Here are my .02 cents to owning a 12 yr old E63. Maintenance is key, and preventative maintenance is pinnacle. These cars are getting older, so maintenance can't be deferred till later, but needs to be addressed right away.
I follow a strict procedure for my car, (2) yearly oil changes, brake fluid every 2 yrs, engine coolant, transmission service and rear differential every 4 yrs. I know that these cars can become money pits, that is why AMG stands for "All Money Gone"
So before you decide to buy one, think about that first. As for me, I have spent $13K over the last 2 yrs addressing every issue, and maintenance requirement for my E63. Also keep in mind that not all of the $13K was maintenance, but also performance mods inside and out.
Ceramic Coating and Paint Correction, PPF, Carbon Fiber, Stereo, Interior Trim, Wheels and Tires, Brakes etc. But I will admit that my issues with the car, have never been catastrophic or left my stranded on the road. I'm also having the head bolts addressed next month, part of my preventative measures. As that is probably the number concern with most E63 owners, besides the air suspension. I've been lucky, no air suspension issues to date.
But I have replaced the following:

1. Radiator
2. Battery
3. Oil Cooler return line O-Rings
4. Valve Cover Gaskets
5. Cam Adjuster Gaskets
6. PCV Valve
7. Oil Dip Stick Tube
8. Drivers Side Keyless Go Door Handle (F/R)
9. Coolant Reservoir
10. Spark Plugs
11. Idler Pulleys
12. Serpentine Belt
13. Brake Rotors (F/R)
14. Brake Pads (F/R)
15. Intake Plenum Gaskets
16. Fog Light Assemblies
17. (L/R) rear Brake Lights Gaskets
18. Exhaust Header Clamp

So tell what are your preventative measures to keep your E55/E63 on the road.

 

Wow, 70 views and not one single comment......shame

 

Yuille36......

Just saw your post and, although I've owned my C55 since mid-2006 and I've always subscribed to the absolute fact that preventative maintenance goes a long way in terms of aesthetics, performance, re-sale values and a good night's sleep.

In the last 4 weeks, I've performed (myself) the following:

1. Fix all oil leaks, i.e., valve cover gaskets, oil filter/cooler gaskets, timing cover, etc.;
2. All new upper engine hoses;
3. New plugs & wires;
4. New radiator;
5. New conductor plate and 13-pin connector with new tranny oil & filter;
6. Engine oil & filter;
7. Cleaned EGR tube;
8. MAF sensor;
9. Throttle body plate;
10. Engine air filters;
11. Cabin filter;
12. Flex disks; and
13. Motor & tranny mounts.

This doesn't include any recent performance mods (Eurocharged shorties and ECU tune; SLK55 AMG rear calipers/rotors) or quality aesthetic upgrades, i.e.. new free-flow HRE-copy lightweight alloy wheels increasing fronts to 8.5" wide/9.5" rears, carbon fiber lip, I made the CF Canards (like C63 Black Series), Rieger side skirts, cf diffuser, cf interior dash and door panels with matching center console; cf shift knob with colored enamel AMG gearshift emblem, and a new flat bottom alacantra/perforated leather steering wheel with red contrasting stitching which also included C63 AMG shift paddles, too.

Will need new dampers in front and rear soon (still pass the bump test) and will upgrade to H&R coils/sway bars!

The car gets new oil & filter every 5,000 miles, a nice inside/out/engine bay detailing every year (claybar, hand-rubbed carnuba, etc.)

In my opinion, its all money well-spent regardless whether or not you keep the car and, in my opinion, even if you don't, there's a good chance the next owner will pay for and appreciate your efforts, too!

Good luck.......

Rob

Here's a few pictures of my C55..........

 

These cars are getting older, the E55's more so. The only maintenance my car is lacking is transmission fluid/filter change which I plan on doing shortly. Everything else has been done.

Just received my new Bosch HE pump and a large PLM heat exchanger, today as a matter of fact.

 

Remember, a search engine "spider" counts as a view...you can be sure that Google et al. are scanning these pages to implement key words into their search engine.

Otherwise, preemptive maintenance, rigorous inspection, observant monitoring is my personal key to owning one of these.

Pulled a Service D this past weekend which incorporated services 4, 5, 6, 9, 12, and 13. Discovered one front tire had a different wear pattern than the other; looked almost as if the tire were turning outward and the tread was very faintly being "peeled" from the inner edge towards the center of the tread. This caused me to look more closely at the suspension and, sure enough, the thrust arm ball joint (which I knew had a bad boot) now has slack in it.

Ball joint is non-replaceable in that part so that calls for a new thrust arm which means I need two because I have KMac bushings installed. If I'm going to replace the thrust arms I might as well replace both control arms, both steering knuckle ball joints, and both upper ball joints. FWIW, I completely rebuilt the front suspension over 71,000 miles ago and fully expected to see initial failures by this time. Yeah, I could replace it one piece at a time as failures occur but that just doesn't agree with my thoughts on preemptive maintenance.

Edit: forgot to mention how much I like my Solar BA-5 battery tester. Several times over the past 2-3 months I've received "convenience functions not available" while I'm in the car with key on but engine not running. The auxiliary battery (installed November 2014) is rated 240 CCA new; mine tested at 107 CCA. So, replacement battery is enroute. Main battery (900 CCA rating new but would test over 1000 CCA) is now testing at 790 CCA. I figure that it will get me through this winter but I'll replace it before the Texas summer kicks in again next year. Again, rigorous inspection and preemptive maintenance.

 

Thank you all, for your comments. Much appreciated.

It is inevitable, that as these cars age, more repairs will be needed, gaskets will need to be replaced, parts will fail,etc....
And more money will need to be spent. But it cheaper to keep her, then to pay $118K for a new E63S.

 

Long time lurker who still misses his E63. Overseas relocation forced me to sell.

Im a firm believer in the “while you are in there philosophy” especially with the age of these vehicles. Will these be collector cars in time, doubtful (note, I am referring to the sedans). But, even for a 2007, these cars had all the luxury components you could ever want with the power to match of most sports cars. If I had not moved, I had plans for the head bolts and camshafts (which would have extended the life of the car). The one thing I do not miss however is the electrical issues (battery, coil packs) that could pop up.

 

Thanks for the post.

I just got mine a few weeks ago (04 E55), have put 1500 miles on it, driving it more aggro as the weeks go by, waiting for something to leak or break (no issues yet). Luckily I bought a one-owner car who had it maintained religiously at the MB dealer, no costs spared from the look of the receipts.

However, I know that soon I will need to do a few maintenance items, which will turn into a "while I'm there" scenario for sure.

Much like you, I expect to spend about the value of the car in maintenance, modifications, etc within a few year's time...

However, that's what we all sign up for as enthusiasts of almost a 20 year old design

 

I'm with jbaker1121 as I'm also a new E55 owner.

My story is a bit different, and could take a turn.. I love the car. to date, I've driven it ~1200 miles. It did flash a code on me, but I haven't had it pulled just yet. I am going to go in for a fluid "baselining" for me, of the stuff I don't have super recent records on. Mainly the rear diff, but I want a reset on oil even though it's only got maybe 3k miles on it including my driving, and I will address anything going on with the car then.

Where things are kind of bumming me out is, I'm not sure I'll keep it due to how I fit in the seats. i'm a pretty broad backed guy, and tall (6'4") and the shape of the seat is "ok" for a bit, but to drive a good bit, it drives my back crazy... as in I've actually missed work last week due to my back locking up and not being able to stand up straight. Since parking the car and getting back into my E320, I've been getting better. Could it have been bad timing?? Maybe, Once I get back to 100 % i'll start driving it again, but I can't have this be a "thing" for me.. So.. I might have to look at other options unfortunately.

 

Keep in mind that these seats have tremendous adjust-ability, maybe try adjusting it, that might help your back.

 

^This

I am 6'2" and similarly a big dude. I find that I need to find a "sweet spot" driving position in any car, that differs by car. My seating position in a Wrangler vs. an E class vs an exotic (head against the ceiling in 458, huracan, but 570S has good head room!) is different.

I also have back issues (football) and find that I need to find a good driving position otherwise it will act up...

That being said, I don't think e320 vs E55 will be a huge diff besides the adjustible seats in E55. Move out the bolsters and move up the lumbar!

 

The back thing...man.. football, I hear ya.. I was a rower in high school and college.. combined with all the other dumb crap I've beat myself up with. So.. I like hearing "there's hope!" Oh darn.. I have to mess with the gadets in the car more! lol

 

There is a sweet spot for everyone, you just need to find it.

 

Takes some time to figure it out!

Precisely!

 

Bought my 2006 E55 back in 2010 and kept it stock till September 2018 with around 170k miles. Done most of the required maintenance throughout the years. I’m nearly FBO now with a few major pending projects: Killer Chiller, 72mm fixed pulley & C63 mufflers installing in September.

I started tracking her this past May, first time ever in the seat. Got 12.7 on street tires, but since then I ran 11.718 (almost 11.6) on DR in the heat of July. Plan on tracking her again when temp is cooler with pulley & KC with drag kit hooked up. She current reading 184k mikes as a daily and she so sweet on the streets.



Working on facelift to Bi Xenon headlights

Facelift trunk lid and taillights


$30 CF wrapped wood trimmings

Carpet mat with custom logo

And one of my favorite mod; power auto folding facelift mirrors