Please help me on this. I'm thinking about change the E55.
I purchased an used but very well maintained 2005 E55. At 80 miles of ownership the passenger front airmatic fails:

https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...r-owner-2.html

Now after less than 2k miles, rear passenger side shock is blown and rear driver side suspension airbag has a leak.





Well, I still love the car; but how reliable is? Is not about expend money to fix it. This time again the dealer is willing to fix it. But how often I need to be on the mechanic?

The dealer offer me to change the car if I want to. They are an Infiniti dealer. Thinking about a 2008 G37 or M45.

Please help me on this. I drive about 70miles daily. And about 200 miles during the weekends (sometimes). The driving is 95% highway. I really cant have a car that breaks or damage something every two weeks.

Change or fix it???

 

The air struts are a wear item and 2005 is old enough for them to fail. It sucks to have to replace them, but once you are done with all four they will be good for a long time. In general I would say it is a reliable car, but keep in mind it is 8 years old and some items will need replacement and repairs aren't necessarily cheap. The most common repairs air the air struts, leaky valve covers, intercooler pump, and crank position sensor. Some people have trouble with the supercharger clutch around this age.

I would drive the G35 and M45 and see what you think. I think they will be disappointing as they should be since new they were half the price of the E55, but only you can decide. If everyone liked the same cars I did several whole brands would be out of business, but clearly other people love them.

 

It's all relative. The E55 will require more maintenance than a G37/M45 simply because it has a LOT more stuff to break. The E55 has a very advanced braking system, it has variable rate air suspension and it has over 400whp bone stock. None of these things will be available in an infiniti. Keep in mind that the E55 was a $100K car and maintenance is what is expected from a $100K car. I told you before you bought the E55 that perhaps the C55 was a better choice for you since it is a million times simpler ( mechanically ) and thus much cheaper to maintain.

For what it's worth, I've owned two Infiniti G35's and I had to change nearly every piece of suspension on both of them ( all 4 shocks, all 6 front control arms and all sway bar links ) as they were all worn out and they only had 60K miles on them give or take. And the control arms on the G35 were hella expensive ( over $1,200 for just the control arms. I got all the control arms for my E55 for under $300 ). The G35 was also slow as hell and the interiors were horrendous. They are also VERY expensive to make fast so if you want a G37 make sure you want to keep it slow because if you want a fast G37 be prepared to dump big bucks into it.

With that in mind, I loved both my G35s, they just didn't fit what I wanted in a car ( a hella fast car I could use on a daily basis and be comfortable at the same time ). I also just couldn't live with the interiors anymore...they were some of the worse interiors I've ever seen in a $30K+ vehicle. It was stupid ( the seats were awesome but that's it ).

So, in the end, if you really feel that you won't be able to keep up the maintenance on the E55 then I strongly suggest you get a G37 as they are very fun to drive. Just make sure you can live with a 13 second car because modding it will be dreadful.

 

As I said, maintenance cost is not the issue! Is more about the time wasted! As an engineer I'm very hardcore with the maintenance of my cars. I spend and make weekend time to keep them as reliable as possible. Really, for me is annoying that a $125k car behave this way.
Not even my last BT Audi A4 behave that way. My Infiniti experiences was extremely good. Having a G20 and 2 G35 in the past.

What is the possibility that if I spend 2.5k in the E55, the beast will behave as a gentleman?

Thanks for your inputs!

 

Likely pretty high, this entire year mine has only asked for rear airmatic bellows ( the only airmatic failure I've ever had ) but nothing more ( that I can remember anyways ) and I beat the living crap out of my car.

Then again, you could just have bad luck and your E55 could be a lemon. Nothing is for sure. My E55 has only once left me stranded ( when my pulley fell off ). My both my G35's however left me stranded more than once. It happens.

 

I think chances are pretty good also. This has been my worst year of repairs on my 2005 since I have had it to the dealer twice. The previous two years were zero times. I'm doing basic maintenance like oil changes, belts, and brake pads myself and not counting tires in the above numbers.

 

Cars will be more reliable the simpler they are, there is no way around it. A Toyota Yaris or a Honda Civic will be ultra reliable. However, BMW 5 and 7 series, MB E and S class, Audi A6 and A8's will need FAR more upkeep than a Civic or a Yaris.

My brother had a shop when he lived here in Puerto Rico for many years, his biggest clients were ALL VW/audi's and higher end BMW's and MB's. He rarely got lower end BMW's nor MB's, and servicing VW/Audi's made him eventually hate the brand...lol.

 

This got me to go back and look the pictures from when I lost a front strut. It is crazy to me that Mercedes made Wagon specific icons for the Wagon vs the sedan.

 

^^^^ kinda cool I think.

 

That's awesome!

 

That's sweet! Too bad they didn't make it, "Stop, Wagon too Low!"

 

If you notice, it also has the hood emblem sticking up.

 

It's unrealistic to think that an 8-year old car will not ever have issues....

The AirMatic failures are a bummer, but that is one of the few weak spots on the E55. Get a competent shop to fix it and you should never have a problem with it again.

It's a high-performance car, not a Honda Accord. There are bound to be nagging issues from time to time. If you can't handle that reality, you'd probably be better off with a different car....


-G

 

Airmatic is just sophisticated version of plain old air shocks that I used to install on some of my old cars. It can't last forewer. Eventually the materials will degrade. Exposure to constant vibration and temperature extremes will lead to leaks. There is lot weight sitting on those shocks. I would think the airmatic cars in warmer climate would last longer due to less severe temperature variations. I think it also depends how hard you drive the car or hit a severe pot hole that could dammage it. Even steel springs will break sometimes. I had a rear spring break on my BMW. There is no perfect design on any car. Like above posters stated more complicated the design the more stuff will brake. Why do you think these cars are available for such a good price. People think that maintenace is so expensive and they are afraid that something major will fail.

 

I didn't said never! I said constant! But that what I want it hear! I will fix it then.

 

looks that I will have an E55 with new suspension all around!

 

Back luck can sometimes be good luck. lol.

 

Sometimes! Lol!

 

Mine only asked for a crank sensor. Like I told you, you only have to spend on two more shocks and youre done. I will have to replace the 4 of them. And gter what do you spect from a guy who drives VW cabriolet that everything is so cheap!!!. Viva Puerto Rico!!! jajaja.
luis..........

 

No I'm cheap? Now don't call me to cry about your car again!

PS: Now I need to change just one at the front!