Wanted - Any class AMG 5.4 Supercharged V8

[Ryandz]

Yeah it's SMC Nottingham.

Spoken to one of their guys today. Four former keepers, all documented history with MB until 2010 where there are no stamps afterwards but he assures me it HAS been serviced although not stamped. This is the only bit I feel a bit iffy about.

Still on airmatic suspension, will have been serviced and 12 month MOT put on it for buyer as well as 3 month RAC warranty.

I was certainly looking at haggling purely due to the service stamp issue.

Thoughts?

 

[Vilus]

This is exactly what I found when I was looking for an E55. I viewed three cars before buying the fourth. Two were at dealers and one private who claimed they had full Merc history. However after up to a hundred mile drive to view the cars I found the service history was two years and 20K miles out of date! That is not FSH!!!

The car I went for had a few options missing, but full Merc history and had been seviced by the main dealer two months before.

As for the warranty check the small print. The RAC wanted £400 with a max payout of £1000, and warranty direct wanted £1100 with a max payout of £2000, and max £1000 per claim.

So far in two years I have spent about £2500 in servicing and repairs. This includes C service, new discs and pads, crank sensor, alarm siren, heater valve and new rear tyres and full refurb on the alloys. The only bit that hurt was £400 for new diff seals which cost £8 and five hours labour!

These babies need a lot of love but are very rewarding to drive and own.

 

[Ryandz]

Just put in an offer less than what was asked. Will let you know how it goes, guy is getting back to me soon.

Used the fact the service book hasn't been stamped since 2010 and the airmatic suspension isn't covered in the warranty to my advantage.

 

[John]

I'm guessing there must be evidence of servicing then - maybe receipts or something.

With nothing at all, I'd be seriously hard balling the price.

 

[AMGeed]

I wonder what the mileage was when it had it's last recorded service in 2010?

Without proof, it could have easily done 30k+ miles without being looked at.

It does give good reason for a decent price reduction.

I remember a prospective buyer looking at a 54 plate well specced E55 back in June/July from a London dealer. Screen price was £11995 and he had a deal if he wanted at just over £8k. I don't think he took up the offer in the end.

 

[Ryandz]

Had a voicemail earlier saying they were waiting to hear back from Mercedes to know exactly what service is needed before discussing the offer I have made. I feel a bit more confident that they are doing this however I certainly won't be budging. I also want a full tank of Vpower to get me as much of the 260 route home as possible along with 6 months tax.

Actually, maybe a tad optimistic hoping to get 260 miles out of a tank when I've just bought the car

 

[AMGeed]

Expect to see plenty of this around town

 

[Major774]

On motorways I can hit 320+ miles out of the tank in my car, going 80mph average.

I only use normal unleaded.

 

[Ryandz]

Turns out it has actually had services. Mercedes have confirmed this along with dates/mileages which the buyer will get in the form of paperwork.

However they aren't keen on budging from the asking price.

With the spec, FMBSH and 3 month RAC national warranty up to £1000, I'm thinking this could be a deal.

Thoughts anyone?

 

[Vilus]

Remember 'warranty; and legal rights' under the Sale of Goods Act are different things. A three month RAC warranty might cover a few extra items if they go wrong, but there will be an excess to pay usually, and if there are any major issues with the car then a dealer is liable if they can be deemed to have existed at the time of sale.....


Motor Trade Warranty Advice and Recommendations-Used Car Warranties, Dealer Guarantees and Service Contracts

http://www.oft.gov.uk/shared_oft/reports/676408/oft1241.pdf

 

[John]

Like I said above, I think it is about right on that money.

Personally, I wouldn't bother with the warranty (because I didn't although it came with 3 months). I think with that provider, you will hear a lot of air being sucked through teeth when you try and claim. Or it will be 'wear and tear'.

If you want to do that, ask them what it costs to put the warranty on the car and get them to take that off?

It's your decision of course.

These cars aren't really shifting that well so you are in a stronger position arguably.

 

[Ryandz]

Thanks for all your comments so far, much appreciated.

Couple of questions; how often should I expect to change the SBC and Airmatic pump/struts?

I've had a look around but can't find even a rough guide other than the obvious 'go over a pothole and suspension may fail' line. I'm well aware of the costs involved, just curious as to whether there is a rough guideline or not.

 

[Major774]

Change it when they fail.

The SBC pump counter can be resetted in most cases.

Just make sure the car looks right in each corner and that the car goes up and down via the raise button.

 

[Ryandz]

Change it when they fail.

The SBC pump counter can be resetted in most cases.

Just make sure the car looks right in each corner and that the car goes up and down via the raise button.

But how often can I expect all to fail? Is there a natural time scale?

 

[Major774]

How long is a piece of string? Who knows.

My 04 plate E55 currently has 100k miles on the clocks and the SBC pump has yet to flag up an error. Whereas, my 53 plate CDI has currently 90k on the clocks and had the SBC counter resetted last week.

 

[John]

I believe SBC has a 300,000 press life so it's how quickly you reach that which will vary massively as said.

You can't even tell from the mileage i.e. a higher mileage car could have sat on the motorway and hardly had the brake pedal pressed, and conversely a low mileage been stop starting all its life in town.

 

[Ryandz]

I believe SBC has a 300,000 press life so it's how quickly you reach that which will vary massively as said.

You can't even tell from the mileage i.e. a higher mileage car could have sat on the motorway and hardly had the brake pedal pressed, and conversely a low mileage been stop starting all its life in town.

Ah I see, thanks for that. So providing there are no issues, it is easily reset? Does that need to be done directly through Mercedes themselves?

 

[SavMan]

Ah I see, thanks for that. So providing there are no issues, it is easily reset? Does that need to be done directly through Mercedes themselves?

Some Indy's also know how to do it

It can only be reset if its hit the original limit not if there is a fault and should only be extended once.

In terms of cost the struts can be a bigger issue, the chances of all 4 failing are pretty slim but each one would cost in excess of £1000 to replace (my last one through MB was in excess of £1300). My car also had a warranty claim for 2 rears at 40K miles which was a £3k+ bill with MB

 

[Ryandz]

Some Indy's also know how to do it

It can only be reset if its hit the original limit not if there is a fault and should only be extended once.

In terms of cost the struts can be a bigger issue, the chances of all 4 failing are pretty slim but each one would cost in excess of £1000 to replace (my last one through MB was in excess of £1300). My car also had a warranty claim for 2 rears at 40K miles which was a £3k+ bill with MB

E-Class 211: Compressor, Suspension, AIR-SUSPENSION-SHOP

These guys have the front struts at €535 each and a pair of rears for €556 if I'm picking out the right parts in that link. Judging by the prices you have paid, that's a fair bit less! Are they reputable? Only reason I ask is that I may order them if/when I eventually get an E55K and keep them as instant access spares.

 

[Vilus]

The units in the link are from the EU stockist of Arnott Industries. They have a good reputation and are remanufactured with new air bladders from Continental. The units are sold as a core item exchange which means you are charged a deposit and have to return your old part which will then be reconditioned and sold on. Arnott Industries stopped shipping these items abroad because the cost of shipping the old parts back to the USA was greater than the deposit charged so no-one bothered. The Arnott brand replacement rear air springs sold in pairs are not exchange, and do away with the alloy reservoirs.

Make sure you buy the AMG ones. The Arnott rear spring conversion for an AMG is 849.66 Euro

http://www.air-suspension-shop.com/index.php?k=285&lang=eng

Also note that on the rear, as well as the Air springs there is a Bilstein Shock absorber/damper which is mounted outboard in the wheel arches.