So today after having the car back for 1 week after the supercharger crank pulley separated and 2k to replace/repair the front passenger strut collapsed on the way to work. The car has been a blast when it ran properly but it runs "properly" so infrequently that I really cant afford to continue like this.


Yeah I think im over it...

 

Brutal. What other issues has it given you over the year?

 

Sorry to hear man. That sucks, these cars are not cheap to maintain. Ive had to replace a few things recently and still have a few more things to do. Just normal wear and tear for mercedes. GL!

 

Stock crank pulley? Are you almost at the point where all those $ invested are about to yield a great return aka long duration of no problems?

What's next?

 

Keep it bro, you already fixed it, you will regret selling it

 

I have learned over the years to get the car running properly before you start to add power to it and tried with this car as well, in the last 6mths its been the best and worst experience I have had car wise lol. I got it because I was concerned that daily trolling my race car was not going to be reliable ROFL hahahahhahah on me! I can say road trips are a blast with 6+hrs of sustained speeds without a tick! and relatively acceptable gas mileage considering its a 4dr 5 passenger car that can pace with corvettes.


- Starter (after leaving me dead stranded at a rest stop with ZERO warning)
- New radiator
- New SC crank pulley that took the following with it:
-- Thermostat housing
-- Overflow tank inlet
-- Misc. lines
- Engine, trans, diff fluid changes
- Brake sensor(s)
- Wheels and tires


- NOW the air suspension.
The good news is the air front air suspension has been changed and it was under the service history. They are now Arnott units so I may call to see if there is any warrantee that can be recognized to replace them. I have never been a fan of air ride for comfort or performance overall to me it was just never appealing.


If I can get a solid 1:1 trade for a 335 sedan its gone... but then again that's a boat load of problems too or a S4 oh wait that's a battleship of problems too. Or better yet a nice omg never mind im getting a headache lol!

 

Ugh... I don't think you'll be ANY better off with a 335 or s4... my guess is they could even be worse. I've heard some horror stories from mechanic friends.

2 months ago I picked up my e55 that came with a stack of records from a meticulous owner, but I got into it fully expecting to have somewhere from 3-5k in early repairs (rear air was recently replaced, front still original). The car got motor/transmission mounts immediately and needs ball joints, rear main and a new tq converter (that's my best guess) to be right... so I think it will end up on the high end of my range when you factor in the fact that the front air is on borrowed time.

Once those items are fixed, which I expected except for the converter, I feel like the car should be pretty reliable transportation going forward. I'm anticipating somewhere in the $1,500-$3,000/yr range to keep it tip top. I'm fairly easy on the car as it's my baby-hauler/daily driver...

 

Was It A stock crank pulley?

 

That list is extremely small, and not very expensive. I feel like the only real people who can take advantage of the drop in price of these cars are people who work on it themselves. I paid like $500 for an arnott strut, and replaced it myself. I've also done a radiator, coolant hose, new headlights, grille, wheels and tires. Thats the nature of it. What year s4? I had a b5 s4 for 2 years. Not any better than an e55, and **** a 335. Turbos go, motor has to come out. Same with the b5.

 

For some reason im really intimidated to work on the E55. I have done the majority of my stuff by myself for years to reduce cost but the 55 keeps ringing just let a professional do it so there is no guilt or conscience burden.


I was looking at a B5 to convert to a race car after I sell my evo race car but I can totally agree with what you are saying re: intense to work on yourself audi's. I do like the car I just hope I made a good decision and wont regret it over the long run.


Yes it was a stock pulley

 

There's a lot of wise comments on here. Keep it since you've addressed many of the wear and tear parts. Now you can focus on building reliable power. The question is whether you are able to do this on your own. That's where the savings come into effect.
As far as the 335-e92, great power potential, reliable 4xxwhp with simple boltons and tune. It does have its share of gremlins however. The waste gate rattle is annoying as ***** and the hp fuel pump poos the bed once in a while. S4 is fugly. Just my $.002.

 

Stock pulley should not fall off. Maybe the previous owner had a pulley and swapped back to stock and did not torque correctly or tried to reuse the same bolt.

Don't listen to people telling you to keep something you dont want. If you are over it then you are over. Do what makes you happy. GL!

 

Some cars just breakdown a lot. I have had one before. It's not make or model it's just a bad car. Yes I know it doesn't make sense. I have had an expedition for 14 years and it is all but maintenance free. Other owners I have talked to have horror stories about front ends, transmissions etc. at some point you just walk away. But keep this in mind, don't rule out buying another e55 because you may get a good one. Personally when I see a car that everything has been replaced I don't like it. Others think the opposite.

 

Well it goes in today to see whats wrong with that strut.... standby for more details and lets hope its something dumb and not another $$$$$

 

1500.00 with one work front passenger side, drivers side could last 1 day or 10yrs (unknown) I think its time to call it... TOD 0833hrs 08 Dec 2015

 

Have you heard of Arnott Industries?

 

That is what is on the car now.

 

Has a "race car"

Sends his Mercedes in to get moderate level work done.

 

What are you suggesting....


6K+ in 6mths ownership is not good economy any way you slice it.


I may not have the disposable income that you do but you probably don't have my obligations either. Thanks for your input either way.

 

I'm saying work on it yourself and your costs will be a lot lower.

I really have no clue where you came up with $6k..

 

I called it quits with my car too because where i was in my life financially at the time, it literally took ALL of my money to maintain. After the warranty ran out, i had a bunch of things break on me in a 3 month period...My friend was interested...i told him how bad it was and how much the maint would be but he ignored my warnings and took the car. After 6 months and about 5k in service bills...he traded it in for a VW jetta LOL.

I miss the car every single day...but my wallet thanks me for driving my 96 E320 thats easy to work on and cheap to repair.

Sorry to hear about your situation....but it seems like some of these cars are more bulletproof than others.

 

$1022.38

You can change out the whole suspension system for $1k plus $200 for new rear lower arms.

The best part is... all of this "ridiculous" money you've had to invest, you'll likely never have to again because the replacements will last the life of the vehicle (excluding consumables).

 

Like others said its not the brand it's just the certain car you get of course you'll get some bad cars in the lot, but if you can find a excellent maintained one you should be good, and look for 05+

 

$6k in half a year. That's steep! Are you taking the car to the dealer for all repairs/ services?

 

That is chump change compared to what I went through last year...$2,700 on round (parts alone) and a 3 week crank shaft overhaul when the CP flew off...