grantwoodtx

SO I bought a 2004 E55 with 53000 miles on it back in January of this year. One owner in EXCELLENT condition with a clear Car Fax and full service history with all previous work done at Greenway MB in Houston TX. I did get the Extended Warranty for 36000 miles and it cost $2900 (remember this number!) and I'm SOOOO glad I did as you'll see in the saga below...

First service was due in April 09 so I took it to Mercedes Benz Houston North where I have been taking my wife’s car for the last 3 years. Nothing really an issue with the first service, they did replace one engine mount and a rear control arm under warranty.

Then the issues started.....

First issue was an oil level sensor that went haywire at the same time the auxiliary battery crapped out. Three days at the stealer**** and $2200 later (of which $1900 was paid for by Warranty). The thing that was concerning was the 3 days at the stealer****!

Second issue occurred December 14th 09. Out running errands on a Saturday and the Battery protection convenience features disabled blah, blah, blah warning pops up. Got home and left the car overnight, started it Sunday morning and same error so I popped online and made an appointment for the stealer**** for Monday morning.
WELL Monday morning came started the car and no error at first but did come on after 2 miles. Stealer**** is 14 miles from home so I decided to drive her there. We as you can imagine the ride got scary, with just about also systems shutting down and the car going into limp mode about a mile from the stealer****. Well long story when I got there and stated "I think it's either the battery or alternator to the SA. I also had an issue with the keyless go button not working and also wanted a new key as I'd lost my spare. THIS is where the fun began. SA called me Monday afternoon to say it was just a bad battery... and that the mechanic was working on the keyless go issue. Well the week went by with several calls to the SA on progress. Eventually picked the car up that Friday afternoon. Bill was $3800 of which I paid $350 for the battery + labor and $220 for the new key, so balance of $3230 was two engine mounts, both control arm boots were torn, transmission service AND new shifter to fix the keyless go issue($1100 just for that). Well I jumped in and drove precisely 4 miles before the SAME battery protection, blah, blah, blah warning came back on. Turned right around and went back the stealer****. Well NOW the issue was the alternator had finally given out. BS! They never tested it as the thought the battery fixed the issue. SO left it there over the weekend and finally got it back the following Tuesday afternoon... 8 days after I first took it in. Bill of alternator was $1175 paid for by warranty. SO total paid out SO far is $6305.

SOOOOOO I've had the car since Tuesday before Christmas and didn't drive it much until yesterday.

Then the 3rd issue reared its ugly head. I heard an unfamiliar noise in the engine compartment and opened the hood... and found the following:-
Front engine cover was loose and one of the pins that hold it in place was in the bottom engine cover rolling around BUT that was not the noise coming from the engine. The Supercharger clutch assembly was the culprit (will attach pictures when I get them uploaded) basically the bearing assembly inside of the SC clutch was coming apart.
So back to the stealer**** this morning and now I sit……

Stay tuned for more in this painful saga of lies, deceit and poor customer service….

Serenity Now

At least you have the warranty. Imagine if you'd opted against it and had to pay out of pocket..

JonMBZ

I was expecting more of a horror story ha, at least you are covered. It looks as if the car was not en excellent condition and you bought someone elses burden.

emoving

That clutch is a mess!

regor60

Sounds like you car has more than its share of issues.

Don't see the lies and deceit part, however. Why build the stress more than warranted ?

Not sure why the engine mount was replaced again within 9 months, that's off.

Missing the alternator issue happened to me also and it was annoying.

grantwoodtx

Just got home after spending the morning at the stealership and thank god again for the warranty $1319.25 for 2 hrs. of labor and a new clutch assembly. SC engages a whole lot smoother and no chirp...

CharlyE500

In this case, you are really lucky to have the ext. warranty.
It worth every penny

efivefiveamg

majority of people who have owned this car for any extended period of time have similar stories. i bought mine cpo and the car was at the dealer for days at a time countelss times during my first 6-9 mths of ownership. warranty and patience are prereq's to ownership.

housclass

don't feel too bad...got my car back last week after a month (24 days)in the shop, $6k bill (warranty covered $4k) and a mile after i left the shop the same tpms problem came up and now my check engine light is on...and to add to it...the dealership scratched the passenger door where they fixed the mirror, put a dent in the lip of my rim when mounting the tire (and my rims are chrome) and there's a section of my front bumper where the clear coat is gone. i'm the only one that washes my car so i know every scratch and ding on the car...these are all new items...i'm in houston also...took my car to arod.

rluvsbenz

Sorry to hear your issues. The first time they missed the battery issue I would have gone to another dealer. I too was looking for a dealer and found some folks in this forum that made recommendations. Check with folks in this forum who knows any member that works in dealer that's a technician or SA. This might help with your next issue. I'm glad you’re covered. Who's your extended warranty company? GL

bigbodybeeenz

From my personal experience MB's and BMW's with more than 50k miles are not worth the headaches they give you.

grantwoodtx

Warranty Company is Continuous which is part of Honds/Acura somehow. I bought mine from and Acura delarship here in Houston and they threw the extended warranty into the deal.

grantwoodtx

Sorry to hear your issue with Arod. I was going to use them next but I guess I won't. Anyone have experience with Greenway MB service?

Eddie 500

Those pics are scary.......

Eddie 500

Horror stories like this one make me think that the supercharged cars are ticking time bombs.....


Someone post a thread about a trouble free experience they've had w/their E55......

slownrusty

Not true lots of people with well over 100K on their E55 cars with only routine maintenance and no mechanical \ electrical issues or failures.

The way you wrote your post made it difficult to read.

I am sorry to read about the woes you are having with your car. Truly frustrating.
One thing that I do not understand, is that it is obvious that the failing alternator caused the battery to also fail. Any competent tech should have realized that upon installing a new battery you double check that it is receiving 12.2-12.5 volts at idle, if not then all fingers point to a "bad" alternator.

Exactly why were the engine mounts changed? Was the car vibrating or shaking?

Is seems like the dealer is charging you exorbitant amounts for the repair work. I am mesmerized, even though you only paying a fraction of the total it adds up quickly.

In regards to the SC clutch bearings on your SC, this is the 2nd case I have read here on MB Forums with the same problem in the past 2-3weeks.

Sorry ownership has been so stressful. So where are the reputable MB dealers in Houston?
Yasin

MJ50

extended warranty FTW!

grantwoodtx

Sorry for the post being a little confusing but I was sitting at the stealership with smoke pouring out my ears so I guess I wrote the post with a little aggression!

My point exactly on the alternator issue, it should have been tested post installation of the new battery which It clearly wasn't as the same issue returned after just 6 miles of driving it.

Engine mounts were changed because they were "leaking".

Don't get me wrong I love this car and will persevere with it as EVERY time I get into it I’m amazed as to how much fun it is to drive.

With the repalcement of the NEW SC clutch the car feels smoother and more responsive or maybe I just want it to be...

emoving

R U still nervous Nelly? Shoulda bought a Honda.

cbarile

On dec. 28th 2009 my 2004 e55 with 58,000 miles did the same thing as yours. my supercharger clutch looked exactly like yours. The clickety-clack noise was quite alarming until I saw what the problem was ( no dust sheild and bearing missing). Warranty company paid the bill $989.32 with one hour labor for clutch install. Wonder why you got charged for 2 hours.

Eddie 500

$25,000 is alotta money to this guyWhen I spend that much money I like to have all the facts.....all my ducks in a row

grantwoodtx

I didn't loose any of the ball bearing as the retaining clip actually kept them in the housing. Did you have some of the ball bearing drop out? OUCH!

vyper340

From the first post; how did the stealer know to replace a engine mount and rear contol arm? Did you tell them you were having issues??

grantwoodtx

Nope the engine mounts were "leaking" according to them and needed to be replace. The control arm was a "torn boot and a cracked bushing". I had not even noticed these issues at all so they saw them during the initial inspection of the car when I first took it in.

cbarile

some fell out and some behind the track they ride in.