Unicorn. What was asking price? And yeah, that model is one of BMWs best 4 doors ever. Period. Personally, my all time favorite looking BMW is the 850csi.

I'll keep an eye out for your next build/mods. Really enjoy reading about your work and seeing your photos. Top notch work. Beyond impressive.

RVAE34

It was only $7500!!!!!! Ugggg I don't even want to think about it anymore. I would have had to sell stocks to free up cash and wasn't willing to do it. I just spent too much on cars this year and really need to sell one before I acquire another.


I love the E31 8 series. However, the interiors are the ugliest ever to be created by BMW IMO. I have no idea why they modeled the interior on a Ford Probe.

W211Jeremy

Im a big fan of your work, interested on your take on removing the resonators and adding an X pipe. Sill cant decide what direction to go as its my DD. The pay to play meme is sooo real with the AMG's - long tube headers for a Vette $1500 bucks for e63 $3100 plus dollars. "Captain insano shows no mercy!"

Your wagon is pure awesome and so well done, inspiring build for sure!

What warranty company do you use? Sounds like a decent deal for coverage. The dealer I purchased from included and extended warranty on head bolts but its really just cost if anything goes with the heads. More coverage at a reasonable cost doesn't sound bad..

RVAE34

Thanks!! I hear you on the exhaust too. I will need to think long and hard before I do anything.


I used LaSalle. I had searched them out and found them mentioned with high regards on some Porsche and Maserati forums.

RVAE34

The car sold last week. Time to start on my next project. I will absolutely admit that the E63 AMG was the greatest stock car I have ever owned. It checked off all the right boxes for a nice and fast DD. But I like custom built cars and as much as I wanted to be happy with stock, I got the itch again. I never wanted to mod the AMG so it had to go.

Picked up my 2001 Alpine white 740i M sport with only 38k miles from the original owner yesterday. Only paid $7k. Will do an M5 S62/6speed/diff swap, have the tan leather/vinyl dyed caramel, black carper, headliner and upper dash. Lowered, ordered Apex ARC-8 19's and will later add an ESS supercharger.

Thanks for all the help and advice, MBworld members!

Dublinoh

Please post the build here or a link, I'm sure it will be amazing.

W211Jeremy

Legit find, agreed please post link for this build. Hideaway license plates like Transporter?

a100steaksauce

I love that year/style 7 series.

W211Jeremy

Where do you keep finding these super low miles beauties?

steelers6nj

Ckeck out carchex extended warranties....