In the market for an E55
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06 E55
In the market for an E55
So I'm currently seriously considering purchasing an 05 E55 AMG. I've already looked at a couple and hunted around the forums a bit. I haven't been able to come across a definitive FAQ on this particular model, so I'm wondering what I need to look out for. The only thing that I've found so far is that the suspension sometimes calls for costly repairs. As you can see in my sig, I've owned a MB in the past, although that was a C-class. It was unreliable compared to the several Mustangs that I've owned. The repair bills were also ridiculous, so should I go with an E55, I would definitely purchase a warranty.
I do have a specific car in mind. It is a silver one that seems to have been well-maintained. It has a pretty good, although not immaculate Carfax report. It seems to have been owned and maintained locally and regularly. The body is clean and everything appears fully functional. I have test driven it and nothing seems overtly out of place or suspect. Should I go with this vehicle, I will most certainly have a PPI done by the local MB dealership. What else do I need to know or be prepared for?
I do have a specific car in mind. It is a silver one that seems to have been well-maintained. It has a pretty good, although not immaculate Carfax report. It seems to have been owned and maintained locally and regularly. The body is clean and everything appears fully functional. I have test driven it and nothing seems overtly out of place or suspect. Should I go with this vehicle, I will most certainly have a PPI done by the local MB dealership. What else do I need to know or be prepared for?
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From: Socal, Chino
E55 2006 / CLS55 / S450 / Jag XKR2011
I always thought the C class is reliable since no air suspension... If you find C class expensive repair bill then you should find a good indy shop with E55 otherwise dealer will simply charge you 3 times. When I bought my car 4 years ago, dealer told me needed to change control arm for $1k, $1K to seal valve gasket. Finally, my indy guy did the valve gasket for $250 and never fixed the control arm because it was not even broken ! This is 4 years ago so if you repair your car with dealer, good luck !
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From: VA
2005 E55 AMG
check service history for fuel smell being addressed by a dealership or not. Mine has not acted up (yet) but after reading the thread I never topped off my gas tank since the day I bought it and have a nice non gas smelling E55 :-). where are you located?
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06 E55
NJ. I will look into that. Exactly what is the problem and what is the remedy? Is there an issue in the fuel filler neck or something?
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06 E55
Thanks, nice. Yeah, I'm on my second Cobra vert now. I put a little bit of change into the first one. I am definitely worried about going back to the MB world after driving a Mustang again for two years. Nothing major ever breaks on the Cobra and if it does, it's cheap to repair with all of the aftermarket parts dealers out there.
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From: South NJ
2006 E55, 1997 Mustang Cobra Conv
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From: Honolulu
W211 E55, 911 turbo, 911sc, RX330
If you were in CA, you'd be closer to me. I'll probably sell my 05 w/46k in the fall and it has an exclusionary warranty until August 2015.
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2006 E55
^ Yup.. cheapest warranty I found was $6400 and it wasn't all that great, especially when reading the 'fine print'.
Time to start learning how to wrench your own car or finding an exceptionally reputable Indy shop that charges a fraction of what the $tealer does.
Time to start learning how to wrench your own car or finding an exceptionally reputable Indy shop that charges a fraction of what the $tealer does.
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06 E55
So I have quotes for a 4-yr/48k for $7k, down to a 2-yr/24k for $3359, depending on which deductible I want. I figure I can cut that price in half after negotiation. It seems not to be too bad, it's unlikely that I'll keep the car for four years, never had a single car that long. But as we all know, the devil is in the details. Other than the obvious big drivetrain pieces, what do I absolutely need to be covered? Suspension and electrical systems?
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 2,841
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From: miami / delray beach
2014 E63s amg 4matic, 2009 C63, 2006 E55 AMG , 2001.5 AUDI S4 stg 3+ w/meth
i have had my E55 since 2011 when i bought it with 36K miles on it... since then i have had about $18,000 in regular repair bills not related to performance mods (keep in mind i have done quite a few repairs myself so for someone that only takes his car into the shop it would of been a lot more)...
the car has now 106K miles on it
get the $6400 warranty
needless to say i am thinking about selling mine for around 18- 19K sometime soon
Last edited by gaspam; May 16, 2013 at 11:10 AM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 4,411
Likes: 69
From: Socal, Chino
E55 2006 / CLS55 / S450 / Jag XKR2011
i have had my E55 since 2011 when i bought it with 36K miles on it... since then i have had about $18,000 in regular repair bills not related to performance mods (keep in mind i have done quite a few repairs myself so for someone that only takes his car into the shop it would of been a lot more)...
the car has now 106K miles on it
get the $6400 warranty
needless to say i am thinking about selling mine for around 18- 19K sometime soon
the car has now 106K miles on it
get the $6400 warranty
needless to say i am thinking about selling mine for around 18- 19K sometime soon
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 2,841
Likes: 202
From: miami / delray beach
2014 E63s amg 4matic, 2009 C63, 2006 E55 AMG , 2001.5 AUDI S4 stg 3+ w/meth
-4 of the 4 airmatics went out over the 2 yrs
- airmatic compressor
- subframe
-alternator on road trip left me stranded
- i/c pump
- idler pulley
-tensioner pulley
- tranny pump and torque converter
- s/c pulley clutch
- o2 sensors
- control arms and ball joints
- thrust arm and bushings
- wheel bearings
- in dash cd changer tray froze while putting in cds
- battery and acc battery
- rear main seal replaced
- motor mounts 2 times already
- trans mount
- cps
- door lock actuator (2 seperate occasions)
lol there are some other misc things i am sure i am forgetting like brake pads etc, but i didnt even included them in the 18K repairs bill since pads and oil change are just regular maintance cost
this car is the biggest money pit i have ever owned and i have owned quite a few audi b5 s4's which are notorous money pits, but this E55 puts them to shame
- airmatic compressor
- subframe
-alternator on road trip left me stranded
- i/c pump
- idler pulley
-tensioner pulley
- tranny pump and torque converter
- s/c pulley clutch
- o2 sensors
- control arms and ball joints
- thrust arm and bushings
- wheel bearings
- in dash cd changer tray froze while putting in cds
- battery and acc battery
- rear main seal replaced
- motor mounts 2 times already
- trans mount
- cps
- door lock actuator (2 seperate occasions)
lol there are some other misc things i am sure i am forgetting like brake pads etc, but i didnt even included them in the 18K repairs bill since pads and oil change are just regular maintance cost
this car is the biggest money pit i have ever owned and i have owned quite a few audi b5 s4's which are notorous money pits, but this E55 puts them to shame
Last edited by gaspam; May 16, 2013 at 06:03 PM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 2,841
Likes: 202
From: miami / delray beach
2014 E63s amg 4matic, 2009 C63, 2006 E55 AMG , 2001.5 AUDI S4 stg 3+ w/meth
MBWorld Fanatic!
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Posts: 1,728
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From: Atlanta
CTSV/6sp Grocery Getter
-4 of the 4 airmatics went out over the 2 yrs
- airmatic compressor
- subframe
-alternator on road trip left me stranded
- i/c pump
- idler pulley
-tensioner pulley
- tranny pump and torque converter
- s/c pulley clutch
- o2 sensors
- control arms and ball joints
- thrust arm and bushings
- wheel bearings
- in dash cd changer tray froze while putting in cds
- battery and acc battery
- rear main seal replaced
- motor mounts 2 times already
- trans mount
- cps
- door lock actuator (2 seperate occasions)
- airmatic compressor
- subframe
-alternator on road trip left me stranded
- i/c pump
- idler pulley
-tensioner pulley
- tranny pump and torque converter
- s/c pulley clutch
- o2 sensors
- control arms and ball joints
- thrust arm and bushings
- wheel bearings
- in dash cd changer tray froze while putting in cds
- battery and acc battery
- rear main seal replaced
- motor mounts 2 times already
- trans mount
- cps
- door lock actuator (2 seperate occasions)
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 2,841
Likes: 202
From: miami / delray beach
2014 E63s amg 4matic, 2009 C63, 2006 E55 AMG , 2001.5 AUDI S4 stg 3+ w/meth
they also did subframe....
and their labor rate wasnt much different than the local indy shop
if i hadnt done most of repairs myself it would of been way more than $18K for sure
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 2,159
Likes: 160
2006 E55
Maybe you just have a lemon car?
My previous 06 I had for 3 years and I spent a small fraction of your total on repairs/maintenance and I went to the dealer. If I found an Indy before, it would've been even less.
Not all of these cars are money pits like that, maybe your car is a bad example, not to mention, over 100K in mileage.
My previous 06 I had for 3 years and I spent a small fraction of your total on repairs/maintenance and I went to the dealer. If I found an Indy before, it would've been even less.
Not all of these cars are money pits like that, maybe your car is a bad example, not to mention, over 100K in mileage.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 3,182
Likes: 15
From: Northern VA
W211
Here are some updates on pricing that may help those considering buying E55
-4 of the 4 airmatics went out over the 2 yrs, Arnotts s/b$1800 + labor/DIY
- airmatic compressor
- subframe
-alternator on road trip left me stranded $220 + labor/DIY
- i/c pump $110 + labor
- idler pulley ASP set $320 + labor/DIY
-tensioner pulley
- tranny pump and torque converter
- s/c pulley clutch
- o2 sensors $200 DIY
- control arms and ball joints $50 ball joints + labor
- thrust arm and bushings
- wheel bearings $262 hub assembly + labor/DIY
- in dash cd changer tray froze while putting in cds
- battery and acc battery $200 parts DIY
- rear main seal replaced $1200 installed
- motor mounts 2 times already $160 + labor
- trans mount
- cps $45 + labor/DIY
- door lock actuator (2 seperate occasions) $400 installed for one
-4 of the 4 airmatics went out over the 2 yrs, Arnotts s/b$1800 + labor/DIY
- airmatic compressor
- subframe
-alternator on road trip left me stranded $220 + labor/DIY
- i/c pump $110 + labor
- idler pulley ASP set $320 + labor/DIY
-tensioner pulley
- tranny pump and torque converter
- s/c pulley clutch
- o2 sensors $200 DIY
- control arms and ball joints $50 ball joints + labor
- thrust arm and bushings
- wheel bearings $262 hub assembly + labor/DIY
- in dash cd changer tray froze while putting in cds
- battery and acc battery $200 parts DIY
- rear main seal replaced $1200 installed
- motor mounts 2 times already $160 + labor
- trans mount
- cps $45 + labor/DIY
- door lock actuator (2 seperate occasions) $400 installed for one
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 2,841
Likes: 202
From: miami / delray beach
2014 E63s amg 4matic, 2009 C63, 2006 E55 AMG , 2001.5 AUDI S4 stg 3+ w/meth
Maybe you just have a lemon car?
My previous 06 I had for 3 years and I spent a small fraction of your total on repairs/maintenance and I went to the dealer. If I found an Indy before, it would've been even less.
Not all of these cars are money pits like that, maybe your car is a bad example, not to mention, over 100K in mileage.
My previous 06 I had for 3 years and I spent a small fraction of your total on repairs/maintenance and I went to the dealer. If I found an Indy before, it would've been even less.
Not all of these cars are money pits like that, maybe your car is a bad example, not to mention, over 100K in mileage.
had i waiting until someone else had this car from miles 40-70K and bought it afterwards with 70K miles on it, i would of saved a ton of money... low mile cars are not always better
also keep in mind i didnt add any of the cost for crank pulley falling off ($3K repair bill at indy shop) or other issues resulting from mods (headers not fitting correctly etc...)
anybody that tries to say these cars are cheap to maintain has either never had a cheap car or is a billionaire :P
Last edited by gaspam; May 17, 2013 at 12:48 PM.
