dbworld4k

To the dark side.

Always been a BMW guy my whole life and I'm in the market for fun yet nice daily driver while the M5 sleeps in the winter. I came across an absolute gem of a W211 AMG locally from sale by a gentleman who has babied this thing. He has a stack of service records from the dealer to prove it.

Now, being an OCD maintenance guy and coming from the world of M cars, I am no stranger to high upkeep costs on German performance cars; although an automatic + luxury infused + supercharged 10yr old car is sure to give me a wake up call, lol.

I am wondering, apart from the air strut failures around 120k miles, what other things are known to need some TLC around this mileage? Are the S/C bearings a commonly known failure item?

In my search of a daily driver, a MB let alone an AMG never crossed my mind. But once I saw this one was within my budget, I haven't stopped thinking about it. It truly would be one helluva car to own in tandem with my M5, the W211 has been a car I lusted after ever since Road & Track reviewed one back in the early 2000s!

sufyaanahmed

jump on it ! only major issue is air suspension you can always switch it out to coil overs. if the car is maintained then it shouldn't be an issue i have 107,000 miles on mine drives amazing

shardul

iTrader: (1)

Hedge for some expense in maintenance....
Fuel pump
Change all fluids
@ 120k there will be certain suspension components that will need to be replaced.

If you plan to use it as a daily driver LEAVE THE CAR STOCK

GregMB

Booooo!!!

To the OP: probably swap out the IC pump too if you don't see that it's already been done recently (use the Bosch "010" version)

I will warn you know now that a good running E55 is likely to make the M5 feel like a waste of your garage space. the ludicrous torque of the E55 is addictive.

-G

60nomad

That's f**kin funny! M5 is pretty fun too as I had an M6 for a month or so and it was addictive in a different way...that 10 cyl has some torque too and is smooth. AMG is different though and you will see what Greg means when you drive one. Funny statement either way!

turbo97se

I tried this and failed ... check my sig. The torque is just too addictive ... *edit* see I posted torque and didn't even read GregMB's comment until just now ... drive the car and you will see

kompressede

Go for it - Check out the receipts to see when or if the IC Pump, and alternator also was replaced?

Do you like doing mods?

biggking

I agree 100%. I DD mine and I am looking for reliability rather than power. Plus any money NOT dumped into mods can be put into maintenance and gas...

06cls55amg

i test drove a 06 m5 smg a week prior to buying my cls 55, ( cls55 same car as e55 almost) all around much better car. massive low end power, styling, ride, finishes, did i mention the amount of power?

Dr Matt

Stock??? What does this strange new word mean????

SterlingE55

It means "starting point".

dllhg

Had one of my air struts go out at only 63K miles. About $600-700 parts and labor for one of them I think it was. My fuel pumps also failed at 66K miles. Those will run you about a grand plus labor.

HeissRod

I also had a strut go out recently in the mid 60k mile range. Only cost me $390 since I installed it myself.

dbworld4k

Well I went to go see it today and the car is truly immaculate! Current owner is the second and has spared no expense in keeping it in top shape. I was truly impressed - he reminded my of myself in terms of how even such high mileage cars can be kept in a condition better than those with less than half the mileage.

My only gripe is that it doesn't have an AUX or iPod hook up What's the cheapest way to get my own music into this brute? The car has Harman Kardon audio, bluetooth, but no Nav.

We agreed on a price. The transaction should be closed tomorrow evening or by Friday at the latest. Needless to say, I am pretty excited about this car
That's what I figured, in which case I can get coilovers easily enoough, and it'll be nice to stiffen up the ride. Stock is way too soft for my tastes.
I pretty much intend to. The car is priced so damn aggressively that I can sell it in a year or two and barely lose anything. Thats not withstanding maintenance and repairs, of course.
Doubt it! Lol. I'm more of a 3 pedals and handling guy, pure speed isn't my holy grail in a car. Torque is definitely addictive, there's no denying that! The M5 gave me my first taste of what that special word means and I have bene hooked ever since.
Mods are my sickness. I have spent more on mods on some of my past BMWs than those cars were actually worth. Seriously. Tens upon tens of thousands. I swear, a fatal cocaine addiction would've been cheaper.

211.070

The AUX jack is in the glove compartment! You can add the navigation and an ipod integration kit if you would like to. I agree that with proper maintenance you can keep any vehicle nice.

dbworld4k

I checked. There's a cutout with a blank template there

thunderclaps

Congrats she is pretty.

211.070

Very nice! Looks like mine! That is weird about the AUX jack though. You should be able to add it easily. It is a separate harness.

dbworld4k

Thanks guys!
Accoridng to my VIN, I have:
SA 044 NEW TELEMATICS GENERATION NTG 2.5
SA 521 RADIO AUDIO 50 USA (WITHOUT NAVIGATION)

My headunit has built in bluetooth and a in dash CD changer. No Aux option anywhere in the Menus or in the glovebox. I take it the Aux harness should be a straightforward install with this Audio 50 unit?

shardul

iTrader: (1)

yes the harness cost about 25 bucks from the dealer

Quicksilv3r

Agree with this. I've kept the engine/drivetrain on mine original aside from a larger IC. It keeps it somewhat reliable.

That said, I've already had one front air strut fail (1st time stranded - replaced both fronts with fresh Arnott units), inner front tie rods are done and (I ride with the car lowered about 50% of the time, but at a 25-35mm drop, if you ride low, the tires need replacing every 30K mi), engine mounts are done, main battery replaced due to voltage issues with interior electronics, driver side xenon ballast failed, dual pulley failure/accessory belt shredded shortly after some mildly spirited driving (2nd time stranded), and the sunroof drain holes leak if the car is left outside in the rain for extended periods of time. I'm sure there are repairs I've forgotten, but that what I can remember. Parts and labor at the dealers are out-of-sight ridiculous so I would hope you have a knowledgeable connection at your local dealer.

Awesome car though, it get looks most everywhere I go and it can hold its own with most anything I encounter on the road. Very sexy with the E63 facelift.



Nice and stock

211.070

When I press the AUDIO button on the head unit the AUX option appears on the top right of the screen. I have not tried to code this in, but I will check in to it.

As far as installing the cable. It is a pretty simple task. You will have to remove the head unit to connect it. Then you can remove the glove box if you want to mount it in the stock location. I am contemplating moving mine to the center console though.

dbworld4k

So I noticed this error on the first start up of the day yesterday morning and today in these frigid freezing temperatures, any car takes several minutes to warm up these days in the winter.



However, I didn't see any wheel being lower than another or stuff blatantly indicative of airmatic strut failure. Moreover, once the car has warmed up, this error doesn't come back on start up. Ie. morning start = error. Drive for 5-10 minutes to warm up. Restart car = no error.

Thoughts? Is that the air compressor having an issue?

Issue #2:
Noticed that once in a blue moon, there's slight hesitation through 3.5-5K RPM or so when flooring on the highway during 4th/5th, pulls hard and smooth below and above that RPM. However, in 1s/2nd it plows straight to redline like a freight train. No SES/Check Engine light.

dbworld4k

Sup, Wes? It's ASB9987 with the Imola M5 on Rial Daytonas from M5Board

Thankfully, I have a solid connection for any European car repair. Else there's no way I could afofrd to maintain these sorts of cars to the high standards I am obsessed with. I agree on the looks. It's just so "boss/prestige status," even though I paid far, far less than a new Civic for it. Lol.

Wish I could rationalize modding this one. I already have crazy ideas but it makes zero sense financially on such a high mileage E55. Pretty much gonna drive it gently and maintain until I sell it eventually... I'm sure I can see myself in a lower mileage example down the road again.

chiromikey

Most likely you're just noticing the supercharger kicking in. Unlike other blowers, ours are driven on a clutched pulley that engages the s/c when getting heavy on the throttle. It's one of the quirks of this platform...