DIY - Buying a 15 year old super wagon 2005 E55 AMG M113K | Purchase, Inspection and Plans - Pt. 1
Hello fellow Steemians!
Following the journey I took you on with my 1987 BMW 325i and my 1999 BMW 320i (still my daily) it's time to update you on the newest addition to the 'fleet' - a 2005 Mercedes E55 AMG Wagon (or T-Modell as Mercedes calls it).
Following a long and exhausting search, countless messages, 100s of hours browsing online and a few viewings which were a disaster I finally found the one in January of this year.
The Mighty E55 AMG
Before getting into my purchase, let me briefly go into the history of this car which was launched in 2002. At the time AMG was still partially independent and treated Mercedes cars to a very traditional 'makeover' which usually meant putting a hugely powerful engine into the standard models, in this case the 211 E-Class, and then adding a few bits and bolts like suspension and transmission upgrades, AMG wheels, exhaust system and bodykit as well as some interior appointments like seats and special leather. All in all it was still a very nuanced approach and it also retained much of the classic Mercedes hallmarks in terms of ride comfort and overall 'cushiness'.
What made the 211 variant called the 'E55' special was its engine which was AMG's first and to this day only supercharged V8. Based on the 3 valve dual overhead cam (non adjustable) 5.0L V8 engine called M113 they created the 5.5L supercharged M113ML (Mechanischer Lader - german for supercharger) engine with an intercooled charger and a cool 500hp and a mighty torque plateau of 700NM from 2.200rpm to 5.200rpm. All engines were hand built at AMG in in Affalterbach and received a plaque with the builder's name on top.
Mercedes AMG officially rated the engine at 476hp for Europe, 469hp for the US but there isn't a 55 that left the factory below 500hp - this is more to do with the power figure for the higher priced SL, CL, CLS and S class models needing to be a tad higher than for the 'cheaper' E class.
Being the smallest model in the range to receive this engine also meant that it was the lightest, take that with a grain of salt as most models weigh in at around 1.800kg+ depending on options, and therefore fastest.
At the time of release the E55 sedan and wagon were the fastest production cars in their class in the world, the wagon held that record for a few years since it actually accelerated faster than the sedan and eclipsed the 100km/h mark in less than 4.5 seconds, with good tires and low fuel you can easily go below 4.0 seconds. In addition the top speed was limited to either 155mph (250km/h) or raised to a factory 186mph (300km/h). Completely unregulated both models will go up to around 310-320km/h.
Needless to say these cars are bullet trains built for the Autobahn and straight line acceleration, cross continent high speed travel and not for your local backroads or local racetracks. Afterall, this is what's known as the 'Taxi' in Mercedes' lineup. The upside to this, and this is the magic of this car, is clearly the mind blowing combination of high end luxury, silky smooth ride quality, air suspension and very tame handling characteristics paired with an insanely powerful engine which draws all its charme from the low end and pleases the ear constantly with a very present and very unique V8 blower sound.
I said it the M113ML was the only supercharged V8 AMG built which technically speaking is incorrect as the Mercedes Mclaren SLR supercar also received this engine but in the variant of the M155ML which was a modified M113ML featuring different intake, improved fuel injectors, headers for the exahaust, dry sump oil system and a different supercharger with an improved intercooler resulting in well over 600hp. Through my journey with the E55 I've come to know a few people who actually managed to put some of these parts on their 55 engines to increase performance and/or durability.
So without boring the living daylights out of you you get the picture. These cars always fascinated me and are quiet sought after enthusiast cars now that they've depreciated. Good E55s never really went below 10k EUR in Germany, in the US you can maybe find some for less than 10k USD. Thing is I did not want to buy a perfect one with nothing to do, this was supposed to be a 'COVID project' for lockdown days plus I wanted to really get into the Mercedes tech of this early 2000s era since I really have learned, explored and done everything possible on the BMWs of this era and was a bit tired of my Bavarian 'patients'. So I needed a good base, ideally original condition and in a good running state with some cosmetic/mechanical todos and that I found in December of last year...
The Purchase - Research and Selection
During my research I had spotted this one early on but didn't prioritize it because it was a) far away on the other end of the country and b) not completely original which is usually a bad sign (lights, grill, stickers)
Never the less the more I viewed and contacted other offerings the more it turned out this one was actually a potential winner since it had an honest history, very few owners, was a German car and not 're'imported and offered a unique combination in terms of options. In addition to the already very long standard options it came with:
- auxiliary heating
- keyless entry and start function (KEYLESS GO)
- radar operated cruise control (DIStronic)
- special order 'Designo' exterior color (Graphite Grey Metallic)
- special order 'Designo' alcantara headliner
- sunroof
- power lift gate
- garage door opener
- tinted windows in the rear
- Harmann Kardon sound system
- heated seats in the rear
- 'Dynamic' massage seats
- deletion of all exterior badges
Now this combination is quite unique and I found the color, very rare and not silver or black, as well as the options very appealing.
The car had 160.000mls/257.000km and the current owner had it for over 8 years, it sat on original AMG 18" wheels and had no modifications to engine, transmission, exhaust, brakes and suspension which is quite rare at this point in the car's age. There were some maintanance related unintended modifications which I would later find out - but such is the old German performance buying experience :).
As for potential faults, I specifically asked about the big ticket items:
Engine, the 'Check Engine' light was on and the owner told me that on the phone, it was also visible on one of the pistures owner said this was diagnosed and related to the SLP pump, secondary air injection pump, which is faulty but not vital to the engine and therefore not a big issue. I did some research and found out that if indeed the SLP pump was to blame for this it would be no biggie but obviously I did not know for sure what was behind the light so I figured I'd read the fault codes when on location.
SBC brakes, this generation Mercedes has a unique sensotronic, electro-hydraulic braking system with a very bad rep - it actually isn't bad but it is special and can get expensive as the brakes are actuated by a pump which gets an electronic signal from the brake pedal so the pedal is not actually connected to the brakes. Also the pump has a limited amount of actuations it can go through - the owner said it's never thrown an error during his ownership and that discs and pads front and rear had recently been replaced
AIRmatic air suspension, all E55 AMGs came standard with the Airmatic suspension, 2 air struts up front and 2 airbags plus 2 dampers in the rear (wagon specific), great suspension with 4 height and hardness settings and a pump and multiple lines going through all 4 corners of the car. If it breaks it's usually one of the struts or dampers or airbags or all of those and it gets very expensive very quickly. Good news is this stuff rarely breaks all at once and actually is quite durable - the owner said, never had an issue but also never did anything to the suspension during his ownership
Transmission, this car uses the venerable 722.6 5 speed slush box, super durable and pretty straight forward owner said he had a receipt from a trans flush from 2015 and never had an issue
Wheels and tires, car came with the standard 18" AMG Styling IV wheels in 8x18 and 9x18, important to get these wheels with the car as any original AMG wheels are very expensive and getting more expensive by the day owner said the tires are shot summer tires but they keep air and can be driven
Electronics, the 211 is known for a myriad of issues mostly due to owners and mechanics using the wrong or faulty batteries (the car has 2) and misdiagnosing under voltage error codes as system/ecu specific faults which are actually solely related to the batteries owner said the keyless entry and start is inoperable, the radar cruise control works and there are no other issues
After a few calls with the owner we came to an agreement and I looked into how to get the car to Berlin, it was located 830km South West from my location. A few quotes from car shipping companies ranged from 'that's too far out' to '600-1200 EUR' and in the middle of lockdown it was tricky anyway so I figured I'll just go pick it up.
The car was deregistered so I had to get plates which in Germany is not so easy when you're not a dealer so I got myself an appointment at the local DMV down at the car's location to get temporary plates before the viewing. In case I wouldn't buy the car all I'd lose is around EUR40 for the plates and 30 minutes of my time.
Purchase and Drive home - 24 hrs aren't enough!
So I was faced with picking up the car, in the middle of nowhere, during lockdown, in winter! Sounds like fun don't it?
I figured the cheapest and easiest would be to rent a car, drive down to the Luxemburg border, get the plates, go to the car, do the test drive, negotiate and pay, return the rental and drive home. Obviously it seemed likely that this would take so long that I wouldn't make it in one go so I planned for a nap on the way back and just continue whenever I was ready.
I got a good deal with the rental and made the huge mistake of picking an Audi A4 Avant over a BMW 3 series. I always make this mistake when it comes to rentals, the Audis attract me so much that I forget their inevitable flaws in ergonomics and drivetrain. If you want to learn more check out my review of a comparable A5 here:
In any case it luckily had pleasant steering and was pretty comfortable so I set out at 6am and made my way to the Autobahn:
The first few hours were done in complete darkness until a shallow sunrise combined with some light snow and fog greeted me some 400km down south, only 400km more to go:
Upon arrival I went to the local DMV to get the plates, after another inevitable hickup (my insurance number wouldn't work so I got one for 50 bucks via SMS) I had my plates and at 2:30pm was ready to view the car. In case you're wondering, yes, I am certifiable.
Due to privacy I don't have any pictures of the car at the owner's house or the test drive.
After a thorough inspection, test drive and negotiation I did buy the car and after returning my rental and the seller generously offering to drive with me to the return station 30 minutes from his house and back I for the first time sat in my E55 and eased it out of his driveway to the nearest gas station.
I knew that the car had sat outside for over 6 months and not been moved much during that time so transmission, engine and supercharger were slow to wakeup from the slumber. Nothing better than a near 1.000km drive home to warm everything up and test every button in the interior.
The car had smoked out grill instead of the original chrome and an after market front bumper, it features the side air ducts from the later E63 models but doesn't have the pointy nose. I knew it wasn't original but quite like the look of it. Also there was no front plate holder.
I noticed a rubbing/vibration in the brakes under certain load conditions and speeds during the test drive but couldn't pin it down. Also, the headlight lenses were pretty dull and the left xenon bulb was red and didn't illuminate much which was great as it was already dark and I had 800km ahead of me and the weather report showed 'heavy fog and sleet' Yeehaaa!
Other than that though everything on the car worked, the engine pulled strong, there were no creaks or rattles, it felt solid as a tank and the overall condition and electronic status seemed really good!
I filled up the car and the tires and put on the tire pressure monitoring system which to my surprise worked like a charm, the tires were shot summer tires but they didn't lose any air and the ride was let's say manageable - I also never exceeded 80mph (120kmh) :). I would have liked to change the oil filter then and there but the owner had documentation that it had been done less than 4.000km ago so I just filled the engine up to level with some Petronas 0W40 and kept an eye on the level throughout the trip.
I did the run to Frankfurt am Main in one go before turning east to head home to Berlin and did a quick stopover. It was around 8:30pm and I had covered 375km.
At this point I got pretty familiarized and comfortable with the car and loved it. The most surprising thing about the trip so far was how uneventful it was - the car started, ran, worked and drove just fine with the only worry being the warm glow of the check engine light which I was unable to diagnose as none of my code readers worked when I viewed the car - yeah, anyway.
So I went on my way and the first gas stop came up at around 11:08pm and some 450km. You can tell by the time and distance covered how slow my progress was, it was cold, windy, icy, snowy and I was accompanied by constant heavy fog with headlights that seem to work 30% maybe and two fog lights that did work but pointed more toward the moon than the road ahead.
As you can see the most heavily modified section was the rear with the blacked out aftermarket tail lights, inoperable rear wiper and a bunch of stickers.
Shortly after this gas stop at around midnight I was getting tired so I stopped to take a nap in the comfy passenger seat.
The rest of the trip was equally uneventful and I hit Berlin at 3:38am after around 800km total:
Here you can see my trip stats:
I was pleasantly surprised with my 5.5L charged V8 averaging out at 12.5L/100km. After checking the oil, the car had 'consumed' around 0.5L of engine oil which is to be expected following my almost 1.000km stint after it had sat outside for 6 months without having been moved.
Here it is parked outside for the first night:
This was only one of three times so far that I left it outside but at that point with temporary plates I just parked it in front of the police station and went home to get some sleep.
This is the end of part 1. Join me for the next one to learn about my journey with the E55 wagon, trust me there's quite some surprises coming up.
Steem ya later!
