In this video I talk about the running costs of my 2004 E55 AMG over 2.5 years and 18,000 miles or 29,000km. Prices are in US dollars and the parts are mostly purchased from online stores in the US.
This is a video covering some of the things I have had to deal with on my E55 AMG over the past few years. Here is video that covers all common problems with the E55: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-sb4Us-PANyA.html *Also note that fuel cost, insurance cost, and the cost of tires are not taken into account in this video since all performance cars are going to be pretty equal in those departments.
I’m about to buy a new car and my dream is to by a Mercedes with M113K, but a lot of people are telling me that it’s gonna be a nightmare. I’m a mechanic myself so I’m not too worried about fixing the car, but I’m worried to get it if it’s gonna be too expensive and bad reliability. You’ve don’t more research and you own one yourself. Do you still recommend this over, say a Camaro SS?
Americans think german cars are extremely unreliable and expensive to maintain because that's what their dealers want them to think, so they can charge them 500$ for an oil change. Interesting fact: in Europe Mercedes Benz cars have always been used as taxis. Not an E55 AMG of couse but Diesel E class taxis are very common.
That's right. Even today I see W211, W210 and even rarely W124 or W126 as taxis in Germany. If you search for taxis on car trading places, most cars are from MB, often with 400k up to 700k kilometres. I saw recently a W124 200E gasoline with more then 700k km for 5k euro. That's how stable in value they are here. Car looked like new.
If you think about it though they have higher end parts and a lot of mechanics and workers to pay at the dealerships for Mercedes to keep their business running and that’s another reason they charge so much because with a higher end vehicle and higher labor and better parts comes to the part where money gets involved. Also because they don’t sell as much cars as dealers like Toyota or Honda because a lot of people can’t afford a mercedes
Not everyone. Here are also many people that expect they can drive a car 10 years without any services and then wonder when their car brakes...but at least in Germany, the car is important for most people (especially men :D) and it's ok for them to maintain their car properly.
Mercedes-Benz.TheBest. I agree. Americans think they can drive a van into the ground and then cry foul when it breaks down. Curse at it and say it’s unreliable. German cars as well as any car Has to be Maintained. My 03 E500 Sport is like new but I give it the love and respect that it deserves. That’s why anyone who sees my car and knows what it is comments how nice it is. The cost over the long run far out weighs spending ridiculous amount for a new one. Happy Motoring MB Rules.👍
This generation of benz is very diy friendly, Ive had 01 clk430, 99 e320 4 matic wagon, 98 C43 amg, and 98 sl500, Ive worked extensively on all of them myself.
I’m curious about this as every e55 video seems to bring me one step closer to one. The question is, when sourcing a w211, how many miles are too many miles to buy used?
That isn't bad for high performance car. Gotta pay to play. These cars are bullet proof engines and transmission. Look up 400k e55 amg. They run that long
We have to keep making fun of them and calling them "unreliable" so we can make them cheaper. If donut media gets their hands on it it's over for german car fans. While everyone is focused of the e36 m3 I gotta snag one of these
@@joelstatosky1817 still takes a rich mans wallet to repair these if transmission goes bad or engine does. I changed my theory on these cars after I owned a CLS 55amg that cost me 17k in repairs in 9 months
@@insayn7995 Harmonic balancer, all 4 air struts, the air pump went out, the alternator went bad, rear seal leaked needed to pull transmission to fix, front seal leaked, both Valve cover gaskets, all the control arms including upper and lower , rearward and forward had to be replaced , re tuned it, new tires every 15k miles in rear and 20k in front. And 5 tows at least. That isnt everything I'm sure missed something. I bought car with 92k miles and sold it at 108k. ALL i can say is take it to a mechanic before you buy and look OVER every part, ask for maintenance records. If there is none dont buy. Dont be dumb like me. Buy warranty thru credit union as well!!!!!! I own a 535D now and its a great car. But it is will be my last German car. Thank god I bought a warranty for the 535D. I'm at 8000 in repairs in 1 year. No cost to me. It runs great. But you need warranty
@@scottp6761 if trans goes bad, u can swap a CD009 transmission from a 350z. 6 Speed manual, theres a shop local to me called XF Motorsports and they make a kit for under $2k to convert from auto to manual.
Tomorrow, 5th of November 2020, I might buy one; a stationwagon with a very rare paint-job, yellow (but it looks like champagne). The car has 115.000 km or around 70.000 miles. The car looks as new! 🤩👍
I currently own this era of Mercedes (M112K) and whole-heatedly agree with you! I have owned it for two & a half years, driven 9K miles (it's not my only car) and have been able to do *ALL my own maintenance!* That includes, *in MY OWN garage and driveway...* 1) Flush & fill the coolant 2) 100% ATF flush, new filter & pan gasket, and new pilot bushing 3) installed Akebono brake pads (OE brake pad dust was too much for me!) 4) Bleed the brakes with a pressure-bleeder to remove the old fluid 5) resealed the leaking breather covers 6) new fuel filter & ALL fuel hoses, as the hoses were dried & cracking from age 7) other stuff too minor to mention
When i clicked on this video i readily expected the prices for the stuff he mentioned to be way higher. Turns out things are priced pretty normal, which is actually insane for such a high performance car like this.
I guess that being able to do the job by yourself on such a car can actually cut the whole cost around 35%/40% compared to a MB concessionaire assistance.
Love this channel. Very inspiring. I'm a recent buyer of a c207 (2010 e350 coupe) which I love, but always had a soft spot for the w210 & 211 e55's. Still hope to own one someday if possible, & really hope it's as fine of an example as this one.
Been seriously looking on buying a 2003 E55 AMG but do not know if after 100,000 miles its a quite a gamble.A lot of forums talk about thousands and thousands of dollars of maintenance cost as well as nightmare stories about parts failing etc..Great videos by the way!!
Any car, regardless of brand, with 500 hp or more will require thousands in maintenance costs, especially if you are taking the car to a shop to get the work done. However, If you do the work yourself on the E55, it's not an expensive car to own. The best thing you can do is pay a few thousand more at the start and get a better car with important things like full-service history and no damage.
unreliable to me means unable to finish a journey. radio, seats, command, lights etc malfunction will not stop you getting from A to B with a huge grinn on your face. i sold mine at 285000kms, now have W221 S63, but still dream about that M113K
Great Vid man i promise watch every single one you make. PLEASE PLEASE make a vid of replacing the secondary air pump???! Mine just failed few days ago on my CL55
Thinking of getting a 2006 CLS 55 AMG. I have no experience with fixing cars in general. Would be awesome if I could pick your brain in the future if I have questions :D Also, thanks for making this video. Quite helpful!
I've been looking at BMW M cars, and surprised how cheap AMGs are. It's good that the reputation of the Mercedes is keeping these cheap in the used market.
i recently had the abc power steering hose,not the high pressure hose replaced runs about 490 bucks,and had to rodeo afterwards ,aside from that ,i had abc pump replaced ans rotors and pads all around ,radiator replaced,i have a 2004 s55 amg ,has 170k miles ,but still happy,did i mentioned i replaced the idler pulley and supercharger pulley as well due to very loud squeak .
Great update! I currently have a CE light on my '05 E55, and I've replaced my secondary air injection pump and the fuse. I tested my old pump and it works just fine. Any recommendations? I'm interested to see how yours goes.
Nice. Well presented and organized vid. Just the right amount and content of info. Thanks. I've been seriously considering getting one. I'm hoping to save up for a C63, but the price, performance and style of these is really drawing me in. A vid like this just edges me towards it even more. When I get closer to pulling the trigger I'm gonna have to try them both out. One quick question if you don't mind...I've read that with the brakes being electronically controlled they're difficult to modulate with precision, especially at low/parking lot speeds. What's your experience like?
Jadden Dos Santos Get a S55amg if you travel with 2-3 ppl regularly. There's more room and you don't sacrifice that much speed for it. The insurance sucks ass I pay 1k a year for full coverage. You have to know how to work on cars at minimum be able to do mid level repairs. It's a part time job keeping up on the maintenance. There's nothing like it value wise on the road right now. Any other sports car that does 4.4 4.5 0-60 cost 15k+ and many of them ride like shit. Not many cars are this luxurious and comfortable either. I like BMW and Audi but by the time you get to their racing lines your paying twice the price and for BMW the interior looks terrible in the m5's imho. I saved up cash and got a 2003 with 67k for 10k.
I’m close to buying a 2007 E63 AMG, it’s been well taken care of with a long list of preventive maintenance. It just crossed 100,000 miles and the 100,000 mile service has already been dealt with. How worried should I be maintenance wise? I only plan on keeping the car for 6 months or so and ideally I don’t want to put any money into it aside from oil changes. Fluids and brakes have already been dealt with from a previous owner around 80k or 90k miles.
I have a question man I have a 05 e55 switched to coil springs but now I have the stop car to low message is there any way I can delete it always on when I start the car annoying
I just subscribed to your channel. I like to do some of the regular maintenance myself but don't know how to do the more technical stuff. I hope you post your repair videos as it will help people like us. Thanks.
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I want to get a performance car, but I don't have a large budget which is why I'm looking at these e55 AMG's. For what you get they are extremely cheap. I am looking at a 2004 e55 AMG, 184,000 miles. Looks good on the outside at a glance and short walk around. Haven't seen under the hood or under the car yet. The guys asking $9,500. I feel I could get it for cheaper but I need some advice. Feedback greatly appreciated.
The air inj. on my S600 also went out and I have a CL lite. But how did u know the relay went out? I've checked all the relays on my car and they're ok.
I want a big Mercedes AMG but I'm scared to buy one. If I do buy it'll be close to 100k miles. I don't know crap about cars but with my interest I'm willing to learn. Bad thing is, I don't have a garage or lift..... So far I'm thinking C55 AMG or E55 AMG. Are there any that's particularly reliable?
I hate hate hate the secondary air pumps. My e39 m5 had the same issue and it's such a useless part but the cel is very annoying, especially trying to explain it to a prospective buyer.
I'm thinking of getting one as a project car.. are the easy to build? After market support? I'm 17 and I really just want something to track. My dad has a 2006 E55 AMG that we are building but I want my own 😭😂
Hey man, My names Chris, i'm a 16 year old broke high school student who has enough to buy this car, i have worked on a few cars before and my father used to be a mechanic, my question is, as a 16 year old high school student with a little experience on cars, should I get this car?
The early E63 (m156) have problems with the valve train and head bolts, I wouldn't touch them with a pole :) It got fixed after a while but I have no idea when. The later ones are supposed to be solid. This is the main reason I settled for an W211 E55(m113K). All W212 AMGs are just to expensive for my wallet :)
Yeah I'm in no position to buy a newer model haha. But, older AMG models aren't too expensive. They just have higher mileage, but with that I feel they probably have a lot of issues. There's also an 06 E55 listed up near me with 141k on it, I feel like I'd be taking a huge risk to purchase an AMG with that much.
Mine has 115k miles but is well maintained, and that is the most important thing. The only problem I've had is a broken pump for the supercharger cooling. But make no mistake you are buying an old performance car so things are gonna break and if you plan to take this car to the dealer for every problem don't buy it. Everybody who is wealthy enough to maintain this car at the dealer can afford a new one aswell that is the reason they are so cheap.
Please reply. I am close to purchasing an AMG car. it has 131,000 miles on it. its a 2005 C55 AMG. is that too high? do you know any common problems at that mileage? I am purchasing it as a daily driver
For a C55 there is a lot less to worry about. I used to have one, they are super reliable and pretty low maintenance. You don't have to worry about air suspension or any fancy gizmos. Just check the service history for regular maintenance that was done - oil changes and trans fluid changes etc. Good luck.
hmm... Not bad considering it's an AMG I mean, if you DIY... You'll can actuallybe driving around in these cars pretty cheap... You still got to make quiet a decent salery... but still, It's a dream that's possible to acheave
I always see you commenting on the is-f videos. I to want an is-f but when I started following this channel and legitstreetcars I am now torn between what I want now. I love both cars so much lol
I first changed the fluid at around 63,000km or 39,000 miles so I only did a transmission service where I emptied the pan (4 litres or so) and replaced filter/gasket and put new fluid. If you have a higher mileage car and the fluid was never changed before, you most likely need to replace all of the fluid (9 litres I think) if it's not red in color anymore. I'll try and find a link for a full trans flush.
www.aliexpress.com/item/Newest-Mb-Star-C3-Multiplexer-with-RS485-All-New-Relay-Newest-Software-DAS-2015-07-Xentry/32740482928.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.0.TzgACd Works like a charm :p I bought a Dell D630 seperate and combined with import taxes it costed me 360€. It also comes with WIS and EPC.