Mr Nu

Hi All

Quick question for any guys or girls based in the UK. Can anyone recommend a good Mercedes / AMG specialist in the UK? Ideally in the South as I am 40 miles out of London.

I am new to Mercedes ownership and want to know of a respected mechanic who knows the models.

Be grateful for any advice offered

Mr Nu

E55 Estate Fan

Hi Mr Nu

Just wondered if you had any success finding a decent garage? I'm looking for a similar service in Sussex. My nearest MB dealer in Brighton has a labour rate, after discount for cars over 4 years old, still £100 per hour.

Have just spoken to Tony Purslow Ltd, a MB dealership, with branches in Haslemere, Hindhead & Guildford. Their labour rate is £59 per hour + vat. They used to service my 'new' car too. They offer a collection/delivery service too. Think I'll be going there when a service is due.

Regards

Chris

Mr Nu

Hi Chris

To date, I've had no success. Some of the 'specialists' I've been to briefly assess, seem more keen in lowering your AMG than keeping it in its current condition, which is really what I am after. I guess they are more tuners, if anything.

However, I do keep having George Fraser mentioned as a very knowledgeable Merc (C36/C43 AMG) Specialist ( http://www.georgefrasergarage.co.uk/about%20us.htm ) So I may see if they are knowlegable on the W210 AMG's too.

Although I must admit I am in somewhat of a conundrum as my W210 AMG E36 has had a full MB service history from new and I do kind of feel inclined to keep it that way. However for more specialist work I'd be tempted to use a specialist such as Mr. Fraser as I like their approach... i.e. people that know and are interested in the cars, if you know what i mean?

With regard to Tony Purslow Dealership, you mentioned Haslemere, however on their website I can only find the Edison Road address in Hampshire in addition to Hindhead & Guilford's. Is there a Haslemere address you know of too?

Ps. How you enjoying life with the E55 by the way? I have to say the Estate version has been my favourite incarnation of the W210 since I saw one many years ago at Silverstone Circuit! Great choice!

Regards

Nath

E55 Estate Fan

Hi Nath

Sorry, Edison Road, Basingstoke is the 3rd Tony Purslow branch, Don't know where I got Haslemere from, possibly girl on their reception I spoke to.

Must say my first impressions of them, albeit only over the 'phone & from 3rd party testimonials on the Mercedes Benz Club website (have you joined, I think I might) seem all very positive.

My E55 Estate was actually serviced by them for the last 3 years & seems to be in tip top condition & running really well. So feel quite loyal to them plus it keeps a full MBSH & their labour rate for the older models seems very reasonable.

Took the E55 out for a proper fast run yesterday. Ideal conditions, bone dry, sunny, little traffic, rural B roads. What a car! Really very impressed & this after driving an e39 M5 for 4 years. It feels so confident going round corners/roundabouts etc. When you are on a straight, terrific acceleration & oh so smooth/refined,as if to say to you it's not really trying! Very impressed & the fuel consumption ain't bad either, might even be better than the M5.

Love the overall concept of the car, so practical & yet such a blast to drive. Had a good look around the car yesterday & all the time kept thinking to myself "bloody clever Germans", the car's interior & exterior are just so well designed, full of clever little practical touches & beautiful flowing lines. It has to be the most practical estate car out there for the money & yet terrific fun to drive. I love the 7 seats. Had a quick look at EVO magazine & it really is unique in terms of being the fastest, best value, 7 seater family sized rocket out there. One day I might upgrade to a W211 version, but for the moment quite content. However, do miss the LSD off the M5 & the instant get up & go of the M5, particularly in Sport mode; small degree of automatic transmission lag I guess with the W210 E55, which I'll just have to live with & get used to. Or perhaps its electronic brain will adjust itself to my more urgent needs over time.

Oh, nearly forgot the car is so refined/quiet. As I was returning to my home town & poodling along at 25 to 30mph along an urban road, 2 girls about 50 yards away from looked both ways & yet still stepped out right in front of me. Managed to easily brake in time. However, I've never had this happen before. Could it be the E55 is just so damned refined/quiet/discreet/understated that it's effectively invisible & silent to most people?!

Best wishes

Chris

Mr Nu

Hi Chris

No problem regarding the MB dealership, it just got me very excited as Haslemere is just up the road from me in Buckinghamshire.

Loved reading your review of the E55, as I have had similar experience with mine, obviously bar the extra 2 cylinders, 3 seats and 70+ BHP. The W210’s do amazingly well as all-rounders, refined when you want them and hotrod like, when the opportunity arises.

It was wonderful reading your observations too, as I have continually been impressed when fiddling with the car. Little touches that are so simple, yet genius in their own rights. I have to say, to date I am somewhat hooked on the AMG brand. I’ve secured a number of AMG publications, DVD’s etc. and now have a list of future models I'd like to periodically own. Next on the list (hopefully within the next 10 months, business going well) will be the purchase of a C43 (ideally an estate) to run alongside the W210. This is to fill the V8 criteria and I think I have finally talked my better half round to the benefits of this being a practical purchase... it's all for her benefit, honest.

Regarding the Mercedes Club, yes I will be joining it... plus I am aiming (work permitting) to pay a few visits to the Mercedes World at Brooklands, which looks amazing. Maybe have a few passenger laps in the new AMG range or see the SLR that goes on exhibit in early July. Also looking into a trip to Germany next year to re-visit the Nürburgring's Nordschleife. Not heavily into track days, as I hate to thrash cars, but it's been sometime since I have managed to get away on a driving adventure and couldn't think of a better vehicle or place to experience one in!

Anyway Chris, I shall not bore you with too much AMG talk as I am conscious I have turned into a bit of an anorak of late (spotted eight up the city yesterday, including a SL65 with AMG pace car pack on! WOW) But it is great to hear life is going well with the E55 (very envious of you, in a good way). If you’re ever planning a trip to Merc World yourself please do let me know as it would be great to meet a fellow UK AMG owner in person!

One final thing, found these last night... If my six numbers come up in the lottery, I’d be definitely moving over to the Dark Side of AMG, if we think the standard AMG’s are good, God knows what the Black Series must be like!

http://www.motortrend.com/av/roadtes...benz_clk63_amg

http://freshf1.com/montreal-safety-c...ce/2007/06/08/

Best wishes

Nath

E55 Estate Fan

Hi Nath

Regarding purchase of C43 Estate, do register your interest in buying that model with www.pistonheads.co.uk , if you have not done so already. I bought my E55 via that website.

My other half also thinks I have bought a very sensible, practical, family orientated estate

I've sent off my membership application to MBOC. I'm certainly up for a visit to meet you at Merc World at Brooklands. Possibly in conjunction with the MBOC?

I have yet to see another E55 W210 AMG Estate on the road, perhaps I haven't been looking very long, as I've only just got the car? I've asked via this website for an idea of number produced of this model; ideally number imported into the UK, as I think it might be quite rare.

I've just ordered new rubber for the rear, Goodyear Eagle F1's from mytyres.net £138 each. Better value IMHO than the Michelin Pilot Sport 2's at £193 each. The performance figures according to The Tire Rack seem extremely close. Wet weather performance slightly better with the Goodyears, which given the awful wet weather we've been getting lately makes them even more attractive to me

Got my comprehensive insurance through A Plan for £477

Regards

Chris

Mr Nu

Hi Chris

Regarding Pistonheads; it was my first port of call for the C43, as I had also picked up my E36 on there. Nothing there yet though of interest!

Regarding rarity of the E55 Estate, you definitely have a unique one there! I think over the last seven odd years, I have only ever seen eight W210 model estates... a few at Silverstone, the rest on the road. Around Bucks you see quite a few E55 saloons and the odd E50 one as well, but the estate is very unique indeed. I'll try and locate the production numbers for you, as I have a growing library on AMG's now!

I haven't sorted my membership yet for MBOC, but will do now and it would definitely be good to meet up at MB World, especially if we can tally it up with a MBOC event. I believe next week they are having a week long showcase for the SLR there which I have to say I am tempted to go see, work permitting!

Regarding your new rubber; Great choice, you can't go too far wrong with F1's. I just got a pair on the front of mine and are just waiting for the Bridgestones on the back to wear down before I replace them with F1's to.

I've used them on a few vehicles now and they are amazing, especially in the wet. Give a nice positive feel on the road and you honestly wont get over how much water they clear... watch in your rear view!

Can I be nosey and ask what size you opted for? If it was the standard 18 x 35 x 265 sizing, do you know if they are the version with the reinforced side wall? I got quoted £320.00 incl VAT and fitting for just the rears the other day! So if you have the reinforced ones, that is one hell of a deal!!

Great insurance quote too! I pay £565.00 through Elephant on mine, which after 4 hours of phoning around turned out to be the only insurance company who would insure the car... all the others said it would have to go to a specialist broker as it was deemed rare. Very upset as I have full NCB, spotless license and are now on the wrong side of 30!!

Nath

Richard

Go to Mercedes Benz` Brooklands (near Woking) , its MB owned massive showcase dealership, with test tracks, off road course, and all the AMG vehicles in the showroom

Have lunch at the restaurant on the top floor (Gullwing restaurant) food is excellent.

R

Mr Nu

Hi Richard

Thanks for the tip... can I ask do you have your Mercs serviced there? Regardless of the answer though, I know I will definitely be paying it a visit very soon, especially after that testamonial!

Many thanks and best wishes

Nath

Richard

Yes. If car is 3yrs or older, ask for 20% discount on labour rate, 10% on parts.

E55 Estate Fan

Hi Nath
Regarding tyres, after driving through the torrential rain on the motorway this morning , I've decided to order a pair of the Goodyear F1s for the front too! Despite travelling relatively slowly, it still felt quite scary, not surprising given the M23 in Sussex does not appear to drain very well, it felt more like driving a speed boat. Why can't they just build the roads with a bit more of a camber to allow the rain to runoff?

The fronts are just £104 each incl. vat & p&p from www.mytyres.co.uk. I have now ordered all 4 standard sized tyres in Goodyear Eage F1 rubber.
Don't know about reinforced side walls though. The full description for the front tyres for example reads: "Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 235/40 R18 91Y BSW,VSB"

Thanks Richard for the tip about Mercedes Brooklands, I'll pay them a visit but think I'll still get my car serviced at MB Tony Purslow Ltd in Guildford though, with a 40% discount off labour & 10% off parts.

Chris

Mr Nu

Hi Chris

Sounds sensible regarding the upgrade for the fronts and an amazing price to. I run 235/35/18 on the fronts very successfully. I cant wait to hear your thoughts running all four wheels on F1's though, I am confident you'll notice an amazing transformation to both wet and dry conditions, plus I know I'll be joining you very soon!

On a related subject, you may know already but I read that the W210 is very tempermental to getting perfect wheel balance and alignment... more so than other models, so it may well be worth vetting a few tyre fitters first. I had a small company over near Oxford recommended to me by a friend whos company tunes very special Porsches – and they get their client cars checked out there when balancing is an issue. They make fitting and balancing tyres look like a work of art and most importantly they dont charge the earth, often work out cheaper than the high street tyre fitters and provide you with so much more confidence.

Also regarding servicing – recently spoke with a George Fraser of Middlesex Mercedes Independent fame and have to say I may well end up having him service my car now. Really decent gentlemen who is a wealth of knowledge on the marque, especially the ones with AMG on (he's a bit of an oracle on the C43 too). Nice to speak with a guy who understands the value of customer service if our initial conversation is anything to go by. Going to pay him a visit soon and discuss a few bits on the car I'd like some attention on and will let you know the results!

Regards Nath

E55 Estate Fan

Nath

Out of curiosity, I spoke with MB Tony Purslow Ltd about fitting the 4 Goodyear tyres. They reckon on £20 per wheel fitting (I reckon on £10!), to include balancing, valves, etc. Regarding wheel alignment, the guy I spoke to estimated 3.5 hours @ £59 p/h = £206 Sounds a bit high to me, what do you think? I remember going to Micheldever tyres once & getting a 4 wheel laser alignment done on my M5, I'm sure the cost was less than £50.
Aha, just found a receipt from previous owner for a wheel alignment for 2 new tyres from Chessington Tyres for £25.

Chris

Mr Nu

That seems very high indeed... that's the problem when you roll up in a flash car! Jokes aside though, I didn't pay anywhere near that when I had all my wheels removed, balanced (weighted on the inner wheel to), and tyres changed around and puncture fixed. I'll search out the receipt and let you know but I got £40–50 in my head. Will confirm though. I also had laser alignment done a few years back on a 300ZX and that was around £50 mark, for reference.

Something else that may well be of interest to you – I dont know whether you know already, but it's AMG's 40th anniversary this year and as an AMG owner you can join the PRIVATE LOUNGE found at http://www.mercedes-amg.com/privatel...ead.php?t=1358 and get a kind of owners membership to the site. You get access to additional data plus I have heard you get a free magazine to celebrate the Anniversary – AMG THE PERFORMANCE MAGAZINE – which cant be bad, if it's true!

I tried already but my VIN gets bounced, so I contacted them directly and will hopefully have access in a few days time, but thought if you have five minutes spare you may want to try it out for yourself? Let me know how you get on if you do.

Also, your rear tyres are the reinforced side wall kind – the XL in their description stands for Extra Load, so you did get an excellent price.

One final thing, I think I may have located a copy of an AMG book that I think is out of print called – AMG Reaching for the Stars. I've ordered it and will have to wait for it to arrive from the States, but I am hoping that among other things, it may shed some light on the W210 E55 estate for you with regard to number produced etc.

Regards

Nath

E55 Estate Fan

Nath

Many thanks. I've followed your fine example & exquisite taste & looked into ordering a copy of the same book today. I've found you can order it directly from the publishers in Germany for 39 Euro + p+p.
http://www.delius-klasing.de/shop/de...thema=&rubrik=
I've just sent them an email in my rather poor O'level German seeking confirmation that it will be written in English before I order it.

Thanks for the tip about the AMG Private Lounge (great marketing name).I had same problem as you today, so have sent them an email like you, (in English this time )

Chris

DNJ

Hi,

Great to see there are some Brits on this forum! I was begining to feel like a foreigner!

E55 Estate Fan

Hi DNJ

What a beautiful car you have! Congratulations.

Are you able to meet up at the Mercedes Benz World this week coming by any chance? See my other post for more details. It would be brilliant to meet a few faces off this board.

Chris

Mr Nu

Hi Chris,

Glad the info was of interest and well done finding the publisher... like an excited child who has to be first I went straight to Amazon and paid a premium for the book through a specialist publication house, which will inevitable take much longer to arrive! Will I learn?

Re; Brooklands meet – I've just responded in the other post, but in short I don't foresee it being an issue.

Best wishes

Nath

E55 Estate Fan

[QUOTE=Mr Nu;2297953]

Something else that may well be of interest to you – I dont know whether you know already, but it's AMG's 40th anniversary this year and as an AMG owner you can join the PRIVATE LOUNGE found at http://www.mercedes-amg.com/privatel...ead.php?t=1358 and get a kind of owners membership to the site. You get access to additional data plus I have heard you get a free magazine to celebrate the Anniversary – AMG THE PERFORMANCE MAGAZINE – which cant be bad, if it's true!

I tried already but my VIN gets bounced, so I contacted them directly and will hopefully have access in a few days time, but thought if you have five minutes spare you may want to try it out for yourself? Let me know how you get on if you do.

Nath

I just received an email from AMG' s Private Lounge. Apparently it's currently only being offered to our US cousins initially.

Chris

Mr Nu

Ditto, just got back to the office and had the same response... to be fair to them, the US does make up to 40% of AMG's Global sales, so I guess we have to just wait it out until Europe comes online!

Nath

Mercedes22

T M Motors - West Molesley Tony is the owner 020 - 8941 4044 highly recommended.. I have different opinions on George Fraser. Log on to MBClub UK lots of imformation there. I have a C43 AMG.

Peter.

Mr Nu

Hi Peter

Hope you're well mate, can you do me a favour and PM your thoughst regarding George F?

Best wishes

Nath

Purpledog

Hi Nath,

Looking for a great MB specialist near Buckinghamshire as well for my R129/R230 AMGs. Any updates recommendations would be appreciated!

Thanks

Strigoi

Do you realize this thread is 10 years old?

Purpledog

Yes, but it's relevant so thought I would post here. I've also put in another query somewhere else on the board.