Hey what's up guys,

So I'm completely new to doing DIY maintenance on cars in general, but it's something I'd like to pick up to keep me occupied and it's a new hobby so why not. I've always wanted to learn how to work on cars, and more importantly,
I'm looking to buy an E55 in the next couple months if I can find one for a good price. I've been reading alot on this forum during the past week to start to teach myself how to maneuver around these cars.

Hopefully by the time I buy one I'll have decent knowledge on things that'll need to be replaced and I'll be able to handle it, and not go to the dealership and waste money.

I've looked at alot of tutorials on maintenance for the E55 and I feel like I need something more basic. For example, I don't even know what kind of tools I need to work on this car. A jack stand, a wrench, torx bits? Hopefully I'm close lol...

Also, is the Mercedes STAR diagnostic tool the same thing as the OBDII scanner? I'm really confused, and hope someone can show me around the basics so I can start learning more about what I'm gonna need to know to start working on these cars.

Thanks

 

Not to dissaude your enthusiasm but you are biting off a huge bite. Learning how to work on cars has been a lifetime effort for me and I have over 50 years at it. I'm still learning everyday. Everything you do is a building process and feeds into the next job. There are more complex engineered cars and more basic engineered cars. MB falls in the first catagory (Audi may be at the top of the list of mainstream manufacturers) while I would put something like Toyota in the latter category. Learning the basic on a something like a Toyota will help prepare youfor the more complex aspects of a MB. Most shops will put a limited experienced person on oil changes and move them up over time as they show capability.

Problem solving is at the root of all of this. But to solve a problem you have to know what the problem is. That can often be one of the biggest challenges and how to ocvercome it in your shop all by yourself with your limited tools.

Tools should start as a basic setup. Sears used to be the source of those beginner sets in the US. - but, they are gone. Screw drivers, socket sets 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 drives with a broad range of sockets including torx. Ball pen hammers, 2-3 lbs hammer, pry bars, and a torque wrench. i'm sure others will add to this list - it cn go on forever. There are never enough tools. Then there are the speciality tools. They will accumulate as you go.

One of the possible reasons you are considering an E55 is that the cost to buy has come down to the point it is in your range. One reason is the numerous computers in these cars and the expense related to many if not most of the repairs. The air suspension system is a huge cost any way you deal with it and you will likely have to deal with it. And there are many other systems on the car like that and has big price tags attached to them. Everything on the car is controlled by a computer and all of the computers are connected to multiple networks in the car. Cars used to have a simple switch like the headlight switch that when the headlights were turned on the switch was pulled, an electrical connects was made and current flowed through the switch to the headlights. Today, in a MB, the switch is only a signal that sends a message across the networks that the headlights should be turned on and when the correct computer sees that message it sends current to the headlights. If the headlights don't come on, how do you figure out how to fix it? The problem has to be properly determined and resolved the first time and one expense. Guessing and throwing parts at the problem is the fastest way to drain every dollar from you bank account.

Star is a diagnostic tool used on MB cars. It talks to all the computers (depending on the car it could easily have up to 20+ computers) from the engine ECM to the radio, to the HVAC system, and many more, that report the status including faults. It will interact to operate many functions as part of the testing process. It will provide a testing and problem path if there is a non-functioning compoment. A quality tool is not inexpensive. An OBDII tool simply reports engine fault codes. It does not talk with any other systems in the car. Don't waste your time with one.

My advice is start working on a more basic car like a Camry. Do the oil changes, filter changes, brake pad and rotor swap out, flush the brake fluid, get the hacked up radio system working again. Learn the basics before spending much, much more money and time - lots of time, on a complex car like and E55.

Best of luck to you.

 

Not for the faint-hearted...but it is an awesome car.

https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...ml#post7169029

https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...intenance.html

 

I'll take a slightly different tack on this topic and say that an E55 is a good car for the home mechanic. Assuming your willing to deal with cost and complexity.

My philosophy is that there are three major topics governing the practicality of working on a certain vehicle. I'll try to explain and use some of my vehicles to illustrate my thoughts on it.

#1, Lets call it "Design Serviceability" or really, is this a vehicle that was designed to be serviced, repaired and kept operational for the long haul. For example, my Ford F350 I find to be basically infinity repairable, its assembled in a manner that is clearly meant to be worked on and serviced, and the major components are fundamentally reliable enough that its always worth replacing whatever is broken. Heck, this vehicle is probably the gold standard in this respect, I've replaced almost every part on the thing and will probably continue to do so for the rest of my life. I also put the E55 pretty high up, everything I've done with the vehicle has been pretty straightforward, i tend to think that MB expected people to own these vehicles for a long time and fix what broke whenever it came up. I feel the same way about my E39 BMW. On the other end of the spectrum, Audi's are a nightmare, and there are many other examples of exotic vehicles that are clearly not meant to be worked on. I also include cheap appliance cars in this category. Prius's, Camry's, Mazda's, cheap Fords and Chevy's. other than regular maintenance, these are meant to be thrown away and replaced, not fixed.

#2 "Complexity". the complexity of a vehicle may or may not be a bad thing for you. it makes things take longer, it means you need to be more organized, it means you need to follow the steps. in your best German accent say "follow the procedures". good example, as I said above, my Ford F350 is actually really easy to work on. but with the turbo diesel motor it is also very complicated. there is a lot going on. you have to peal away parts in layers to get down to where your going. mechanically, the E55 is maybe above average in complexity, but not too bad. electronically there is a lot going on, but overall these tend to be pretty solid. on the other end of the spectrum, my wife's Ford Escape is insanely simple for a modern vehicle.

#3 "Cost and Availability". you should always be aware with what your getting your head into in regards to the cost and availability of parts. Fortunately, with good aftermarket companies, dealerships support and great parts companies like FCP euro we are pretty well able to get the parts we need. Also, keep this in mind in regards to tools. some vehicles require lots of specialty tools, some vehicles can be fixed with a hammer and a flat head screwdriver (my 1950 ******). The E55 uses mostly readily available metric tools and I haven't needed anything too special so far. its VERY annoying that my F350 is a total mix of metric and imperial. very annoying.

hopefully that's food for thought. you caught me feeling like writing I guess.

Overall, for a car to "get into" wrenching, I'd say the E55 is doable. just be patient, setup a good place to tinker, get good tools and most importantly, have another car to drive. having a dissembled car late at night on Sunday and an important meeting Monday morning are NOT compatible to learning how to wrench. you need to be able to walk away.

There are better cars though. for fun, fast cars for the new wrencher... consider something LS powered, 5th and 6th gen corvettes are a hoot.

 

They’re fine, it’s not a late model twin turbo Audi or anything. Either way it’s 15 years old, don’t rely on it.

 

Saying this with sincerity and a friendly tone, but your post suggests you are biting off way more than you can chew here.

I significantly developed my DIY skills on the E46 platform. In terms of a starting point, you will not find a better one today.

 

This. Great platform if you enjoy getting splashed with hot antifreeze every time you open the hood.

 

If someone is attempting to maintain an E46 and that is occurring, I recommend leasing from there on out.