2005.5-2006 E55 AMG

[Dino01]

Well BITOG brain trust the bug has me again...

Lately I've been swooning over the late update w211 E55s as a fun daily/highway beast. I'm certainly familiar with MBZ as I've been driving an M113 v8 Benz of roughly that vintage forever (and it won't be going anywhere, but it'd be nice to have another 4-door car to haul my new baby around in than just the RX350 blender on wheels) but I can't get the supercharged AMG car out of my head for the last year or so.

Any BITOGERS have one? I know they basically have my exact drivetrain refined a bit for a supercharger, so that's pretty much the only question mark, but it sounds like they are just tough as nails all around, of course I'd look for a sub-80k one with excellent pedigree and no panoramic roof,but I know they can be prone to the 722.6 conductor plates and 113 RMS leaks.

So what say BITOG? I am a pretty avid DIYer and have a quickjack at my disposal and also read the SBC was just warrantied to 25yrs by MB so that also helps there

 

[DrDave]

I totally understand your desire for the E55. I have a friend with the E550. He is in love with the car. I have a W215, CL600. It's not the supercharged V8 bit it is a twin turbo V12. Words simply do not adequately describe this car. The power is quite refined. It's turbine-like smoothness just eats up the miles. I have ridden in My friend's W215 CL55. That is the AMG supercharged V8 on the same platform as my CL600. In comparison I would say the AMG has a more sporty suspension. The car feels more tuned for acceleration and handling over the luxury ride of my CL600. I don't know if I've come close to what you're asking but I'm sure you'll be happy with the big supercharged engine. For a while I felt I the desperate need for the AMG ML63. I still have episodes of that, however they don't last as long as they use to.

Dave

 

[Gasbuggy]

6 years ago I was thinking about selling my old stealth blue 2005 CTS-V for a platinum blue 05 E55. I thought the E55 was the most reliable AMG model with that engine. I say go for it.

 

[Astro14]

I don't own one, but on the Mercedes fora for the S-class of the same vintage (the W-220), that engine is well thought of. Very reliable. Lots of torque. You can bump the power just a bit, with a different supercharger drive pulley and a tune, maybe a resonator delete, but I would just leave it stock, it's a beast as is. 493HP 500+lbft of torque. That's quite a bit in a mid-size sedan. I happen to like the look of that vintage, over the current E-class sedan. It's an attractive car.

If you're going to do the work on this car yourself, start with getting a copy/clone of Mercedes' Star Diagnostic System (SDS). An OBD-II reader will let you see, perhaps, one percent of what the car's computers are reading...so, basically useless. iCarsoft and others will do some diagnostics, but the SDS gives you everything: workshop procedures, part numbers, torque values, calibrations, activation of components, troubleshooting steps and complete communication and programming of every module. And make no mistake, it's a module-heavy car. My 2005 S-class has over 35 modules, and a module problem is impossible to diagnose, or solve, without SDS. Without SDS, you should limit yourself to oil changes and let a dealer, or good Mercedes shop, do everything else.

 

[Audios]

HAVE IT CHECKED OUT BY A QUALIFIED SHOP!!!!!! The shocks can be an absolute fortune, especially if the airbags go in the rear (8 hours to replace, plus tons comes out and its a good time to do bushings rear arms, ball joints etc. I think the last rear set with a few incidentals was in the area of 2500 for 2). If you have the airmatic/ADS its roughly 1400 a strut in the front. Dont go Arnott as they totally screwed me on my GL, went through 2 L/F struts making noise out of the box before I ponied up for the Bilstein. Front and sometimes rear SAMs are becoming an expensive fix that cause all types of odd issues. We often replace the combination switch on these for no wiper/washer activation, easily 6-800 depending on options. If the car is equipped with the floating 2 piece front brakes its almost 900 a rotor plus labor and pads etc. Pick a budget and then find the car at the absolute top of the range, have it checked out. You want the cars that someone has kept up with over their ownership, not the person who says "Its been a great car I havent done anything" and then you need front arms, shocks, brakes for a few k, and the money you saved over a nicer example goes right out the window. Have the trans checked for faults since people love to abuse these and the trans becomes a weak point over time. Honestly, that earlier CLK will be a much more reliable and cheaper car to maintain long term than the supercharged one. However they are completely different animals. You can PM me with any questions.

 

[Gasbuggy]

I thought the appeal of the E55 was that it didn't have the expensive suspension setup like the S Class, SL, and CL

 

[Audios]

Its not forced on you like the other cars, but its still an option. Some do have steel spring setups, but most were optioned for it. My supplier is showing anything with sport or blackline will have it.

 

[Dino01]

Thanks all. Yeah I'll definitely pay more for the right one, interesting to hear not all came with air suspension, that'd be a great find

 

[Wolf359]

For 2005/2006, I believe airmatic was standard. The S class had a more expensive option called active body control. Arnott's are pretty popular on the forums, they have a lifetime warranty and they're actually on the forums. They're about 1/2 the price of OEM around $500 for the part plus installation. Maybe they've got their act together by this point.

You can get a knock off SDS system on aliexpress, they're in the $600-$800 range depending on whether you get a C3 or C4 system. You can do things with it like lower the suspension or bleed SBC which more basic scanners like the Autel Diaglink only scans for codes. Autel is only $79 though.

https://www.amazon.com/Autel-Diaglink-OBDII-OBD2-Transmission/dp/B07BM2GCH6

Brochures here:

http://www.auto-brochures.com/mercedes_benz.html

And if you get one before Dec 31st, 2018, don't forget this $150 off $300+ at the dealer coupon:

https://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/service_special/win_back_savings

 

[Dino01]

...and this is why BITOG is the best forum around, you all are great and thanks again for all the info and links, I'm keeping my eyes out for a cherry one, and may even consider selling the CLK to make space and help offset the purchase

 

[Wolf359]

Well in that case use this vin decoder to see what options the car has:

https://www.datamb.com/

Lots of dealers have no clue what it has and doesn't have. Some will claim it has leather when it doesn't, xenons when it doesn't etc.

I also like to use Motor Trend's site to see what the option list was like for a particular year. Select the E55 and then scroll down and click on features to see the option list for that year.

https://www.motortrend.com/cars/mercedes-benz/e-class/2006/