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Hi, I recently purchased my first Mercedes, a 2004 E55 with 81k miles. I wanted to share some progress on my preservation of the car and receive some feedback from experienced owners along the way. It’s totally stock other than KW V2 coilovers.
After purchasing the car in San Francisco in October 2022, I’ve done the following:
1) Mobil 1 0w-40 oil change (DIY) and Blackstone analysis
2) Rear Main Seal (Independent shop)
3) Motor mounts and trans mount (Independent shop)
4) BBT plug wires and Bosch Double Platinum spark plugs (DIY)
5) Door lock pins replaced (3 were cracked off)
6) Front windshield seal (DIY)
7) trans fluid and filter (Independent shop)
8) Replaced all 20 lug bolts with Febi OE replacements from FCP Euro (DIY)
I have a question regarding the transmission behavior. It has a jerk felt in second gear only when cold (in the morning). Once the car is at operating temp or after 2-3 miles of driving the condition disappears. Could this be the PWM lockout solenoid needing replacement? Or conductor plate going bad?
Secondly, should I replace the supercharger oil? Any good kits out there?
You have much to learn. FWIW, I have 8 & 1/2 years plus 148,000 miles (224,000 miles total) on my E55 since I purchased it used. An E55 is not cheap but it is a blast. Start here: https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...les-chart.html
Best to you. Read a lot and learn. Great car and not cheap to maintain. Loads of fun, however!
Edit: Arnottt rear air springs are your friends. Front Arnotts are okay but you lose some of the suspension settings.
Last edited by bbirdwell; Jan 2, 2023 at 10:30 PM.
You have much to learn. FWIW, I have 8 & 1/2 years plus 148,000 miles (224,000 miles total) on my E55 since I purchased it used. An E55 is not cheap but it is a blast.
Thanks for the info. No airmatic for me to deal with fortunately.
My main 3 items to address are:
1) Pads and rotors
2) Refinish all 4 wheels
3) Diagnose rough cold morning shift issue
Rough cold morning shift issue was a TCC solenoid for my car. It was a rough 1 to 2 shift, or rough after it engaged in second. It seemed to lunge forward and seemed to lock up the converter. Anyway it went away after the trans warmed up.
I have a question regarding the transmission behavior. It has a jerk felt in second gear only when cold (in the morning). Once the car is at operating temp or after 2-3 miles of driving the condition disappears. Could this be the PWM lockout solenoid needing replacement? Or conductor plate going bad?
Check this for transmission jerk: https://mbworld.org/forums/c32-amg-c...em-solved.html
But also: perform fluid + filter change. It doesnt hurt to change the conductor plate, renew all O-rings for the solenoids and perform an adaptation reset.
A populair mod is a TCU tune (google on mkultra). Swapping out the TCU is a piece of cake, I made a DIY video for that
Secondly, should I replace the supercharger oil? Any good kits out there?
Yes, but buy the correct Mobil oil and use a syringe with some small tubing and measure the correct amounts. Search on Youtube, there should be videos for this
Check my build thread (see signature) as I am also doing a lot of preventative/forgotten maintenance.
Check my build thread (see signature) as I am also doing a lot of preventative/forgotten maintenance.
Originally Posted by cdk4219
Rough cold morning shift issue was a TCC solenoid for my car.
Thank you both for the info! I’ll do the supercharger oil but wait to have my mechanic do the trans solenoid (and maybe conductor plate) at a later date.
Agreed, working on these cars yourselves saves a ton of money. Altough its never bad to outsource something every now and then. Also again: always search on Youtube as there are a lot of how to videos floating around.
I just picked up 05 E55 w 80k miles as well. Very clean in and out. Can’t wait to get up to spec and enjoy it. Is there a rotor and of set you recommended? I def want to get the akebono pads.
From experience, the Bosch, Beru and whatever sparkplugs don't work well with this engine. NGK 3588 ILFR6A works fine on the M113 ML. Bosch ignition wires are good, they usually work with no issues.
I just picked up 05 E55 w 80k miles as well. Very clean in and out. Can’t wait to get up to spec and enjoy it. Is there a rotor and of set you recommended? I def want to get the akebono pads.
Great looking car. Silver was my #1 color choice but got a decent deal on this black one.
I’m going with ATE or Pagid Coated Rotors and Brembo Ceramic NAO pads. I’ve had good experience with Akebono as well.
I just picked up 05 E55 w 80k miles as well. Very clean in and out. Can’t wait to get up to spec and enjoy it. Is there a rotor and of set you recommended? I def want to get the akebono pads.
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