got e55k today. a few concerns

[smoothcoupe]

Hi all. I collected my 2003 e55 today with 55,000 miles.. i never noticed before but on idle the engine sounds a little tappy... is this normal should i be concerned, the noise does not increase with revs its just at idle.. also it managed 24 mpg on the motorway run which i thought was quite good...... what are S, C, and M on the gear selector, obviously M meaning manual.. sorry if these are silly questions.... gonna read the handbook ( sunday afternoon read ).....

 

[simon1966]

Congrats on the car, I'm sure you will enjoy it!

Most of the 55K's I have heard are what I would call noisy (tappet noise). There are a few out there that seem quiet but most as mine are quite noisy, so probably nothing to worry about. If you google it there are a few YouTube videos of 55K engines that will probably sound exactly the same as yours. All that said I do wish they were quieter.

C mode on gearbox is comfort which basically means the car will pull away in 2nd. S mode is sport, car will pull away in 1st. M is manual.

I used to always leave mine in S, but more recently just leave it in C as it will drop anyway if you floor it!!!! I often have a play in M too when I'm in the mood and car always seems to sound bit better for it

 

[barreti]

I think S is Sport, C is Comfort and M is as you say, Manual.
Sport seems to set off a bit livelier and holds the revs for longer for quicker progress.
M is, well to be honest is pretty much redundant.

But I've only had my Merc a week so I could be talking b*llocks ;-)

 

[SavMan]

Hi all. I collected my 2003 e55 today with 55,000 miles.. i never noticed before but on idle the engine sounds a little tappy... is this normal should i be concerned, the noise does not increase with revs its just at idle.. also it managed 24 mpg on the motorway run which i thought was quite good...... what are S, C, and M on the gear selector, obviously M meaning manual.. sorry if these are silly questions.... gonna read the handbook ( sunday afternoon read ).....

These engines can sound tappy as well as not particularly smooth at idle almost lumpy.

C is comfort mode it will pull away in 2nd and will pick a higher gear it is very similar to W mode which has been used by Mercedes for years (in star it actually shows as W mode). S mode is standard or sometimes referred as sport mode, will pull away from a standing start in 1st gear and hold the gears longer. You can still use the steering buttons to change gear in all modes, in fact M mode will still change gear automatically. Word of advice dont drive with light throttle in M mode as the torqure convertor will lock causing a severe jolt, can't remember the exact revs but its around 3k+ in 1st and 2nd gear.

 

[Rashman]

It's also important to note that in Comfort mode, gear changes are slower.

Not sure if the 55's are the same as the 63's, but in the 63's, gear changes in "S" are 50% quicker than "C" and gear changes in "M" are 20% quicker than "S".

Also, in "C", the transmission will also change up a gear sooner. Although this may not be the case under full-load conditions.

While in "C" mode, the car will also reverse using the 2nd reverse gear.


Savman, good to see you here again!
Hope you had a nice time away

 

[b1g1an]

I tend to stick to S as in C it's either a bit sluggish or full on, no mid point. M is good for holding gears in the twistys.

 

[Rashman]

I tend to stick to S as in C it's either a bit sluggish or full on, no mid point. M is good for holding gears in the twistys.

Manual all the way for me!

 

[SavMan]

Savman, good to see you here again!
Hope you had a nice time away

Not yet still have another week or so to go but getting back to civilisation so a little more connectivity.

 

[simon1966]

I tend to stick to S as in C it's either a bit sluggish or full on, no mid point. M is good for holding gears in the twistys.

I think that's maybe why I now like C mode. Potter about in town then floor it and it just goes ballistic!

 

[Rashman]

Not yet still have another week or so to go but getting back to civilisation so a little more connectivity.

Good man.
Enjoy yourself.

 

[b1g1an]

These engines can sound tappy as well as not particularly smooth at idle almost lumpy.

Mine was like that but a box Eurocharged tune made it so smooth you can't feel the motor at all at idle.

Word of advice dont drive with light throttle in M mode as the torqure convertor will lock causing a severe jolt, can't remember the exact revs but its around 3k+ in 1st and 2nd gear.

Thanks for the info, I've come across it and thought there was something wrong with the gearbox, have since been assured there isn't. Could you elaborate a bit, particularly the right way to use it as it seems natural to be trailing the throttle when changing down in anticipation?

 

[b1g1an]

Potter about in town then floor it and it just goes ballistic!

Ironically, that's exactly when I don't like C, if you want to nip out into traffic you either get a worrying lack of go or risk full tilt into the opposite kerb or car in front.

In S did have a habit of lurching a bit sometimes if you were pulling away gently but that is another benefit of the tune as it is now beautifully controllable as others have mentioned.

 

[SavMan]

Ironically, that's exactly when I don't like C, if you want to nip out into traffic you either get a worrying lack of go or risk full tilt into the opposite kerb or car in front.

In S did have a habit of lurching a bit sometimes if you were pulling away gently but that is another benefit of the tune as it is now beautifully controllable as others have mentioned.

I only have mobile access so cannot post the graph but hopefully someone else that has it can post it, it is in relation to load and from memory it's less than 30% or close to it. If you acclerate at higher load it will rev all the way anything less it will jolt and revs will drop. I find M best when you are pushing hard.

 

[OceanstarBug]

My e55k is very quiet once warms up, I normally leave the gear on "S" and suspension on "S1",

 

[Zed82]

Yeah mine sounds just like that as well. Don´t you know that there´s a beast under the hood?

 

[smoothcoupe]

mind at rest

Now u guys put my mind at rest. I cant take the grin off my face.. what a car..

 

[Alps]

as with the rest of the comments, i think its normal to assume somethings wrong when you get a new car and its different sounding to your old one, i was the same with mine

 

[smoothcoupe]

The problem is that my other car is a jag xjr8 which is super quite.. but e55 is a completely different ball game. I thought my jag was quick but my my its like getting married all over again..

 

[simon1966]

The problem is that my other car is a jag xjr8 which is super quite.. but e55 is a completely different ball game. I thought my jag was quick but my my its like getting married all over again..

Similar case for me, my previous car was a Jag S Type R, which was really quiet in comparison and seemed much more refined. Jag was quick but the E55 is another level.. I kept thinking something was wrong with my car with the valve gear noise but as said most others I have heard are pretty similar.