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trouser chili posted:Is it just maintenance costs or are they unreliable? Yes. I know that people will come out of the woodwork to defend their e55/e63ss and what not, but just routine maintenance on those cars is astounding. They do not have great reliability records on top of that (which isn't uncommon for an extremely high performance car) but the parts are scary expensive. For example, I have been told the price of an e63 front strut is about 4x for that of a E92 M3. Tai-Pan fucked around with this message at 23:31 on Mar 27, 2013 |
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Mar 27, 2013 23:26
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Tai-Pan posted:Yes. Do you think there is just not quite the enthusiast market for Mercedes AMG products vs BMW M? The guys down at the joint BMW/Mercedes dealer deal way more with BMW than Mercedes, and its not due to breakdowns, just more to the effect of the shear number of cars being sold in the area. Or is it more of a particular market?
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Mar 28, 2013 00:04
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What amazes me about Mercedes is just how bad things got during the bad years. These guys invented so much and had solid engineering for decades - what the hell happened? The other thing I don't understand is how unbalanced some of the cars are, especially the AMG variants. I don't really see the point in buying one over an American muscle car for 1/3rd the price - all the power in the world doesn't matter to me if the handling isn't more composed and connected to the driver.
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Mar 28, 2013 01:27
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It also disappointed me when Mercedes dropped their quality and also merged with Chrysler. I am a big Mercedes fanboy and seeing them go through the late 90s and early 2000s with poor build quality, cost cutting and bad engineering ideas (like the brake assist thing on the W201 S Class which caused more trouble than it was worth). It is good to see Mercedes crawling back from that poo poo period. Whether they can match their pre-1996 quality will be interesting to see.
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Mar 28, 2013 02:36
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wallaka posted:If you enjoy getting more than 15 mpg, don't get an AMG. They are pretty solid cars with a propensity to eat through tires like a tornado through a trailer park. I've had mine for a year and a half and 15,000 miles with just regular maintenance and an alternator, which wasn't too bad. Well it was just a toy. Something to take out when the weather is perfect, maybe three to five thousand miles a year.
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Mar 28, 2013 03:42
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So I might be bringing home a S500 W140 this weekend to use as a donor for a slightly sinister engine swap.
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Mar 28, 2013 04:00
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Well I did end up purchasing the 05 E500 with 155k on the clock for $7300. I was going to do a pre-purchase inspection so I called the local dealer up and described the car trying to get an estimate. He knew the car instantly and told me he had already done one for the dealer that is selling it. So I learned basically that it just got a new crank position sensor and was getting a new SBC controller under wtty, and that it will need a new trunk battery and possibly clock spring/steering sensor sometime around the next service interval. Aside from that, I'm loving it so far. Seems like every time I get in it I discover some new gadget or function. The nav is strange but I love how it puts the street name in the speedo display. It appears to have AMG wheels on it as well, though i'm not sure if they're repros or not. 
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Mar 28, 2013 04:04
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cursedshitbox posted:So I might be bringing home a S500 W140 this weekend to use as a donor for a slightly sinister engine swap. Keeping it in the family?
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Mar 28, 2013 05:04
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Going to plop it into a 190e.
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Mar 28, 2013 05:38
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trouser chili posted:Well it was just a toy. Something to take out when the weather is perfect, maybe three to five thousand miles a year. Oh yeah, it'd be great for that. Just saying that there are extra costs involved that some people tend to disregard cause  FAHV HUNNERT HORSEPOWAH . I DD mine when I'm not riding the bike, and so far, costs have been way less than my old M3 with the added value of no catastrophic failures of something like a simple loving timing chain tensioner that pumps all the goddamn oil out the side of the block.
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Mar 28, 2013 06:06
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EnergizerFellow posted:You also have the Mercedes enthusiasts who have 2-3+ Mercs in the driveway, virtually always some combination of W123/W124/W116/W126 with the odd W201/W202 here and there. Bonus points if they're all diesel and mostly wagons. I went to go schedule an appointment for my car today at my local German indie shop and there were like 4 almost identical W123s parked outside. I meant to ask about it but completely forgot.
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Mar 28, 2013 08:05
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FIRST TIME posted:I went to go schedule an appointment for my car today at my local German indie shop and there were like 4 almost identical W123s parked outside. I meant to ask about it but completely forgot. They were actually racing. It's hard to tell sometimes.
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Mar 28, 2013 16:22
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trouser chili posted:They were actually racing. It's hard to tell sometimes.  There are 3 w123 diesels in the driveway and 2 are daily drivers. I have been eyeing w110 diesels recently though...
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Mar 28, 2013 19:37
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Tai-Pan posted:Yes. Coming out of the woodwork to defend my E55. The reason the front struts are more expensive on the E55 is because they are air struts. If you should ever need to replace the front air struts or the rear air spring at the dealership expect several thousand dollars. I read somewhere the dealer wants around $1,000 apiece for the front struts alone. However, you can get better parts from Arnott Industries for about $500 each and have an indie dealer do it or do it yourself for much cheaper. Other than that, I'm not sure what other routine maintenance is so costly. The engines require 16 plugs and the oil changes are about $100 if you take it to a Jiffy lube or something. It's not a big deal when you think about how much you saved vs the poor guy who bought it brand new. As with ANY car, if you take it to the dealership you will be bent over. The local Mercedes dealer sent me a Christmas card offering me a $199 "Service A" aka oil change and inspection.
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Mar 29, 2013 00:14
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Cyrezar posted:Coming out of the woodwork to defend my E55. Ya? Hows that transmission and torque converter holdin' up on you?
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Mar 29, 2013 22:12
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Who's got two thumbs and a used E500 with the leaky fuel tank cabin vapor issue. *this guy*  That'll teach me to fill up the fuel tank all the way. Got the seller to split the labor with me on replacing the gaskets under the rear seats anyway.
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Mar 30, 2013 00:23
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Is there any page with comprehensive info about Mercedes cars of the 70s and 80s, model comparisons, what to look for, common problems, and that sort of thing?
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Mar 30, 2013 00:56
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You could try here.
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Mar 30, 2013 01:32
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Is this a good price for a nice low mileage 300D? $3800 asking price for a seemingly good condition 1980 with 95k http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/cto/3698555303.html
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Mar 30, 2013 03:08
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VanNuys posted:Is this a good price for a nice low mileage 300D? $3800 asking price for a seemingly good condition 1980 with 95k http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/cto/3698555303.html Wow, that's beautiful - hop on it, a few hundred more feels worth it to me for that kind of mileage and (assumed) history
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Mar 30, 2013 03:39
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I'd buy it. Very fair price for that car.
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Mar 30, 2013 04:39
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It's deleted, you guys must of harassed the owner, haha.
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Mar 30, 2013 06:08
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Tai-Pan posted:Ya? Hows that transmission and torque converter holdin' up on you? I've never heard of either of those being problems with this car. Sources?
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Mar 30, 2013 22:35
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Looks like I'll be an AMG owner sometime between now and this time next year - I placed an order for an A45 today  It'll be my first Mercedes after a decade of Holdens then VW's. I'll keep one VW (the R36) but trade the Golf GTI for the A45. Happy times.
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Apr 10, 2013 09:31
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Finch! posted:Looks like I'll be an AMG owner sometime between now and this time next year - I placed an order for an A45 today Awesome! I can't wait to hear how you like it. Have you test driven one?
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Apr 10, 2013 09:37
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KozmoNaut posted:Awesome! I can't wait to hear how you like it. Have you test driven one? Nope. They won't be in Australia until July at the earliest. I'm not expecting mine before the end of the year. I was looking to replace the 06 GTI and drove the current model Golf GTI and the A250 Sport. Both were underwhelming - nice cars, but not very different to what I've got already. The Golf R and new S3 aren't here (or anywhere?) yet. I did think about the M135i but... no. If we had a shooting brake version - like the M Coupe of old - I'd have been all over it. The four door version we get here isn't for me, though I am sure it is a great car even if it is ugly as gently caress. Finch! fucked around with this message at 10:01 on Apr 10, 2013 |
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Apr 10, 2013 09:53
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Cyrezar posted:I've never heard of either of those being problems with this car. Sources? They're not problems, plain and simple. I daily drove my 2004 E55 for 4 years and 71,000 miles, and visited the MBworld forums daily. The only real issue with the transmission was the occasional connector plate seeping fluid(an easy fix), and a couple of people who did have the tranny start to act up, but they were pushing it, as in running 11.50's and under in the 1/4 mile on a very regular basis. I saw very very few cases of tranny and engine problems, and almost all of them were on heavily modified cars. During my ownership all I had to do was regular maintenance, which on an E55 includes motor and tranny mounts, crankshaft position sensor, brakes, and of course rear tires every 10-12K. They are actually very solid cars aside from the occasional fuel sender leak or air suspension issue. Mine had a 180mmm pulley and tune and ran 11.90's for the last 55,000 miles I owned it, with no adverse effects.
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Apr 10, 2013 22:31
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Is there a large difference in price between part/labor on an e550 and a AMG e55? I am looking at purchasing either a 07-08 e550 with 70k~ miles or an 04-05 e55 AMG 90k~ish miles but the one thing I'm stuck on is maintenance cost.
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May 1, 2013 15:30
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Sepist posted:Is there a large difference in price between part/labor on an e550 and a AMG e55? I am looking at purchasing either a 07-08 e550 with 70k~ miles or an 04-05 e55 AMG 90k~ish miles but the one thing I'm stuck on is maintenance cost. The newer car would be better.... I cant remember what years the wiring harnesses that would just poo poo themselves. Plus its an AMG, which is the BMW M division of Mercedes. Plan on every thing being about 1.5 times more than regular parts.
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May 1, 2013 17:59
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Why waste this time with a post 95 Benz? Just buy one of these: http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/cto/3710879875.html Now if only I could sell my 300E and come up with a bit more cash... 7734 fucked around with this message at 18:40 on May 1, 2013 |
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May 1, 2013 18:36
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BrokenKnucklez posted:The newer car would be better.... I cant remember what years the wiring harnesses that would just poo poo themselves. Thanks. I'm liking the E550 more than the AMG the more I compare the two, I'm coming from a 600hp car that I barely get to take advantage of so the performance loss doesn't bother me, just the money aspect.
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May 1, 2013 19:05
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Keep in mind that AMG doesn't just add engine power, the suspension etc. is significantly different too. Depends on whether you want an all-out grandpa boat with a big engine, or a slightly less grandpa boat with an even bigger engine and semi-sporty suspension, really.
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May 1, 2013 20:55
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Sepist posted:Thanks. I'm liking the E550 more than the AMG the more I compare the two, I'm coming from a 600hp car that I barely get to take advantage of so the performance loss doesn't bother me, just the money aspect. The dealer makes everything prohibitively expensive no matter what model you buy IMO. If you can do your own work I don't see how it would be too much difference part wise. There is also a surprisingly big aftermarket for the E55 and the mbworld forums are a great resource. I was shopping similar cars before I bought my E55 last August. I've said it before but I'm not aware of a way to currently get more car for the money on the used market. So far I've replaced the heater changeover valve for about $60 and the spark plugs for about $130 (16 spark plugs on the 55K engines). Getting both of those done at the dealer would have resulted in a bill in excess of $1,000. I am in no way an experienced mechanic but you figure poo poo out quickly when those are your options. Some annoying stuff on my 04: -iPod kit means I can't use my non-Apple phone to play music -The Bluetooth module only is useful for making voice calls not playing music -SBC brakes of death mean I'm gonna pay an independent shop to do the pads and rotors soon (at about 60K miles currently) -The passenger side dynamic seat/massage controls rattle around and squeak. This is really the only interior squeak I've noticed. -Rear alcantara headliner is starting to sag. -Front lower mesh grill clips broke off. I just removed the lower piece until I buy more clips. $3 each at dealership -Passenger AMG sill plate (its plastic that looks metal) got kicked off. Same as above, its secured by cheap plastic clips. -Even with the air suspension at the highest level it will sometimes scrape coming into my ridiculously steep driveway. -Keyless Go occasionally acts weird and the driver side door sensor hasn't worked since I bought the car. Part is like $150 online. -A/C is a little weak/low pressure, probably needs to be refreshed. -If the entire air suspension goes it would probably cost about $1500 or so to DIY replace the air suspension or $2,000 to switch it to coilovers. I think aftermarket struts are about $500 each, rear air spring is a little more. Apparently switching to coilovers required several hundred in parts to switch to the traditional suspension plus the cost of the coilovers. I could also no longer park it in my garage because of the loving aforementioned hill. -Somewhat anticlimactic to drive on public roads due to its tendency to reach illegal speeds quickly. Thankfully the loads of torque make it fun at low speeds too. -Newer cars that cost tens of thousands of dollars more may be slightly faster Some cool stuff about the car: Its a fast as gently caress Mercedes that crushes pretty much everything on the road while being immensely comfortable and luxurious and cost about $21,000
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May 1, 2013 23:33
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BrokenKnucklez posted:Do you think there is just not quite the enthusiast market for Mercedes AMG products vs BMW M? The guys down at the joint BMW/Mercedes dealer deal way more with BMW than Mercedes, and its not due to breakdowns, just more to the effect of the shear number of cars being sold in the area. Or is it more of a particular market? To a lot of people, the way many BMWs drive just feels 'right'. My fiancée was mostly ambivalent towards cars and driving until I got my e46 and taught her to drive stick in it. Now she 'gets' cars - she wants to go take a weekend class at a local rally school, and she keeps sending me pictures she takes with her phone of random M cars sees around town. I just don't think Mercedes is as good at inspiring passion about their cars as BMW is. I used to work at a dealership and drove plenty of cars with more power or better handling, or nicer interiors than a 3 series, but the list of cars that feel as good to drive is pretty short, and most of the cars on that list have suspensions harsh enough to make them unpleasant to daily commute in. Also note how few Mercs have manual transmissions as an option compared to how many bimmers do - that's definitely a factor in their popularity amongst enthusiast crowd.
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May 4, 2013 23:35
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Is there love for the R107 in this thread? Just bought an '86 560SL today.    It has ~130k miles and was kept in nice shape by an elderly gentleman. It has some typical old benz quirks like the cruise control doesn't work and the ABS light came on tonight, but the engine and transmission seem to be in great shape. Windows, locks, climate control, and AC seem to work well. It's amazing how much power this has for a car from 1986. On the freeway it really feels like there's smooth, unlimited power.
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May 26, 2013 07:28
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Nice ride! Appears to be the same color as my 86 300E. Would love to take one of those for a whirl. The V8 and that small of a car have to be a blast. The ABS light coming on is caused by a faulty Over Voltage Protection (OVP) relay I believe, on my car its located under the splash shield behind the battery. It's about a $100 part and a 10 second fix. Just make sure you get a genuine MB replacement part.
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May 26, 2013 20:20
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Thanks for the tip--I'll have to check that out. In general what's the best manual for working on these cars, is there a place that sells factory service manuals? I'm most curious right now to see basic maintenance like changing oil and spark plugs, but will no doubt need to do more stuff in the future.
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May 26, 2013 20:50
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My OP is totally irrelevant now, do you guys have any general info you want me to put up there instead?
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May 26, 2013 20:52
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mod sassinator posted:Thanks for the tip--I'll have to check that out. In general what's the best manual for working on these cars, is there a place that sells factory service manuals? I'm most curious right now to see basic maintenance like changing oil and spark plugs, but will no doubt need to do more stuff in the future. http://www.benzworld.org/forums/ Probably the best source for free info, should be links to scanned factory service manuals in the DIY section. Haynes manuals are not the greatest, but you can usually pick up used factory service manuals on ebay, though they are written for Mercedes trained mechanics and are a bit obtuse. Do yourself a favor and pick up a good digital volt meter and be well equipped with metric tools, especially hex bits and angle wrenches. The electronic injection and ignition systems on these are a bit of a challenge, there's no central ECU like on modern cars, but things like the ABS, fuel injection, ignition, etc. all have there own electronic control units. No fault codes either, just open loop, closed loop, etc. At least on my M103 straight six, the general maintenance is rather easy. Though I imagine the V8 may be a little more cramped to work around, if the previous owner has maintenance records, refer to those. If it's been a while since anything serious has been done I'd suggest plugs, cap, rotor, fuel filter, air filter, and your o2 sensor might be needing to be replaced soon. Make sure to check out the rubber flex discs that connect the drive shaft to the transmission and rear end. Those tend to age and become brittle if not replaced regularly and are a HUGE pain if they fail, usually resulting in having to buy a whole new drive shaft. For any head scratching problems, I'd seriously suggest finding a local independent important mechanic to work on this when you get over your head. There is a local mechanic in my town who has bailed me out on several occasions and with a car this nice, it's really worth it to take it to an expert.
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May 26, 2013 21:27
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Yeah my friend is into mercs and found a nice local independent Mercedes shop which is part of the reason I didn't feel so worried buying an older one. Reading around a bit it sounds like with the 560 and other M117 engined cars you need to be careful of plastic timing chain tensioners that break and ruin the timing, bend valves, etc. Looks like pulling off the valve covers to inspect the timing chain will be on the top of my maintenance list.
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May 27, 2013 02:00
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