Once my C5 Z06 sells I'm going to be looking into buying a W211 E55, and I was curious if anyone has put something together that outlines all of the major areas to check before purchasing? Here are the other Germans that it will be joining:

Big turbo DD with 189k miles.



Garage queen.



Looking forward to hanging around here!

 

Take it to a dealership for a pre-purchase inspection.

 

Nice ride! PPI is the way to go or a good indy shop.

 

Taking it to a dealer is a great suggestion. Also, remember not all dealers are equal, nor are all of their techs, just like anything else. I had my car serviced at a dealership for 50,000 miles and they never replaced my motor or transmission mounts. That ultimately led me to a cracked cat which led to my first mod, silver lining...lol. Some big ticket items I would want to know the service history:

Fuel pumps (history says the are good for about 100k mi) $1800
Fuel filter (will help fuel pump life) $600
Fuel tank (refer to sticky) factory replacement if leaking..
Sensonic brake system (pump/accumulator)(also refer to sticky) apps $1500
Transmission control board
Maintenance items:
Transmission filter / fluid ( mb originally said trans was "sealed for life" - death more like it...
Brake fluid
Engine oil
Valve cover gaskets
Plugs/wires
Rear diff fluid
Batteries (2)
Front suspension - it is a heavy beast - ball joints are reg maintenance.

I personally would want to see a stock sc pulley and stock crank pulley.

Good luck, there are a
It of these cars that have been taken care of but there are a lot going on the market that have been modded and run hard. Be patient and find the right one.

 

^^^^
Seemingly left off items where I started....motor mounts (2) and transmission mount (1). Experience says they are good for about 50,000 on stock motor, less if modded for more torque...GL

 

This is exactly what I was looking for, thanks! Now just need to get my Z06 sold....

 

Get PPI by dealer as mentioned then have $3-5K ready

 

My daily is a B5 S4, the auto emergency fund is a given.

 

You have some nice rides. You will find if you run a carfax or other services many and I mean most e55s have had 5 + owners. I had a hard time with that. Find a good 1 time owner or two time owner car and invest in a total inspection and run down on the car. IMO a 10 old car that has has many owners has had the **** ran out of it.

 

This is from mbclubuk and sums it up pretty good

For standard cars then specification is important. Comand, Heated and Ventilated memory seats, Keyless Go and Parktronic. If you can Dynamic Seats and Distronic.

Facelift - the best way to tell is where the speaker is in the middle of the dashboard; if it's mesh then it's the 'updated' electrics and if the grille is slatted then it's the earlier one with a slightly higher probability of 'gremlins'. Facelifts also have 805 or 806 on the data card. The rad issue is also gone on the later ones. Also makes some of the upgrades easier. These start at late 04` onwards, but don’t always assume as there are 2005 05 plates with an 804 build.


For high mileage cars (90k +)
SBC - has it been replaced you are getting to the sort of mileage where it could flag up. £1500-2000 bill
Door mirrors - check they work a lot have motor issues and are £250 to replace
Airmatic - pump, relay shocks are they OK. Does the car rise when asked, don’t be to alarmed if the car raises slightly when started but it can also be a sign that there is a leak. For some reason drivers rear can sit slightly lower. Check when or if they have been replaced. Big bills here each strut is more than £1k.
Brakes - check for heat cracks and spot sure sign it’s had a hard time. Once the cracks get to big you will need to replace. Front disks and pads are about £300-400 fitted depending on labour rates.
Tyres - check rears on inside edge of the car an issue on many W211's but with hard launched the car squats and can cause additional wear. Front look for uneven wear these cars seem to throw themselves out very easily. Set of rears are approx. £420 fitted and front £380.
Check gearbox has had fluid changes every 37k and that torque converter does not step in and out. £ 250-275 for fluid change and at least £1200-1800 if your unlucky to have a TC problem.
Check the Radiator for earlier 2002 and 2003 cars for Valeo issue but even on later ones check for damage as it’s an £800 part.
At 100k you can also hit O2 sensor and Cat issues if you are really unlucky. O2 sensors are £170 and there are 4 of them with 4 cats to match.
Spark plugs when were they changed, they are at least £250 -350 bill. £160 DIY fix
Idler pulleys, listen to all the engine pulleys bearings can start to play up. £150-250 to replace idler and tensioner.
Check for oil leaks around left and right valve covers, easy DIY fix.
Check AC works and listen for noises behind dash if the flaps get stuck it’s a dash out fix.
Rust and accident damage check carefully everywhere particularly inner edge of rear arch.
If possible get someone with Star to come along and plug it in but at very least I would take an ODB2 reader and make sure your test drive is more than 20 mins this will give the sensors a chance to register any problems and will flag up the obvious ones. Bad news is it won’t deal with SBC or Airmatic which for me at the most likely to bring you the big bills.
Check the gearbox cooler pipes where they enter the Radiator on the driver’s side, you will probably need to get the front lower tray off. The rust like hell and if not watched will corrode into the radiator which means on top of the gearbox oil and new pipes you will need a new radiator. So expect a £1k bill if you catch it early it’s only about £300
If you have Active xenon lights make sure they work and no errors on the dash. they are about £600 per unit to replace!