Is it worth selling my 2006 ML 320 Cdi and getting a 2004/5 E55 AMG?
6 months ago I had to part ways with my beloved modified 2002 C32 AMG (pulley, tune, IC pump, full exhaust, filters, etc) because after I blew motor #2 up, it was getting really expensive. I bought the ML thinking it would help me settle down and act my age, but 6 months down the line I am going insane without a screaming engine, tyre smoking AMG. I figured an E55 would do the trick as the mods are similiar to the C32 to turn it into a monster. The question is will I break it? Will I wish I had my sedate family ML back when I am sitting at the side of the road with a smouldering, broken E55? Is the C55 with it's N/A motor at better bet or will this just bore me to tears in 6 months time. I basically want a family sedan to take the kids to school in and eat M3's on weekends - I don't plan on taking it to the dragstrip. I would do the pulley, tune and full exhaust mods.

 

in a word - YES!!!!!!!

 

In three words: fire your tuner!

Two blown motors? The problem isn't the car.....


-G

 

 

+1

 

You will not be happy, until your flying down the road with tires a blazin

 

Trust me it has nothing to do with my tuner. The 2002 C32 AMG came out with dodgey cams which were replaced in the 2003 model upwards. The C32 forum has a few write ups on this subject and besides that I receive 2-3 calls per month from 2002 C32 (stock standard) owners looking for help with blown motors. The point I am trying to make is that I have read similiar stories on this forum of modified motors going bang and I cannot afford to replace an E55 motor as they are too expensive and too rare, so would I be better suited to a C55 AMG with an N/A motor or will I hate it? I had a Chev Lumina 6.0 N/A V8 SS which I hated from the day I took delivery and promptly sold a few months later.

 

There is no such issue on the E55 motor.....

Basically it's a bulletproof engine and transmission, and there are plenty of heavily tuned versions logging thousands of trouble-free miles. There are plenty of proven power/tune combinations all over this site. It's almost laughable how easily you can safely add 100HP to the stock motor.... AMG engineers left a lot of safety margin in their design IMHO.

Read the "E55 blown motor" threads and you'll start to recognize a common theme across all of them.


-G

 

I have been experiencing website problems and get 'gateway timeout' everytime I try do a search. Could you please briefly explain why some E55 engines self destruct? I know of an owner running full mods plus a 70 shot of nitrous and he has had no problems. Some folks have pointed fingers at longtube headers?