The E55 Wagon is The Most Unreliable Car I Have Ever Owned…
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,566
Likes: 421
05 c55 silver, 98 Imperial Red C43
Its a lot of car and theres a lot to brake.
I personally avoid air suspension on any car. Its just so much more headache and more maintenance and not worth the extra comfort.
Perforated leather needs to be maintained regularly and Its the most overlooked thing about these cars.
This is why front seats look like crap on most e55s. Everything else you described is maintenance and things that most people are ready to deal with as a cost of owning and enjoing a rare and cool car.
E55 is just overengineered for that era. C55s and clks from that era will last a lot longer and have way less issues.
But I do get it. As a young parent with limitied budget and time, I wouldnt want to own an E55. My 202 and 203 amgs have been super reliable for me.
Some people enjoy maintaining their cars(my brother). He serviced just about everything on his e55 when he got it with 113k miles. Some things like supercharger oil flush even did twice. Me, I only do it because I have to lol.
I personally avoid air suspension on any car. Its just so much more headache and more maintenance and not worth the extra comfort.
Perforated leather needs to be maintained regularly and Its the most overlooked thing about these cars.
This is why front seats look like crap on most e55s. Everything else you described is maintenance and things that most people are ready to deal with as a cost of owning and enjoing a rare and cool car.
E55 is just overengineered for that era. C55s and clks from that era will last a lot longer and have way less issues.
But I do get it. As a young parent with limitied budget and time, I wouldnt want to own an E55. My 202 and 203 amgs have been super reliable for me.
Some people enjoy maintaining their cars(my brother). He serviced just about everything on his e55 when he got it with 113k miles. Some things like supercharger oil flush even did twice. Me, I only do it because I have to lol.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,418
Likes: 194
From: America
1999 C43 AMG, 2005 E55 Wagon
I didn't want to turn it into a fanboy argument, but there are a lot more than 2 of us who've had relatively trouble-free experiences with 15-20 year old AMG's. I actually own 3 of them right now. A 1999 C43 with 323k miles. Also, a 2002 ML55 that is all original and I take it off road and abuse it regularly. You can see peoples' "join date" in the left of every post. Most of us have owned them for a lot longer and we're still here for a reason.
Is a Lexus ISF/GSF more reliable? Yes. But no one is cross-shopping an E55 wagon with either of those cars. Actually, anyone who is shopping around for a $30k, 20 year old supercharged German station wagon isn't thinking about warranty and cost of ownership. If they are, then they are in the wrong hobby.
Is a Lexus ISF/GSF more reliable? Yes. But no one is cross-shopping an E55 wagon with either of those cars. Actually, anyone who is shopping around for a $30k, 20 year old supercharged German station wagon isn't thinking about warranty and cost of ownership. If they are, then they are in the wrong hobby.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 1,177
Likes: 314
2006 CLS55 AMG, 2005 SLK 350 AMG
I didn't want to turn it into a fanboy argument, but there are a lot more than 2 of us who've had relatively trouble-free experiences with 15-20 year old AMG's. I actually own 3 of them right now. A 1999 C43 with 323k miles. Also, a 2002 ML55 that is all original and I take it off road and abuse it regularly. You can see peoples' "join date" in the left of every post. Most of us have owned them for a lot longer and we're still here for a reason.
Is a Lexus ISF/GSF more reliable? Yes. But no one is cross-shopping an E55 wagon with either of those cars. Actually, anyone who is shopping around for a $30k, 20 year old supercharged German station wagon isn't thinking about warranty and cost of ownership. If they are, then they are in the wrong hobby.
Is a Lexus ISF/GSF more reliable? Yes. But no one is cross-shopping an E55 wagon with either of those cars. Actually, anyone who is shopping around for a $30k, 20 year old supercharged German station wagon isn't thinking about warranty and cost of ownership. If they are, then they are in the wrong hobby.
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Jul 2022
Posts: 97
Likes: 13
E55
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2022
Posts: 1,917
Likes: 499
From: The Netherlands
2005 CLS55 AMG W219 C219
I'm not into this category as I went overboard with (preventative) maintenance on my CLS55 on day 1 ownership hahaha
Just take a look in my build thread, nuff said
> https://mbworld.org/forums/c219/8443...ld-thread.html
Just take a look in my build thread, nuff said
> https://mbworld.org/forums/c219/8443...ld-thread.html
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,481
Likes: 310
95 SL600
None of the Mercedes I have owned (over 13 of them) have been whst I would refer to as reliable. They are nice cars when they work, but they tend to need much more maintenance and repair than other cars. The Amg cars are even more needy. None of them high mileage cars either.
I currently have 10 of them and spend lots of time tending to their needs. I also have a Cadillac CTSV of a similar age and mileage that I just do regular maintenance to. I have Toyotas that I rarely do anything but change oil and tires. German cars aren’t what I would refer to as reliable, they are over engineered with failure built in. If Toyota cars failed at the rate of a Mercedes, nobody would buy them.
I currently have 10 of them and spend lots of time tending to their needs. I also have a Cadillac CTSV of a similar age and mileage that I just do regular maintenance to. I have Toyotas that I rarely do anything but change oil and tires. German cars aren’t what I would refer to as reliable, they are over engineered with failure built in. If Toyota cars failed at the rate of a Mercedes, nobody would buy them.
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 348
Likes: 60
2004 E55 AMG / 2019 Audi Q7 / 1991 300TE
count me as another lucky owner with minimal issues. Owned it for 5.5 years and have taken it from 47k to 73k in that time
There were a couple things to address right after i purchased it (IC pump, clunking rear struts), had a front strut blow on me (only time on a tow truck), then i stupidly missed the extended warranty on the gas tank leak and had to pay for that out of pocket. Since then i'm going on close to 4 years/14k miles of strictly fluid changes. obviously not a daily driver but still i think it's been very reasonable as far as maintenance goes for a now 20 year old supercharged v8 german vehicle
There were a couple things to address right after i purchased it (IC pump, clunking rear struts), had a front strut blow on me (only time on a tow truck), then i stupidly missed the extended warranty on the gas tank leak and had to pay for that out of pocket. Since then i'm going on close to 4 years/14k miles of strictly fluid changes. obviously not a daily driver but still i think it's been very reasonable as far as maintenance goes for a now 20 year old supercharged v8 german vehicle
MB World Stories
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Verdad Gallardo
8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine
Verdad Gallardo
Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction
Verdad Gallardo
Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping
Verdad Gallardo
10 Most Reliable Mercedes-Benz Models You Can Buy Used
Verdad Gallardo
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 348
Likes: 60
2004 E55 AMG / 2019 Audi Q7 / 1991 300TE
i paid a quarter of that with the parts from fcp euro and install at an independent shop. not ideal, but i blame myself for simply not lifting the seat and unbolting the cover to the pumps to check for a leak before the warranty expired. and agreed, with the warranty now expired on all e55s it won't be a cheap fix for new owners who run into a problem
everyone's experience will vary. i can understand the OP being upset with the amount of work his car required considering the fact that it seemed to be a very well cared for example. I personally don't think what i've needed to do to keep my car running for the past 5.5 years is out of line. a lot for a civic? yeh. a lot for a german muscle car? imo, no.
everyone's experience will vary. i can understand the OP being upset with the amount of work his car required considering the fact that it seemed to be a very well cared for example. I personally don't think what i've needed to do to keep my car running for the past 5.5 years is out of line. a lot for a civic? yeh. a lot for a german muscle car? imo, no.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 2,159
Likes: 160
2006 E55
You guys want Toyota reliability, go buy one. You all are comparing the maintenance of a blown V8 German car from 20 years ago to a Toyota or Honda today. Get real. The new Mercedes cars are all crap, tons of issues across the board, electrical, oil leaks, harness issues etc. This car with all its electrical crap and random maintenance items is VERY reliable. If people are scared their car may stop all of a sudden, maybe you should keep up with basic maintenance as its needed. I've put thousands and thousands of modded miles on all the V8Komp cars I've owned and not one gave me crap. I said it before and will say it again - buy a clean, well taken care of car and you won't have to spend all this $$$$$ and come on here to complain and it'll last tens of thousands of miles headache free. No **** over 100K miles it'll need a lot of work, but that's what you're buying, an expensive high end luxury car. OP is upset because he bought ***** car and dumped all his money into it and now is crying it's unreliable. Go buy a Prius or EV car.
Last edited by ArmoE55; Mar 21, 2024 at 11:13 AM.
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Jul 2022
Posts: 97
Likes: 13
E55
You guys want Toyota reliability, go buy one. You all are comparing the maintenance of a blown V8 German car from 20 years ago to a Toyota or Honda today. Get real. The new Mercedes cars are all crap, tons of issues across the board, electrical, oil leaks, harness issues etc. This car with all its electrical crap and random maintenance items is VERY reliable. If people are scared their car may stop all of a sudden, maybe you should keep up with basic mainteance as its needed. I said it before and will say it again - buy a clean, taken care of car and you won't have to spend all this $$$$$ and come on here to complain. OP is upset because he bought ***** car and dumped all his money into it and now is crying.
As for my car, it was one of the nicest higher mileage e55’s out there with impeccable service history. Nothing was neglected on it. Things were fixed as they broke or needed replacing with “quality” oem parts. Just a really beautiful, great driving car when it worked. It’s funny how you compared these things to Ferrari’s. I had almost the same feeling with my 3 pedal 360 as I did with my E55. It was just the best when it worked. You tell yourself that you’re never going back to a Porsche after this! Then it starts breaking and you realize why people like 911’s so much.
It’s pretty crazy how you’re calling the e55 “VERY reliable”. This is proof that enthusiast forums can seriously misguide people. Stockholm syndrome perhaps?😂
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 2,159
Likes: 160
2006 E55
lol did I strike a nerve? Why do you guys keep on comparing these things to Honda civics and Toyotas? There’s a few performance sedans that are actually in the amg 211’s class that are pretty reliable. After all, who really buys a sedan to be their point A to point A car? Some not most is the answer. The point of the platform is that it’s supposed to be a fast, practical daily. It stops being practical when something is always breaking at almost the same frequency of an oil change. Like I said, you are the minority when it comes to no repairs or you just haven’t driven it enough for stuff to start breaking.
As for my car, it was one of the nicest higher mileage e55’s out there with impeccable service history. Nothing was neglected on it. Things were fixed as they broke or needed replacing with “quality” oem parts. Just a really beautiful, great driving car when it worked. It’s funny how you compared these things to Ferrari’s. I had almost the same feeling with my 3 pedal 360 as I did with my E55. It was just the best when it worked. You tell yourself that you’re never going back to a Porsche after this! Then it starts breaking and you realize why people like 911’s so much.
It’s pretty crazy how you’re calling the e55 “VERY reliable”. This is proof that enthusiast forums can seriously misguide people. Stockholm syndrome perhaps?😂
As for my car, it was one of the nicest higher mileage e55’s out there with impeccable service history. Nothing was neglected on it. Things were fixed as they broke or needed replacing with “quality” oem parts. Just a really beautiful, great driving car when it worked. It’s funny how you compared these things to Ferrari’s. I had almost the same feeling with my 3 pedal 360 as I did with my E55. It was just the best when it worked. You tell yourself that you’re never going back to a Porsche after this! Then it starts breaking and you realize why people like 911’s so much.
It’s pretty crazy how you’re calling the e55 “VERY reliable”. This is proof that enthusiast forums can seriously misguide people. Stockholm syndrome perhaps?😂
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 2,159
Likes: 160
2006 E55
It's broken and beat up, you seem to buy **** cars and come online to cry about, so yes, that is your car or something you'd buy. And people wonder why everyone is broke in this country .
Last edited by ArmoE55; Mar 21, 2024 at 12:22 PM.
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Jul 2022
Posts: 97
Likes: 13
E55
Haha I bet you think that the e55 is a good “investment”. As a case point look at the 300sel 6.3. One of Mercedes best designs. Fastest car in the world for its time just like the e55. Rare. That car struggles to get past $60k for an absolutely mint one. Your low mile e55 is just going to be a money pit big dawg
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 2,159
Likes: 160
2006 E55
Haha I bet you think that the e55 is a good “investment”. As a case point look at the 300sel 6.3. One of Mercedes best designs. Fastest car in the world for its time just like the e55. Rare. That car struggles to get past $60k for an absolutely mint one. Your low mile e55 is just going to be a money pit big dawg
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Jul 2022
Posts: 97
Likes: 13
E55
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 51
Likes: 6
From: Melbourne, Australia
S211 E55 AMG, W205 C250
No really sure the point of this exercise.
You're basically throwing shade at the rest of us who are still in the 'boat'.
If the car is not for you, that's cool. But 99% of the people are here because they either have had
a) a different ongoing ownership experience to you
b) more patient, mechanically minded, mechanically sympathetic
You're basically throwing shade at the rest of us who are still in the 'boat'.
If the car is not for you, that's cool. But 99% of the people are here because they either have had
a) a different ongoing ownership experience to you
b) more patient, mechanically minded, mechanically sympathetic
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Jul 2022
Posts: 97
Likes: 13
E55
No really sure the point of this exercise.
You're basically throwing shade at the rest of us who are still in the 'boat'.
If the car is not for you, that's cool. But 99% of the people are here because they either have had
a) a different ongoing ownership experience to you
b) more patient, mechanically minded, mechanically sympathetic
You're basically throwing shade at the rest of us who are still in the 'boat'.
If the car is not for you, that's cool. But 99% of the people are here because they either have had
a) a different ongoing ownership experience to you
b) more patient, mechanically minded, mechanically sympathetic
All that being said, it is an extremely attractive car and is an absolute joy to rip. I just wish longevity was engineered into the platform.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,481
Likes: 310
95 SL600
