I am considering a 2001 E55 AMG with 60,000 miles on it. If you have one or could offer some information on common problems etc that would be great. I try to do as much of my own work on my cars. How DIY friendly is this vehicle?
Thanks
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Mike
1990 Mercedes Benz 300 SEL
2001 Mercedes Benz ML320
1999 Mercedes Benz SLK230
1986 Porsche 911 Carrera
I am considering a 2001 E55 AMG with 60,000 miles on it. If you have one or could offer some information on common problems etc that would be great. I try to do as much of my own work on my cars. How DIY friendly is this vehicle?
Thanks
Where do I start...hum
well, everytime you buy a used car you never know what you getting yourself into. You taken on someone else problem.
COmmon problem on the E55 are;
defective mass air sensor
missing cluster display segment (pixels)
delay in trottle respond due to drive by wire trottle (don't know if this is a problem or not)
motor mounts
crank sensor
rear window regulator
rear shade
climate control blower regulator
squeeky steering wheel
harmonic balancer pulleys (recall)
melted rear light bulb sockets
front spring perches rust
rust on trunk lid near latch
rust on door frame under window seal (recall)
worn out front sway bar drop links
so far i only had the missing cluster segment, sweeky stering wheel, rear shade broken. Knock on wood..
I am assuming by your signature you already know what you are getting into. especially with that 86 911.
Everything that commonly goes wrong with a mercedes can and will go go wrong with this one, its no more or less sensitive than any other Mercedes.
Here are some things to consider.... that are unique to the E55
Anything to do with the suspension needs to be perfect or you should pass. The brakes are ridiculous expensive, as are the tires. If the brakes are shot, pass, or knock off 1200 dollars.. seriously the front rotors are 270 a piece and the pads are 100 a piece. The rears are as expensive as a normal benzes front. The tires run 300 a piece and even a cheaper tire will be more than 200 a piece so if those are shot pass or knock off another 1000. Normal wear and tear items on normal mercedes are ungodly for an amg. Another item that will make you shit your pants when you find out what it costs to replace are the cats..... real OEM cats are 2500 a piece X 2 plus install. Aftermarket cats are still in the 500-800s. If the tranny doenst shift like butter.. i mean.. un-de-tect-able. dont buy it. If there is any clunkyness to it, someone hasnt take care of it. Once the damage is done you cant stop it, even with a fluid change. The rebuild on my first one was around $2000 ( I caught it before it was destroyed, a few more months and it would have been $5000). On my second one I made sure the tranny was smooth no matter what i did.
DIY friendly is in the eye of the beholder. I dont think anyone would say its DIY friendly. Its do-able but its not friendly. If its anything more than a line replaceable unit (MAS, relay, CPS, ect sensor) or a filter or a oil change, get ready for a massive headache.
Make sure you check every thing out at an indy, they can tell you alot more than when even an experienced person looks at the car.
I appreciate both of your input on this. I was planning of selling the 911 to get this vehicle feeling that it would easier to transport my two kids. Looks like I will likely pass on this vehicle.
I have a 00 E55. Had it for a little over a year now. No problems except something leaking from the tranny area. Got if fixed under warranty. Knock on wood I dont encounter anything crazy. BTW, I have 146k miles on the odometer, I have two kids and use this car as a daily means of transportation. I don't drive the car hard often too so that might have something to do with it.
These cars will almost run forever if they've been well maintained all of their lives. Yes there are some issues as noted above but they're not common for everyone. I haven't encountered any of these issues on mine except for the cluster pixels and that's it (knocking on wood). Don't hesitate and it's a well worth family car with balls if it has been taken care of. Good luck!
Peter made it sound that E55 is worse than Chevy and Ford combined.
No way!!! These W210's have been (at least for me) the most reliable cars I've had. Don't hesitate if you find one that's been babied all its life, like mine!
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