gtoddyt5

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?

CharlyE500

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 !

Nino S

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?

rxsamg

I like your taste in cars , of course I might be tad biased having a '97 Cobra Vert myself & recently acquired an E55.

gtoddyt5

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?

gtoddyt5

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.

rxsamg

Where in NJ?

WPOZZZ

The fuel pumps leak AND the harness shorts.

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.

gtoddyt5

New Brunswick, right now.

GregMB

Odds of getting a warranty that's worth a damn this late in the E55 game is pretty slim....

That, or it will cost you $7000+


-G

ArmoE55

^ 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.

gtoddyt5

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?

gaspam

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

Manuyc

yuo will love it

CharlyE500

$18K in 2 years of repairs ? what went wrong other than Tranny ?

gaspam

-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

gtoddyt5

Yikes, this is making me reconsider. In the two years that I've had my Cobra, I've had to replace the convertible top hydraulic cylinders ($250) and that's it.

gaspam

they are fun cars, just make sure you either have a good warranty or full service shop at home in your garage and source for cheap parts

Allfukinday

Damn, this just made me really think twice about picking up an e55

FASN8N

Sounds like dealer pricing. I bet a good independent would have been less than half that amount.

gaspam

nah,i did most of the repairs myself... only thing dealer did was airmatics because it would be done next day instead of waiting 1-2 weeks from arnott to get me theirs... they also did the tranny trq converter install which was only $800 as i bought the tranny used from forum member and trq converters from level 10..and they did rear main seal and alternator since they towed it for free and i couldnt find an alternator same day and was stuck on side of road...

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

ArmoE55

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.

gtoddyt5

New Brunswick

novae500

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

gaspam

exactly the reason to buy a 100K+ miles car because then all this crap is fixed lol.... keep in mind, all this crap happened when the car had between 40-70K in miles except the tranny...

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