W211 AMG Discuss the W211 AMG's such as the E55 and the E63

Complaint: "Leather" Steering Wheel

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Old May 17, 2006 | 12:10 PM
  #26  
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No longer stock '06 E55, A3 3.2 Quattro, GLE 400d, R107 280SL, Golf Polo
Yep... at the AMG day I went to here we drove the pants of some CLS55's and no shut down ... but then it was a bitterly cold day ...

I have noticed MB have tended to run these in winter for some reason - I will check with them if there is a summer event. Good to hear the S/C shut down is not THAT common ... mbe its the few who have modded their cars and now have heat issues...
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Old May 17, 2006 | 01:25 PM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by stevebez
Yep... at the AMG day I went to here we drove the pants of some CLS55's and no shut down ... but then it was a bitterly cold day ...

I have noticed MB have tended to run these in winter for some reason - I will check with them if there is a summer event. Good to hear the S/C shut down is not THAT common ... mbe its the few who have modded their cars and now have heat issues...
Hi Steve, There were just two AMG challanges one was in Arizona and the ambient temp was about 75. I agree, some of the issues have been with modified cars and or stock one's with bad pumps. Also , NEVER open the coolant system re the pump/intercooler as this needs to be bleed of ALL air and requires special equipment at the dealer to do so.
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Old May 17, 2006 | 04:09 PM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by Fast55

Anyway, the MP wheel looks good, as do the others, but that doesn't get rid of the big "SRS" on the wheel instead of the embossed "AMG" it should have.
I seriously think that AMG was hesitant in having their branded name on the POS steering wheel which isn't even theirs to begin with. In order for MB to cut costs they probably turned down an AMG product for the steering wheel and instead made their own, hence its cheap and aesthetically displeasing quality made AMG 'steer' clear of putting the AMG name on it.
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Old May 17, 2006 | 04:39 PM
  #29  
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Kinda thought the same thing comparing it to the wheel in my '02 E55. too bad they won't interchange, I even like the buttons better on the '02.
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Old May 17, 2006 | 05:01 PM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by RJC
Steve in order to get the downshift blip you'll need and SMG type trans, so this is not a defect or problem with the MB trans. Rattles and poor fitment hopefully can be corrected by your delaership. With respect to the supercharger shut down; I asked all those that have participated in the AMG challages if any of the 55 kompressor cars had this problem especially after a full day of very hard running and the answer was no. So if you or anyone is having this problem it can and should be corrected. I agree LSD would make sense in this car. I don't want rapid gear changes unless I'm really on the power,as I prefer smooth imperceptible shifts during normal driving. I agree about the menu, it could be improved. We talked about the wheel it's weak, and the airbag cover should be in AMG leather. My only issues/complaints are as follows:

The car should have come with a rear lip spoiler standard.

The exhaust thud/resonance is annoying at times (a common E55 malady)

Car idles rough during cold start (a common E55 malady)

The leather on my drivers seat back side bolster won't stay in place and causes a nasty wrinkle no matter how carefullty I get in or out of the car. Dealer ordered new cover.

Got to give MB credit, as they added some nice touches for the 63, it would have been nice however if they gave the last of the E55's a special edition treatment with a few small and unique goodies for 06.
you CAN have rev matching on a Auto gear box. Go drive an auto 350z Nissan or an Audi S4 6-speed AUTO. Both have rev matching which is FAR better than ANY MB. It rev-matches as well.

After using a 330i auto at a local track event, I can safely say that its auto box allows for you to downshift under braking with NO rear wheel lock up... something no AMG car allows in the USA.

So that leaves 3 cars in the market that have rev matching autos. Maybe MB will wake up in a bit. The 7g was said to rev-match but I sure dont feel it in my C230 loaners or my E500 7g.

The car just needs to blip the throttle as it passes from one gear to the next. You can manually do this to an extent but a computer would be far better at it. In a stick you can easily rev match downshifts but doing that same move in an auto is odd. Add to that the fact that the ECU cuts power when you have your foot on the gas and the brake at the same time (as seen when you want to downshift smoothly into a corner under heavy braking).

Last edited by CynCarvin32; May 17, 2006 at 05:03 PM.
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Old May 17, 2006 | 05:06 PM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by stevebez
Yep... at the AMG day I went to here we drove the pants of some CLS55's and no shut down ... but then it was a bitterly cold day ...

I have noticed MB have tended to run these in winter for some reason - I will check with them if there is a summer event. Good to hear the S/C shut down is not THAT common ... mbe its the few who have modded their cars and now have heat issues...
It is fairly difficult to shut the blower down on a stock 55k but not impossible. It happens all the time on cars in the middle east. People who drive there say the blower shuts off after one run through the gears getting on the freeway.

Intake air is about ambient +10 degrees when driving around but quickly can surge to double ambient after 2-3 gears of WOT.

Add a pulley to that situation and you have some serious heat and no blower.

The blower shuts down when intake air temps reach 199 and does not turn back on until temps reach 155 once again.

I have had stock AMG cars shut down on warm open track events but getting a pullied car to do the same is far easier -- 2-4 laps of driving.... NO power!
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Old May 17, 2006 | 06:23 PM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by stevebez
Yep... at the AMG day I went to here we drove the pants of some CLS55's and no shut down ... but then it was a bitterly cold day ...

I have noticed MB have tended to run these in winter for some reason - I will check with them if there is a summer event. Good to hear the S/C shut down is not THAT common ... mbe its the few who have modded their cars and now have heat issues...
Not true. I did an AMG challenge 2 years ago in Miami in JUNE. It doesn't get any hotter than that. Last year Lime Rock in August as well as this year.
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Old May 17, 2006 | 08:04 PM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by davidhung78
I like the Kleemann wheel. I have the MP Designs steering wheel and have absolutely no complaints. It looks and feels great! Thx Chris (BTW -- this car is costing me an arm and a leg... I've gone mod crazy)
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Old May 17, 2006 | 08:51 PM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by Fast55
Kinda thought the same thing comparing it to the wheel in my '02 E55. too bad they won't interchange, I even like the buttons better on the '02.
Yep, the 02'E55 wheel is a whole lot better. And button on the new car remind me of the C-class loaner I got not long ago. Still love the car.

John
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Old May 17, 2006 | 09:16 PM
  #35  
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So far not one complaint from me...the transition to blower takes a bit of getting used to though. ESP is great...but this car really needs LSD badly. This is a very high performance car.Not unlike the other cars I own..just full of computers whereas the old ones are just mechanical. I expect some compromise in smoothness and all out comfort with a car like this. Compared to my old stuff..this is just amazing. Last night I tried to **** off the Nav by inputting some very close routes and hammering it...just tried to see if the damn voice would stutter trying to spit out turns in time !!!
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Old May 18, 2006 | 04:54 AM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by cte430
Not true. I did an AMG challenge 2 years ago in Miami in JUNE. It doesn't get any hotter than that. Last year Lime Rock in August as well as this year.
Sorry meant in the UK. Did you guys suffer from any S/C shut down then ?

Also do we know if the E55's have different cooling setups for hotter climates like Miami, South Africa, Dubai etc...?
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Old May 19, 2006 | 04:52 AM
  #37  
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No longer stock '06 E55, A3 3.2 Quattro, GLE 400d, R107 280SL, Golf Polo
Update ...

Investigating if I can have my s/w covered / recovered with alcantara / suede / leather / padding ... found a place here in UK who will do it.

Will update on progress.

Anyone know what size torx driver I need to get the airbag unit off?

Rgds Steve
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Old May 19, 2006 | 05:55 AM
  #38  
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Birds UK will do it

I am going to do mine as well...Make any design I want...Mix Kleemann and Brabus...Suade abd leather...700 US...but need to find spare wheel for 2-3 weeks...
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Old May 19, 2006 | 06:36 AM
  #39  
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No longer stock '06 E55, A3 3.2 Quattro, GLE 400d, R107 280SL, Golf Polo
M5 RUS whats their contact please?
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Old May 23, 2006 | 03:41 AM
  #40  
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Man thats funny...you are in London and cant find their contacts...You lazy man

http://www.birds.uk.com/

I hope didnt misundertand ME...I am going to do my wheel here in Russia...but Birds can do it for you in UK, they are not to far from London area...
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