Hello everyone. First post here. Been lurking for several months now, and finally signed up as a member to ask a few questions. I'm aware that these subjects have been review in other threads, but unfortunately I haven't found answers that satisfy me 100%. Additionally the answers to these same questions might have changed over the years/months. I'm kinda OCD like that.

First: In checking out an E55 this weekend, what specifically should I be cognizant of with the E55's? What are common problems? Anything specific?

Second: How much do you guys trust a MB dealership inspection when a dealer is selling the vehicle? I'm not buying the thing from a jack-shack, but hey, people are in this to make money any way they can.

Third: My bank is offering a 36k mile 36 month full coverage zero deductible warranty for 4k. Good/bad? I'm thinking that's looking pretty nice.

Fourth: Tires are beginning to feather. Alignment issues or ****ty bearings or...? How should I address this? Get a four wheel alignment guaranteed during negotiations? I know this has been a tough issue to diagnose, but has anyone made any headway in to figuring out what the problem is?

Fifth: Being that it is an MB dealership, how much are they realistically going to take a hit on their asking price? I'm in outside sales and negotiation is something I do every day, I just want to know what's a realistic hit I can expect them to take in this economy. I'm banking on some serious wiggle room.

Much thanks and appreciation. I hope to be able to post up some pictures of a new to me E55 in the coming weeks here.

-Greg

 

1. History of preventive maintenance and that reoccurring problems have been addressed...cps, valve cover gaskets, rear main seal, sc clutch, acc pulleys, brake flush and fill, replace trans fluid, airmatic, ect
2. I would search for a good, recommended independent that will let YOU take a look as well.
3. GET THE WARRANTY!
4.These cars just have a ton of negative camber coupled with tree stump torque and chew through tires...get used to it
5. The choice is your to walk away...you negotiate for a living so you know not to let emotion play a role. In the end you will have a GREAT car, no matter what you pay for it.

Good luck and welcome. Look forward to pics

 

Fingers crossed, and thanks much for the response.

 

if you get #3 I wouldn't worry to much about numbers 1&2.

#4,like stated earlier,is just the nature of "the beast"

#5.whats the asking price? and what year/milage is the car?

 

Good luck on the buy, u asked the same exact question I have been trying to find out during my search. Thanx man

 

servicr history/warranty


Posted from Mbworld.org App for Android

 

My experience is that age is a strong contributing factor to many of the "problem areas" of our rides.
Many will argue that you should steer clear of higher mileage cars. For me, I would be MUCH more concerned that the car had been properly maintained during its life, rather than never driven. Remember that things like seals, air hoses, fluids and gaskets deteriorate over time, no matter what the mileage.

Yes the warranty should cover many of these items, however a proper maintenance history will insure that the car runs stronger, longer. Think of the warranty as a safety net, not a replacement for the previous owners lack of responsible car ownership.

Fortunately you are buying from a Mercedes dealer, so records (or lack there of) should be readily available. This can be an excellent bargaining chip as well. If you show the dealer that you are an educated buyer, and request detailed records, they will know you are serious. If they cant produce ANY service records, run away! If they are able to produce a record, but some of the hot button items are not there you can leverage that for a bigger discount.

I wouldn't worry about the PPI, have the dealer do it. Should a glaring issue pop up once you have the car you will more than likely have recourse through MBUSA.

Btw, these beasts respond to being ridden hard and put away wet. It seems the harder I drive it, the better it runs

 

Yes, the vehicle was serviced it's entire life at the MB dealership it is at. Complete records have been found and will be faxed to me tomorrow, just gotta find a Kinkos or something between my sales calls.

Just to clarify, when we talk recurring issues we're talking - "cps (crank pos sens), valve cover gaskets, rear main seal, sc (supercharger) clutch, acc(essory) pulleys, brake flush and fill, replace trans fluid, airmatic" correct?

Knowing how common the issue is, is there any definitive way for me to tell if the airmatic is crapping the bed, or on its way out?

Overall I feel pretty confident about the situation and thanks for the responses everyone.

 

IMHO MOST IMPORTANT (possibly $2K plus repair).
Fill the gas tank to the brim, ride around for thirty minutes or so, check for smell of gas at drivers side rear fender and / or lift rear seat and remove access panel to check for leaking fuel drivers side. If fuel is leaking it is either your fuel sender or your gas tank or if you are unlucky possibly both.

GL

 

Alright, so I just finished reviewing the service history in detail.

Stuff replaced: LF strut, radiator hose, trans valve body and electrical plate, trans bushing nut, fuel filter module (5 yrs ago), fuel lvl sensor, torque strut bushings, main (10/12) and aux battery (1/12), valve and pcv covers (4/13), and "replaced engine belts" whatever that means (4/13).

This week makes it 5 years since fuel filter module was replaced, so fuel filter needs to be replaced (US service 5), as well as the spark plugs (US service 7).

No mention of US service 7 regarding plugs, or US service 5 regarding the ff in any of the records.

Last transmission service was 5 years ago according to these documents, so trans needs servicing as well.

Looks like there was a minor accident in oct/08 where the car bit a curb and the right passenger rearview got smacked (tree or telephone pole probably). Rim was bent on the right front side and rearview was broken and replaced, but rim was not replaced. Not declared as an accident as it wasn't reported to insurance. Upon last entry referencing the rims, all four rims were bent per MB dealership inspection dated Jan 2012. No mention of rim replacement either at the time of the accident or in 2012 inspection...

I'm looking at the trans, fuel filter, and plug service as probably upwards of 2k at a dealership, 2k that I will absolutely negotiate down.

The rims... we will see about that. How much do they go for? That's a very, very big concern of mine.

No mention of cps (crank pos sens), rear main seal, sc (supercharger) clutch, or airmatic.

Everything else is good. Solid service history aside from these few issues. What do you guys think?

 

Fuel filter maintenance is called for at 60K or 5 years. So, of course, it's prudent to do AT LEAST that often, but sooner if modding the car. (*fuel clog=lean, poor economy, etc.).
Appx. $500 ordeal since it replaces pump/filter assembly entirely.

 

What is the year/mileage/how heavily is it optioned? What is their asking price?
The dealer may pretend to give a damn about your list of things you think it needs, but at the end of the day, they know what they've got in the car, and they know aprox what it'll sell for so if you start showing them a list totaling up to half the asking price you'll likely be shown the door. With that said, I wish you the best of luck in your negotiations!

Are you looking for a clean stock car to cruise around in, or are you looking for a virgin starting point to modify to your tastes?

 

good luck on the buy

 

Feathering of front tires might be an indication of worn ball joints...

The dealer should certainly be able to diagnose that one if it's an issue. My car only has 41,000 miles and needed ball joints recently. Valve cover leaks are another common annoyance on these cars. Had mine done twice already....once at around 32,000 miles and once again at 40,000.

I also buy a lot of tires... But that's a function of my right foot.


-G

 

ide say if it has some nice options and everything works, then dont be afraid to purchase. The bent wheels is a major issue though cuz if you like them they will cost around 1k to replace with used. ide imagine being the car is at an mb dealer that they are asking alot more for the car than alot if other places. I wouldnt pay more than 19k for the car being it has 91k on it. And that's if everything was perfect.

 

minimal options, just low, low miles. and yeah its about 1k above what kbb states for excellent condition.

 

Go for a nice cruise on highway and back roads. If it didn't feel right than don't buy it. Slamming a curb can cause more damage than you would think to suspension components. Defitely not worth top dollar for this particular car.

 

Agreed. In my search I drove 3 or so cars that had mystery vibrations and quite frankly there were just as many that I drove that were glass smooth, so to my mind it's not worth giving questionable cars a second thought.

 

And it was very questionable.

Drove the car. Vibration in steering wheel as I suspected would happen. I can only describe the vehicle as being tired. My 2013 Taurus has more go and pep than this thing (yeah I know the Taurus is less than a year old but still, a 460 hp engine should have some wow factor to it). Steering felt as it were floating a little. The interior had some spots and stains, the plastic on components was a little discolored and worn, the leather was somewhat worn, and the center console had a crack. Additionally there was dog or cat fur in just about every crevice. Oh yeah, and the rotors were definitely on their last leg.

Front right rim was never replaced. When I inquired about the report that their dealership gave regarding not just the front right rim, but all four being bent, the response was that they had them straightened. Eh...

Thoroughly underwhelmed. If I had to guess the mileage without looking I would have pegged it around 80k+. Seems like a vehicle that had basic service such as alignments and oil changes done, but this was nobody's baby. E.g. 4 bent rims for who knows how many miles, and the animal fur everywhere...

So I broke it down for the guy. Here we have a 36k mile vehicle from 2005 with all four rims needing replacement from an accident, requiring a trans service, spark plugs, and fuel filter, and you guys are asking 1k above KBB in outstanding (read: perfect) condition (listed at 28k). (Now, keep in mind that this thing is located in Kentucky in basically the middle of nowhere. It's not like this is Cali or something where this vehicle is in high demand). I was like, there is no way I would offer even close to that given that it literally needs at a minimum 3k of work/parts/service. We went back and forth a little regarding the rarity of the vehicle, and the low mileage, etc. Niche product I said, and the market supports what someone will pay, which is a major point with a vehicle that has depreciated so hard. He agreed. I politely told him that I wasn't trying to insult him but all I could possibly offer at very best was 21500. Again he agreed with me but was like, yeah you probably already know this but I can't do that.

Oddly enough they never offered to have the service done or replace the rims as part of a potential agreement. After 3 months of it sitting on the lot they're basically just going to sell it using online services or ship it to another dealer is what he essentially told me. Kinda disappointed but not surprised that the dealership is happy to sell it in the fashion they are.

Anyways, thanks for all the help. Learned a lot from this short thread, hope it is of value to some other people in the same boat as me.

 

I wouldn't even pay $21K for that kind of history!

Glad you walked away.

The dealer can probably get somewhere in the mid to high teens as wholesale dollar amount, depending on the year.

 

I'm sure some asshat will pick it up eventually but you Made the right decision. Mine has 80k on it and car is perfect. I vote for private party always being the best bet on finding one in good shape. And to get the best deal.

 

You'ld be amazed at what that thing will bring at a dealer auction like Manheim. Mid 20s still... Crazy. You did good to run from it.

I'm guessing since you said the steering was floaty, that the center console had the clamshell style lid, and not the sliding style? That's the quickest indication that an 05 one of the later 05s that got all the updates the 06s did, which includes the suspension and steering components that were designed for the CLS AMGs.

 

Sorry I didn't work out.
You will find the right car, but you will need to look.
These cars are, after all, at LEAST 7 years old now. No replacement for visual inspection and a nice chunk of change in the bank for upkeep.

And even though it may cost you some coin to keep up, the rewards are worth it.

Outside of a new, $100K+ Amg or the like where are you getting a four door luxury sedan capable of mid 11 sec runs in full street trim (with air and massage seats going) for less than $40k, ALL IN????

No where!

 

Yeah clamshell. Is it supossed to feel that floaty though?

 

What is "floaty"? Did it need some new tires?