Greetings, I'm looking at buying a e55, should there be anything that I should look out for before buying, I currently drive a c32 and I have a lot of cooling issues , because the e55 is similar ie supercharged would I have any problems modding the engine,any advise would be greatly appreciated.

 

yes it heat soaks but its not that bad. if you upgrade HE and pump... ive never got heat soaked once I did he and pump.

 

Thank you for your opinion much appreciated.

 

you are welcome. good luck with your search. find one with SBC unit replaced under warranty before would be awesome.

 

thanks , your car looks a treat

 

There are a bunch of threads on here, try searching because there's a lot of good information. Some things to look out for are the sbc pump, fuel tank, fuel pump, fuel sending unit, and airmatic suspension. For the heat soak, you can replace it with a bosch 010 pump. Just search and you'll be able to find threads that have been well discussed previously. Good luck!

 

Thanks for that,what's sbc pump

 

Sensotronic Brake Control, an electro-hydraulic braking system that applies pressure at different rates to each wheel among other things. Cool features are the sbc h (hold) and sbc s (stop) features.

https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...404-error.html

 

Over the past 18 months, I spent $8,400 on repair, rebuild, and maintenance and I performed almost all of the work myself. A cracked wheel and a new set of tires (necessitated due to the worn out suspension) added approximately $1200 to the total cost. KMac bushings added an additional $540 to this cost but I made the investment with the idea it would save me money as I intend to keep the car for 10 years. The unforeseen costs, however, can be painful.

In all seriousness, I like (not love) my W211 E55 and here are my observations after 18 months of ownership:

Pros:
-Awesomely quick!
-Fast.
-Better handling than my W210 E55.
-Sensotronic Brake Control is fantastic (despite the bad press you will read).
-Electronic Stability Program is vastly improved over the W210 version.
-Air spring suspension is quite good.
-Decent diagnostic system that reports faults so one can troubleshoot problems.
-Excellent environmental control system.
-Ego booster. Fantasic coolness factor. A female acquaintance described the car as, "Sex on wheels!".
-Great for road trips of 5 hours or less.
-Autobahn cruiser. Great in a straight line.
-Owner maintainable if one is willing to study up and prepare on the tasks required.

Cons:
-Expensive parts.
-Maintenance intensive.
-I set aside 32-40 labor hours every six months to maintain the car. Yes, that is 4-5 labor days every six months. So...plan on giving up one weekend day per per month to work on the car. And sometimes it will be an entire weekend.
-Not an autocrosser. 4220 pounds is not exactly toss-able.
-Stock suspension adjustability sucks. My Mazda Miata has better. Seriously. Expect to spend serious dollars (~$1,000) to correct this shortfall.
-Buggy diagnostic system that fails to report major failures that affect the car; e.g. fuel system fails and there is no failure code? Really?
-AMG relays and fuses are not located in the same locations as the non-AMG models. This can cause confusion and lost time when troubleshooting a failure.
-If the current owner cannot provide proof positive of a fuel filter/pump replacement, budget $1000 for the replacement and do it ASAP! Or offer $1000 less and then replace ASAP(!). (You may have noticed the exclamation points....). Don't forget to replace the relay once you locate it. (AMG versus non-AMG, remember?)
-Reliability is (IMO) similar to a 1972 Cadillac; it sucks for cost/benefit ratio. For such an expensive vehicle, I'm disappointed in the failure of ball joints, bushings, fuel filter, etc. Hell, I've got Mazda Miata's and Mazda 3's with literally 1/10th the maintenance costs of the W211 E55. This a great car but it's not *that* great. I'd be $8360 ahead if I'd just bought a Mercedes "Star" emblem and glued it onto my Mazda....
-Road trips of 9 hours or so in the W211 E55 are not nearly as comfortable as the W210 E55; the bolsters on the seats cut into the triceps of my arms and numb them.
-Electronic door locks are inferior to the vacuum door locks of the W210. One is "wsssh", the other is "CLUNK!".

Neutral:
-Invest in a diagnostic system to work on this car. Without one, you will be flying blind. This applies to any Mercedes with a CAN bus.

I expect to get ripped by the "Mercedes is awesome and how can you criticize it!" crowd, but, if you go into an AMG model, go in with your eyes open. It's going to cost you.

FWIW, my W210 E55 maintenance costs are approximately 1/4 to 1/5 the costs of the W211 E55. The W211 E55 is a better sports car but the W210 E55 is a better long-term investment for those of us who are not millionaires. The W210 has classic lines (think, Russian Mafia Staff Car), handles decently, accelerates wonderfully, and is more comfortable than one would expect. I've driven it 1,000 miles in a day and been relatively comfortable when exiting the car. The W211, not so much....

I'm glad I finally own both but I'm thankful I waited three decades and retired before I purchased them.

Best of luck to you no matter where your path takes you. No matter what you decide to purchase, if you ever need advice or assistance, feel free to call on me. Regards, B.

 

wow, what a great write up , thank you for taking the time to list all of the above, l greatley appreciate it, and you are making me think with my eyes wide open, once again thanks, and wishing you safe motoring.

 

now i understand, thank you JELANIB very much for the terrific post, greatly appreciated, wishing you safe motoring.

 

No problem, I'd agree with bbirdwell that there is no way around maintenance costs. It is a premium vehicle and you can expect to pay more for oem parts but I'd assume your aware of this if you're shopping for this type of car.

As far as aftermarket goes, there's not as big of a market for parts (compared to fords, chevys, subaru,etc.) so the prices are higher. You can find shops like Renetech, Eurocharged, and Weistec and there are some independent guys that sells parts cheaper than some of the more well known brands. Dig through the archives and you'll be able to find comparisons, DIYs, etc. on just about anything.

All in all, its' a great car with a blend of comfort and torque but it does come at a price. If you do the work yourself, read the forums, and find a good indy shop it shouldn't be too bad.

 

i have one going back up for sale already modded

 

sent a pm to you sickooli

 

I've owned my e55 since August I bought it with a pulley tune and upgraded Ic pump, I loved it so much when I got it and still love it to this day, I bought the car with all Maint done and nothing needed... In December I added a HE, shortie headers and in that process I changed my mounts, replaces SBC and fuel tank under warranty and that's it. This month my battery waning light came on and I had to replace my battery voltage regulator, battery and alternator about 250 brand new and that's about it the car has been great to me, if i where you I would def look for 05-06 as most of the problems from the radiator and tranny had been solved

 

I have my 06 E55 for 7 years and spent about $5120 in repair and maintenance. (Not include modding) around $730 per year is not that bad. Always parked in the garage and never abuse it. I have changed:

Both battery => $170
Valve gasket => $200
Water pump => $500
CPS => $200
Tranny conductor plate => $400 (include tranny service)
Engine and tranny mount => $500
tires => $1500
All belts and plugs => $400
10 times Oil changes => $1000
Radiator flush => $100
Brake flush => $150
Total: $5120

Need to change front and rear rotors and pads for $800 next month.

 

Where are you located?