New E55 owner
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 9
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2001 ///E55 AMG
New E55 owner
Hi all, new guy here. Coming from a world of Mustangs I can't believe I'm writing this but I just put a deposit down on a 2001 E55 AMG. I'm not new to cars by any means, in the past few years I've owned a '94 SVT Cobra with heads, cam, and every other part imaginable, along with a supercharged '04 Cobra.
After selling my last Mustang I got into an accident with my '97 E300. However I was so impressed with how we'll that car was built, and drove with 218,000 miles that I decided I am going to continue to buy Mercedes-Benz until I can find a good reason not to.
A few details about the car I just bought. It's a brilliant silver / black '01 E55 AMG with 94k. According to the seller, the 2 rear window motors, crank position sensor, and O2 sensors, and dashboard A/C controller were all recently replaced. I'm pretty good when it comes to fixing things on my own, is there anything I should look out for on this car?
Also for mods, give me some starter ideas. I want to keep the car a sleeper, not like my Mustangs.
What options are out their for intakes or are the stock ones good with a filter swap?
Does the stock catback flow well enough? And who makes a good x pipe for these cars?
ECU tuning? Where to look for a good chip/programmer?
Anything else would help. Aside from that all I want to do is change the city lights and fogs over to LED to match the HID's and enjoy the car.
After selling my last Mustang I got into an accident with my '97 E300. However I was so impressed with how we'll that car was built, and drove with 218,000 miles that I decided I am going to continue to buy Mercedes-Benz until I can find a good reason not to.
A few details about the car I just bought. It's a brilliant silver / black '01 E55 AMG with 94k. According to the seller, the 2 rear window motors, crank position sensor, and O2 sensors, and dashboard A/C controller were all recently replaced. I'm pretty good when it comes to fixing things on my own, is there anything I should look out for on this car?
Also for mods, give me some starter ideas. I want to keep the car a sleeper, not like my Mustangs.
What options are out their for intakes or are the stock ones good with a filter swap?
Does the stock catback flow well enough? And who makes a good x pipe for these cars?
ECU tuning? Where to look for a good chip/programmer?
Anything else would help. Aside from that all I want to do is change the city lights and fogs over to LED to match the HID's and enjoy the car.
Banned
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 0
Likes: 36
well not to scare you, you have just bought a rustbucket car.
these w210's are by far the worst cars MB ever produced!
it's a great car when everything works and is in perfect shape if you give her lots of TLC.
if it's a keeper depending where you live, lots of salt on winter roads, maybe a bodywax treatment is a good idea.
there are lots of electronic gremlins on these cars.
pixle problems on all lcd displays.
weak quality on certain components
good luck with it.
these w210's are by far the worst cars MB ever produced!
it's a great car when everything works and is in perfect shape if you give her lots of TLC.
if it's a keeper depending where you live, lots of salt on winter roads, maybe a bodywax treatment is a good idea.
there are lots of electronic gremlins on these cars.
pixle problems on all lcd displays.
weak quality on certain components
good luck with it.
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 283
Likes: 0
From: Metro ATL
2001 E55 AMG (sold)
WTF are those guys talking about? The W210 is nowhere near the worst car ever made by Mercedes. It is one of the best. Yes, the spring perches rust out in areas where they salt the roads, but overall, it is one of the most reliable Mercedes models in the last 20 years. Leave it stock, keep it maintained. It will last you for another 100k miles. Just don't beat on it like you would an SVT Mustang. The parts are a lot more expensive!
Junior Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 71
Likes: 0
This is a funny thread. Hey new guy, these cars are fine. They're actually pretty amazing. Search the forum and google a bit for common W210 issues. I think the oldies are just giving you a hard time.
Welcome to the forum!
Welcome to the forum!
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 3,249
Likes: 257
From: Richmond, CA
2001 E320 Wagon, 2006 LBZ Silverado, 2007 E63 (sold), 2001 E55 (sold)
Don't listen to them. I'm wondering if they've even owned W210 E55s.
They're solid cars and perform well. There's not much out there for mods unless you want to spend a lot of money. Just keep it maintained and it should last a long time. Front rotors are expensive at $250 each, but other than that there's nothing on them that's real expensive to replace maintenance wise.
I've had mine for a about a year and a half and love it. I spent a lot getting caught up on maintenance (no records), but the car has been rock solid for the past 20,000 miles.
They're solid cars and perform well. There's not much out there for mods unless you want to spend a lot of money. Just keep it maintained and it should last a long time. Front rotors are expensive at $250 each, but other than that there's nothing on them that's real expensive to replace maintenance wise.
I've had mine for a about a year and a half and love it. I spent a lot getting caught up on maintenance (no records), but the car has been rock solid for the past 20,000 miles.
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Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 341
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From: Novato, California
2000 E55 AMG
Being a former Mustang nut (GT, Cobra, Mach 1), I could honestly say: By far, the best vehicle I have ever owned. Every make and model has it's issues. It appears a majority of your's have been addressed. Search the forum for a list of common issues. Mods are minimal. Major aftermarket mods will cost you the value of the vehicle. For the most part, W210 E55 was designed with all the mods one would need right out of the box. Granted, I dropped the 30lb resonator, applied an x-piped behind the rear cats, and straight pipes from there. She has a mean growl, and as a great WOT kick in the butt. But, in hindsight, I should have left her stock. She's a sleeper. Properly maintain her, and she will pay you back a thousandfold. Speaking of a thousand; set aside a thousand bucks for general maintenance, and future inherit issues. Good luck, and welcome to the other side. 
Last edited by ruBENZ; Oct 30, 2012 at 10:31 PM.
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Super Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 675
Likes: 1
From: LA, CA
2002 E55 AMG
I've owned mine for over 5 years... only issues I've had were the brake light switch and 2 alternators.
Other than that, she's been good to me. Maintenance is expensive, but if you DIY... you'll save a lot. One of the best cars I've ever driven hands down.
As for modding, a tune from OETuning would be your best bet. As for LED's... look on the forums for AZNOptics... I have a set of their city LED's and they are great. For the filters, I suggest BMC air filters... they won't give you much gain or anything but they do help the car breathe better. If you are going to X-Pipe her, put the pipe where the secondary cats go for max gains.
Good luck with the car and keep us updated!
Other than that, she's been good to me. Maintenance is expensive, but if you DIY... you'll save a lot. One of the best cars I've ever driven hands down.
As for modding, a tune from OETuning would be your best bet. As for LED's... look on the forums for AZNOptics... I have a set of their city LED's and they are great. For the filters, I suggest BMC air filters... they won't give you much gain or anything but they do help the car breathe better. If you are going to X-Pipe her, put the pipe where the secondary cats go for max gains.
Good luck with the car and keep us updated!
Banned
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 0
Likes: 36
condition of these cars depends on how you use and treat them and where you live.
lots of salt gave those cars an early death in Sweden wher I live!
may they last longer in death valley?
I only diss the buildquality on these cars.
this is what a w210 looks in my part of the world, a genuine rustbucket!
http://mercew210eclassrepair.blogspo...-and-body.html
this is not true MB quality when they look like this car in the link.
best E-classe was w124, but they also had rustproblems maybe not that much like w210?
don't get me wrong, I like e-55 it's a brutal car.
my w202 amg would have been a rustbucket too if I had driven it in winter.
forgot to welcome the threadstarter, my bad
lots of salt gave those cars an early death in Sweden wher I live!
may they last longer in death valley?
I only diss the buildquality on these cars.
this is what a w210 looks in my part of the world, a genuine rustbucket!
http://mercew210eclassrepair.blogspo...-and-body.html
this is not true MB quality when they look like this car in the link.
best E-classe was w124, but they also had rustproblems maybe not that much like w210?
don't get me wrong, I like e-55 it's a brutal car.
my w202 amg would have been a rustbucket too if I had driven it in winter.
forgot to welcome the threadstarter, my bad
Banned
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 0
Likes: 36
Don't listen to them. I'm wondering if they've even owned W210 E55s.
They're solid cars and perform well. There's not much out there for mods unless you want to spend a lot of money. Just keep it maintained and it should last a long time. Front rotors are expensive at $250 each, but other than that there's nothing on them that's real expensive to replace maintenance wise.
I've had mine for a about a year and a half and love it. I spent a lot getting caught up on maintenance (no records), but the car has been rock solid for the past 20,000 miles.
They're solid cars and perform well. There's not much out there for mods unless you want to spend a lot of money. Just keep it maintained and it should last a long time. Front rotors are expensive at $250 each, but other than that there's nothing on them that's real expensive to replace maintenance wise.
I've had mine for a about a year and a half and love it. I spent a lot getting caught up on maintenance (no records), but the car has been rock solid for the past 20,000 miles.
reading your threads seems like it costed you lots of money to get her back in shape?
Buying a used AMG is not expensive today, but treating her well with maintanence costs a lot.
I have done that once before with another car, it was like a lemon sinking money into it.
worst thing a buyer can do is to buy a car without any documnts.
well we all learn from our mistakes.
i hope she treats you well now and you treat her well by giving her the best tlc
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,560
Likes: 10
210 55
WTF are those guys talking about? The W210 is nowhere near the worst car ever made by Mercedes. It is one of the best. Yes, the spring perches rust out in areas where they salt the roads, but overall, it is one of the most reliable Mercedes models in the last 20 years. Leave it stock, keep it maintained. It will last you for another 100k miles. Just don't beat on it like you would an SVT Mustang. The parts are a lot more expensive!
You need to understand you are buying a used car, maybe you need to spend some $ to got the car running perfect, but is a pretty good choise
Fabio Daniel
Last edited by Fabio D; Oct 31, 2012 at 09:40 PM.
Member
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 238
Likes: 5
From: South NJ
2002 E55 AMG, 1999 E55 AMG , Audi allroad 2.7T sold ,08 Jeep SRT8 sold, 06 TBSS Sold
Sold my 08 Jeep SRT8 with A Tune , Exhaust and mods in August. Picked up my 99 E55 AMG with 85k , Loving it. Its my DD , only issue thus far was a leaking valve cover gasket. Fixed myself the dealer wanted $675, LOL . Doing Brakes , Plugs/Wires and shocks in the next month . Not as quick as my Jeep , But I love this thing. perfect 1 owner car well maintained. GL with yours . I will say get it checked out by a good Benz Mechanic ASAP.
